Italy – Quinquennium Missionary Meeting: All Together in Genzano

Gathered at “Casa Versiglia”, 31 Salesian missionaries, together with members of the Missions Sector and a number of other guests – Salesian Brother Géza Nádudvari, regional coordinator for Missionary Animation for the Central and North Europe region; Fr Antoine Farrugia SDB, coordinator for safeguarding and advocacy for the Youth Ministry Sector; and Fr Guido Errico SDB, member of the Formation Sector – under the coordination of Fr Pavel Ženíšek SDB, the Mission Sector’s representative for Europe, are experiencing a historic gathering characterised by fraternity, sharing and formation.

Among the topics covered are the current situation in mission territories (Fr Ženíšek), Project Europe and the challenges of today’s world (Fr Jorge Mario Crisafulli, General Councillor for Missions), inculturation, personal and community life (Br Nádudvari SDB), the pastoral role and collaborators (Marco Fulgaro) and all matters relating to safeguarding (Fr Farrugia). Over the coming days, work will continue on Salesian religious identity, discernment and missionary formation, and the challenges for the future.

Each day includes prayer and the Eucharist, plenty of sharing in groups preceded by brief inputs from the speakers, community life (divided into groups: liturgy, leisure and services) and a Salesian goodnight. On Tuesday 21 April, the group visited the nearby Salesian community of Castel Gandolfo, whilst a trip to the Salesian Villa Sora institute in Frascati, nearby, is planned for Friday.

The group of missionaries comprises Salesians from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Vietnam, Madagascar, the Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, the Philippines, Poland, Mozambique and Timor-Leste on mission in the following provinces: Bolivia BOL (participating in this meeting as students at the theological community at the Crocetta, Turin), North Africa (CNA), Great Britain (GBR), Germany (GER), Lithuania (ICP), Southern Italy (IME), Albania-Kosovo-Montenegro (AKM/IME), Romania (INE), the Middle East (MOR) and Slovenia (SLO).

Like the previous meetings in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, and Nairobi, Kenya, and the meeting scheduled for May in Montevideo, Uruguay, this event forms part of a broader process of rethinking the discernment, formation and accompaniment of Salesian missionaries ad gentes, coordinated by the Missions Sector, together with written contributions received from around 80 missionaries, the Provincial Delegates for Missionary Animation (DIAM), the Provincials and members of the General Council, along with their collaborators.