DMA Magazine - Blessed are the Poor (Jan-Feb 2010) by Istituto Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice

What ’ sNew f or2010? Giuseppina Teruggi The new graphic presentation of DMA would like to be a wish for a journey of newness during this year that concludes the first decade of the millennium. In continuity with its nature of being a means for FMA formation, open also to the laity, the Magazine presents in the first part a new way of proposing reflection. Interview substitutes the Dossier. It questions significant persons and asks them to comment on the chosen theme.

be looked at in this view. A few generating themes from the Ency cl i calof Benedi ct XVI “ Caritas in Ver i t at e”form the fabric of the article Love and Truth while Keywords brings out themes inherent to inter-religious and intra-cultural dialogue. In the section entitled Culture there are also narratives and life stories from different Asiatic contexts and in Women in Context there are reflection nuclei on the condition of women in various parts of the world, based on testimonies and the good practices presented at the UN.

Encounters is the title chosen for this first part. In looking for a unified theme that would be a leit motif for the whole year, the editorial group felt that it was urgent to repr oposet hatof“ pov er t y“seeni nt hev i ew of the charismatic identity of the educational mission, with reference to the second Guideline of CG 22. Beginning from the biblical reference that is the foundation Blessed are the poor in spirit, every encounter studies in depth the relationship between poverty and mission, justice, safeguarding the created, the common good, and austerity. There are also novelties in the other Articles. In keeping with the invitation of the Chapter to study the figures of our patrons, the Magazine helps to reflect on Why Teresa?/Why Francis. The Section on Roots of the Future is of an historical nature and it travels the journey of the Institute through experiences and testimonies that help to reinforce the dar i ngoft he“ DaMi hiAni mas” .Thef i gur e of Michael Rua will

We know how important it is to make our communities environments of life and hope. In Face to Face there are springboards for reflection beginning from the theme of communication, especially that inherent to interpersonal relationships which the Chapter dealt with as the priority value of evangelization today in every cultural context. Communicating the Faith proposes response to this urgency. The articles that continue are Ar i anna’ s Line, Pastoral-ly, Video and Books, and Camilla. We wish you a good year, then, in company with DMA Magazine, a friendly, discreet presence that wants to speak of life and build networks throughout the whole Institute.

Gteruggi@cgfma.org.

Interview with Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil,SDB

Bl essedar et hePoor â&#x20AC;Ś Anna Rita Cristaino, Bernadette Sangma

Many people attribute the present situation Of poverty in the world to the present economic-financial structure, others, instead, attempt to place the responsibility on individuals and on different communities. The first group maintains that the more powerful nations and communities have imposed an unjust system on the rest of humanity and that it should be rejected and substituted with a fairer system that will lead to an end of this poverty situation, but now even these very nations are going through times of crisis. Others insist on the fact that poverty is due to the individual failure of communities that do not succeed in appreciating the opportunities presented to them. These would have to get out of a type of lethargy and learn to help themselves. Both points of view have elements of truth. However, both are mistaken in attempting to unload all the responsibility on others; the first on the existing structures of exploitation and on those who control these enslaving structures; the second on those who give slow and ineffectual responses presenting themselves with a sense of impotence in the face of new perspectives.

When we asked for a meeting, an Encounter, Bishop Thomas immediately showed himself to be readily available, The first approach was virtual, but he contacted us as soon as he arrived in Rome. Upon meeting him one perceives a missionary sense in his speaking, and even in the paternal affection he shows for the FMA. His experience in a diocese in which Christians are frequently victims of discrimination, has made him an essential person who is centered on the Word of God. There are many citations and biblical metaphors used to help to understand the evangelical dimension of poverty, but there are also many reminders of the concreteness of everyday life. In the interview he began with the understanding of the crisis situation that a great part of s oci et yi nt odayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s wor l d ar e living which provokes ulterior poverty, touches the themes of evangelical poverty as the witness of one who has made a choice of consecration to the Lord, the themes of formation to poverty and above all the forceful repetition of two concepts that he deems to be fundamental: operative hope and common belonging.

If one would apply to the world of business a responsible , collective ethic, modern society would succeed in changing their economic-financial structures-the true and proper monsters that have caused poverty and injustice- to build new structures of solidarity. In this way even the weakest groups would feel reinforced in their

Obser vi ngt odayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s world situation, from your point of view what are the deep causes relative to poverty?

commitment to use their strength to combat the crisis situations, confiding in structures that could give them hope for the future. I believe that for a constructive dialogue among the diverse opinions, it would be necessary that there be persons who could be bridge builders, who feel the significance of their mission and who, with courage, would know how to address requests for greater justice from the powerful, encouraging those who are most behind, emphasizing the nature of our shared destiny as human beings and showing how development on the part of the weakest in humanity could bring tangible advantages even to the powerful. There are already prophetic people who act in this way, inciting those who are victims of crisis and poverty situations to learn to draw hope from the positive experiences of others who have patiently rebuilt their future. I hope that even among religious there will always be more and more persons of this type.

There is a widespread conviction that we deal not so much with poverty of resources, but with poverty of humanity. What do you think? What the question infers is correct, but I would like to soften the pessimistic tone when we speak of “ pover t yofhumani t y” , we must be realistic. Even a cursory reading of history shows that human beings have not always known how to trust one another. Crushing the “ hope”of“ ot her s”has been ourmai n spor t . And we have often thought of increasing our “ hope”byweakeni ng t hatof someone el se. Common sense tells us that our hope is connected and that we could emerge from the “ pov er t yofhumani t y ”onl ywhenwer ecogni z e this great truth of “commonbel ongi ng” . We need to have a broader vision of reality. Our known resources are only an infinitesimal portion in rapport to those not yet explored or still unknown. Furthermore, our ability to use these resources permits for an indefinite development.

We do not need, therefore, any pessimism. If our hands and hearts are united, we can expect an era of reciprocal enrichment. Either that, or we will die together. The Book of Genesis, Chapter 41, speaks of the thin cow that swallowed up the fatter one. This is not the first time that things of this type happened in history. I can say, therefore, that I agree with t oday ’ s scenario that reveals a true “ pov er t y ofhumani t y ” ,butwe ar e not condemned to it. This can be overcome.

The most marginalized societies on every cont i nentas kf ort hewor l d’ sat t ent i onand their voices are raised in proportion to the sense of impotence that they often experience. The weak groups within the most developed societies claim greater equilibrium, feeling that they are like David against Goliath. On the basis of what you have delineated, what is the “Chr i st i an Difference”? In the face of the anger that these types of situations generate in groups of persons, we must repeat what Jesus said to Peter: “ Putawayy ourswor d…whoev erl i v esby t heswor dwi l ldi ebyi t . ” We need to have the courage to claim our rights as did the Apostle Paul did when he affirmed his Roman Citizenship, and we must safeguard the rights of the weakest, going to their defense as Paul did when he defended the slave Onesimus in facing his master Philemon. Here there enters also working for the recognition ofwomen’ s equality.

Bef or e t oday’ s scenar i o of gener al poverty, which are the more significant interpretations on a cultural and anthropological level and the relative reactions? It is evident that some societies and some economic structures are better equipped to face this crisis. For a bit of time ,Asia had remained more backward in the political and economic field, but then it found the path to travel to earn and reinforce their own political and economic structures. They knew how to use the wisdom of their own philosophy even in this field.

“Wer e-affirm the urgency of the prophetic witness of poverty and the priority option for the education of the most needy youth through concrete and shared processes”

However, there are more marginalized societies that are frequently isolated, lost in the midst of local struggles for survival. In many cases, there are groups of persons even in the richest societies who do not succeed in emerging and entering as protagonists into their own development. These groups of persons need to be guided in a special way.

