GENERAL OBJECTIVE:

Accompanied by Jesus, Mary, Founders and Patron Saints, we journey with the Educating Community and young along the paths of conversion and communion towards love which is ‘the greatest of all’.

We the  FMA
Of the Province of St. Thomas the Apostle – Chennai

As ‘Open Cenacle’ in today’s world
Let the sap of the Spirit run into our being and have Fire in our hearts,
Word on our lips and Prophecy in our glance

Satiated by the Word of God
We commit ourselves
To walk with the young and women
In communion, to make their future rich in hope

With Mary, our Founders and Patron Saints,
We, as Salesian Family, revive the ardour
Of the Da mihi animas cetera tolle,
Restore the prophetic and mystical dimension
And make a home of love.

  • We acknowledge that…

    Jesus Christ is the most amazing sign of God’s love, but we do not always keep him at the centre of our life and mission.
    We are called to be a living memorial of Jesus’ way of living and acting.

  • We acknowledge that…

    In the Church, our founders are signs of God’s love for the young and for the world, but we do not always succeed in being transparent expressions of this love.
    We are called to give new life to the Da mihi animas cetera tolle of Don Bosco and to Mary Mazzarello’s response to the assignment: I entrust them to you.

  • We acknowledge that…

    Young people are the Father’s gift of love for us and for society, but we do not always make them feel that we love them and that they are loved by God.
    We are called to be, with them, a sign and expression of the foreseeing love of God.

  • We acknowledge that…

    The educating community is a sign that makes God’s love visible, but at times, we find it difficult to assume and to share the educative mission co-responsibly.
    We are called to Believe that foreseeing love is more effective when we witness to it as an educating community.

COMMITMENT ACTION PLAN
1.1 Rediscover the fascination of a personal relationship with Christ , in the radical quality of a chaste, poor and obedient life
  • Facilitate the sisters to grow in mystical experience at the SEARCH Ashram
  • Enhance fervent, creative and active fidelity to personal, community and liturgical prayer
  • Offer Guided retreat
  • Provide possibilities for yoga and meditation
  • In depth Study of FMA India, Formation Programme
1.2 Persevere in our commitment to be Missionary disciples of the Word
  • Make the Word of God a constant point of reference
  • Assimilate the Word of God to evangelize oneself and others
1.3 Be reconciled with God, purifying our hearts and renewing them in love
  • Grow  in interior life and asceticism and assure space for self realization
  • Change from pious devotion to spirituality, from functional approach to genuine relationship
  • Make right choices with  conviction
  • Ensure transparency, accountability, uprightness and sense of responsibility
  • Commitment to one’s duty
  • Faithful to the Sacrament  of reconciliation
1.4 Celebrate and live the Eucharist as the power that generates communion in the Church, witnessing to the beauty of belonging to the Lord in a joyous gift to our brothers and sisters
  • Meaningful participation in the Eucharistic celebration and become ‘bread broken’ for all
  • Accept and value the positive in each person and enable others to do the same
1.5 Value the Personal encounter and reciprocal accompaniment as privileged means of discernment for personal and community growth in following Christ.
  • Commitment to the monthly personal encounter
  • Foster the Gospel style of inter personal relationship
  • Build  relationships through dialogue and constructive criticism
  • Practice obedience in the style of “I will go, I will do”
  • Preparation of personnel adequately qualified in counseling services
1.6 Live the service of authority within our communities with an evangelical heart, promoting the conditions that favour the growth of life and joy and valuing each one’s contribution in the style of coordination for communion.
  • Value and actively participate in the moments of community togetherness
  • Enhance a circular  style of animation
  • Equip the animators with skills in effective spiritual direction
2.1 Enhance the prophetic and mystical dimensions of our vocation in our communities vitally assuming the educational spirituality of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello.
  • Grow in God consciousness
  • Give concrete expressions to the human and spiritual values of Valdocco and Mornese
  • Facilitate the formation of the Sisters in theological, philosophical and human sciences
2.2 Return to the Charismatic sources of foreseeing love lived in the joyful and demanding style of the Preventive System.
  • Imitate Don Bosco and Maria Mazzarello in  dealing with the young
  • Learn new ways to handle the problems of the youth with the right attitude
  • Seminar for the sisters on the practice of  the preventive system at the zonal level as a preparation and celebration for the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco
  • Preparation of the ‘Child Protection Policy’
2.3 Rediscover the roots of our Spirituality in Francis de Sales and Teresa of Avila, both signs of a life unified in God and given to others and expert guides on the path to sanctity
  • Nurture person oriented relationship
  • Use the power of persuasion and love
  • Practice the Salesian Spirituality making constant reference to the lives of Salesian Saints.
2.4 Rediscover the Missionary courage of the ‘da mihi animas’ overcoming the risk that the administration of our works could suffocate the energy of the Charism.

 
  • Reach out to the poor young people where they are
  • Network with other sectors for human promotion
  • Move from efficiency to apostolic efficacy;
  • Move from doing and having to Being
2.5 Adhere to the demands of cetera tolle, by renewing our trust in Divine Providence and living evangelical poverty in a real and concrete way as individuals and as communities
  • Respond to the new challenges of our society
  • Render unreserved service to the young
  • Be sensitive to the poor and be available  for the mission
  • Grow in sense of belonging to the community
  • Care for non violent communications
  • Give public witness by a simple life-style.
3.1 Move outside of our comfort zone to be with the young, to listen to them, to share our time, to open our hearts and homes, creating family environments like those of Valdocco and Mornese
  • Be open to the situations of the youth poverty, understanding their languages and reaching out to those at risk
  • Ensure quality and healing presence among the young and cultivate active listening
  • Be ready to sacrifice our personal time and energy
3.2 Believe that there is a part of every young person’s heart that is open to goodness and develop it, so as to make each one a protagonist in his/her own growth. This enables young people to offer their own contribution towards building a society founded on peace, justice and care for creation
  • Favour attitudinal change on the part of the educator and accept that a person can change for the better
  • Develop patient dealing with individuals having difficult characters
  • Promote Eco-friendliness and awareness on the preservation of the environment.
  • Teach to respect the earth as sacred and promote a green mission – cosmic vision.
3.3 Getting into step, in the style of preventive education with the new generations’ ways of communicating so as to encounter them, to dialogue and to promote their active participation and self-expression.

