Rome (Italy). On 2 March 2025, in Rome, at the Generalate, the General Councilor for Youth Ministry of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sister Runita Borja, together with the Sector collaborators, facilitated a formative meeting for about 40 FMA students of the Mary Mother of the Church Province (RMC), new Missionaries, and Sisters of the Generalate.
The annual event aims to share in a spirit of fraternity the proposal and activities of the Sector. “A Synodal youth ministry for the life of all” was the theme of this year.
The day began with a greeting from the Community Animator of Mary Help of Christians Generalate (RCG), Sister Carla Castellino, who welcomed the participants by briefly presenting the community and its mission.
After the initial prayer, in order to facilitate mutual knowledge between sisters from different FMA communities in Rome, heterogeneous groups were created. In rotation, they reviewed the various educative environments – Oratory-Youth Center, School, Salesian Youth Movement, Social Works, Catechesis, VIDES – during which questions were asked about the values and challenges that characterize them, with the possibility of offering suggestions that can make such educative environments generative of life.
The objective of the dynamic, with groups of Sisters from different backgrounds and cultures, was to show that the educative mission is carried out in a plurality of environments where opportunities are offered to activate differentiated paths of Youth Ministry and integration into the social and ecclesial context. (Cf. That they may have life and have it to the full, Guidelines for the educational mission of the FMA)
Sister Runita then began her presentation by indicating the nature and tasks of the Sector (cf. Const. 129):
– Animate the apostolic action of the FMA Institute in all its expressions, in continuous fidelity to the charism and the needs of the youth reality.
– Offer guidelines to ensure that in each Province there are real Educating Communities that promote the integral formation of young people and foster their apostolic insertion into society and the Church.
She then presented the focus of animation in the six-year term, based on the indications of GCXXIV: be on the journey of conversion to integral ecology; give a new impetus to catechesis; network in a broad educative alliance; work on the Global Educative Pact in the style of the Preventive System; update the Document “So that they have life and have it to the full – Guidelines for the educational mission of the FMA”, promote a vocational culture, indicating as the means of animation: accompaniment, formation and information, advocacy and networking.
The participants had the opportunity to visit the offices of the Sector collaborators where they were able to see the materials and documents, realizing the importance of study and reflection for YM workers.
The links of the social networks in which the Youth Ministry Sector is present were also shared: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, aware that the Web and social networks are a place where young people spend a lot of time and meet easily, although not everyone has equal access, especially in some regions of the world. (Final Document of the Synod of Bishops to the Holy Father Francis, at the end of the XV Ordinary General Assembly (3-28 October 2018) on the theme: “Young people, faith, and vocational discernment” n.22).
In the dialogue at the end of the day, the participants, invited to recognize, rethink, and relaunch from the experience lived, highlighted the need for a renewed commitment to the Salesian educative mission despite the challenges of today’s world. The challenge of forming people with leadership skills to animate the educative mission with quality was also highlighted.
In concluding, the Sisters expressed their gratitude for the day animated with vivacity and passion by the Councilor together with the Sector Collaborators around the reflection on the Salesian educative mission.
This experience is an invitation to continue reflecting on the teaching of the Acts of Chapter XXIV on the importance of formation: Docile to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, let us continue to be formed and transformed together by life; to get involved in the first person at every age, in every context and culture. (Acts of Chapter XXIV n.27).
Photos: Flickr FMA
