My dear confreres and friends of SC,
You are all aware that in SSCS we hold formation to be both a principle and a strategy. We have already mentioned twice that we will be beginning a shared experience with the FMA Institute.
     The idea is that this will be repeated annually in every Province, by organising a study day together based on the Pope's Message for the World Communications Day for that year. In Italy the details have already been planned around the theme for this year:  Silence and Word, path of evangelisation. It would be up to each Province to look at ways to do similar according to circumstances and needs. By studying the Pope's message together each like like this we would hope to guarantee a simple and systematic sharing with the Church and the SF which can convert us into 'communicators' and witnesses of New Evangelisation. There has already been quite some discussion going on between the General Councillors for Formation and for SC for both SDBs and FMAs.
     Let me conclude by recalling a wise anecdote that might help us during our journey of conversion through Lent.
     One day a priest was given the gift of an old church which needed refurbishment if it were to become a parish church and logically, he would be the parish priest. To make the right sort of alterations which would be both up to date and according to the culture, he checked with Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  She came with him to the church so there was time to ask her these things. He asked her what he could do to make the best changes:
"Mother, in your opinion, what is the first thing we should do in this sacred space?"
Mother thought for a moment in silence, then with a firm but ever-kindly voice, said:
"My opinion and yours...."
     Until next time and with a memento in prayer,
Fr Filiberto González, Councillor for SC

Persistent URL (PURL) available
A persistent URL (which may be abbreviated as PURL) is a maintainable identifier that allows us to refer to a digital object – a file or set of files, such as an e-print (article, paper or report), an image or an installation file for a piece of software. PURL examples (these are real): purl.org/sdb (mapped to www.sdb.org),           purl.org/sdb/ans (mapped to www.infoans.org), purl.org/sdb/sdl (mapped to sdl.sdb.org), purl.org/sdb/sdl/Cagliero (mapped to a very long URL which holds all language versions of Cagliero11).
Why a PURL?
The object may be moved or renamed. A site's hostname may be changed: in recent years the address has altered for ANS: to www.info.org.  In the event of any change of server or domain, the PURL purl.org/sdb/ans will always work.
Normal server administration factors such as a name change (especially domain) should not break identifiers that we wish to be persistent.
Standards for persistent urls (or uris)
There are several standards currently at a mature stage of development:
  *  the Uniform Resource Name (URN); (designed to describe an identity rather than a location, e.g. urn:isbn:12345678)
  *  the persistent URL (PURL); the Handle system; (best used for what we normally know as a website)
  *  the digital object identifier (DOI); (primarily for electronic documents rather than physical objects)
    ...and several others.
Is TinyURL a PURL?
    TinyURL is both a shortener (it would be useful for a long URL for example, which can run into more than 100 characters), and a redirection service. In some respects it is a PURL, but it cannot be guaranteed to the same extent that one of the standard approaches mentioned earlier can be.
    In the end, it must also be recognised that no technology can guarantee ultimate persistence! At best it relies on a human being (to make a change, for example, when the target address has changed). And human beings are not persistent in earthly terms!
Can we all use a PURL?
    The short answer is 'yes'. The Salesian Congregation, through the SC Department, has maintainer rights with the OCLC PURL Resolver.
 Any Salesian website could request the SC Department to create a further subdomain purl.org/sdb/my_subdomain and point it to your website homepage.
     The Department maintainer could then offer one of two possibilities - that you nominate a person as a 'writer' with permission to alter the target should it ever alter - or you simply send the SC Department in Rome your altered target URL and we will alter it for you.  What you cannot do is create another /sdb top domain with purl.org.
    If interested, please contact admin@sdb.org.sdb

as a top level domain?
The question is simple, the answer not so, but the question needs to be asked. Do we want to have a top level domain as the Salesian Congregation, which every Salesian website could use (and only Salesian SDB since it would be strictly managed)  For example, www.our_web.sdb
    For something like $200,000 (once-off payment), it would be possible. Clearly this cost would have to be shared by the entire Congregation. The domain would be managed by the Direzione Generale, since Top Level Domain management has strict parameters. The SC Department is interested in your point of view on this.  If you wish to offer an opinion (which is the only level of interest we are currently showing in this), please write to us about it.

