Tanay, Rizal (FIN): February 23-27, 2014, young Salesian Brothers and Priests, in their first five years of Perpetual Profession and Ordination respectively, gathered in Tanay, Rizal (2 hours west of Manila) for the Joint FIN-FIS Quinquennial Seminar. The Theme of the seminar is “The Salesian Ethos of Work & Temperance Where It Costs and Matters Most: Education & Evangelization” The seminar aims (1) to afford everyone a broader and deeper grasp of the Framework of Reference for SYM; (2) to enable participants to acquire a deeper and stronger desire to incarnate the call for a renewed evangelization via education; (3) to rouse everyone to live the ideals of unity of direction and spirit in the way they do their pastoral ministry with and for the young; and (4) to provide everyone a venue to re-connect and bond with fellow confreres once a year. There were 25 participants (10 FIS and 15 FIN), 3 Salesian Brothers and 22 Priests.

They looked into the Salesian Youth Ministry Frame of Reference (Fr. Gaudencio Carandang, Jr, SDB); The Call to Inculturation in our Postmodern Times: Doing Cybertheology for the Digital Generation (Fr. Vitaliano Dimaranan, SDB); One on Juan Advocacy Project of FIN and FIS (Fr. Dimaranan); Curating and Creating Evangelizing Contents in Social Media (Br. Jomar Castillo, SDB); Branding, Positioning and Marketing Concepts as Applied to Evangelization Directed at Youth Immersed in a Digital Culture (Mr. Ansel Beluso); and Understanding Malicious Agenda of Various Kinds in Contemporary Philippine Context, with Focus on the LGBT Agenda (Mr. Rollie De Los Reyes).

Together with the conferences were opportunities for the young confreres to share their enriching experiences, their challenges and plans in their various ministries (in the school, parish, training center, youth intervention centers and formation houses) where they are assigned. They also had a chance to see the natural beauty of Tanay, Rizal that gave the opportunity to reenergize and commune with nature.