(ANS – Roma) – A reflection on the past and the present the educational mission of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) to relaunch the future and in the future, 150 years after its foundation. This is the focus of the International Conference “The Contribution of the FMA to Education (1872-2022). Paths, Challenges and Perspectives“. Organized by the Faculty of Educational Sciences “Auxilium,” scheduled from Sunday, it takes place from Sept. 25 to Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 in Rome, at the Mary Help of Christians International Institute. The event shall also be broadcast live streaming at https://www.convegnofma150.org. The Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Father and Center of Unity of the Salesian Family, will address the Convention first with an inaugural message, on Sunday 25, and then on the final day, when he will preside over the concluding Eucharist.
The event aims not only to outline several aspects of the the FMA’s contribution to education, but also to prompt a debate on current challenges and to strengthen the network with other educational institutions at the international level.
The conference starts on Sept. 25, at 5 p.m., with greetings from the authorities. On Monday, Sept. 26, at 9 a.m., the first session begins with: “Historical path amid data and experiences,” under the chairmanship of Msgr. Vincenzo Zani, Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education. The objectives: to draw a panoramic picture of the Institute in different geo-cultural contexts, especially through its commitment to education among the working and middle classes.
The day will conclude with an evening inspired by Laudato Sì, held in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in the Auditorium of the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome.
On Sept. 27, with the second session entitled “Facing the Challenges of Education Today,” there will be critical analyses of several scenarios of the present that have a strong impact on the mentality and concrete behaviors of young people and educators. Reflection on the new global context will be initiated by Quentin Wodon, head of the World Bank’s Education Department, and will be complemented by the resonance of authoritative figures from five continents. Among them: Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development.
In the afternoon, at 4 p.m., the talk by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, will focus on the image of the “polyhedron” as a metaphor that questions and stimulates a comparison with various contemporary educational challenges.
Finally, the last session, “Paths and Perspectives for the Future of Education in the Light of the Preventive System” – scheduled for Sept. 28 and 29 – is intended to raise awareness of the way some of the nuclei of the Preventive System are understood and lived out today by the FMA and the laity with whom they share the mission in various contexts. Hence the presentation of an exploratory research carried out by an international team – made up of professors from the “Auxilium” Faculty and FMA pedagogues from other countries – and a Round Table focused on how to “re-signify” the Salesian educational presence alongside young people in today’s complex reality.
Closing the Sept. 28 session will be “Mondovision,” an evening dedicated to youth and art.
Reflection will continue on Sept. 29 with a two-part talk on women’s resources for preventive education: Luigina Mortari, pedagogist, and Alessandra Morelli, humanitarian policy expert and former official of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Some current experiences of the FMA will also be presented as evidence of the inculturation of the Preventive System of St. John Bosco in different cultures.
The event concludes on the morning of Sept. 30 with a reflection on the educational and formative contribution that the Institute can offer to society today – thanks to the interventions of Mother Chiara Cazzuola, Superior General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and Grand Chancellor of the “Auxilium” Faculty, and Sister Piera Ruffinatto, Dean of the Faculty – and with Mass presided over by the Rector Major, Fr. Á.F. Artime.
The event is being held in presence at the Mary Help of Christians International Institute in Rome (Via Ateneo Salesiano, 81), but shall also be streamed live, in five languages (Italian, French, English, Portuguese and Spanish), on the Conference website: https://www.convegnofma150.org
Source: ANS – “Agencia iNfo Salesiana”