Rome (Italy). The Councilor for Youth Ministry, Sr. Runita Borja, and the collaborators of the YM Sector, held four online meetings, Walking together, we go far with the Provincial Coordinators of YM.
The meetings were held in different languages in order to reach the FMA invited from all the FMA Provinces and Preprovinces of the world.
The aim of the meetings was “to strengthen the journey together of the educational mission of the FMA Institute and to present some animation guidelines of the YM Sector towards GC XXIV”. It is a time marked by courage in the face of the Pandemic and by the hope of living synodal paths on the anniversary of Laudato sì and for world educational alliances, such as the Global Pact for Education. The FMA involved valued both the shared contents and the dialogue generating ideas and mutual encouragement to be in communion and to live this time as believers, consecrated women, and educators.
Each meeting began with the prayer to the “Loving God, Creator of the heavens, of the earth, and of all that they contain” written by Pope Francs that placed hearts and minds in harmony for attentive and fruitful listening.
Sr. Runita Borja recalled in her presentation the harmony between coordination for communion, animation style of the Institute, and synodality. She encouraged the YM coordinators to be a reference point in international animation and between the Provinces and the Educating Communities, living dynamically the synodal style to build a ‘we’ with the whole human family and all of creation. She highlighted the continuity between the Animation Guidelines for the YM Sector for the 2015-2020 six year period, the ecclesial journey, the theme of GC XXIV, and the emergency of the Pandemic. She encouraged us to be educating communities that generate life towards new horizons for the educational and evangelizing mission.
Sr. Julia Arciniegas retraced the core elements of the Encyclical Laudato sì: ecological question and social question, listening to the cry of the earth and of the poor; the wisdom of a holistic vision of the world and integral ecology; a moderate lifestyle and a spirituality for conversion of heart; scientific updating on ecology, which tackles the environmental and social crisis of inequalities together; a transformation oriented towards the common good and sustainable and integral human development.
The journey towards GC XXIV converges with the Church’s commitment to the Global Pact for Education. Sister Elena Rastello stressed that in numerous meetings, the Pope has invited religious leaders, politicians, intellectuals, and scholars to sign a concrete commitment to build together the world to come, taking care of future generations, activating an educational challenge marked by universal fraternity. The commitment is urgent in the time of the pandemic and calls for courageous action.
The lively sharing of clarifications and suggestions characterized the time of dialogue-comparison, from which emerged the commitment of the Coordinators to study the theme of Laudato Sì, the journeys of solidarity and of co-responsibility in the Institute, in the Salesian Family, and in the Church and society. In concluding, Sr. Runita invited everyone to grow in vocational unity, to go in depth, and to regard life as a covenant with the faithful God.