(Acts of CGXXII N.42.2)

The real situation of the “evangel i cal mi nor i t y”somet i mescreates pessimism. How can we escape the discouragement of this condition? And how can we reconcile it with the need for visibility?

In his recent book The Idea of Justice , Amartya Sen, an Indian Economist who won the Nobel Prize for economy in 1998, said that in trying to reach the state of a “ per f ectj us t i ce”wef ai l edt or espondt ot he immediate needs of different situations, frequently inflicting greater injustices and setting goals that were too distant to be realistic. While an effort is being made to reach ideal conditions, we also need to do what is necessary to respond to the requests from different communities in different contexts without fleeing from everyday life. As a first step, Christians must commit themselves to act in such a way that there are fewer injustices in the fields where they are called to work.

Here, too, we risk giving in to pessimism, especially when we justify the number of believers and of diminishing vocations, philosophizing on the phenomenon, and pretending that a lower number can give a higher quality. Frequently, however, where this justification is accepted, there is a growth in pastoral lethargy, a weakening of the apostolic commitment and we resign ourselves to look at the present crisis as a “ c osmi cr eal i t yt hatcannotbechanged” . However, pessimism immediately disappears when someone shows the desire and will to accept challenges and to explore ways of facing the problem head on. Do not look at the faded flowers but rather at the flourishing oak tree and the new buds.

Every service that is done has an aim, and if the task is done well, one can arrive more easily at the set goal.

Do not become discouraged by the dry land inhabited by the powerful and sophisticated; run to the green valleys of the timid, of the hesitant, of the seekers, of those who ask questions, and of those who want to learn. There you will find the hidden treasure. Look at the vibrant ecclesial movement and lend a hand to their support. Enter into the lives of persons and communicate your message according to the context. Be ready to give to and answer whoever asks you the reason for your hope, and let

the signs of hope be visible in you. Have the right response for everyone, but give it in humility and love. Speak, teach, write articles, and write letters full of significance. What would you do if you arrived at understanding that the only Gospel that could be pleasing to a person is the letter that you are writing? Choose the forgotten corners of the world, t he â&#x20AC;&#x153; neglectedâ&#x20AC;?sec t or s and spher es of those living on the margins of society as objects of your attention during your prayer. Be creative to help the weakest Christian Communities.

Those sent by Jesus did not carry with them material goods. They put on their sandals and took up their walking sticks that allowed them to walk on any path (this means to places that had easy or difficult access). They had neither bread nor money; they were not dependent on the retribution of an institute, they were not workers who belong to a c ompany… They went on their way with little baggage; simply with what they had on. In this way they could be witnesses to a kingdom that was grace, gift of God that cannot be bought, sold or merited. It was poverty that made them walk in solidarity with others in the most radical sense of the word. They could not pay for a hotel nor buy a house. They had to ask for hospitality, thus placing themselves in the hands of whoe ve rwoul dr e c e i vet he m…Thos ewhowe r es e ntbyJe s uswe r e missionaries by the sign of their poor life. Before offering, or giving something to others, they began by receiving. They placed themselves in the hands of the men and women of the place, in an attitude of intense littleness, of the highest poverty. Only in this way did they present themselves-and they were- as witnesses to the Kingdom of God who in healing them transformed them. (Xavier Pikaza The Gospel of Mark, Borla Roma 1996).

Cooperate with every active agent prepared to bring the Gospel to the world. And don’ tf or get t he smal l estmust ar d seed grows to become the biggest tree.

Remain detached. Do not allow the apostolic efficacy of the community to become an obstacle for living the challenges of the Word of God personally and in a shared manner.

As women consecrated for the education of young people which are the best traveled ways of evangelical poverty that we can indicate to the new generations?

And lastly, do not limit the concept of pov er t y onl yt o“ t hi ngs ”t o hav e ornot have. Measure it against the evangelical radicality, living an intense life of absolute commitment in full joy. May your life be a living sacrifice. May it be a candle that is consumed in the service of the Lord for His people.

My suggestions are simple. Find joy in a radical lifestyle. Continue seeking to do more, to give more, to serve more, to share more, and learn to do without many things so that you will be generous in living your vocation. Reduce your egotistical needs. Be more attentive to the calls that come from those who hunger for attention, encouragement, and stability. Put these before your need for comfort. As educators, you have to use many more things with respect to those foreseen for living the evangelical promise in simplicity.

Based on your experience, what suggestion would to give to an FMA community to live evangelical poverty ? I can only repeat what I have already said. But going further, I would add let us remain close to the majority of people of the middle classes. Let us be familiar with their standard of life. Let us assimilate the values that they have developed when

Have had to fight to live. Expose the younger members of your congregation to anewpanor amaoft he“ r ul eofpov er t y ” , to the suffering of the poor who live at our door or a bit far away. Share what you have extra with those most in need in the area. Accept the sacrifices that your activities bring with them in the poor neighborhoods, in the villages and with your elderly Sisters who have special needs, but do not forget to place the challenges of the Lord above all the rest. There is no such thing as a state of “ per f ectpov er t y ” ,butcan wecont i nuet o they had to fight to live. make an effort to arrive at it? Let your hearts be full of compassion!

Can the richness of what you have expressed be summed up in a wish? I say only this: “ Rejoice…t he Lor di s near ” .Donotal l ow t heincreasingly lower numbers or percentages of the faith or of vocations allow you to forget the truth in the statement that the Lord is near. Let us think of what the low numbers in the history of our salvation have done: the three hundred men of Gideon against the powerful forces, Jesus with his twelve “ f al t er i ng”f ol l ower s. Letus t hi nk oft he weakness that become strength: Moses who was born into an Israelite family, the little figure of David, the impure lips of Isaiah , the inexperience of Daniel, the vulnerability of Judith. We think of the young people, the least prepared, who became signs of hope for future generations: Abel, Jacob, Joseph of Egypt, and finally, the Son of the carpenter. And even if you are weak and insignificant, you are still chosen. What we need today are persons of high caliber, committed , turned toward God, faithful, worthy of trust, balanced and convincing; capable of belonging to a group, of accepting shared decisions; persons full of resources that can change a difficulty into opportunity and a defeat into a sure victory.

“ Let us accompany The provincial community to give prophetic witness of poverty that arouses a renewed missionary enthusiasm and concretely guides the priority option for the education of the poorest y ou n gpe o pl e ”

Surprise has always played an important role in the way in which God has related to humanity.. God’ s sur pr i se has al way s resided in the future. I wish for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians manyofGod’ ssur pr i ses! “ Rej oi ce…be happy, because I have conquered the wor l d” .

(Program of the General Council p.16)

DonBos co’ sChoi c e Graziella Curti Comparing it with the teachings of Teresa of Avila, especially regarding three fundamental realities: what type of woman the FMA must be, the community lifestyle, the possibility of a synthesis between active and contemplative life.

While we return to the roots of our spirituality as the Chapter indicated to us, a question arises spontaneously: Why did Don Bosco choose Teresa of Avila and Francis de Sales as patrons for our Institute? What do a cloistered nun and a bishop have to do with the simplicity and concreteness of Salesian life?

What type of woman? According to Sr. Piera Cavaglià, our secretary general and scholar of Salesian spirituality, Teresa was a unified woman “ …wi t houtconf l i ct sordi chot omi es.In her all that was human was valued and unified in the presence of God. This amazes us if we set it in the framework of the time of the Lutheran Reformation, colored with pessimism. Teresa knew how to harmonize contemplation and untiring activity, the spirit of faith and pedagogical concreteness by which to guide the Sisters, interior life and communicative joy, humility and the courageous condemnation of evil of those pseudointellectuals who put obstacles along the wayofsanct i t y . ”

An announced profile Don Bosco did not give much explanation on the choice of Teresa of Avila as a patron for the FMA Institute. We do have, however, along with some brief oral citations, a revealing text: that of Characteristic traces of the FMA delineated in the first Constitution (1885). This text can still be found at the beginning of our Rule of Life and it constitutes, as Mot her Roset t a Mar chese wr ot e ,“ a v i gor oussynt hesi s” . The FMA must possess: 1. Zealous and patient Charity not only toward children, but even more toward young people and anyone with the aim of doing the greatest good possible.

