austraLasia 1112
Philippines: Salesian psychologist places Ratio under developmental spotlight
MANILA: 20th April 2005 -- In what is certainly a contribution from a much-needed perspective, Fr Lazaro Revilla, long-time Salesian missionary in the Philippines, has launched a scholarly work on the first three chapters of the renewed Salesian Ratio (the more complete term for which is The formation of the Salesians of Don Bosco).
Entitled Incarnating the Christmas Story, Fr Revilla's work has put the first three chapters of the Ratio under the spotlight of document analysis, and more specifically an analysis based on the Values Inventory work of Dr Brian P. Hall and Fr Benjamin Tonna. In effect, the investigation into the Salesian Ratio by this means aims to identify the 'master story' that appears to lie at the basis of the Ratio and the Salesian formation process.
At this stage just three chapters have been analysed. This is partly based on the belief that the first three chapters are sufficient to offer a firm lead into the values Salesians believe they are incarnating through their formation process, but also because the analysis involved is complex and, of course, costly.
Fr Revilla situates the values identified within a framework reflecting development structures of over eighty human development models. In an earlier discussion on his work, he indicated that the analysis has been interesting not only for the values it has discovered to be present, but also for those which are not part of the Ratio's choice.
More than a hundred guests attended the launch at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Manila. They included people from the academic community, Religious involved in formation and Salesians and lay partners.
Fr Revilla has been a Salesian for 50 years and a priest for 40 of those. His work helps celebrate these milestones in his own life while offering a more wholistic perspective to Salesians generally. He holds a Doctorate in Psychology and a Masters in Theology.
Copies of the book may be ordered through administrator@dbti.edu.ph
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