(ANS – Alassio) – With the session of June 2025, the fourth edition of the Theological and Pastoral Formation Course was officially concluded, even if the previous ones had a different title. The initiative, the strong wish of the Salesian Central Italy Circunmscription (ICC), offered a qualified opportunity for growth to all those who, in various capacities, work within Salesian houses. It was a proposal  aiming to combine theological depth, pastoral preparation and, above all, an experience of fraternity and shared faith.

A journey that began in Alassio

Everything started in June 2024 in the Salesian house in Alassio, in Liguria, a place dear to the Salesian tradition and chosen not by chance as a starting point. Here a group of about thirty participants gathered for the first time: young university students, educators, teachers, volunteers and lay people committed to the Salesian mission. People from different Italian regions, but united by a common desire to get involved, be formed and grow together.

The course for this pastoral year took inspiration from the tried and tested formula of the Youth Ministry Certificatae, but was revised and adapted to make it more accessible and inclusive. Six modules in total, spread over the course of a year, hosted not only in Alassio, but also in Rome and Florence: symbolic and stimulating places that provided the backdrop for a dense and rich itinerary.

Study, discussion, community

The formation days were not just an intellectual exercise, but an integral experience. The lectures, given by professors and collaborators of the Pontifical Salesian University Turin campus, addressed complex and fundamental issues for those working in youth ministry and in the animation of Salesian works. But alongside study, much space was also given to community prayer, Eucharistic celebration, personal discussion, and even moments of evening entertainment.

‘We experienced intense days, with sustained work rhythms,’ says one of the participants, ‘but above all we experienced the beauty of fraternity, of authentic confrontation, of sharing faith and life. What at first seemed to be just a heterogeneous group was transformed, module after module, into a true community on the way.’

Formation that leaves its mark

Over the course of the year, amidst hard-working notes, stimulating discussions, moments of introspection and shared laughter, a network of strong, sincere and fruitful relationships was born. The conclusion of the journey, although marked by the joy of having completed an important commitment, was also accompanied by a note of nostalgia: that of no longer having the long-awaited bi-monthly appointment in front of us.

But the journey does not stop here. The desire, shared by all, is that what has been learnt and experienced can now be translated into concrete action: a seed to germinate in the Salesian homes of origin, making educational activities ever more profound, authentic, evangelical.

A look to the future

The success of this edition of the Theological and Pastoral Formation Course becomes another important step so that others may take advantage of it, which has now become a stable appointment for the formation of lay people and collaborators in the Salesian mission.

And who knows, there might not be new opportunities to meet again, to continue walking together, preserving and cultivating the bonds born between lessons, shared meals, moments of prayer and evening laughter. Because, as Don Bosco teaches, educating is a thing of the heart. And this course has been able to speak as much to the head as to the heart.

Maurizio Mercuri

Source: donboscoitalia.it