Why about 280 congress participants, Salesians and lay people from the world's Salesian Provinces will meet in Madrid in a few weeks: 32 from the Africa-Madagascar region, 25 from America South Cone, 24 from East Asia - Oceania, 28 from South Asia, 32 Central-Eastern Europe, 39 from Interamerica, 61 from the Mediterranean as well as over 30 guests, speakers, representatives of the General Council and the Congregation's Dicasteries.
On the first day of the Congress, Monday 27 November, participants will be greeted by the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernádez Artime, and Fr Alexander Awi Mello I. Sch., Secretary of the Holy See's Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. Later, the introductory lecture of Msgr. Bruno Forte, Archbishop of Chieti - Vasto and Special Secretary of the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, entitled "The Family on the Synodal Path of the Church: Prospects and Opportunities."
On the second day, Fr Fabio Attard, Councilor General for Youth Ministry, will present a conference on "Youth Ministry and Family. The Path of the Salesian Congregation."
On Wednesday, November 29, Prof. Carmen Peña García, Defender of the Bond and Promoter of Justice at the Ecclesiastical Tribunal in Metropolitan Madrid, will guide the morning reflection on "Amoris Laetitia: Challenges and Proposals for Youth Ministry in a Family Context." Finally, Fr Rossano Sala, SDB, Director of the magazine "Notes of Youth Ministry" and lecturer at the Salesian Pontifical University, will present a report on "Educational Pastoral Reading: Family in the Salesian Pastoral Proposal" on the Congress's 4th and penultimate day.
In addition to the aforesaid morning conferences, congress participants will meet each day to discuss and debate issues within regional groups, listen to presentations of good practice and attend brief courses on specific aspects of the broad theme: "Youth Ministry and Family.
The congress will end with the presentation of guidelines for the future, world and regional, on the evening of Friday, 1 December.
