ACG445en :: Capitoli generali

PRESENTATION ........................................................................................................................................................... 3

ACTS OF GC29

PASSIONATE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST,

DEDICATED TO YOUNG PEOPLE

Living our Salesian vocation faithfully and prophetically

Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

CORE AREA 1

ANIMATION AND CARE OF THE REAL LIFE OF EACH SALESIAN .......................... 13

A. Centrality of Christ and care of the Salesian vocation............................................................ 13

Listening................................................................................................................................................................................ 13

Interpretation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15

Choice 18 .....................................................................................................................................................................................

B. Fraternity and attention to the poor ........................................................................................................ 20

Listening................................................................................................................................................................................ 20

Interpretazione ................................................................................................................................................................. 22

Choice 25 .....................................................................................................................................................................................

C. Formation of the Salesian............................................................................................................................... 27

Listening................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

Interpretation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 31

Choice 34 .....................................................................................................................................................................................

CORE AREA 2

SALESIANS, SALESIAN FAMILY AND LAY PEOPLE TOGETHER “WITH” AND

“FOR” YOUNG PEOPLE....................................................................................................................................... 37

A. Sharing spirituality and mission in the EPC..................................................................................... 37

Listening................................................................................................................................................................................ 37

Interpretation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41

Choice 44 .....................................................................................................................................................................................

B. Educating and evangelising ......................................................................................................................... 46

Listening................................................................................................................................................................................ 46

Interpretation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49

Choice 52 .....................................................................................................................................................................................

C. New expressions of the charism ............................................................................................................... 53

Listening................................................................................................................................................................................ 53

Interpretation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 55

Choice 57 .....................................................................................................................................................................................

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8 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

CORE AREA 3

A COURAGEOUS REVIEW AND REPLANNING OF THE CONGREGATION’S

GOVERNANCE AT ALL LEVELS .................................................................................................................. 59

Resolutions of GC29 .................................................................................................................................................. 59

A - Changes to the Constitutions ..................................................................................................................... 59

B - Changes to the General Regulations .................................................................................................. 61

C - Resolutions on the configuration of the Regions....................................................................... 64

D - Resolutions for the Rector Major and his Council .................................................................... 66

E - Resolutions for Provincials, provincial councils, provincial chapters......................... 71

APPENDICES

1. Letter/Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to members of GC29 ................ 73

2. Address by Sister Simona Brambilla Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of

Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life ........................................................................ 74

3. Opening address to GC29, by the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Stefano

Martoglio........................................................................................................................................................................ 78

4. Other addresses ..................................................................................................................................................... 88

5. “Goodnight” by Fr Fabio Attard on the evening of his election as the Rector

Major 97 .................................................................................................................................................................................

6. Address by the Rector Major, Fr Fabio Attard, at the closing of GC29..................... 103

7. List of participants in GC29 ........................................................................................................................... 121

8. Chronicle of the work of CG29 ................................................................................................................... 127

9. Fr Pascual Chavez, Towards the future, a key to interpreting GC29 ......................... 161

Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... 7

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ACTS OF GC29

PASSIONATE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST,

DEDICATED TO YOUNG PEOPLE

Living our Salesian vocation faithfully and prophetically

Introduction

1. Being passionate about Jesus Christ and dedicated to

young people is at the heart of our identity and the energy that

drives our lives. These two essential features of the Salesian

vocation were not only the subject of the 29th General Chapter,

but the deep soul of what we experienced in sharing and in

prayer. They were the perspective from which we looked at

today’s world, with its riches that fascinate us and the many

educational and pastoral challenges that confront us.

2. We gathered in Valdocco, in the house of our father and

founder, where we were able to pause for a long time in prayer

and recollection. The meditations offered to us by the Rector

Major emeritus, Fr Pascual Chávez, during the first days,

dedicated to spirituality, helped us to deepen the vision of our

charismatic identity. The visit to Colle Don Bosco, Chieri and

other places where Don Bosco left the mark of his presence,

nourished the awareness of our roots and our gratitude for what

we have received. In particular, on this 150th anniversary of the

first missionary expedition, the visit to Sampierdarena, Genoa,

and the memory of the departure of the first confreres for

Argentina revived the awareness in us that Don Bosco’s charism

is a gift for the whole Church and for all cultures. The appeal to

further develop our missionary presence in Oceania resounded

in this spirit. Unity in the roots and diversity in expressions are

the great wealth of our Congregation, something that we must

safeguard wisely and promote creatively.

3. The high office that the Holy Father entrusted to the Rector

Major Emeritus Fr Ángel Fernández Artime while his mandate

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10 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

was still in progress, brought the usual six-yearly appointment for

the Chapter forward by one year. Despite his absence, the

perspectives of the Letter of Indiction and the Report on the State

of the Congregation gave a clear direction to our work. We would

therefore like to renew our heartfelt gratitude to him for his

generous service of animation and governance, together with our

best wishes for the new mission he is carrying out in the Holy See

at the service of the universal Church.

4. The Chapter took place at a time marked by great ecclesial

points of reference. First and foremost we are experiencing the

Jubilee of Hope, the inspiration of which we felt in a special way

in the week of the elections and in the final pilgrimage to the

tomb of Peter, when we passed through the Holy Door. The recent

celebration of the Synod “For a Synodal Church: communion,

participation, mission” offered valuable ecclesiological and

spiritual guidance for our work. Indeed, we endeavoured to

practise conversation in the Spirit as a way to carry out

community discernment. The Holy Father’s illness moved us

every day to pray for him, with the sincere and filial affection

that Don Bosco taught us to have for the Pope.

5. World events were also woven through our reflections and

prayers. The wars that continue to devastate many countries, the

drama of migrants and refugees, the persecution of many

brothers and sisters in the faith and ethnic and religious

minorities, the unrest and violence that hinder peaceful

coexistence in many regions, natural disasters that have come to

us not only through the media, but above all thanks to the direct

testimony of many confreres who live in the most difficult areas

of the planet and work at the service of the poorest and most

needy. Listening to their words was a real life lesson.

6. Young people, above all, have been at the centre of our

thoughts. Faced with the freshness of their dreams, the

generosity with which they are able to commit themselves, the

creativity with which they look to the future, we continue to be

amazed. With their enthusiasm they help us not to give in to the

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 11

weight of habit and to maintain inner drive and apostolic passion.

Living with them every day, we also get to know at first hand the

difficulties they encounter, together with the hardships and

disappointments they experience in becoming responsible adults.

Many of them carry painful wounds for which they are often not

responsible. We give our lives for them every day and our

greatest desire is to help them discover how much God loves

them and how close he is to their hearts.

7. We were inspired above all by two references in the

development of the Chapter theme which very frequently came

up in our discussions. The mystery of the Eucharist welcomed,

received and celebrated, reminded us of the love with which the

Lord gave his life for us and his ardent desire to gather us into

communion. Every day we draw the energy from his sacrifice to

give our lives, and the strength not to give in to evil. The mystery

of his presence in the humble and daily signs of bread and wine

reminded us that our presence among young people must be a

sign and instrument of his presence. Standing beside the

tabernacle where Saint Dominic Savio experienced his ecstasy,

we thought about how central the Eucharist and the sacraments

are in our pedagogy and as the true source of holiness. So at

various times we recalled the need to celebrate them lovingly and

to prolong their grace and gift in our lives.

8. Together with the Eucharistic theme, the invocation of the

Holy Spirit characterised our Chapter experience with particular

intensity. Conversing “in the Spirit” reminded us that he is the

great protagonist of discernment and that only with his light can

we recognise the signs that God gives us so we can manifest his

will. In the week of the elections, in particular, we experienced

his guidance and rejoiced at the gift of the eleventh Successor of

Don Bosco in the person of Father Fabio Attard, and his Council.

The Spirit, giver of charisms and creator of holiness, is the fire

that burns in our hearts: passion for Christ and dedication to

young people depend on him.

9. The Document we have drawn up contains the fruits of our

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labour. The first two core areas develop the theme of “Animation

and care of the real life of each Salesian” and “Salesians, Salesian

Family and lay people together ‘with’ and ‘for’ young people”,

respectively. They are structured according to the three steps that

are familiar to us: listening, in which a description of the reality is

reported, interpretation, where we have sought to explore the

reasons and offer criteria to enlighten our understanding, and

choices proposed to the confreres, to communities, to provinces and

to the Rector Major with his Council. The section on choices offers

a wide range of recommendations which we deliberately chose not

to limit. Indeed, it is up to the individual provinces and regions to

identify the most urgent priorities and the most appropriate

concrete steps for their context. This is also a way to safeguard both

the unity of the journey and the specific nature of the paths taken.

The third core area contains the Resolutions approved by the

Chapter. Some amend articles of the Constitutions or

Regulations, others ask the Rector Major with his Council to pay

attention to issues of particular importance. These decisions are

the result of extensive and detailed reflection, which also

concerned issues that remained pending from the 28th General

Chapter due to its early closure.

10. Mary Help of Christians was a discreet but constant

maternal presence during the Chapter. She welcomed us to the

Basilica dedicated to her in the most solemn celebrations and in

the silence of personal prayer. We paused several times at Don

Bosco’s altar in filial dialogue with her. We thanked her for her

presence in our lives, we entrusted her with sorrows and pastoral

concerns, we talked to her many times about our young people,

their dreams and their hopes. We entrust the fruits of the General

Chapter to Mary and Don Bosco, so that they may become a road

map for the future of our communities and provinces, and a gift

for our service to the young. May the Lord give us the strength to

be consistent with what we have expressed here and keep the

flame of apostolic charity alive in us.

Confreres of the 29th General Chapter

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CORE AREA 1

ANIMATION AND CARE OF THE REAL LIFE

OF EACH SALESIAN

A. CENTRALITY OF CHRIST AND CARE OF THE SALESIAN

VOCATION

Listening

11. We recognise that our Salesian consecration is profoundly

rooted in Jesus Christ. With gratitude we note that many of our

confreres, with joyful fidelity, maintain a personal and passionate

relationship with the Lord, generously following him along the

path traced out by Don Bosco. Despite these signs of hope, it seems

clear that contemporary society, characterised by breakneck speed,

the need for efficiency, individualism and the lure of consumerism,

tends to push the transcendent dimension of existence to the

margins, and this ends up having an impact on the life of

consecrated persons as well. We live in a time marked by armed

conflicts, economic uncertainties and profound cultural changes

and environmental crises, but we want to serve this world through

humble listening and a kindly outlook, recognising the many

values that speak of the presence of God in history.

12. The Rector Major emeritus, in his Report prepared for

the General Chapter, highlighted “a certain weakness or fragility

in the way of living the spiritual life and relationship with God.

This is a factor found very much in all consecrated life, but also

in ours, as Salesians, and which affects our own charismatic

identity” (A. F. ARTIME, Report of the Rector Major to the 29th

General Chapter, p. 10). We are talking about a subtle disease

found throughout the body of consecrated life and which, even

among us Salesians, affects us like rust that corrodes our fidelity.

In places we see a drift towards a comfortable and conformist

lifestyle that reveals a lack of the radical approach to the gospel

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14 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

that should be our distinguishing mark. The management of our

structures is sometimes a burden that risks absorbing too much

energy. Despite these difficulties, there are positive signs. In some

regions and provinces there is significant increase in vocations,

accompanied by creative ways of inculturating the charism, all

of which is particularly significant in this 150th anniversary of

the first Salesian missionary expedition.

13. The Eucharist, the summit and source of Christian life,

constitutes “the central act of every Salesian community” (C 88).

However, the Chapter discernment has led us to recognise lights

and shadows in the liturgical life of the Salesian communities.

While in some houses the Eucharistic celebration is experienced

with fervour and becomes a generator of communion and

mission, in others habit and formalism is noted.

Listening to the Word of God and the practice of daily

meditation are foundations of our spirituality, but in more than one

context they are sacrificed for activities that are considered to be

more urgent. Activism, an ongoing challenge of Salesian life,

continues to threaten the balance between prayer and work,

revealing not only a problem of how time is organised, but a deeper

question of how the charism and the life of faith are interpreted.

The “grace of unity”, that invisible thread that should weave

together our apostolic mission, community life and the practice

of the evangelical counsels, risks fraying, losing its splendour and

strength as a result of a weak and tired spiritual life.

14. “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle” – the motto that inspired

Don Bosco – continues to challenge our charismatic identity. The

Rector Major emeritus expressed his surprise at finding that

“some confreres have presented me with doubts about our

charismatic identity, or about the Salesian identity of us

consecrated persons; or about what should be essential and

radical in our Salesian life” (A. F. ARTIME, Report of the Rector

Major to the 29th General Chapter, p. 10).

The departure of confreres who are already priests or

candidates for the priesthood, asking to move to the diocesan

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 15

clergy, as also the difficulties of understanding, promoting and

accompanying the vocation of the Salesian Brother are worrying

signs of a deeper identity crisis. Sometimes it concerns the

understanding of the charism, and at other times the formative

process of assimilation. In a cultural context in which God is

perceived by many as the great Absent One and in which

disorientation prevails, our testimony often appears to have

faded and be lacking in impact. Some confreres struggle to fully

recognise themselves in the Salesian charism, experiencing

consecration as a formal belonging rather than as a substantial

identity. This fragility of identity is also seen in the scant ability

to impart the beauty of the Salesian vocation to young people.

The frequent departures indicate that the formation process is

failing to touch hearts in depth and sufficiently consolidate

charismatic identity, leaving the confreres vulnerable in the face

of the challenges and seductions of the contemporary context. Of

particular concern is the tendency of some Salesians to seek

recognition and gratification, feeding attitudes that contradict

the radical gospel nature of our consecration.

The figure of the Salesian Brother, an original expression of

Don Bosco’s charism, is going through a particularly difficult time

in many regions. Despite the efforts and official declarations, a

clerical mentality persists in many settings that fails to bring out

the proper nature of the Brother’s vocation. The drastic decrease

in Salesian Brother vocations in several provinces represents a

serious loss for the richness and completeness of the charism.

Interpretation

15. Along with encouraging elements of fidelity and

dedication, listening to the life of our communities has allowed

us to recognise the struggles and uncertainties which we feel can

be summed up in one core notion: the difficulty of a truly unified

life in which prayer and work, service to young people and

spiritual depth, mission and contemplation are not juxtaposed,

but feed each other. If the grace of unity constitutes the vital gift

that we have received in the Salesian charism, inner dispersion

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16 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

would seem to be the great temptation from which we must

guard ourselves as individuals and as communities.

It is not difficult to recognise that for many reasons this

temptation is more insidious today than in the past. The

pervasive influence of digital technology, while offering

opportunities for communication and education, presents a

serious risk of individualism, superficiality and isolation within

communities. The accelerating pace of life, the increasing

complexity of reality, the drive to activism and individualism

strongly affect our lives. They fuel inner fragmentation and

threaten the ability to be silent, go deep, and have a genuine

experience of God. However, in addition to these external

reasons, there are other factors more related to how our works

are run and how community life is organised, such as the

disproportion between pastoral fronts and the number of

confreres, the excessive number of tasks entrusted to the same

individual, neglect in caring for community prayer, the lack of

commitment to reflection and study.

16. We do not wish, however, to simply be nay-sayers or look

for justifications. Indeed, we are convinced that even in today’s

fast-paced world and in the midst of the many difficult situations

in which many confreres live their mission, God comes to meet

us, speaks to us and offers us the possibility of unifying our lives

in Christ. It is what we experience every day in prayer and

listening to the Word, culminating in the celebration of the

Eucharist. Therefore, there is a very clear response to our

fragmentation: enter into the grace that the Eucharist offers us

each day. When we approach the altar, inwardly we hear the

words that Jesus said at the Last Supper: “I have eagerly desired

to eat this Passover with you” (Lk 22:15). As Pope Francis wrote,

through these words “we are given the surprising possibility of

intuiting the depth of the love of the persons of the Most Holy

Trinity for us” (FRANCIS, Apostolic Letter Desiderio desidervi 2).

In the Eucharist we experience that prayer, fraternity and

mission are born together and come from a gift that precedes us

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 17

and that we do not deserve. The only response that this gift asks

of us is to surrender to love, laying down the claim to place

ourselves, our projects and our works at the centre. It is, as Pope

Francis reminds us, the “most demanding asceticism” (Ibid. 6),

but it is undoubtedly the profound secret of an authentic

consecrated life.

Our activism sometimes pretends to drag the Lord along

behind us, but in a direction that is not always the one in which

the Spirit is blowing. This happens, for example, when we

identify more with our role than with our vocation. The

Eucharist, on the other hand, allows us to make the Paschal

transition from a life spent rushing around chasing our own ideas

to a life that follows the breath of the Spirit with serene

confidence. As Article 88 of the Constitutions states, “For us sons

of Don Bosco the Eucharistic presence in our houses is a reason

for frequent encounters with Christ.” Eucharistic adoration

experienced in community and the practice of the “visit to the

Blessed Sacrament” recommended by Don Bosco, nourish union

with God and revive friendship with the Lord.

17. We therefore recognise that at the basis of inner dispersion

and fragmentation there is not only the much work we have, but

also – and perhaps above all – the tendency to live it in a disorderly

way, relying more on ourselves than on the Lord. Don Bosco, in

fact, engaged in an impressive activity which took place on several

fronts and required so much effort, yet those who met him had

the impression of being before a deeply peaceful man who radiated

the presence of God. In order to follow him on this path of

holiness, we therefore perceive the need to understand his

spiritual experience more deeply. We cannot be satisfied with

knowing his history and activities, but we need to rediscover the

secret of his continuous union with God, the spiritual path that

led him to live the grace of unity. We need to reach out to, almost

touch, the inner fire of the Da mihi animas, in which prayer and

work are united in sharing the pastoral charity of the Risen Lord.

This is being passionate about the Lord!

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18 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

We will be helped in this by the valuable spiritual teaching of

St Francis de Sales, whose fourth centenary of death we recently

celebrated. In fact, he taught that holiness is achieved in the

concrete circumstances of daily life and, by proposing an

authentic mysticism of apostolic action, he laid the foundations

for a solid spirituality of self-giving. The words with which the

Holy Father recalls his spiritual doctrine in the Encyclical Dilexit

Nos encourage us to rediscover his teachings to live the centrality

of Jesus Christ and the care of our vocation.

Choice

18. In light of our listening and interpretation, we choose to

RESOLUTELY RENEW THE CENTRALITY OF JESUS CHRIST,

REDISCOVERING THE GRACE OF UNITY AND AVOIDING

SPIRITUAL SUPERFICIALITY.

This choice implies concrete commitments for the confreres,

the communities, the provinces and the central government of

the Congregation, which we exemplify below.

– Let the Salesian

a. draw up a personal plan of life, updating it annually

b. see to personal and community prayer, with particular

attention to lectio divina, the centrality of the Eucharist and

devotion to Our Lady;

c. cultivate spiritual accompaniment as an essential element

of growth, in serious and systematic discussion;

d. develop a critical, prophetic and constant reading of the

socio-cultural context in which he operates, in order to be a

significant witness to the gospel, grasping the signs of the times.

– Let the Community

e. celebrate the Eucharist as an authentic “central act” of

community life, propose times for Eucharistic adoration and

ensure adequate times and places for personal and community

prayer;

f. place value on daily meditation, adapting it to apostolic

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 19

rhythms without ever sacrificing it, and plan times for sharing

the Word of God and for lectio divina;

g. renew the tradition of the monthly memorial of Mary Help

of Christians as an opportunity to intensify and spread devotion

to Our Lady;

h. encourage in-depth knowledge of Don Bosco and Saint

Francis de Sales, valuing their spirituality;

i. give witness to evangelical poverty and solidarity with the

poor through concrete choices;

j. place emphatic value on the vocation of the Salesian brother

as an original and precious expression of the Salesian charism.

– Let the Province

k. foster a deeper understanding of charismatic identity

through appropriate initiatives, and develop formation

opportunities that help the confreres to live the “grace of unity”

in our contemporary context.

l. place value on the study centres at the UPS and in the IUS

for theological and spiritual research on Don Bosco’s experience;

m. ensure that there is at least one Salesian with a Licence

in Salesian spirituality, for the animation of the confreres and

the educative and pastoral communities;

n. invest significant resources in the promotion and

formation of the Salesian brother;

o. promote creative ways of inculturating the charism in the

variety of cultural contexts;

p. see to the quality and animation of the annual retreat, so

that it is truly a time for spiritual recovery and renewal.

FRATERNITY AND ATTENTION TO THE POOR

Listening

19. Valdocco’s courtyards over the weeks of the Chapter have

shown how the variety of faces, colours, languages and traditions

are the clearest photograph of a Congregation with a worldwide

countenance. In just a few days, the desire for communion and

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20 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

fraternity gave shape to “living and working together”, to the

desire to know, meet and listen to each other deeply. We can say

that this dimension of fraternity is in the DNA of our call and

many confreres are exemplary in living and witnessing to the

family spirit typical of our spirituality.

20. Our communities are home to many Salesians who are

generous and courageous in living fraternity; some communities

open themselves to new forms of life with young people by

manifesting the desire for sharing and service, and witnessing

the joy of being together. We find that such communities have a

more lively, prophetic and attractive style and allow a sharing

between Salesians and lay people in spirituality and mission. The

interculturalism found in many of our houses is seen as a

valuable and delicate gift that requires preparation and a

constant attitude of openness and acceptance.

This hymn of gratitude also includes some notes that are out

of tune with our Salesian community identity: lack of communion

and of fraternal correction, routine, isolation of some in private

spaces, resistance to change, neglect in relationships and lack of

sharing, some emotional immaturity, little attention to situations

of tired and suffering confreres, unease in transforming structures,

lack of attention to consistency in number and quality; the

exclusion or self-exclusion of some confreres due to age and health

from working with young people, the impact of the digital world

on community life.

Some confreres carry deep, unaddressed and unresolved

“wounds” in their life story that cause suffering to the individual

and the community. Generic accompaniment cannot be

improvised for these individuals, and we often find ourselves

unprepared in the face of such situations.

The consistency in number and quality of our communities

is an essential element for regular religious life and the serious

and timely management of cases of irregularities ensures the

serene and orderly atmosphere of the house.

21. In this context of light and shadow, the key role of the

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 21

rector as father of the community appears evident. He is at the

centre of the community as “a brother among brothers, who

recognise his responsibility and authority” (C 55). He plays a

fundamental role in promoting fraternity and ensuring

charismatic fidelity. It can be seen that the conditions in which

many of our confreres called to the service of authority live and

operate are not favourable, as they are often overloaded with

commitments and responsibilities within and beyond the Work

and are not always adequately prepared for their service. In

some provinces it is clear that there is a difficulty in selecting

and forming confreres for this service. On the other hand,

ordinary participatory bodies and tools, such as “Animating and

Governing the Community: The Ministry of the Salesian Rector”,

the house council, the educative and pastoral community council,

the community assembly, and other leadership bodies, are not

always adequately valued and prepared.

22. Our fraternity opens us to the mission and leads us to the

service of young people. In the Report of the Rector Major

emeritus to the 29th General Chapter he wrote: “Despite the

complexity of today’s world in terms of poverty that is not

diminishing, the option for young people, and among them the

poorest, is made concrete in a wide variety of services, projects

and even works, all expressions of our charismatic identity in the

name of Don Bosco” (A.F. ARTIME, Report of the Rector Major to

the 29th General Chapter, p. 19) .

We recognise how working with the poor renews the

community, brings us closer to God, and strengthens fraternal

life. We read in the Rector Major’s Report to the General Chapter:

“it is true that there are numerous confreres with great

sensitivity. But we are not all like that. (...) we take care of the

poor, but we are not ‘with the poor’ nor ‘are we poor’, and with

little capacity for personal and institutional testimony. And

where – alongside holy Salesians – there are ‘bourgeois’ Salesians

who desire more social life than missionary life, attracted by

careerism and with superficial attitudes, with distractions and

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22 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

various comforts and – what’s worse – everything is considered

normal” (Ibid. p. 20) This risks leaving only a few charismatic

confreres in pastoral work with the poor and not the community;

the option for the poor is implemented, but missionary audacity

is lacking, falling back into a dangerous pastoral inertia.

Interpretation

23. The first Salesian community was born in the oratory and

from the oratory. This is the fundamental light that guides us in

the interpretation of what we have observed about our fraternal

life and openness to the poor. Born from the oratory experience

of Valdocco, our communities have carried the stamp of the

Preventive System from the beginning and have been

characterised by the family spirit that animates “work and

prayer, meals and recreation, meetings and other encounters” (C

51). For us Salesians, the family spirit is the concrete way to

practise the fraternal love taught by Jesus and the most eloquent

sign of the presence of God in our midst. Community life not only

has a functional and organisational value, but belongs to the soul

of Salesian life.

Before being the fruit of our efforts, fraternal life in

community is a gift of God and a fruit of the Eucharist that we

celebrate: “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one

body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor 10:17). This

statement of St Paul’s reminds us that the communion made

possible by the Eucharist infinitely exceeds our best natural

dispositions, and at the same time warns us that we cannot

delude ourselves that we are united to Christ if we are divided

from our brothers. Don Bosco was well aware of this in 1861

when he told cleric Albera, future Rector Major: “Dear Paolino,

you will come cross some real beauties in your time; you will see

everyone together at the same communion rail...together, and

combining hate, sacraments, prayers and sins: all in one!” (A.

CAVIGLIA, Conferences on the Salesian Spirit. Conference no.

10). These are bitter words which make us reflect on the risks of

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formality that leads the heart to harden and no longer perceive

the contradictions in which it lives.

24. Convinced of the value of fraternity, we seek to once more

become aware that convinced and generous participation in the

life of the community is in no way an option we can dispense

with. “To live and work together”, in fact, “is for us Salesians a

fundamental requirement and a sure way of fulfilling our

vocation” (C 49). There is no place in the Salesian community

for individualism and for autonomous management of life and

work. We realise, on the other hand, that in the face of the

changes that have occurred in the structure of many

communities (different relationship between community and

work, changes in the generational balance, interculturalism), in

order to guarantee the actual conditions of fraternal encounter

it is necessary in some cases to rethink priorities. Without this

community rethinking, in fact, we risk being so absorbed by

commitments that we no longer find the time for dialogue, lectio

divina and sharing the Word, evaluation, being freely together

as Don Bosco knew how to do with the first confreres. If we really

believe in fraternal life, we must have a healthy imagination and

guard the space for relationships not only in the heart, but also

in the calendar of the community.

25. All of this primarily concerns the figure of the rector, who

is often overloaded with excessive tasks that hinder the main

dimension of his service of animation and government: the

accompaniment of his confreres and the care of their vocation.

It is also about bodies that involve community engagement such

as the house council and community assembly. These are

structures codified in the Constitutions and Regulations, and it

is important to take care of their quality so that they are not

reduced to sterile meetings that generate disaffection. The final

document of the Synod on synodality offers valuable insights for

carrying out the processes of discernment for mission in a more

mature and participatory way, as well as the articulation of

decision-making processes and the care for transparency,

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24 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

accountability and evaluation (FRANCIS - XVI GENERAL ORDINARY

ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS, For A Synodal Church:

Communion, Participation And Mission. Final Document, Part

Three). While appreciating the testimony of the fraternal life of

religious, the same document invites them not to be self-

referential and to live with the other members of the People of

God in an authentic exchange of gifts within the local Churches.

26. Fraternal life undoubtedly requires adequate relational

maturity, which can never be considered a given, be taken for

granted or acquired once and for all. In fact, without the

commitment to keep moving forward, we all risk giving in to

tiredness, withdrawal, disillusionment and closing in on

ourselves. The presence of some wounded confreres, who over

the years become more rigid and less willing to engage,

constitutes a demanding challenge for many communities and a

warning to pay attention to the forms of relational discomfort

and affective immaturity that can manifest themselves from the

earliest years of Salesian life. Sometimes relational difficulties

refer to a crisis of faith and a weakening of prayer; other times

they are rooted in family experiences that have not been

reinterpreted during their formation and have repercussions on

the relationship with authority, their confreres, with young

people, with the female world. It is important that at least at the

provincial level there are people prepared for the accompaniment

required by more marked immaturity and that communities do

not give up on helping those who are going through difficult

situations. Fraternity is both a gift of God and a workshop of

humanity: caring for fraternal life means encouraging balanced

and harmonious human growth to maturity.

27. The family spirit that characterises us also has a profound

apostolic and vocational value (cf. C 57). Fraternal communion

is the most eloquent sign of God’s love, and we want to be signs

and bearers of this for young people, especially the poorest (cf. C

2). Precisely for this reason it is important that the dedication to

the most needy youngsters is not the exclusive commitment of

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 25

some confreres, but is the expression of the entire community

and the criterion for its choices. It can happen that the sole or

excessive concern for the financial sustainability of the works

ends up translating into choices that distance us from the poor

and demonstrate little trust in Providence. However, Pope

Francis has repeatedly reminded us that contact with the

Eucharistic Body of the Lord in the Eucharist cannot be

separated from contact with the body of our brothers and sisters

in need. Only within this dual relationship – with the Lord and

with poor young people – does the body of the Salesian

community grow healthy, avoid spiritual worldliness and witness

to the love of God, including in the places of greatest conflict and

suffering. Thus it remains faithful to the initial inspiration of the

Oratory from which it was born.

Choice

28. In light of our listening and interpretation, we choose to

REVITALISE FRATERNAL LIFE IN COMMUNITIES AND

STRENGTHEN SERVICE TO THE POOREST YOUNG PEOPLE

AS AN AUTHENTIC EXPRESSION OF THE SALESIAN CHARISM.

This choice implies concrete commitments for the confreres,

the communities, the provinces and the central government of

the Congregation, which we exemplify below.

– Let the Salesian

a. contribute to making the community a true family (cf. C

83) by fighting whatever tendencies against community he may

discover in himself and by participating generously in the life and

work of the community (cf. C 52);

b. avoid all forms of worldliness and comfortable lifestyle,

seeking evangelical authenticity in his relationships and choices.

– Let the Community

c. guarantee a healthy balance between work and fraternal

life, preserving quality time for relationships and free sharing;

d. value the contribution of experience and wisdom of the

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26 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

elderly confreres and offer them appropriate attention and care;

e. pay particular attention to wounded and struggling

confreres, creating a welcoming and non-judgemental

environment; let the rector in particular become involved, where

necessary, in offering specialist support;

f. adopt the Oratory criterion as a community style, sharing

significant moments of daily life and growth with young people;

g. relaunch community day as an opportunity to celebrate

the Eucharist together and experience moments of dialogue and

sharing;

h. see to quality of the community assembly and council

meetings as opportunities for synodality and shared responsibility;

i. develop the Community Plan in synodal style, in harmony

with the local Salesian Educative and Pastoral Plan and the

progress of the Educative and Pastoral Community, and provide

for its periodic evaluation.

– Let the Province

j. guarantee the consistency in number and quality that is

necessary for an authentic fraternal life, ensuring as far as possible

the complementarity between priest and brother confreres (cf. C 45);

k. take up the option for poorest young people as a fundamental

criterion for community and provincial discernment;

l. offer formation opportunities on the emotional and

relational dimension of the confreres and form people specifically

prepared for such accompaniment;

m. promote a strong sense of internal solidarity, concretely

supporting the communities most involved in frontier works;

n. implement processes for assessing the social impact of the

works;

o. promote a simple and counter-current lifestyle;

p. promote the vital insertion of communities in the local

Church, in the spirit of ecclesial synodality.

– Let the Rector Major with his Council

q. continue the commitment to guaranteeing the consistency

in number and quality of the communities;

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 27

r. promote frontier communities for abandoned young people;

s. promote reception of the Church’s synodal journey.

t. promote advocacy for poor young people in international

institutions;

u. offer clear guidelines to prevent and counter a comfortable

lifestyle;

v. develop a specific Salesian service for migrants and other

young people in vulnerable situations.

C. FORMATION OF THE SALESIAN

Listening

29. We recognise with gratitude that in recent years the

Congregation has taken a significant step towards personalised

accompaniment, emphasising that formation is not primarily

about programmes and structures, but about people: it is a

process that aims at the growth of the confreres in their passion

for Christ and for the young. Not rigid schemes, but living

relationships.

What emerged in our listening was the importance of

reference figures who know how to be fathers, brothers and

guides. Numerous testimonies have highlighted how many

Salesians owe their vocational perseverance to the encounter

with confreres who were teachers for them, capable of bringing

out their talents and their vocation.

The recent establishment of the Salesian School of

accompaniment promoted by the Formation Sector, and other

current programmes for the formation of formators represent a

valuable resource that is producing good results. The growing

demand for participation in this initiative testifies to a greater

sensitivity in the Congregation to understand formation in terms

of continuous accompaniment.

