Rome (Italy). On 14 September 2024, at 2:00 pm (Italian time) a webinar will be held on the annual theme of the Season of Creation – “Hope and act with Creation” – according to the Salesian perspective, organized by the Youth Ministry Sector of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, in collaboration with the International Commission for Integral Ecology and the Communication Sector.
The webinar will include a formative session by Sister Linda Pocher, FMA, Professor at the Pontifical Faculty of Education Science “Auxilium” in Rome. It will be broadcast on the Zoom platform and on the YouTube channel of AMBITO PG in Italian, while simultaneous translations into French, Portuguese, and English can be followed on the Zoom platform via the link sent to the Provinces.
The objective of the event is to propose a common reflection to FMA, young people, and Educating Communities from different contexts and cultures, with the invitation to make priority choices to be expressed in various educational environments and local contexts. It is fundamental, in fact, to encourage the young people and the Educating Communities to recognize the Charism and Salesian spirituality as motivational supports to assume integral ecology as a dimension of life and of the educative mission, in line with the proposals of the documents Laudato si’ and Laudate Deum.
For the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the celebration of the Time of Creation – an ecumenical time that brings together the world’s Christian family in prayer and commitment to take care of the common home, with the aim of taking concrete actions for its conservation and safeguarding – it also wants to be a reminder of the third priority choice of General Chapter XXIV: “As Educating Communities, aware of our contribution to society and to the Church, with particular attention to the feminine world, we are inspired by Mornese in outreach and we work networked with the Salesian Family, Institutions, and other educational agencies to move from words to deeds. Only together can we build the future and give hope to the younger generations by taking care of integral formation, particularly socio-political formation, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church.”
The firstfruits of hope (Rom 8:23-25)
Nella presentation of the theme of the Seasin of Creation, hope is defined as: “a tool that allows us to overcome the natural law of decay. Hope is given to us by God as the protection and guard against futility. Only through hope can we fully realize the gift of freedom. Freedom to act, not only for the sake of diversion and prosperity, but to reach the stage where we are free and responsible. Freedom and responsibility enable us to make the world a better place.”
The “first fruits of hope” are thus made visible when we recognize ourselves as dependent and interconnected with Creation. It is when we listen to the cry of the earth and the poor, of our neighbors affected by global climate change, the prophetic voices of indigenous sisters and brothers, of the dying creatures and biodiversity that are being lost. It is when we listen to the voices of young people and children, the slow and impenetrable cycles of the life of species, Ecosystems, and biomes, and when we start to think and act communally, when we choose to cooperate together with the Creation and all creatures for a better future.
