Salesian Youth Ministry Department – “Evangelising and educating: our apostolic identity” in “Salesian Youth Ministry”

Fullness of life and the happiness of human beings is the ultimate purpose of the plan of God. The Gospel of Christ shows great trust in humanity. It demands that we pay attention to the unique reality of every person and their willingness to accept their vocation and destiny in  Christ, the perfect man. The Gospel proposes the good news (the person of Christ) who invites everyone to share in Christ’s sonship, the foundation of the freedom and dignity of every  person. Don Bosco educated and evangelised by carrying out a project of holistic development. He saw education as the growth of the person, with all the means necessary to assist the  person. Evangelisation inspires people to the fullness of life offered in Jesus and enlightens  them in its pursuit, always respecting the developing conscience of each person. Finally,  regarding the choice of fi eld of ministry, we are sent to the poor, especially the poorest, and to ordinary class environments, where we seek to humanise and evangelise the culture.

SUMMARY:

• 1. Fullness of Life and the Happiness of every Human Being
• 2. Directed to Christ, the perfect man
  • 2.1. Encountering Jesus Christ and integrating love for life
  • 2.2. Originality and boldness in Don Bosco’s approach to education 
• 3. Evangelise and educate through a project of holistic development
  • 3.1. The understanding of evangelisation
  • 3.2. The relation between educational activity and evangelising activity
    • The educational implications of Christian anthropology
    • The Gospel, radical inspiration
    • The Good News in the variety of cultures and religious traditions
• 4. Choice of a field of apostolate
  • 4.1. The young, especially the poorest, are our decisive determining option
    • A strong, constant love for the poorest
    • Poverty compromises the education and growth of young people
  • 4.2. Humanisation and evangelisation of culture
    • Fidelity to the Gospel and fi delity to culture
    • Cultural challenges cut across all pastoral experiences

Reference time period: 2014

Reference institution:
Direzione Generale SDB