However, we note that not all confreres allow themselves to be

accompanied, showing personal closures and little awareness of their

own needs. At the same time, we do not always find prepared and

committed spiritual guides and rectors who prioritise

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28 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

accompaniment. In some situations support is not understood as a

relationship that wishes the other well, with particular attention to

the care and creation of bonds of trust, but is reduced to a formality.

30. God continues to bless the Congregation with new vocations.

The Congregation is committed to ensuring the quality of initial

formation and the preparation of formators and teachers, although

much work still needs to be done to consolidate formation teams and

study centres. In addition, internationalisation represents a

prophetic path for the formation of confreres from different contexts.

Alongside these positive aspects, significant challenges

remain. The difficulties encountered by some young confreres in

the first steps of Salesian life raise questions about the quality of

vocational animation in youth ministry and about the proposal

offered to aspirantates and prenovitiates. A degree of distance has

emerged between initial formation communities and apostolic

communities, as well as between formation and mission. Initial

formation sometimes appears disconnected from pastoral reality

and from the world of the young, poorly inculturated, and some

houses of formation are poorly integrated into the territory.

31. Much remains to be done to personalise the formation

processes. Initial formation encounters obstacles in places where

the formators do not know the confreres in depth and the

structures do not favour personalised growth in freedom and

responsibility. Adequate growth in freedom requires, including for

formators, following a constant path of self-knowledge to prevent

any forms of personal immaturity from coming into conflict with

the accompaniment of those being formed. The challenge is to

strengthen the “inner man”, that is, the attitude of continuous

conversion, avoiding a sterile formality that does not help one

mature.

During initial formation it is important to carefully

accompany young confreres in apostolic experiences, so that they

learn to develop deep motivations, reflect on the educative and

pastoral criteria they are acting with, and achieve a personal

synthesis between formation and mission.

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 29

Some confreres show “signs of weakness” right from the start

of their formation regarding specific kinds of fragility and

immaturity (time management, communication tools,

distractedness...) that are not always adequately addressed. In

addition, a plan for affective and sexual formation appears to be

lacking in initial formation: the issue of affectivity is not always

treated in a holistic and systematic way, with the risk that those

affected are not adequately educated.

There is concern about the risk of making the confreres less

responsible and distancing them from the reality of many of their

peers and families. In some contexts, the formation process

seems to encourage clericalism and the search for power,

influenced by a socio-cultural environment that emphasises self-

realisation and self-referentiality.

32. We acknowledge the good availability and great

commitment of the confreres who serve in formation carried out

with competence, generosity and total dedication. However, the

need has emerged for greater care in identifying confreres who

can be prepared to become quality formators through apostolic

experience, the ability to accompany others, and being rooted in

the Salesian charism.

Critically relevant to this is the fact that the confreres who

have had the opportunity to specialise do not always work

directly in the houses of formation and study centres. In some

contexts, formation does not seem to be considered a priority,

given the constant rotation of formators and the lack of stability

of formation teams. The urgent need to clarify coordination of

this area is stressed as being at the root of this difficulty.

Another tension still not sufficiently resolved concerns the

balance between inculturation of the charism and the

intercultural nature of formation processes at the level of the

Congregation. This challenge requires strategic coordination by

the Formation Sector to ensure greater charismatic identity in

the different regions.

33. Ongoing formation has been enriched with quality

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30 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

proposals at local and provincial levels, with the involvement of

Salesians and lay people. The various interprovincial initiatives

carried out in the Regions and Conferences have contributed to

this, together with the cultural and academic proposals of the

various study centres and our academic institutions.

However, there is not always continuity between the initial

formation phase and the ongoing one, the content and value of

which are not always understood. We note a weakness in

experiencing the ordinary moments of formation already laid

down by the Constitutions (meditation, listening to the Word,

monthly recollection, friendly talk with the rector) and the

community day. The role of the rector as an animator is often

weakened by his many commitments and the overload of

responsibility. In a culture that exalts the autonomy of the

individual, the meaning of the friendly talk with the rector is not

always understood and this practice is often neglected.

The sometimes unresolved emotional issues affect the ability

to effectively serve young people. Awareness of fragility and the

need for healing within individuals and communities requires

the ability to respond with empathy and courage, including with

competent professional help.

34. We cannot ignore the painful cases of sexual abuse that

have ruined entire lives, causing indelible wounds in the victims,

and scandal and bewilderment in civil and ecclesiastical circles.

Although at different paces, the provinces have reacted

courageously and firmly, both in accompanying the victims and

in developing guidelines for prevention. The determination to

guarantee a safe environment for all those who frequent our

works encourages us to intensify our formation efforts for our

confreres, lay people and young people themselves, in order to

avoid any kind of abuse, harassment or inappropriate behaviour.

Interpretation

35. “Through the motherly intervention of Mary, the Holy Spirit

raised up St John Bosco to contribute to the salvation of youth. The

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Spirit formed within him the heart of a father and teacher, capable

of total self-giving” (C 1). These are the words with which the first

article of our Constitutions presents God’s action in the life of Don

Bosco and in the foundation of our Congregation. Don Bosco did

not become the father and teacher of young people alone, but it is

the Holy Spirit who formed his heart; and this did not happen only

in his seminary years but throughout his life. This perspective, so

clearly expressed at the beginning of our Rule of Life, is the point

of reference for understanding our formation journey and for

interpreting and evaluating what we have recognised through

listening. Not surprisingly, the same article ends by passing from

the action of the Spirit in Don Bosco to the action of the Spirit in

us: “From this active presence of the Holy Spirit we draw strength

for our fidelity and support for our hope” (C 1). Commitment to

formation, therefore, is nothing more than the continuous

correspondence to the Lord’s call. In fact, Article 96 of the

Constitutions presents it as follows: “We respond to this call by

committing ourselves to an adequate and ongoing formation for

which the Lord daily gives us his grace.”

If we leave this vocational perspective aside, formation is

misunderstood as a more or less successful preparatory stage

which then leaves room for real Salesian life. This is probably

the profound reason for the resistance or devaluation of personal

accompaniment by many confreres. Having made perpetual

profession or received priestly ordination, they think they have

reached a goal that no longer requires inner discernment and

now makes them autonomous and independent. This mentality

is very different from the attitude of Don Bosco, who after

becoming a priest continued to look to Fr Cafasso, to the

Convitto ecclesiastico and to his pastoral activities for the

enlightened guidance that would help him discern the voice of

the Spirit. We cannot help but wonder why the mentality of many

of our confreres is so far removed from that of our Father.

36. To overcome this mentality which sharply divides times

of formation and times of mission, we have been talking about

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32 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

“formation in mission” for some years. Properly understood, this

formula indicates that the mission entrusted to us “sets the

tenor” (cf. C 3.) for the entire formation programme, which is

aimed at forming an educator and pastor of young people, and

that in our encounters with young people we are called to learn

in a concrete way the exercise of pastoral charity and the grace

of unity that allows us to encounter God in them and through

them. Formation in mission is therefore an element that

characterises the entire formation path, not just the initial phase.

It is not enough to be among young people with kindness and a

philanthropic disposition, but to contemplate the presence of

Christ acting in them and among them. What young John saw

in the dream when he was nine years old, contemplating Jesus

and Mary in a courtyard, in the midst of young people in need of

help, is what we must also learn to see in the daily exercise of

apostolic charity. And since this aptitude does not develop

automatically, we all need spiritual and pastoral accompaniment.

The Virgin Mary, from that dream onwards, was for John the

teacher who accompanied him on his vocational journey. Under

her guidance he learned to obey the Lord with a total “Here I

am”. We too, following her example, “entrust ourselves to her,

the lowly servant in whom the Lord has done great things, that

we may become witnesses to the young of her Son’s boundless

love” (C 8). Only in this way will we achieve an authentic inner

synthesis and true charismatic identification.

37. Naturally, we must be introduced to this above all during

the years of initial formation through an adequate pedagogy

which is attentive to the journey of each person and duly

contextualised within his cultural horizons. This is what we

mean by “personalising formation”. This term has sometimes

been misunderstood as if it favoured the individualistic approach

of self-fulfilment; instead it aims to involve the person in the

depth of his convictions and to promote a free and responsible

response to God’s call.

In other words, we cannot be satisfied with the formal

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correctness of behaviours that can be observed from the outside,

but we must help each confrere to reread his own experience, to

recognise the authentic motivations that guide his daily choices

in the light of the Word of God, and to grow in true docility to

the action of the Spirit. Without personalised accompaniment,

someone can go through all the stages of initial formation

without reaching a true inner synthesis which resists the trials

of life and feeds zeal for the mission.

Therefore, it is not enough to offer solid content in formation

but it is also necessary to provide concrete tools for the personal

journey This concerns all areas of Salesian life, but in a particular

way that of affective and sexual development, in order to live the

evangelical counsel of chastity in a more joyful and conscious way.

This is a dimension that “touches some of the deepest drives of

human nature” (C 82) and that is particularly challenged by the

changes in affective culture. It is therefore urgent for the

Congregation to better prepare formators to accompany this

dimension of personal growth and to reflect on the possibility of

offering specific tools and paths.

38. The formation of formators has been a challenge for the

Congregation for many years. Although it has already been

indicated several times as a priority, we recognise that despite

the steps taken, an adequate investment in formation has not

yet been made. A first difficulty depends on the lack of clarity in

the assignment of coordination tasks in this area. The

increasingly interprovincial nature of initial formation houses

requires collaboration in sending confreres for the role of

formators and teachers. This often encounters resistance, delays

and uncertainties. The structure of the Curatorium itself, at

times, does not function well. It is therefore really urgent to

define a clear and well-coordinated system that will allow us to

begin a new season in this field.

Choice

39. In the light of our listening and interpretation, we choose to

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34 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

RENEW THE FORMATION PROCESSES, TAKING CARE OF

ACCOMPANIMENT AND FORMATION IN THE MISSION.

This choice implies concrete commitments for the confreres,

the communities, the provinces and the central government of

the Congregation, which we exemplify below.

– Let Initial Formation Communities

a. encourage personalisation of the formation process,

helping people to recognise the action of the Spirit in their

growth process through spiritual and pastoral accompaniment;

b. not limit themselves to proposing content, but offer tools

for developing the personal project of life, growth in prayer, lectio

divina and meditation;

c. propose specific courses on the subject of affective maturity,

including with the help of experts;

d. help in living critically, ethically and creatively in digital

culture;

e. provide for the presence of suitable female figures in

formation processes;

f. integrate formation in the protection of minors and

vulnerable people (safeguarding) through specific protocols;

g. promote the culture of dialogue as a formative

methodology and ensure the formation of young confreres to

leadership in a synodal style;

h. be open to the local area and to local youth realities and

overcome the distance between formation and mission,

constantly integrating significant pastoral experiences that have

been accompanied and re-developed;

i. prevent the risk of seeking a comfortable lifestyle and

clericalism, educating to evangelical simplicity and the culture

of work.

– Let the Province

j. guarantee consistent, qualified and quality formation

teams;

k. ensure that the brothers have adequate formation and

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professional qualifications; resolutely promote the vocation of the

Salesian brother through specific strategies of vocational

proposal and appreciation of his unique contribution;

l. promote shared formation of Salesians and lay people;

m. organise formation for rectors in a synodal style;

n. provide for confreres between 40 and 50 years of age so

they may experience a suitable time of spiritual and pastoral

renewal;

o. offer psychological support to confreres who need it and

develop formation programmes to deal with relational and

affective challenges;

p. critically review the formation structures to ensure an

environment that really encourages the integral growth of the

person;

q. analyse the causes of vocational abandonment and

critically rethink the vocational animation and initial formation

processes to strengthen charismatic identity;

r. see to drafting, implementing and evaluating the

“Guidelines for the protection of minors and vulnerable persons”

to prevent cases of abuse.

– Let the Formation Sector

s. coordinate tasks and roles in the Curatorium with the

Regional Councillors and include them in the new Ratio;

t. expand the school of accompaniment in collaboration with

the regional centres and prepare formators for spiritual and

pastoral accompaniment;

u. develop a formation plan for formators that integrates

Salesian tradition and the challenges of the contemporary

world;

v. promote the formation of provincials for leadership in a

synodal style;

w. study the possibilities and contents of the proposal for

spiritual and pastoral renewal for confreres between 40 and

50 years of age;

x. develop guidelines for formation on the protection of

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36 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

minors and vulnerable persons (safeguarding) for initial

formation houses, with help from the Sectors;

y. develop guidelines for an adequately contextualised

formation in the different regions, respecting local cultures while

maintaining charismatic unity, and ensure continuity between

the different formation phases;

z. develop specific tools for education in affectivity and

sexuality, adequately forming formators in this area.

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CORE AREA 2

SALESIANS, SALESIAN FAMILY AND LAY PEOPLE

TOGETHER “WITH” AND “FOR” YOUNG PEOPLE

A. SHARING SPIRITUALITY AND MISSION IN THE EPC

Listening

40. Today, our mission at the service of young people bears

the essential imprint of collaboration between Salesians and lay

people. Many of our works, in fact, would not exist without this

communion and sharing that is configured as an authentic sign

of the times. We recognise that in many provinces the educative

and pastoral community has become a living and consolidated

reality, an authentic space for growth where the sharing of life,

faith, passion for Christ according to the spirit of Don Bosco and

love for young people flourish. The lay people who are on this

journey with us truly share responsibility, and are an integral

and vital part of the new subject of the mission made up of

Salesians, lay people and young people together in a synergy that

enriches everyone and gives new vigour to the charism.

41. The figure of Don Bosco and our charism maintain their

special attraction intact and are capable of giving rise to fondness

for and adherence to the Salesian mission. In different parts of

the world, we witness a fruitful integration between the Salesian

charism and local cultures, often thanks to the mediation of lay

people deeply identified with the mission of educating and

evangelising in the style of the Preventive System. The Salesian

charism’s power to attract has generated significant experiences

of collaboration, including with people of other religious

confessions and non-believers who recognise a heritage of values

in our educational method that contribute to the good of young

people and that precisely for this reason they feel they share.

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38 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

42. A careful look at reality, however, also reveals some

shadows that we cannot ignore, together with the lights. In some

communities, a degree of explicit resistance remains in delegating

real responsibilities to the laity, with the risk of impoverishing

life and the mission. Trust and openness are necessary to

overcome hesitation in fully integrating the laity into decision-

making and leadership roles, while respecting the specific role of

the Salesian Rector of the community.

We must also note that the Congregation’s magisterium on

the subject of the educative and pastoral community is not always

known, and that questions continue to be raised even regarding

matters that have already received precise answers and

guidelines. This is undoubtedly linked to the diversity of

local situations and the pace of implementation of the

Congregation’s choices, but perhaps also to inadequate processes

of accompaniment of provinces in assimilating the guidelines of

the General Chapters.

43. There is still some ambiguity in some regions around the

concept of “lay” in our Salesian context.. When we speak of “lay

people” or the laity, in a proper sense we are referring to the

“Christifideles laici” or the vast majority of the members of the

people of God: men and women who have been reborn to new life

through Baptism and follow the Lord as members of the ecclesial

community. In a broader sense, however, we use this term to refer

also to other people who collaborate with us at various levels,

often recognising themselves in the educational style that Don

Bosco has passed on to us.

The lay landscape in the Salesian context is therefore

extremely varied and requires differentiated attention: there are

volunteers and hired employees, adults with long experience and

young people at the beginning of their journey, members of the

Salesian Family and friends of Don Bosco, Catholics and

Christians of different confessions, people of other religions or

without any defined religious affiliation. Starting from this

complexity, which reflects the richness of our presence in the

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 39

world, we see three levels of involvement emerging that outline

a possible path of growth in the shared mission: professional

collaboration, (volunteers and employees working in our Works)

shared educational responsibility (volunteers and employees who

consciously choose to adhere to the educative and pastoral

project), and deep sharing of Salesian spirituality (those who, due

to their personal vocation, are part of the animating nucleus of

the EPC or the Salesian Family). This distinction does not

express a hierarchy of the value individuals have, but rather

different degrees of identification with the charism, which must

be recognised and respected.

44. Formation in the journey of “communion and sharing in

the mission and spirit of Don Bosco” (GC24) is not an optional

extra but the beating heart of a shared mission that seeks to be

authentic and lasting. Many Provinces and Regions have

initiated systematic and quality formation programmes aimed at

lay people as well as Salesians and lay people together, creating

valuable opportunities for exchange and mutual enrichment.

These initiatives, although qualitatively valid and well-

structured, need further strengthening and continuity to become

an integral part of our organisational culture.

In several contexts, unfortunately, formation is still

insufficient or fragmented, preventing a true rooting of the

charism beyond the group of consecrated Salesians. Among the

main difficulties we find: a prevalent attention to the operational

aspect, to the detriment of proposals of apostolic spirituality; an

inadequate and unsystematic handing on of the Salesian charism

to the laity; the scarcity of human and economic resources

destined for quality formation; the high turnover of lay personnel

which makes it difficult to build continuous and effective paths.

It should also be honestly noted that sometimes the confreres

themselves are not adequately prepared for collaboration with

the laity, not having received the necessary tools during initial

formation for them to value this essential aspect of contemporary

mission. Shared formation must go beyond programmes: it is a

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journey of shared discipleship that requires a deep personal

commitment on the part of both Salesians and lay people.

45. Within the reflection on the educative and pastoral

community, the question of the sustainability of the works and

financial transparency also emerges. The involvement of well-

formed and competent lay people in the financial management

of the works has brought greater professionalism, rigour and

transparency, encouraging the development of a planning

mentality and accountability that finds concrete and operational

expression in the planning and development offices in the

provinces. This process has contributed in many contexts to

strengthening the financial foundations of our presences,

ensuring continuity even in times of uncertainty.

It should be gratefully recognised and emphasised that

despite the recent and widespread global financial difficulties,

Salesian Provinces have faithfully maintained their commitment

to the poorest, often seeing the support of Providence develop in

a surprising way through benefactors and public contributions,

a sign that fidelity to the charism attracts blessings, including

material ones.

46. In some geographical and social contexts, it is increasingly

difficult to compete financially with other public and private

organisations, thus losing valuable employees who are qualified

and identified with our charism. This problem appears to be

particularly acute in some specialist sectors and in more

advanced economies. The differences in this matter, related to

the geographical, cultural and ecclesial context and to the

numerical presence of the Salesians, are notable.

Significant organisational issues emerge that deserve

particular attention: the nature and tasks of the House Council

(C 178) called to effectively support the entire mission in complex

contexts; relationships between the House Council and the

educative and pastoral community council that are not always

clear and well defined, with consequent confusion of roles and

responsibilities; and the absence, in some contexts, of a planning

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and participatory mentality that is absolutely necessary for truly

shared responsibility.

It is essential to grow in a culture of responsibility and

transparency at all levels, especially in a historical time marked

by change, growing distrust of ecclesial institutions in some

contexts, and the risk of losing the support of benefactors, with

a consequent danger for the future sustainability of our

educational projects, especially those aimed at the poorest.

Interpretation

47. To interpret and evaluate the journey made in the

provinces we find a solid and essential reference in the Document

of General Chapter 24 which identified the solid foundations on

which the sharing of the charism with the laity is based on Don

Bosco’s experience and on the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican

Council.

As Article 5 of the Constitutions tells us “Don Bosco inspired

the start of a vast movement of persons who in different ways

work for the salvation of the young.” Indeed, our father and

founder involved many lay people in his mission to the young and

ordinary folk from the beginning, convinced as he was that we

had to join forces to help the most needy children and help them

discover the love of God. The first to be involved were the young

people themselves, whom Don Bosco was able to transform into

apostles of their companions and true protagonists of Oratory life.

At the same time, the 24th General Chapter took up the

ecclesiological inspiration of the Second Vatican Council with

courage and conviction, recognising the missionary task

entrusted to every baptised person, the communal nature of the

people of God and the reciprocity between the different vocations

in the Church. The clear vision of the Council today is enriched

by the magisterium offered by Pope Francis in his Encyclical

Fratelli Tutti and by the contribution of the recent Synod “For

A synodal Church: communion, participation, mission”, which

sought to prolong the inspiration of the Second Vatican Council

and relaunch its prophetic force. Synodality is, in this sense, the

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translation of the Council into a “style” of life and action (modus

vivendi et operandi) that requires conversion in relationships,

implementation of processes and renewal of structures.

48. The synodal perspective leads us to recognise first of all

the need to convert our relationships. Our works are not

companies based on functional relationships and power struggles,

but communities of faith that thrive on mutual acceptance, deep

sharing and attention to the poorest of the poor. It is therefore

essential to rediscover the “spiritual savour” (FRANCIS, Evangelii

Gaudium 268) of journeying together, in other words the

“mysticism” of fraternity that Pope Francis has so often

reminded us of. The educative and pastoral community is alive

when it experiences the new relationships generated by the

gospel. Young people, especially the most wounded ones, are in

immense need of such relationships.

When relationships are authentic it becomes possible to

experience real participatory and synodal processes within the

educative and pastoral community, the most important of which

is “ecclesial discernment for mission”. This consists in the shared

search for God’s will, learning to read the challenges we face and

the steps we are called to take in the light of his Word. The

Synodal Document offers valuable indications in this regard,

which are not limited to indicating methodological steps, but

propose a true spirituality to be lived together in docility to the

action of the Spirit. Before organising activities and distributing

assignments, we must listen to the Lord together: this is the best

attitude to develop an educative and pastoral project that truly

stems from the apostolic passion of the Da mihi animas.

Synodal-style community discernment is also the lever for

improving the functioning of participatory organisations and for

recognising at a local level the structural changes that are

necessary to respond to the needs of today’s young people

courageously and creatively. The resignification of our presences,

which is the profound meaning of reshaping, cannot in fact take

place around the table, but finds the most appropriate place to

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be prophetic and generative in the discernment of the educative

and pastoral community .

49. It is not possible to share spirituality and mission without

also sharing formation. Shared formation between Salesians and

lay people is therefore a priority into which resources and energy

must be invested. The final document of the Synod insisted on

“the need for a common and shared formation, in which men and

women, laity, consecrated persons, ordained ministers and

candidates for ordained ministry participate together, thus

enabling them to grow together in knowledge and mutual esteem

and in the ability to collaborate”, recalling that the formation

needed must be “integral, ongoing and shared. Such formation

must aim not only at acquiring theoretical knowledge but also at

promoting the capacity for openness and encounter, sharing and

collaboration, reflection and discernment in common. Formation

must consequently engage all the dimensions of the human

person (intellectual, affective, relational and spiritual) and

include concrete experiences that are appropriately

accompanied” (FRANCIS - XVI GENERAL ORDINARY ASSEMBLY OF

THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS, For A Synodal Church: Communion,

Participation And Mission. Final Document, 143).

Of course for believers, formation is not purely the

development of their talents but is correspondence to the love of

God who with his Spirit has us share in the life of the Risen Lord.

As Pope Francis wrote: “The full extent of our formation is our

conformation to Christ [...]: it does not have to do with an

abstract mental process, but with becoming Him” (FRANCIS,

Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi 41). Precisely for this

reason, the fundamental experience from which the educative

and pastoral community – and above all the animating nucleus –

draws formation is the celebration of the Eucharist: in it the gift

of communion and mission are continuously renewed and

nothing can replace its effectiveness.

To this sacramental root are added reflection, study, dialogue,

sharing on Don Bosco, the Salesian charism and the daily lived

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educative and pastoral experience. Experience confirms that it

is very positive to entrust the organisation of the different

formation initiatives to mixed teams made up of Salesians, lay

people and members of the Salesian Family, so that it does not

turn out to be unidirectional and integrates different skills and

approaches. Precisely for this reason, the initial formation of the

confreres must already include experiences shared with the laity,

proportionate to the objectives of the individual stages of

maturation, and encourage the specific contribution that they

can give to healthy vocational growth.

50. Also, from the point of view of the financial sustainability

of the works, the contribution of lay professionals who identify

strongly with the charism is often indispensable. Trust in

Providence, which Don Bosco witnessed to us in a heroic way, and

the clear destination of our goods for the service of the poor, are

fundamental criteria to guide our action in this area. In the face

of increasingly complex regulations, the use of the specific

expertise of experts in the sector is a gesture of responsibility that

cannot be avoided. Insufficient preparation and poor planning can

compromise the service to the poor and cause difficulties for our

institutions. Specialist competence, however, does not exempt one

from evaluations that, due to their profound inspiration, must be

evangelical and charismatic. Hence the need for transparency,

accountability and evaluation of financial management, as well

as education in a simple lifestyle and shared responsibility.

Choice

51. In the light of our listening and interpretation, we choose to

SHARE SPIRITUALITY, MISSION AND FORMATION WITH

LAY PEOPLE AND MEMBERS OF THE SALESIAN FAMILY

IN EVERY EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL COMMUNITY.

This choice implies concrete commitments for the confreres,

the communities, the provinces and the central government of

the Congregation, which we exemplify below.

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– Let the Community

a. make the Educative and Pastoral Community Council

operational as a body for discernment, formation and shared

responsibility and, where it does not exist, establish it;

b. draw up a plan for shared formation of Salesians and lay

people that provides for the sharing of life and prayer and

educative and pastoral reflection;

c. promote a culture of simplicity, financial transparency and

active involvement of the laity in financial management, seeking

new and diversified sources of funding.

d. see to the preparation of budgets and financial statements

and the financial soundness of the work, with the guidance of

Salesian or lay administrators and external consultants, ensuring

transparency and accountability.

– Let the Province

e. increase the commitment to a shared mission among

members of the Salesian Family in the territory

f. prepare a systematic and differentiated plan for the qualifi-

cation of lay people the Salesian charism;

g. place value on competent professionals in administration

and finance;

h. identify concrete and up-to-date ways for the research and

accompaniment of benefactors;

i. establish a committee for the accompaniment of the

provincial and his council for the regular evaluation of resources

and financial management and adopt ethical financial strategies

by diversifying fundraising and strengthening accountability.

– Let the Rector Major with his Council

j. offer indications to refer appropriately and uniquely to the

different types of lay people involved in various ways in our works;

k. offer guidelines and appropriate tools, through the

Formation and Youth Ministry Sectors, for shared Salesian and

lay formation, and involve the UPS and other formation centres

in the organisation of suitable courses;

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46 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

l. promote the reception of the final document of the Synod

on Synodality in the Congregation and in the Salesian Family;

B. EDUCATING AND EVANGELISING

Listening

52. Don Bosco was not afraid to display his priestly identity

any time and any where, yet he practised his priesthood on

behalf of young people with a deep focus on education. He heard

confessions every morning, celebrated the Eucharist with deep

faith, preached, but at the same time he walked the streets of

Turin in search of young workers to help, opened schools and

workshops, published booklets for popular education, wrote the

treatise on the Preventive System for the education of the young.

Following him, our Salesian vocation is deeply characterised by

the inseparable combination of education and evangelisation.

They are two sides of the same coin, well summarised by the well-

chosen expression, “we educate by evangelising and we

evangelise by educating”.

With gratitude we note that many confreres, in the challenges

of the contemporary context, continue to witness to this dual

dimension of our charism both passionately and creatively. The

contexts in which we work are not all the same: some are

secularised, others multi-religious, and others still are

predominantly atheistic. This plurality of situations challenges

us to find different ways to evangelise, to seize the specific

opportunities offered by each environment and to maintain the

unity of our mission in such a variety of contexts.

53. The youth world, therefore, is very varied. Although

globalisation tends to standardise lifestyles, each context has its

own specific characteristics. However, one trait unites them: all

young people carry in their hearts a deep – often silent – question

about the meaning of life. In a more or less conscious way they ask

themselves about their future, about what matters to them, about

what will make them happy. The technology that fascinates them,

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the continuous flow of information, the web of relationships and

connections in which they are immersed, are their world, one which

seems to ignore or be indifferent to the proclamation of the faith.

The number of family models has increased and the relationships

that should give them warmth and security often become a place

of conflict rather than affection.

Yet, despite everything, we are convinced as Don Bosco was

that “in every young person there is a point accessible to good”.

The desire for God remains a fundamental need of the human

heart, not satisfied with living on bread alone. We believe that

young people are open to the novelty of the gospel if it is

presented in a language that is able to reach their heart. But

above all we are convinced that they do not remain insensitive

to the testimony of those who have touched the Word of life with

their own hands (cf. 1 Jn 1:1) and were transformed.

In this varied panorama of lights and shadows, of expectations

and hopes, popular piety continues to be a significant space in which

many young people live their faith. The attractiveness of places of

prayer, journeys of faith and youth pilgrimages, the strong

commitment to ecology, volunteering in its various forms, tell us

that the fire is not extinguished, but waits to be revived and

nourished.

54. As Salesians we recognise that our mission requires a

constant balance between commitment to education and a

passion for evangelisation. The threefold formula “reason,

religion and loving-kindness” is not just a slogan but a constant

source of inspiration that helps us keep in mind the lofty goal of

youthful holiness and the gradual nature of the journey, the

powerful educational resources of the Sacraments and the Word

of God, and the pedagogy of the playground and the street that

leads us to encounter young people “at their present stage of

freedom” (C. 38).

This vital synthesis is not always present in the hearts of all

our confreres and the members of our educative and pastoral

communities. Those who observe us point out – not without

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reason – that we risk reducing our mission to the management

of educational or social welfare activities. Youth ministry runs

the risk of becoming the management of services for young

people. To evangelise, as our tradition reminds us, is to

accompany people along a journey of faith in the Risen Lord,

offering procedures and processes.

We gratefully acknowledge the strengths of our educational and

pastoral presence. We are valued as good educators in the Church

and a reference point for other ecclesial institutions. In some

circumstances we are particularly proactive and well-prepared in

terms of education. The acceptance of our proposals of faith is for

us a sign of hope in a world that is often indifferent or hostile.

Lay people are appreciated and are actively involved in

evangelisation, both directly and indirectly, through the

evangelical witness of their lives. Many educators, Salesians, lay

people and members of the Salesian Family continue to feel

passion for this vocation and are able to see challenges as

opportunities for growth and renewal.

55. The Christian proposal is at the centre of our pastoral

efforts and translates into a variety of initiatives that differ

according to the contexts and territories. Many young people

encounter the Lord Jesus in our houses and experience the joy

of faith and belonging to a community. Not a few collaborate with

us in the animation of other young people, especially in summer

experiences, in missionary service and charitable activity. They

feel that Don Bosco and Salesian youth spirituality offer them

an inspiration for growth and a guide for their future. Many

adults who have attended our works remember with joy and

gratitude the education they received and try to put its teachings

into practice in everyday life.

However, we recognise that sometimes our commitment fails

to translate into systematic paths of faith education. The

evangelising approach sometimes appears to be timid and

incapable of reaching the hearts of young people in depth. In

some regions, while trying out new catechesis proposals for

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Christian initiation, we note, sadly, the estrangement of many

adolescents from the ecclesial community.

Management and organisation of many activities sometimes

risk distancing us from young people and from direct contact

with them, making us lose sight of the centrality of the

educational relationship that is the basis of the Preventive

System. Valfré’s question, the past pupil of the Oratory in the

dream contained in the letter from Rome in 1884, still resonates

today: “where are the Salesians?”

Interpretation

56. Our Constitutions clearly identify the “lasting criterion

for discernment and renewal in all our activities and works”,

finding it once again in the pastoral experience of the first oratory,

“that was for the youngsters a home that welcomed, a parish that

evangelized, a school that prepared them for life, and a

playground where friends could meet and enjoy themselves” (C

40). In Don Bosco’s experience with the first boys in Valdocco, the

intertwining of education and evangelisation presents itself as a

happy original synthesis which we call the Preventive System.

According to this inspiration, the commitment to education

is undertaken as an expression of the love of God that

accompanies each young person in their growth, and the

proclamation of the gospel is realised with attention to the

pedagogical gradual nature of the stages, as well as to the

language of young people. Article 38 of the Constitutions reminds

us of this when it states: “Imitating God’s patience, we encounter

the young at their present stage of freedom. We accompany them,

so that they develop solid convictions and gradually assume

responsibility for the delicate process of their growth as human

beings and in the faith.”

The relationship between education and evangelisation is so

central to us that the Congregation has reflected on it several

times in order to remain faithful to the mission that the Lord

entrusted to Don Bosco and to take up the challenges posed by

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changing times and contexts. The 26th General Chapter, for

example, recalled attention to “safeguard[ing] both the

proclamation in its entirety and the gradual way in which it is

offered”, convinced that “evangelisation offers education a model

of fully developed humanity and that education, when it succeeds

in touching the heart of the young and developing the religious

meaning of existence, encourages and accompanies the process

of evangelisation” (GC26, no. 25). The Youth Ministry “Frame

of Reference” offers an overall view of the problem and valuable

practical advice.

57. Charismatic references and reflection on them, therefore,

are not lacking. Indeed, they are rich, abundant and up-to-date.

