By Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB
Effort is being made to study and clarify the fundamental elements of the Youth Pastoral Plan (YPP) in the context of the religio-cultural pluralism, offering practical suggestions, in order to provide pastoral action-plan for the youth according to the indications given at the CBCI meet (2010). Through these guidelines, the CCBI commission for youth enabled the regions to come to know, take up and develop in their own concrete situation the central lines of the model for youth apostolate as something unified and structured.
This effort of systematic all-round reflection, formation and communication started in 1996, was followed up in the dioceses in a very haphazard way. Others continued with the previous model, sometimes only changing a few names. Difficulty is faced by such conservative groups in taking on board the new mentality and renewing their daily praxis.
The area of youth apostolate needs a further serious examination of its structure and of its operating method. After a long period the youth has been given a lot of general encouragement but not the innovative, decisive and operative structural impetus, with the allocation of the necessary personnel, means and directives as it had been deliberated in a unified, structured and practical NYPP (1996).
For example, the fundamental lines of a process of education to the faith which corresponds to the complex youth situation in its various expressions, fail to achieve in practice the synthesis between education and evangelization till date. This shows that the NYPP so meticulously drawn up, has not been implemented fully. It already presents, in a dynamic and progressive form, the central elements of the four areas/dimensions of the process of holistic development of the youth, areas which correspond perfectly with the four dimensions of the educative-pastoral project: human maturity; an encounter with Jesus Christ; belonging to the Church; a commitment for the Kingdom.
The existing NYPP develops the values of Indian youth spirituality which, as a distinctive plan of Christian life and a path of holiness, constitutes the goal and the inspiration which ought to guide and support the whole process of education to the faith. It is through this that peace and harmony are sought for, based on inter-faith dialogue with life.
A well planned pastoral animation of the youth at the diocesan and regional level fosters and promotes the structural unity of the various aspect of the pastoral work; gives vocational guidance as a characteristic element of the process; gives importance to social communication as the current process and method of evangelisation. The limited formation of the animators makes these plans quite ineffective.
Contrary to the dependence on the clerical structure, a novelty stems from the involvement of the laity and their Christian experiences into youth pastoral activities as volunteers and full time collaborators, through involvement in the mission, from practical help to very real co-responsibility, from relationships which were mainly formal to individual and group interpersonal communication.
The YPP starts progressively, setting itself in the required direction according to the present needs of the young people keeping the challenges of “inculturation of the gospel” in mind, particularly, that which involves the intercultural and interreligious dialogue and involvement for peace and harmony. If the finality of the YM is the maturation of the faith and the human promotion of the young people, the YPP has to enter into mutual dialogue between faith and life. This is the main service to fit young people, in order to resolve their crisis of faith, motivating them to undertake responsibility effectively in the Church and in the society.
Here, we propose a blueprint of the structure, the generalities and other important elements of an ideal YPP with a distinctive attention to the dimensions: anthropological, ecclesiological, theological-pastoral and educational implicitly expressed through the criteria, methods and lines of action.
Based on the available studies – scientific and magisterial- we present an ideal model of YPP in Indian context with an outline of a composite structure with the following indications: objectives, contents and methods, action plans, techniques and tools for evaluation. This ‘grass root model’ will help to develop the needed YPP further. It will presume the theological pastoral, socio-cultural, ecclesial and educational foundations, followed by general and specific objectives based on certain criteria and with a methodology of ‘future vision,’ as a point of reference, for projecting the YPP.
The last part will try to evaluate all those means and methods of the YPP and its execution. The critical evaluation of the YPP will be realized in relation to the given success indicators: cultural and religious presuppositions, social conditions, criteria of evangelisation, inculturation, missionary spirit, interreligious and intercultural dialogue, peace and harmony, coherence among goals, aims, methodological orientations and the action plans. This way one establishes the validity of the plan, its agility for the redefinition in the context of the cultural and religious pluralism, inspiring to the values, to the goals and to the aims selected and impersonated, trying to point out the following developments for the re-launching of the YPP.
Concludes
Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB is a Salesian priest from the Kolkata Province. He has a Licentiate in Catechetics and a Doctorate (Christian Education) from UPS, Italy. He has number of years of teaching experience in college and in the formation of future priests. Besides, he has written number of research papers and articles, and has 25 years of Ministry in India and abroad as Educator, Formator, Retreat Preacher, Editor and engaged in School, Parish Catechetical & Youth Ministry. He is now an assistant priest in Bandel Basilica, rendering pastoral and catechetical ministry to the parishioners and to the pilgrims. He can be contacted at [email protected].