(ANS – Brasilia) – On 27-28 April at the “Israel Pinheiro” Congress Centre in Brasilia there was a Seminar to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Brazilian Salesian Bulletin. The key words used by the members of the Salesian Family taking part were sharing, learning, making synergy, and  net-working.

Taking part were representatives of the Provinces  of the Salesians, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the Salesians-Cooperators from all around the country 26  people in all. Discussions dealt with the identity of the Salesian Bulletin and the great communication challenges in the near future.

Behind the Seminar was the conviction that the Salesian Bulletin is called to be a means of communication and formation for the Salesian Family, which therefore “wants to make a bigger impact in the world of youth becoming a means of  education and pastoral work, through the critical cooperation, the collaboration and the participation of those responsible for communication in the various Provinces” (6 of the SDB and 9 of the FMA).

In opening the Seminar Fr Luiz Nivaldo Pessinatti, Director of the Brazilan Salesian Bulletin said that “the communicator is a mediator of the charism, who makes possible interaction between the various expressions of the Salesian charism, within each Province.”

Fr Gildasio Mendes, from the Campo Grande Province then gave a report entitled “Walking with the times – Understanding, discussing and educating young people  in the era of Internet and the social networks”, while the Salesian Brother Cledson Marthas Rodrigues spoke about role of the communication correspondents. On behalf of the FMA Sr Maria do Socorro Tabosa spoke about guidelines for communication.

The second day of the Seminar was spent on “Prospectives for a Digital Salesian Bulletin,” with the help of talks by Sérgio Salme and Felipe Moura, who are those responsible for the digital platforms of the  Bulletin on three fronts: the application making it possible to read the SB on tablets (a trial version suitable for iPads already exists);  an similar application for cell phones; and a portal with extensive contents including articles, reports, news items, pictures and videos and series of useful material for different areas of Salesian communication.

At the end of the Seminar those who had taken part took on several tasks: carrying out a survey of the distribution and use made of the Salesian Bulletin in each Province; getting every Salesian house to have its local correspondent; promoting the launch of a single digital version of the Salesian Bulletin as part of the celebrations for the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco.

Published 04/05/2012