The challenge is to take them up courageously and creatively by

implementing gradual and differentiated paths and avoiding the

risk of multiplying activities and events that do not always affect

the real lives of young people. The different regions in which we

operate have great differences in culture, economy, social

structure, family experience, inter-generational relationships,

but all young people are united by the desire to be heard in the

uniqueness of their history and accompanied to open up to a

promising future.

This naturally requires pedagogical and pastoral competence

which must be constantly updated in the confreres and those who

share responsibility for the mission. It also requires familiarity

with young people, which is acquired only by being among them

and sharing their world. The logic of the incarnation urges us to

start from the daily reality of their lives and interpret it with an

educational approach and pastoral wisdom. When they share

with us their search for happiness or their discomfort, they

manifest, often without knowing it, a need for salvation that we

must be able to intercept. In the depths of the human soul, an

educator and pastor recognises the action of the Spirit who, with

sighs too deep for words, leads each conscience to open itself to

truth and love.

We must not forget that in the deepest desires of young

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people, in their sensitivity for peace, justice, ecology, the dignity

of every person, there is also a prophecy that we must grasp.

Young people who share the faith and are passionate about Don

Bosco often manifest an enthusiasm from which we have much

to learn: they themselves evangelise us, showing us the young

face of the Church which reflects God’s eternal youth.

58. Some of the great anthropological questions of today, in

particular, require our attention, because they constitute a real

challenge for our educative and pastoral proposal. We are

thinking in particular of the transformations in emotional and

sexual behaviour which concern a very sensitive and delicate area

in a person’s growth and require new skills to welcome and

delicately accompany each individual. We are thinking about

digital culture and the way it changes learning processes, the

perception of time, space, the body, interpersonal relationships

and ultimately the whole way of thinking and being in the world.

Finally, we are thinking about migration, often caused by conflict

and injustice, which exposes many young people to insecurity and

the need to live by their wits, damaging their dignity. In the face

of these situations, we understand with even greater awareness

that we cannot proclaim the gospel of the Lord without taking

care of the pressing educational needs of young people and that

we cannot point them to a reliable hope without pointing to the

light of Love that comes from God and that will find its fullness

in heaven. As Don Bosco said, we want to form “good Christians,

upright citizens and one day fortunate inhabitants of heaven”

(The Companion of Youth , 1847, p. 7).

59. In some strongly secularised contexts, or ones marked by

distrust of the ecclesial institution, there is a degree of difficulty

in proclaiming the faith and there is a risk of giving up on a joyful

and proactive transmission of the light of the gospel. In other

situations, however, the teaching of Jesus is joyfully welcomed

as a word that gives hope to the poor and the little ones, renews

society and opens up to the ultimate meaning of existence.

Popular piety, especially Marian piety, is an extraordinary

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resource in many regions for the handing on of the faith

embodied in the context of a people’s sensitivity. Where an

explicit proclamation of Jesus Christ is not possible, our presence

as Christian educators takes on a prophetic significance and sows

the seed of the Word of God through the testimony of our life and

the exercise of charity. Some communities operate in contexts

where Christians find not only obstacles, but persecution: they

demonstrate that nothing can prevent passionate witness for

Christ and his gospel. The commitment to dialogue between

religions and the building of a true brotherhood among peoples is,

according to the current teaching of the Church, part of the

Christian mission. In any case, a heart that is passionate about

Christ is not ashamed to talk about him and to share the beauty

of having encountered him. As Pope Francis wrote: “To be able to

speak of Christ, by witness or by word, in such a way that others

seek to love him, is the greatest desire of every missionary of souls.

This dynamism of love has nothing to do with proselytism; the

words of a lover do not disturb others, they do not make demands

or oblige, they only lead others to marvel at such love. With

immense respect for their freedom and dignity, the lover simply

waits for them to inquire about the love that has filled his or her

life with such great joy” (FRANCIS, Dilexit nos, 210).

Choice

60. In light of our listening and interpretation, we choose to

OFFER GRADUAL AND SYSTEMATIC PROGRAMMES

OF FAITH EDUCATION AND RENEW THE PRACTICE OF

THE PREVENTIVE SYSTEM ENSURING SAFE SETTINGS

EVERYWHERE.

This choice implies concrete commitments for the confreres,

the communities, the provinces and the central government of

the Congregation, which we exemplify below.

– Let the Educative and Pastoral Community

a. promote gradual and systematic programmes of education

in the faith and boldly see to the first proclamation of the gospel;

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b. promote shared planning with young people, offering them

opportunities for active participation and responsibility in

educative and pastoral planning, according to the method of

synodality.

– Let the Province

c. see to establishing a school of pedagogical, spiritual and

charismatic formation for Salesians, members of the Salesian

Family and lay people so they can know and live the combination

of Evangelisation and Education;

d. develop missionary communities in the digital world, mad

up of young people, lay people and Salesians who can create

educational and evangelising content;

e. accompany educative and pastoral communities in

acquiring a synodal style, making use of conversation in the

Spirit and community discernment.

f. promote vocations to Salesian consecrated life.

– Let the Rector Major with his Council

g. promote a reflection on the combination of education and

evangelisation that takes into account the diversity of geographical,

cultural and multi-religious contexts;

h. enable working by project rather than by Sectors in the

General Council;

i. promote research and studies to explore and relaunch the

preventive system as a spirituality and integral method of

education and evangelisation

j. promote the revision and updating of texts on Salesian

youth spirituality, making the missionary dimension and the

value of accompaniment more explicit.

C. NEW EXPRESSIONS OF THE CHARISM

Listening

61. The life of the Congregation is replete with experiences

that represent new expressions of the charism. Many presences

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are authentic places of salvation for poor and marginalised young

people. The provinces respond sensitively to the needs of the

poorest: migrants, refugees, street children and those who are

discriminated against. In many Salesian houses there are

exemplary experiences of reception, for example through the

establishing of migrant desks that coordinate multiple solidarity

initiatives. Collaboration with government and non-government

organisations has allowed us to share projects and build networks

to help minors in precarious circumstances.

As educators and evangelisers we are aware of the new

challenges that young people pose to us: the lack of reference

points, loneliness and isolation, the emergence of psycho-affective

fragility, the spread of dependencies of various kinds, an increase

in the phenomenon of NEETs (Not in Education, Employment

or Training), the lack of an education in citizenship and political

thinking in a radicalised world, the presence of ideologies that

create disorientation.

62. There are promising experiences of renewal of community

life in the Congregation, characterised by greater sharing with

young people. Some of them come to live in our houses, being

involved in the mission, fraternal life and prayer with us. It

would be important to reflect on these experiences, evaluate their

impact and recognise how they can enrich our lives without

remaining sporadic and occasional.

In the history of our provinces there have been confreres who

have initiated innovative pastoral initiatives, but it has not

always been possible to achieve their integration into the overall

provincial plan to ensure their continuity. When the community

is able to make room for new intuitions, in humble dialogue and

thoughtful discernment, we experience the fact that pastoral

renewal is possible and fruitful.

63. We recognise the urgent need to develop a more

systematic and critical approach to digital culture, which has a

profound impact on worldviews and relationships. Although

the digital world and the development of artificial intelligence

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have great potential for progress, it also raises questions of an

anthropological and ethical nature and urges us to deeply reflect

on education. In addition to offering much potential for growth,

it can also cause harm and injury, such as bullying,

misinformation, sexual exploitation and addiction. Our

confreres in initial formation are now “born digital”: if

accompanied and wisely formed they can help the entire

Congregation to open up to using new technologies for the

mission. There are already positive experiences of digital

communities in the Congregation, but not a few educators

recognise that they do not have adequate formation and use

digital spaces only for information purposes.

64. Integral ecology emerges as a privileged field of

educational and pastoral work. Pope Francis has made this issue

a consistent part of his magisterium: his voice challenges us to

be more prompt in listening to the cry of the earth and of the

poor, and in promoting an authentic ecological spirituality that

recognises creation as a gift from God and teaches us to have a

contemplative outlook and a simple lifestyle.

Attention to environmental issues is growing in our educative

and pastoral communities,, but an integral and systematic plan

is often lacking; for this reason, initiatives risk being short-lived

and do not affect the change of mentality. We appreciate the

various proposals for formation in this area already to be found

in the Congregation but we recognise the need to better

understand the paradigm shift that the assumption of integral

ecology entails.

65. The socio-political dimension of Salesian education needs

to be revitalised. Our presence has grown in the social, political

and ecclesial arenas where decisions that influence the lives of

young people are made through our representatives in

international institutions and bodies. However, we are not yet

sufficiently committed to helping young people in socio-political

commitment, offering them an adequate formation according to

the social doctrine of the Church.

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Interpretation

66. The experiences of sharing life with young people, in

addition to reflecting on what Don Bosco did in Valdocco, also

constitute a response to the request made in the Synod for young

people to offer “a time destined for the maturation of adult

Christian life.” This proposal should be built around at least three

indispensable cornerstones: “an experience of fraternal life shared

with adult formators that is essential, simple and respectful of the

common home; a firm apostolic programme for living together; an

offer of spirituality rooted in prayer and sacramental life” (XV

ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS, Young

People, The Faith And Vocational Discernment, Final Document

161).

67. Faced with the uncontrolled activity of the human being

that risks destroying nature, “The urgent challenge to protect our

common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family

together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we

know that things can change.” (FRANCIS, Laudato Si’ 13). The cry

expressed in the Encyclical Laudato Si’ challenges us as educators

and pastors of young people. If, in the 23rd General Chapter, we

described our educational activity through the three nodes of

education to moral conscience, love and the social dimension of

charity, the time has come for us to also integrate the dimension

of ecological spirituality. This novelty demands “the development

of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life” (Ibid. 202).

An ecology that is truly “integral” must clearly involve “the

human and social dimensions” (Ibid. 137) not considered

separately but in the ways they interact: this is the sense in

which we can speak of a social ecology (Ibid. 142). In fact, there

will be no new relationship with nature without a new human

being, in the light of biblical anthropology. In short, it is a matter

of “continuing to make all this reality the object of reflection and

practical decisions in every presence, combining the pastoral,

formative, social, economic and environmental dimensions” (A.F.

ARTIME, Report of the Rector Major to GC29, 27).

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68. We recognise that the digital world is not just a tool but a

culture that shapes the way young people interact, learn, and shape

their identity. While on the one hand it offers educational

opportunities, global connections and religious content, on the other

it exposes young people to misinformation, cyberbullying, and

addictive behaviours that weaken relationships. Without adequate

formation, we risk leaving young people to face these challenges

alone. Pope Francis’ appeal in the Encyclical Laudato Si’ to ecological

responsibility extends to the digital world, which, like the natural

environment, is polluted by misinformation and ethical neglect. A

solid biblical, theological and charismatic and technical preparation

is necessary so we can commit ourselves not only to using digital

spaces, but to transforming them as much as possible into places of

truth, authentic encounter and evangelisation. However, an

inadequate approach can also lead to less pastoral depth, superficial

interactions and neglect of community and prayer life. Without

discipline, digital engagement can gradually shift priorities, distract

from the core mission, and dilute the essence of Salesian identity.

Choice

69. In light of our listening and interpretation, we choose to

BE PRESENT IN THE NEW FRONTIERS OF THE MISSION:

THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT, INTEGRAL ECOLOGY,

THE NEW EXPRESSIONS OF THE CHARISM.

This choice implies concrete commitments for the confreres,

the communities, the provinces and the central government of

the Congregation, which we exemplify below.

– Let the Community

a. conduct a study on emerging forms of poverty in its

neighbourhood, setting up concrete action plans with its

educative and pastoral community to address them;

b. consider accessing renewable energy where possible.

– Let the Province

c. plan for the specialisation of Salesians and lay people to

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58 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

address the new emerging challenges for the Salesian mission

(artificial intelligence, inter-religious dialogue, bioethics,

migrants, refugees, safeguarding, etc.);

d. promote works for young people in situations of hardship

and marginalisation, including with the laity and with groups of

the Salesian Family;

e. study a concrete plan for communities more open to young

people, inviting them to share community life, including from a

vocational perspective;

f. experiment with new forms of community with the

Salesian Family, families, young people, and ensure the

verification and continuity of innovative experiences already in

place;

g. promote formation in integral ecology, ecological education

of young people and presence in the digital world as an

evangelising witness and educating action.

– Let the Rector Major with his Council

h. offer the provinces guidelines, through the Formation,

Youth Ministry and Social Communication Sectors, for formation

and activity for their presence in the digital world;

i. develop guidelines, through the Formation and Youth

Ministry Sectors, for socio-political, ecological and financial

education in Salesian institutions;

j. promote a platform to share best practices in integral

ecology, digital evangelisation and responses to the new forms of

poverty present in the Congregation;

k. promote collaboration between provinces for a better

accompaniment of young migrants and displaced persons;

l. strengthen our institutional presence in civil and ecclesial

bodies, as well as in government institutions at all levels

(international, national, regional and local) to promote advocacy

on behalf of the poorest young people.

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CORE AREA 3

A COURAGEOUS REVIEW AND RE-PLANNING

OF THE CONGREGATION’S GOVERNANCE

AT ALL LEVELS

Here are the 23 resolutions of GC29 sorted by subject.

A - Changes to the Constitutions

RESOLUTION NO. 1

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the advisability of assigning the vice-

provincial a primary, non-discretionary task;

– having regard to the practice in use in several provinces of

entrusting the care of life and religious discipline to the vice-

provincial;

– having taken into account that religious discipline at world

level is entrusted to the Vicar of the Rector Major;

– in order to allow the provincial to maintain the typical paternal

profile of his figure in our tradition,

RESOLVES

to amend Article 168 of the Constitutions, inserting after the

words “as also in those matters specially entrusted to him” the

words: “The care of life and religious discipline is ordinarily

entrusted to him.”

RESOLUTION NO. 2

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered that in the 28th General Chapter the

Juridical Commission had already begun a reflection, with the

help of experts, on art. 187 of the Constitutions;

– having considered that the wording used in §2 of this article

(“Acquiring and holding real estate with the sole object of

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60 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

producing income and every other kind of permanent interest-

bearing investment is forbidden”) is given different

interpretations and does not correspond to current needs;

– having considered that income-generating activities, ethically

lawful and with a clear allocation of profits, have been considered

legitimate both in the past and in the present, without this

having generated scandal or constituted grounds for any counter-

witness to institutional poverty;

– considering that C. 187 does not forbid provinces from

promoting income-generating activities;

– considering that C. 188 no. 3 allows for the acceptance of

inheritances, legacies, or donations upon payment, and that this

may entail restrictions on the use of the proceeds, as established

by the donor, such as requiring, for example, the preservation of

the real estate received;

– considering that C. 188 no. 4 allows the establishment of

life annuities, charities, foundations that must - by statute - be

endowed with their own stable assets; having considered that

works that are not self-sufficient from a financial point of view,

such as social works, formation houses, houses for the elderly,

need stable sources of livelihood;

– without prejudice to the forbidding of speculative real estate

or financial transactions,

RESOLVES

to amend Article 187 of the Constitutions, removing the words

“are directly useful for works. Acquiring and holding real estate

with the sole object of producing income and every other kind of

permanent interest-bearing investment is forbidden except in the

cases referred to in article 188 of the Constitutions”, replacing

them with the words “are directly useful for the purposes

provided for by the Constitutions. The use of purely speculative

real estate or financial transactions is forbidden.”

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 61

RESOLUTION NO. 3

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the transformation in the notion of mission

linked to specific territories;

– having noted the fact that countries who once received

missionaries today send confreres to countries evangelised a long

time ago;

RESOLVES

to amend Article 30 of the Constitutions, removing the words

“were the special object of” and replacing them with the words

“were always the object of” and adding after the words “founding

the Church within a group of people” the words “and revitalizing

the faith, including in countries of ancient Christian tradition.”

B - Changes to the General Regulations

RESOLUTION NO. 4

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the request of various Chapter commissions;

– having noted the decrease in the number of confreres;

– having recognised the difficulty in some provinces in founding

new communities with six confreres;

– having seen increased the need to give juridical substance to

existing small communities,

RESOLVES

to amend Article 150 of the Regulations, removing the words

“The number of confreres in a house shall normally not be fewer

than six” and replacing them with the words “The number of

confreres with perpetual vows in a house will be no fewer

than four”.

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62 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

RESOLUTION NO. 5

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered that in various provinces works and services

have been developed for young people in situations of

vulnerability or exclusion;

– believing that these works correspond to the nature of our

charism;

– having considered that in chapter III of the Regulations there

is no specific reference to these works;

– in order to institutionally recognise its importance and specific

nature,

RESOLVES

to add to the Regulations after no. 14, a new article formulated

as follows:

“We also carry out our mission in works and services for young

people in situations of vulnerability or exclusion to respond to

problems arising from social injustice, the violation of human

rights, financial, emotional and spiritual poverty. Through

specific educative and pastoral proposals and projects we work

to help those to whom we are sent discover their dignity as

children of God and enable them to participate fully in the life of

society and the church. Each province, attentive to everything

that generates poverty and exclusion, offers specific settings and

services, collaborates with other organisations in the promotion

of the common good, and carries out actions that have an impact

on youth policies.”

RESOLUTION NO. 6

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the distinction between the economer of the

religious house and the administrator of the work;

– having considered that in some cases both tasks are carried

out by a confrere, while in others the administration of the work

is entrusted to a layperson;

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 63

– having considered that this assignment is not reflected in the

Regulations,

RESOLVES

to amend Article 190 of the Regulations – “The formulation of

detailed rules of administration at provincial and local levels is

left to provincial chapters. In particular, directives will be given:”

– adding point 4a with the following wording: “on the role and

duties of the lay administrator of the work, where applicable.”

RESOLUTION NO. 7

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the special role of the rector in the

community and the work;

– considering that Article 176 of the Constitutions establishes

that the rector is “first in order of responsibility for its religious

life, its apostolic activities and the administration of its goods”;

– having considered that the Constitutions provide for a clear

distinction between the role of the rector, who presides over the

Council, and the economer who is a member of it (cf. C 178-179);

– considering that Article 184 of the Constitutions states that

“The economer is the one immediately responsible for the

administration of the temporal goods of the religious house, in

dependence on the rector with his council”;

– in order to ensure that he “should keep himself free from

commitments which could interfere with his fundamental duties

of service to the confrere” (R 172);

– in order to ensure greater transparency and shared

responsibility,

RESOLVES

to add to Article 172 of the Regulations after the words “to the

confreres” the words “He shall not hold the office of economer”.

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64 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

RESOLUTION NO. 8

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the reduction in the number of confreres in

some provinces;

– in order to keep the role and duties of the economer distinct

from those of the rector;

– in order to ensure transparency and shared responsibility,

RESOLVES

to remove from Article 182 of the Regulations The words

“Ordinarily, however, the office of vice-rector should not be

combined with that of economer”.

RESOLUTION NO. 9

The 29th General Chapter

in line with the reflection of the Congregation expressed in the

General Chapters and in the magisterium of the Rector Major on

the animating nucleus of the educative and pastoral community,

RESOLVES

to amend Article 5 of the Regulations by replacing the words

“whose animating nucleus is the Salesian community” with the

words “whose animating nucleus is made up of a group of people

who identify with the ecclesial mission, Don Bosco’s educational

system and his spirituality. Its charismatic point of reference is

the Salesian community.”

C – Resolutions on the Configuration of the Regions

RESOLUTION NO. 10

The 29th General Chapter

– having taken note of the rapid growth in the number of confreres,

works and pastoral fronts of the provinces of Africa-Madagascar;

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 65

– having taken note of the request from the provincials of the

Region;

– having considered the geographical extent of the Region and

its cultural and linguistic diversity;

– having regard to the unanimous proposal of the Chapter

commissions;

– in order to allow a better accompaniment of the provinces and

confreres by the Regional

RESOLVES

to establish a second region in Africa-Madagascar, in accordance

with Art. 154 of the Constitutions;

RESOLUTION NO. 11

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the resolution with which a second Region

was established in Africa-Madagascar, pursuant to art. 154 of the

Constitutions;

– having considered that the establishment of groups of

provinces is the responsibility of the General Chapter, in

accordance with Art. 154 of the Constitutions;

– having regard to the proposal of the members of the Chapter

from Africa and Madagascar;

ESTABLISHES

the following two groups of circumscriptions:

– EAST and SOUTH AFRICA REGION including the AFE,

AGL, ANG, TZA provinces and the AET, AFM, MDG, MOZ, ZMB

vice-provinces;

– CENTRAL and WEST AFRICA REGION including the AFC,

AON, AOS, ANN and ACC, ATE provinces.

RESOLUTION NO. 12

The 29th General Chapter

– having regard to the request of the Provincial Chapter of Croatia;

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66 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

– taking into account that this request could not be dealt with

in GC28;

– having considered the geographical proximity and cultural

affinity with the Mediterranean Region;

– having considered that for many years the initial fprmation

of the confreres of the province has taken place in the

Mediterranean Region,

RESOLVES

that the St John Bosco Province of Croatia be transferred from

the Central and North Europe Region to the Mediterranean

Region, in accordance with Art. 154 of the Constitutions;

D – Resolutions for the Rector Major with his Council

RESOLUTION NO. 13

The 29th General Chapter

– having taken note of the complexity of the governance of the

Congregation;

– having taken note of the indications of Art. 107 of the

Regulations;

– in order to promote a more agile and unified government

action;

– in order to avoid overlapping initiatives and facilitate their

implementation in the provinces;

– in order to promote a planning culture that improves the

processes envisaged in the Directory of the General Council,

ASKS

the Rector Major with his Council to promote a more effective

coordination of the Sector Councillors among themselves and

with the Regional Councillors, and to implement a system of

periodic evaluation of central government.

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 67

RESOLUTION NO. 14

The 29th General Chapter

– having taken note of the numerous tasks entrusted to the

Regional Councillor in Art. 140 of the Constitutions, articles 135-

140 of the Regulations, and in numbers 119-136 of the Directory

of the General Council.

– having considered the difficulty of reconciling the

accompaniment of provincials, provinces, interprovincial bodies

and Curatoriums of formation houses, together with the regular

conduct of extraordinary visitations,

ASKS

the Rector Major with his Council to review the priorities and

methods of implementation of the tasks of the Regional

Councillor to better implement what is required in Art. 140 of

the Constitutions, in articles 135-140 of the Regulations, and in

numbers 119-136 of the Directory of the General Council.

RESOLUTION NO. 15

The 29th General Chapter

– having taken note of the numerous tasks entrusted to the

Regional Councillor in Art. 140 of the Constitutions, articles 135-

140 of the Regulations, and in numbers 119-136 of the Directory

of the General Council.

– having considered the geographical extent of the Regions and

their linguistic and cultural diversity;

– in order to allow the Regional Councillor to focus on the priorities

of his office,

ASKS

the Rector Major with his Council to guarantee the Regional

Councillors adequate personnel to support their service.

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68 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

RESOLUTION NO. 16

The 29th General Chapter

– having noted the decrease in the number of confreres in

Europe;

– taking into account the need to ensure joint initial and ongoing

formation processes;

– taking into account the need to reshape the Salesian presence

in the Continent;

– in order to promote coordination in the study of problems and

in the development of projects,

ASKS

that the Rector Major with his Council develop a renewed

reflection on the common challenges that the Congregation faces

today in Europe and on synergy between the two Regions.

RESOLUTION NO. 17

The 29th General Chapter

– having noted the increase in formation centres and

interprovincial study centres;

– having noted the difficulty in specifying the nature and tasks

of the Curatorium and in defining who is responsible for chairing

and coordinating decision-making processes;

– having acknowledged the difficulty in identifying criteria for

the recruitment, preparation and management of staff in

formation houses and study centres,

ASKS

the Rector Major, with his Council, to specify

– the nature and tasks of the Curatorium,

– presidency and decision-making responsibilities,

– the role of the Regional Councillor, the Formation Councillor,

the local provincial and the other provincials concerned,

– criteria for finding, preparing and managing the staff of

formation houses and study centres.

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 69

RESOLUTION NO. 18

The 29th General Chapter

– having noted the absence of regulatory legislation regarding

the Team Visit;

– having noted that, according to current practice, the main

purpose of the Team Visit is to check on the implementation of

the General Chapter in the Region;

– having considered that it is a privileged and strategic moment

of unity, participation and shared responsibility (see C 123);

– having regard to the request of the Chapter commissions for a

greater impact of the Visit and that more effective forms of

collaboration be defined within the Region;

– to encourage the greatest possible interaction between the

central government and the government of the provinces,

ASKS

the Rector Major, with his Council, to review the methodology of

the Team Visit, so as to ensure:

– adequate preparation involving the Provincials with their

councils,

– an active participation in synodal style,

– mutual listening on specific issues of the Region,

– evaluation of interprovincial bodies and regional centres.

RESOLUTION NO. 19

The 29th General Chapter

– having taken note of the multiplicity of tasks assigned to the

Regional Councillor;

– having taken note of the possibilities provided for in Art. 104

of the Regulations;

– in continuity with the request already made in the 28th

General Chapter,

ASKS

the Rector Major, with his Council, to establish the times and

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70 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

ways for carrying out extraordinary visitations in each region in

accordance with Art. 104 of the Regulations, so as to ensure, in

any case:

– the possibility for each confrere to have a personal chat with

the Visitor;

– that the Visitor has the opportunity to gain in-depth

knowledge of the context in which the province carries out its

mission;

– that the Regional Councillor has the possibility of being present

at certain times of the visit, if carried out by another Visitor;

– that there is communication between the Visitor and the

Regional Councillor to ensure further accompaniment by the

Regional Councillor after the visitation;

– that there is adequate time for the Regional Councillor to carry

out the tasks of his office at the service of the region and the

individual provinces (see C 140 and 154; R. 135-137).

RESOLUTION NO. 20

The 29th General Chapter

– considering that the Rescriptum ex audientia Ss.mi of the Holy

Father Francis of 18 May 2022, granted the Supreme Moderator

of an Institute of Clerical Consecrated Life of pontifical right the

power to appoint, with the consent of his council, a non-clerical

member as local Superior,

– having considered the variety of positions expressed in the rich

Chapter debate,

ASKS

the Rector Major to avail himself of the aforementioned

possibility ad experimentum for the next six years and to commit

the next General Chapter, after a serious historical, theological,

charismatic, pastoral and juridical in-depth study, to express view

concerning the potential change to articles relating to the rector

in the Constitutions, Regulations, and consequently in the other

documents of the Congregation (“Animating and Governing the

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 71

Community. The Ministry of the Salesian Rector”, Ratio

institutionis et studiorum, other animation and governance

documents in force).

RESOLUTION NO. 21

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the variety of current experiences and the

complexity of the subject,

ASKS

the Rector Major, with his Council, to draw up guidelines on

the relationship between the local Council and the Council of the

educative and pastoral community, with regard to the governance

of the work.

E – Deliberations for Provincials, Provincial Councils

and Provincial Chapters

RESOLUTION NO. 22

The 29th General Chapter

– having considered the need to consolidate a culture and policy

at the institutional level for the protection of minors and

vulnerable people in each province;

– having considered the need to have a group of competent and

up-to-date people on the development of legislation in this area;

– having regard to the experience gained in various provinces;

– in order to guarantee a system of security for minors and

vulnerable persons in compliance with civil and ecclesiastical

laws,

RESOLVES

that a Commission for the protection and safeguarding of minors

and vulnerable persons be set up in every province.

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72 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

RESOLUTION NO. 23

The 29th General Chapter

– in light of what is stated in no. 34 of the Chapter Document:

“The determination to guarantee a safe environment for all those

who frequent our works encourages us to intensify our formation

efforts for our confreres, lay people and young people themselves,

in order to avoid any kind of abuse, harassment or inappropriate

behaviour.”

– in continuity with the resolution that asked each province to

establish a Commission for the Protection and Safeguarding of

Minors and Vulnerable Persons;

– in accordance with the Preventive System that Don Bosco

passed on to us as the most precious legacy of our charism,

RESOLVES

that every province

– continue the commitment undertaken to guarantee safe

environments for minors and vulnerable persons, complying with

canonical legislation, directives issued by Episcopal Conferences

and collaborating with civil authorities, in compliance with the

legislation of individual countries;

– value the best practices tried out in other provinces and be

eager to share their own;

– include its approach (policy) in the Provincial Directory for the

protection of minors and vulnerable persons;

– make it known to all those who collaborate in any capacity in

their works and services; prepare adequate formation; require

compliance with them and periodically evaluate their

implementation;

– provide in particular within the policy, reporting procedures,

the kinds of support for those who declare they have been abused,

and appropriate communication methods;

– promote restorative justice pathways.

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APPENDICES

MESSAGE FROM THE HOLY FATHER

to those taking part in the 29th General

Chapter of the Salesian Congregation

16 February – 12 April 2025

Dear brothers,

Unfortunately, since I am not able to meet you, I am sending

you this message on the occasion of the 29th General Chapter of

the Salesian Congregation, as well as for the 150th anniversary

of Don Bosco’s first missionary expedition to Argentina. I greet

the new Rector Major, Fr Fabio Attard, wishing him every success

in his work, and I thank Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime for

the service he has rendered in recent years to the Institute and

which he now offers to the universal Church.

Although from a distance, I would like to encourage you

experience this time of listening to the Spirit and synodal

discernment with confidence and commitment.

As the theme for your work you chose the motto, “Salesians,

passionate about Jesus Christ and dedicated to young people”.

This is a beautiful programme: being “passionate” and “dedicated”,

allowing yourself to be fully involved in love for the Lord and

serving others without keeping anything for yourself, just as your

Founder did in his time. Even if today, compared to then, the

challenges you have to face have altered somewhat, faith and

enthusiasm remain the same, enriched with new gifts such as

the gift of interculturalism.

Dear brothers, I thank you for the good you do all around the

world and I encourage you to continue with perseverance. I

wholeheartedly bless you and your Chapter work, as well as the

confreres scattered across the five continents, and I kindly ask you

to pray for me. May Mary Help of Christians always accompany you.

Francis

From the Vatican, 2 April 2025

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74 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

SOCIETY OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES

29th General Chapter, 2025

PASSIONATE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST,

DEDICATED TO YOUNG PEOPLE

Message to Chapter members

THE DISCIPLES OF EMMAUS: Lk 24:13-35

13Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus,

about seven mile from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all

these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing,

Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept

from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing

with each other while you walk along?’. They stood still, looking sad.

18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the

only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken

place there in these days?’. 19He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied,

‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth,[c] who was a prophet mighty in deed

and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and

leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But

we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all

this, it is now the third day since these things took place 22Moreover, some

women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this

morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and

told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was

alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just

as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ 25Then he said to them,

‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the

prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should

suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’. 27Then beginning with

Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself

in all the scriptures.

28As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead

as if he were going on. 29But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with

us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went

in to stay with them. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread,

blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened,

and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They said to

each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to

us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ 33That samehour

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 75

they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their

companions gathered together. 34They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen

indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ 35Then they told what had

happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the

breaking of the bread.

Dear Brothers, dear Sisters,

At the opening of the 29th General Chapter of the Salesians

of Don Bosco I suggest we allow ourselves to be enlightened by

the biblical icon of the Disciples of Emmaus (Lk 24:13 -35), and

allow it introduce us to the art of discernment which can

transform our lifestyle in an increasingly evangelical sense and

which is expressed in a more evident and important way in

moments and paths of particular importance for a family of

consecrated persons, such as that of a General Chapter.

Before being indicated as a paradigm of the process of

Conversation in the Spirit, a fruitful methodological tool used by

the Synod on Synodality 2021-20241 for common discernment,

the passage from Luke’s Gospel was a source of inspiration and

enlightenment for the Synod on “Young People, the Faith and

Vocational Discernment”, which took place in 2018. The example

of the Disciples of Emmaus, according to Christus Vivit, can also

be a model of what happens in youth ministry, as a “slow,

respectful, patient, trusting, tireless, compassionate process”.2

The scene presents us with a journey together. In fact, two

kinds of journey together on that first day after the Sabbath.3

There is a journey together along the road that leads away from

Jerusalem, away from the community, away from the painful and

tiring experience of Friday and Saturday, away from the Cross.

1 Cf. XVI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS, For a

Synodal Church: communion, participation, mission. Instrumentum Laboris

for the first session, Rome October 2023, no. 36.

2 FRANCIS, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit, Loreto 25

March 2019, no. 236.

3 Cf. FRANCIS, Regina Caeli, 26 April 2020.

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76 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

It is a journey of geographical and inner descent, legs and hearts

heavy with disappointment, mourning, bitterness, defeat, the

pace punctuated by a myopic conversation that leaves them

looking sad: “We had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel...”

And there is another journey together, one of return, late at

night, towards Jerusalem, towards the community, towards life.

Darkness all around, uphill road but legs flying, joyous sparkling

eyes and hearts inflamed by an encounter that frees the inner

senses, opens them to the Light and arouses an uncontrollable

urge to communicate it to others.

And between these two journeys, in fact, there is an encounter.