The Sisters of the Reformed Franciscans of Madrid sai d ofher :“ Pr ai se t he Lor d who has introduced us to a saint whom we can all imitate; she spoke, slept and ate like us, and she was not complicated in deal i ng wi t h peopl e. ” A cont empor ar y bi ogr aphers ai dofher :“ Unt i lthe end of her life Teresa was always delightfully human. When at the point of death she became aware that the Sister who was caring her, Anna of St. Bartholomew, was very disheartened, she called her to herself . Sr. Anna tells us:

2.Simplicity and modesty with holy cheerfulness, spirit of internal and external mortification; rigorous observance of pover t y… From these indications we can discover the type of religious our Father dreamed of

Fr om Te r e s a’ sl e t t e r s Sot ha twemaymor ee as i l yk nowTe r e s a’ sf e mi ni ne gifts, we may turn to her letters where she reveals herself to be an independent, affable woman, capable of humor and energy and rich in passion. To Lorenzo de Cepeda Because of these, our convents, houses of God and of the Order, I have become a businesswoman and I a ms oe xpe r tt ha tnowIunde r s t a nde ve r y t hi ng … 24,6,15 To Maria Mendoza If you see the provincial of the Dominicans, scold him for me because he was in Salamanca for some da y sa ndhedi dnotc omet ovi s i tme …a ndt e l lhi m that I am very fond of him!(32,7) To Girolamo Gracian I felt like laughing when I heard that you wanted more tribulations. For the love of God, let us breathe for a few days. Remember that you are not the only one who has to bear with it. (27,17).

There are so many traces that emerge from her life and that Don Bosco wanted to see in the FMA in particular: joy, courage, evangelical radicality, freedom of spirit, openness to others, realism. In short, a spiritual experience expressed in the view of friendship toward God and others .

“ Ass oo na ss hes a wmes hes mi l e d, and embracing me, put her head in my hands. She remained in this embrace until death arrived. I felt deader than t hes a i n t . ”Th i si sa l s oawi t ne s st ha tr e c a l l st hel a s th o ur sofMa r i a Domenica who loved Teresa of Avila very much. The formation of the Daughters of the Immaculate A testimony drawn from the biography of Mother Petronilla Mazzarello reveals to us what type of Teresian formation that characterized the formation of the Daughters of the Immaculate. Already advanced in age, she loved to go back to the readings that had illumined the years of Mar i aDome ni c a’ syout h.She recalled “I of t e nf oundhe rbus yi nr e adi ngt hepe t i t i onsofSt .Te r e s a’ sPater. As soon as I arrived, she handed me the book so I could read a section aloud and then repeat it in my own words. She thought about the comment and I did so in simplicity. She liked the book so much and sought to have me do so. She had me write the maxims of St. Teresa that spoke of the presence of God.”(MACCONO, Suor Petronilla Mazzarello 84) Do nBos c o’ sc hoi c ewas ,t he r e f or e ,al mos tde t e r mi ned by this knowledge of Teresa that Maria Domenica and the other young women who were part of the Daughters of the Immaculate already had.

m.curti@cgfma.org

History as Love of Life Grazia Loparco However, today’ sgenerations need to re-write history, to understand anew what has been lived, because we always start with questions about the sources, the past. The questions hide one’ s own l i f e,ex per i ence,cont ex t , and restlessness.

Is history truly a root of the future? According to Cicero and the ancients, history is magistra vitae,teacher of life. Even Don Bosco wrote of Memories in his conviction that his children would have been able to be reassured in difficulties and would continue to confide in Providence.

According to Benedict Croce history is always contemporary history, in the sense that it lives again in the persons who approach it with a determined interest. Otherwise, it would no longer exist, if not for that which it has left us as an inheritance until the present. It has not been said, however, that whoever lives immersed in the immediate recognizes the roots of choices, attitudes, habits, mentality.

Today ’ sf act s seem t o deny repeat y est er day ’ smistakes. In fact, we can learn only if we are ready to listen. However, it must be without ingenuity, so that history will not repeat itself; the past is the past. It is the root of the future, therefore, because the experience of those who have preceded us could bring to maturity a critical, creative and responsible sense in facing the unexpected events of the present. History leads us to understand that a life could leave traces, that the history being written today is not a disconnected fragment. In a congregation it is even more evident that it places us on a broader journey, and creativity can continually flourish, can give consistency like a launching pad, integrate the unexpected and prepare for the proximate change.

Distance between past and present Interest in the past must deal with anachronism, a different period of time. There is the tendency, therefore, to j udge t he pas twi t ht oday ’ sment al i t y . For this reason historians tell us that the past is to be understood rather than judged. To understand it, it is necessary to enter into the context, the mentality of the protagonists of history in their world. It is an exercise of recognizing the distance between the past and the present. It is the reason by which the past cannot give a recipe to fact t oday ’ s needs and r equi r ement s. Today has something in common with yesterday, but it also has different, irreducible aspects that are to be recognized so as not to take refuge in repetition and immobility. It would be contrary to a creative fidelity that challenges the responsibility of each person.

We are the ones who question ourselves on the past It would be a great mistake to believe that we can know the past well. In reality, we know very little, that which has been given to us to understand through the traces that have remained.

It is to be exercised by making ourselves aware of the world in which we live, without confining it to the narrow spaces of immediate interests. A critical sense in confronting the present urges and sharpens our glance, questioning other life experiences to sound out the secrets of the success or failure of others. Taking into account, of course, that in every time there is a certain unrepeatable measure. In the FMA Institute, there is the consideration of luminous figures, as also the awareness of the moment or missing responses as a call to get to know better the DNA of the Salesian spirit, of the charism that one can actually explore in its historical realization, therefore, in the persons, living in certain circumstances, in a determined time or place with the conditioning and opportunity of their concrete situation. They may be more or less similar to those of today in different provinces and/or countries. Yet, beyond the expressive forms, changeable because they are historical, there are some basic attitudes, values, and certainties that distinguish the Salesian spirit from any other and preserve it from falling into a bland generic type. Without identifying itself in a superficial way, it could draw from the experience of others, listening to the young people who quest i on t oday ’ seducat or s ,t hei r educational passion, which is not ar bi t r ar y ,butseti na“ geneal ogy ” .

One becomes self-referencing, incapable of a confrontation with others. Closed up in personal ideas and plans. Believing that reality cannot be different. History, says T. Radcl i f f e,f r eesusf r om t he“ t y r anny oft he pr esent ” ,becaus ei tshowsus that things need not be necessarily as they are today. As in the past, things have changed, and they can also change now, therefore it is a push to act and commit ourselves to improve, not to conserve, to be resigned, to simply survive. Do not take refuge in our nostalgia for the past The re-evocation of the figures that succeeded in an Institute could generate a form of taking nostalgic refuge in the past. More often than not, this is limited to reconsidering the origins, the early community without entering into the more articulated life of successive generations after the heroic times of the beginnings. In this case, it may bring about a mystification of the past, in a reading that tends toward using it as a means for what one intends to demonstrate. From the entrustment of the past to the responsibility of today The continuity of life, the genealogy of the charism and the good educational practices place on every religious an attitude of responsibility and creativity before the mission and institution of which she is a part. Without repeating in a taken for granted manner, one learns the art of discernment for love of the persons of today. This is already preparing for tomorrow. Therefore, it is real love for life.

