{"id":25452,"date":"2025-09-30T17:58:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T00:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=25452"},"modified":"2025-10-03T19:41:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T02:41:32","slug":"cyms-gather-to-strengthen-collaboration-and-formation-across-salesian-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2025\/09\/30\/cyms-gather-to-strengthen-collaboration-and-formation-across-salesian-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"CYMs Gather to Strengthen Collaboration and Formation Across Salesian Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bro. Al Vu<\/em>, SDB<\/em> –<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Rosemead, California)<\/strong> – This past Saturday, the Youth Ministry Center at Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead was alive with energy as Coordinators of Youth Ministry (CYMs) and their teams from every Salesian high school in the province came together for a day dedicated to prayer, collaboration, and shared vision. The gathering aimed to strengthen the network of Salesian schools by deepening collaboration, sharing best practices, and investing in the ongoing formation of CYMs as leaders and animators of the Salesian mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day opened with hospitality and prayer. Rudy Herrera, CYM of Don Bosco Tech, welcomed participants, followed by an opening prayer led by Fr. Marcos Castillo, CYM of St. Francis High School. Fr. Fabian Cardenas, Province Delegate for Youth Ministry, offered words of encouragement, emphasizing that collaboration is not optional but essential. He reminded those present that both challenges and graces are shared across the province, and that schools play a vital role in reimagining the Salesian mission for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first session, led by Bro. Al Vu, focused on Salesian accompaniment through the framework developed by Fr. Michal Vojtas. Bro. Al helped contextualize the stages of accompaniment for today\u2019s high school reality, highlighting that true accompaniment is not a program but a way of being present to the young, which is a hallmark of Don Bosco\u2019s charism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The morning and early afternoon were dedicated to retreats, one of the cornerstones of Salesian youth ministry in our schools.. Guided by Adrian Fulay, CYM of Salesian College Prep, the CYMs collaborated to design a common rubric defining what makes a retreat distinctively Salesian. The rubric places Salesian pedagogy and accompaniment at the center, ensuring that retreats foster spaces of joy, belonging, and authentic encounter. It integrates the pillars of Salesian Youth Spirituality, where the young are invited to discover God in daily life, witness Gospel joy, build friendship with Jesus, participate in the life of the Church, live out their vocation through service, and walk with Mary, who serves as a model, teacher, and guide. The group also explored best practices for Kairos retreats, seeking to root these transformative experiences more deeply in Salesian spirituality and youth leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gathering also featured a powerful witness from Nathan, a freshman at Don Bosco Tech, who presented The Acutians<\/em>, his initiative to create a digital Salesian presence inspired by St. Carlo Acutis. Nathan\u2019s testimony reminded participants of the sodalities Don Bosco himself formed with the young and how, even today, young people are leading the way in shaping new forms of Salesian mission. His inspiring presentation deeply moved the CYMs, offering a glimpse of how the charism continues to take root in fresh and creative ways among today\u2019s young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the afternoon, Francesca Po, CYM of St. John Bosco High School, guided the group in beginning the design of the annual Regional School Formation Day, an event that will gather faculty and staff from all Salesian high schools in the province. The initial framework was laid out, with plans to finalize details in the coming weeks. The hope is that this annual event will inspire, unify, and form educators in their shared Salesian mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day also included updates from Fr. Itchan Laygo, Province Delegate for Formation, who shared the revitalization of programs at the Salesian Center for Ongoing Formation in Berkeley under the leadership of Fr. Alejandro Rodriguez. Looking ahead, Fr. Itchan and Bro. Al are collaborating on a project to integrate formation opportunities for both Salesians and lay collaborators into a more unified pathway. This initiative reflects Don Bosco\u2019s vision of consecrated and lay people walking side by side in the mission, ensuring the charism remains vibrant in all works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By day\u2019s end, participants expressed a strong desire for deeper collaboration, networking, and shared resources. They recognized the need for ongoing opportunities not only to plan together but also to continue growing as leaders and animators of the Salesian mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This gathering marked more than just a meeting. It was a milestone in shaping the future of Salesian education in the province. With a new retreat rubric, plans for a Regional School Formation Day, and a renewed commitment to ongoing formation, our schools are moving forward together with hope, joy, and the spirit of St. John Bosco.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Bro. Al Vu, SDB – (Rosemead, California) – This past Saturday, the Youth Ministry Center at Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead was alive with energy as Coordinators of Youth Ministry (CYMs) and their teams from every Salesian high school in the province came together for a day dedicated to prayer, collaboration, and shared vision. The gathering aimed to strengthen the network of Salesian … Continuar leyendo CYMs Gather to Strengthen Collaboration and Formation Across Salesian Schools<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":25454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20310044,678324057],"tags":[35890],"class_list":["post-25452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-province-news","category-province-schools","tag-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/cyms-e1759282336903.jpg?fit=1600%2C1557&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-6Cw","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10336596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25452"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25606,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25452\/revisions\/25606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}