Hajja Salesjana

The Letter stems from a question: "How can we live and transmit Don Bosco and his charism in the digital world, without losing our soul?" So, how can we do it? Our goal is to always keep up with the times. Together with the laity, we want to be interpreters of the contemporary world: listen to the new generations; accompany young people in their social worlds; find new languages and new methods to educate them about love, the meaning of life and personal and social responsibility, and the construction of their life project, starting from the values of the Gospel and the Preventive System. That is, communicating and evangelising. Communicate and educate. In the "Guidelines and Directives" section of the Acts of the General Council no. 440, for July-December 2023, a letter is published signed by Fr Gildasio Mendes, General Councillor for Social Communication, entitled: "Walking with young people in digital culture". The document, motivated by the requests received from various parts of the Salesian world, is the result of a joint work carried out in the Social Communication Sector, after conversations with each Delegate, visits and numerous meetings. It is given to every Salesian as an invitation to learn more and more about these indispensable means of our daily life, to learn to relate to them and to make good pastoral use of them with young people. For this reason, ANS interviewed the General Councillor and in this interview, answering 10 questions, Fr Gildasio Mendes illustrates the document and explains its meaning and purpose. Why has the Social Communication Sector published this Letter "Walking with young people in digital culture"? We are experiencing a revolution in the world of communication and nothing will ever be the same again. We Salesians are called to give an answer to the momentous questions that this enormous change entails. Technology changes, but Christian values remain unchanged. The Letter reaffirms these values, which are for us an essential reference point for the education of young people. In this evolving context, it is important for us to interpret the digital reality, starting from a Salesian perspective. "How the Salesians live and respond pastorally to young people in a digital culture" A conversation with Fr. Gildasio Mendes, SDB General Councillor for Social Communications 12 Jannar-Marzu 2024 hajja