Leaving behind the tyranny of the present Today ’ s si tuation leads to being prisoners of the present which, under many aspects, is rapidly differentiated not only from the remote past, but also from the proximate.

For an Integral Human Development

In this article we propose to offer to the educating communities a few springboards for a re-reading of the Encyclical of Benedict XVI Caritas in Veritate in an educational key. Beginning from a generating theme to be studied-in this first issue integral human development-we are invited to allow ourselves to be questioned and to find new ways to carry out the Social Doctrine of the Church in our contexts.

Integral development as vocation (N.16); implication of responsible freedom (N.17), respect for truth (N.18), the centrality of charity ((N.19). Today the framework of development is polycentric (N.22). It is not sufficient to progress only from an economic and technological point of view. It is necessary that development must be, above all, true and integral (N.23): social (N.25), cultural (N.26), economic (27), ethical-moral (N.28-29).

Let us re-read the Encyclical

We ask ourselves

Love as the principal motivating force for the development of every person and of all humanity (N.1). Charity in truth, the indispensable way for the promotion of a true, integral human development (N.4). Truth loved and witnessed to, a condition for development and social well-being (N.5). Truth and love for responsible social action (N.5). Charity illumined by the light of reason and faith, for an ever more human and humanizing development (N.9). Fidelity to the person requires fidelity to truth, the only guarantee of freedom and the possibility of an integral human development (N.9). Development, understood in a human and Christian sense, the heart of the social Christian message and Christian charity as the principal force at the service of development (N.13).

Faced with the crisis of values, individualism, consumerism, scant respect f orl i f e,v i ol enceâ&#x20AC;Śwhatar eoureducat i ng communities doing to restore a just vision of the human person to the new generations? Convinced that human development is an integral development, how do we place ourselves as educating communities before the situations of hunger, misery, endemic maladies, and illiteracyâ&#x20AC;Śt hi ngs t hat af f l i ct so many people? As educating communities how do we seek to respond to the questions of meaning, search for authentic relationships, and the need for profound experiences of God, to the thirst for happiness among the young people? In action The aspects of crisis and eventual solutions, and those of a new, possible development, are always inter-connected, implying reciprocity and new efforts for unified understanding and a new humanistic synthesis.

I believe in a different, more fraternal humanity. The world needs to breathe harmoniously in a human manner. All people must arrive at recognizing themselves in one another as persons, as brothers and sisters in the utopia of faith. I believe in the impossible and necessary new person ! Dom Pedro Casaldaliga

The crisis thus becomes an occasion for the discernment of a new planning. In this key, trusting rather than being resigned, it would be convenient to face the difficulties of the present time (Cf.N.21).

Let us evaluate in what way this is present in our educational offering. Development as a vocation requires a process of continual formation and selfformation. Let us identify the signs that allow us to grasp the integral aspect of these processes in our environment.

We need to point out some steps to make the study that has been done operative. The Social Doctrine of the Church offers the keys to discern how to situate our sel v esi nt hecompl ex i t yoft oday â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s world.

And others?... j.arcieniegas@cgfma.org mseide@yahoo.com

One thousand, seven hundred and twenty Maria Rossi

We are not speaking of a date. It is the number found in the statistical data of the Report on the life of the Institute for the six year period 2002-2008 that Mother Antonia presented to General Chapter XXII. It refers to the number of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians “ that left us for the House of the Father from 2001-2007” . It is a number that it is so large that it arouses surprise and lends itself to many different interpretations.

A reading of the situation and of the statistical data in this direction has realistic, but partial, incomplete aspects. If taken in its partiality, this interpretation has the power to make us forget the essential of consecrated life and to nourish thought, convictions and communications that increase a sense of uneasiness capable of extinguishing that joy and enthusiasm that are necessary to operate efficaciously in the education sector. It is strange and yet these pessimistic thought frequently live together with the clear conviction that the Salesian charism is not exhausted, nor out of date. This conviction is supported, beyond the present declaration of an educational emergency that brings out the importance of the mission, even by the pressing requests for Salesian presences and the frequency of young people in Salesian environments. However, apart from the large numbers, the requests and the emergencies, a life given to God, which even as a community becomes an evangelical memorial and a sing and expression of His all foreseeing love, is still meaningful.

One thousand, seven hundred and twenty FMA died in six years. At first glance, we might think of a massacre, a sea of resources that disappeared from the scene of the Church and the Institute. A great impoverishment if we take into account that the number of those deceased surpasses the number of the young people who enter and that, especially in the West, the aging of the members are a general reality. It is data that lends itself to negative, pessimistic previsions that could lead to discouragement, to depression, to the loss of meaning. In the communities we often hear expressions such as the following spoken wi t hsuf f er i ngandsadness:“ I ft hey oung people no longer enter among us but are going to other Institutes, it means that we are no longer significant, that we no longer hav emeani ng. ”Andal so:“ Thewayt hi ngs are, I honestly do not feel that I should encourage a young person to enter the I nst i t ut e. ”“ Att hi spoi ntwear edest i nedt o di eof f ,t odi sappear . ”“ I nourt i mest hi ngs were not like this. We were many and f i l l edwi t hent husi as m. ”

One thousand, seven hundred and twenty faithful consecrated souls One thousand, seven hundred and twenty FMA died in six years signifies over and above all a long procession of consecrated women who were faithful to God who seduced them in their youth, to the Church, to the Institute, to themselves and to the young people. It is a great, powerful

They live on with and in us

and harmonious hymn to fidelity and to authentic love. More than a loss, it is a great victory, a triumph. It is also a monument to Mary Help of Christians, perhaps not foreseen by Don Bosco, that continues to edify from Heaven and cannot ignore that on the earth that is still numerous-the approximately 14,000 presences are not few-who walk the ways of the world, who discuss the difficulties of living, educating, the work of defending the weakest among the children, women, and young people.

Theâ&#x20AC;&#x153; 1720Si st er swhohav el ef tus for the House oft he Fat her â&#x20AC;?did not leave us completely. In different ways they live on with and in us. Having shared joys and sorrows, formed relationships of help, support and illumination, even though at times in exigent and conflicting ways, continue to live on in those who traveled the way with them. Except for the very young, we all remember someone. Their faces, their expressions, attitudes, on particular occasions, at times even daily re-emerge in our memory with the sweetness, strength and fruitfulness of other times. For me, a few are very alive and present. Thinking of them and of the 1,720, ultimately I questioned a few Sisters. It was an experience that confirmed in me the reality of their continuing to live among those who remain. While the Sisters told me about the Sisters whom they knew, they assumed an attitude of someone who offered something intimate, sacred. At times they even lowered their voices, as though to protect a precious treasure. Let us report a few of these testimonies. The vicars have the sometimes unpleasant task of asking for help for the so-called offices and they usually do so with the younger Sisters. A Sister recalls with veneration Sr. Letizia, vicar at the Generalate. She asked for help and collaboration with the offices, but later, even as an elderly Sister with swollen legs, she was present there, cleaning the pav ementwi t har agâ&#x20AC;Śand no one coul d get it away from her! Sr.Adriana, Literature teacher. A Sister remembers her with admiration and affection for her knowing how to reconcile a healthy sense of culture with the celebration of everyday, for her capacity for manual work (washing the pots) and contemporarily of making people think, stimulating a learning that went beyond the superficial or the banal.

