Salesian Discipleship Seminar
What is the goal?
TThe establishment of a Salesian Discipleship Team at your parish and/or other apostolate.
What is the purpose of the team?
The Salesian Discipleship Team would with work with you and the other member of your leadership team in developing/offering strategies and opportunities for helping others to learn, live and share Salesian spirituality. They would be "go to people" upon whom you could reply to "run with" some of your parish's efforts at offering Salesian spirituality to others.
How does the seminar work?
The De Sales Spirituality Center would provide an initial orientation/training day (called the Salesian Discipleship Seminar) ) for the perspective members of this team. We will facilitate an in-service program that would walk the members of this team through all the steps necessary to help develop, offer and evaluate programs for disseminating Salesian spirituality in ways that meet the needs and interests of your parish. This day would include an actual demonstration of a representative program and a consideration of the tasks, resources and skills required to plan, execute and plan follow-up for stand-alone events or more comprehensive programs. In addition, we would familiarize the group with all the resources presently available from De Sales Spirituality Services (in both English and in Spanish) and examine the possible ways of employing those resources on the local level that would complement or supplement what your parish is already doing.
How can my parish participate in this program?
If you would like to collaborate with the De Sales Spirituality Center in establishing a Salesian Discipleship Team at your parish the parameters would include:
- Recruiting at least ten (10) people to participate in the seminar itself and to become a member of the Salesian Discipleship Team; insofar as more would certainly be merrier, there would be no maximum;
- Participants would need to devote to give up six hours of a Saturday to participate in the Salesian Discipleship Seminar (say 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM);
- The parish and De Sales Spirituality Services select a particular Saturday for holding the actual Salesian Discipleship Seminar itself;
- As a group, the participants would need a number of skill sets, i.e., planning, communication, advertising, computer technology, facilitation, presentation, photocopying, hospitality, etc.;
- In addition, we would incorporate into the day any other needs/issues that you and your staff would identify as enhancing the likeliness of success for the day itself and for the team in the future;
- The group would commit to meeting on a regular basis (the frequency to be determined on the local level) as a group and/or with the parish leadership/staff;
- The Salesian Discipleship Team will develop an initial plan for disseminating Salesian spirituality at your parish at the conclusion of the event.
What are the costs associated with establishing a Salesian Discipleship Team?
The cost: transportation, program preparation, room/board (where applicable) and the facilitators' stipend.
How has the Salesian Discipleship Seminar worked in other parishes?
If you'd like to speak with pastors who have completed this initial phase of establishing Salesian Discipleship Teams at their parishes, please contact Rev. Robert Bazzoli, OSFS at Our Mother of Consolation Parish in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania (215-247-0430) or Rev. Thomas Murphy, OSFS at St. John Neumann Parish In Reston, Virginia (703-860-8510) or Rev. Mark Wrightson, OSFS at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Robesonia, Pennsylvania (610-693-5851).
How can I get more information about establishing a Salesian Discipleship Team at my parish?
Contact the Director, Rev. Michael S. Murray, OSFS, at 302-383-3585 or email him at mmurray@osfs.org.
