The morning began with a talk by Mother Chiara Cazzuola, Mother General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, who focused on the feminine expression of the Salesian charism, tracing the relationship and complementarity between Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello and outlining some of the latter’s characteristic traits. Through these reflections, Mother Chiara Cazzuola highlighted how, by virtue of the educational mission, the Salesian charism is complete only if it succeeds in harmonising the feminine and masculine contributions within a dynamic of reciprocity: there is a giving and receiving that enriches and strengthens energies and projects for the common good. Being bearers and witnesses of the charism is a journey that calls for acting together, weaving networks, in full synergy. In this light, the Mother General emphasised her conviction that the Congress is a valuable opportunity for a renewal of the Salesian vocation and mission from the perspective of reciprocity.

Mother Chiara’s presentation was followed by a brief round-table discussion with the global representatives of the Salesian Family groups: Bryan Magro, Olivia Furlan, Guido Pedroni, and Margherita Fiorito, coordinated by the Global Coordinator Antonio Boccia. A particularly touching moment came when, as a surprise, commemorative plaques were presented to the participants by Antonio Boccia’s grandchildren.

The morning continued with a presentation by Antonio Boccia, who shared with the audience an overview of the Association’s current state from a privileged perspective: that of the World Council. The journey began in 2018 with a clear objective: to gain a greater awareness of the vocation of Salesian Cooperators and to give greater visibility to the Association. Antonio Boccia recounted the story of a group of brothers and sisters who sought to guide the Association through a complex period, laying the foundations of their journey on five fundamental pillars:

– Walking alongside young people;

– being credible and joyful witnesses to the vocation, carrying out projects of hope, faith and life with and for young people;

– adopting tfour key factors as operational methods: communion in diversity; embracing the shared mission as a vocational proposal; committing to an integral Christ-centred formation lived in communion with the whole Salesian Family; growing in solidarity-based autonomy;

– having non-negotiable guiding values: charismatic fidelity (knowing how to bring Don Bosco’s spirit to life today), a strong sense of belonging, family spirit and shared responsibility;

– initiating processes of conversion that foster the following dynamics of growth: nurturing a deep spirituality to reach out to young people, internalising the PAL, stepping out of our ‘comfort zone’ to go towards the existential peripheries, and building solid communities of reference.

The report also provided an opportunity to reflect on the difficulties but also on the Association’s responsiveness during the pandemic. On the one hand, all the planned projects and meetings seemed to suffer a major setback, yet on the other, it was a time of resilience and vitality. During that period, the Association engaged with the world in a different way, focusing on the “Maiorano” project to fund micro-projects in the areas most affected by the pandemic.

The overview of the World Council’s various terms of office was interrupted to showcase and introduce the faces of all those who have worked together over these eight years, bearing witness to a spirit of teamwork and family unity, united by a shared passion for young people.

To conclude Antonio Boccia’s address, following an in-depth examination of the Association’s strengths and weaknesses, there were dreams for the future; rich and significant dreams bequeathed to the future World Coordinator. But above all, a reminder for the whole Association: dreams dreamt alone remain illusions; those dreamt together become reality.

To give concrete form to dreaming together, group work sessions were held in the afternoon, divided by region. Building on the insights gained in the morning, participants were invited to identify the challenges left over from the previous term and those that, in the coming years, call upon the Association to be a leaven within the Salesian Family, amongst young people and families.

The final moving moment of the day was the celebration of the ‘Via Lucis’ itinerant prayer, with the intention and hope that it might become a journey of faith to bring the smile of the Risen Jesus into everyone’s daily life, wherever the Lord calls.