(IUS – Roma) – The first day of the VIII General Assembly of Salesian Institutions of Higher Education (IUS) was held today in Rome. The assembly shall be held in a mixed formula – in presence and online – from Monday, 24 January, to Friday, January 28. The meeting involves practitioners from a variety of fields sharing reflections on the state-of-the-art challenges and opportunities facing Salesian educational institutions.
This edition’s specific objective is to reflect together to arrive at a proposal of strategies to implement so that Salesian Institutions of Higher Education can evolve their educational offerings while remaining firmly rooted in their identity, as the object of the Salesian mission in the world.
The meeting, which will use the synodal methodology – “listen”, “interpret” and “choose” – will be attended by the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, the Councilor for Youth Ministry, Fr Miguel Angel Garcia Morcuende, the Regional Councilors and Provincials who have IUS branches in the territories they serve, as well as the Rectors and the General Coordinator of the IUS, Fr. Oscar Lozano.
After yesterday’s preparations for the assembly, today, Monday 24, began with the inauguration by Fr Garcia Morcuende, Councilor for Youth Ministry. The first session featured a talk by Fr Dariusz Grzadziel, professor at the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) in Rome. The second session was held by Fr Marcelo Farfán, former General Coordinator of Salesian Institutions of Higher Education, who presented the IUS Report, a document that photographs the state of IUS across the globe. The afternoon continued with presentations on the IUS Reports specific to the various continents.
Tomorrow, Tuesday 25, will open with the Rector Major’s report on the challenges of higher education in the Congregation, and will continue with a presentation on the 2016-2021 policy evaluations. In the afternoon, there will be a discussion on the analyses and proposals to guide policies for 2022-2026.
On Wednesday 26, the session opens with a talk by Fr García Morcuende on the priorities of Salesian Youth Ministry in the current context of the Congregation, and will then continue with Fr Farfán, who shall present the Joint Program Report V. The last meeting of the morning will be a plenary in which the new IUS 2022-2026 policies will be discussed again.
On the fourth day, Thursday 27, the draft of the 2022-2026 policy document will be presented, discussed, and voted on by the assembly. The Joint Program 6 will also be presented and will be submitted for discussion. The morning will close with a talk by Fr Farfán entitled “Pastoral Care in the IUS”. The sessions resume in the afternoon with the presentation of the “IUS Web Portal” and the IUS academic networks, followed by a presentation of the IUS Economic Report.
On Friday 28 January, the last day, there will be the approval of the documents drafted and discussed during the meetings. Then the coordination teams will be elected, the new appointments will be indicated, and the date of the next General Assembly identified.Venerdì 28, l’ultima giornata, si terrà l’approvazione dei documenti stilati e discussi nel corso degli incontri. Verranno poi elette le squadre di coordinamento, saranno indicati i nuovi appuntamenti e sarà individuata la data della prossima Assemblea Generale.
Source: ANS – “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana”