May is a particularly intense month for the Communications Department.
First of all, the meeting of Salesian Publishers in Europe met in the Bavarian city of Munich from the 2nd to the 5th. The Rector Major sent them a message saying: “Aware of the world crisis in the print publishing scene I am inviting you to reflect with hope, creativity and professionalism. In particular, look for opportunities to surmount the financial and economic challenges (self-sustainability), technological (the digital world), and cultural ones (new digital readers), and to constantly update your personnel in a vision of strict collaboration among yourselves and between Salesians and lay people. The publishing sector helped Don Bosco to not remain locked within the walls of his works; publishing became a way of going out to accompany the young and sow the good message in society through his books, encyclopedias, magazines. It is all about doing good to young people, families, protecting and motivating their faith.”
Then, from the 9th to the 12, again in Munich there was a meeting of Communications Delegates from Provinces in Europe. GC28 was the central theme, seen from a communications perspective: What kind of Salesian communicators for the youth of the digital world? The results were good and will be added to proposals from Delegates from other Regions. The sharing of best practice on the part of the Delegates and the theme developed by theologian Sonja Pohl: “Young people and the Church in the digital world”, left us with good ideas and challenges for our mission to the young in the digital world. My thanks go to the German Province and the Salesianum in Munich who so kindly hosted us on both occasions.
Last year ANS, IME Communications and a team of collaborators began the experience of a video for the novena for the feats of Mary Help of Christians. Convinced that Mary Help of Christians in our vocation and mission is a charismatic dimension rather than a personal devotion, the team has committed itself to presenting the novena with comments by the Rector Major and sharing so many testimonies from the Salesian Family, focused on the charity that changes the world. It is up to us Delegates to promote it both within and beyond the Salesian Family to motivate and protect the faith of the people of God with the same apostolic passion that Don Bosco had. I know that so many communities, families, oratories and works look at it and comment on it and promote it enthusiastically. This too helps us to grow in faith and our sense of belonging to the Congregation.
I will finish by informing you that from 25-29 May in Rome there will be the international meeting of Salesian Bulletin editors, developing a central theme: “The Salesian Bulletin: communicating for involvement in the mission, amid press and digital culture”. The SB is the institutional magazine of the Congregation: that is how it was conceived of and became in Don Bosco’s mind. Aware as we are today that we live in a very different context to the origins, we would like to relaunch the SB, always maintaining its identity but without losing its relevance for our interconnected, hyper-informed society dominated by the digital environment. Experts in the field of history, journalism, social media, international magazines and digital communication will help us to continue the process of updating Don Bosco’s magazine.
Together with the Department’s team I wish you all a happy Feast of Mary Help of Christians:
Fr Filiberto González Plasencia
