"Communication is about people."

Between the 24th and the 26th of November, the Maltese Salesian Delegation was honoured to welcome and host Father Filiberto Gonzalez, the General Councillor for Social Communications of the entire congregation. Fr. Filiberto had the opportunity to visit the Salesian communities, as well as the various pastoral realities of the delegation.

On Saturday morning, several key people from across the delegation with regards to social communications met Fr. Filiberto for a special meeting and discussion at St. Patrick’s, wherein they presented the various facets of social communications in our Salesian realities: BOSCOcrew, the ‘Teatru Salesjan’, The PR and Marketing teams of our three oratories, the Salesian Press, the Maltese version of the Salesian Bulletin ‘Ħajja Salesjana’ and the ‘Librerija Tagħlim Nisrani’.

In his reaction, Fr. Filiberto encouraged and lauded the efforts of all present and reminded them that communication is but a servant to the mission itself. We should be careful not to confuse communication with the various media through which it is expressed. “This is not communication,” he insisted, holding a smartphone in his hand, adding that communication is ultimately about people, not technology and that looking into the eyes of other people in face-to-face conversations is what builds relationships. “That is what communication is all about,” emphasised Fr. Filiberto. He concluded by saying that the first means of communication is our lifestyle and that only through authenticity, a clear mission and a real presence can effective communication occur.

The encounter also served for the official launch of the new website for the Salesians in Malta, www.salesiansmalta.org, a much needed update and revamp of the delegation’s presence online.

The General Councilor also met with the confreres at St. Patrick’s on Saturday evening. In a brief presentation, the guest shared his ideas about a biblical anthropological vision of communication with Christ at its centre. The meeting was followed by a moment of prayer and supper.

The Maltese Delegation heartily thanks Fr. Filiberto for his presence and his insight during this visit.