(ANS – Rome) – Presence in the digital continent is one of the characteristics of Salesian work for young people today and into the future. The digital playground does not replace the Oratory playground, but takes its place alongside it as a new field of education and evangelization. This is the reason why many Salesian centres are constantly renewing and modernizing their internet websites.

Radio, television, publishing houses, pastoral projects, communities and even Provinces are among the many Salesian entities present on the web that regularly update their digital interface. ANS frequently reports structural changes or restyling of websites.

It is a good Salesian tradition that new initiatives are launched officially on Salesian Family Feasts. On 24 May last, for example, on the Feast of Mary Help of Christians, two Provinces launched new web portals:  that of Brazil–San Paolo, under the patronage of Mary Help of Christians, and that of Central Africa whose patron is Mary Assumed into Heaven.

The site of the Brazilian province   – http://www.salesianos.com.br/ – can be viewed also on tablet or cell-phone. It not only offers more content but is more user-friendly with new possibilities for interaction, increased search facilities, better organization of information, feedback and links to various social networks.

Access to the social networks is one of the characteristics also of the Central African portal – http://donbosco-rdc.org/.  The link to its Facebook page can be found already on the home page.  Among the other characteristics of the site are light and attractive graphics, and the space devoted to multimedia contents such as videos and slide-shows.

These are innovations which are very much in line with the general guidelines of the Church to make more use of new spaces offered by the internet for a wider field of evangelization.

Published 05/06/2013