Workshop for the Overall Provincial Plan of Timor Leste viceprovince

By Fr. Joao Boavida, SDB

Laga, Timor Leste, 12 May 2018 -- What is the Vocation Culture? This was one of the questions exchanged during our province pastoral team with sector commissions meeting few days ago in Laga. All 16 participants representing the main sectors of Salesian Life and mission were called during the extraordinary visitation to Laga (Timor Leste, District of Baucau) for one day seminar: Consecration - Formation - Youth Ministry - Social Communication - Missionary animation - Economy.

After the former ITM Overall Provincial Plan (OPP) 2010-2016 our Viceprovince started last December journey for the evaluation and discernment for of the next generation OPP. And the extraordinary visitation by our EAO regional was a good opportunity to make one more step in our effort. The 3 step workshop sharing in Laga was another step in our viceprovince discernment journey.

The VISION of our provincial community for next 6 years were focused on the following priorities:

• Deepen our Salesian apostolic consecration identity: Why do we become Salesians?
• Strengthening Youth Ministry, especially formal education in the schools (mainstream of our mission)
• Strengthening Formation, especially qualification of our confreres and lay mission partners
• Strengthening Econmic sustainability, especially build up the capacity of our PDO (Planning & Development Office).

The EVALUATION of our previous OPP 2010-2016 with a the first tentative draft of the new OPP

• Improve our situation analysis capacity especially about our mission - schools, parishes and youth movement
• Focus on the faith education especially in our schools, the most important venue of faith education today
• Growth in planning and evaluation culture in our communities (Educative Pastoral Plan)
• Initial formation quality focus

The PRIORITY FOR EACH SECTOR of Salesian life and mission

• Apostolic consecration and religious life: formation of rectors, formation of SDB for spiritual accompaniment
• Formation: formation of SDB in all neglected areas (Salesian spirituality, formation, school and education, social communication, psycho-spiritual accompaniment), promote the Salesian Brother vocation
• Youth ministry: qualify the Salesians as faith educators (catechesis and spiritual accompaniment), clarify the Salesian Youth Ministry concept and formation (it's not only about the SYM - Movimento Juvenil Salesiano)
• Social communication: formation of all Salesians in SC, some SDB with a specialization in SC, joint working of YM - Social Communication and Formation, publish quarterly the Salesian Bulletin.
• Economy: recover the transparency, budget culture and formation of economers and functional PDO
• Salesian Family: formation of all respective Delegates or Spiritual guides, Formation and new membership of all main groups (Don Bosco Alumni, Salesian Cooperators and ADMA), Consulta of Salesian Family.

We believe in the gradual steps of provincial planning, that strengthen the sense of belonging to one provincial community and help us to work towards more clear common vision. Next steps will be already part of the preparation for the next Provincial Chapter 2019.

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