The increased requirement for qualified personnel

While the so-called traditional fields of work (oratories, schools, parishes, etc.) need the ability to think and reflect, in addition to intelligent enterprise, because of the cultural change and complexity of the questions which each member and community has to face, we see that the growth of certain kinds of work increases precisely the demand for properly prepared personnel. When we compare the requests with those available we find the latter are always too few, even in simple numbers and leaving aside considerations of age, health and commitments which cannot be abandoned.

We think of the centres for theological studies in which every undue cutback is going to have its repercussions in the future, or post-novitiate study centres with identical demands. And we may add to these the formation communities, which always have need of experts in vocational processes and in salesian formation and spirituality.

And I complete the list with the rapid addition of the already numerous institutions of university level, the publishing centres where it is not enough to administer structures if you do not have people capable of developing cultural initiatives, the various Institutes created in recent years as a response to requests and needs of the Congregation, the competent contributions we are asked for on various occasions because of the experience we have and our recognized ability for being in touch with the ordinary people.