Rome (Italy). On 15 April 2024, an online meeting was held with the presence of Sister Runita Borja, Councilor for Youth Ministry of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; Sister Stefania Saccuman, Referent Provincial of the Italian Provincial Union (UNISIT); Sister Mara Tagliaferri, National Coordinator of UNISIT; together with the Provincial Councilors for the YP in Italy.
The aim of the meeting was to establish a mutual understanding between Youth Ministry and UNISIT, through a sharing of the structure and activities carried out by both organizations.
The initial prayer was followed by the presentation of the Sisters of the YP Area, a work team with the enhancement of multicultural origin, multilingual, and a variety of experiences and skills. The collaborators have the task of accompanying, according to the synodal model, the processes in the Provinces and Commissions at different levels: School, Professional Formation Centers, Institutions of Higher Studies (ISS-FMA), Salesian Youth Movement.
The Councilors for the YP of Italy presented themselves as a dynamic group, committed to working at various levels: local, provincial, national, and in liaison with the Institute. The heterogeneity in the years of service and experience is perceived as a wealth for sharing, not only with regard to the national territory, but also for other Countries connected with the Italian Provinces.
Sister Runita then presented the key points of the Animation of the Framework for Youth Ministry 2022-2027 based on the single Programming of the General Council 2022-2027, “for a Synodal Youth Ministry for the Life of All” from which each Sector takes the aspects that belong to it. Processes resulting from General Chapter XXIV deepened by the YP in its animation are: On the way to conversion to integral ecology; Together for a new impetus for catechesis; Networking in a broad educational alliance (the global educational pact in the style of the Preventive System); Update the Document “That They May Have life and Have it to the Full. Guidelines for the educational mission of the FMA” (LOME); Impulse to vocational animation. In the work of updating LOME, the Coordinators of YP were convened, both for the interview of the Focus group and for the analysis and drafting of the text.
The Councilor also stressed that the FMA educational mission is carried out in a plurality of educational environments – formal, non-formal, and informal – and the importance of animation of YP in the formation of province educating communities.
The UNISIT Sisters in turn presented the aspects of their work together and the activities planned starting from the UNISIT annual assembly composed of: Provincials, Councilors or sector Referents, adults, and young people of the 7 Provinces. This is an important moment of planning, checking, and searching for paths together.
After the General Chapter in 2022, some programmatic lines for a three-year period were identified, which every reality concretizes: as an Educating Community, be a generative presence in the style of missionary synodality towards an integral ecology; live the prophecy of presence as a style of continuous and integral formation that values reflexivity, mutual accompaniment, and involvement from the beginning of the formation process; take care of charismatic formation together with FMA and laity; in the perspective of complementarity and co-responsibility in the mission, renew Vocational Youth Ministry; respond to the educative question by referring to the global educative pact; assume, as educating communities, the 7 objectives of the Laudato Si’ platform in the style of the Preventive System.
As a formative intervention, Sister Runita presented the coordination of the YP at the provincial level according to the documents, highlighting how the Councilor or provincial coordinator of YP – assisted by a team of FMA, lay people, and young people with different roles and responsibilities – supports the Provincial in the field of mission, taking care of the choices and specific actions concerning the education of young people, and ensuring coordination within the Provincial Community.
She also reiterated the importance of taking care of documentation, because this promotes the continuity and integrity of the journey, which does not start from scratch but from those who have preceded on the path.
In the Spirit of the Second Choice of Chapter XXIV – We assume on a personal and community level the responsibility of living synodality, open to listening and accompaniment in the family spirit, to witness the prophecy of communion, growing in co-responsibility, subsidiarity, and a planning mentality. The sharing between the YP Sector and UNISIT on the structure and approach of the pastoral journey strengthens co-responsibility and facilitates mutual understanding, encouraging the accompaniment of processes that YP carries out with the Provinces.
