austraLasia

ALA_5268

Formation of our lay mission partners

By Fr. Michael Lap
Vice-provincial & YM delegate

Tokyo, Japan, 6 December 2019 -- The 6 year plan of the Japan Province of St Francis Xavier (2016-2021) spells out 6 concrete goals under the two major headings of Focus on the mission for poor young people and Formation. Probably the most advanced field with more visible fruits is the formation of our lay collaborators as mission partners. It is amazing, that last year no less than three different tools were produced - one at the province level (SDB Japan), one at the school level (Salesian Polytechnic, Machida - Tokyo) and one by the Caritas Sister of Jesus (Japan province).

Since in Japan most of our mission partners are non-Catholic, the focus of their formation is to facilitate a better and deeper understanding of Catholic culture and the Salesian charism, especially the main elements of the Don Bosco Preventive System: Religion, Reason and Loving Kindness. All three simple tools are the result of a year-long process involving our lay mission partners in a simple dialogue - what is difficult to understand from their point of view.

Caritas Sisters of Jesus produced a simple and attractive leaflet in colour, that can be folded to 'pocket size'. The Salesian Polytechnic Lay mission partners textbook of 50 pages is the result of the ongoing dialogue between the Salesians and their teachers and the booklet is disseminated in serial form in the weekly teachers meeting. While the SDB Province Guidelines for the Lay Mission Partners Formation spells out in 100 pages all the necessary elements of Don Bosco's pedagogy, spirituality and life mission. At the end of this booklet you can find also a short Catholic and Salesian Glossary of our terminology.

We hope that this step in the formation of lay mission partners will also inspire other EAO provinces and Salesian Family Congregations or Lay groups to make this important commitment to share our faith and charism in a more accessible way and language!