OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA - Evangelising text messages: 21st century Salesians sight new spirituality

Friday, 18 May 2007

Melbourne (Agenzia Fides) - From 18 to 20 May the Salesian Education Directors of the Australia-Pacific region will meet in Melbourne for their annual conference to reflect on the motivations and gifts of Salesian spirituality in the Pacific and discuss present situations to update strategies of education and evangelisation, ANS Salesian news agency reports.
The theme of the annual conference is “Texting God - Salesian Youth Spirituality in the 21st Century”, which refers to the use of text messages in a prospect of youth pastoral. Text messages are a favourite means of communication among young people - the organisers say- and therefore youth pastoral must keep up with the times and the customs and language of today's youngsters.
Among the speakers Frank Moloney, Salesian inspector for Australia who will give a paper on the biblical perspective of Salesian spirituality; Rev Ian Murdoch will speak of the Salesian approach to youth spirituality and Philip Hughes, a well known researcher, will reflect on youth spirituality in the Australia-Pacific context.
The Conference will also reflect on the Salesian concept “evangelising parish” in the present day context in the vision of Salesian tradition, to identify opportunities and challenge for the spiritual formation of young people of the 21st century.
An interesting element in this year's conference is the participation of two teachers from Samoa Sr. Monika Vaipuna, vice head of the preside del Don Bosco Technical Centre in Alafua, and Mrs Isabella Penei, a teacher at the same school. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 18/5/2007 righe 27 parole 271)


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