By Br Aliester D’Souza for BISMumbai

The coordinators of the Education to Faith Dimension of the South Asia Region met on 7 and 8 February 2023 for their second meeting of the academic year at Don Bosco Provincial House, Mumbai. Present for the meeting were Fr Savio Silveira - the Provincial in charge of Education to Faith Dimension, Fr Robert Simon - South Asia Delegate for Youth Ministry, Fr Sivy Koroth - Regional Coordinator, and seven other coordinators from the provinces of the region.

 The group met for Mass at 9.00 a.m. on 7 February. It was presided by Fr Silveira who, during the homily, enlightened the gathering by stressing on the example of St Gonsalo Garcia who was steadfast in his faith no matter what difficulties came his way. After a warm welcome by the Rector of the Provincial House, Fr Vinod Mascarenhas, and the inaugural address by Fr Silveira, a series of meetings ensued.

 Fr Robert Simon addressed the dimension coordinators on two important elements: animation and governance. Speaking about animation he stressed the need to better understand the aspect of animation to be effective in the Salesian ministry. He also spoke about imbibing the spirit of Don Bosco in animating the various sectors in the province. Speaking about governance, he stressed on importance of working as a team. Later, the province coordinators presented the various activities and initiatives launched in their respective provinces with regards to Education to Faith. Each of the coordinator also shared the plans for the coming year.

 Deliberations were held regarding a concrete plan of action for the region to foster growth in this dimension. Fr Koroth facilitated the discussions in this regard. The group came up with quite a few ideas to solidify the dimension in the provinces. Training for trainers of catechist programmes, preparation of textbooks for youth catechesis, and uploading catechetical resources on the Don Bosco South Asia portal were some of the important decisions made.

 The next morning, the group gathered in the crypt of the Shrine of Don Bosco’s Madonna for the Holy Eucharist. Fr Robert Simon, the principal celebrant, in his homily, spoke of the importance of tending to our interior lives rather than focusing only on the exterior practices in ministry. The group then proceeded to visit a few Salesian institutions in the city of Mumbai.