The meeting, which took place in digital mode, gathered 44 participants: the members already enrolled in the Salesian School of Social Communication, belonging to the Salesian Provinces of Brazil, the Portuguese-speaking countries of Angola and Mozambique, and the Community of Canção Nova, as well as other guests invited especially for this specific session, belonging to the provincial teams of Youth Ministry.
"A friendly hand" for the transmission of the Gospel: this is how the speaker spoke of the presence of communication in the lives of young people today, to be read in a humanistic key, as a set of socio-cultural practices and projections of the human being, which constitute an experience that needs to be accompanied. The challenge, Fr García Morcuende pointed out, is to announce the "good news" in today's new culture in terms of symbolic understanding: for pastoral care, it is ultimately a matter of overcoming a merely informative communication, to arrive at a dynamic in which reputation and bearing witness matter.
After an hour and a half of significant content presented by the General Councilor for Youth Ministry, several Salesians and lay people present expressed their considerations and raised some issues, an opportunity for further contributions from Fr García Morcuende.
Fr Nunes Ndumba, from Angola, highlighted the links between youth ministry, communication, and formation. Lucas, a Salesian from the Brazil-Porto Alegre Province, recalled that the young people entering the Congregation today are already digital natives. Ana Cosenza, from the Salesian Bulletin of Brazil, commented on Don Bosco's communicative wisdom, cited by the day's speaker. Monique Bueno, from the Salesian University of Campo Grande, spoke about active methodologies in the protagonism of students. Cristóvão Marcelo discussed the theme of Salesian Mission Day 2022: "Communicating Christ Today." Paulo Thiago, a communications analyst for the Brazil-Recife province, offered his thoughts on "warm communication," capable of moving and involving, and recalled the recent Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival (DBGYFF), the Salesian world youth film festival. Finally, Kiesse Paulo, from Angola, asked a question about the mediation of Salesian environments in relation to digital communication of young people and evangelization.
In closing, the reminder that the topic shall continue to be discussed at the round table of the next meeting of the School of Communication, under the guidance of Fr Pedro Barreto, from the Province of Brazil-São Paulo, through the presentation, study, and sharing of significant experiences on the topic.
Fr João Carlos Ribeiro,
Vicar of the Province of Recife