 
  • Train the young for the critical use of media
  • Get to know about the New Age Movement and its influence in the light of the teachings of the Church
  • Establish a youth centre as ‘Welcome Home’ for the young people
3.4 Witness to the foreseeing love of God in our ever- changing ministries and in the new educative ministries we assume, so as to reach the young where they are and to welcome them as they are
  • Welcome the youth to spend their time in our campus
  • Avail our centres for pastoral needs
  • Create an atmosphere suited for proclamation of the Gospel in a digital style.
  • Promote awareness on various social issues like Trafficking, New Media, Cyber Crime, Abuse etc.,
  • Provide training in digital media
  • Offer Tele counseling and help line for suicide prevention  at Auxilium College Katpadi, Regunathapuram, and Tiruvottiyur
  • Network between formal and non formal sectors and other agencies
  • Establish rehabilitation centre for HIV infected girl children
3.5 Announce Jesus to young people and accompany them as they encounter Him personally, as they assume apostolic commitments and as they discover God’s plan for their life

 
  • Witness and  Announce Christ through words and deeds
  • Facilitate Vocational discernment
  • Greater collaboration in the Parish through Catechesis, Sacramental Catechesis
  • Encourage the committed groups to share their God experience with peer groups
3.6 Promote a vocational youth pastoral,educating the young to mature in love, in interpersonal relationships and in social responsibility, also through volunteering; teaching them to open themselves to God, the source of an authentic love that enables them to give of themselves to others

 
  • Promote volunteerism among the young
  • Conduct Vocation day and vocation camp in the campus for the girls
  • Prepare the personnel with a long term vision and involve the lay collaborators in our mission.
4.1 Joyfully live our identity as FMA, giving new meaning to our communities in fidelity to the Gospel and to our charism – in dialogue with other vocations in the local Church and particularly within the Salesian Family – working together to create a culture of vocations
  • Become more human, compassionate, merciful, gentle and refined in our communication and our rapport with one another
  • Offer Catechetical formation and Value Education to the recipients, youth workers, catholic parents, teachers and the laity ensuring an efficacious involvement in their parishes and other places of apostolate
  • Strengthen the collaboration of the Salesian family

 
4.2 Grow in our awareness that the educating community is the way of being and working together in the style of coordination for communion and commit ourselves to consolidating the animating core group

 
  • Strengthen the animating core group
  • Offer faith formation to the members of the Core group
  • Invite the Core group members for the important celebrations of the community
4.3 Form ourselves together so as to assume an integral vision of the  Preventive System, giving it new expression  in keeping with the cultural, evangelizing, social and communications perspective characteristic of our Institute

 
  • Incarnate the Preventive system into our cultural context by promoting non-violence
  • Encourage youth to form prayer groups for peace
  • Educate the young to be builders of Peace

 
4.4 Dedicate special attention to families, especially to young couples, collaborating with them so that they become ever more aware of their own educational, Ecclesial and Social responsibilities

 
  • Promote a culture of caring and sharing
  • Establish good rapport with the neighborhood
  • Strengthen our bonds with catholic families and the families of other religions – visit to the families
  • Offer formative programmes for the young girls and young couples
4.5 Strengthen a network mentality appreciating the intercultural and international richness that characterizes our Institute; promote interaction with Church and civil institutions that are involved in the fields of education and evangelization

 
  • Share the Preventive System with the neighboring schools
  • Net working with GOs and NGOs
  • Regular participation in CRI meet
4.6 Assume the ethical criterion of moderation  and voluntary self-limitation where our needs are concerned, as a Gospel alternative to consumerism, in line with economic solidarity
  • Bear witness to the Christian meaning of Work
  • Cultivate diligent use of time, talents and energy
  • Being aware of the cost of living, limiting our personal and community needs
  • Create awareness and avoid MNC products and to use Indian products
4.7 Continue to offer a response to the phenomenon of human mobility primarily through education and formation – particularly to children, women, and young immigrants – and promoting intercultural and inter-religious dialogue
  • Render service to the migrant workers,  children and women
  • Promote inter-religious dialogue
  • Admit the children of the migrants in our Schools  in Tamil Medium.
4.8 Create the conditions for establishing intercultural communities and become ever more available to transfer from one community or province to another, where human migration is most prevalent and when required by the mission ad gentes.
  • Nurture missionary vocations.
  • Offer service in mission land as per the need

 
G

U

I

D

E

L

I

N

E 1

 Continuing the process of vital renewal
  • Grow in personal responsibility for auto formation
  • Make the Integrated study of the documents more and more transformative
  • Assimilate FMA India Formation Programme
  • Seek deeper understanding of the developmental task of every stage of formation enabling vocational growth
2 Poverty and sharing of goods
  • Exercising personal responsibility in planning, owning and living the budget system and periodical evaluation of the same both at the personal and community level.
  • Make the celebrations moderate, in keeping with the spirit of poverty
  • Budget the special celebrations and carry out honest evaluation
  • Create a Province level “Common fund for social ministry” availing the Contribution from each community every month by limiting the needs of the community
  • Mobilize local Sponsorship