(ANS - Rome) - Almost a year after the conclusion of the 27th General Chapter, the Sector for the Missions has published some materials for reflection in provinces and communities. The document entitled "A Missionary Re-Reading of GC27" is short but rich in missiology. It tries to bring together everything in GC27 that refers to the missions and to help Salesians to live their consecrated life in "a permanent state of mission" (EG 25).

This approach, the document says, calls on us to overcome self-centredness and lack of missionary daring. This is the missionary spirit that drives us to move from the tendency of self-preservation to a "pastoral conversion" and to live our faith and religious consecration with joy and authenticity.

It hopes for an effective collaboration with the Sectors for Social Communication, Youth Ministry and Formation to rediscover the importance and relevance of First Proclamation in all pastoral activities. It points out that this first proclamation is the key that can shed more light on the strategies in accompanying young people in their search for knowledge and encounter with Christ. It encourages a Salesian missionary presence in the digital environment and among immigrants and refugees. It calls on Salesians to rediscover the Preventive System as a way of evangelizing and highlights the relationship between education and evangelization.

The document also stresses that prayer and sacrifice, especially by sick and elderly Salesians, are a spiritual force that strengthens the commitment and missionary activity of the entire congregation.

In the introduction the Councillor General for the Missions, Fr Guillermo Basañes, writes: "If taken seriously,the questions offered at the end of this booklet, and many other questions that will certainly arise in the soul of the confreres and communities, can cause a real revolution in our houses and works!"

The document was sent to all the provinces last month, and the response was very positive: "It is a very useful tool in drawing attention to the missionary content of the final document of GC27," says Fr Andrew Fung, Vice-Provincial of the Province of China, based in Hong Kong.

Fr François Dufour, Provincial in Southern Africa, considers it "a useful tool". Fr Gildasio dos Santos, Provincial of Campo Grande, Brazil wrote: "This morning, in my meditation, I read the document "A Missionary Re-Reading of GC27" with interest and joy. I found it a short text, consistent and clear, written with conviction and missionary zeal! "

Digital copies of the document are available on the site sdb.org.

Published 27/03/2015