GC27 – The Rector Major’s Final Address

An opportunity for belonging more to God, the confreres, the young.

“Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty,

for cut off from me you can do nothing.

It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,

and become my disciples.” (Jn. 15:5.8)

Dear Confreres,

With this address of mine, and the final greetings we will exchange, we conclude our 27th General Chapter, a true and proper time of Grace and Presence of the Spirit.

I believe we have translated what is indicated in our Constitutions into reality. It has been a particularly important occasion, a “sign of the Congregation's unity in diversity” (C. 146) in which, at a meeting which has certainly been fraternal, we have brought to completion the community reflection which will help us remain faithful to the Gospel and the Charism of our Founder, and sensitive to the needs of times and places (cf. C. 146). Through these simple pages which I am addressing to the confreres at the Chapter and all the confreres of the Congregation, I would like to offer some points that seem to me to be the more important ones to accompany the reflection and assimilation of what is central: what the General Chapter is offering the entire Congregation as the result of its work, reflection and the life we shared while it was taking place.

The seven weeks we have spent as a General Chapter have been marked by various moments which have given it its own special character and which have helped our journey to be a more profound one:

• We began our Chapter in Turin and surrounds with a personal and community Pilgrimage to ‘our birthplace: the Becchi’. With great insight, the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, proposed beginning our journey with this Icon that we so much love: all of us, given that we are Salesians, were born at the Becchi. It was, then, a return to the place of our birth, not only Don Bosco's. Our Salesian heart felt enveloped, there is no doubt, by that historical and spiritual atmosphere. Places like the Becchi and Colle Don Bosco, Valdocco (Pinardi Chapel, St Francis de Sales and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians ..), Valsalice, the Consolata and the church of St John the Evangelist … were scenarios which challenged us strongly but in a beautiful climate of meditation, prayer and fellowship. We began getting to know each other more, and better, and laying the foundations for what was a very special feature of our GC27: a strong experience of communion and fraternity along with the diversity and universality of our Congregation.

Many of us were not coming to this ‘birthplace’ for the first time since we had already been there, but this occasion was marked by something quite singular: the hic et nunc of the General Chapter. Other confreres were visiting ‘the Becchi’ and “our holy places” for the first time, as a spiritual and charismatic experience to be relived, a space and occasion for remaining more united and ‘conquered’ by the fascination that Don Bosco awakens in everyone and especially in us, his sons. Undoubtedly these were days that touched everyone's heart profoundly, because the Becchi and Valdocco never leave someone with a Salesian heart feeling indifferent.

• When we arrived in Rome we dedicated some days to the presentation and understanding of the state of the Congregation, with the Rector Major's report and presentations by various Sectors and Regions. The consignment of the book containing all the items on the state of the Congregation concluded this well-prepared occasion where we had a presentation of data, statistics, evaluation of the six year programme showing goals achieved and indicating the shortcomings that we recognise. It certainly was a great help in getting to know this report better so we could be more aware of the reality of our Congregation with its lights and shadows, and with the certainty that we are all the Congregation and we all give it life and light or limit it by our shortcomings.

The report really did allow us to focus more precisely on further approaches to the theme awaiting us as the core of GC27.

• I believe it would not be an exaggeration to say that during the days of Retreat, right from the outset we were surrounded by a very special atmosphere.

On various occasions over the days and weeks that followed, we have shown the belief that we were experiencing very important moments of Faith, Hope and the Presence of the Spirit. In this regard, we experienced these Spiritual Exercises as being focused on interpreting what the Word of God was saying to us, in attentive silence, many personal and community moments of prayer, well-prepared celebrations of the Eucharist and a Reconciliation celebration in which we all felt joyfully involved. And all this - framed by reflections inviting us, on the basis of the Gospel, authenticity - prepared us for what we then experienced as we worked on things during the days that followed.

I have the feeling that a spiritual and faith experience was engendered in us, at a personal and community level, where we expressed the very best of ourselves. When one experiences abandonment to God's love, a Love that is always healing in itself, the Spirit sees that each individual is ready to give of his best. And I believe this was the vital attitude with which we began the work of the Chapter properly so-called.

