On 28 February 2022, the heads of the drafting committee groups met with members of the Formation sector to report on the work of revision of the Ratio and to discuss matters of style.
After the 15-28 November 2021 meeting to synthesize the feedback from the Congregation, a table of contents was drawn up and different parts were assigned to drafting groups drawn from the various regions. These groups included the members of the November meeting but also others, both Salesian and lay, with a total of 53 persons from 23 nations. The heads of groups drew up drafts based on the old Ratio, relevant Congregation and Church documents, and the syntheses of the Congregation feedback. All this material and the drafts themselves were made available online so that members of the drafting groups could make their comments and observations, which were then integrated by the group leaders. The greater facility in the use of online platforms – one of the beneficial side effects of the pandemic – has made possible this kind of worldwide collaboration. The aim is to take into account regional diversity, but also the rich experience of many confreres and lay people in formation and in the shared mission.
A useful suggestion about style was the use of hypertext to link the basic text to further relevant reading, in-depth studies, and methodological aids. The aim is to encourage an interactive process within and around the Ratio aimed at promoting the participation of Salesians and other members of the educative-pastoral communities. Obviously, this will involve a shift from exclusive reliance on a printed document to taking full advantage of the possibilities opened up by the digital world.
One of the questions raised was about the guidelines: should the groups draft not only the text but also these guidelines to be appended to each chapter as in the present Ratio?
By way of conclusion, it was suggested that the most important thing was to have a draft text ready by end of March, without worrying too much, for example, about repetitions or differences of style. The hypertext idea was excellent, and groups could indicate such texts. As for the guidelines, the groups could put in whatever came to mind, indicating possible regional variations. As for the length of the drafts, they were to try to reduce and synthesize if they could, but once again, without worrying too much, because this could be seen to in later phases of the work.
The groups will continue working till the end of March, by which time they will be expected to hand in a draft of their chapter or section. At this point, the Formation sector team will put the parts together and see how to take the work forward. In the meantime, wider consultation and collaboration are also going on, such as the meeting with Msgr. José Rodriguez Carballo, Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and the group of experts working on the revision of the syllabus of Salesian studies.
