Philippine Salesians Organize Seminar on Church Document on Social Media

October 28, 2023, The Commission on Social Communication of the Salesian Province of
Philippines North (FIN) held a study seminar on the document “Towards Full Presence,” a
Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media released. The document was released
on Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023, by the Dicastery for Communication.

The seminar is part of a series of online conferences on social communication to “ensure a
solid pastoral presence on social media and effectively spread of the joy of the Gospel in the language of youth. About 100 participants from the Salesian Family, educators, and youth leaders from various centres in the country attended the online event.

The seminar was animated by Fr. George Plathottam SDB, Executive Secretary of the Office
of Social Communications (OSC) of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC).
He said the document is the fruit of joint reflections and inputs of many communication
experts as well young people themselves. Youth have participated in the drafting of the
document as well as in its promotion as it can help youth for a more meaningful pastoral
presence in the social media.

Fr Plathottam highlighted the main features of the document and responded to questions in a three-hour online session, on the sidelines of the Synod on Synodality which he is attending in Rome. Fr Plathottam, a founding member of BOSCOM India (Don Bosco
Communications) belongs to the Salesian Province of Guwahati in India.

Speaking on the document he drew close connection between the educational pedagogy of
Don Bosco which emphasized affirmative presence among the young people and the need for accompanying them in life. He also highlighted the importance of social communication in the mission of the Salesian Congregation which works with and for young people.
Dubbed “Soul Pixels,” the online conference series is one of FIN Province’s initiatives to
respond to its strategic direction towards E-vangelizing Connections.

In his welcome remarks, Fr. Gerardo Martin, FIN Provincial, observed that the title ‘Soul
Pixels’ is both stimulating and thought-provoking. “We know that pixels are the smallest
information item in a digital image. Each pixel is a sample of the original image, and the
more pixels there are, the more accurate representation of the original image. Just as pixels are the building blocks of the digital image, our evangelizing presence in the digital platform becomes the building blocks of the image of our faith, our spirituality, and our charism.”

The next run of Soul Pixels is scheduled for February 24, 2024, with “Short-Form Content vs. Traditional Social Media: Impact & Insights.” 
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