{"id":33692,"date":"2026-09-08T14:02:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T21:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=33692"},"modified":"2026-09-08T14:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T21:02:24","slug":"13th-vides-international-congress-young-vides-members-missionaries-of-hope-and-innovators-for-social-justice-integral-ecology-and-digital-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/09\/08\/13th-vides-international-congress-young-vides-members-missionaries-of-hope-and-innovators-for-social-justice-integral-ecology-and-digital-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"13th VIDES International Congress: \u201cYoung VIDES Members: Missionaries of Hope and Innovators for Social Justice, Integral Ecology and Digital Communication\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(ANS \u2013 Seville)<\/strong> \u2013 The <strong>VIDES movement (International Women\u2019s Voluntary Service for Education and Development)<\/strong>, an international volunteer organization founded on the initiative of the <strong>Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA)<\/strong>, organized its 13th International Congress from Aug. 26\u201330, 2026, at the FMA house in <strong>Sanl\u00facar la Mayor<\/strong>, near <strong>Seville<\/strong>. Participants from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe devoted their time and attention to working on and reflecting upon the theme: \u201cYoung VIDES Members: Missionaries of Hope and Innovators for Social Justice, Integral Ecology and Digital Communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through conferences and group work, the Congress called on young people to be missionaries of hope and to tackle the challenges of social justice, integral ecology, and communication. At the conclusion of the meeting in Seville, the congress participants drew up a roadmap to guide VIDES members until 2030, setting out the following commitments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>To build fairer and more inclusive communities<\/strong> in which the dignity of every person is recognized.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To promote a deeper understanding and a concrete commitment to pursuing the objectives set out in the encyclical<\/strong> <em><strong>Laudato Si\u2019<\/strong><\/em> and to rediscover the dimension of human ecology, nurturing our relationships with ourselves and with the environment with gratitude and solidarity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To tackle the challenges of the digital world<\/strong>, using technology in an ethical, critical, inclusive, and humane way, while also promoting intergenerational exchange.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To accompany young people in the digital world<\/strong>, providing them with the tools to use technology creatively, responsibly, and ethically.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the Congress, the various talks were a source of great comfort and encouragement to continue being missionaries of hope in practice, with a view to building <strong>a world that takes into account the balance between humanity and nature<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Mother General of the FMA, Mother Chiara Cazzuola<\/strong>, addressed the assembly with the following words: \u201cTo care for young people, particularly the most vulnerable, by providing inclusive and safe educational environments; to care for relationships, by building welcoming and intergenerational communities; to care for our common home, the planet, by fostering a lifestyle that is simple, essential, and based on sharing.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard<\/strong>, in his message, emphasized that being missionaries of hope means choosing to stand alongside those who have no voice, transforming solidarity into educational, social, and political action, in the noblest sense of the term. He entrusted a special mission to the Congress members and to all young people: to engage with the digital world with a Salesian heart, sowing respect, truth, dialogue, and hope, and combating all forms of violence, exclusion, and manipulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Mother General Emerita of the FMA, Sister Yvonne Reungoat<\/strong>, encouraged active participation in the Congress with these words: \u201cBE THERE with the desire to get to know one another, to forge beautiful friendships and not to be mere spectators, but creative agents capable of developing a vision of the future founded on the values that VIDES promotes with determination and clarity, while keeping a watchful eye on a global reality marked by profound and rapid changes.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The FMA General Councilor for Youth Ministry, Sister Runita Borja<\/strong>, invited the delegates to set off again with a richer \u201cbaggage\u201d: not backpacks or suitcases, but a more open heart, a richer vision, and an even deeper sense of solidarity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The VIDES President, Guido Barbera<\/strong>, reminded those present that being missionaries means being joyful witnesses, called to step outside their comfort zones to reach all the peripheries \u2014 both geographical and existential \u2014 including the new \u201cdigital deserts.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The FMA Provincial of Spain, Sister Maria Rosario Ten Soriano<\/strong>, in her message, encouraged the Congress participants, emphasizing that VIDES makes the Gospel of the Beatitudes visible through concrete gestures: hands that serve, eyes that recognize the dignity of every person, feet that set out on the journey to the peripheries, words that encourage, and a presence that keeps hope alive. In this way, volunteer work becomes an evangelical and Salesian language, capable of proclaiming through one\u2019s life that true happiness springs from the gift of self.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The General Director of VIDES, Sister Annecie Audate<\/strong>, emphasized the international nature of the gathering with these words: \u201cFrom every corner of the world we come to Seville with different languages, cultures, histories, and experiences. But we are united by the same vocation: to be young people who believe in the power of solidarity, volunteering, and the Gospel. Furthermore, we believe in forming young VIDES members as Missionaries of Hope, capable of innovating and taking concrete action in their communities, placing at the center the dignity of the person, the common good, and care for our Common Home.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Superior of the FMA Generalate community, Sister Carla Castellino<\/strong>, referring to Don Bosco\u2019s <em>Biographical Memoirs<\/em>, reminded the Congress participants of the spirit of teamwork: \u201cBeing together in large numbers increases joy\u2026; it encourages us to endure hardships\u2026; it stimulates\u2026; each person shares their knowledge and ideas with the others, and so everyone learns from one another. The fact that there are so many of us doing good encourages us and drives us forward without us even realizing it.\u201d (<em>Biographical Memoirs<\/em>, Vol. VII, p. 602)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 13th VIDES Congress concluded with a Mass of Sending presided over by the Auxiliary Bishop of Seville, <strong>Bishop Teodoro Le\u00f3n Mu\u00f1oz<\/strong>. Subsequently, each participant returned to their own community resolved to live out and spread a culture of care for oneself and the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Fr. Albert Kabuge, SDB,<\/em><br><em>member of VIDES in France<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(ANS \u2013 Seville) \u2013 The VIDES movement (International Women\u2019s Voluntary Service for Education and Development), an international volunteer organization founded on the initiative of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA), organized its 13th International Congress from Aug. 26\u201330, 2026, at the FMA house in Sanl\u00facar la Mayor, near Seville. Participants from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe devoted their time &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/09\/08\/13th-vides-international-congress-young-vides-members-missionaries-of-hope-and-innovators-for-social-justice-integral-ecology-and-digital-communication\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continuar leyendo <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">13th VIDES International Congress: \u201cYoung VIDES Members: Missionaries of Hope and Innovators for Social Justice, Integral Ecology and Digital Communication\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":33695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[516714022,782003442],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salesian-world-news","category-volunteers"],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-8Lq","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2026-09-08-13th-VIDES-feature.jpg?fit=1600%2C875&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33692","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=33692"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33696,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33692\/revisions\/33696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}