austraLasia #2615
The "Sunday Oratories" Myanmar
PYIN OO LWIN: 27 March 2010 -- We recently ran a news item on the MYM 'Oratory Day'. It has inspired a follow-up which explains a little more of this activity in the vice province. The Sunday Oratories (Festive Oratory in traditional Salesian terms) are run by the young Salesians in their postnovitiate phase.
Brief description:
The present situation of the St. John Bosco Studentate of Philosophy is of a peculiar nature. The community is made up of four priests and 26 young Salesians in initial Formation. Though the Community was canonically erected and fully established in February 2008 with the approval of the Rector Major, its status in local civil terms is that of an ordinary establishment owned by a private individual. The reason for this is that it is not the policy of the present government to give due approval and recognition to any religious establishment or edifice apart from Buddhism. Hence several restrictions apply to religious activities, public gatherings, liturgical functions and the like.
In such a context, there is no possibility for our young Salesians to do any youth work in the House compound. In earlier days, the Sunday afternoons were spent either in outings, or hiking, or long walks. Months passed and still there was no hope of getting involved in any form of youth ministry. Indeed it was becoming a desperate situation for our young Salesians who worn out not through plenty of activities but through inactivity and lethargy as far as youth ministry was concerned.
Finally, the Superiors of the Community, realising that a solution had to be found in order to keep the young Salesians busy and active, gave them the permission to look out for some possibility where they can have some youth ministry or conduct "Sunday Oratories". They were allowed to go anywhere except do it in their own House compound. It was a great challenge for the young Salesians who had no experience of this sort before. But they were courageous enough to take it up. For the first two or three weeks every Sunday they went out searching for suitable places in the town in order to gather the youth and be able to play with them. It didn't take them too long to find several sites in the town according to their liking and feasibility. Immediately they started organizing the so called "Sunday Oratories" in groups.
Today after one and half years there are nine different places, and the 26 young Salesians of the St. John Bosco Community are happily moving around gathering boys and girls ranging from 10 to 18. These youth hail from different family backgrounds, poorer classes but also middle and well-to-do. Religionwise there are Buddhists, Christians general and Catholic specifically, Muslims, Hindus. Nationalitywise there are Burmese, Chinese, Indian, and from the ethnic groups Chins, Kachins, and others.
Every Sunday, every centre can gather roughly around 25 to 30 youth. The 9 centres are scattered around the town itself; some near and some far. To the far centres the Brothers go by bicycles and to the nearby sites on foot. Every Sunday from 1.00pm to 4.00pm the Brothers carry out this ministry with the youth who willingly come to join the programme. The common programme comprises games like foot ball, cane ball, running games, story-telling, teaching them some lessons of English or mathematics or what they would be useful for them. A few classes on good manners and morals are not excluded.
Results obtained from these so called Sunday Oratories:
In almost all these Sunday Oratories the number of youth keep on increasing. They are willing to come and meet the Brothers and sometime accompanied by their parents who become friendly with the Brothers and express their appreciation in the good work the Brothers are doing for their children. They begin to behave well, avoid fighting, quarrelling, using abusive language and become friendly among themselves.
Challenges and some difficulties:
Since the youth are from different religions, sometime they find it difficult to associate. In such cases the Brothers try to persuade them to be able to accept them easily as friends and companions. They do succeed, generally. Among the youth there are some rag pickers and these come to join in the Sunday Oratories too but they cannot come regularly since they have to look for some money to take back home for their parents.
Personal Reflections on the part of the Brothers who conduct such Sunday Oratories:
The Brothers are happy to run this weekly ministry. They gain experience in dealing directly with the youth especially the poorer ones. It reminds them of the early beginnings of Don Bosco and they come to realise the hardships and inconveniences that the Saint encountered.
The Brothers feel that such Oratory Experience strengthens their vocation and helps them to understand the ordinary living of the poor people in our society.
