(ANS – Rome) – “The experience of the Extraordinary Visitation to the Province of São Paulo has prompted me to reflect on the experience of working alongside the laity and on shared formation, both in this Province and in others throughout the Region,” said Fr. Héctor Gabriel Romero, Regional Councilor for the South Cone Region of the Americas, during his “goodnight” on July 17.

The Salesian Province of São Paulo, Brazil (BSP), he explained, brings together laypeople involved in pastoral ministries through a variety of formation opportunities. These include retreats for Salesians and laypeople, formation in Salesian spirituality for administrators, the Corrisponde program for social communication coordinators, the Catechetical Congress, and leadership formation for members of the Salesian Family and youth groups.

Each year, he noted, the Salesian Network of Brazil (RSB) also offers formation programs for SDBs, FMAs, and laypeople from across the country. These include training for school administrators and coordinators (ENARSE y ENEL), formation for educators and managers of social works (ENAS), training for social communication coordinators (ENAC), and formation in Salesian spirituality for new school educators.

Within the same Province, Fr. Romero added, a Center for Ongoing Formation is being developed to provide courses on Salesianity in collaboration with the Salesian Network of Brazil. Another long-standing initiative is the Congress on Don Bosco’s Preventive System, which has been organized for more than 30 years by the Province of Porto Alegre (BPA) in collaboration with the FMA.

Across the Region, the Provinces also benefit from the programs offered by the center in Quito, Ecuador, particularly courses on Salesianity and spiritual accompaniment. In Chile, the Course on Salesianity has been offered for many years in three annual levels, complemented by virtual continuing education sessions and the Diploma in Catechetical Formation offered through UCSH.

In Uruguay, two annual Educational and Pastoral Assemblies are held, along with sector-specific meetings on human resources management, abuse prevention, and accounting standards.

In Paraguay, the Salesianity School continues through four levels, alongside Pedagogical Days, Salesianity Week, and formation meetings for animators, new educators, and administrators.

“Thank God, the experience of shared formation in the Provinces of Argentina is also rich,” the Councilor said, citing the Salesian Youth Accompaniment Project y UNISAL courses on educational governance and the psychology of emergencies.

“We give thanks to God for these and many other shared formation initiatives throughout the Region,” Fr. Romero concluded, “which seek to respond to the priorities established by GC29 as we continue to grow in our ongoing fidelity to our Salesian charism.”