ROME: 29 July
2012 -- Salesians, Salesian Sisters and a number of
invited
participants working closely with these two Salesian Family
Groups,
will take part in six days of reflection on Salesian presence
amongst
Muslims. The 'Study Days', as they are called, will take place
in Rome
at the Pisana from 30 July to 4 August. They are intended to
foster
deeper contextualised reflective discussions on the Salesian
presence
among Muslims in order to arrive at a better understanding of
the
challenges, and to discover new insights and perspectives.
Over this six year period, 'initial proclamation' has been the
watchword for SDB-FMA Study Days as promoted by the two
Mission
Sectors-Areas (SDB, FMA respectively). On this occasion the
reflection
takes an interesting turn: SDBs and FMAs are present not only
in
Islamic contexts but also in traditionally Christian areas
where there
is a growing number of Muslims. Similarly Muslims too are
present in
many Salesian works in all continents. In these situations the
witness
of life of every Christian, of the Salesian community and of
the whole
Christian community is of primary importance because where
explicit
proclamation is either prohibited or not possible it is
witness
of life that leads to credibility (Porta
Fidei 9).
Just taking a look at the SDB/FMA presence across a wide
variety of the
above contexts suggests how extensive the presence is: other
than in
European countries with large Muslim populations (such as
France,
Italy, Austria...), representatives are coming from Kosovo,
Azerbaijan,
Turkey, Marocco, Egypt, Israel, Tunisia, UAE, Sudan,
Kenya,
Chad, Nigeria, Eritrea, Mali, Togo, India, Indonesia,
Pakistan,
Philippines-Mindano, Albania.
The Study Days have the following rhythm: I. Situationer
2. Study
& Reflection 3. Formulating Conclusions. Fr Alfred
Maravilla
and Sr Maika Loes will be the SDB and FMA moderators. They are
joined
by other facilitators who will help with the management of the
working
groups, the main methodology to be used.
Apart from Fr Maria Arokiam, Regional Councillor for the South
Asia
Region, who will present an interesting and forward-looking
reflection
on the Preventive System as a fundamental criterion for
Salesian
presence and activity in a Muslim context, other speakers are
from well
beyond the Salesian circle, in order to hear 'different
voices' and
help those attending to think outside the box. These speakers
will
consider a wide range of issues such as the history of
Christian-Muslim
relationships, Christian witness as a prophetic presence,
understanding
the Christian values to which Muslims are most sensitive, and
ideas
from experienced operators in the field on how to engage in
inter-religious dialogue with Muslims.
The acts of the Study Days are always published in booklet
form (in
different languages) with different modules which enable local
communities (including those in other contexts of the
Congregation) to
use the materials for the on-going formation of the members of
the
local communities.