Today fidelity is not highly appreciated, but is frequently looked upon with the mistrust and self-sufficiency of those who believe that they are in the vanguard. This, however, has in itself an abysmal profundity: that of love that does not change with culture and with technological progress. Even in the times of thousands of possibilities, of efficiency, of disenchantment, authentic love by its very nature is forever. It has its roots in the Absolute and does not tolerate relativism, while understanding the struggles and crucifixion that fidelity brings. Love is a profound sentiment, exigent, excruciating at times, which in full human maturity goes beyond feeling, and in general it takes care of every form of life. It is not an ephemeral and passing emotion by which, as we often hear today basing itself on a misunderstood psychology, when one no longer feels the early attraction or joyful, youthful enthusiasm, the person can leave her partner or consecrated life. Beyond the opinions and theories, the one thousand, seven hundred and twenty now wrapped in the great Silence, speak forcefully of the fact that fidelity is possible even in our present permissive and relativistic culture. With different accents they proclaim that the difficulties, the evolutionary crises, the misunderstandings can be overcome and may become opportunities for growth that nothing or anyone can impede remaining faithful to Love until the final embrace.

Sr. Anna, an Indian Sister. A Sister of her nationality remembers her with much affection and admiration for her lively and quick intelligence, united to a great simplicity. She was very attentive to the needs of the Sisters and had great passion and compassion for the poor. She cared for four young people who had nothing until they reached legal age. A missionary in Haiti, Sr. Adriana lived in the luminous and grateful remembrance of a Haitian Sister. She was very sensitive to the problem of hunger. In order to continue to nourish all, even after her death, she desired that a mango tree be planted on her grave. One day, when she was already advanced in age, she was returning home when she saw in the distance a group of ruffians holding on to rocks. They wanted to attack the trolley car and rob the people aboard. Sr. Adriana asked the conductor to stop the vehicle. She got off alone and went slowly toward the delinquents because she could not move well due to her advanced age. She was smiling and ready to do anything to save the people. The gang could have killed her, but no one threw a stone. She drew close, and embraced them one by one. The rocks fell to the ground. They were young men who were hungry. She invited them to her community, fed them and interested herself in their situation so that they could live without hurting anyone.

Lire, no small sum for those times, so she could go to the hospital to see her daughter who was then a young Sister and was seriously ill. The list could go on and on. I would like to report one more testimony. A Sister wrote of Sr. Teresina:“ I twas easy to see in her that word of faith that broadens horizons and allows one to breathe. When something did not go well, shewoul dsay“ Heknows” .I tseemst hatI can still see her, straight and energetic, pushing the kitchen carts up and down the long cor r i dor s of“ Don Bosco”preparing what was needed for the dining room of the children and the community, going in and out of the refrigerator wearing her woolen hat to get the fruit asked for by a Sister, or what was needed for those going on an outing, there was a list of various requests and an even longer one of her care. And all with that quiet prudence of “ notl et t i ngy ourr i ghthandknowwhaty our l ef ti sdoi ng. ” Sr . Cat er i na Pescif r equent l y sai d: “ I fI teach something to a young Sister, I will continue to live on i n her . ” And I ,t he writer, who had the good fortune to hear her voice and rejoice in her attentions, can say that this is true, and not only for her. The Sisters questioned, while speaking of the Sisters with whom they spent a part of life, allowed a glimpse of how the facts, attitudes and gestures remembered were still living in them as though they were a promise and an omen of fruitful fidelity.

Sr. Pierina is remembered for her wisdom, competence, love for the Institute, and capacity for discernment and Sr. Ivana for her attention toward the desperate and her patience in listening to them, and Mother Ersilia for her delicate attention toward the Sisters. One day she sent a mother 10,000

rossi_maria@libero.it

Class, a novel on school, the report of an experience told wi t hanoi sysenseofi r onyâ&#x20AC;Ś

DMA Insert

CLASS wORK

T he me :Iam… My name is Souleymane. I am fairly calm and timid in class and at school, but outside I am another pe r s on …e x c i t e d!Idon ’ tg o out much, except for going boxing. When I grow up I want tobeat r a i n e r .Idon ’ t l i k ec on j ug a t i ons …

My name is Khoumba but I h a v et ot e l ly ouIdon ’ tl i k e it very much. I like French, except when the professor is absent. People say I have a bad character and its true, but it all depends on how they r e s pe c tme …

My name is Frida and I am 14 years old, the same number of years I have been living in Paris with my father and mot h e r …Wh e nIa mol de rIwa n t to be a lawyer because I think it is the best job in the world and that it is marvelous to be able to de f e n dpe opl e …

Myn a mei sDi c oa n dIdon ’ th a v ea ny t h i ngt o say about myself because no one knows me except myself. My name is Hinda, I am 14 years old and I love l i f e …wh e nIg r owu pIwa n tt obeat e a c h e r …

THE QUESTIONS Which are the values of the school and how can we get society to recognize them? What should the task of the school be for the coming decades? Toward what type of equality should the school tend? How should the school adapt itself to the diversity among the students? How can students be motivated to work more efficaciously? How can parents and those outside the school favor the scholastic success of the students? How can we fight efficaciously against bullying? How can we improve the quality of life of the students at school?

The toad arrived and said: Now, tortoise, get inside the pumpkin. Your wife can cover you with food and the eagle will carry you to his house above the trees. Shortly after, the eagle returned. The wife of the tortoise said: My husband is not here, but he left this pumpkin full of food for your family. The eagle flew away with the food, never suspecting that the tortoise was inside. The tortoise could hear everything that was being said: Ha, ha, I ate the food of the tortoise but he will never be able to visit my nest to taste mine. When the pumpkin was emptied in the nest of the eagle, the tortoise come out and said: friend eagle, you visited my home so many times I thought it would be nice to enjoy your hospitality. The eagle was furious “ I ’ l lbr eakyour head! But he only succeeded in hitting the shell of the tortoise with his beak. I saw what type of friendship you offered me, said the tortoise, and having seen this bring me home because our friendship is over. The eagle brought the tortoise home and while he was flying, the tortoise said: Friendship needs to have equality. I welcome you and you welcome me. Given the fact that you have decided not to do this, laughing at me for my hospitality, I am no longer your friend.

The Story: the friendship between the tortoise and the eagle Mara Borsi The tortoise and the eagle could not meet very often because one spent his time among the clouds and the other was on the earth. But when the eagle understood what a dear companion the tortoise could be, he went to look for him in his lair. The family of the tortoise was very happy for his company and the eagle ate so well that he returned often. Every time he left, he went away saying Ha ha…Ic an enjoy the hospitality of the tortoise on the land, but he can never reach my nest in the treetops! Very soon the frequent visits of the eagle, his egoism and his ingratitude were on the mouths of all the forest animals. The eagle and the toad did not get along because often the eagle ate toads. The toad called the tortoise: Friend tortoise give me something to eat and I will open your eyes. After having eaten, the toad said: My friend, the eagle is taking advantage of your kindness. After every visit to you he f l i esaways ayi ng:“ Ha, ha!I can enjoy the hospitality of the tortoise on the land, but he can never reach my nest in the treetops!”The nextt i me t he eagle visit you, tell him: Give me a pumpkin, and I will send food also to your wife and your little ones. The eagle brought the pumpkin, enjoyed himself, and when he was l eav i nghesai d:“ I will come back later f ormywi f e’ sgi f t . ” He then flew away laughing to himself as usual. Ha,ha!. I ate the food of the tortoise but he will never come to taste mine.

African fable mara@cgfma.org

family. In the village there are other families, but we are all brothers and sisters because we share the same ancestors. Every child has at least two surnames: the name and surname of a member of the family so as not to forget the surname of his/her father and be able to remember who generated him/her.

Interview with Adiome Aboya Philomene

Living in an international environment what do you appreciate most of other cultures?

Adiome was my pat er nal gr andmot her ’ s surname and Philomene was her name; Aboya i smyf at her ’ ssurname. I have been an FMA for 15 years. I have worked in a professional formation center, in pastoral animation, in social communication At PortGentil (Gabon,where I was a promoter and animator with the young people of a radio station Expression Jeune. At Pointe-Noire (Congo Brazzaville), I was coordinator of the Oratory and community delegate for communications. I am now in Rome for the course of Salesian Spirituality.