The two travellers become three. The third approaches the two, in

their daytime progress on the road that leads away from life. He

does not impose a change of course but comes up close, goes down

with them and in them, listens, until the relational space opens up

to a question: “What are you discussing with each other while you

walk along?”

It is the possibility of freeing the heart from the pain that

weighs it down, which prevents sight despite it being daytime.

The road now flows quickly under their feet, the journey away

from Jerusalem reaches its destination, but their hearts, now

inflamed, release their desire in a warm, insistent invitation:

‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now

nearly over.’ God enters, and remains there. He stays right there,

with them, away from Jerusalem. In that very place, far away,

the two disciples realise they have been reached, sought after,

comforted, nourished, and healed by Jesus who went down with

them in their suffering, in their affliction, a ta time they were

running away. Restored by the Broken Bread, freed from the

darkness of the heart, they no longer fear the night outside: Jesus

is now within them, an inner presence, and the mission urges

them on! Urges them to return to Jerusalem immediately, to the

community of disciples. Urges communion, to gather, meet, find

each other again, to journey together and to let everyone know

that the night is now bright.

There is a journeying together that is far from God, introverted,

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self-referential, closed to the light, mulling over our burdens, our

labours and our illnesses together, prisoners of desolation. It is a

journeying together that extinguishes the inner senses, that makes

the heart unable to recognise the good, oppressed by a pain that

degenerates into evil, a contagious, infectious evil. Yes, there is a

journeying together, an alliance, a solidarity in evil, a ‘sick

synodality’, folded in on itself, which produces a regressive

movement, far from life, from Love, from God.

And there is a journey together towards God, a missionary

journey, an outgoing one, “hearts on fire, feet on the move”,4

which can be tiring, at night, but is driven by the joy of an

encounter that puts wings on our feet and heart, that frees, heals,

captivates, sets alight our desire to be with Jesus, to welcome

him within ourselves, to be his, to also become broken bread, to

share it with others, with everyone. This is Christian synodality,

which is missionary.

“Jesus walks with two disciples who did not grasp the

meaning of all that happened to him, and are leaving Jerusalem

and the community behind. Wanting to accompany them, he joins

them on the way. He asks them questions and listens patiently

to their version of events, and in this way he helps them

recognize what they were experiencing. Then, with affection and

power, he proclaims the word to them, leading them to interpret

the events they had experienced in the light of the Scriptures.

He accepts their invitation to stay with them as evening falls; he

enters into their night. As they listen to him speak, their hearts

burn within them and their minds are opened; they then

recognize him in the breaking of the bread. They themselves

choose to resume their journey at once in the opposite direction,

to return to the community and to share the experience of their

encounter with the risen Lord.”5

4 Cf. FRANCIS, Cuori ardenti, piedi in cammino, Message for the 97th

World Mission Day 2023, Rome 6 January 2023.

5 FRANCIS, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit, Loreto 25

March 2019, no. 237.

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The verbs stressed by Pope Francis identify the main steps of

a process of discernment. ‘Discernment commits those who

participate in it at a personal level and all participating together

at a community level to cultivate dispositions of inner freedom,

being open to newness and trusting surrender to God’s will in

order to listen to one another so as to hear “what the Spirit is

saying to the Churches” (Rev. 2:7).6

In the light of the icon of Emmaus, I ask with you in prayer

for the grace of a true, deep, active listening that leads you to

recognise the movement of the Spirit in your heart, in the

Confreres, in the Assembly. In the Chapter, let the flame of the

charism shine brightly and ardently! Let this flame warm your

hearts so that you can revisit your vocational life in creative

fidelity to the gift received through St John Bosco, and may it

make you increasingly passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated

to young people.

Sr Simona Brambilla, MC

Turin, 16 February 2025

6 XVI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS, How to be

a Synodal missionary Church. Instrumentum Laboris for the second session

(October 2024), 59.

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Address by the Vicar of the Rector Major

Fr Stefano Martoglio at the opening of GC29

Some words of greeting and welcome

Most Reverend Sister Simona Brambilla,

Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and

Societies of Apostolic Life

Your Excellencies, Salesian Archbishops and Bishops

Dear Mother Chiara Cazzuola,

Superior General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help

of Christians

Dear Leaders of Salesian Family Groups,

Mr Mayor and esteemed Civil Authorities

of the City of Turin and the Piedmont Region

Military authorities

On behalf of all the Chapter members, I would like to thank

you for your presence and availability, as you seek to accompany

the day of the official opening of the 29th General Chapter of the

Society of Saint Francis of Sales (Salesians of Don Bosco) in this

meaningful way.

Feeling that we are supported by each of you honours us and

reminds us of the responsibility we have before the Church, the

Salesian Family and especially before Don Bosco’s Congregation.

All this encourages us to start work with a prophetic and hopeful

outlook.

At the same time, I officially welcome the Chapter confreres

from all the juridical circumscriptions of the Congregation:

provincials, superiors of vice-provinces, provincial delegates,

observers and guests.

Each of you is essential. In the light of the vision of faith that

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everyone carries in their heart, we are aware of one fact: it is the Lord

who has gathered us here, through the “mysterious” ways of

Providence, to experience a very important event. We find

confirmation of this in the words of Don Bosco himself, words he

spoke at the first General Chapter of our Congregation: “We now

begin our first general chapter... It is of extreme importance for our

Congregation.”1

Well then, today too we are called to a very special task and

what will emerge in listening to the Spirit as the result of our

GC29 will be of the utmost importance for our Congregation. We

all profoundly believe this.

The right attitude of all of us will undoubtedly be decisive for

the results of this Chapter Assembly.

1. The GC29 of the Society of St Francis de Sales

Don Bosco convened the first General Chapter on 5

September 1877 in Lanzo Torinese. There were twenty-three

participants and the Chapter lasted three full days.

Other General Chapters followed, some of them right here in

Valdocco. Therefore, it is no small matter to be celebrating a

General Chapter in one or other place. Certainly, here in the “cradle

of the charism” we have the opportunity to rediscover our origins

and rediscover the originality that constitutes the heart of our

identity as consecrated persons and apostles of young people.

Therefore, we entrust ourselves to the Lord and his Holy

Spirit who continues to assist our Congregation. Let us allow

ourselves to be guided by Mary Help of Christians, who

“continues to do everything”, listening to the appeal that Don

Bosco addresses to us in this holy Salesian place.

At the opening of the first General Chapter, Don Bosco said

to our confreres: “Our Divine Savior tells us in the Gospel that

where two or three are gathered in His name He will be there

1 BM XIII, 183.

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among them. Our sessions have no other purpose than God’s

greater glory and the salvation of souls, redeemed by the precious

blood of Jesus Christ.”2 We can therefore be sure that the Lord

will be among us and that he will conduct things in such a way

that everyone will feel comfortable.

It is with the same conviction and with the same outlook of

faith that I have wanted to highlight Don Bosco’s words: they

are words that surpass us and remind us of the continuity of

vision and journey in fidelity to God and to Don Bosco.

We read in our Constitutions: “The General Chapter is the

principal sign of the Congregation’s unity in diversity. It is the

fraternal meeting in which Salesians carry out a communal

reflection to keep themselves faithful to the gospel and to the

charism of the Founder and sensitive to the needs of time and place.

Through the General Chapter the entire Society, opening

itself to the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord, seeks to discern

God’s will at a specific moment in history for the purpose of

rendering the Church better service.”3 This is what we are all

called to do and experience.

It is with this spirit of faith that we want and must face up to

the important task that the entire Congregation entrusts to us

in this GC29.

2. Theme and goal of GC29

The Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, through his

letter of 24 September 2023, convened the 29th General Chapter

noting that the chosen theme had been identified by the General

Council after an appropriate and widespread consultation of the

provinces around the world, receiving a large number of

contributions from them.

Despite the fact that the time for convocation and preparation

2 BM XIII, 183.

3 C 146.

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were hastened, the Rector Major noted the profound motivation

and great commitment on the part of the entire Congregation in

this process.

It has been an unforeseen and unpredictable “five-year

period”, given everything that has happened, and my heartfelt

thanks go to the confreres of the Council and to all of you for

having been able to cope with what has happened in recent years

and that has brought us here.

The theme for reflection, which we all know, which we have

prepared for in the Provincial Chapters and which we are called

to further explore over these weeks, is as follows:

“Passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated to young people”

Living our Salesian vocation

faithfully and prophetically

and it is developed in three core areas:

– Animation and care of the true life of each Salesian

– Salesians, Salesian Family and lay people together “with” and

“for” young people

– A courageous review and re-planning of the Congregation’s

governance at all levels,

In the proposed theme, the centrality and primacy of God is

evident. It is in this that we find the energy and motivation for

dedication to the mission to the young, together with the members

of the Salesian Family, the laity and the young people themselves.

Even the reference to the revision of our model of governance

model is not something juxtaposed, but is part of the path that,

in fidelity to our tradition and with an open look to the future,

will enable us to better operate in the field of our mission as

educators and pastors. It is an important and courageous point

of obedience to reality.

Finally, the subtitle captures the current concern, both in

religious life in general and in our consecrated life in particular,

of the specific characteristic of religious life that is configured as

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“prophetic”. The journey that the Church is making under the

guidance of Pope Francis urges us to be faithful to God and

prophetic in our openness to the poverty of the world, according

to the heart of Don Bosco.

As mentioned, this is the result of the work carried out by the

General Council in tune and together with with the rich and

convergent response received from the provinces in the summer

2023 consultation.

2.1. Motivation for choosing the theme

With the theme proposed for GC29 we believe that the

Congregation can concretely highlight the efforts and

shortcomings which, instead of launching us forward on the path

of fidelity to the Lord and in the prophetic witness of our lives,

slow us down, limit us, make us or can make us unable to seize

the many opportunities that the current context presents.

There are many positive things in the life of the majority of

the confreres, of the provinces and of the Congregation, but this

is not enough and cannot serve as a “consolation”, because the

cry of the world, the great and new forms of poverty, the daily

struggle of so many people – not only poor but also simple and

hardworking people – rises strongly as a request for help. These

are all questions that should challenge and unsettle us, instead

of letting us remain undisturbed. These are all questions that

require personal and institutional responses from us.

With the help of the provinces through consultation, we believe

we have identified the main reasons for concern on the one hand,

and on the other the signs of vitality of our Congregation, always

expressed through the specific cultural traits of each context.

During the Chapter we propose to focus on what it means

for us to be Salesians truly passionate about Jesus Christ,

because without this, while we will offer good services, will do

good to people, will help, we will not leave a deep trace. Our

identity as consecrated religious is at the heart of our being here.

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The words of the gospel, “Jesus called those he wanted to be

with him and sent them out to preach” (Mk 3:14-15), tell us that

Jesus chooses and calls those he wants. We are among them. The

Kingdom of God is present and those first Twelve are an example

and a model for us and for our communities.

The Twelve are ordinary people with strengths and

weaknesses; they do not form a community of the pure or even a

simple group of friends.

At the time of our profession we opted for a true company of

Jesus, totally involved in a person-to-person relationship. It is

precisely this involvement with Jesus that urges us towards

young people.

Jesus’ mission continues and is visible in the world today also

through us, whom he has sent. We are consecrated to build broad

areas of light for today’s world, to be prophets. We have been

consecrated by God and placed in the following of his beloved Son

Jesus, to truly live as conquered by God.

Therefore, once again the essential is played out in the fidelity

of the Congregation to the Holy Spirit, living, with the spirit of

Don Bosco, a Salesian consecrated life centred on Jesus Christ.

If this is missing – and sometimes it is missing – we can offer

services, have schools and vocational training centres, oratories

and youth centres, reception homes for young people..., but if the

essential thing is missing, namely our belonging to the Lord

Jesus, we do not honour the mission received. Therefore, the call

to fidelity to our consecrated identity constantly returns.

Several voices in the Congregation ask to address this reality

of consecrated life and our way of living in the Lord with and for

young people, especially the poorest. It is clear that greater

authenticity is sought and desired.

And there is a strong desire and expectation that this is to be

a courageous General Chapter in which things are said, without

getting lost in correct, well-packaged sentences but ones which

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do not touch on life. There is a strong desire to give a boost to

the future of the Congregation.

In general, the confreres desire a Congregation that is faithful

to the Lord and to Don Bosco. One in which all of us, as Salesians

of Don Bosco, have this intense passion for God and for the

mission to the young.

It hurts a lot when we realise that we are not living like this,

when there are varying paces in the journey of dedication and

the gospel’s radical approach, and when the “grace of unity” is

not lived in its entirety but reduced to intimism or activism.

This is what is at stake in GC29, provoked also – dare I say it

– by the Spirit of God through many mediations including, first

and foremost, the Holy Father himself with his decisions.

Dear confreres, I would like to recall one aspect that surely

many of you have perceived. I am referring to continuity and

harmony with the experience of GC28. In fact, the theme focuses

strongly on our Salesian consecrated identity, with a true desire

to grow in fidelity and in the prophetic value of our life, as well

as focusing on the mission shared with the laity and the Salesian

Family, always carrying the young people and their families in

our heart, who are so often poor and troubled.

There is continuity also in reference to issues concerning the

animation and governance of the Congregation that were not

dealt with previously. I can assure you that almost all the

provinces have asked to dedicate time in the Chapter Assembly

– since it was impossible to do so in the previous one – to

investigate these essential and vital situations.

Let me pick up on what has been said thus far, looking at the

three core areas.

– Animation and care for the true life of each Salesian:

as believers conquered by God, we fix our gaze on Jesus and

are consecrated to him. This is safeguarded in each of us,

every day, in caring for our own vocation and that of others,

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in faithfulness to God and to ourselves.

It is important to be faithful to God, as a community, living

the experience of God together in a simple, concrete and

evangelical fraternity.

It is a journey that accompanies our whole life without ever

being interrupted: from initial formation to the final encounter

with the Lord.

Our fraternity, open to the poverty of the world, makes us

human and attentive to everyone, starting with the poorest and

most excluded.

“Rekindle the gift of God that is within you” (2 Tim 1:6)

– Salesians, Salesian Family and lay people together

“with” and “for” young people: we are called to complete,

in continuity, the reflection of GC28 and grow in the shared

mission.

Apostolic vitality, as spiritual vitality, is a commitment to older

youth, youngsters caught up in the most varied forms of poverty.

Therefore we cannot stop at offering educational services alone.

The Lord calls us to educate by evangelising, bringing his

presence and accompanying life with opportunities for the future.

We are called to seek new models of presence, new expressions

of the Salesian charism in the name of God. This is done in

communion with young people and the world, through “an

integral ecology”, in the formation of a digital culture in the

worlds inhabited by young people and adults.

We must therefore be careful to develop a model of

economically sustainable goods, without excluding the poor.

“One heart and soul” (Acts 4:32)

– A courageous review and re-shaping of the

governance of the Congregation at all levels: obedience

to reality requires us to be concrete, to look at and evaluate

the forms of animation and governance of the Congregation,

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to evaluate and verify whether they are adequate for

accompanying people’s lives – starting with the Salesians –

and the mission.

Faith makes us concrete: in the Provincial Chapters we

evaluated the structures of animation and governance of the

Congregation; we will do similarly and to an ever greater extent

in this General Chapter. We have the task of developing and

making courageous and forward-looking reflections on this

activity. And evaluation of the institutional dimension is the

concrete condition for the possibility of personal and community

life, in the mission and in the different contexts.

All this, together with various juridical issues that we have

addressed in the Provincial Chapters and that, as you well know,

we are called to take up and complete as a Chapter Assembly.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the

renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will

of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2).

Conclusion

Let me finish with a final reference to Don Bosco and our

Mother the Help of Christians.

One day in 1875 Our Founder, aware that not everything

would end with him, but that it would certainly be only the

beginning of a long journey to be travelled, said to Fr Giulio

Barberis, one of his closest collaborators: “You will complete the

work that I begin; I shall sketch it, you will colour it... You see,

I am now sketching a rough copy of the Congregation. I shall

leave it to those who will come after me to perfect it.”4

With GC29 that we are beginning today we will clean up other

parts of the rough draft that Don Bosco left us, as has always been

done in all the General Chapters throughout the history of the

4 BM XI, 289.

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Congregation, confident that today, too, we can continue to be

enlightened by the Spirit to be faithful to the Lord Jesus in fidelity

to the original charism, with the faces, music and colours of today.

We are not alone in this mission. We know and feel that the

Virgin Mary is a model of fidelity.

It is good to return with mind and heart to the day of the

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of 1887 when, two months

before his death, Don Bosco said to some Salesians, all emotional,

who looked at him and listened: “Until now we have walked on

a sure path. We cannot go wrong. It is Mary who leads us.”5

So then, it is Mary Help of Christians, Don Bosco’s Madonna,

who is guiding us. She is the Mother of us all and at this time

of our GC29 it is she who is saying, as she did at Cana in Galilee,

“Do whatever he tells you.”6

May our Mother the Help of Christians enlighten us and

guide us, as she did with Don Bosco, to be faithful to the Lord

and never disappoint young people, especially those most in need.

Don Bosco very often tellingly reminded those who lived at

or came to Valdocco, to the Mother house: if we are here it is

because Our Lady brought us here.

We all strongly believe this in listening to the “do whatever

he tells you” of Canaanite memory. And on this we rely, open to

the wonder of the presence of God that we will experience in this

crucial experience.

Thank you for listening.

Turin, 16 February 2025

Fr Stefano Martoglio

Vicar of the Rector Major

5 BM XVIII, 373

6 Jn 2:5.

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Words of Greeting to the 29th General Chapter Assembly

of the Salesians of Don Bosco

Turin, 16 February 2025

Dear Fr Stefano, Vicar of the Rector Major,

and dear Salesian confreres,

I stand here in the name of all the Daughters of Mary Help

of Christians around the world who have accompanied the life

and mission of the Salesian Congregation in recent years, in a

particular way with affection and prayer.

We were close by when the Rector Major – Fr Ángel Fernández

Artime – was appointed Cardinal by Pope Francis, understanding

everything that this appointment entailed on a concrete level. It

is a choice that expresses esteem and trust in his person, honours

the Salesian Family, each of you, and that has led to anticipating

the celebration of this 29th General Chapter.

We are close to you now in prayer, and we assure you of this

for as long as the Chapter Assembly will last.

May the Holy Spirit come down upon it in abundance, with

his gifts of wisdom and discernment, and may Mary Help of

Christians continue to guide your choices and “do everything”,

as She has done in the life of Don Bosco and our Saints.

The theme of the 29th General Chapter is beautiful and

engaging: PASSIONATE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST, DEDICATED

TO YOUNG PEOPLE. Living our Salesian vocation faithfully and

prophetically.

As Daughters of Mary Help of Christians we feel fully in tune

with your need for the in-depth study expressed in the subtitle.

Living our Salesian vocation faithfully and prophetically is

a theme that invites us to return to the essentials, to the

charismatic identity centred on Christ and on the evangelising

education of young people.

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It is a new call of the Spirit and of the contemporary world to

renew the very heart of the Salesian vocation, to revive the spiritual

and apostolic fervour that distinguished the charism at its origins

and that distinguishes your life and mission today on all continents.

The three priority areas you have chosen: renewing the

spiritual life and formation through an authentic relationship with

Christ and a deep commitment to mission; collaboration with lay

people and members of the Salesian Family in the specific mission

proper to the Salesian charism; and, finally, a courageous revision

of the Congregation’s animation and governance structures to

make them more effective and adequate to the ever new and

unprecedented challenges of this contemporary world, are three

great choices that will guarantee the entire Congregation renewed

vitality, both at the missionary and vocational levels, and a strong

commitment to the present and the future.

The future of the charism, in fact, is in the hands of each of

us, as active members of the Salesian Family who share in the

responsibility, but at this moment it is above all in your hands,

as a world Chapter Assembly.

We know very well that the General Chapter is an event of grace

and synodality of decisive importance in the Church today, an event

of the Holy Spirit. He can radiate all his light, his grace in our

little daily lives to make us more courageous, more prophetic, in

such a complex and challenging time from so many points of view.

I am thinking of the not-so-easy social and political situations

that some of you come from. I think of the situations of pain,

violence, poverty and injustice, the dramatic situations caused

by the various conflicts that afflict the world, and that affect your

Provinces.

I am thinking of the communities in precarious, suffering

circumstances where many Confreres and Sisters live and work,

and who face the daily challenge of education faithfully and

courageously, in order to promote the life of the young

generations entrusted to them and ensure a better future for all.

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The greatness and breadth that you embrace in this Chapter

Assembly offers a wonderful vision of the vitality and strength

of the charism, from which the mission of the Salesian

Congregation takes its creative driving force.

The jubilee year we are living through propels us toward a

radiant horizon of hope, rooted in the Risen and living Lord. May

he support you in looking to the future with confidence without

being discouraged by the uncertainties of the present, which are

contradictory, complex and constantly changing in many ways.

Your journey together in deep communion is a strong sign of

hope for the entire Salesian Family and for the Church. May the

certainty that Mary Help of Christians and Don Bosco are guiding

you sustain you as you look to the future with courage and

foresight. The whole Salesian world, all the Daughters of Mary

Help of Christians, are with you, accompanying you in prayer with

affection and esteem. Personally, I take this moment to thank you

for your closeness, the joy of sharing the same Salesian vocation,

of experiencing the beauty of the same spirituality and mission.

I am grateful to you for the richness of your priestly ministry that

you so generously offer to our communities, to young boys and girls,

young people, children, and families that we meet in educational

works, sometimes in easy situations and, very often, in difficult ones.

I have seen this in my visits to our communities in many parts of the

world. For this reason, I speak on behalf of the Daughters of Mary

Help of Christians to say a “collective thank you”.

I hope that this event of grace can generate a renewed

charismatic vitality and new and holy vocations. I entrust this

wish to our Saints and, in particular, to Saint Mary Domenica

Mazzarello who will not let you be lacking her intercession.

Thank you for the invitation, for the opportunity to be here

with you and to participate in this important moment for the

entire Salesian Family.

Good work and best wishes!

Sister Chiara Cazzuola

Superior General of the FMA Institute

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Association of Salesian Cooperators

WORD COORDINATOR

Prot.: 011/2025

Rome, 31/01/2025

It is with immense joy and deep emotion that I find myself

here today for the opening of the 29th General Chapter of the

Salesian Congregation. This crucial moment, which sees you

gathered in the name of Don Bosco, marks a fundamental stage

in our shared journey of faith and mission.

This General Chapter, GC29, takes place in a particularly

significant period: we have just celebrated the 200th anniversary of

Don Bosco’s dream at nine years of age; we are remembering the

150th anniversary of the first missionary expedition, and we have

rejoiced in the appointment of our Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández

Artime, as Cardinal.

These events trace an ideal path from the origins to the

present day, and remind us of the importance of returning to the

heart of your consecrated Salesian identity, centred on Christ,

and of renewing your commitment to young people.

The theme that will guide the work of these days, “Passionate

about Jesus Christ, dedicated to young people”, is an

invitation to rediscover the passion for Christ and to

revive your apostolic zeal. A theme that encourages you to once

more take up the founding values of the charism, to translate them

into concrete actions in everyday life.

As Salesians, as sons of Don Bosco, you are called to be

“mystics of the Spirit, prophets of fraternity and servants of the

young”. This threefold identity is the compass that guides your

spiritual, community and pastoral life. You are called to live the

following of Christ in community, with a prophetic and engaging

spirit. This implies a deep relationship with Christ through

prayer, reflection and spiritual accompaniment.

The theme “Passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated to

young people” traces the path that the Congregation will follow

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towards a future of hope, a future in which the Salesian Family

is the protagonist, just as Don Bosco had imagined it.

Brothers, this General Chapter is not an isolated event, but a

fundamental stage of the path of renewal that you are about to

undertake. We recall, as underlined in several documents, that the

Salesian Congregation has an animating role within the Salesian

Family.

You are called to be “companions on the journey” with a

spirit of welcome, closeness and friendship, taking care of each

other’s vocation. Your animation must strengthen people’s

interiority, instil enthusiasm for life and help discover reasons

for improvement, revitalising the heart and opening up to hope.

It is your duty to keep alive the flame of Don Bosco’s charism,

in the conviction that the Charism is not an individual property but

is embodied in a “charismatic and spiritual community”

formed by different groups linked by bonds of spiritual kinship and

apostolic affinity.

As the Charter of Identity of the Salesian Family reminds us,

unity is part of our being and our identity. This synodal journey

that you are about to undertake demands that we work together

for a faithful and prophetic life of our Salesian vocation.

The entire Salesian Family, as a Charismatic Family in the

Church, made up of lay people and consecrated persons, is called

to safeguard, deepen and actualise the Charism, creating places

of encounter and shared formation.

The three fundamental core areas challenge you deeply in

these days of discernment:

Renewing Spiritual Life and Formation

Brothers, return to the core of your faith, following the example

of Don Bosco!

This core area invites you to rediscover the authentic

relationship with Christ, an inexhaustible source of enthusiasm

and dedication for your mission, just as it was for Don Bosco. It is

not a simple call to prayer, but an invitation to a deep experience

of faith that enlightens your every step, following Don Bosco’s

path of holiness. Formation is not an individual path, but a shared

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path, as Don Bosco taught us by involving his collaborators.

Open the doors of your formation, inspired by Don Bosco’s

inclusiveness! Actively involve the laity and members of the

Salesian Family in your formation processes. Their diversity of

experiences and vocations is a richness that enriches your

journey and helps you better understand the challenges of

today’s world. Together, we can grow in an integral formation

which involves all dimensions of the person, following the

example of Don Bosco who took care of every aspect of young

people’s lives. “Conversation in the Spirit” becomes a

valuable tool for community discernment, an opportunity to

listen to the voice of the Spirit and to make decisions that come

from an open and sincere heart, as Don Bosco did in his work.

Value Collaboration in the Mission

The mission is a collective work, a dream that Don Bosco realised

with his Family!

This core area reminds you that you are not alone in this

adventure. Be part of a great Family made up of Salesians, lay

people and members of different groups, all called to collaborate

with joy and generosity, following the example of Don Bosco who

involved everyone in his work. Synodality is your way, a way of

being Church that Don Bosco anticipated! This means

recognising that we are all responsible for the educational and

pastoral mission, as Don Bosco always believed.

The Salesian Family is a treasure to be valued, the fruit of Don

Bosco’s vision! Encourage the participation and shared

responsibility of each member, recognising the value and specific

contribution of each one. Let us promote shared formation and

mission among the various groups, creating a network of fraternal

relationships that help us realise the Salesian Educational Project,

as Don Bosco dreamed. The Province Salesian Family Advisory

Council is the ideal place to meet, share experiences and plan

interventions together that respond to the challenges of the

territory, inspired by Don Bosco’s practical and concrete approach.

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Review and Update the Structures of Animation and

Governance

Do not fear change, but welcome it like Don Bosco!

This core area invites you to look courageously at your

animation and governance structures, with the aim of making them

more effective and responsive to the challenges of the present. This

is not a criticism of the past, but an opportunity to renew your

leadership methods and to make courageous decisions, always for

the good of the Congregation and its mission, as Don Bosco always

did by adapting his method to the times.

Evaluation and updating are signs of a Congregation that is

dynamic and open to the future, faithful to the spirit of Don Bosco

that always drives us forward. Open your facilities to participation, as

Don Bosco opened the doors of his oratory! Actively involve the laity

and members of the Salesian Family in the process of revision and

updating, valuing their skills and experience. Foster an atmosphere

of transparency, responsibility and participation, creating a space for

dialogue and collaboration where everyone feels they are protagonists

of change, just as Don Bosco created a family environment in Valdocco.

General Chapter 29 calls you to an extraordinary journey, a

unique opportunity: this is the moment to rediscover your

consecrated identity, to strengthen your mission and to walk

together towards a future of hope, with and for young people,

following the example of Don Bosco.

Accept this challenge confidently and boldly, and with an open

heart and an enlightened mind, ready to build a future in which

the love of God and the passion for young people are at the centre

of all your actions, inspired by the heart of Don Bosco.

Together, as a Salesian Family, we can make a difference

by continuing the work of Don Bosco!

May Mary Help of Christians be a companion on this journey.

Good luck in your work,

Mr. Antonio Boccia

World Coordinator

Association of Salesian Cooperators

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Declaration of the Mornese World Confederation

of FMA Past Pupils

29th General Chapter of the Salesians of Don Bosco

“Passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated to young people.

Living our Salesian vocation

faithfully and prophetically.”

Dear Vicar of the Rector Major,,

Members of the Chapter and Salesian Family,

On behalf of the Mornese World Confederation of Past Pupils of the

FMA, we extend our most sincere greetings and prayers as you gather for

the 29th General Chapter of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The theme chosen, “Passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated to young

people. Living our Salesian vocation faithfully and prophetically”

resonates deeply with the essence of our shared mission. It calls us all to

renew our commitment to the charism of St John Bosco, enkindling in

our hearts a passion for Christ and an unwavering dedication to the service

of young people, especially those most in need.

As past pupils we are living witnesses to the transformative power of

the Salesian vocation. We have personally experienced the revolutionary

impact of being accompanied with love, understanding and a prophetic

vision that inspires us to be active participants in the Church and in

society. This Chapter invites us to reflect on how we too can live our

mission faithfully and prophetically, rooted in the values of our charism.

N In the final document of the Synod on Young People (2024), young

people offered us their vision, their dreams and a path they felt was

necessary for their encounter with God, their holiness. Young people

imagine a transformative community where they are supported, listened

to and guided to realise their potential in faith, family and society, actively

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contributing to a hopeful and inclusive future. Two of the priorities that

I found very significant and in tune with the theme of the General Chapter

are the search for a connection with God and faith, a deeper personal

relationship that inspires hope and direction, and an anchor that will help

their lives in faith, prayer and the sacraments - a guide in discovering their

vocation and in the life of holiness. The second is Authentic Relationships

and Role Models. It is here that today’s leaders must cultivate and

examine our holiness. We cannot serve on empty promises or ideas; we

must offer our young people credible accompaniment, empathetic

guidance and ears that listen without judgement. That relationship fosters

mutual trust and understanding.

We pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit during this Chapter so that

it may be a time of fruitful discernment, courageous decisions and a

renewed commitment to Don Bosco’s vision. May your discussions and

reflections strengthen the unity of the Salesian Family and inspire

innovative ways to evangelise and accompany young people in the

challenges of today’s world

Be assured of our prayers and support as you embark on this significant

journey. Together, let us continue to walk in fidelity to Christ and with a

prophetic spirit, promoting a culture of encounter, hope and transformation

for young people and the world.

With warm regards and prayers,

Maria Carmen Castillon

President

Mornese World Confederation of FMA Past Pupils

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Goodnight by Fr Fabio Attard – Rector Major

25.03.2025

Dear Confreres,

At this so intensely human moment I would like to share

three reflections with you that arise from a feeling of deep

gratitude and awareness. The personal dimension, although real

and touching, is only a fragment of a much broader reality: today,

the focus is not on me personally, but on the Salesian

Congregation. This is the true protagonist, and with the gesture

made today it bears witness not only to vitality, but also to the

desire for this vitality to continue over time.

We are part of a larger dynamic than ourselves, in which men

and women are called, for a time, to serve where others will

follow, taking on the same mandate. In this profoundly human

story, the Spirit of God continues to speak, create, redeem and

sanctify. It is a story inhabited by the Triune God who challenges

us, the Salesians of Don Bosco, to remain open to his saving

action which has its beginning and fulfilment in Jesus Christ.

This morning, reflecting on what could happen – and then what

did happen – I asked myself, “What is the Lord saying with all this?”

Like many confreres around the world, I followed the path of this

General Chapter, recognising a genuine desire to listen to the Spirit.

From the beginning, Fr Pascual Chávez’ reflections helped me a

lot; they resonated deeply in me, in continuity with what Fr Ángel

confided to me in September 2023, when the Chapter theme was

announced: “Passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated to young

people, living our Salesian vocation prophetically”.

I remember that moment well: we were in the school of

accompaniment with Brother Raymond Callo, engaged in an

exceptional work of the Salesian School of Spiritual

Accompaniment, and Fr Ángel came to greet the participants. I

took the opportunity to thank him. In my opinion, that title was

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– and is – profoundly apt: it summarises what we are

experiencing, listening to, searching for. It is interesting to note

how the last three General Chapters have addressed, in different

ways, the question of the identity of the Salesian. Since 2014 with

“Mystics, Prophets and Servants”, then going through the

complex period of the pandemic, we came to reflect on “What

kind of Salesian for today's young people?”

We need to interpret the choice of the General Chapter not

so much as an expression of a personal preference – albeit

legitimate – but as adherence to a shared call which challenges

each of us. It is not so much who is chosen that is relevant, but

the way in which this service is taken up, the spirit with which

one makes oneself available, the desire that animates those who

are called. Whether it is Fabio or another confrere, the substance

does not change: the Congregation is greater than its Rector

Major, although it remains true that the Rector Major has a

significant role.

