The idea of a focus group is already indicated in its name: to “focus” on some particular issue with the aim of clarifying it. Such groups are distinct from scholarly seminars, but are all the same a useful way of getting together both expertise and experience in order to reflect upon particular points.
The results emerging from such an exercise will serve to complement the feedback coming from the three sets of questionnaires that have already been released for individual Salesians (Q1), Salesian communities and groups of confreres (Q2), and educative-pastoral communities (Q3).
In the spirit of GC28, each focus group of 10-12 persons tried to include young confreres, lay mission partners and members of the Salesian Family.
Each participant was asked to write a 5 page reflection stemming either from experience or expertise. Sharing of these reflections online enabled all the participants to reflect and comment on them on the shared platform. Two online meetings enabled discussions that were extremely interesting. After the first meeting, a synthesis was drawn up and shared again, inviting reflection and comments. A final synthesis was created in some cases after the second meeting, or else one or more individuals were asked to offer a final contribution.
The results of the four groups will be passed on to the redaction group, along with feedback from the questionnaires.
The redaction itself will be done in two phases. A first group will meet 15-28 November 2021 in Rome, working along the lines of pre-capitular commissions to produce a first new draft of the Ratio. The result will then be passed on to a smaller group for further work. The first group will consist of at least 21 confreres, 7 of whom are being chosen these days in an interactive process by young confreres in initial formation, one for each Region.