The meeting, led by a group of young Salesians in formation and students at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS), opened with a moment of prayer and a warm welcome, emphasising the importance of communion among Salesians across the various countries where the Congregation is present and which were represented at the gathering.
The focus of the reflection was the new edition of the Ratio, the fundamental formation guide for the Salesian Congregation. The participants shared the same vision and the same desire: to ensure that the document is known, understood and lived out in a more collaborative and dynamic way. As Fr Silvio Roggia, General Councillor for Formation, pointed out, this is not simply a text to be received, but a process in which to be involved and to which to respond.
A key element presented was the hyper-ratio.org platform, a new digital space designed to support the study and shared dissemination of the Ratio. The platform, managed entirely by young Salesians in the early stages of Initial Formation, allows the Salesians of Don Bosco to access official content and, at the same time, to actively contribute their own materials: videos, texts, podcasts, infographics and other expressive resources. All these contributions are accessible and downloadable, becoming useful tools for community animation as well.
Participants were encouraged not only to consult the platform but also to offer their own contributions, thereby promoting a more participatory and global approach to formation within the Congregation.
Following the main presentation, those present were divided into language groups to deepen their reflection and share experiences.
The meeting highlighted how the Salesian Congregation wishes to live out communion and formation in the digital age, promoting a shared responsibility in the common commitment to becoming ever more – and ever better – Salesians of Don Bosco for the young people of their time.
The meeting concluded with a prayer led by Fr Guido Errico, a member of the Formation Sector, and a commitment was agreed to continue the dialogue in the coming months, with a new meeting scheduled in about two months’ time.
