Thailand - Rethinking of the Salesian Youth Ministry

 

UPS - Salesian Pontifical University 2019

 

Fr. Joseph Peter Nopphadol, SDB

THA province (Thailand - Laos - Cambodia)

 

 

MA (Licentiate) thesis 2019, June 19

For download: Thailand-rethinking salesian YM-Nopp.pdf

 

Chapter 1: YM history in the THA province (1927-1977-2018)

Chapter 2: Criteria of Youth Ministry

Chapter 3: Renewal of the Youth Ministry in the province

 

1. Rethinking of the YM dimensions

- Education to the faith

- Education-culture dimension

- Group experience (associations)

- Apostolic vocation dimension

- Missionary animation and volunteering

- Salesian Youth movement

 

2. Rethinking the apostolic works in Thailand

- Oratory-Youth Center

- School and TVET (vocation training centers)

- Higher Education with Salesian presence

- Parishes entrusted to the Salesians

- Social services and the youth at risk

 

3. Opening to the collaboration in the Youth Ministry

- Collaboration with the Lay people

- Collaboration with the Young

- Collaboration with the Salesian Family, other religious, local church

 

Conclusion 

 

UPS 2019, June 18

 

Licentiate in Youth Ministry, Fr. Joseph Peter Nopphadol        Conclusion

 

   During first 90 years of Salesian mission in Thailand (1927-2018) we encounter an ongoing challenge to ‘Rethink the Salesian Youth Ministry’ based on the Universal Catholic Magisterium, Salesian Congregation and Thailand Catholic Church criteria.

 

 In the Licentiate Thesis - reflection of Fr. Nopphadol we encounter three common elements through this 90 year period from the pioneer stage in Bang Nok Khuek (Banpong):

* Education to the Faith: Accompany the young and help them in experience of God

* Mission: Building out-reaching Church community, forming the young as missionaries

* Evangelization and Education: Salesians have founded Christian communities and schools and formed the young people in the spirituality of the Preventive System of Don Bosco;

* Vocational Youth Ministry: from the first two minor seminaries to the present need to rethink also our vocation ministry today

* Collaboration within the Catholic Church: with the Lay people and with the young

* Inculturation: Salesians are challenged to continue the dialogue with the cultures of Thailand, with the youth cultures and with the Buddhist culture (inter-cultural dialogue).

 

Concretely he suggests to move forward in the

quality Youth Ministry with the following actions:

(1)  Work out the Overall Provincial Plan (most recent OPP is already 12 years old) and also work out the SEPP in order to promote the education and evangelization, fostering the apostolic works like Oratory, School – TVET, parish, institutions of higher education, youth at risk social services

(2)  Improve the provincial team of the Youth Ministry in order to foster planning, pastoral action and evaluation; working on the SEPP and coordinating with other provincial commissions, with the lay mission partners, Salesian Family groups and local Church

(3)  Promote an integral path of accompaniment of the young in various aspects: personal spiritual aspect, accompany various groups (province, commissions, local communities)

(4)  Youth Ministry in dialogue with the Thailand Buddhists, cultures, poverties of the young people – among those we are called to share the Gospel and Preventive System values

(5)  Planning of faith education journey (path) for Catholic/ Christian students and lay people, who are in Thailand very small minority (0.3%) with the involvement of the lay partners

(6)  Foster the social services for the youth at risk – this action requires outreaching attitude of the Salesians, to leave our comfort zone, especially need to address the migrants. This field does require the collaboration with dioceses of Chiang Mai and Bangkok

(7)  At the level of local communities foster the building the Educative Pastoral Communities and working along the SEPP with all five dimensions;

 

There are many limits and challenges of the Thailand Youth Ministry reflection

in this thesis:

·       Limits in concrete pointers for the OPP process drafting

·       Limits of not-yet-clearly defined works for the youth at risk / youth in need that are not yet clearly owned by the whole provincial community

·       Limits of a new important apostolic project for the poorest youth in Mae Hong Son and migrant youth; there is a need to create a special commission ad hoc for feasibility study and planning

·       Limits of the Salesians who are hiding themselves in their comfort zone, with a strong need of synergy between formation and youth ministry to move with human formation of young candidates and confreres

·       Limit of small numbers of SDB and Lay people available for pastoral planning at province level

·       Limits to achieve a necessary mentality paradigm shift: from school model to integral approach