Brazil launched Sustainable Salesian Projects Observatory

(ANS – Belo Horizonte) – The St John Bosco Province of Belo Horizonte Brazil (BBH) of the Salesians of Don Bosco has taken a new step in its commitment to caring for our Common Home by launching, on 16 June, the Salê Sustentável (Sustainable Salesian) Projects Observatory. Held both in person and online, the launch brought together around 150 participants, representing the Salesian presences in BBH in the fields of primary and higher education, social action and evangelisation, located in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Rio de Janeiro, Tocantins and the Federal District.

At the opening of the event, the Vice-Provincial, Fr Sedney Manja, SDB, emphasised that the Observatory responds to the call from the Salesian Congregation and Pope Francis to put Integral Ecology into practice, promoting a shared journey in favour of life.

“The Salê Sustentável Projects Observatory was established precisely for this purpose: to help us walk together, share experiences, learn from one another and build a culture increasingly committed to the care of life.”

In his message, he invited all Salesian communities to embrace this new challenge with hope and confidence, recalling that every action in favour of Integral Ecology makes the world “more just, more fraternal and more faithful to God’s dream for humanity and for all of Creation.”

The project coordinator, Camila de Paula, presented the Observatory as a space for coordination, collaboration and sharing amongst dozens of Salesian works. The platform will enable the presentation and monitoring of the initiatives developed, giving greater visibility to existing socio-environmental actions, fostering the exchange of experiences, strengthening networking and building new pathways towards sustainability and care for our Common Home.

Drawing inspiration from Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’ and Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum, as well as the guidelines of the 29th General Chapter of the Salesian Congregation, the Observatory aims to strengthen a culture of encounter and shared responsibility, in which every educational and pastoral community plays a leading role in promoting Integral Ecology, combining evangelisation, education and socio-environmental commitment.

At the launch, Fr Geraldo Adair of Lima, SDB, recalled that care for Creation is part of the Salesian mission. Furthermore, this commitment brings the Salesians into dialogue with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and with best practices in institutional governance, strengthening the province’s capacity to establish partnerships and promote initiatives aimed at the common good.

The launch of the Salê Sustentável Projects observatory represents a concrete sign of the commitment of the Salesians of BBH to Integral Ecology. More than just a platform for monitoring projects, the observatory will be a permanent space for listening, sharing, coordination and inspiration, reinforcing the Salesian mission to educate and evangelise through care for our Common Home.

‍Source: Salesians of BBH