Don Bosco's Preventive System is employed and the Brothers begin to experience the efficacy of it even among youth of other religions.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
The "Sunday Oratories" Myanmar
PYIN OO LWIN: 27 March 2010 -- We recently ran a news item on the MYM 'Oratory Day'. It has inspired a follow-up which explains a little more of this activity in the vice province. The Sunday Oratories (Festive Oratory in traditional Salesian terms) are run by the young Salesians in their postnovitiate phase.
Brief description:
The present situation of the St. John Bosco Studentate of Philosophy is of a peculiar nature. The community is made up of four priests and 26 young Salesians in initial Formation. Though the Community was canonically erected and fully established in February 2008 with the approval of the Rector Major, its status in local civil terms is that of an ordinary establishment owned by a private individual. The reason for this is that it is not the policy of the present government to give due approval and recognition to any religious establishment or edifice apart from Buddhism. Hence several restrictions apply to religious activities, public gatherings, liturgical functions and the like.
In such a context, there is no possibility for our young Salesians to do any youth work in the House compound. In earlier days, the Sunday afternoons were spent either in outings, or hiking, or long walks. Months passed and still there was no hope of getting involved in any form of youth ministry. Indeed it was becoming a desperate situation for our young Salesians who worn out not through plenty of activities but through inactivity and lethargy as far as youth ministry was concerned.
Finally, the Superiors of the Community, realising that a solution had to be found in order to keep the young Salesians busy and active, gave them the permission to look out for some possibility where they can have some youth ministry or conduct "Sunday Oratories". They were allowed to go anywhere except do it in their own House compound. It was a great challenge for the young Salesians who had no experience of this sort before. But they were courageous enough to take it up. For the first two or three weeks every Sunday they went out searching for suitable places in the town in order to gather the youth and be able to play with them. It didn't take them too long to find several sites in the town according to their liking and feasibility. Immediately they started organizing the so called "Sunday Oratories" in groups.
Today after one and half years there are nine different places, and the 26 young Salesians of the St. John Bosco Community are happily moving around gathering boys and girls ranging from 10 to 18. These youth hail from different family backgrounds, poorer classes but also middle and well-to-do. Religionwise there are Buddhists, Christians general and Catholic specifically, Muslims, Hindus. Nationalitywise there are Burmese, Chinese, Indian, and from the ethnic groups Chins, Kachins, and others.
Every Sunday, every centre can gather roughly around 25 to 30 youth. The 9 centres are scattered around the town itself; some near and some far. To the far centres the Brothers go by bicycles and to the nearby sites on foot. Every Sunday from 1.00pm to 4.00pm the Brothers carry out this ministry with the youth who willingly come to join the programme. The common programme comprises games like foot ball, cane ball, running games, story-telling, teaching them some lessons of English or mathematics or what they would be useful for them. A few classes on good manners and morals are not excluded.
Results obtained from these so called Sunday Oratories:
In almost all these Sunday Oratories the number of youth keep on increasing. They are willing to come and meet the Brothers and sometime accompanied by their parents who become friendly with the Brothers and express their appreciation in the good work the Brothers are doing for their children. They begin to behave well, avoid fighting, quarrelling, using abusive language and become friendly among themselves.
Challenges and some difficulties:
Since the youth are from different religions, sometime they find it difficult to associate. In such cases the Brothers try to persuade them to be able to accept them easily as friends and companions. They do succeed, generally. Among the youth there are some rag pickers and these come to join in the Sunday Oratories too but they cannot come regularly since they have to look for some money to take back home for their parents.
Personal Reflections on the part of the Brothers who conduct such Sunday Oratories:
The Brothers are happy to run this weekly ministry. They gain experience in dealing directly with the youth especially the poorer ones. It reminds them of the early beginnings of Don Bosco and they come to realise the hardships and inconveniences that the Saint encountered.
The Brothers feel that such Oratory Experience strengthens their vocation and helps them to understand the ordinary living of the poor people in our society.
Don Bosco's Preventive System is employed and the Brothers begin to experience the efficacy of it even among youth of other religions.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
