By Fr John Chrysostom Truong

Ho Chi Minh City, 28 October 2019 -- Interview with the YM Delegate - Vietnam 2019

What is your major satisfaction in your animation ministry of this important sector (after 4 years)?

The collaboration among Salesians and also between the Salesians and laypeople for the well-being of the young has become a reality.

During the Provincial Chapter many SDB listened to the voice of the young. How do the Salesians listene to young people in everyday life?

In the first session of the Provincial Chapter, some senior confreres showed an attitude of passively listening [listening for the sake of listening] and some even 'aggressive' reactions from the frank feedback of the young observers in the Chapter. The frank reactions came from the youth group with their challenging question: “Then, why did you invite us to participate in this meeting?”... .. After some immediate interventions from some confreres and in particular, from the Provincial himself, calling them to speak out truthfully of their understanding and expectations of the Salesians, the atmosphere for listening improved. The contribution from the young was received with appreciation. Yet, how to respond to all of their expectations with specific lines of action is still challenging.

We understand that the long Asian tradition - which respects the elderly, seniority, clericalism - somehow prevents the young from speaking up about their honest opinions. On the part of the Salesians, it is not easy for them to listen to critical and challenging remarks. Consequently, listening to the young is still a great challenge for the Salesians in their life and mission. But we go forward!

Youth Ministry in Vietnam is still focused on the parish. What are the concrete results making our parishes ‘more Salesian’?

Looking at all the sectors of apostolate in Vietnam, in spite of being very much focused on parochial settings, youth ministry is no longer solely focused on parish ministry. The statistics of March 2019 shows that there are 36 communities with 30 parishes and 174 works to serve the young in need. The number of Salesians who are involved full-time in parish ministries far fewer by comparison with the Salesians who are dedicated to other educational and pastoral services to the young, in particular, in Vocational Technical Schools or TVET (Training Centers).

However, so that Salesian parishes be 'more Salesian', there is the need for parish priests be inspired to be more Salesian (team work, in communion with the Salesian community); each parish needs to have specifically educative activities for the poor youth in the area.

Are you happy about the development of the youth summer camps in most of the 33 communities? How do you motivate the Salesians?

Yes, I'm happy! Not only for the increased number of communities who have summer camps: grown from 9 to 24 Salesian works in 2015 then 44 in 2019, but also the increased number of the young participants [from 2,400 in 2015 to 10,000 in 2018]. The young have had opportunities to grow as human beings and as children of God, the sharing of the mission between Salesians and lay people and the youth leaders [as lay partners]. In addition, it shows the efficacy of working with a “planning mentality”. The summer camps lasted for the whole two months, from early morning until late evening everyday, i.e. the Salesians and the lay people as well as the youth leaders made more sacrifices, and at the same time, they were formed in pastoral ministries and became more like Don Bosco to dedicate their life for the young in need.

We need to attribute these results to God’s loving grace and the support from the leadership of the Province. Second, there has been on-going coordination and collaboration between the YM Commission and Formation Commission since 2017. The Formation commission encouraged formation communities to share their personnel resources with other communities’ ministries; the YM commissions distributed personnel resources [aspirants, college students, candidates, lay people]; the YM commission specified the needs of local community/parishes and coordinated with communities of formation for the distribution of personnel to the places in need.

The 'Heart in Hand' experience is now in its third year. How do evaluate its impact on YM?

The growth of the Heart In Hand group has indeed had a great impact upon Youth Ministry:

First - upon me as a Salesian to witness the action of the Holy Spirit on lay people in the third millenium. At the meeting of YM delegates in Korea [2016], seeing the Korean volunteers, I asked myself: Why the Province of Vietnam only received volunteers and has not sent out volunteers. What could I do as a result of this eye-opening experiences?

2- Proposal that all provincial sub-commissions of YM [aspirant, college students, and vocational technological schools, parish. . .] should draft plans for their educative and pastoral services. The young have received much from the Salesian works, yet, could we ask, for their part, for their sharing in the mission, their self-giving?

In other words, the Heart in Hand group makes us rethink our personal and community approach to activities, our interaction with lay people. Is the Salesian mission restricted only to Salesians and some groups of the Salesian Family, or is it open to others who do not belong to them?

Due to the cultural changes in Vietnam, are the traditional Salesian vocation centers also changing?

Over the last fifteen years, Vietnam has seen rapid change, with great impact upon vocation promotion centers as well as upon the young who think of religious vocations. The quality and also the quantity of vocations are indeed vital for the Salesian congregation. It was clearly spelled out in the strategic plans. The operational plan proposes various lines of actions to be implemented: more forms and activities of vocation promotion among parishes, college students; come-and see weeks in summer, closer accompaniment of the aspirants, activities and retreats for vocation discernment to increase the awareness and interests of the young in consecrated life.

In addition, the province encourages local communities to search for opportunities to start their vocation programs. So far, two more centers for vocation promotion have been opened, one in Can Tho [in Southern Vietnam] and one in Hanoi [the capital]. They have produced fruits. Young men have applied and were admitted to the prenovitiate phase of formation.

How has the Youth Ministry Frame of Reference been 'digested' among ordinary confreres, rectors, parish priests?

First, each and every confrere needed to “know” about the FoR: We opened Seminars to study the FoR (2016- 2018) for working confreres, those in quinquenium and of course, the Youth Ministry course of formation communities has been updated with this precious document.

Next, the teaching of FoR needed to be implemented in the Educative and Pastoral Plans at various level, commissions, and local communities.

The FoR offers guidance and criteria to draft and evaluate them.

Dreams regarding YM in your province for the future?

- The YM commission could coordinate more with Rectors and vice versa, for more animation of YM at local communities.

- Building up capacity for team work among the confreres.

- Putting into practice the animation of educative and pastoral services at various levels [provincial council, commissions, local community - EPC) and making periodic evaluation to improve their service to the young in concrete terms.

Last November 2018 in Hua Hin the EAO delegates expressed their needs. How do you evaluate the progress in your province?

Working with a planning mentality, we have come up with a specific plan with specific goals, clearly defined indicators for evaluation. Evaluation sessions help to improve the quality of YM in the Province. We see some rapid progress, first in mentality, and then in specific youth ministries.

E.g some questions for evaluation:

[1] Does your community open classes for lay people to know and understand Salesian Youth Ministry?

[2] Does your community implement the Salesian Youth Ministry Approach?

[3] How were the methods in your educative and pastoral plans and what did you put in practice?

Expectations for the incoming 2019 November YM delegate EAO meeting in Timor Leste?

I would like to learn more about the orientation of the Congregation for Youth Ministry.

I want to listen, learn from and share what YM in Vietnam can offer for the EAO region delegates.

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