【慈幼通訊社 ─ 2013 年 08 月 27 日迦納 Ashaiman 訊】 ─ 八月十九日星期一傍晚，青年牧民議員Fabio Attard神父，到西非英語會省，在迦納受當地會省會院的接待。
星期二早上彌撒後，會士齊集於會議室。分享環節共兩部份。早上部份集中討論青年今天面對的挑戰。慈幼會士每三人一組，討論並提出青年今天面對的三個大挑戰。討論中加冒出了以下的要點：貧窮、家庭制度衰落、傳媒的負面衝擊、全球化、失業、欠缺方向、對文化傳承冷感等。
Fabio神父協助我們深入探究分享的題目。他表示貧窮與福傳、傳媒與全球化，以及家庭問題，都對我們作為慈幼傳教士及教育者的使徒身份作出呼籲。這份慈幼神恩身份，在青年牧民部的反思，並在整個修會的參與下，得以重新展現。修會這項工作的成果，現收錄在青年牧民手冊中，並翻譯成不同語言。手冊分成三個部份，題目如下：
──熟識今天青年的生活及文化
──從福傳者基督到福傳的教會
──預防教育法：神修及教育經驗
──教育牧民團體
──令我們的臨在成為青年的一個家庭
──慈幼教育牧民計劃
──慈幼青年牧的工具、活動及工作
在我們慈幼會學校，學業成績及專業資格，不應成為主要追求目標；道德及基督徒價值，應予優先。慈幼會士應協助青年進入這全球化的世界，卻不為它所消溶。會士應接受青年面對的處境的挑戰。
處理青年問題的最佳方法，就是創造熱切款待的環境，運用合宜的方法接觸青年，並跟從鮑聖倡議的預防教育法。
下午部份，分享內容著重於靈修指導。根據Fabio神父所說，靈修指導是一份在「信德滿盈」的生活中，在聖事的生活中，在經歷主基督中的使命。人們必須親歷基督，方能指導他人。默想有助加強親歷耶穌基督。慈幼會士的生活不能缺少默想。
靈修指導有助人們深化對天主的認識及醒覺，在生命中發現天主的行動，並能回應天主。靈修指導者要有效指引他人，必須與他人有著同一份的經歷。
Fabio神父的分享會非常充實，並十分讚賞與他的對話與交流。
Fr Fabio Attard presents the structure of the new Youth Pastoral Manual
(ANS - Ghana –Ashaiman, 27 August 2013) – On Monday evening 19 August, Fr. Fabio Attard, the Councillor for Youth Ministry, was welcomed to the Provincial house in Ghana, English-speaking Province of West Africa (AFW Province).
After Mass on Tuesday morning, confreres assembled in the conference room.The sharing was divided into two sessions. The morning session focused on the challenges that young people are facing today. Salesians were asked to go into groups of three and to come up with three major challenges youth are facing today. The following points emerged: poverty, family breakdown, the negative impact of media, globalization, unemployment, lack of direction, lack of appreciation of cultural heritage.
Fr. Fabio helped us to look deeply at what was shared. He said that poverty and evangelization, media and globalization, and family problems are appealing to our apostolic identity as Salesian evangelizers and educators. This charismatic identity has been expressed anew in the rethinking done by the youth ministry department, with the involvement of the whole congregation. The result of this major work of the congregation is now contained in the youth ministry manual, which is translated into different languages. The manual is divided into three parts with the following topics:
· being familiar with life and the culture of the young today.
· from Christ the evangelizer to the evangelizing Church.
· the Preventive System: a spiritual and educative experience.,
· the educative- pastoral community:
· make of our presence a family for the young,
· Salesian educative-pastoral project:
· pastoral tools, activities and works of Salesian youth ministry.
In our Salesian schools, academic results and professionalism shouldn’t be the main goal; moral and Christian values should be the priority. Salesians should help young people to enter into the global world without being consumed by it. They should be challenged by the situations young people are facing.
The best way to handle the youth situation is to create a welcoming environment where a sensible approach is adopted towards the young people, following the preventive system of education proposed by Don Bosco.
In the afternoon session, the sharing was on spiritual direction. According
to Fr. Fabio, spiritual direction is a ministry within a ‘faith-filled’
life, a sacramental life, an experience of the body of Christ.
In order to direct others the person must have experience of Christ.
Meditation is where this experience of Jesus is strengthened. Salesians
shouldn’t live without meditation.
Spiritual direction is helping someone to have a deeper knowledge and awareness of God, a discovery of God’s action in one’s life and how to respond to him. Spiritual Direction can only be effective if the one who is directing is going through the same experience. The meeting with Fr. Fabio was very enriching and the dialogue and interaction with him were much appreciated.