What I appreciate most about living in an international environment is the wealth of diversity. When different people meet and the relationship is just and fraternal, there is a true and proper enrichment. The international environment allows us to get to know traditions, usages and customs of other countries and especially to live an intercultural existence in our daily life. Other cultures illumine my own culture and help me to know and appreciate it more.

What are the long lasting values of your culture?

What difficulties do you experience in meeting persons from other countries?

One of the strong points of African culture is the sense of community. It is precisely this that makes me aware of loving more. African Ubutu, the typical vision of existence puts the accent on bonds, on consensus, on communion and it expresses the dynamic of values and of the many bonds that unite humanity. Relationships are, therefore, very important and the African culture gives much importance to the fact of being well with others. I come from a little village in Cameroon at about 120 km from Yaoundè, the capital and I belong to the ethnic group of Yambassa “ Gunu” . I am one of si x children and in my family there are no cousins. My grandfather had five wives and the children of my aunts and uncles are my brothers and sisters. According to the Bantù culture this is my immediate

As a child I was taught t hat“ whi t epeopl e” were educated, rich and possessed all that was good. This is not true, but it was the mentality around me. In the Institute I have lived with people of different colors and cultures who were not Bantù. When meeting people from the white race I have two subconscious risks: withdrawing into myself to conserve my roots and considering diversity to be a threat. These risks could become a problem if at the center of relationships there was not the charity of Christ and the family spirit that characterizes the Salesian charism.

Becoming Adults Palma Lionetti Understanding anew the presence of the adult as educator. Bei ng“ spr i ngadul t s” ,capabl et ospeaki ng of a good promise of life.

Cultivating one’ s own pl ur al i dent i t y increases the possibility of being happier and making non-adults less unhappy. If the adult does not lose contact with his/her own biography and shows the nonadult that they want to be reciprocally enriched along with them, then each per songr ows“ becomi ngt heco-author of aneduc at i onalnov elwr i t t ent oget her ” . As with every novel that is respected, with either a happy or less happy ending, the reader is asked to have patience and not to flip through pages to see how it will end, so the adult as educator should support t hewr i t i ngoft hepl otofone’ sownandt he ot her ’ s ex i st ence wi t h pat i ence and passion.

One of the first works created by the young artist Bernini for Cardinal Borghese was the sculpture grouping that shows Aeneas who carries his elderly father Anchises followed by his son Ascanio. The subject is taken form the Aeneid by the Latin author Virgil and represents to the letter the flight from Troy that is burning. The different ages of the persons in the sculpture is based on an interweaving of form and movement from which Aeneas emerges in his virile role, which is won over by the severe, yet trusting glance that has faith in himself and in the seeking of a place where they can begin life again. If until some time ago constructive continuity between generations could be represented by this beautiful sculpture that shows Aeneas as the classic icon of the father then the adult, today this is no longer possible. The adult cannot show a monolithic identity, blown up with certainty. There has been a passage, in fact, from a concept of the adult as granite-like and with single value to a concept that thinks of adulthood as an area of lights and shadows, inhabited by many tensions. There is the sunset, therefore, of the idea of the adult who is identical to self for his/her whole life, there is no way out to learn and accept being and becoming, “ multidimensional adults”wi t hr espectf or themselves and respect for those who prepare to become so.

But do we, as adults, still have passion f ort hi s“ar t ”? Ar ewer eadyt ospendourl i ves,t o“ was t e t i me”f oryoungpeople? Education, as defined by an author, is a silent, not very spectacular, long march to be followed, requiring the adult to have the conviction and discovery that it is he/she who must first change while journeying; that they are assuming other mental categories rejected at the beginning of the journey: the unforeseeable, the impossible quiet, uncertainty, risk, learning from experience. Perhaps even in our Educating Communities at times there is a weak possibility for that personal dialogue

between adults and young people that requires time and that allows focusing on the problems, choices, commitments, perspectives, thus preferring the appointment where there is no face to face dialogue and risking the abstract, the wordiness and distance from real life. The educational vocation of the adult then requires that we understand ourselves anew as “ spr i ng adul t s” , capabl e of spending self to build simple, good relationships, in which one personally touches a superabundant esteem for each young person, the com-passion for his/her journey and toil and anxiety, the firm hope in the resources they possess. This signifies that we need to rediscover a few great coordinates of human relationships that have been lost; to strengthen the covenant between care and education so that the giving of care is not exhausted only in educating. Today, says Fr Demetrio, mothers and f at her s hav e become t oo “ car i ng”mor e t han“ educat i ng” .It is true that the lack of care is the cause of that emotional illiteracy so much spoken of today, but the lack of education compromises and threatens the future.

Sadly, the avalanche of surveys and negative analyses of the last decade had compromised the relationships between generations, making the adult world ever more resigned with respect to the educational task. Yet, accompanying a child, a young person in his journey of growth so that they may become themselves, is among the most human and extraordinary journey that offers the adult the possibility of discovering new aspects of life in his/her own personality. Even when the dialogue seems to be at an impasse and communication seems to have broken down, the educator should not push the accelerator, but should wait for what has been sown and to bear fruit with patience, trust, benevolence affection. If things remain this way, then forming and transforming self as adults and educators becomes the indispensable condition for placing self in a state of availability and allowing for continual education in life, f r om t he ex per i ence “ accept ed wi t ht he maturity of one who does not see it as merely a casual event, but an appointment f or sel f and f or one’ s own gr owt hi n humanity.

Educating, then, is asking ourselves as adults: what kind of world do we want?

Therefore, learning together from experience becomes a priority requirement of our educating community, to read therein the wealth of humanity and the growth this requires and suggests, inviting t oacont i nualwor ki ngonsel f . ”

The stakes are high and require that we adults have a new understanding of our role in the educational emergency, rediscovering, beyond the struggle, the beauty of educating. This rediscovery can be experienced when the educational task is carried out with the support of true passion.

It means bei ng “ spr i ng adul t s”t ogether capable of narrating a good promise on life! palmalionetti@gmailcom

At Fifteen Years Since Peking Bernadette Sangma 15 years have passed since the Fourth World Conference on the Woman that was held in Peking (Beijing) in 1995. The most celebrated World Conference with 6,000 delegates from 189 member nations of the UN, 4,000 representatives NGOs and 3,000 participants at the NGO Forum. The new ideas to transform this unacceptable situation, in her estimation, must come from the women themselves. The idea recalls the “ feminine geni us” ,the noted expression of John Paul II. The commitment of the Institute for the empowerment of women delineated in the Guidelines for the Educational Mission is precisely in this direction. It focuses on “ r ei nf or ci ngt hepr ogr essi v ecapaci t yofwomen t o become agent s f or change” ( n. 178) beginning from the awareness of their own dignity, rights and of the great potential they possess for investing in human relationships.

