“While the whole Church is moving towards a process of listening to the young, as Salesians we cannot remain passive, looking on as bystanders to see what is happening. As the theme is very much 'Salesian', we are called by our Pope Francis in an audience with our Rector Major, Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime, to play a proactive and a significant role in this process,” states the Dicastery for Salesian Youth Pastoral in Rome.
The contribution of Salesians (3 SDB and one FMA) to the Synod preparatory document is also a sign of an ecclesial recognition and an ecclesial responsibility. Hence the Youth Ministry Department is asking the Salesian Family to take concrete initiatives to organize youth forums to respond to the questionnaire effectively. Apart from sending the results to their respective dioceses, the request is for the document to be also sent to the Youth Ministry Sector - Fr. Patrick (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) by 24th October 2017. The synthesis of the questionnaire will be taken up for sharing and discussion.
There is another opportunity open since June 14, 2017: in view of the next 2018 Synod of Bishops, there is an ONLINE SURVEY addressing young people between 16-29 years of age from around the world in five languages (Italian, Spanish, English, French and Portuguese). It is open until next November 2017 and there is a website expressly dedicated to the Synod on Young People: http://youth.synod2018.va
So far, up to 60,000 young people have responded to the aforementioned questionnaire, and about three times as many users who have visited the site since it went online a few weeks ago; data, these, reported a few days ago by Card. Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops.
