(ANS – Punta de Tralca) – People from Chile, Uruguay and Argentina, those in charge, leaders, young people and adults, Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians – a group of about 250 in all – took part between Friday 7 October and Sunday 9 in a meeting of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) from the America-South Cone countries at the Retreat House in Punta de Tralca, in the Valparaíso Region.

Welcomed by Fr Juan Carlos Zura, on their agenda were: “sharing life, formation plans,  expressions of the mission and of solidarity, prayer and listening to the Word, growing together in Salesian Youth Spirituality and the commitment to Jesus and His Kingdom.” The specific aims were: “bringing together young people from the South Cone to revitalise Salesian youth spirituality” and “witnessing to the meeting with Jesus in order to be disciples and missionaries.”

Four modules combined reflection with artistic-cultural expression, prayer with celebration.

• Module 1: “What are you looking for?” Young peoples’ dreams and aspirations. Their cries today. Listen carefully to reality.
• Module 2: “Master where do you live?” Where do the young look for Jesus? Where do they find him?.
• Module 3: “This is the Lamb of God!” Personal moment for prayerful reading.
• Module 4: “Come and See!”. The Mission, solidarity and commitment. Mary, disciple and missionary.

The work on Friday morning began with looking at what others say about the young. “The idea was to see what other people in society and the media say about us ,” explained Ezequiel Herrero, a young man from Argentina leading this section  of the reflection. The second part of the day was spent examining “Not what others say but what we have inside us, the positive, the life of God, the search, the dreams”. This was led by Sr Mariana Peña, Coordinator of Youth Ministry for the FMA in Buenos Aires.

The Good Night was given by Fr Dominic Sequeira, from the Youth Ministry Department of the Salesians, who spoke about the need for an inner movement to encourage and give life to an external movement, then Salesian Youth Movement. “To change our society we need young people with an inner movement - a depth to their lives. They are the ones who will change the world and the continent.”

“The most extraordinary thing about this meeting,”  Fr Natale Vitali, Councillor for America-South Cone said – “is that it is a preparation for the next World Youth Day to be held in 2013 at Rio de Janeiro. With the Bishops we are preparing our young people for this occasion. We want to approach it as something within the context of our ordinary ministry in our Provinces and not as a totally extraordinary event as far a the SYM is concerned”.

Published 10/10/2011