AMERICA/BRAZIL - First Congress on Salesian Volunteer Mission

San Paolo (Agenzia Fides) – From 29 April to 2 May the city of Sao Paolo, in Brazil, hosted the First Congress on Salesian Volunteer Mission in the Cono Sud region of America. The initiative promoted by the Dicastery for the Missions with the support of Youth Pastoral, prepared and presented the theme of Salesian Mission Day in 2011 dedicated to volunteer missionary service. At the end of the day there was a proposal for a three year mission programme for the Region. According to ANS new agency, the 50 participants came the Cono Sud countries, (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile), and from Ecuador and Angola. Greeting the participants, Rev. Marco Biaggi, President of the Conference of Salesian Inspectors in Brazil (CISBRASIL), stressed the importance of socialisation of experience. Rev. Antonio Ramos, one of the organisers, recalled that one main goal of the meeting was to outline, starting from concrete experience and the study of proposed themes, a common programme for the entire Cono Sud Region. On Friday 30 April the participants worked in 3 groups: group one, Spanish speaking, discussed the theme “lights and shadows in Latin America” in the perspective of the Church's journeying; group two discussed the reality of Latin American youth; the third group discussed Catholic Education. In the afternoon Rev. Edson Castilho, Rector of the Salesian University in Sao Paolo, spoke on the theme “The joy and vocation of the Salesian missionary disciple in the light of the 26th General Chapter”. On day three, Rev. Luiz Alves de Lima, councillor to the Council of Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Conferences (CELAM) and to the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), proposed a catechesis on the theme “The new paradigm Salesian volunteer mission in the light of Aparecida”. On the closing day, Sunday 2 May, Rev. Klement presented the theme of the next Salesian Mission Day in 2011 “Volunteers to proclaim the Gospel”. (AP) (5/5/2010 Agenzia Fides)