AMAR # 1387 “The Preventive System Today”

Theme: Relevance of the Preventive System Today

The workshop on “The Preventive System Today” was conducted by Sr. Joanna Lobo on 4, July 2021 on the virtual platform from 10.00 am to 12.30 noon.  The participants were the sisters working children and young people in the boarding, hostels and Youth at Risk institutions.

The meeting began with a lot of enthusiasm as Sr. Pushpa Parmar, invoked God’s blessings on this occasion.  Our Provincial Sr. Meenakshi D’Silva addressed the group inviting the participants to live the Preventive System, reminding us that the educator is powerful as she has the power to mould a child, her words of wisdom set the tone for the day.

Sr. Joanna Lobo then took over and led the group to the depth of the Preventive system of Don Bosco, helping us realise that this system is relevant even today.    She explained it very well and motivated us to be effective in our service and as we give selflessly, the young people will be led to give selflessly in return.  We were invited to reflect on the need to be Present to people; and that our ‘Presence’ matters. The presence amidst our recipients is like a genuine gift which helps us build a rapport and experience love.

As a preparation for this workshop the participants were asked to answer a few questions related to the Preventive System and these were presented, this ground work helped us move forward and realise that we can help ourselves.  We were helped to realise that we need to be healers in our ministry.  ‘Healing Healers’ and not ‘Wounded Healers’ and thus we need to heal ourselves. Some tips were put forth before us to help us heal our own wounds so as to heal others.

Our self gift to the young is a greatest gift and it should carry a message of God’s love to them either in words or gestures as it is the heart of the Preventive System.

We also went back to the source, the FMA constitutions and a few articles on preventive system were explained by the appointed sisters and a lot of interaction helped innovative ideas emerge.

We dwelt on the words of our Beloved Mother General  who reminded us that we will meet young people without hope, but with a great desire to live, she recommended that be like Good Samaritans we should be ready to heal, the wounds that are serious but treatable, they bear the name of educational poverty. We also brought to mind the words of the Holy Father asking us to invest the best energies with creativity, responsibility and joy and form people willing to put themselves at the service of the community.

Mary, our Heavenly Mother, who wants to give birth to a new world through us, where there is room for all those whom our society discards.  Thus we once again invited Mary to walk with us to help us on our journey of guiding young people.

Sr. Monika Macwan fma