The participants in the meeting arrived in São Paulo on Sunday, 8 September, full of expectations for the next day. Then, on Monday the 9th, the morning began with a moment of prayer that put the topic of Networking on the table, and continued with the welcome addresses of Fr Rafael Bejarano, from the Salesian Youth Ministry Sector, and the opening greetings of various personalities, such as the Councillor for the Interamerica Region, Fr Hugo Orozco; the Councillor for the America South Cone Region, Fr Héctor Gabriel Romero; the General Councillor for Youth Ministry, Fr Miguel Ángel García Morcuende; the Daughter of Mary Help of Christians Delegate to the Human Rights Office in Geneva, Sr. Sarah Garcia; and the Representatives of Salesian Social Action in Brazil, Sr. Adriana Gomes and Fr Felipe Bauziére.
The two RASS and RSB networks were then presented by their respective Directors, Fr Alex Figueroa (RASS), Sister Silvia Aparecida da Silva (RSB) and Fr Sérgio Augusto Baldin Júnior (RSB); and the Turin agreements that emerged from the International Congress of Salesian Works and Social Services held in October 2022 in Turin-Rome were then re-read and recalled.
After the break, Fr García Morcuende led the first conference of the day, bringing reflections on the theme "Youth reality - What does the Congregation say?". After the conference, the General Councillor shared his wishes for the actions of Salesian Social Works on the continent: "First, that the Provinces are able to communicate the importance of working with the poorest young people [...]. Secondly, a greater sense of belonging to the network, of the awareness that we are all in the same boat, that we have similar projects, similar difficulties and a global context that we all have to listen to because it is very challenging. Thirdly, it is important to generate concrete, operational, real lines of action here, so that the networks are strong. It is good to do analyses, but we must then put them into practice".
The second conference was a continuation of the first, and brought to the centre of the debate the contributions of Professor Maurício Perondi from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, on the theme "America's youth realities - What does the academy say?" In this way, a more academic look was taken at the realities of youth compared to the more Salesian vision tackled by Fr García Morcuende, which allowed the participants to broaden their perceptions of the current challenges of children, adolescents and young people in situations of social vulnerability in the American continent.
The closing Mass of the day was celebrated by Fr Juan Linares, with the Salesian Province of Ecuador (ECU) in charge of the liturgy. The evening of the first day also involved a moment of celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Salesian Network America Sociale (RASS), rich in cultural exchanges and Salesian joy.
The continental meeting of Salesian Works and Social Services of America takes place from 9 to 13 September at the "Father Vitor Coelho" Centre for Events in Aparecida do Norte.
Janaína Lima, Communication,
Analyst of the Salesian Network Brazil
