Salesians who try to finish degrees

Sinval Marques Pereira takes notes

Today I thought I would be simply preparing my classes for next week and correcting assignments that have come in to me… but I had the visit of several students who asked me to help them with the preparation of their thesis proposals.

Working on the thesis for the licentiate is always daunting, but I see that they are making headway. Some spoke to me a month ago, and already they are making breakthroughs. They are less “lost” than they seemed a few short weeks ago. In other words, I feel that enthusiasm is maturing in many of these students, and capacity as well.

What they need to keep in mind is that completing the degree is an honor but urgent. Qualifications and training at this level is vital, not only for themselves, but for their provinces and the young people that they educate. Once they have their degrees and qualifications, they will have learned the method to train and form others. They will then be able to better equip others to share in the Church’s mission.

Of course it is not easy. Every one of us would rather be directly involved in the work of education and evangelization. We would rather be right there with the people and with the young. When I was 29, I worked with 110 teenagers in a special education situation. There was a lot of satisfaction to that. I felt I was making a difference in the lives of young people who needed real help. Now, at 59, I rarely spend time with teenagers directly. However, I work with 78 adults who will be working in education, or in the missions, or faith formation. My students come from many different countries and from every continent. I am just one of many teachers that follow them up… but my hope is that I can help them to strengthen their own response and to become more qualified, more capable, more zealous in the mission to which they are called.

Yes, in my youth I imagined that I would spend my whole life working with kids-at-risk… That would have brought a lot of joy to me: a lot of satisfaction that I was making a difference. Things have not turned out that way. Yet my hope is that, in strengthening the vocation of young adults given to the mission of education, my contribution will make a difference in the lives of many more young people than the original 100 to whom I was dedicated back in the day.