(ANS – Rome) – The third meeting of the Youth Ministry Advisory Council concluded in Rome on Friday 8 February, at the General House. Work focused on revising the “Basic Frame of Reference for Salesian Youth Ministry” and new evangelisation. At the end, members formulated a message recalling certain basic elements of Salesian Youth Ministry.

Beginning on 5 February, the Advisory Council involved national and regional delegates, and the Missions and Social Communications Councillors; Fr Fabio Attard, YM General Councillor, hosted and guided the meeting; he was assisted by members of his department.

There were eighteen Salesians, then, tackling the two major objectives of the Youth Minsitry Advisory Council: contributing to the rethinking of Youth Ministry with a view to making its evangelising dimension clearer; and suggesting some guidelines for new scenarios in which evangelising activity takes place.

Departure points, other than the experience of the Delegates, were contributions coming from 90 Provinces throughout all Salesian Regions; this abundant and valuable support was then studied by the members of the Department for Youth Ministry who had drawn up a synthesis. Alternating between plenary and regional groups, and noting challenges and solutions, the Council drew up certain important elements for Salesian Youth Ministry which will need to form part of the “Basic Frame of Reference for Salesian Youth Ministry” and which are to be offered to Provincials and Youth Ministry Delegates in the Congregation.

This was the third such meeting in the 2008-2014 period. The first took place in 2010 on the topic of spiritual accompaniment in Salesian Ministry; the second in 2011 on the question of “Returning to Don Bosco”.

The text of the message from the Advisory Council on certain basic elements of Salesian Youth Ministry is available in sdb.org in Italian, English, and Spanish.

Published 11/02/2013