The main focus of this second encounter was the questionnaire distributed between January and May 2017 throughout the Congregation, and the response, in particular, of the Salesians in their initial formation, in the five-year-program as well as novices, prenovices, and Salesian cooperators.
The first important data that emerged was the massive participation of all the Provinces in answering the questionnaire, and a very high number of candidates and Salesians in initial formation: 521 prenovices (87% of the total, as of 31/12/2016); 399 novices (92%); 903 postnovices (93%); 554 trainees (78%); 701 specific formation for those preparing for priesthood (87%); 54 lay Salesians in specific formation (79%); 396 in 5-year-programs (41%); 538 cooperators.
The data processed and re-presented in tables, charts, and language-related lists amount to over 5,000 pages of information. Each participant had already prepared for the seminar by personally studying the answers of a part of the questionnaire cards, over a hundred each, in 7 stages, plus those of the cooperators and the 4 main interest centers.
From the exchange of information, an understanding of what the young people in formation and their guides say about accompaniment, in general throughout the Congregation and, separately, region by region.
What emerges is of great interest, and in order to further analyze the richness and variety of the messages and notes, further successive steps are being planned at the global and regional level.
