{"id":1030227,"date":"2026-02-03T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"trans-26915-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/trans-26915-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria \u2013 General Councillor Leads Salesian Leadership, Governance, and Communication Workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The workshop aimed to enable Salesian leaders to <strong>govern persons, communities, and institutions competently and evangelically<\/strong>, integrating <strong>Salesian leadership, managerial clarity, planning discipline, and intentional communication<\/strong>, in fidelity to <strong>Don Bosco&rsquo;s mission today<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Fr Fidel arrived in Lagos on 2 February, where he met with Salesians and staff at the Provincial House before travelling to the Post Novitiate in Ibadan. There, he shared a fraternal evening with the post novices and delivered a reflective Good Night talk. On 3 February, after presiding at the Eucharist, he returned to Lagos for the formal opening of the workshop.<strong>Leadership and Governance as Part of the Salesian Vocation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the opening sessions, Fr Fidel addressed a central challenge in Salesian formation: while spirituality and pastoral zeal are well emphasized, <strong>leadership and governance are often insufficiently formed<\/strong>. He invited participants to rediscover leadership and management not as administrative burdens, but as <strong>intrinsic dimensions of the Salesian vocation and expressions of pastoral charity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&ldquo;<strong>Governance is not opposed to our vocation; it flows from it,<\/strong>&rdquo; <\/strong>Fr Fidel noted. &ldquo;<strong>To love the young today also means to lead, decide, plan, and communicate responsibly for the good of the mission.<\/strong>&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Drawing from the <strong>Salesian Rector&rsquo;s Manual<\/strong>, the workshop clarified the necessary integration of:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Leadership<\/strong>, which provides vision and direction; <strong>Management<\/strong>, which organizes people, processes, and resources; <strong>Authority<\/strong>, which ensures responsibility and credible decision\u2011making.<\/p>\n<p>Participants were encouraged to avoid the extremes of <strong>authoritarian control<\/strong> and <strong>fearful indecision<\/strong>, learning instead to exercise authority with competence, transparency, and evangelical motivation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Educative and Pastoral Community at the Heart of the Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A significant focus of the workshop was the <strong>Educative and Pastoral Community (EPC)<\/strong>, described as the <em>&ldquo;ordinary and concrete subject of the Salesian mission.&rdquo;<\/em> Through guided reflection and role\u2011mapping exercises, participants examined how leadership and responsibility are shared among Salesians, lay collaborators, and members of the Salesian Family.<\/p>\n<p>Fr Fidel emphasized that the Salesian is not the sole decision\u2011maker, but the <strong>animator and guardian of the charism<\/strong>, called to foster communion, shared discernment, and co\u2011responsibility. Well\u2011functioning EPCs, he noted, prevent leadership isolation and strengthen both mission effectiveness and community life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Planning, Communication, and Shared Responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The workshop also highlighted the vital role of <strong>planning and organizational communication<\/strong> in sustaining the mission. Weak planning and unclear communication, participants reflected, often lead to wasted energy, confusion, and parallel decisions. In contrast, <strong>intentional communication<\/strong>&mdash;inspired by Don Bosco&rsquo;s Preventive System&mdash;builds trust, participation, and shared ownership.<\/p>\n<p>Salesian communication, Fr Fidel stressed, must be <strong>relational, educative, preventive, and pastoral<\/strong>, not merely technical or bureaucratic. &ldquo;<strong>Authority in Salesian life is exercised primarily through communication&mdash;through presence, dialogue, listening, and explanation,<\/strong>&rdquo; he reminded participants.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Toward Competent and Participatory Leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Throughout the three days, participants will engage in practical exercises on <strong>delegation, competence development, shared governance, conflict management, and crisis communication<\/strong>. The formation underscored the need to move beyond reliance on goodwill alone, investing instead in <strong>formation, skills, and collaborative leadership<\/strong>, especially with lay mission partners.<\/p>\n<p>As the workshop unfolded, participants were encouraged to understand governance not as an extra responsibility, but as a way of living their vocation in service of people, communities, and especially the young, safeguarding the faithfulness, credibility, and vitality of the Salesian mission in a changing world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The workshop aimed to enable Salesian leaders to govern persons, communities, and institutions competently and evangelically, integrating Salesian leadership, managerial 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