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Gipsy Pastoration in the Carpathian Basin

In the spirit of “increasing the social sensitivity of clerical and civilian experts” as it is intended in the title, to raise the awareness of the results achieved in the field of psychological care of disadvantaged and poor groups in society, to make good practices known to the participants, to encourage the reception and cooperative capacities of church communities through staff members of existing institutions.

Short description:

The project Gipsy Pastoration in the Carpathian Basin was launched in 2017, and was awarded to the Blessed Ceferino Institute through EFOP-5.2.2-17 Transnational cooperation. As a result, we are launching training courses for clerical and civilian experts, aiming at teaching the theological and pastoral basic principles of gypsy mission, presenting the results in this field, providing methodological and pastoral practices and visiting the premises primarily important in the gipsy pastoral activity. It is also an encouragement for priests, monks, catechists and parish co-workers to use these pastoral practices and methods as widely as possible.

With the help of our cooperating partners –Roman Catholic Diocese of Munkács, Roman Catholic Archbishopric and Caritas of Gyulafehérvár, Archdiocese of Košice – we try to involve experts also from abroad.

Over the 24 months of the project we have been organising meetings, trainings and conferences on several premises. The Gipsy Pastoral Manual and a methodological compendium will be compiled from the training material, which might help people joining our work.

In this project:

• We are planning for long term;
• We are both trying to reach each other through personal meetings and to build relationships;
• We create forums where you can talk about actual questions of gipsy pastoral work, swap experiences and provide good solutions;
• We try to get specialist living nearby involved, and focus on local dimensions;
• We create opportunities both for church and other institutions to present their activities.

Our key topics:

1. Church documents;
2. Ethnography;
3. Pastoral care –evangelisation- missionary spirit;
4. Mixed, or two separate communities within the church community – sensitisation in both directions (prejudices and fears) ;
5. Identity;
6. Defence of faith –superstitions, sects
7. Holiness doctrine: Sacrament service, customs;
8. Educations: catching-up, public education, higher education;
9. Community Houses and Study halls;

10.  Job creation;

11.  Cooperation: within the Church, with civil and municipal organisations;

12.  Difficulties (donations, burnout)

Related topics, activities:

• Praying background;
• Testimonies, sharing of experiences, round table conversations;
• Joint programmes, possibilities of camps;
• Field visits;
• Possibility of getting involved;
• Situation exercises (eg: escorting, presence, education of morals);
• Conflict management;
• Violence witin the family;
• Prison, family and youth pastoral activity;
• Legal background (Family Guardianship Institution);
• Changed working capacity, labour market;
• Disability;
• (Students with special needs), and other behavioural and attention disorders;
• Gipsy culture and values as resource;
• Folk religion;
• Experience and practices of civilian, municipal and other religious institutions;