By our own correspondent

EAO, 28 August 2020 -- Two weeks after the memorable first EAO regional vocation ministry online meeting we are able to harvest the fruits. First of all, to our great surprise, on just the following day (12 August), a very similar online meeting of vocation animators from South Asia Region was held (coordinator Fr Gabriel Kumaraja, INT). The input for the 12 provinces of South Asia can be accessed on Boscolink.

Aside from the large variety of situations in our EAO region, from one where the Catholic population is in the majority to one where it is a tiny minority; or situations where there are large families to ones with the lowest birthrate in the world; or places where we have the classic aspirantate system to others with Sunday vocation encounters - there are some important emerging trends in the region.

First of all is a strong drive to involve all Salesians in the creation of a vocation culture or even more within vocation ministry in many ways. We find this especially in the Provincial SEPP (esp. the vocation dimension, FIN-FIS), Province Manual (TLS) or Province system of vocation ministry (PGS) or similar expressions that involve many confreres.

On the Boscolink platform you can access all shared materials during this process. For inspiration it is enough just to browse the index of these useful tools:

Timor Leste 'Manual for Vocation Animation' (2020)

The 14 pages published in Tetum offers in simple, but clear outlines the path of vocation ministry in each local community:

1. Guide for the vocation animation: principles, accompaniment, personal project of life
2. Provincial strategies of vocation animation
3. Vocation Animation
4. Concrete lines of action: school, parish, oratory-youth center, Valdocco experience and discernment
5. Criteria for admission

Appendix with the Vocation animation Decalogue

PGS Viceprovince 'Overall Vocation Ministry Plan' (2020)

The 50-page document in English is the result of many years of research, practice and in the final stage also involved all rectors in PNG and the Solomon Islands:

Part I: Guiding Principles of Vocation Ministry

Part II: Strategies to Foster Salesian Vocations

Part III: Vocation Animation

Part IV: Vocation Pathways in PGS

The Apostolic school (Year 11-12)

The Valdocco experience

The Community experience (for non DB school graduates)

The Aspirantate experience (Namuncura or Cagliero experience)

In the 10 appendices you will find the necessary evaluation tools for each respective experience or even 'rites' of admission to specific experience or Aspirantate.

Our dream is that during this 6-year period our 12 provinces and 6 delegations may learn from each other and especially succeed in involving most of the Salesians in this most important vocation ministry.

Related vocation ministry resources (updates also from South Asia)

Related news articles:

• AustraLasia 5447 (III) EAO Vocation Ministry meeting 2020
• AustraLasia 5389 (I) How to foster the Vocation culture in Australia?
• AustraLasia 5388 (II) Don Bosco Xuan Hiep resumes the Sunday vocation days

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