Fr Pascual has repeatedly stressed how today, we Salesians

are called to live the charism in an authentic way, avoiding the

risk of being “pastoral photocopies” Pope Francis reminds us that

simply repeating what has always been done is no longer enough.

The greatest danger, however, is not in ignoring this awareness,

but in getting stuck at a theoretical level. Knowing things

intellectually, sociologically, analytically, is not equivalent to

living them in a prophetic and faithful way. And it is precisely in

this tension that my thoughts for us today lie.

Together – and I say “together” as Don Bosco would have said

– we are called to rediscover, first of all, a passion for God.

Without this, the passion for the human being also disappears.

And since nature does not tolerate a vacuum, when passion for

God is lacking, selfishness inevitably takes over. Other than being

servants: we become people who make use of their role.

Hence the second point of my reflection, connected to the Word

that has been proclaimed to us: “We are the last called to serve”.

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For years, every Saturday evening, during the celebration of

Evening Prayer, I have meditated on the canticle of the Letter to

the Philippians: the mystery of kenosis, the emptying of the Son

of God, who takes the form of a servant in order to serve, to

identify with us, to become incarnate. This morning,

providentially, the short reading at Morning Prayer brought us

back to this same mystery on the feast of the Annunciation: we

do not celebrate a divine spectacle that breaks into history, but

we contemplate with humility and intelligence the mystery of the

Incarnation, which involves us deeply, personally.

God became flesh so that, in my flesh, in my history, I could

live and act with that same power of love. Today, in the epochal

change which Pope Francis speaks of, we are called to share this

love. This is where our educative and pastoral service plays out:

in which direction are we moving? Vertically, as if we were

benefactors, masters, service providers? Or in the evangelical

sense as authentic servants?

I remember with gratitude some words of Fr Viganò in one

of his letters: he spoke of the need to combine pastoral charity

with pedagogical intelligence. It is a combination that guides us,

a grace of unity that keeps us faithful to our Salesian vocation.

In this particular moment that the Chapter is experiencing,

we are immersed in the very heart of the charism. It is good to

see, even from those who are following from afar, how much the

work of communication is making visible what is being built here.

It is a very positive sign. Now, the real question that challenges

us is: will we be able to bring all this back to the Provinces?

Will we be able to embody this call in a radically new context?

If these are new times, the thirst for meaning that runs

through them is not. It is ancient, constitutive of humanity. And

those who, like us, have had the gift of knowing the world, know

that today young people really live in a “global village”. The

questions I heard in Vietnam are the same ones I picked up in

Brazil. The same issues, the same questions that I heard last year

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in Madrid, in the Province of St James the Greater, I found a few

months later in Bangalore.

Young Christians, young Catholics, but also young people of

other religions or without religious affiliation, who nevertheless

enter into a relationship with us: we recognise that everyone

carries a thirst in their heart. The question we have to ask

ourselves is: are we really able to hear this question? The answer

is yes, only if we agree to be servants. Only then will we be able

to seize upon that thirst and consequently create those conditions

– people, places, proposals – so that it is recognised, accepted, and

possibly even quenched, at least with “a glass of water that

breaks the thirst.

The change of era, then, is not a threat, but an extraordinary

opportunity. During some visits to contexts where Christians are

a minority – Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and agnostic countries –

I saw firsthand an extraordinary sympathy for Don Bosco. A

sympathy that is not superficial or emotional but deep,

intelligent, emotionally healthy. It stems from an authentic

search for the true, the beautiful and the good.

This is the novelty of our times. Forward then! We cannot

miss this opportunity!! The measure of our passion for Christ

will indicate the degree of our dedication to young people. Our

fidelity will be the backbone of our prophecy. There are no other

ways.

During the last Provincial Visitation I made, I had the gift of

spending time with Father Thomas Uzhunnalil, who was held

hostage for 557 days. His serenity, his spiritual depth, his life of

prayer are living testimony. They are people you need to kneel

before.

We have, thanks be to God, many Salesians like Father

Thomas: confreres who have not abandoned lands marked by

violence and suffering. They have remained, to testify that for

Jesus Christ it is worth being Don Bosco for young people today.

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How could we forget the tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel,

Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic

of Congo? These brothers and sisters need our spiritual closeness.

They are the martyrs of our time, silent and faithful

witnesses of Christian hope.

This morning, when Fr Stefano put the decisive question to

me, everything seemed to open up like an unpredictable story,

almost an adventure. I’ve messed up all your schedules, forget

about what you had prepared for half past ten! But that’s okay.

I was deeply moved, not so much by the personal esteem – which

also honours me – but by the trust that the Congregation wanted

to express. A trust that does not arise from an abstract idea, but

from a shared journey. I say it freely: I do not deserve it. But this

is our Congregation.

And this is the very spirit we would like to allow ourselves to

be accompanied in the coming days. Serving means first of all

living what is announced. It must be visible, credible. And this

all starts with us, the General Council. We are called to be a sign

of synodality, of communion, of fraternity. We are called to be

fathers. We are here to serve. Nothing else.

Today, we are Don Bosco. Today, Don Bosco tells us once

more: courage!

Over these days I was reading some pages from the second

volume by Fr Pietro Braido, dedicated to the year 1875 – a year

that we celebrate today on the one hundred and fiftieth

anniversary of the missions. Don Bosco, at that time, had many

fronts open: the consolidation of the Constitutions, the

foundation of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of

Christians, the Cooperators, the missions, the opening in France,

the difficulties with Gastaldi... Yet he went on, and on.

This is Don Bosco. And this is who we are today.

I ask you only one thing: pray for me. You have entrusted

me with a burden. I was talking about it this morning with my

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spiritual director. He said, “Keep going. The Lord is asking this

of you. Go.” And go I will, but I am asking you: accompany me

with prayer. This is no human endeavour.

Pray also for those you will elect to the General Council: so

that we be a community, so that we be brothers, so that we can

really serve each other, listen to each other, dream together, enter

that sacred space where sandals are not needed, to be free in

listening and ready to carry out the project of the General

Chapter with joy and optimism.

Long live Don Bosco!

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SOCIETY OF SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES

SALESIAN HEADQUARTERS

Via Marsala, 42 – 00185 Rome

The Rector Major

FINAL ADDRESS

Dear confreres,

We have come to the end of this experience of the 29th

General Chapter with hearts filled with joy and gratitude for all

that we have been able to experience, share and plan. The gift of

the presence of the Spirit of God that we have prayed for daily in

morning prayer as well as during our work through conversation

in the Spirit, has been the central strength of the General

Chapter experience. We asked that the Spirit play a leading role,

and this has been given to us abundantly.

The celebration of any General Chapter is like a milestone in

the life of every religious congregation. This also applies to us,

to our beloved Salesian Congregation. It is a moment that gives

continuity to the journey from Valdocco that continues to be

experienced with commitment and carried forward with zeal and

determination in various parts of the world.

We come to the end of this General Chapter with the approval

of a Final Document that will serve as our roadmap for the next

six years – 2025-2031. We will see and feel the value of this Final

Document to the extent that we are able to maintain the same

dedication to listening and the same eagerness to let ourselves

be accompanied by the Holy Spirit that have marked these weeks

after the conclusion of this Salesian Pentecost experience.

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From the beginning, when the Rector Major Fr Angel

Fernández Artime made the Letter of Convocation of the 29th

General Chapter public on 24 September 2023, in AGC 441,

the motivations that were to guide the Pre-Chapter work were

clear and subsequently, the work of the General Chapter itself.

The Rector Major wrote that,

The chosen theme is the result of a rich and profound reflection that

we have carried out in the General Council on the basis of the answers

received from the Provinces and the vision that we have of the

Congregation at this time. We were pleasantly surprised by the great

convergence and harmony we found in the many contributions from

the Provinces, which had a lot to do with the reality we see in the

Congregation, with the path of fidelity that exists in many sectors and

also with present challenges. (AGC 441)

The process of listening to the provinces that led to the

identification of the theme for this General Chapter is already a

clear indication of a listening methodology. In the light of what

we have experienced in recent weeks, the value of the listening

process is confirmed. The way in which we first identified and then

interpreted the challenges that the Congregation is determined to

face has highlighted our typical Salesian atmosphere, a family

spirit which does not seek to avoid challenges, which does not try

to standardise thinking, but which does everything possible to

arrive at a spirit of communion where each of us can recognise the

way to be Don Bosco today.

The focal point of the challenges identified has to do with the

fact that “it refers to the centrality of God (as Trinity) and Jesus

Christ as Lord of our lives, without ever forgetting young people

and our commitment to them” (AGC 441). The way that the

General Chapter developed is testimony not only to the fact that

we have the ability to identify challenges but that we have also

found ways to bring out harmony and unity, recognising and

treasuring the fact that we are in different continents and

contexts, different cultures and languages. What is more, this

atmosphere confirms that when we look at reality with the eyes

and heart of Don Bosco today; when we are truly passionate

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about Christ and dedicated to young people, then we discover

that this diversity becomes a wealth, that journeying together is

beautiful even if it is tiring, that we can face the challenges

together.

In a world fragmented by war, conflict and depersonalising

ideologies; in a world marked by economic and political thinking

and models that remove the active role that young people can

play, our presence is a sign, a “sacrament” of hope. Young people,

regardless of skin colour, religious or ethnic affiliation, ask us

to put forward proposals and promote places of hope. They are

the sons and daughters of God who expect us to be humble

servants.

A second point that was confirmed and reaffirmed by this

General Chapter is the shared conviction that ”if fidelity and

prophecy were lacking in our Congregation, we would be like the

light that does not shine and the salt that does not give flavour”

(AGC 441). The point here is not so much whether we want to

be more authentic or not, but the very fact that this is the only

path we have and it is the one that has been strongly reiterated

here over these weeks: to grow in authenticity!

The courage shown during some moments of the General

Chapter is an excellent premise for the courage that will be asked

of us in the future on other issues that came out of this General

Chapter. I am sure that this courage here has found fertile

ground, a healthy and promising ecosystem that holds great

promise for the future. Having courage means not letting fear

have the last word. The parable of the talents clearly teaches us

this. The Lord has given us but one talent: the Salesian charism,

concentrated in the Preventive System. Each of us will be asked

what we have done with this talent. Together, we are called to

make it bear fruit in challenging, new and unprecedented

contexts. We have no reason to bury it. We have so many reasons,

so many cries from young people who urge us to “go out”, to sow

hope. Don Bosco already took this courageous step, filled with

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conviction, in his time, and today he asks us to take it as he did

and with him.

I would like to comment on some points that are already

found in the Final Document and which I believe can serve as

pointers to encourage us on the journey over the next six years.

1. Personal conversion

Our journey as a Salesian Congregation depends on the

personal, intimate and profound choices that each of us decides to

make. Broadening the background against which we need to reflect

on the theme of personal conversion, it is important to remember

how, over these years after the Second Vatican Council, the

Congregation has embarked on a journey of spiritual, charismatic

and pastoral reflection that has been masterfully commented on by

Fr Pascual in his weekly talks. This interpretation and contribution

further enriches the important reflection that the Rector Major, Fr

Egidio Viganó, left us in his last letter to the Congregation: Reading

the Founder’s Charism at the Present Day (AGC 352, 1995). If today

we talk about a “change of era”, Fr Viganó wrote in 1995:

The reinterpretation of our Founder’s charism has kept us busy for the

last thirty years, And in our task we have been helped by two great

beacons of light: the first is the Second Vatican Council, and the second

the epoch-making acceleration of history at the present time (AGC 352,

1995).

I am referring to this journey of the Congregation with its

riches and heritage because the matter of personal conversion is

the space where this journey of the Congregation finds its

confirmation and further impetus. Personal conversion is not an

intimate, self-referential affair. This is not a call that only touches

me in a way that is detached from everything and everyone.

Personal conversion is that special experience from which a

renewed pastoral care will emerge. We can see the Congregation’s

journey because it finds its starting point in the heart of each one

of us. It is from here that we can notice the continuous and

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convinced pastoral renewal. Pope Francis condenses this urgent

cry in a single sentence: “The Church’s closeness to Jesus is part

of a common journey; ‘ communion and mission are profoundly

interconnected”1 (Evangelii Gaudium 23).

This leads us to discover that when we are insisting on

personal conversion we must be careful on the one hand not to

fall into an intimist interpretation of spiritual experience, and

on the other hand, not underestimate what is the foundation of

every pastoral journey.

In this call to renewed passion for Jesus, I invite every Salesian

and every community to take seriously the concrete choices and

commitments that we as a General Chapter have deemed urgent

for a more authentic educational and pastoral witness. We believe

that we cannot grow pastorally without this attitude of listening to

the Word of God. We recognise that the various pastoral

commitments we have, the ever-increasing needs that confront us

and that testify to unceasing poverty, risk taking away the

necessary time to ”be with him.” We already find this challenge at

the very beginning of our Congregation. It is about having clear

priorities that strengthen our spiritual and charismatic backbone

that gives soul and credibility to our mission.

Fr Alberto Caviglia, when commenting on the topic of

“Salesian Spirituality” in his Conferences on the Salesian Spirit

writes:

What was most astonishing for those who studied Don Bosco during

the canonisation process was the discovery of his incredible work of

building the inner man.

Cardinal Salotti... in reference to the study he was then engaged in,

told the Holy Father that “in studying the voluminous Turin processes,

more than the external grandeur of his colossal work, [he] was struck

by the inner life of the spirit, from which the whole prodigious

apostolate of Ven. Don Bosco originated and was nourished.

Many are only familiar with the external work that seems so

1 Christifideles laici no.32

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impressive, but are largely ignorant of the wise, sublime edifice of

Christian perfection that he had patiently erected in his soul by

practising the virtue of his state every day, every hour.

Dear brothers, here we have our Don Bosco. It is this Don

Bosco that we are called to discover today:

We study and imitate him, admiring in him a splendid blending of

nature and grace. He was deeply human, rich in the qualities of his

people, open to the realities of this earth; and he was just as deeply the

man of God, filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and living “as though

he saw him who is invisible.”

These two aspects combined to create a closely-knit life project, the

service of the young. He realized his aim with firmness, constancy and

the sensitivity of a generous heart, in the midst of difficulties and

fatigue. “He took no step, he said no word, he took up no task that was

not directed to the saving of the young... Truly the only concern of his

heart was for souls” (C 21).

I would like to recall here an invitation from Mother Teresa

to her sisters a few years before her death. Her dedication and

that of her sisters to the poor is known to everyone. However, it

is good for us to hear these words of hers written to her sisters:

Until you can hear Jesus in the silence of your heart, you will not be

able to hear him say “I am thirsty” in the hearts of the poor. Never

give up this intimate and daily contact with Jesus as a living and real

person, not just as an idea.2

Only by listening in the depths of our hearts to the one who calls

us to follow him, Jesus Christ, can we truly listen with an authentic

heart to those who call us to serve them. If the radical motivation of

our being servants does not find its roots in the person of Christ,

the alternative is that our motivations are nourished by the soil of

our ego. And the consequence, then, is that our pastoral action ends

up inflating the same ego. The urgency of recovering the mystical

2 “Until you can hear Jesus in the silence of your own heart, you will not

be able to hear Him saying, “I thirst” in the hearts of the poor. Never give up

this daily intimate contact with Jesus as the real living person – not just the

idea”, in https://catholiceducation.org/en/religion-and-philosophy/the-fulfillment-

jesus-wants-for-us.html

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space, the sacred ground of the encounter with God, a ground in

which we have to take off the sandals of our certainties and our ways

of interpreting reality with its challenges over these weeks, has been

repeated many times and in various ways.

Dear brothers, here we have the first step. Here we prove if

we really want to be authentic sons of Don Bosco. Here we prove

if we really love and imitate Don Bosco.

2. Getting to know Don Bosco not only loving Don Bosco

We are aware that one of the central challenges we have as

Salesians is to communicate the good news through our witness

and our educative and pastoral proposals in a culture that is

undergoing radical change. While in the West we talk about

indifference to religious proposal that is the result of the

challenge of secularisation, we notice how the challenge takes

other forms in other continents, first of all in the shift towards a

globalised culture that radically shifts the scale of values and

lifestyles. In a fluid and hyper-connected world, what we knew

yesterday has radically changed today: in short, we are dealing

here with the oft-mentioned question of the change of epoch.

Given that this change has had widespread effects, it is

positive to see how the Congregation, from the SCG (192)

onwards, has been on a continuous journey until today,

rethinking and reflecting on its educative and pastoral proposal.

It is a process that responds to the question “What would Don

Bosco do today, in a secularised and globalised culture like ours?”

Throughout this process we recognise how, from its very origins,

the beauty and strength of the Salesian charism lies precisely in its

inner capacity to dialogue with the history of the young people we

are called to encounter in every age. What we have been

contemplating at Valdocco, in this Salesian holy land, is the breath

of the Spirit that guided Don Bosco and that we recognise as

continuing to guide us today. The Constitutions begin precisely with

this foundational and fundamental certainty:

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Through the motherly intervention of Mary, the Holy Spirit raised up

St John Bosco to contribute to the salvation of youth ...

The Spirit formed within him the heart of a father and teacher, capable

of total self-giving. “I have promised God that until my dying breath I

would dedicate myself entirely to my poor boys.

To ensure the continuation of this mission, the Spirit inspired him to

initiate various apostolic endeavours, first among them our Society.

The Church has acknowledged God’s hand in this, especially by

approving our Constitutions and by proclaiming our Founder a saint.

From this active presence of the Holy Spirit we draw strength for our

fidelity and support for our hope. (C 1).

The Salesian charism contains an innate invitation to place

ourselves before young people in the same way that Don Bosco

placed himself before Bartholomew Garelli... “his friend”!

In reality, it hides within itself an urgent invitation to us, the

sons of Don Bosco, so that in today’s history, wherever we find

ourselves, we may propose the Salesian charism in an adequate

and meaningful way. However, there is an essential condition that

allows us to undertake this journey: a true and profound

knowledge of Don Bosco. We cannot say that we truly “love” Don

Bosco if we are not seriously committed to “knowing” Don Bosco.

Often, the risk is to settle with a knowledge of Don Bosco that

fails to connect with current challenges. With a superficial

knowledge of Don Bosco we are really poor in the charismatic

heritage that makes us his authentic sons. Without knowing Don

Bosco we cannot and do not end up embodying Don Bosco in the

cultures where we are. All our efforts in this poverty of charismatic

knowledge result only in charismatic cosmetic operations which

ultimately are a betrayal of Don Bosco’s very legacy.

If we want the Salesian charism to be capable of engaging in

dialogue with today’s culture, today’s cultures,we must

continually deepen our understanding of it, both in itself and in

light of the ever-changing conditions in which we live. The

foundation we received at the beginning of our initial formation,

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if not seriously deepened today, is not sufficient – it is simply

useless if not downright harmful.

The Congregation has made, and continues to make, a

tremendous effort in this direction to reread the life of Don Bosco

and the Salesian charism in the light of the current social and

cultural conditions throughout the world. It is a legacy we have,

but we run the risk of not knowing it because we fail to study it

as it deserves. The loss of memory risks not only making us lose

touch with the treasure we have, but also risks making us believe

that this treasure does not exist. And this would be really tragic

not so much and only for us Salesians, but for those crowds of

young people who are waiting for us.

The urgency of this deeper understanding is not merely

intellectual in nature but responds to the thirst that exists for a

serious charismatic formation of the laity in our Educative and

Pastoral Communities (EPCs). The Final Document deals with

this issue often and systematically. The lay people who share in

the Salesian mission with us today are individuals eager for a

clearer and more meaningful Salesian formation proposal. We

cannot truly experience these spaces of educational and pastoral

convergence if our language and the way we communicate the

charism lack the depth of understanding and the proper

preparation needed to spark curiosity and capture the attention

of those who share the Salesian mission with us.

It is not enough to say that we love Don Bosco. True “love” for

Don Bosco implies the commitment to know and study him, not only

in the light of his time, but also in the light of the great potential of

his great potential for today, in the light of our time. The Rector

Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, made an invitation to the entire

Congregation and the Salesian Family for the three years that

preceded the “Bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco 1815-2013”.3

3 (Fr Pascual Chávez, Srrenna 2012, “Let us make the young our life’s

mission by coming to know and imitate Don Bosco” [AGC 412])

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It is an invitation that is more relevant than ever. This General

Chapter is a call and an opportunity to strengthen the historical,

pedagogical, and spiritual knowledge of our Father and Teacher.

We recognise, dear brothers, that at this point this issue

connects with the previous one – personal conversion. If we do

not know Don Bosco and if we do not study him, we cannot

understand the dynamics and efforts of his spiritual journey and

consequently the roots of his pastoral choices. We end up loving

him only superficially, without the true ability to imitate him as

a profoundly holy man. Above all, it will be impossible to

inculturate his charism today in different contexts and situations.

Only by strengthening our charismatic identity will we be able to

offer the Church and Society a credible witness and a meaningful

and relevant educative and pastoral proposal to young people.

3. The journey continues

In this third part, I would like to encourage the entire

Congregation to keep alive the focus on certain areas where,

through the various Resolutions and concrete commitments,

we have sought to give a sign of continuity.

The area of animation and coordination of marginalisation

and youth distress has been an area in which the Congregation

has been very committed over recent decades. I believe that the

response by the provinces to growing poverty is a prophetic sign

that sets us apart and finds all of us determined to continue to

strengthen the Salesian response for the poorest.

The provinces’ efforts in the area of promoting safe

environments continue to find a growing and professional

response in the provinces. The effort in this area is a testimony

that this is the right direction to affirm the commitment to the

dignity of all, especially the most vulnerable.

The area of integral ecology emerges as a call for greater

educative and pastoral work. The growth of attention in

educative and pastoral communities to environmental issues

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requires a systematic commitment to promote a change in

mentality.

The various proposals for formation in this area found in the

Congregation should be acknowledged and accompanied.

There are also two areas that I would like to invite the

Congregation to consider carefully for the coming years. They

are part of a broader perspective of the Congregation’s efforts. I

believe these are two areas will have substantial consequences

for our educative and pastoral processes.

I. Artificial intelligence – a real mission in an artificial

world

As Salesians of Don Bosco, we are called to walk with young

people in every environment in which they live and grow, even in

the vast and complex digital world. Today, Artificial Intelligence

(AI) presents itself as a revolutionary innovation that can shape

the way people learn, communicate and build relationships.

However, as revolutionary as it may be, AI remains exactly that:

artificial. Our ministry, rooted in authentic human connection and

guided by the Preventive System, is profoundly real. Artificial

intelligence can assist us, but it cannot love like we do. It can

organise, analyse and teach in new ways, but it can never replace

the relational and pastoral touch that defines our Salesian mission.

Don Bosco was a visionary who was not afraid of innovation,

both at the ecclesial level and at the educational, cultural and

social levels. When this innovation served the good of young

people, Don Bosco went ahead with astonishing speed. He took

advantage of the press, new educational methods and workshops

to lift young people up and prepare them for life. If he were

among us today, he would undoubtedly look at AI with a critical

and creative eye. He would see it not as an end but as a means,

a tool to amplify pastoral effectiveness without losing sight of the

human person at the centre.

Artificial Intelligence is not just a tool: it is part of our mission

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as Salesians living in the digital age. The virtual world is no

longer a separate space but an integral part of young people’s

daily lives. AI can help us respond to their needs more efficiently

and creatively, offering personalised learning paths, virtual

mentorship, and platforms that foster meaningful connections.

In this sense, artificial intelligence becomes both a tool and a

mission, as it helps us reach young people where they are, often

immersed in the digital world. While embracing AI, we need to

recognise that it is just one aspect of a larger reality that

encompasses social media, virtual communities, digital

storytelling, and much more. Together, these elements form a

new pastoral frontier that challenges us to be present and

proactive. Our mission is not simply to use technology, but to

evangelise the digital world, bringing the gospel into spaces

where it might otherwise be absent.

Our response to AI and digital challenges must be rooted in the

Salesian spirit of optimism and proactive engagement. Let us

continue to walk with young people, even in the vast digital world,

with hearts full of love because they are passionate about Christ

and rooted in the charism of Don Bosco. The future is bright when

technology is at the service of humanity and when the digital

presence is full of authentic Salesian warmth and pastoral

commitment. Let us embrace this new challenge, confident that

the spirit of Don Bosco will guide us in every new opportunity.

II. The Pontifical Salesian University

The Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) is the University of

the Salesian Congregation, of all of us. It is a structure of great

and strategic importance for the Congregation. Its mission is to

bring the charism into dialogue with culture, the energy of Don

Bosco’s educative and pastoral experience with academic

research, so as to develop a high-profile formation proposal at

the service of the Congregation, the Church and society.

From the outset, our University has played an irreplaceable

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role in the formation of many confreres for roles of animation

and government and still performs this valuable task. In an era

characterised by widespread disorientation about the grammar

of the human being and the meaning of existence, by the

disintegration of the social bond and the fragmentation of

religious experience, by international crises and migratory

phenomena, a Congregation like ours is urgently called to face

the educative and pastoral mission by making use of the solid

intellectual resources that are developed within a university.

As Rector Major and as Grand Chancellor of UPS, I would

like to reiterate that the two fundamental priorities for the

University of the Congregation are the formation of educators

and pastors, Salesians and laity, at the service of young people

and the cultural – historical, pedagogical and theological –

deepening of the charism. Around these two pillars, which

require interdisciplinary dialogue and intercultural attention,

the UPS is called upon to develop its commitment to research,

teaching and the passing on of knowledge. I am therefore pleased

that in view of the 150th anniversary of Don Bosco’s text on the

Preventive System, a serious research project has been launched

in collaboration with the FMA’s “Auxilium” Faculty to focus on

the original inspiration of Don Bosco’s educational practice and

to examine how it inspires pedagogical and pastoral practices

today in different contexts and cultures.

The governance and animation of the Congregation and the

Salesian Family will certainly benefit from the cultural work of

the University, just as academic study will receive valuable

nourishment by maintaining a close connection with the life of

the Congregation and its daily service to the poorest youth

around the world.

III. 150 years – the journey continues

We are called to give thanks and praise to God in this jubilee

year of hope because during this year we remember the

missionary commitment of Don Bosco which arrived at a very

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significant moment of development in 1875. The reflection that

the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Stefano Martoglio, offered us

in Strenna 2025 reminds us of the central theme of the 150th

anniversary of Don Bosco’s first missionary expedition:

recognising, rethinking and relaunching.

In the light of the 29th General Chapter that we are concluding,

it helps us to place this invitation in the six-year period ahead of

us. We are called to recognise gratefully because “it makes the

fatherly nature of every beautiful accomplishment evident. Without

recognition, gratitude, there is no capacity to accept.”

To this recognition and gratitude we add the duty to rethink

our fidelity, because “fidelity involves the ability to change”, in

obedience towards a vision that comes from God and from

interpreting the ‘signs of the times... Rethinking, then, becomes

a generative act in which faith and life come together; a moment

in which to ask ourselves: what do you want to tell us Lord?”

Finally, the courage to re-launch, to start over again every

day. As we are doing in these days, we look far ahead, “welcoming

new challenges, relaunching the mission with hope. (Because the)

Mission is to bring the hope of Christ with clear and conscious

awareness, linked to faith.”

CONCLUSION

At the end of this concluding address I would like to present

a reflection by Tomas HALIK, taken from his book The

Afternoon of Christianity. The author, in the last chapter of

the book entitled “The Society of the Way”, presents four

ecclesiological concepts.

I believe that these four ecclesiological concepts can

help us to positively interpret the great pastoral

opportunities that await us. I offer this reflection with the

understanding that what the author proposes is intimately

related to the heart of Salesian charism. It is striking and

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surprising that the more we venture into a charismatic, pastoral

as well as pedagogical and cultural interpretation of the current

reality, the more the conviction is confirmed that our charism

provides us with a solid basis so that the various processes that

we are accompanying find their rightful place in a world where

young people are waiting for hope, joy and optimism to be offered

to them. It is good that we recognise with great humility but at

the same time with a great sense of responsibility how Don

Bosco’s charism continues to provide guidelines today, not only

for us, but for the whole Church.

I. Church as the people of God on pilgrimage through history. This

image outlines a Church on the move and grappling with

incessant change. God moulds the Church throughout history,

reveals himself to her through history, and imparts his teachings to

her through historical events. God is in history.4

Our call to be educators and pastors consists precisely in

walking with the flock in this history, in this constantly changing

society. Our presence in the various “courtyards of

people’s lives” is the sacramental presence of a God who

wants to meet those who seek him without knowing it.

In this context, “The sacrament of presence” acquires an

inestimable value for us because it is intertwined with the

historical events of our young people and of all those who turn

to us in the various expressions of the Salesian mission – the

COURTYARD or playground.

II. The ‘school’ is the second vision of the Church – school of

life and school of wisdom. We live in an era in which, in the

public space of many European countries, neither a traditional

religion nor atheism dominates, but rather agnosticism, apathy and

religious illiteracy prevail... In this era it is urgently necessary that

Christian society is transformed into a ‘school‘ following the

original ideal of medieval universities, which arose as a community

of teachers and pupils, a community of life, prayer and teaching.5

4 HALÍK, Tomáš, Afternoon of Christianity. (p. 229).

5 HALÍK, Tomáš, Afternoon of Christianity. (pp. 231-232).

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Retracing Don Bosco’s educative and pastoral project from

its origins, we discover how this second proposal directly touches

the experience we currently offer to our young people: school

and vocational training. They are educational paths which

are an essential tool for giving life to an integral process where

culture and faith meet. For us today, this space is an excellent

opportunity where we can witness to the good news in the human

and fraternal, educational and pastoral encounter with so many

people and, above all, with so many children and young people

who feel they are accompanied toward a dignified future. The

educational experience for us pastors is a lifestyle that

communicates wisdom and values in a context that encounters

and goes beyond resistance and that dissolves indifference

through empathy and closeness. Walking together promotes a

space of integral growth inspired by the wisdom and values of

the Gospel – the SCHOOL.

III. The Church as a field hospital…for too long, face to face with

the diseases of society, the Church has limited itself to morality;

now it is faced with the task of rediscovering and applying the

therapeutic potential of faith. The diagnostic mission should be

carried out by the discipline which I have suggested be called

kairology – the art of reading and interpreting the signs of the

times, the theological hermeneutics of the facts of society and

culture. Kairology should devote its attention to times of crisis and

changing cultural paradigms. It should see them as part of a

‘pedagogy of God’, as the opportune time to deepen the reflection

on the faith and renew its practice. In a certain sense, kairology

develops the method of spiritual discernment, which is an

important component of the spirituality of Saint Ignatius and his

disciples; it applies this method when it delves into and evaluates

the current state of the world and our tasks within it.6

This third ecclesiological criterion goes to the heart of the

Salesian approach. We are not present in the lives of children and

young people to condemn them. We make ourselves available

to offer them a healthy space of (ecclesial) communion,

6 HALÍK, Tomáš, Afternoon of Christianity. (pp. 233-234).

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120 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

enlightened by the presence of a merciful God who places

no conditions on anyone. We develop and communicate

our various pastoral proposals precisely with this

perspective of facilitating the encounter of young people

with a spiritual proposal capable of enlightening the times

in which they live, of offering them hope for the future.

The proposal of the person of Jesus Christ is not the result of

sterile confessionalism or blind proselytism, but the discovery of a

relationship with a person who offers unconditional love to all. Our

testimony, and that of all those who live the educational and

pastoral experience as community, is the most eloquent sign and

the most credible message of the values we wish to communicate

in order to share them – the CHURCH.

IV. The fourth model of the Church... it is necessary that the Church

establish spiritual centres, places of adoration and contemplation,

but also of encounter and dialogue, where it is possible to share the

experience of faith. Many Christians are concerned that in a large

number of countries the network of parishes, which was formed a

few centuries ago in a completely different socio-cultural and

pastoral situation and within a different interpretation of the

Church's self, is fraying.7

The fourth concept is that of a “home” capable of

communicating welcome, listening and accompaniment. A

“home” in which the human dimension of each individual’s story

is recognised and, at the same time, the possibility is offered to

allow this humanity to reach its maturity. Don Bosco rightly calls

“home” the place where the community lives its call because, by

welcoming our children and young people, it is able to to ensure

the conditions and pastoral proposals necessary for this humanity

to grow in an integral way. Each of our communities, each “house”

or home is called to be a witness to the originality of the Valdocco

experience: a “home” that intersects with the history of our young

people, offering them a dignified future – the HOME.

7 HALÍK, Tomáš, Afternoon of Christianity. (pp. 236-237).

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In our Constitutions, Article 40 we find the synthesis of all

these “four ecclesiological concepts”. It is a synthesis that serves

as an invitation and also as an encouragement for the present

and the future of our educative and pastoral communities, of our

provinces, of our beloved Salesian Congregation:

Don Bosco’s Oratory a permanent criterion

Don Bosco lived a pastoral experience in his first Oratory which serves

as a model; it was for the youngsters a home that welcomed, a parish

that evangelized, a school that prepared them for life, and a playground

where friends could meet and enjoy themselves.

