Can You Whistle?

From October 17th to 19th, the Formation Congress of the Italy-Middle East-Malta Region of the Association of Salesian Cooperators was held in Florence at the Salesian Institute of the Immaculate Conception.
The Congress, titled “Can You Whistle?”, was attended by all 14 provinces, with a total of 85 Salesian Cooperators from the Provincial Councils and Animation Sectors.
Over three days of intense work, the Salesian Cooperators discussed the vocational journey and identity of Salesian Cooperators, the associative and lay vocation in the Church, and their role in the Salesian Family. The informative and meaningful presentations alternated with equally enriching workshops.
Three keynote addresses guided the presentations of the participants: that of the world coordinator Antonio Boccia, that of the Rector Major Fr. Fabio Attard, and that of the world delegate of the FMA, Sister Lucrecia Uribe.
The Salesian Cooperator’s presence in the world served as the common thread throughout the three presentations. Antonio Boccia, questioning the relevance of the concept of integral humanism, emphasized how everyday life is the privileged place of encounter with God, a place where, the Rector Major emphasized, he is called to bear witness to the Beatitudes. Bearing witness to the Beatitudes, in turn, calls to mind the most pressing challenges to be addressed: an identity increasingly marked by the centrality of the Word and sustained by the Eucharist; a renewed urgency to study Don Bosco’s “precious legacy” to treasure it in interpreting pastoral challenges; and the equally urgent need to understand the local context to be a leaven of educational and pastoral goodness for those most in need. Finally, Sister Lucrecia’s presentation shifted attention to the feminine contribution that Maria Domenica Mazzarello made to Don Bosco’s preventive system and to the importance of the style of reciprocity lived by the Founders of the two orders as a relational paradigm to confront and inspire.
The three presentations were framed by a speech by World Councilor Italo Canaletti, who, in his opening remarks, highlighted the Association’s progress over the past three years, and in his closing remarks, highlighted the Association’s future prospects and plans for the next three years. While training will continue to be a cornerstone of the Association’s work, this focus will be complemented by increased attention to the areas of animation and, above all, attention to young people both within and outside the Association.
The three days culminated in the closing Mass, where everyone was given a mandate to answer the question posed by Father Stefano Pastorino, the Salesian delegate for the Association: “And you, can you whistle?”