The peculiarity of this formation program is the joint presence of consecrated persons and laity involved in the animation of Salesian houses in southern Italy: a way to fulfill co-responsibility for the mission in the pastoral, educational and Salesian spheres.
The call to be the living face of Don Bosco for the young people of southern Italy becomes, for each of the participants, a vocational choice of inestimable value. The Salesians choose to update themselves with an attitude of ongoing formation and the laity commit themselves to supporting their own works in the coordination and sharing of sectors and activities.
Following positive feedback from the first year, this year there will be 3 weekends of online training and 2 weekends of in-person training. At the end of this course, participants are asked to produce personal papers or by groups of origin.
The contents of the training are developed in three main areas: ecclesial, pedagogical and Salesian. The thread that binds them starts from a reflection on loving-kindness, linked to education to emotions and desire, and a rereading of the Letter from Rome with a focus on the educational relationship. Included in the project are workshops on shared leadership and group dynamics.
The weekends in presence are reserved for themes related to Salesian Youth Ministry, to the socio-political doctrine of the Church and to the encyclical Evangelii Gaudium, both in terms of workshops and of content. The journey of this second year ends with a shared reflection of the synodal process on youth.
"The pastoral theme for 2021-2022 perfectly encapsulates what our hearts are experiencing at the beginning of this second year: ‘Do all for love, nothing by constraint’,” testify Marco and Francesca, two of the course participants. “St. Francis de Sales reminds us of how important it is to put heart, passion and loving kindness into our actions, without feeling forced, but called. This two-year training has made us deeply aware of our service, giving us additional tools, to be in communion and in a climate of co-responsibility and familiarity with the Salesian community.”
“There is a moment, in the journey within our environments, sectors, groups and associations, in which we need to give concrete value to the Salesian experience in our own lives, getting our hands dirty and putting ourselves on the front line: for us, committing ourselves with constancy to this journey means saying ‘yes’ to being part of God's project of the Salesian reality, inserting ourselves harmoniously with our family life,” the two conclude.