As we carry out our mission today, the Valdocco experience is still the

lasting criterion for discernment and renewal in all our activities and

works.

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LIST OF PARTICIPANTS IN GC29

Name and Surname

Role

Province

Attard Fabio

Rector Major - New Elected

RMG - Headquarters

Stefano Martoglio

Vicar of the RM - President

RMG - Headquarters

Alphonse Owoudou

Moderator

RMG - Headquarters

Roggia Silvio

Councillor for formation - Newly Elected

RMG - Headquarters

Ivo Nicholas Coelho

Councillor for formation

RMG - Headquarters

Bejarano Rafael

Councillor for Youth Ministry - Newly elected RMG - Headquarters

Miguel Angel García Morcuende Councillor for Youth Ministry

RMG - Headquarters

Jorge Mario Crisafulli

Councillor for the Missions - Newly Elected RMG - Headquarters

Alfred Maravilla

Councillor for the Missions

RMG - Headquarters

Fidel Maria[Daza] Orendain Councillor for Social Communication

RMG - Headquarters

- Newly Elected

Gildásio Mendes Dos Santos Councillor for Social Communication

RMG - Headquarters

Stawowy Gabriel

Economer General - New

RMG - Headquarters

Jean Paul Muller

Councillor Economer General

RMG - Headquarters

Innocent Bizimana

Regional Councillor for East and Southern Africa RMG - Headquarters

Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy

Regional Councillor for the Mediterranean

RMG - Headquarters

Hugo Orozco Sánchez

Regional Councillor for Interamerica

RMG - Headquarters

Roman Jachimowicz

Regional Councillor for Central and North Europe RMG - Headquarters

Héctor Gabriel Romero

Regional Councillor for America South Cone RMG - Headquarters

Matthews William

Regional Councillor for East Asia Oceania

RMG - Headquarters

- Newly Elected

Thinh Phuoc Nguyen

Regional Councillor for East Asia Oceania

RMG - Headquarters

Biju Michael

Regional Councillor for South Asia

RMG - Headquarters

Guido Garino

Secretary General

RMG - Headquarters

Pier Fausto Frisoli

Procurator General

RMG - Headquarters

Pascual Chávez Villanueva Rector Major Emeritus

ICC - ITALY Central Circumscrip.

Aurelien Mwanangoy Mukangwa

Sylvain Woto Bope

Tedros Berhe Hawku

Hailemariam Medhin Tesfay

Gauthier Tshibangu Ilunga

Tryphon Kalimira Cizihira

Guillermo Luis Basañes

George Tharaniyil

Ngigi (John) Njuguna

Mojela Ntsane Colern Fihlo

Bonginkosi Timothy Nhleko

Václav Klement

Gabriel Ngendakuriyo

Servilien Ufitamahoro

José Kussama Mayengue (Mayembe)

Luis Víctor Sequeira Gutiérrez

Oriafo James Ailen

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Observer

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

ACC - AFRICA Congo Congo

AET - AFRICA Ethiopia - Eritrea

AFC – AFRICA Central

AFE – AFRICA East

AFM - AFRICA Southern

AGL – AFRICA Great Lakes

ANG - ANGOLA

ANN – AFRICA Nigeria Niger

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Name and Surname

Jésus Benoît Badji

Appolinaire Franck Kakpo Ametepe

Kpossi Koffi Didier Eklou

Kolotcholoma Denis Soro

Eleuterio Evita Role

Roland Mintsa

Donat Jean Fabien Rakotovao

Adolfo De Jesus Sarmento

Pedro Alexandre Meia

Emilius Aloyce Salema

Augustine [Sellam] Jacob

Joseph Samson Nyondo

Michael Kazembe Mbandama

Lucas Mario Mautino

Horacio Fabián Barbieri

José Alberto García Arias

Ramón Darío Perera

Márcio José Marçal Montandon

Natale Vitali

Ricardo Carlos

Adalberto Alves De Jesus

João da Silva Mendonça Filho

Philippe Bauzière

Ademir Ricardo Cwendrych

Sérgio Ramos de Souza

Francisco Inácio Vieira Junior

José Lopes Lima Júnior

Ronaldo Zacharias

Alexandre Luis De Oliveira

Claudio Esteban Cartes Andrades

Nelson Javier Moreno Ruiz

Néstor Alejandro Ledesma Peralta

Dionisio Medina Ovelar

Francisco Lezama

Raúl Esteban García Aparicio

Pietro (Peter) Hoang Kim Huy

Philip Donald Gleeson

Antonio Leung Wai-Choi

Teng Kok (Domingos) Leong

Gerardo [Naguit] Martin

Alexander (Locsin) Garces

Rooney John (Gustilo) Undar

Role

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS IN GC29 123

Province

AON – AFRICA North West

AOS – AFRICA South West

ATE – AFRICA Tropical Equatorial

MDG - MADAGASCAR

MOZ - MOZAMBIQUE

TZA - TANZANIA

ZMB – ZAMBIA – Malawi – Zimbabwe - Namibia

ARN – ARGENTINA North

ARS – ARGENTINA South

BBH - BRAZIL Belo Horizonte

BCG - BRAZIL Campo Grande

BMA - BRAZIL Manaus

BPA - BRAZIL Porto Alegre

BRE - BRAZIL Recife

BSP - BRAZIL São Paulo

CIL – CHILE

PAR - PARAGUAY

URU - URUGUAY

AUL – AUSTRALIA PACIFIC

CIN - CHINA

FIN – PHILIPPINES North

FIS - PHILIPPINES South

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Name and Surname

Joseph Shoichiro Nakada

Atsushi Francesco Hamasaki

Vincentius Prastowo

Silverius Andang Kencana Aji

Marcello (Kwang Hyun) Baek

Peter (Sang Yun) Kim

Timothy Won Chol Choi

Leo Neng Khan Mang

(Bosco) Zaya Aung

Pedro Sachitula (Satchitula)

Gregorio Jr. (Encina) Bicomong

Thanad (John Baptist) Anan

Boonlert Paneetatthayasai

Plácido Teófilo Freitas

Anacleto Pires Guterres

An Phong Le

Hoang Phi (Sr) Nguyen

Ngoc Vinh Nguyen

Van Luan Bui

Ashley Miranda

Michael Fernandes

Savio Raj Silveira

Sunil Kerketta

Tomy Augustine Kumplankal

Joseph Pauria

Joseph Pampackal

Devasia Anthony Rajeesh Payamppally

Deli Kapani

Nicodim (Nicodem) Aind

Sebastian Kuricheal

Joy Kachappilly

Rajesh Salagala

Thomas Rajkumar Santiagu

Joe Tony Previnth

George Thannickal Chacko

Jose Thomas Koyickal

John Alexander Michael

Don Bosco Lourdusamy

Stanislaus Swamikannu

Augustine Albert Toppo

Davis Maniparamben John

Vijay Soy

Banzelao Julio Teixeira

Role

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Observer

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Observer

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Province

GIA - JAPAN

INA – INDONESIA

KOR - KOREA

MYM - MYANMAR

PGS - Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands

THA - THAILAND

TLS – TIMOR Leste

VIE - VIETNAM

INB – INDIA Bombay

INC - INDIA Calcutta

IND – INDIA Dimapur

ING - INDIA Guwahati

INH - INDIA Hyderabad

INK – INDIA Bangalore

INM – INDIA Madras

INN – INDIA New Delhi

INP – INDIA Panjim

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Name and Surname

Clive Justin Telles

Anthony Kharkongor

John Zosiama

Jose Vettath

Agilan Sarprasadam

Robert Simon David

Amaladoss Sanjone

Angelo Sylvester Roshan Miranda

Oratious Sajeewaka Paul

Peter Johannes Rinderer

Siegfried Kettner

Dieter Verpoest

Bart Decancq

Martin Hobza

Libor Všetula

Mihovil Kurkut

Milan Ivančević

Daniel Federspiel

Xavier De Verchère

James Robert Gardner

James Gerard Briody

Simon Leonhard Härting

Reinhard Gesing

Eunan McDonnell

Cyril Aigbadon Odia

Savio Vella

Eric Cachia

Tadeusz Jarecki

Dariusz Stanislaw Mikolajczyk

Jacek Zdzieborski

Łukasz Pawłowski

Szymon Kasprzak

Tadeusz Itrych

Bartlomiej Polanski

Tomasz Hawrylewicz

Dariusz Bartocha

Marcin Kaznowski

Peter Jacko

Peter Timko

Peter Končan

Klemen Balažič

Andrii Platosh

Mykhaylo Chaban

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS IN GC29 125

Role

Provincial

Delegate/Supp

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Province

INP – INDIA Panjim

INS - INDIA Shillong

INT – INDIA Tiruchy

LKC – SRI LANKA

AUS - AUSTRIA

BEN – BELGIUM NORTH - HOLLAND

CEP – CZECH REPUBLIC

CRO - CROATIA

FRB – FRANCE – BELGIUM SOUTH

GBR – GREAT BRITAIN

GER - GERMANY

IRL - IRELAND

MLT – MALTA

PLE - POLAND EAST

PLN – POLAND NORTH

PLO – POLAND WEST

PLS - POLAND SOUTH

SLK - SLOVAKIA

SLO - SLOVENIA

UKR - UKRAINE

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126 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

Name and Surname

Sándor Kovács

Gábor Vitális

José Pastor Ramírez Fernández

Jorge Antonio Santiago Cartagena

Líder Justiniano Flores

Luis Adolfo Torrez Sanjines

Juan Gabriel Romero López

Julio Andrés Navarro Mora

Rubén Dario Jaramillo Duque

Rafael Andrés Lasso Castelblanco

José Ariel Guerrero Castro

José Luis Jiménez Martínez

Luis Alberto Mosquera Herrera

Marcelo Alfonso Farfán Pacheco

Morachel Bonhomme

Marc-Antoine Justable

Filiberto González Plasencia

Eduardo Lara Perez

Juan Aaron Cerezo Huerta

Hugo Herrera Rosales

Uriel Iván Jáuregui Casas

Juan Pablo Alcas Michilot

Travis Gunther

Danh Cong Dominic Tran

Kristian Kris Laygo

Melchor Trinidad

John Thomas Mass

José Liborio Escalona Uzcategui

Rafael Bernardo Montenegro Latouche

Domenico Paternò

Albert Ramadan

Roberto Colameo

Daniele Merlini

Michelangelo Dessì

Fabiano Gheller

Claudio Belfiore

Leonardo Mancini

Edoardo Gnocchini

Roberto Dal Molin

Claudio Beretta

Giuseppe Russo (Tardio)

Gianpaolo Roma

Role

Delegate/Supp

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Observer

Delegate

Provincial

Observer

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Province

UNG - HUNGARY

ANT - ANTILLES

BOL - BOLIVIA

CAM – CENTRAL AMERICA

COB - COLOMBIA Bogotá

COM - COLOMBIA Medellín

ECU - ECUADOR

HAI - HAITI

MEG - MEXICO Guadalajara

MEM - MEXICO Mexico

PER - PERU

SUE – UNITED STATES EAST

SUO – UNITED STATES WEST

VEN - VENEZUELA

CNA – North Africa Circumscription

ICC - ITALY Central Circumscription

ICP - ITALY Piedmont Circumscription

ILE - ITALY Lombard Emilian

IME - ITALY Southern

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Name and Surname

Lorenzo Teston

Michele Bortolato

Silvio Zanchetta

Domenico Saraniti

Arnaldo Riggi

Pier Jabloyan

Simon Zakerian

João Mendes Chaves

Tarcízio António Morais De Castro

José Luis Navarro Santotomás

Jordi Lleixá Jané

Fernando Miranda Ustero

Xabier Camino Sáez

Luis Fernando Gutiérrez Cuesta

Óscar Bartolomé Fernández

Manuel Fernando García Sánchez

Andrea Bozzolo

José Aníbal Milhais Mendonça Pinto

Francesco Marcoccio

Joan Lluis Playà Morera

Luca Barone

Role

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Provincial

Delegate

Observer

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS IN GC29 127

Province

INE - ITALY North-East

ISI - ITALY Sicily

MOR – MIDDLE EAST

POR - PORTUGAL

SMX – SPAIN Seville

SSM - SPAIN Madrid

UPS - Pontifical Salesian University

RMG - Headquarters

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128 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

CHRONICLE OF THE WORK OF GC29

BY FR PASCUAL CHAVEZ

Taking stock (1)

The point of reference for everything we are doing is Article

146 of the Constitutions, which defines the nature, objective of

the General Chapter.

146. The General Chapter is the principal sign of the

unity of the Congregation in its diversity. It is the fraternal

meeting in which the Salesians carry out a community

reflection in order to remain faithful to the Gospel and the

Founder’s charism and sensitive to the needs of times and

places. Through the General Chapter the entire Society,

letting itself be guided by the Spirit of the Lord, seeks to

know, at a given moment in history, the will of God for a

better service to the Church.1 (1 cf. CIC, can. 631).

2. In the opening prayer in the courtyard, presided over by the

Archbishop of this Diocese of Turin, Card. Roberto Repole, taking

his cue from Sunday’s 2nd reading (1Cor 15 on the Resurrection

of Christ, the core of our faith), began by reminding us that we

have been summoned by God to celebrate our faith, revive our

hope and inflame our charity. Then in the Eucharist, commenting

on the Beatitudes in a parallel between the more spiritual ones of

Matthew’s Gospel and the more social ones of Luke’s Gospel, he

noted that these reflect very well the dramatic situation we are

experiencing today and invited us to have, like Jesus, a loving gaze

towards the poor and a prophetic gaze towards those who put all

their trust in man: power, money, greed, etc. And to react as Ps 1

says by putting all our trust in God.

3. At the opening ceremony in the theatre, the mayor not only

thanked the Salesian Congregation for the opportunity to greet

us and wished us a beautiful assembly, but also shared his

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 129

perplexity at the social and political situation in the world, and

urged that, as the fruit of our Chapter, we can renew our

commitment to young people through education and promote

their future.

4. It is interesting to note how both religious and civil

authorities have reminded us of the social and political scenario

of our world today, precisely so that we do not experience this

event as a ‘soap bubble’, but as a true interlocutor. We must

never lose sight of the fact that God speaks with a polyphonic

voice, through nature and the ecological crisis, through history

especially through the cry of the poor in all its expressions,

through the Word of God, through the Magisterium of the

Church and the Congregation, through our own voice...

5. For his part, Fr Stefano gave an enlightening outline of

GC29, whose theme – formulated by RM Fr Àngel Fernández

“Passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated to young people” – was

the fruit of the responses of all the Provinces and discernment

within the Council, which led to the definition of the theme and

the nuclei into which it was declined, with a clear call “for a

renewed charismatic identity, fruit of the experience of God, in

view of a faithful and prophetic Salesian life”.

6. In her address, Sr Simona Brambilla, Prefect for the

Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of

Apostolic Life, sharing her experience of the Synod "for a synodal

path’ took the icon of the Disciples of Emmaus to illustrate

spiritual dialogue in its double vertex, on a human level, of what

passes through our minds and hearts, and on a spiritual level, of

what happens when inflamed by the Word and enlightened by

the Spirit we seek God’s will, with the hope that this will happen

in the development of our General Chapter.

Finally, Mother Chiara and Antonio Boccia, representatives

not only of the FMA and Salesian Cooperators, but of the entire

Salesian Family, wished us a fruitful Chapter experience,

precisely because this is an event that has to do with the entire

Salesian Family, and assured us of their prayers.

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130 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

7. The Spiritual Exercises were intended to create the

spiritual atmosphere in which to live this “Salesian Pentecost”

and, at the same time, to deepen the criterion of reference with

which to illuminate reality, the state of the Congregation, the

challenges emerging and the priorities to be taken. The homilies

by Fr Eunan, Fr Fernando García and Fr Jorge Crisafulli offered,

from different perspectives, cues for a fruitful living of the GC

so that the choices to be made respond to what God expects of

the Congregation.

8. The pilgrimage to Colle Don Bosco, the cradle of our father

and of his vocation and mission received in the “dream at 9 years

of age”, and to Chieri, the place where he lived the ten years that

profoundly marked his life and where he discerned his priestly

vocation, was an opportunity to give thanks for the gift that Don

Bosco meant and means, to recall his story beginning with his

origins and that of the dream and all that came from it, and finally

to find inspiration to respond to the challenges of the new

generations of young people, being attentive to them, to their

expectations, to their needs, without fossilising the charism by

identifying it with works, programmes and projects.

9. After the days of spirituality, work began with the Chapter’s

ordinary timetable. The information on the functioning of the

tablet in such a way as to facilitate the work and participation of

all, the presentation by Fr Stefano as President of the CG29 of its

three secretaries, Fr Daniele Merlini, Fr Fabiano Gehler and Fr

Bortolato, the reading of the Regulations, concluded with the

sanatio of the procedures of some provincial chapters, and the

constitution of the Commissions, enabled us to approve the

Regulations with the changes requested by the Assembly and to

receive the presentation of the Working Document for the GC29,

with the consequent sharing and voting.

10. The second week, on the other hand, was all about the

presentation of the State of the Congregation, through the

Report of the RM, the Vicar, the Sectorial Councillors and the

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CRONACA DEI LAVORI DEL CG29 131

Regional Councillors, and the Statistics with their corresponding

reading, especially through the interpretation of it all by Fr John

Dalpiaz.

11. This very important part concluded with an intervention

by Fr Stephen in which he reiterated to the Chapter members

that the reports presented to us on the state of the Congregation

are a word with which God speaks to us and that it is up to us in

personal and commission study to identify the challenges and

priorities for the future. The readiness of the Sector Councillors

and the Vicar to answer the questions sent in by the Chapter

members is always aimed at a better knowledge of the state of

the Congregation as a whole and in its dimensions and regions,

creating more and more of a sense of belonging and responsibility.

The information provided is not to satisfy curiosity but to make

us more co-responsible for this inheritance of Don Bosco in our

hands today, so that we can pass it on faithfully to the following

generations. We can well imagine the importance of this work,

the result of which practically becomes the RM government

programme for the next six years.

12. From this point of view, the work in commissions was very

fruitful and, above all, helped to create communion, and

encouraged participation, all in view of the mission. And so, almost

naturally, we entered into the synodal spirit and methodology.

At this point, it is clear that GC29 will mark a turning point

in the Congregation that has become increasingly multicultural

and in need of moving from the inculturation of the charism in

all cultures to interculturalism, which means a unity of the

Congregation made up of the diversity of expressions of the same

charism, a very big challenge, not easy, but decisive for the future

of the Congregation. We find ourselves with a new configuration

of the Consecrated Life, also in our Congregation, as shown by

the different progression of vocations, the culture of the new

generations of religious, also of our Salesians, the change of

emphasis from the management of works to the educative,

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132 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

evangelising mission, and the new pastoral subject formed by

Salesians and Laity sharing not only work but also Salesian

charism, spirit and mission. We hope that the implementation

of the work programme will be accompanied by taking this

change seriously, which touches on the theme of unity and

decentralisation, in such a way that perfectly inculturating the

charism in the different cultures becomes an enrichment for the

whole Salesian charism. The Holy Spirit is the source of diversity,

He is the creator of harmony. Let us allow ourselves to be

inhabited and guided by Him. May Mary the expert of the Spirit

teach us the fundamental attitudes: listening - docility -

collaboration.

Taking stock - 2

1. This time the week I am taking stock of began last

Saturday when Fr Andrea Bozzolo and Fr Eunan presented and

proposed to the Assembly what “conversation in the Spirit” is,

something that saw excellent results in the Synod for a synodal

path of the Church, illustrated then by testimonies of experiences

made by three Chapter members, Fr Luis Gutiérrez (Koldo), Fr

Daniel Federspiel and Fr Gian Paolo Roma.

2. On Monday the 3rd, after personal and commission

reflection on the method, a vote was taken in the assembly hall

and it was approved. And it was immediately put into practice

through a spiritual introduction by Eunan on the first core area

of the Working Document, starting with meditation on the text

of Mk 3:13-16 in prayer. The rest of the day’s work was devoted

to personal study and in commissions on Core area 1 in its first

part, that of Listening. The day ended with the Evening Prayer

and the Goodnight given by the Provincial of Argentina South,

Fr Dario Perera, inspired by the 150th anniversary of the first

Salesian missionary expedition.

3. Tuesday the 4th, was a day of work in commissions still on

the first core area in the following two parts: Interpretation and

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CRONACA DEI LAVORI DEL CG29 133

Choices. It ended with Evening Prayer and the Goodnight given

by Fr John Zosiama, Provincial of Guwahati, who introduced us

to the Salesian presence in north-east India. At dinner there was

a bit of a carnival celebration.

4. On Wednesday the 5th, after the morning prayer in

language groups, the work in commissions on the theme A

“Centrality of Jesus Christ and Care for Vocation” continued

sharing what the groups had done.. At the end of the morning,

in the Basilica, we had the celebration of the Eucharist for Ash

Wednesday presided over by Fr Beppe Roggia, who in his homily,

starting from the symbolic image of the ashes used also to

regenerate the fields, invited us to make this liturgical season a

life-giving and flourishing one, like and with the Risen Christ. In

the afternoon, work in commissions on Theme B “Fraternity and

Attention to the Poor” and then on Theme C “Formation of the

Salesian” until the study of Core area 1 was completed. We ended

in the hall with Evening Prayer and the Goodnight offered by

Bishop Saro Vella, Bishop from Madagascar, and his proposal for

the creation of an association of Salesian bishops.

5. On Thursday the 6th, the first part of the morning spent

was in commissions studying the summary of Core area 1, at the

end of which the vote was taken. After the break there was

personal study on some aspects of Core area 3.

In the afternoon, in the hall the minutes were read out and

approved in, after which the President took the floor to thank

people for the work done in the commissions and justified the

decision to already move on to Core area 3, which contains legal

aspects that could end with changes to some constitutional

articles. In that case, it would be necessary to send the changes

to the Holy See requesting approval, before the week of the

General Council elections.

And immediately Core area 3 began with a meditation on the

Word led by Fr Eunan starting with the text from Rom 12:2; then

Fr Chávez offered information requested of him on the

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134 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

Structures of animation and government of the Congregation,

followed by Fr Pier Fausto Frisoli who illustrated from a juridical

point of view the three issues on which the Chapter will have to

decide: The Organization of the Regions, the Composition of the

General Council and the General Secretariats, and the

Priesthood Requirement to be Rector, Provincial and Rector

Major, because in the case of changes touching the Constitutions

the approval of the Holy See must be sought as already

mentioned by the Chapter President, Fr Stefano Martoglio.

Finally, the Moderator presented the outline of work on 6 points.

After the break, we return to the commissions for the work on

Listening, Interpretation and Choices on these. Again the

Assembly gathered for Evening Prayer and the Goodnight

offered by Fr Vaclav Klement, Superior of AFM.

6. On Friday the 7th, in the morning there was work in the

commissions to collect the proposals of the groups and draw up

three proposals with a justification to present to the Assembly.

After the break, the minutes were read out and approved in the

Assembly, and the proposals of each committee presented with

room for discussion in the Assembly were,. In the afternoon, the

Moderator introduced item 3.1 plus sheets 1 and 2, and we moved

on to the commissions. Then it was back to the Hall for the

presentation of the resolutions to be voted on the following day.

It ended with the Stations of the Cross.

7. A significant element, indeed, was the progressive

presentation of the realities of the Congregation, especially through

the homilies, such as the one from the Provincial of Ukraine, Fr

Myhailov Chavan, and the Goodnights, starting with the first from

Fr Guillermo Basañes on the AFC and the others already

mentioned. It is not a matter of making things known to satisfy

curiosity, but to create communion, a sense of belonging, to move

more and more from “I” to “we” at the level of the congregation.

At this point, after a week of typical Chapter work, in the sense

of being focused on the theme “Passionate about Jesus Christ and

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CRONACA DEI LAVORI DEL CG29 135

dedicated to young people” and its three core areas, we can say that

both the work done by the pre-Chapter Commission that drew up

the Working Document, and the Presidency that carefully prepared

all the aspects of the General Chapter in this Valdocco location, as

well as the practical organisation, and the choice made to take up

and use the “Conversation in the Spirit” have all proved to be very

apt and valid components.

Today, after three weeks, the intercultural fraternal atmosphere

we are experiencing is now visible, as well as the familiarisation

with the spirituality and method of “Conversation in the Spirit”,

giving way to a deeper knowledge among us, to a more open mutual

acceptance, to a spiritual communion in listening to the Spirit in

order to open ourselves to the Will of the Father, who wants us to

be ever more faithful to Christ and to Don Bosco’s project on behalf

of young people, especially the poorest and neediest.

And this is what turns the General Chapter into a true

“Salesian” Pentecost.

Taking stock - 3

1. This third “Taking stock” intervention of mine begins by

going back to what we experienced on Saturday the 8th, which

began with a Lectio on “The Eucharist at the centre of life” led

by Fr Guido Errico and the Province of Vietnam. In the session,

the minutes were read and approved, then the President, Fr

Stefano Martoglio, invited Fr Pier Fausto Frisoli to make some

juridical clarifications regarding the voting on resolutions that

the Chapter members would have to do in the coming weeks,

after which, before going on to non-definitive voting on the

resolutions, the floor was given to those who asked for some

clarification, after which the vote was taken, leaving the final

vote for Monday. The session ended with “Taking stock” (2)

together with a part of the inner journey of the Congregation

from the SGC to GC9.

2. At midday, in the Eucharist in the Basilica presided over

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136 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

by the Provincial of the Myanmar Province, Fr Zaya Aung

delivered a touching homily and a final word on the dramatic

situation they have been experiencing for years. In the evening,

Evening prayer (Vespers) in the Basilica was presided over by Fr

Bonhomme Morachel, Provincial of the Province of Haiti, who

gave us a good night, also talking about the difficult political and

social situation that the country has been experiencing for years

and where the Salesians have made the choice to be with the

people and share their suffering to witness the closeness of God,

his tenderness and give hope to a desperate people. These two

interventions touched the hearts of all the Chapter members,

strengthening the sense of Congregation and inviting solidarity

in suffering with these realities, a true sympathy (sym-pascho)

that leads to “weeping with those who weep”.

3. On Monday 10 March, in the morning we worked on

commissions on core area 3.1 + sheets 1&2 until we arrived at

the proposals. Subsequently, the Minutes were approved in the

Hall, followed by an intervention from the President, after which

the 6 commissions presented their proposals on core area 3.1.

Finally, it was asked to examine the resolutions to be voted on

and to prepare interventions on the proposals regarding 3.1. In

the afternoon, in the Hall, all the necessary space was given to

the interventions, which meant that we heard the various

evaluations on the different issues concerning the composition

of the Council. At this point the President took the floor,

thanking people for the freedom with which those who

intervened expressed themselves and, at the same time, noting

the importance of the issue and what we are doing, not with a

view to reaching a shared decision but creating a common vision,

always with the desire to respond to the request of the RM who,

in his letter of invitation to GC29, invited us to undertake a

courageous evaluation of animation and government at all levels.

After a pause, on return a vote was taken on the 5 resolutions

concerning core area 3.2: 1) the establishment of a second Region

in Africa-Madagascar, 2) the request to the Rector Major with his

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CRONACA DEI LAVORI DEL CG29 137

Council to review the priorities and methods of implementation

of the duties of the Regional Councillor in order to better

implement what is required by the Constitutions and Regulations,

3) the request to the RM with his Council to guarantee the

Regional Councillors adequate personnel to support their service,

4) that the St John Bosco Province of Croatia be transferred from

the Central & North Europe Region to the Mediterranean Region,

5) the request to the Rector Major with his Council to develop a

reflection on the common challenges that the Congregation is

facing today in Europe and on the synergy between the two

Regions. All 5 of these resolutions were approved with different

degrees of Placet, non placet and abstention. Further

interventions also followed on the subject, which ended with a

further word from the President expressing the appreciation of

what had been shared and suggesting a free exchange to

capitalise on the outcome of what they had heard. The day ended

with Evening prayer and a good night from the Provincial of the

Warsaw Province, Poland, Fr Tadeusz Jarecki.

4. On Tuesday 11 March, we began with the reading and

approval of the minutes. The President took the floor to tell us

that the proposal for the new resolutions to be voted on would

arrive and offered some criteria in this regard. The Moderator

presented the work to be done: study of sheets 8-9-10 on the

Requirement of the Priesthood to be Rector, Provincial, Rector

Major, and taking into account the Rescript of the Holy Father

Pope Francis on the exception from can, 588 52 CIC, of 18.05.2022

and the “Salesian Charismatic Rereading” of this Rescript. After

these indications, we went to our commissions for personal study,

reflection in groups and the subsequent proposals drawn up in

the commission. In the last part of the day, in the Hall, the

Drafting Commission presented the resolutions on topic 3.1.

Then the 6 commissions presented their proposals on topics

8/9/10. The material presented would be read and studied the

following day. It ended with Evening prayer and the goodnight

given by the Provincials of Ecuador, Fr Marcelo Farfán, and of

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138 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

Peru, Fr Juan Pablo Alcaz who introduced us to the

extraordinary missionary figure of Fr Luigi Bolla and the

Formation Centre for the Achuar people.

5. On Wednesday 12 March, all morning was spent in the Hall

for the reading and approval of the Minutes, a word from the

President to inform us of the conclusion of the Central

Commission on the resolutions to be voted on regarding the

Composition of the Council, after which Fr Luca Barone

presented us with the three resolutions concerning the request to

the RM and his Council to promote greater coordination between

the Sector Councillors and the Regional Councillors, the

transformation of Social Communication into a Secretariat, and

finally, the transformation of the Missions into a Secretariat, all

three with results. After this, the morning was spent listening to

interventions on sheet 8 regarding the priesthood requirement

for the rector. At the end of the morning I was invited to offer

some enlightenment, taking my cue from the conference Don

Bosco gave to the Coadjutor novice at San Benigno Canavese in

1883 and Fr Philip Rinaldi’s letter commenting one by one on all

the elements of that reference text. In the afternoon, we went

ahead with further interventions, after which Fr Joan Lluis Playá

was given the floor to present a proposal to amend Article 151

which would include among the members of the General Chapter

with the right to vote the Central Delegate who is entrusted with

the direct responsibility of the Secretariat for the Salesian Family

in accordance with Article 108 of the General Regulations. Then

there was a time for personal reflection followed by time in

commission and we returned to the Hall. Upon arrival Fr Luca

Barone presented us with the 4 draft resolutions on sheets 8/9/10

with two alternatives on sheet 8 concerning the priesthood

requirement for the rector. After some information from the

President and the Moderator, we moved on to Evening prayer led

by the Province of Angola and followed by the goodnight offered

by the Provincial of the Middle East, Fr Simone Zekarian.

6. On Thursday 13 March, in the Hall, after reading and

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CRONACA DEI LAVORI DEL CG29 139

approving the minutes, we proceed to the provisional vote on

sheets 8/9/10 with a positive result for the resolution on the ad

experimentum possibility for the next 6 years of appointing

Salesian Brothers as Rectors of the community. At the end of the

vote, the presentation of the first core area as developed by the

individual commissions began. After the break, and once again

in the hall, the final vote was taken on the resolutions on core

area 1 regarding “Organisation of the General Council” with the

following results: 1) ask the RM to see to greater coordination

between Sector and Regional Councillors, 2) no change to the

Article on the Councillor for Social Communication, 3°) and

likewise for the Article on the Councillor for Missions. After these

votes we continued with the presentation of the first core area.

In the afternoon, in the Hall, the presentation of the commissions

on the first core area was completed and there was room for

interventions in the assembly on this core area. Then proposals

for resolutions 12,13,14,15 on the “priesthood requirement” were

put to the Assembly. Manuel No. 12, concerning the request to

the RM to avail himself of the Papal Rescript and to amend

Article 121 of the Constitutions so as to be able to appoint, with

the consent of his Council, a Salesian Brother as Rector of a

community, did not reach a qualified majority (2/3 of the voters).

No. 13 concerning the request to the RM to avail himself ad

experimentum of the Papal Rescript to be able to appoint, with

the consent of his Council, a Salesian Brother as the Rector of a

community, reached the required absolute majority (half +1) and

was therefore approved. No. 14, concerning the request to the RM

to avail himself of the Papal Rescript and to amend Articles 121

and 162 and to appoint, with the consent of his Council, a

Salesian Brother as Provincial, and consequently to provide for

the appointment of another priest confrere who is responsible

for exercising the faculties attributed by Canon Law to the

Ordinary for the service of authority at the provincial level, did

not reach a qualified majority (2/3). No. 15 concerning the

request to avail ourselves of the possibility of the Rescript to,

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140 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

with discretion, authorise non-clerical confreres to be conferred

with the office of Rector Major and, consequently, to amend art.

