(Jn 4,15)
LET US CULTIVATE
THE ART OF LISTENING
AND OF ACCOMPANIMENT
Strenna 2018
Spiritual Accompaniment of Young People Today
Inspired by
the Praxis and Thought of St John Bosco
Symposium 20th – 21st January 2018 De La Salles Pastoral Centre Castle Town
John Paul II said that the Church is an “expert in humanity”, and that “the way of the Church passes through the heart of man”. St John Bosco is a concrete manifestation of this!
Don Bosco was a true spiritual master and companion for the young. He used to say that education is a “matter of the heart” and that one must “open away for God in the boy’s heart not only in church but also in the classroom and workshop”.
Don Bosco believed that it is not so much ‘what we do’ for young people that is important, but rather ‘who we are’ for them. Don Bosco was able to create that youthful environment in which processes of spiritual growth for the young were made possible. He then managed to be that “someone” who could offer direction to each and every young person.
• How did Don Bosco touch the heart of so many people and manage to offer such spiritual guidance?
• How did Don Bosco differ from his predecessors and contemporaries, thus bringing something new in the Church?
• What can Youth Animators and Salesians of today learn from Don Bosco’s experience?
• How can we best facilitate young people’s search for meaning?
Fr Louis Grech S.D.B. is a Salesian priest from Malta who has a vast experience in working with young people. He has been for the last sixteen years organizing various activities, including the Boscofest, live-ins, retreats, holiday camps and has created a centre of animation of young people with a strong vocational culture. He shares with us his experience and helps us to explore fundamental questions in youth ministry and is of interest who have young people at heart.
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