Towards a Vocation Culture in Southern Africa

by Fr Vaclav Klement SDB · December 17, 2024

Salesian Vocation Workshop

By Fr Vaclav Klement—The annual Salesian practical trainees workshop, which included 7 young confreres from 6 countries (South Africa, Malawi, Congo, DRCongo, Malawi, and Chad), was moderated by Fr Chris Rychcik SDB, provincial coordinator of formation at Bosco Youth Centre, from December 13 to 16. The theme was ‘Building Vocation Culture’.

The SDB Social Communication Team members guided the young Salesians along the pathways of AI at the service of the Mission (Br Clarence and Fr Odise) to discover the challenges and pastoral-educative opportunities of modern technology affecting our daily lives.

Two sessions were dedicated to psycho-sexual affective maturity and conflict solution check and the following sessions were dedicated to the concrete experiences of vocation animation. SDB practical trainees learnt about the respective programmes and experiences of other Congregations in Southern Africa, like Franciscans, Jesuits and Oblates of Mary Immaculate as well from Salesian experience from other provinces worldwide, like VocTok community of 13 thousand young people in the Philippines or other African provinces.

A few Don Bosco hymns were recorded for the incoming Novena to St John Bosco who is one of the three Saint patrons of the Youth Ministry in the SACBC. This workshop experience is a precious contribution to the 2025 Jubilee of Hope when the whole Southern Africa Salesian province (eSwatini-Lesotho-South Africa) will focus the Youth Ministry towards Vocation Animation.