121 of the Constitutions as well as art. 127 and art. 129, and also

to elect another priest confrere who can exercise the faculties

attributed by Canon Law to the Ordinary for the service of

authority at the worldwide level, did not reach a qualified

majority (2/3).

The day ended with Evening prayer led by the AON Province,

and the goodnight given by ...the Provincial, Fr Jèsus Benoit,

who presented us with their situation, a strongly militarised,

Islamic area, with one part where radical Islam exercises sharia,

and where the confreres, with great courage and determination,

continue to carry out the Salesian mission with presences and

works that are truly places of hope in the midst of the critical

situation in the territory.

7. Friday 14 March we read and approved the minutes and,

above all, there was a beautiful meditation led by Fr Eunan,

starting from the text of Mt 18:20. At the end of this, we move

on to the commissions for reflection on core area 2, throughout

the day, which we concluded in the Hall with the Via Crucis.

We have already completed 4 weeks of the General Chapter

and we are at the halfway mark. Taking stock of what we have

experienced and done so far, it could be summarised by saying

that after the first week of spirituality and regulatory aspects,

the second week placed the state of health of the Congregation

before us with the presentation, study and questions of the

Reports of the RM, Vicar and Councillors, and in the third we

entered into core area 1 with work in commissions and assembly,

then spending this fourth week studying core area 3 in

commissions, around tables and in the hall on the various sheets,

proposals and discussion in the hall. If the first three weeks were

characterised by peaceful arguments, despite the diversity of

views and positions, the fourth highlighted the great diversity of

the Congregation, which explains the more polarised, more

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emotional interventions, all of them as an expression of listening

to the Spirit. If it is He who creates diversity, it is also He who

creates harmony, not in the sense that everyone thinks in the

same way, but in the fact that communion is not broken and the

Spirit opens up space.

It could be said, inspired by the gospel, that we asked and

received, we searched and found, we knocked and the door was

opened to us. We asked for the Holy Spirit and he was given to us.

We searched all roads for what God’s will would be and we found

it. And we knocked on the door and the door of the mind and heart

was opened to welcome what God wants from the Congregation

today! The Holy Spirit cannot be caged or even tamed, he is free

as the wind says Jesus, always renewing and creating.

Meanwhile, what was passed on through homilies, the prayers

in different languages, and the goodnight on the situations of the

Provinces have helped us to learn more about those situations and

has aroused a deep sense of Congregation in the variety of its social,

political, economic and cultural contexts, greatly appreciating

everything the Confreres do in such circumstances, carrying out

the mission despite all the difficulties.

One thing that seems very important is not to forget that

everything is at the service of the Chapter theme “Passionate

about Jesus Christ – dedicated to young people”, and therefore

that the interventions, debates, resolutions, etc. all seek nothing

other than to respond faithfully to God and the Young.

Taking stock - 4

1. This fifth week of the General Chapter began on Saturday

15th, with a Lectio Divina “Being in Christ” on Galatians 2:15-21

as the inspirational text. In the morning session, the minutes were

read and approved and then I was invited to present “Taking stock”

(3), at the end of which the commissions went on to continue

reflection on core area 2. At noon we had Holy Mass in the Basilica.

Fr Rafael Montenegro, Provincial of the Province of Venezuela was

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142 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

main celebrant. In the evening, Evening Prayer in the Basilica

was led by Fr Vaclav Klement, who finally gave the goodnight on

his AFM Vice-Province, emphasising the hopeful points.

2. On Monday 17th, we began in the Assembly with the

invocation of the Holy Spirit, after which the minutes were read

and approved. Then the President took the floor on behalf of the

Central Commission to make a renewed call to personal

responsibility regarding the communication of what happens in the

Chapter, informing us that there will be a meeting open to Chapter

members to share on the issue of abuse, and he said that the

Central Commission would present a proposal on the presentation

of core area 2.

At the end of Fr Stefano’s address the commissions went ahead

with the study of core area 2’s three topics A-B-C. There is no doubt

that reflection both at the tables and in the commissions proved to

be very enriching, and made us aware of what the Chapter

experience really is, recovering practices and thinking of the

provinces in the diversity of their situations, contexts and

possibilities. In the evening there was a meeting of the President

and the Moderator with the Africa Madagascar Region. The day

ended in the hall with evening prayer led by confreres from India,

in Hindi and other languages, and the goodnight offered by the

Provincial of the ICC, Fr Roberto Colameo who presented the

significant presence at Macerata, which in different ways embodies

what is being proposed as open communities with SDB, FMA,

volunteers, and young people carrying out the Salesian mission in

works fully inserted in the territory.

3. On Tuesday 18th, from the first moment of the day we

gathered in the hall to read and approve the minutes, followed

by a proposal from the President on the presentation of the work

of the commissions in an essential way without reading

everything, a proposal that was approved, and which was

followed by the presentation of the work of each commission on

core area 2, followed by time for the personal reading of these

reports and preparation of interventions.

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After the break and once back in the hall, the discussion on

core area 2 took place with enlightening and thought-provoking

interventions, such as the one by Fr Reinhard Gesing on the

ecological disaster we are experiencing and that should lead us

to make a courageous and operational choice in this regard

precisely as custodians of creation, our “common home”, and

service to the mission especially of the poorest and most needy;

or the one who asked for a statement from the Congregation for

Peace at a time as disturbing as the one we are living; or those

who asked for the need to clarify the term “lay” not only because

of the different kinds of “lay people” who work with us and their

the roles and their identification or otherwise with the charism,

but also because of the different contexts, in particular the

contexts of different religions so as to properly define what

degree of participation there is in the mission and in the charism;

or those who feel the need to better define the degree of decision-

making power of lay people in the EPC Council by redefining

some articles of the Constitutions and Regulations; or those who

insisted on the urgency of once more taking up the education-

evangelisation binomial as two inseparable elements within their

autonomy; or the one about inhabiting the digital life of young

people more decisively, etc.

In the afternoon the discussion on core area 2 continued, after

which the proposal for the new map for the two Regions of Africa

was presented, the result of great vocational growth, multiplication

of provinces and vice-provinces and growth in their territories.

Therefore, it is not a division of the single Region but a

multiplication by two, the South and East Region and the Centre

and West Region, in order to better accompany young people. After

the break, we went to the commissions to discuss the proposal for

the composition of the two regions of Africa and the motion

presented by Fr Playà to include the Central Delegate for the

Salesian Family among the members of the General Chapter by

right. The day ended in the Basilica with Evening prayer led by Fr

Manuel Jiménez, Rector of the Community at Valdocco, and the

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144 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

goodnight given by Fr Fernando Miranda, Provincial of the

Province of Mary Help of Christians SMA.

4. Wednesday 19th, Solemnity of St Joseph. We began in the

hall for the reading and approval of the minutes, which was

followed by an address from the President who presented two

pieces of information on behalf of the central commissions 1) on

the request to send messages on behalf of the entire GC29 on

different issues (peace, young people...) it was decided to leave

them for the next few weeks; 2) the commissions were asked to

prioritise the choices in order to facilitate the work of the drafting

commission. After this information, the Drafting Commission

informed the Assembly of their choices made for drafting the

work and then the different members of the commission read the

first draft of core area 1 presenting it on screen.

After the break, we went to commissions to discuss this draft

and prepare interventions for the Assembly with the respective

vote. After the afternoon break, we returned to the hall to listen

to the 6 commissions on the matter of how the 2 Regions of Africa

would be constituted, and on Fr Playà’s motion – with discussion

in the assembly. Then Fr Pier Fausto Frisoli made a presentation

on the sheets and juridical matters corresponding to core area 3

to be studied this week (Interprovincial bodies; Extraordinary

visitations; Team visits; Organisation of the animation of the

Province; Composition of the Provincial Council; Offices,

secretariats, provincial commissions; consistency of the

community in number and quality; Duration of governing terms

of office). The day ended with evening prayer led by the Province

of Hyderabad, and the goodnight given by the Superior of the Sri

Lanka Vice-province, Fr Roshan Miranda.

5. On Thursday 20th work began in the hall with the reading

and approval of the minutes, after which the President took the

floor, inviting the president of the Communication Commission to

inform us regarding the way in which official communications will

be made, including the elections, followed by discussion in the

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Assembly on core area 1 with the presentation by spokespersons

of the work of the commissions, and other interventions. Once this

was done, the resolutions on the constitution of the two Regions

of Africa and on the motion regarding the Secretary for the

Salesian Family were presented and voted on. While the first

reached the required number of votes, the second did not. After

the break, the commissions went to work on the third core area

numbers 3.3 (Interprovincial bodies); 3.4 (Extraordinary

visitations); 3.5 (Team visits); 3.7 (Duration of governing terms of

office). Commissions prepared and voted on the draft resolutions.

In the afternoon in commissions, work continued on core area 3

number 3.6 (Offices, secretariats, provincial commissions); and

sheets 4 (Vice-Provincial); 5 (Configuration of the Provincial

Council); 6.7 (Consistency of the communities in number and

quality). The commissions prepared and voted on the draft

resolutions. The day ended in the hall with evening prayer led by

the Province of Dimapur in their own language and goodnight by

Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator of the Causes of Saints, who

offered us an enlightening and thought-provoking presentation of

Salesian holiness, which ended with a personal sharing of what

this ministry has meant to him.

6. On Friday 21st we began in the hall with tests to see that

tablets were working properly in view of the voting ahead. After

a prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the minutes were read and

approved, after which the final vote was taken on the 2 Regions

of Africa (EAST and SOUTH Africa Region and CENTRAL and

WEST Africa Region), which reached the required votes and was

approved, and on motion no. 1, which did not reach a qualified

majority. After this Fr Pier Fausto Frisoli, in his role as

Procurator, gave us accurate information about the progress of

processes in cases of abuse. After the break, we went to the

commissions to study the proposal for an Article of the

Regulations on Social Works with a draft resolution. In addition,

each commission completed, voted and shared the proposals on

points 3.3 and 3.7. In the afternoon, we returned to the hall to

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present the resolutions and proposals relating to 3.3; 3.4; 3.5; 3.6;

3.7 + sheets 4,5,6,7 , all done in commissions. After the break,

the 6 commissions presented their resolutions on the article of

the Regulations concerning Social Works to the Assembly. Finally,

there was a presentation of the guidelines for discernment. The

day ended with the Way of the Cross led by the Province of

Chenai and the goodnight by Fr Andrea Bozzolo, Rector

Magnificus of the UPS.

As you can see, this fifth week of the Chapter was very busy

with a full agenda in the sense that on the one hand we began

studying core area 2, but at the same time the first draft of core

area 1 was presented with study in the commissions, and, above

all, we finished dealing with almost all the topics of core area 3.

The work carried out, the result of excellent management by

the Chapter and the active shared responsibility of all the

Chapter members, has brought us to a good point before the

important week of the elections of the Rector Major, Vicar and

Councillors for Sectors and Regional Councillors.

The Holy Spirit, the true protagonist of this “Salesian

Pentecost”, has guided us so far and will do so in a special way in

the delicate election of those who will have the responsibility for

animating and governing the Salesian Congregation in such a

way that it responds to God’s dream for “young people, especially

those who are poorest, abandoned and at risk”.

Taking stock (5-6)

1. The sixth very important week of the General Chapter

began on Saturday 22 March in the Hall with the Lectio on

Fraternal Community starting from the text of Rom 12:9-21, led

by the Province of Bombay. The minutes were read and approved

at the session, after which the President took the floor on behalf

of the Social Communication Commission to provide information

about the way in which the elaboration and discussion of

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messages and communications will proceed according to what is

stated in art. 35 of the Chapter Regulations. I was then invited

to offer “Taking stock - 4”, which was followed by several

interventions, such as the one by Fr Eunan MCDonnell on letting

oneself be guided by the Spirit, or the one by Lukasz Pawlowski;

the discussion on the resolutions, as usual with conflicting

positions, relating to 3.3; 3.4; 3.5; 3.6; 3.7; + sheets 4, 5, 6, 7,

although the majority of the interventions referred to the

proposal of an article on “social works”. After the break we had

the Eucharist in the Basilica presided over by P. Bonhomme

Morachel, provincial of Haiti. In the evening, in the Basilica,

Evening Prayer was led by Fr Rafael Montenegro, Provincial of

Venezuela, who presented us with their precarious and

challenging social, political and financial situation.

2. On Sunday 23rd, in the afternoon, we gathered in the Hall

to begin the process of discernment in view of the elections,

under the guidance of Fr Amedeo Cencini, who at first, took a

look at the title/theme and the social/ecclesial context by

presenting us with the theme of GC29 “Passionate about Jesus

Christ – Dedicated to Young People. Living our Salesian vocation

faithfully and prophetically” and presenting it in terms of hope:

“A General Chapter in the Jubilee of Hope!”, precisely because

everything seems to lead to resignation, pessimism, or despair.

That is why a faith that becomes trust and creates prophecy and

that translates into a vision of the future is indispensable, and

he ended by quoting a prophetic text by Ratzinger from 1969, on

the Church of the future, the one we see today!!! After the break,

the reflection continued in a much more focused key on

discernment with the title “Discerning is hoping – Hope is

discerning” summed up in the subtitle “From contemplation to

discernment”, a reflection that ended with a prayer that brought

together everything we are experiencing at this moment of the

General Chapter. The day ended with Evening Prayer in the

Basilica led by Fr Amedeo Cencini. Starting from the parable of

the fig tree in the Gospel, he returned to an invitation to hope,

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taking inspiration from the trust that the Father always has in

us. Then supper and Eucharistic Adoration in the Church of

Saint Francis de Sales.

3. On Monday 24th we began in the Basilica with the

Eucharist presided over by Fr Amedeo Cencini who in the homily

set the week of discernment in the light of the Word, a disturbing

Word precisely because it spoke of the failure of a discernment and

precisely the discernment of those to whom the Lord had

revealed himself in a particular way, “his own”. It is also a

possibility for us when we claim to know everything about God,

about Jesus, which deprives us of placing ourselves in a state of

discernment. This is or should be the normal attitude, not just

circumstantial one, that allows us to see what the Lord has

already done and what he is doing, and therefore asking

ourselves what he is giving us or asking, or revealing.

Discernment is the normal attitude of growing in the faith and

hope of the normal believer. In the Hall the minutes were read

and approved, followed by another conference from Fr Amedeo

Cencini in which he presented the “General Chapter as a process

of discernment” indicating the conditions that make it possible

(inner freedom, familiarity with discernment, ob-audiens

sensitivity), specifying the method and offering criteria for a

choice of government today (generic and specific criteria). After

the interval we went into the commissions for the conversation

in the Spirit on the service of the RM, asking ourselves in the

light of the 2020-24 period what our expectations were and what

the profile for the figure of the RM for the six-year period 2025-

2031 should be. In the afternoon Chapter members were invited

to go through the Hall and deposit a name in a specially prepared

urn. Then work continued in the commissions to develop and

vote on the summary of expectations and profile. After the break

we returned to the commissions, where the president, after

communicating the list of names deposited in the urn, invited us

to take a secret ballot. We returned to the hall and the guide

presented the summary of the expectations and profile of the

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future RM, followed by a time of silence and reflection. Then he

proceeded to present the 5 names that had the most votes in the

commissions in alphabetical order (Attard, Basañes, Coelho,

Crisafulli, Martoglio), then the Moderator carried out a test, after

which a straw vote was held with the following result: (Attard

88, Martoglio 59, Crisafulli 28, Ivo 21, Basañes 17), due to which

it was decided to have a second straw vote that was cancelled due

to technical problems. The day ended with Evening Prayer,

supper, then after supper, in the Basilica, the rosary and

Eucharistic Adoration together with ADMA, being the 24th of

the month, and the goodnight given by Mother, Sr Chiara

Cazzuola, who expressed the joy of being in the Basilica

contemplating the image of Mary and it being her living

monument wanted by Don Bosco. She highlighted the

importance of this moment, the election of the RM, because his

figure is the centre of unity for the entire Salesian Family. Her

presence, together with the councillor for the Salesian Family

and the Provincial of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta sought to be a

sign of their closeness, affection, and esteem for the Salesians.

She was a spokesperson for all the FMAs around the world who

have written to send their greetings to the new RM.

4. Tuesday 25th, Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.

We began with the solemn Eucharist presided over by Fr Amedeo

Cencini, who in the homily highlighted the happy circumstance

that links this Feast with the election of the RM, because Mary

embodies the response and the right attitudes that the Lord

expects from all of us, especially from those who will be elected.

After reading and approving the minutes in the hall, Fr Amedeo

Cencini took the floor and invited us to resume the election

process. The Moderator, clarifying what had happened yesterday

in the second straw vote that had been invalidated due to an

error, opened the process for the second straw vote on the 5

names, which gave the following result: Attard 117, Martoglio

59, Crisafulli 24, Basañes 10, Coelho 7. Attard had reached an

absolute majority. So, to be in line with the Chapter’s regulations,

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a vote was taken on all the eligible confreres of the Congregation.

And finally, after the invocation of the Holy Spirit, we went to

the final vote for the election of the RM, which offered us the

11th Successor of Don Bosco in the person of Fr Fabio Attard.

The President, Fr Stefano Martoglio, telephoned Fr Fabio, who

was not a Chapter member, asking for his acceptance of the

assignment. Fr Fabio, who was moved, answered by accepting.

He was therefore invited to join us for the formal reception in

the evening! After the break, work was done in the commissions

for the election of the Vicar with the same task: identifying

expectations and profile and arriving at a vote. And so it

continued in the afternoon until the break, when the streaming

began, and we gathered in the Hall for the reception of the new

RM, who made his profession of faith followed by greetings and

gifts from Chapter members. At the end of this moment, so rich

in gestures of true familiarity both from the representatives of

the Provinces who offered their homage and from Fr Fabio who

remained standing, smiling, amiable with everyone, exchanging

memories and jokes. The Rector Major gave us the gift of three

“words” that attracted the attention of the whole Assembly,

captivated by what was said and by the tone in which it was said:

1) gratitude for the trust placed in him with the election, which

is an expression of attachment to Don Bosco, his charism and his

mission; 2) the awareness of a new era that we are living in that

requires faithfulness and parrhesia to be able to respond to the

new needs of today’s young people in diverse contexts; 3) a

ministry to be carried out with the support of all, making GC29

the programme of the Congregation for the coming years in

continuity with what the Congregation has done so far. He ended

by asking for prayer in order to meet the expectations placed on

him. The beautiful and unforgettable evening ended with

evening prayer, supper and then Eucharistic Adoration in the

Church of Saint Francis de Sales.

5. What we experienced yesterday was an unforgettable day

full of emotions for everyone, like those that our dear Fr Fabio is

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experiencing. It was a day blessed by God and that held us all

tightly, once again, to Don Bosco, with a deep sense of

communion. It is the Salesian Sacred Story that walks through

history, thanks to our “Here I am” such as that of Mary, Don

Bosco, Fr Fabio, and of each and every one of us.

6. On Wednesday 26th, in the morning, the Eucharist in the

Basilica presided over by the Rector Major, who in the homily -

taking inspiration from the Word - spoke of listening as the first

and fundamental attitude, listening to God, to the Spirit, which

becomes obedience as acceptance of the will of God, and therefore

of the word to be proclaimed, capable of illuminating the mind

and touching the heart, in such a way as to leave traces, as Don

Bosco was able to do. In the Hall, the minutes were read and

approved. Then the RM once again thanked everyone and urged

us to continue with the spiritual atmosphere. Fr Amedeo Cencini

shared his emotion experienced yesterday at the sense of

communion he had witnessed and offered his best wishes to Fr

Fabio. Then he gave an introduction, opening the presentation

of the summaries on the expectations and profile for the election

of the Vicar, with the list of the prevailing candidates in

alphabetical order (Mancini, Martoglio, Mendonca, Aníbal,

Owoudou, Romero), after which time was allowed for the

possibility of interventions and comments, and a straw vote took

place on the prevailing candidates, with the following results:

Martoglio 110, Mancini 33, Aníbal 31, Romero 25, Owoudou 21.

After the break there was a brief moment of silence with the

invocation to the Holy Spirit and we then went on to the final

vote for the Vicar of the RM, with this outcome: Stefano

Martoglio 147, Leonardo Mancini 33, José Aníbal, 13, Héctor

Gabriel Romero 12, Alphonse Owoudou, 4, Ivo Nicholas Coelho,

3... Once the absolute majority was reached, Fr Stefano Martoglio

was elected, and at the request of the RM on his availability,

expressed his acceptance and made the profession of faith.

Obviously it was not a mere formality, but a conscious and

convinced expression of being Church, disciples and witnesses of

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Christ. We then went into the commissions, this time, regional

commissions where a coordinator and a secretary were chosen.

In the afternoon, in the regional commissions, we worked at the

table in the conversation in the Spirit on the Councillor for

Formation, and in the light of 2020-2024 to identify the

expectations and the profile, and personally reflected; we then

shared the resonances and a vote was taken for a candidate, one

within the Region and one from outside it. After the break, and

still in the regional commissions, the same process for the

Councillor for Youth Ministry. The day ended in the Hall with

Evening Prayer led by SUE Province, the goodnight given by the

Vicar, Fr Stefano Martoglio, who thanked everyone for the

renewed trust on the part of the Chapter members, and shared

the very demanding and difficult experience that has marked this

five-year period in which all the members of the Council have

done their best, and expressed his gratitude for the very fraternal

environment that has been created since the beginning of this

Chapter thanks to the choices made, in particular that of

‘Conversation in the Spirit’, which has created a great

communion in diversity. He reaffirmed the fact of the grace that

it means to already have a father in the person of the Rector

Major, Fr Fabio Attard. After supper there was Eucharistic

Adoration in the Chapel of Saint Francis de Sales.

7. On Thursday 27th, in the morning, in the Basilica, the

Vicar, Fr Stefano, presided at the Eucharist. He considered the

Word of God to be providential for our Chapter, inviting us to

listen to the voice of the Lord and not harden our hearts, keeping

an example in our Mother who left us her instructions as a

testament: “Do whatever he tells you”. The minutes were read

and approved in the hall, after the prayer. The President took

the floor and invited us to be attentive to listening to the Word,

not to lose the centre of gravity in the new context we are

experiencing, and to continue with the “conversation in the

Spirit”, emphasising that it is about docility to the Spirit. Then

Fr Amedeo Cencini presented the summary of expectations and

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profile for the Formation Sector and the names handed in by the

presidents of the regional commissions. These are the names in

alphabetical order: Biju, Callo, Chmiliewski, Ela Enam, García,

Olmos, Roggia, Romero, Tesfay We went on to a straw vote,

which offered the following result: Silvio Roggia 73, Biju Michael

43, Gabriel Romero 37, Mario Olmos 18, Fernando Garcia, 17,

Raymond Callo, 17, Hailemariam Medhim Tesfay 7, Marek

Chmiliewski 5. The same process continued with regard to the

Youth Ministry Sector, with the presentation of the expectations,

profile and names. The result of the straw vote was: Miguel Ángel

Garcia 53, Rafael Bejarano 49, Vijay Thatireddy 34, Alphonse

Owoudou 32, Claudio Cartes 11, Luis Gutiérrez 11, Fernando

García 10, Silvio Roggia 7. After the break, we went to the

regional committees for the conversation in the Spirit on the

General Councillor for Social Communication, identifying

expectations, profile and candidates. In the afternoon, again in

regional commissions, the conversation in the Spirit for the

General Councillor for the Missions. And after the break the

conversation in the Spirit was on the Economer General. At 6:30

p.m., at the request of some Chapter members, a second straw

vote was held for the Councillor for Formation and the Councillor

for Youth Ministry in order to achieve greater convergence.

The result of this vote for the election of the Formation

Councillor was: Silvio Roggia 107, Biju Michael 58, Gabriel

Romero 32, Mario Olmos 11, Fernando García 3, Raymond Callo

3, Marek Chmielewski, 2, Hailemarien Medhim Tesfay 1.

The result of the vote for the election of the Councillor for

Youth Ministry was: Rafael Bejarano 89, Miguel Ángel García 52,

Alphonse Owoudou 31, Fernando Garcia 6, Silvio Zanchetta 5,

Luis Gutiérrez 3, Claudio Cartes 2... The day ended with Evening

Prayer, Supper and Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel of Saint

Francis de Sales.

8. On Friday 28th, in the morning, in the Basilica, the

Eucharist was presided over by Fr Ivo Coelho who, in the context

of GC29, commented on the Word on the Great Commandment

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of Love for God and neighbour, offering two ideas: the first

commandment is not only a commandment but the end or

purpose of everything, communion with God and with the saints;

the other is that the commandment is not only the end or

purpose but also the path, so that being free we are called to

respond to God, beggars of love. In the hall we began with an

invocation in English to the Holy Spirit led by the Superior of

the Vice-Province of Malta and, youngsters. Immediately

afterwards, the RM gave the floor to the Superior of Myanmar

who informed us of the disaster of the earthquake that hit the

country, already harshly tried by a cruel and inhuman

dictatorship. The RM asked us to show solidarity through prayer

and financial help. The minutes were then read and approved,

at the end of which Fr Amedeo presented and commented on the

summary on the sectors and profiles and those nominated, in

alphabetical order for Councillor for Social Communication

(Bartocha Dariusz, Díaz Fabio, Eynem Maguergue, Jacob

Augustin, Mendes Gildasio, Orendain Fidel, Owoudou Alphonse,

Pakkam Harris, Valiente Javier), the Councillor for the Missions

(Amaglo, Bicomong, Biju, Crisafulli, Farfán, Jiménez Manuel,

Lima, Maravilla, Sarmento, Thannickal, Jacek) and Economer

General (Anan Thanad, Aspettati Stefano, Jachimovicz Roman,

De Giorgis Giorgio, Gesing Reinhard, Moreno Ruiz, Okoro,

Rodríguez Alberto, Sanjone Amaladoss, Stawowy Gabriel,

Tharaniyil George), followed by the straw vote.

Outcome of the straw vote for the Councillor for SC: Orendain

Fidel 81, Harris Pakkam, 43, Francisco Javier Valiente 38,

Gildasio Mendez 24, Alphonse Owoudou 19, Dariusz Bartocha 7,

Augustine Jacob, 2, Eynem Maguergue, 2.

Outcome of the straw vote for the Councillor for the Missions:

Jorge Crisafulli 56, Biju Michael 38, Marcelo Farán 37, Alfred

Maravilla 29, George Thannickal 11, Manuel Jiménez 11, Jacek

10, Adolfo de Jesús Sarmiento 8 ...)

Outcome of the straw vote for the Economer General: Gabriel

Stawowy 49, Giorgio de Giorgis 41, Roman Jachimowicz 38,

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Alberto Rodrígez 32, Stefano Aspettati, 24, Amaladoss 13, Nelson

Moreno 6, Okoro 5, Tharanyyil 4, Thanad 4, Reinhard Gesing 2.

After the break, there was a time of prayerful silence again

in the hall and then the final vote for the sector councillors

followed by the acceptance by the elected representatives.

Result of the vote for the Formation Councillor: Silvio Roggia

146, Biju Michael 42, Gabriel Romero 16, Mario Olmos 2, Andrea

Bozzolo 2, Fernando García 1, Raymondo Callo 1. Silvio Roggia,

who was not a member of the Chapter, was elected and responded

to the RM’s telephone question by accepting and was asked to

reach us as soon as possible.

Result of the vote for the Councillor for Youth Ministry: Rafael

Bejarano 136, Miguel Ángel Garcia 38, Alphonse Owoudou 18,

Vijaya Thathhireddy 8, Claudio Cartes 4, Fernando Garcia 3,...

Rafael Bejarano was elected and answered the RM’s question by

accepting. At this point, Fr Amedeo proposed to taking the second

straw vote for the Councillors for SC, the Missions and Economer

General.

Result of the vote for the Councillor for SC: Orendain Fidel

128, Harris Pakkam 47, Francisco Javier Valiente 24, Gildasio

Mendez 6, Alphonse Owoudou 10, Dariusz Bartocha 2, Augustine

Jacob 2.

Result of the vote for Missions Councillor: Jorge Crisafulli 98,

Biju Michael 61, Marcelo Farán 33, Alfred Maravilla 12, George

Thannickal 5, Jacek Zdzieborski 5, Adolfo de Jesús Sarmiento 2...)

Result of the vote for Economer General: Gabriel Stawowy 75,

Roman Jachimowicz 61, Giorgio de Giorgis 37, Stefano Aspettati

23, Alberto Rodrígez 11, Amaladoss 5, Nelson Moreno 1, Okoro

2, Tharanyyil 1, Thanad Anan 3,.

In the afternoon in the hall, we began with an invocation to

the Spirit and immediately afterwards we went to the final vote

for the Sector Councillors.

Result of the final vote for the SC Councillor: Fidel Orendain

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175, Harris Pakkam 20, Francisco Javier Valiente 12, Gildasio

Mendez 4, Alphonse Owoudou 4, Albert Capboso 1, Dariusz

Bartocha 1, Augustine Jacob 1. Fr Fidel Orendain was elected

and answered positively to the RM’s question whether he

accepted or not.

Result of the final vote for the Missions Councillor: Jorge

Crisafulli 142, Biju Michael 56, Marcelo Farfán 11, Alfred

Maravilla 4, George Thannickal 1, Jacek Zdzieborski 4, Adolfo de

Jesús Sarmiento 1 ...)Fr Jorge Crisafulli was elected and answered

positively to the RM’s question whether he accepted or not.

Result of the first final vote for the election of the Economer

General: Gabriel Stawowy 119, Roman Jachimowicz 85, Giorgio

de Giorgis 6, Stefano Aspettati 3, Alberto Rodríguez 1, Amaladoss

2, Thanad Anan 1. Fr Gabriel Stawowy, who was not at the

Chapter, was elected and to the question of the RM if he accepted

the election he responded in the affirmative.

9. After the elections of the Sector Councillors, the RM took

the floor appreciating the spiritual atmosphere in which these

elections took place, the result of listening to God that implies

discernment; and as a duty of gratitude thanked the Councillors

who have carried out their service so far giving their contribution

in a very challenging five-year period: Fr Ivo Coeho, Fr Miguel

Ángel García, Fr Gildasio Méndez, Fr Alfred Maravilla, Bro. Jean

Paul Müller.

They continued what those who had preceded them had done,

and others will continue it.

After the break we went to regional commissions to identify

the expectations and profile for the figure of the Regional

Councillor, and the voting for one within and one outside the

Region. The day ended with the Via Crucis, supper and

Eucharistic Adoration in the Chapel of Saint Francis de Sales.

10. Saturday 29th, the last day of elections, those of the

Regional Councillors. In the morning in the Basilica the Eucharist

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was presided over by Fr Joseph Nguyen Phuoc who, in the homily,

taking inspiration from the two readings, that of Hosea who

invited us to return to the Lord with a love that is not like that of

the morning dew that fades in the evening, and that of the Gospel

in which Jesus, telling the parable of the two who went up to the

temple to pray, teaches us what true conversion is. In the Hall,

reading and approval of the minutes, at the end of which the RM

gave an official welcome to Fr Silvio Roggia. He then picked up

from homily by highlighting some elements, especially that of the

attitude of the Pharisee, who was not only far from God, but also

distanced others from God. Instead, it called creating a positive

ecology at all levels. The Moderator provided information on how

the election process of the regional councillors would be carried

out. Fr Amedeo introduced the process:

The first Region is Central West Africa with three candidates.

Result of the first straw vote: Alphonse Owoudou 166, Roland

Mintsa 38, Aurelien Mwanangoy Mukangwa 14. We then went

on to the final vote with the following result: Alphonse Owoudou

190, Roland Mintsa 20, Aurelien 5... Fr Alphonse was elected and

responded affirmatively to the RM’s question.

The second Region is East and South Africa with 4

candidates. Result of the first straw vote: Bizimana Innocent 165,

Rolandi Giovanni 23. Mbandama Michael 18, Tesfay

Hailemariam 15. We went on to the final vote with the following

result: Bizimana Innocent 183, Rolandi Giovanni 19, Mbandama

Michael 7, Tesfay 5. Fr Innocent Bizimana was elected and

responded in the affirmative to the RM’s question.

The third Region is America South Cone with 2 candidates.

Result of the first vote: Romero Gabriel 185, Fistarol Orestes

Carlinhos 36. We went on to the final vote with the following

result: Romero Gabriel 198, Fistarol Orestes 14. Gabriel Romero

was elected, and responded affirmatively to the RM’s question.