Silence and Word: path of evangelisation, the Pope’s message for the 46th World Communications Day will be the subject of a study and formation day organised by the Social Communication sectors of the Salesan Congregation and Salesian Sisters Institute for young SDB and FMA in formation.
In recent years the Pope’s messages for World Communications Day – which this  year will be held on 20 May in most parts of the world – have brought the Church in an authoritative manner into the digital  world with proposals regarding vales and formation, and a genuine view of humanity.
    Last year the two Social Communication sectors offered, via their respective sites,  an area with materials for personal  formation and animation at local level in view of  the World Communications Day 2011.
    This year the two Councillors  for Social Communication Fr Filiberto Gonzalez and Sr. Giuseppina Teruggi, are continuing their collaboration and have planned  a Formation Seminar for those in formation, on 12 May.
Novices, Post-novices from San Tarcisio, the Sisters 'Juniores', and students of theology from the Blessed Zephyrinus Namuncurà Gerini community will take part with their respective formation personnel.
    Some teachers of communication in the SDB and FMA study centres will also be taking part. In In the light of the Message of Benedict XVI, the Coordinating team will draw up the programme for the day.
    The two Councillors hope that this initiative can become a model for similar events at Province and local level with Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians engaged in the formation of young religious in communication.
--------------- A BLOGGER'S COMMENT---------------
It would be easy enough to write about the need for silence amidst the many forms of jabbering communication that surround us.  Indeed, one might suspect an octogenarian pope, born in the pre-electric era, to take this option.  But he offers instead a reflection on the interplay of silence and speech, locating silence as a part of communication.
    "Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves. By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested."
    He carries this through even in the consideration of the internet:
    "Attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks which can help people today to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God."
    I've been saved and struck of late by the relation of silence and listening.  Ear plugs are so very different from the small sounds of the winter woods.  The quiet rustlings of the leaves that remain point to a bigger silence always waiting to be heard".  Vincent Miller 24 January 2012.

01.02.2012 Films by youth for youth
Greetings to you all,
    Yesterday the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, Don Bosco's 9th successor, gave a message to the SYM which was full of hope and trust that they can build a new society, by being strong in faith in Christ following our Founder's style.
    We are presenting a program to you in this letter of ours, one that fits fully into this energetic approach and invites young people to be active in offering positive, active messages to their peers.
The initiative in question is a European Festival of Short Clips open to young people between 14 - 24 years of age: EuroClip Don Bosco, films by youth for youth.
The project – one which has been welcomed by Project Europe - has slowly taken shape thanks to the interest shown by some European Salesian groups working in the communications field. The theme chosen by promoters is European citizenship.
    The festival will take place in two stages - national and international – and at the end there will be material available for use in schools, as part of the overall objective. It is vital that there be understanding and cooperation amongst Delegates for Youth Ministry and Communication so that no area of youth potential interested in the topic be excluded. The first stage is set in motion by this letter and asks you to foster the initiative in your provinces and countries; where there is more than one province in a country you need to
coordinate efforts to set up the national stage. The second stage will take place from 31 October to 3 November 2013 at the Salesianum in Munich and will involve the Rector Major for the award-giving.
The commission which is drawing up EuroClip Don Bosco involves Salesians and lay people from a number of European provinces and is coordinated by Fr Donato Lacedonio (dlacedonio@sdb.org). You may ask him for further clarification and indicate your province's involvement to him (or country) before 25 April 2012.
    We thank you in advance for taking on this initiative which foresees, according to Salesian Ministry criteria, the involvement of young people evangelising other young people, the educator-educand relationship, the use of languages (music, film etc) which our young people like, and team effort amongst sectors of the Salesian mission.
    May you experience the motherly protection of the Help of Christians and the intercession of our father and teacher, Don Bosco. I invite you to foster participation in this project."

Fr Filiberto Gonzalez
Councillor for Social Com.
Fr Fabio Attard
Councillor for Youth Ministry