From 2-4 June 2017, a total of 70 members of the Society of St. Paul, Daughters of St. Paul, Pious Disciples, Pastorelle Sisters and Apostoline Sisters gathered at the St. Paul House, Rome to participate in an encounter organized by the provincial governments of the PF in Italy for all their members under the age of 60. The purpose of this very significant meeting was to give these sisters and brothers the chance to get to know one another and reflect together as a family on the challenges facing our common mission.
The participants were particularly interested in a conference entitled The Church and the Digital Culture: Prophetic Spirit and Critical Sense, by Msgr. Lucio Adrian Ruiz, Secretary of the Vatican’s Communications Secretariat. Msgr. Ruiz spoke about several elements involved in the process of reforming the Vatican media, listed a few of the pastoral challenges triggered by an anthropological-relational approach to the world of communications, and pointed out some of the responses to those challenges that can be seen in the communications style of Pope Francis.
During a round-table discussion on the subject “Straining Ahead To Become, as a Family, a Prophetic Pastoral Presence in the World of Communications: Communications Challenges and Prospects According to Each Institute’s Specific Identity, representatives of each Congregation (Fr. Vittorio Stesuri, ssp; Sr. Natalia Maccari, fsp; Sr. Micaela Monetti, pddm; Sr. Giuseppina Alberghina, sgbp, and Sr. Luica Orizio, ap) took turns commenting on this theme, taking as their starting point the history and significant experiences their Institutes.
Stimulated by this lively exchange, the participants then split up into work groups, where they came up with numerous suggestions concerning how to think and act as a family, and in the concluding workshop they pinpointed how to apply these suggestions in their own specific contexts, according to their possibilities. These suggestions will now be presented to their provincial governments.
The encounter concluded with a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Fr. Valdir Josè De Castro, Superior General of the Society of St. Paul.