Fort heWomen’ sMov ement ,Peking signified the summit of two decades of activism speaking to the world of their program for change.“ We pass f r om anal y si st o act i on” , repeated Gertrude Mongella, a Catholic woman from Tanzania, secretary general of the Conference. The result drawn up in the Declaration of the Peking Platform was called the most powerful world program to guide the process of the empowerment of women. In the text of the Declaration it was affirmed that reaching the objectives of equality, of development and peace for all women from all parts of the world was in the interest of all humanity. The wellbeing of women is strictly connected to that of minors and the entire nuclear family. After of 15 years, the UN has planned an evaluation of the carrying out of the program on the part of governments. The central moment of the event called Beijing +15 will be held from March 1-2 2010 in New York during the annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of the Woman. Reflectors will be pointed at the governments that will be asked to give an account of what they have done about the Platform of Peking during the last 15 years. There is a certain skepticism that. “ Enough wi t ht he wor ds! ”sai dt he women at Peking 15 years ago. Devaki Jain, Indian economi standact i v i stwr ot e:“ I tseemscr uci al that we take a quantum leap in finding new ideas to satisfy the aspirations and struggles of womenf orj ust i ce. ”

We FMA women In reflecting on our concrete actions we recognize that these favor women especially in situations of high poverty, focusing on selfsufficiency, on social insertion, on cultural formation, economic autonomy, on health care, formation to leadership and on the struggle against exploitation. The last horizon, however, goes beyond the recognition of rights or of feminine subjectivity because, as Lilia Sebastani, an Italian theologian says, it surpasses injustices and discrimination of women and children and is simply a necessary phase.”

What could Beijing +15 signify for our Institute? It has been 10 years since the Institute has been regularly present at the UN with the intention of bringing our voice, our intuition as Christian women and our direct experience in the field of the empowerment of women and the educational reciprocity of man-woman. Our concrete experience of the empowerment of women and girls in situations of poverty, marginalization and risk speak much in this sector insofar as they are eloquent witnesses of a real transformation. From this point of view, we may say that Bejing+15 is for us a challenge and an invitation to continue to invest our efforts on micro and macro levels for women and children. The presence and participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women offer one of these opportunities.

This essential phase must urge us toward the reaching of an ethos of reciprocity: â&#x20AC;&#x153; Br oadeni ng ourunder st andi ng oft he human being is such a way that the polarity between male-female is contemplated from the begi nni ng i nr eci pr oci t y and communi onâ&#x20AC;? , to express the thought with the words of Nuria Calduch Benages, a Spanish religious Biblical scholar. This sends us back to the consideration of our educational actions from the first years of life. Within our Institute, in different contexts, there have been more or less consolidated educational experiences in man-woman reciprocity. It seems, however, that there is still much to be done and it is a challenge that we put in the area of our own personal, community and Institute formation.

The Synagogue A Meeting House Bruna Grassini

“ The unity of all lacerated humanity is God’ swi l l .Fort hi sr easonHes enthi s Son, so that by dying and rising for us, Hecoul dgi veusHi ss pi r i tofl ove… On the vigil of His sacrifice on the Cross, Jesus Himself asked the Father that His disciples and all who believed in Him could be one , a living communi on. ” Ut unum Sint 6 Bet Kness: This is the Hebrew term that indicates the Synagogue. Heart of every Jewish community, therefore, it is always built facing Jerusalem. It is the privileged place for prayer. Inside al i t t l eaps et he“ Ar koft heCov enant ” containing the Roll of Scripture, the Torah, and the Eternal Lamp, which is always lit night and day in the Temple. More than 1,500 years have passed since the separation of Christians from their Jewish brethren.

It is a journey to be traveled together, one t hat “ i nv ol v es t he whol e community committed according to the subj ect i v i t yofeachone” .( U. U.28) The Vietnamese Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan wr ot e: “ Bei ng r eady f or t he sacrifice for unity means changing our glance, widening our horizons, knowing how to recognize the action of the Holy Spirit that works in our brothers and sisters, discovering new faces of holiness, being open to unexpected aspects of the Christian commitment. The Christian vocation means living unity.

Rome, April 13, 1986, a Pope, John Paul II, enters the Synagogue, welcomed by the Jewish authorities led by the Head Rabbi Elio Toaf. A power f ulc hoi rsi ngsPsal m 150: ” Pr ai se the Lord in his sanctuary, Praise him in the firmament of his power . ” I nt he “ wel come,t her e ec hoesal loft he bi millennial history of the Jewish community. A new vision opens: the other is no longer the heretic, but rather a “ compani on on t he j our ney ” ,t he “ br ot her ”who soughtt he enc ount er , help and relationship.

grassini@libero.it

Why Face to Face ? Maria Antonia Chinello, Lucy Roces The title we have decided to use for the article, which for the past decade has been dedicated to communications in DMA, could surprise some. This is especially true if we compare it with the themes faced during these last two years: educational reading of some forms of expressions and communication of young people. The intention is to set ourselves in continuity to furnish the educating community a few key readings and interpretation to face the urgent change that is coming about under our very eyes, and at times leaves us amazed.

The desire for communication and friendship with another is rooted in our very nature as human beings. Precisely in one of the key passages of his Message, the Pope wrote: “ Thedesi r ef orconnect i onandt hei nst i nctf or communication, so taken for granted in our contemporary culture, are not anything else, in truth, than modern manifestations of the fundamental and constant inclination of human beings to go beyond themselves to enter into r el at i onshi pwi t hot her s. ”

We are aware. The rhythm of innovation at times becomes unsupportable for those who come from another velocity and run the risk of transforming self into a cultural handicap. The dimensions and perspectives that open the world, in the times of Web 2.0 (and perhaps soon Web 3.0) are not easy to define and monitor, because the reality of communication seems to flee from every side, almost as though its representation is lacking. If change cannot be stopped and moves at a hectic pace, communication, as usual, and today perhaps even more, could respond to the same needs as always of the person, on the long journey of growing toward the fullness of being men and women. Communication Network

the

tempo

Nothing new, then? Not really, because change is of the era. However, it could also deal with the slightest transformation that changes the skin but not the heart that still seeks after the needs that have always existed. Dialogue, respect and friendship are absolute old values that today ask to be lived in surprising forms because of the mass media environment that has been so radically transformed. Beginning from relationships

the

Communi cat i on accor di ng t oMouni er“ i sl ess frequent than happiness, more fragile than beaut y …i ti senought ohav easlight thing or incident to stop it or break it between two subj ect s. ” ForEbner ,aVi ennesephi l osopher precursor of the philosophies of dialogue of Buber, Marcel, Lévinas and Mounier, just relationships signify a style of rapport that leads to an effective encounter with another.

The theme for the World Day of Social Communication that Benedict XVI proposed to the Church and the world in 2009, invited all to consider the new technologies as “ one”oft he responses to the fundamental desire of people to enter into relationship with one another.

but does not perceive the dimensions of the mystery that distinguishes his coming to the world and living in the world at a certain time and/or space. We need to begin again, to re-construct, restitch, educate ourselves to interpersonal relationships, of what no computer can ever give us: the impact of presence, of the voice of another person. There is insufficient quality time offered to the relationship which is as important as the quantity time. For Paulo Freire, the word is something more than a simple means that places us in a relationship. For the Brazilian pedagogue, in the word there are two dimensions: action and reflection. “ Ther ei snoaut hent i cwor di ft her ei snotal so practice. Therefore, pronouncing the authentic wor dmeanst r ansf or mi ngt hewor l d. ” Human relationship is not a game and it requires time, respect for another person, waiting, active listening and reciprocity in every environment and life situations. Mediated communication is one of the channels that today one has at his/her disposition in the variegated panorama of an ever more integrated communication system. It is the continuity between the two communications, online and offline, and it is in overcoming the fragmentary and leading back to the unification of the person, that could heal the conflict between the real and the virtual, re-designing the human territory and the dynamic relationship, not multiplying the connections on the Net at the cost of bonds with those who are cl oset ous.“ Onl yi nt heI -You do we have an authentic relationship, one that can reach high levels of reciprocity; only in this dimension does the I educate itself and constitute my exi st encebecauset hel aw haswor t h:“ Icr eat e my sel fi n You and i n becomi ng Isay You” , wrote Martin Buber. As educators we are called to give fullness to our mission. The foundation of the educational task is the responsible commitment turned toward seeing and accepting the unforeseeable appeal that is gradually being presented in the reality of the young people before us.

Good-bye e-mail, ciao Wave! There is a new product arriving on the market that will radically renew online communication enough to make us say “ adi os”t oel ect r oni cmai l . Google Wave was invented by Lars and Jens Rasmussen, the two brothers who gave us Google Maps. Google Wave expects sharing in real time among multiple users who can simultaneously write documents (Wikis), share photos, update blogs set appointments and chat in large groups. Google Wave could be fascinating, but it could also hide some complication. As for G mail (email for Google), Google Wave will be free and could be used in a few months. This way we will see if the extraordinary Google Wave will definitively supplant our dear, old emai l …

They themselves are the encounter. Every communication is, therefore, forming an empathetic relationship in a slow passage from I to You to US: the Christian does not dialogue for strategy, but because it is his statute of profound humanity, says Enzo Bianchi in an interview. In our time, where distances are always lessened, where frontiers of space fade away and we become ever more nomads and open, the person runs the risk of being a solitary navigator who crosses multiple net wor ksand l i v esby” z appi ng”cul t ur esand perceptions, by an interactive “ eatand run”

For a good communication of faith Claudio Pighin Today more than ever we feel the greatness and difficulty of the challenge to communicate. And if the object of this challenge is faith, then we feel even smaller and lost. For this reason communicating the faith is the true central node of our being Church and especially persons of the Church.

The means are always a support for the message and in this case even the missionary confirms it. And if it is true that this technological explosion has given a great impulse to the means of communication, it is also true that never like today have there been so little communication. Because of this one of the fundamental concepts to be remembered is the fact that means themselves must never become the main part of communication, but must, instead, play the role of mediation in the communications process. That old PIME missionary who has already gone to the Father, helped us to understand how the means, be they rudimentary or modern always has the role of helping and cannot substitute for people, and this goes for transmitters and receivers. But then we ask ourselves: What can we do so that our plans and action can be truly communicative? Communicating is not, in fact, a simple transmission of a message; it goes well beyond this. Try to think of how many of us, even with the best intentions, have remained embittered because they have not been understood or were poorly interpreted. The same thing happens in the very process of Evangelization. How many difficulties there are to help the Word of God to become incarnated in the lives of people! And whose fault is this? Certainly, there are many factors involved, but I would limit myself to underline the vital, the soul of all: the incapacity of communicating.

A few years or so ago, a brother missionary who had reached the State of AmapĂ in the Amazon region in 1948 said to me: â&#x20AC;&#x153; t he j our ney of t he means of communication from then to now has been immense. Now we can enter into contact with the whole universe; we can communicate with millions of persons at the same time. Then, instead, to face distances we had a crackling loudspeaker, set in a tower and that was it. In the churches the microphones were almost always a disgrace. But we did succeed in transmitting something. Our missionary brains were transformed into engines of invention. And we asked ourselves: How can we get in contact with the outskirts? There was only direct contact, from house to house. Armed with a hand bell, the people were advised of our arrival, the dogs (always the first to welcome us), then the children and finally the adults gathered in the shade of a tree or at the entrance of a house. This is how the catechism lesson began. The situation improved when the simple hand bell was substituted by a powerful trumpet. Its sound, truthfully, a bit indecorous in the beginning, with practice was capable of transmitting appreciable melodies. There was only one problem. The dogs who could not support the high notes, united themselves to the musi cwi t ht heyver ysadhowl i ng! â&#x20AC;?

Only in this way could a real, efficacious communicative act be established. This was the desire that this act spurred him on to become a forge for invention, as the priest said. Whoever wants to truly communicate never tires nor becomes annoyed with seeking solutions to improve the communication itself. Another fundamental teaching that Fr. Simonelli gave us was the fact that communicating is never a solitary or individual act, even because frequently we come up against problems of how to communicate, for example, with distant persons and situations where we cannot be present. He always told me: “ Since it was impossible to have constant contact with the communities dispersed throughout the forest, we involved the elementary school teachers of the village. He referred to them for all that regarded the teaching of catechism. Armed with a mimeograph machine (the computer of the times), we prepared the weekly catechism lessons and gave them to the teachers with whom we maintained continual contact so that t heycoul dbepr epar edf ort hi st ask. ”

Fr.Claudio Pighin who will this year present for us the articles on Communicating the Faith, is a priest of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions (PIME). He has been a missionary in the Brazilian Amazon for may years. He has is a specialist in the field the ministry of communication and missiology. A journalist and publicist, he is the author of many documents and various books of a religious character and of culture and has written in Italian and Portuguese. He has been director of the Social Communications Center and professor in the Institute of Missionary catechesis at the Pontifical University Urbaniana, he is a professor at the RFP (Istituto Regionale Formzione Presbiterale) of BelèmParà,Brazil and founder and director of the school of social communication of the publishing company Missão Friuli Amazonia in Belèm-PA Brazil.

Good communication, therefore, needs frequent mediation. We, in fact, as persons are limited in all senses. Therefore there is the need to seek something or someone who could help us to substitute or mediate our absence. We must, therefore, remember that a communicative process could and at times must involve more persons and more methods without, however forgetting that the necessary preparation and without leaving anything to chance or improvisation.

Then, we insist, what is really communication? The missionary of one time, Lino Simonelli had understood that in order to better evangelize the people of the Amazon, it was necessary to enter into direct contact with the people, to live a personal relationship with the other person, i.e., to be present. Therefore it appeared evident how necessary it was to have a sure identification among those who sent and those who received the message.

We may then say that even faith, the integrating part of our life, needs true communication so as to be truly acknowledged and understood.

Being a Cut Above… better than others, right? We even see with our eyes closed. It would be enough that in community they would have the patience to consult us and to listen to us a bit more and surely all discernment would be more successful. Because now, by this time, we have seen so many that we know how to discover the will of God where previously there was not even a trace of it. Thi nk about i t …Unf or t unat el y , howev er , our destiny is to see and keep silent. Or to see and to grumble.!

Poor, old Camilla! You have borne with her for 17 years between ups and downs! It is time to quit! Perhaps this is my last year. Therefore I will banish all other trifles and dedicate myself to the only thing that matters and it (unfortunately!) will not be taken from me: my advanced age! This deals with a much-feared phase of life, but one that is quite precious. Try to believe it! I will thoroughly examine the characteristics throughout this year, obviously from my point of view. By way of introduction, I will begin from a few physical aspects of the third age. They are not to be either under or over valued.

We have no teeth, but how many things we know how to swallow! And not to mention of that which, notwithstanding our hearing aids, we know how to hear! We distinguish very well what is Salesian and charismatic from that which is not. We “ f eel ”i fsomet hi ng i sr i ghtormi s t aken. And if at times it seems that we doze off during the conference, it is only for the sake of delicacy that we do so. They say that today, certain things even during the conference (where PowerPoints are all the rage), it is worth the trouble, for love of char i t y ,t o make bel i ev e t hat we’ r e sleeping. And what are we to say about the scant muscle tone that causes us to slow down at a certain age ? Ha! I say only that at least we the elderly are in community! AND HOW ! Always. Slow legs, but a vigilant heart. Tell me, then, if arriving at the third age does not mean being a cut above!

We say that an elderly person is to be “ handl ed wi t h car e” ,t hen she becomes phy si cal l y “ f r agi l e” ;s he has sensor y disabilities, such as diminishing visual capability associated to a deterioration of auditory capacity. This is neither psychological nor health related. No, it is spoken of in the bible even by Qoheleth in Ecclesiastes:“ Those who look out of the windows will be dimmed (eyes) and the doors to the street will be closed (ears) the women who grind will cease their wor k , ( t eet h)becauset heyar ef ew” . In short, being elderly means losing psycho-physical potential. However, Camilla says, we little old ladies are only apparently at a disadvantage. It is true that our eyes are dimmed because of cataracts, but how many things we see