On new media

One of the main issues we tackled in the social communication east-asia oceania regional meeting was about formation. Not only of the seminarians—aspirants and prenovices—but also of Salesians—the young ones and the once young.

You see, the emergence of the personal media such as mobile phone, itouch, ipad, netbook and the like have done a lot of wonderful stuff in our ministry for the young people.

Fr. Duds Hila, a Salesian based in Tondo has his weekly Kiliti ng Diyos, a blog dedicated to breaking the Word aptly written for the young people. For those who are into Lectio Divina, the Pandelasamena of Fr. Chito Dimaranan will surely be of help.

The reflections of Br. George Celis concisely wrapped in more or less 140 character text message and sent to all his phone contacts never fail to capture the essence of the Sunday Gospel.

One Salesian priest who sells his retreat manuals has three SIM cards—one for Globe, another for Smart, and the last one is for Sun. His reason: So that he could easily be reached by the young people. Whenever he celebrates Mass at the Greenbelt chapel, he would use the PowerPoint, which he generously shares in one condition: that the one asking for the file should invite him to be a friend in Facebook.

Young Salesians are also sharing their reflections in the cyberspace. Of late, I saw one  informative and inspirational video produced by the brothers of the postnovitiate community on St. Benedict.  One of my closest friends, Br. Juvelan of Don Bosco Mandaluyong, would flood the Facebook thread with the photos of Bosconians taken during their retreats.  

When I was a cloistered novice in the hill at Don Bosco Lawaan, I was able to befriend some of our Bosconians from Mandaluyong, Makati, Pampanga and even Tarlac! I corresponded with an FMA aspirant in the United States and an elderly Salesian Indian priest based in Rome. This became possible though my blog.

The websites of the Salesians in Africa, in Australia, in the United States are loaded with so many materials on vocation promotions.

One night will not be enough to enumerate how personal media have been used to evangelize and to make way for God to be known in the digital continent.

But as I enumerate its advantages, let us not close our eyes to the dangers it poses.

One of the major blunders of the Aquino administration last year endangered our diplomatic ties with our neighboring country Vietnam. When he visited that country last year, one of his secretaries noted that the wine served to them was not that delicious, and  there was a scarcity of good looking men. There is nothing bad about this opinion, only that, it was made public via Twitter.

It is true that the new media have made our life a lot easier, but it has also made our lives more complicated. For one, in the context of the seminary, the clausura is diminished. The wall separating us from the outer secular world collapses. We are exposed to the crazy outfits of Lady Gaga, and even the antics of Moymoy Palaboy. We could receive text messages in the wee hours of the morning, waking us up to the morning greeting: kamusta na u?

We may shield ourselves from the complexities of the cybernet if we’ll honor the seminary values inculcated in us. Two words Just two words. Authenticity and Transparency.

We are seminarians. Let us hold on to this our identity even when we step in the realms of cyberspace. This identity should remind us to behave well and observe prudence in whatever stuff, be it photos, reflections, witty remarks we post in the Internet. There is such a thing as digital footprints. Once we make our mark, it will be difficult to erase it.

Your seminary formators are helping you by barring you access from certain websites. For us to monitor what you place in your Facebook account, or the videos you upload in Youtube or your reflections in your blog, or even the text messages you send will be quite difficult if not utterly impossible. You have to do the gatekeeping yourself.

So, the next time you log on to the net, remember these two words: authenticity and transparency.

Some musings on Don Bosco’s coming

Fr. Joe, our catechist, mumbled some unrecognizable words when I told him that I would be off to the provincial house. I thought that he was almost complaining that I’d be out again of the community to go to the provincial house.

The seminarians may be puzzled as well, why I would, once in a while, head to the provincial house. A number of them have asked me what’s my business in the provincial house.

Just so to set the record straight, I am there for the commission on social communications (CSC) meetings.

The commission is composed of five individuals, we have Fr. Bong as our head, Frs. Vester and Drans are also commission members.

I think it’s in order to update you with some endeavors of the commission.

The webpage of the province is still being updated which will hopefully be web 2.0 compliant, that is, it’ll be more interactive and up-to-date.

This year, the CSC penetrates the airwaves via Langit sa Lupa. The talk show airs in Radio Inquirer on Saturday evenings. We met the station manager last Monday and we got the go signal to have an additional 30 minutes by next year which we plan to use for a segment that will cater to the young people.

Fr. Bong asked me to tap seminarians here who could be anchormen for that segment. If we cannot be there on a weekly basis, perhaps, one Sunday every month, we could take charge.

On top of the regular issues of the Salesian Bulletin, the CSC added two more special issues that will coincide with the visit of the relic of Don Bosco. We’ve seen the first one featuring Don Bosco as the cover. The second one will hit the ‘newsstands,’ so to say, once the relic is already here.

Advent season is about coming, I am certain that it’s been a general knowledge. And coming means we are to prepare.

This year, this season of advent means doubly special for we are preparing for the Christmas season, and more than a week after, we brace ourselves for the coming of Don Bosco in flesh, metaphorically and literally. We’ll be able to see a part of him.

I hope that we’ll not be drowned with the pomp and pageantry and noise of his coming, for I believe that his visit is meant to strengthen us spiritually.

Don Bosco’s coming is a meeting with the person of Don Bosco. And I’d like to believe that he has got some special message for each of us.

I’ve read a couple of episodes in the Biographical Memoirs when Don Bosco would do oratory hopping to visit his salesians, the novices, the young people, and the preparations are simply remarkable. They would assign someone to deliver the speech. They would intensify their practices of piety. They would offer their communion and confessions so that the visit of Don Bosco to their house will be a tremendous success.

I wish that we’ll also do the same.

That as we busy ourselves in thinking about what exhibits could be set up, what else will catch the fancy of our guests, what will make the event more special, we may not lose the grasp of the essential.

After all, that’s what his motto is all about: Give me souls, take away the rest.