Social Communication Sector

Salesian Sectors

The Social Communication Sector in the Salesian Congregation
Don Bosco was a great communicator. He understood the value of the press, of the written word and of popular culture as instruments for drawing close to the young and transmitting values. He founded his publishing house, his printing works, his paper mill, produced books, collections of books and publications, and realized that the media could be allies of the educational mission. Today, in a world profoundly transformed by the digital revolution, the Salesian Congregation continues on this path through the Social Communication Sector.

Who leads it
The Sector is entrusted to a member of the General Council, elected by the General Chapter with the specific responsibility of animating and coordinating communication in the Congregation. This placement within the central government indicates how much communication is considered not an accessory activity, but a constitutive dimension of the Salesian mission. The Councillor General for Communication works in close contact with the other sectors and with the Salesian provinces throughout the world.

What the Sector does
The Social Communication Sector operates on several levels, with tasks that concern both the Congregation internally and its way of being present in the world.
Internally, the Sector works to foster a culture of communication among the Salesians. This means helping provinces and communities to develop a conscious communicative presence, and forming Salesians and lay collaborators capable of using the media with competence and responsibility. It is not just a matter of techniques, but of a style: communicating in a Salesian way means doing so with simplicity, closeness to people and attention to the world of the young.
Externally, the Sector coordinates the Congregation’s presence in the main channels of communication: from the institutional website to social media, from the Salesian press agency to audiovisual productions. The goal is that the voice of the Congregation be recognisable, consistent and able to reach different audiences, from young people to ecclesial and civil institutions.
The Sector also follows the Salesian works linked to communication: radio and television stations, publishing houses, news agencies such as the Salesian iNfo Agency (ANS), which daily disseminates news about the life of the Congregation throughout the world, or the Salesian Bulletin, which publishes in-depth Salesian articles.

Formation and reflection
An important aspect of the work of the Sector concerns formation. In a rapidly changing media environment, it is necessary to accompany Salesians and their collaborators in the critical and creative use of digital tools. The Sector promotes meetings, formation programmes and moments of reflection to help the Congregation to live in the world of communication with discernment, without chasing every novelty but also without falling behind the contexts in which young people live.

In the spirit of Don Bosco
Don Bosco used every available means to reach young people. The Social Communication Sector carries forward this insight in a radically different context, yet animated by the same principle: communication is not an end in itself, but is at the service of encountering people, especially the young. To communicate well, for a Salesian, is already a way of educating.

To access the documents of the Social Communication Sector, click HERE .