Costa Rica – May 2024 – The Salesian Cooperators of the Inter-American region held their second virtual regional training meeting on Sunday, May 19, the feast of Pentecost.

The theme “A Promise that Lasts a Lifetime” was taught by Antonio Boccia, World Coordinator of the Association of Salesian Cooperators. Juanita Silva, regional training manager, welcomed all participants. Martín Calderón, world advisor for the region, addressed a few words to the attendees.

Next, Antonio Boccia began his presentation by highlighting Art. 2 of the Apostolic Life Project, part of the Statute “The Salesian Cooperators: A Specific Vocation in the Church.” Also highlighting the Annunciation of Mary, icon of the vocation, the dream of the 9 years – the vocation of Don Bosco.

Furthermore, Antonio took up some ideas taken from a talk by Fr. Pascual Chávez, which complete what has been said so far about vocational choice: return to Don Bosco, return to the young, live the spirituality of Don Bosco, contemplate the heart of Christ, assuming the Apostolic Passion of “da mihi animas”, feel the urgency to evangelize, under the guidance of Mary. Antonio closed his participation by motivating all attendees to return to and reinforce the cornerstones on which the “forever” of the promise as Salesian Cooperators rests.

At the end of the presentation, a participant from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica asked Antonio questions regarding the topic, who responded to each of them. More than 100 people participated via Zoom, and others via Facebook, from the 13 countries that make up the region. There were also Salesian Cooperators from Spain, Pakistan, and Peru.

In the Western United States, the Spanish-speaking Salesian Cooperators of the Santo Domingo Savio Belflower Center in California gathered to watch the broadcast together.

The opening prayer was led by Brian Miranda Matta from Puerto Rico, who read the Pentecost sequence in Spanish, the closing prayer was led by Emily Maldonado, from the United States East, who read in English the prayer to Mary Help of Christians corresponding to the ninth of the day

This meeting took place in Italian, with translations in Zoom rooms for English, Spanish and French, and on three Facebook channels for each of the languages of the Inter-American Region. You can watch the broadcast via Facebook live on SC Interamericana. This activity was carried out by the Regional Secretariat.

From Associazione Salesiani Cooperatori