• The first three weeks of Chapter work were marked by that involvement in work which allowed us to make contact with the challenge proposed in the Rector Major's letter of convocation: being Witnesses to the radical approach of the Gospel as Mystics in the Spirit, Prophets of Fraternity and Servants of the Young. The work in commissions and their first contribution to the assembly gave us the sense of having many lights and some shadows that we would not want to let hinder us from being, in reality, what we were dreamed of being, the beautiful choice we made of our religious and consecrated life as Disciples of the Lord in Don Bosco's style.

In those first moments I was able to read a kind of nostalgia between the lines: being able to look at the reality of every community, every Salesian presence, every Province and the whole Congregation. It is truly a living body filled with authenticity, so a body in which we suffer when one or other of us does not achieve the desired heights or where the attitudes proper to someone who truly loves the young, looks after their lives, gives Life and gives them their own life, are lacking. We felt a desire to fly higher through truth, authenticity, and by being radical, and felt that at times we do not even succeed in getting off the ground.

The Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, invited us to look ahead, with hopeful realism and courage, when it comes time to propose challenges as a Congregation.

Following this, the reflections, dialogue, interventions in the auditorium took place for the most part in tune with this climate.

Let me add something else. The fruits of our Chapter cannot consist merely in looking for novelty. The strength of GC27 first of all passes through the personal conversion and transformation of spirit and mind of all who take part; it is communicated through our ability to enthuse our confreres and communicate the ‘Good News' to them of what we experienced and heard, of what we dreamed and shared, the fellowship we experienced over these weeks. And all this in the hope of being able to generate life and arouse the desire to tackle with true courage this new moment of our Congregation and our life in our Provinces: a new moment of evangelisation and passion for the young.

• Accompanied in a special way in discernment by Fr José Cristo Rey Garcìa Paredes, we began the week that led us to the election of the new Rector Major and General Council.

Much of what has been said about the pilgrimage to the Salesian holy places and the Retreat, was made concrete that week. Everyone experienced it with his own sensitivities and very personal resonances, but I dare say that most of us feel that it was a week of searching for the best from the point of view of faith: a quest made conscientiously, in freedom and truth. I believe I would not be the only one to say that what was approved as the method for electing Sector Councillors was a success. It could also be that a further exploration of this in the next General Chapter could allow us to perfect the method a little further, even extend this discernment to the election of the Rector Major, his Vicar and Regional Councillors.

The week was marked therefore, by a profound experience of inquiry, in the truth that comes from the Spirit, and also of true gratitude for those who accepted a new responsibility and even more so for the confreres finishing six years or more or service, beginning with the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, his Vicar, Fr Adrian Bregolin and the other members of the General Council. They gave of their very best over these years, with unlimited dedication to the good of the Congregation and the mission. Moving applause, such as at the Goodnight by the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, was a clear manifestation of this deep gratitude.

• On Monday 31 March we received a much awaited gift. The audience with Pope Francis certainly fulfilled the expectations of even the most demanding of us. The Pope fascinated us by his empathy and simplicity, which are so much spoken of, but also with his spontaneity and his much applauded decision to personally greet every member of our Chapter Assembly. Each confrere was presented by Fr Pascual Chávez and since I was by his side, I was witness to this very special moment.

Moreover, we took away with us a message from Pope Francis that cannot be reduced to a simple anecdote amongst us. In fact it must form part of our Chapter conclusions, these final words of mine and also of the planning and decision-making that will be up to the Rector Major with his Council, and Chapter members in their provinces, once they have returned.

The Pope underscored many important things for us, some of which I simply list here, and other that will be developed in the following pages:

• “We need to prepare the young to work in society according to the spirit of the Gospel, as workers of justice and peace, and to play a pivotal part in the Church”.

• “Always keep Don Bosco and the young before you, Don Bosco with his motto: ‘Da mihi animas, cetera tolle.’ He strengthened this programme with two other elements: work and temperance.’”

• “May the poverty of Don Bosco and Mama Margaret inspire every Salesian and each of your communities to an essential and austere life which is close to the poor, transparent and responsible in its management of goods.”

• “Going out to marginalised youngsters requires courage, maturity and much prayer. And you need to send the best people for this kind of work! The best.”

• “Thanks be to God you do not live and work as isolated individuals, but as a community: thank God for this!”

• “Apostolic vocations are ordinarily the result of good Youth Ministry. Care of vocations requires specific attention …”