The fourth Region is East Asia and Oceania with 3

candidates. Result of the first srraw vote: Matthews William 120,

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Bicomong Gregorio 65, Marcello Baek 14, Raymond Callo 14,

José Lorbeth 5, Anthony Nguyen 2. We went on to the final vote

with the following result: Matthews William 150, Bicomong

Gregorio 42, Marcello Baek 5, Raymond Callo 5, José Lorbeth 2,

Anthony Nguyen 1. William Matthews was elected. Since he was

not at the Chapter, he was reached by telephone by the RM and

responded in the affirmative to the RM’s question.

The fifth Region is South Asia with 3 candidates. Result of

the first straw vote: Michael Biju, Lourdusamy Don Bosco,

Silveira Savio Raj. We went on to the final vote with the following

result: Michael Biju 170, Lourdusamy Don Bosco 39, Silveira

Savio Raj 9. Si passò alla votazione definitiva con questo esito:

Michael Biju 192, Lourdusamy Don Bosco 15, Anthony

Kharkongor 3, Silveira Savio Raj 3. Michael Biju was elected, and

responded positively to the RM’s question.

The sixth Region is Central and North Europe with 4

candidates. Result of the first straw vote: Jachimowicz Roman

164, Cachia Eric35, Gesing Reinhard 15, Pizon Jaroslaw 5. We

went on to the final vote with the following result: Jachimowicz

Roman 178, Cachia Eric 19, Gesing Reinhard 7, Pizon Jaroslaw

2. Jachimowicz was elected and responded in the affirmative to

the RM’s question.

The seventh Region is Interamerica with 3 candidates. Result

of the first straw vote: Orozco Hugo 145, Farfán Marcelo 51,

Bonhomme Morachel 22. We went on to the final vote with the

following result: Orozco Hugo 172, Farfán Marcelo 28,

Bonhomme Morachel 8. Hugo Orozco was elected, and responded

in the affirmative to the RM’s question.

The eighth Region is the Mediterranean with 2 candidates.

Result of the final vote: Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy 183, Roberto

Dal Mulin 13. Juan Carlos Perez was elected, and responded in

the affirmative to the RM’s question.

The RM concluded the morning and all this week of elections

by appreciating the multicultural expression of the Congregation,

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thanking Fr Amedeo Cencini, who was a wise guide and called

us to hope and communicated to us with his word and his close,

familiar attitude, his strong spiritual experience. For this reason

he asked him to continue his pedagogical, charismatic, deeply

“Salesian” presence. Fr Cencini responded by saying that the

Holy Spirit really was the protagonist of this adventure.

In the evening, Evening Prayer in the Basilica led by the RM

who offered us three goodnight thoughts as an interpretation

of the parable of the merciful father: a father waiting, a father

full of love, the joy of healing as the fruit of the encounter.

This was followed by a dinner to congratulate the RM and the

Councillors

11. On Monday 31st, we began the seventh week and the day

in the hall with a hymn to Don Bosco: “Digo que Don Bosco vive”

on being like him, a true Salesian. Then, as usual, the minutes

were read and approved, at the end of which the President took

the floor: he expressed his gratitude to God who is accompanying

us, he shared the request made to Fr Cencini to say an

impromptu word to the new General Council. What he said

warmed the heart and was very inspiring. His intervention will

be made available. Finally, he recalled what he said in the

Eucharist to the Mediterranean Region about the threefold

attitude of the official of whom the Gospel speaks: to seek, to find,

to set out on the path. Then Fr Luca Barone, spokesperson for

the drafting commission, presented resolutions 18-27 and Fr

Frisoli presented the final sheets of issue 3.8. After the break, we

went into commissions to formulate ways to vote on resolutions

18-27 and study the last sheets presented by Fr Frisoli. In the

afternoon we continued the work in the commissions with the

discussion and preparation of a resolution for each sheet to be

presented to the Assembly. The commissions voted on each

resolution. There was a meeting of the central commission, which

was followed by the Assembly for the provisional vote on

resolutions 18-27 with Iuxta modum. Then each spokesperson

shared discernment on the final sheets. The day ended with

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160 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

Evening Prayer led by the Province of Belgium-Netherlands, the

goodnight in which Fr Ivo Coelho, the outgoing Formation

Councillor, delivered the draft of the Ratio to the RM, then supper.

12. Tuesday, April 1st, the 91st anniversary of the

canonisation of Don Bosco. In the Hall, the initial prayer was led

by the Province of Belo Horizonte, Brazil starting from the

memory of the canonisation of DB. Then the minutes were read

and approved, the President took the floor expressing his joy at

the proposal on safeguarding and his appreciation of the work of

the Central Commission. Subsequently, the spokesperson of each

commission shared the discernment on the last sheets 11-15,

after which the Drafting Commission presented the first draft of

core area 2. After the break, the Chapter members participated

in the inauguration of the Piazzale Maria Ausiliatrice and

the blessing of the two renewed bell towers with the double

play of new bells. In the afternoon, in the Hall, we proceeded

to take the final vote on resolutions 18-27 (resolutions 18,19,

20,21,24,25,26,27 were approved, resolutions 22 and 23 were not

approved), then Fr Reinhard Gesing presented the proposal to

the assembly to develop a text on safeguarding and Fr Bejarano

illustrated with slides the work done in the YM Sector on

protection in recent years with a view to building “a culture of

protection” through a systemic approach. After taking a straw

vote to find out if the Assembly accepted the proposal, the result

was positive, so the committee will present the choice to be made.

Different interventions followed: Ivo Coelho on the animating

nucleus, Simon Härting on C 187, Fr Frisoli on the lay economer,

Joan Lluís Playà, on educating and evangelising. After the break

we went into commissions for discussion on draft 1 of core area

2. The commissions prepared interventions for the Assembly on

the draft and voted for their intervention, at the end of which

they prayed psalm from evening prayer. The day ended with

supper and a cultural evening with songs and dances from the

regional groups in the Great Hall, at the end of which the RM

thanked everyone for showing the beauty of being a Salesian and

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recalling the story of that poor child who did not give in to

poverty and other negative conditioning and became a sign of

love and hope for the poorest, most abandoned and vulnerable

young people, our beloved father Don Bosco. The most important

thing is not to lose the roots from which new life can arise.

13. Wednesday 2nd, in the hall, after a prayer written by

Bishop Hélder Camera, the Minutes were read and approved.

The President took the floor and expressed his thanks for the

beautiful cultural evening, for the proposal on safeguarding and

the work done in the Commission, finally, for draft 1 of core area

2. After this Fr Luca Barone presented the draft resolutions 28-

34, and then the commission spokespersons presented the

observations on core area 2 with time for debate. After the break,

there was a panel sharing the experiences of the safeguarding in

the provinces, with very enlightening and interesting

interventions by Dominic Tran (Ministry of safeguarding),

Fernando García (Reparative justice), Fidel Orendain (Crisis

Communication) and Daniel Federspiel (Church Experience in

France) which would be of great help to all the Provinces. After

lunch, in the afternoon, commissions worked on the draft of a

Declaration and the proposal of a new article for the Regulations

on safeguarding, and each commission prepared interventions

for the Assembly on the draft. After the break, in the Hall, Fr

Marco Panero, Prof. at the UPS, made a brief presentation of

the“Salesianum” Magazine and then Fr Leonardo Mancini

offered us a book with the collection of the most beautiful Letters

of Don Bosco as a tribute from the Piedmont Valle D’Aosta

Province. There was a meeting of the Central Commission on

verification. The day ended with Evening Prayerled by the

Province of France, supper and, in the Hall, a show on the

Letters of Don Bosco under the guidance of Fr Francesco Motto.

14. On Thursday 3rd, in the morning, in the Hall, reading

and approval of the minutes and the President’s words: he

appreciated the reflection on the discussion on core area 2,

especially on the animating nucleus, saying, however, that we

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162 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

run the risk of forgetting what we already have even if we have

to continue the reflection. He congratulated the confreres who

offered their testimony in the panel on safeguarding experiences.

Here too we had many valuable interventions in this regard. He

urged us to continue on this path by sharing reflection and best

practices in this regard. Finally, he invited us not to abandon the

conversation in the Spirit. Then the spokesperson for each

commission presented the contribution on safeguarding, followed

by discussion (Eric Cachia, Symon Kasprzak, Don Bosco

Lourdusamy. After the break, the Vicar Fr Stefano Martoglio

presided in the absence of the RM who had gone to make a

planned visit to the juvenile prison, and the discussion continued

(Eduardo Lara, Stanislaus Swamikannu, Claudio Cartes, James

Gerard Briody, Dominic Tran, Jordi Lleixá Jané, Oscar

Bartolomé, Rafael Bejarano spoke). After the 5-minute

interventions, the 3-minute interventions continued: Domenico

Paternò, Bart Decancq, Pier Fausto Frisoli, Fidel Orendain,

Alexander Garces, George Thannickal Chacko, Fernando García,

Gildásio Mendez Dos Santos took the floor. At the end of the

discussion, Fr Luca Barone, spokesperson for the Drafting

Commission, presented the Introduction to the Document and

explained the criteria taken for the reformulation of the choices.

After lunch there was a session of official photographs in front

of the monument to Don Bosco in front of the Basilica, and, after

the break, we returned to the Hall. We began again with the

invocation to the Holy Spirit led by the Provinces of Porto Alegre

and Sao Paolo. The spokesperson for the Drafting Commission

read things out again with a view to the iuxta modum vote, and

resolutions 28-34. All 7 resolutions were approved. Then the

Moderator presented a summary of all the interventions of the

morning on whether or not to make a statement and add an

article of the Regulations around 4 main alternatives: to insert

it in one of the core areas, to make a statement, a resolution, an

article. A straw vote was held on the 4 options to see which way

the Assembly was leaning. Option 1: 109 placet. Option 2: 31

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ACTS OF GENERAL CHAPTER 29 163

placet. Option 3: 99 placet. Option 4: 35 placet. The President

commented on the results highlighting that there are two options

that have reached almost a hundred, so he proposed an insertion

in the text and a resolution, a proposal that was accepted by the

assembly by show of hands. The day ended with a word from the

President thanking everyone for their involvement in the work

and his experience of the visit to the juvenile prison, Evening

Prayer led by the Province of England and the goodnight offered

by the Province of Goa.

15. On Friday 4th, in the morning in the Hall we began with a

prayer to Mary Help of Christians led by the Provincial of Chile,

Fr Nelson. The minutes were read and approved, then the

President took the floor: he reported on the Vicar’s visit yesterday

evening to Colle DB for a meeting with the community to

communicate that Thatthi will become personal secretary to the

RM; then he shared his positive impression after reading all the

interventions made in the Hall regarding safeguarding; he once

again thanked the Central Commission for its total dedication and

also all the Chapter members. Finally, he asked for an exemption

to bring forward the vote on resolution 36. The Assembly voted in

favour. After this, Fr Andrea Bozzolo shared some indications on

the presentation of the final document, the choices regarding the

discourse and the words used in relation to safeguarding, the

pastoral tone of the document, and the intended audience, namely

the provinces, so that it can become a programme. After the break,

there was time for personal reading of the final document. In the

afternoon, in the Hall, we were introduced to the work with a song

of praise and thanks, led by the Province of Paraguay. Fr Luca

Barone presented resolutions 28-34 for the final vote, with the

following result: all resolutions were approved. The President took

the floor noting that these deliberations touched on 3 articles of

the Constitutions that deal with the mission and showing the

serenity with which they were made; he invited the assembly not

to minimise the Salesian community when talking about the

animating nucleus of the EPC; finally, with regard to the mission,

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164 ACTS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

to have a broad vision. Then, for a vote iuxta modum, resolution

35 (safeguarding) was presented, and obtained the required

absolute majority. Afterwards, a touching video, ‘The Strength of

the Unseen’, was shown, about the dramatic situation in Sierra

Leone as a tragic consequence of the civil war, and the typically

Salesian commitment to reconstruction through the rehabilitation

of young people and education, with the visionary participation of

Giorgio Crisafulli. The video ‘Ecological Sustainability (Colle Don

Bosco)’ was offered for personal viewing. The day ends with the

Stations of the Cross led by the Hungarian Province, dinner and a

concert for the members of the Chapter.

16. Dear Father Fabio,

First of all, we congratulate you on your election as the new

Rector Major, the 11th Successor of Don Bosco.

It is no coincidence that this election took place on the day

when the whole Church joyfully and gratefully celebrates the

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, because today, as in

the past, God continues to look for collaborators with total

availability, like that of Mary, to carry out his wonderful plan of

salvation. And what he expected is exactly what he found in you,

dear Rector Major: an unconditional “Here I am”.

You know well that when God chooses a person he enriches

them with all the gifts they need to carry out the mission

entrusted to him, in this case, to continue to make “God’s dream”

of seeing young people happy here and in eternity come true.

You are not alone. The Lord, through the members of the

Chapter, has given you the Chapter Document which marks

the path of the Congregation for the next six years, and has

joined you with your main collaborators, your Vicar, the Sector

Councillors and the Regional Councillors, who with you, under

your guidance, will continue to write the sacred history of

the Congregation born here in Valdocco, where all Salesians were

born.

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As Rector Major you are the father of the Congregation, the

centre of unity of the Salesian Family, the Successor of Don

Bosco, faithful and prophetic guardian of the Salesian charism,

spirit, mission and holiness.

While we renew our best wishes to you, we assure you of our

prayers and, above all, our availability.

With immense affection, esteem, gratitude, united in Don Bosco,

All members of the GC29.

Valdocco,

5 April 2025

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Passionate about Jesus Christ, dedicated to young people

GC29

Valdocco, 16 February – 12 April 2025

Dear confreres,

I am pleased to be able to share with you the fruit of this

important moment of evaluation, reflection and planning that

GC29 has been in this profound and accelerated change of era

that we are experiencing and that obliges us to know how to

carefully interpret all reality in the light of the gospel to know

and welcome what God always expects of us in the service of the

salvation of young people.

From this point of view, it seems very significant to me that,

after the troubled experience of the last Chapter due to the

outbreak of the COVID pandemic, it was decided to return to

Valdocco to celebrate it – a place of memory and prophecy. It is

here that we find the answers that Don Bosco was able to give to

the challenges of the young people of the suburbs of Turin during

the first industrial revolution, and it is also here that we have

found the inspiration for responses to be given to the young

people of the fourth industrial revolution.

– Salesians passionate about Jesus Christ and dedicated

to young people

The theme that was chosen by the RM, Fr Ángel Fernández,

for our Chapter touches the essence of Christian and therefore

religious life, because it means being conquered by the love of

Christ so as to return to placing God at the centre of our lives.

In fact, the entire consecrated life is marked by love and must be

lived in the name of love, so it cannot be lived except in joy, even

in moments of trial and difficulty, with the conviction and

enthusiasm of those who have love as the driving force of their

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lives. Hence the serenity, brightness and fruitfulness of

consecrated life, which make it charming and attractive for the

young people to whom we are sent and to whom we are dedicated

by profession.

In his message to the members of the GC29, Pope Francis

comments on the subject in masterly form:

“This is a beautiful programme: being ‘passionate’ and ‘dedicated’,

allowing yourself to be fully involved in love for the Lord and serving

others without keeping anything for yourself, just as your Founder did

in his time. Even if today, compared to then, the challenges you have

to face have altered somewhat, faith and enthusiasm remain the same,

enriched with new gifts such as the gift of interculturalism.”

All this necessarily leads us to the “passion of God” in Christ

Crucified, an expression that signifies both the infinite,

immeasurable love of Christ (“passion” as an expression of great

love) and his immense suffering resulting from the betrayal by one

of his own, the abandonment of all his followers, the denial of the

head of the “twelve”, the rejection of the people, the condemnation

of the leaders of the people, the crucifixion at the hands of the

Romans and the silence of God (“passion” as expression of suffering

for love). No wonder there is no better expression of “passion” as

love and suffering than the Crucified Christ.

The reason is very clear: only if we know each other, only if

we feel infinitely loved by the Father in Christ can we be

conquered by him and be able to love others, our confreres, young

people, all the people who carry out the mission with us.

It is precisely this “pathos” of God that led Paul to confess:

“I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer I who live,

but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh

I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave

himself for me” (Gal 2:19-20).

Only conquered by the passion (love and suffering) of

Christ can we become passionate (capable of love and total

surrender with his own love).

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And because loving is the acceptance of the other without

regard to self-interest, it also encompasses the power of

compassion. This relationship between the “pathos of God” and

his people makes human beings capable of “sympathy”, of feeling

and suffering with God and with others.1

The opposite of love is not hatred but indifference, “a-pathy”. This

is a clear sign of the lack of experience of God, of God who is Love, of

which instead we are called to be “signs and bearers” (C. 2).

Total dedication to the mission on behalf of young people,

especially the poorest, most needy and at risk, helping them to

overcome all the sufferings produced by the sin of the world

(injustice, misery, ignorance, etc.) is the most concrete form in

which, following Christ, we can live Christian love and achieve

the Salesian mission. The greatness of Don Bosco was precisely

that he allowed himself to be moved, pierced by the situation of

abandonment of young people and moved to alleviate their

suffering. This love will always imply self-denial, and will

sometimes provoke “the hatred of the world” (Jn 15:18 ff.). This

is the inseparable relationship between love (passion) and

sacrifice (passion). And there are situations of persecution in

different countries where our Congregation is working, as we

heard in the “goodnight” from several Provincials.

I would like to share with you some reflections found at the

end of the last Encyclical on the Heart of Jesus that I find in tune

with our Chapter theme: “Dilexit Nos”, because it shows that

mission is only possible to missionaries in love.

Mission, as a radiation of the love of the heart of Christ,

requires missionaries who are themselves in love and who,

enthralled by Christ, feel bound to share this love that has

changed their lives. They are impatient when time is wasted

1 MOLTMAN, Cristo Crocifisso: “In the divine pathos man is filled by the

Spirit of God. He becomes a friend of God, fells sympathy with God and for

God.” p. 320

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discussing secondary questions or concentrating on truths and

rules, because their greatest concern is to share what they have

experienced. They want others to perceive the goodness and

beauty of the Beloved through their efforts, however inadequate

they may be. Is that not the case with any lover? We can take as

an example the words with which Dante Alighieri sought to

express this logic of love:

“Io dico che pensando il suo valore

Amor sì dolce mi si fa sentire,

che s’io allora non perdessi ardire,

farei parlando innamorar la gente». [226] (Dilexit Nos)

Missionaries in love who speak from the heart to the heart

To be able to speak of Christ, by witness or by word, in such a

way that others seek to love him, is the greatest desire of every

missionary of souls. This dynamism of love has nothing to do with

proselytism; the words of a lover do not disturb others, they do

not make demands or oblige, they only lead others to marvel at

such love. With immense respect for their freedom and dignity,

the lover simply waits for them to inquire about the love that has

filled his or her life with such great joy. (Dilexit Nos)

Missionaries in love recounting their encounter with Christ

Christ asks you never to be ashamed to tell others, with all

due discretion and respect, about your friendship with him. He

asks that you dare to tell others how good and beautiful it is that

you found him. “Everyone who acknowledges me before others,

I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven” (Mt 10:32).

For a heart that loves, this is not a duty but an irrepressible need:

“Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16).

“Within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my

bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot” (Jer 20:9).

(Dilexit Nos)

Missionaries in love with a deep sense of fraternal community

One must not think of this mission of communicating Christ

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as if it were just a thing between me and him. It is lived in

communion with one’s own community and with the Church. If

we distance ourselves from the community, we will also distance

ourselves from Jesus. If we forget the community and don’t

worry about it, our friendship with Jesus will grow cold. This

secret must never be forgotten. Love for the brothers of one’s

own community – religious, parish, diocesan – is like fuel that

fuels our friendship with Jesus. Acts of love for our brothers in

community may be the best, or sometimes the only way to

express the love of Jesus Christ to others. The Lord himself said

it:“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you

have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). (Dilexit Nos)

Missionaries in love who become servants of the poorest

This love then becomes service within the community. I never

tire of repeating that Jesus told us this in the clearest terms

possible: “Just as you did it to one of the least of these my

brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). He now asks you to meet

him there, in every one of our brothers and sisters, and especially

in the poor, the despised and the abandoned members of society.

What a beautiful encounter that can be! (Dilexit Nos)

If we are concerned with helping others, this in no way means

that we are turning away from Jesus. Rather, we are

encountering him in another way. Whenever we try to help and

care for another person, Jesus is at our side. We should never

forget that, when he sent his disciples on mission, “the Lord

worked with them” (Mk 16:20). He is always there, always at

work, sharing our efforts to do good. In a mysterious way, his love

becomes present through our service. He speaks to the world in a

language that at times has no need of words. (Dilexit Nos)

Missionaries in love acting as friends of the Lord

Jesus is calling you and sending you forth to spread goodness

in our world. His call is one of service, a summons to do good,

perhaps as a physician, a mother, a teacher or a priest. Wherever

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you may be, you can hear his call and realize that he is sending

you forth to carry out that mission. He himself told us, “I am

sending you out” (Lk 10:3). It is part of our being friends with him.

For this friendship to mature, however, it is up to you to let him

send you forth on a mission in this world, and to carry it out

confidently, generously, freely and fearlessly. If you stay trapped in

your own comfort zone, you will never really find security; doubts

and fears, sorrow and anxiety will always loom on the horizon.

Those who do not carry out their mission on this earth will find

not happiness, but disappointment. So it is better that you let

yourself be sent, that you let yourself be led by him wherever he

wants. Never forget that Jesus is at your side at every step of the

way. He will not cast you into the abyss, or leave you to your own

devices. He will always be there to encourage and accompany you.

He has promised, and he will do it: “For I am with you always, to

the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). (Dilexit Nos)

Missionaries in love who can’t hold back what happened to them

In your own way, you too must be a missionary, like the

apostles and the first disciples of Jesus, who went forth to

proclaim the love of God, to tell others that Christ is alive and

worth knowing. Saint Therese experienced this as an essential

part of her oblation to merciful Love: “I wanted to give my

Beloved to drink and I felt myself consumed with a thirst for

souls”. [227] That is your mission as well. Each of us must carry

it out in his or her own way; you will come to see how you can be

a missionary. Jesus deserves no less. If you accept the challenge,

he will enlighten you, accompany you and strengthen you, and

you will have an enriching experience that will bring you much

happiness. It is not important whether you see immediate

results; leave that to the Lord who works in the secret of our

hearts. Keep experiencing the joy born of our efforts to share the

love of Christ with others. (Dilexit Nos)

I hope that these reflections will help us to deepen the motto

that Don Bosco lived as an experience of the Spirit and gave us

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as a legacy as a life program: “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle”, and

consequently help us to rediscover the novelty and prophecy of

his motto.

His motto is a splendid synthesis of the grace of unity. If we

break this it opens up a dangerous space for either activism or

introversion, which are insidious temptations for all of us who

are consecrated to the apostolic life. That is why this theme, dear

Confreres, is so important, because it has to do with our

charismatic identity.

In fact, the mission is nothing more than the historical

expression of God’s saving love made concrete in the sending of

the Son, in Jesus’ sending of his Spirit, in the sending of the Holy

Spirit to the apostles. The awareness of being sent warns us

against the temptation to want to take over the mission, its

contents, its methods, its specific recipients, disposing of it

instead of being available for it.

Precisely because we announce an Other and are called to

offer his salvation, woe to us if we announce ourselves and our

projects: we are his witnesses. This mission involves our entire

existence and frees us from the risk of functionalism, activism

and prometheism, risks that are not simply imaginary.

Our work as educators and pastors of young people has,

among the highest tasks, to help those to whom we are sent find

the meaning of life and true happiness in learning not to keep

life for themselves but to be people for others, in the manner of

Jesus, and educate youngsters like Don Bosco in Valdocco,

precisely today which is marked by resignation, pessimism and

despair in

John’s Gospel expresses in an incomparable way the love of

God in the mission of the Son when, following his encounter with

Nicodemus, Jesus affirms that “Indeed, God did not send the Son

into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world

might be saved through him” (Jn 3:17). For his part, Mark’s

Gospel concludes the passage of the apostles’ dispute on the

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problem of authority with the key to Jesus’ interpretation of his

human existence: “For the Son of Man came not to be served but

to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45).

This is the mission of Jesus and also that of our Salesian

consecrated life on behalf of young people, especially the poorest,

abandoned and at risk. This is the gospel, this is the good news that

we are called to proclaim and embody to fill the world with hope.

It is evident that, to the extent that we live your Salesian

Mission to the full, we will not only make the young people feel

happy, but we also live the mystique of the Mission to the full,

and we can become saints and fully happy, like Don Bosco.

– On a ‘synodal‘ path

Jesus sends his disciples out two by two, because the content

of the mission is precisely this: communion, showing that they

live together, walk together, work together and have a shared

vision: the Kingdom of God, redeemed humanity made up of men

and women who discover themselves to be sons and daughters of

God, brothers and sisters among themselves.

Today, at the last Synod, the Church resumed this method by

listening to everyone, creating communion through participation

in view of the mission. It is something that seems congenital to

Don Bosco that involved everyone: his mother, Mamma

Margaret, his boys, collaborators, benefactors, aware that he

needed everyone to achieve God’s dream for young people.

Therefore, the mission today has the entire community as its

subject, and in our case the entire Salesian Family, in the

diversity of its groups, consecrated, secular, lay, the Salesian

Youth Movement with all its activity, and the Friends of Don

Bosco, people who although belonging to other religions share

with us the spirit, charism and educative and pastoral work. And

we must proceed with great determination and conviction on this

synodal path.

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– To give hope back to the world

The dramatic situation we are experiencing worldwide is

marked by many conflicts, wars, the process of rearmament,

discrimination, scandalous inequalities, deprivations of freedom

and dignity of the person, etc. These are all are placing creation,

and humanity itself, at risk and leaving the bitter fruit of

resignation, pessimism and despair.

Announcing the theme of the 2025 Jubilee, “Hope does not

disappoint,” in his homily on May 9, Pope Francis said:

“Brothers and sisters, may the Lord, risen from the dead and ascended

into heaven, grant us the grace to rediscover hope, to proclaim

hope and to build hope. Christian hope sustains the path of our life

even when it seems tortuous and tiring; it opens before us paths of the

future when resignation and pessimism would like to keep us captive;

it makes us see the good possible when evil seems to prevail; Christian

hope gives us serenity when our heart is weighed down by failure and

sin; it makes us dream of a new humanity and gives us courage to build

a fraternal and peaceful world, when it seems that it is not worth it.

This is the hope, the gift that the Lord has given us with Baptism.”

And if we listen deeply to young people we see that hope also

emerges from underneath irreverent jokes or shrugs; it is present

even if repressed by a certain ideology or betrayed by sad life

experiences. But how to awaken hope?

– Bringing dreams to life

This is the challenge for us educators and evangelisers who

are inspired by the faith. Opening up to the future means giving

birth to dreams, nourishing expectations, opening up to God’s

promises, those already inscribed in the personality and history

of the young person; those they have already found and those

they are still looking for.

And this becomes possible if as educators and evangelisers we

know how to remember the wonders of God and celebrate, in

ourselves, the fidelity of God. Promising means, then, to make

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one dream of that abundance of life that will never fail and will

grow day after day to fullness. Only those who have the memory

of faith know how to give the prophecy of hope and can take the

young person away from the vertigo that could block and even

paralyse them.

Don Bosco did not want to offer utopias that sounded like

false promises and become bitter disappointments that would

weaken the desire to live and fight; he wanted to give hope, which

is based on the certain promise of God, a trust that takes root

and grows by noting the signs of his fidelity (that is, by reading

life in the light of faith); finally, he wanted to give the hope that

is the great sign of the Lord’s Passover.

As an exceptional educator, Don Bosco cultivated hope in his

young people in the following five ways.

First: courageous criticism of the dominant culture, which tended

to deny transcendence and exploit religion (Enlightenment/Masonic

secularism, the Protestant threat, capitalism denying fundamental

human rights); we may disagree with certain analyses made by

Don Bosco, who was influenced by the culture of his time; but what

stands out is the fact that Don Bosco not only did not passively

accept the dominant culture, but considered it an indispensable

element of his educational project. Going to school means doing

culture: but which culture? Do we simply convey the dominant

culture? Do we educate to the honest exercise of critical sense, to

passionate love for the truth, to non-judgmental comparison with

others, to listening to the Word of God, to inner synthesis in our

own conscience?

Second: offering his youngsters positive experiences in the

present; in this way, he made them fall in love with life (“it's an

adventure worth having!”), led them to believe in themselves (self-

esteem) and formed them to tackle difficulties according to their

abilities; only by building fragments of positivity can we achieve

that ‘continuum’ that makes life a positive experience worthy of

being interpreted, planned and turned into action. This is the

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truest meaning of the adjective “preventive” that characterises

our educational system. Do we make every school, every oratory,

every Vocational Training Centre and every social work a highly

proactive environment offering ways of being, of relating, of acting

that make them touch the ethical values we illustrate? And to do

this, do we value the positive inclinations shown by today’s young

people, or do we just live off our heritage, which is proven, yes,

but also rigid and saddened by habit? Do we know how to invent

positive experiences with young people and for young people?

Third: making them dream; for this reason, he recounted God’s

dreams about life (almost as a trigger for their dreams and an

invitation not to settle for less) while opening their eyes to the

dreams that were possible for those times and for those ages (think

of the missionary adventures or the efforts to help the disadvantaged

in Turin at the time); and he did so in opposition to a realism that,

in fact, revealed itself and still reveals itself today as flat

pragmatism, obedience to criteria that misrecognise the dignity of

the person based on self-transcendence. Do we motivate young

people to express the dreams they carry inside, those of getting to

know each other better, wanting to be different, planning big? Do

we link their dreams (often affected by selfish individualism) to the

great expectations of humanity as well as to the great dreams that

God has for humanity? Here we can find a path open to vocational

orientation in a broad sense and in an ecclesial sense.

Fourth: providing them with the language of dreams:

through theatre, improvised performances, poetry competitions,

bands, the invention of games, and the free expression of

imagination and creativity. This is also a current problem: the

youthful imagination is increasingly poor and increasingly

infested by monsters, images of violence, vulgarity, banality, so

much so that the truest feelings no longer find an adequate

language to express themselves and therefore take root in them:

they are pale dreams or sad dreams. I am thinking of the

potential of the languages of literature and art, without

forgetting the modern language of the web and social media ...

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Fifth: promoting group experience, aggregation that satisfied

not only the need for socialisation and friendship, but also the

desire to build something together in the present, with a view to

the future, thus instilling that feeling of solidarity that would

later, once they became adults, take the form of models of

supportive micro-societies, thus establishing a strong civic sense

of collective responsibility (“good Christians and upright

citizens”, as he used to say).

– From multiculturalism to interculturalism

After 150 years since Don Bosco”s first missionary expedition

to Argentina (11 November 1875), our Congregation has reached

all continents, and is now present in 137 countries of the world,

with the corresponding multiculturalism of the Salesians. The

face of the Congregation has changed profoundly.

This item of data involves an important and delicate

challenge: the transition from multiculturalism as a sociological

fact to the faithful inculturation of the gospel and the charism,

an indispensable condition to achieve the interculturalism of the

Congregation, the only valid response for unity in diversity.

The statistics speak eloquently: as vocations decline in Europe

and the Americas, they increase in Southeast Asia and Africa. This

transition from monocultural to multicultural situations has led to

changes in our religious communities, calling into question traditional

formation schemes, which is a source of wealth but also of tensions.

True interculturalism – says Aquilino Bocos – implies

“entering into a process of exchange and mutual respect of

different cultures, of histories and sensitivities, of feelings and

experiences of belonging, of customs and traditions, which

generates a new dynamic and greater fruitfulness for religious life

and the Church.”2

2 A. BOCOS, Herencia y profecía, Pub. Claretianas, Madrid 2006, 412.

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In order for this vocational fruitfulness of Africa and Asia to

become a lifeblood that revitalises and rejuvenates our Salesian

life, it will be necessary to guarantee a good and solid formation

on a human, spiritual, charismatic, pastoral, cultural level that

reaches the hearts of people and purifies cultural elements that

do not fit the gospel and our charism.

Hence the need to know one’s own culture, the culture of

others and the congregational culture well in order to understand

and assimilate multicultural realities with an intercultural

horizon, and to use some indispensable means to overcome

atrophies or hypertrophies. Such as, for example, personal and

community discernment, the centrality of the Word of God and

the Eucharist, the urgent imperative of mission, the inevitable

ongoing formation and a strong spirituality of conversion and

communion.

This will be the best and most fruitful celebration of the 150th

anniversary of the first missionary expedition of Don Bosco the

dreamer who continues to dream through us.

– By way of conclusion

We have arrived in Valdocco and we start again from Valdocco,

full of lived experience, with a Document that becomes a spiritual

and pastoral programme for the entire six-year period, under the

guidance of the father that the Lord has given us in the person

of the dear Fr Fabio Attard, Rector Major and 11th Successor of

Don Bosco. His addresses from the moment of his election and,

above all, the Closing Address offer us the great elements of Don

Bosco’s charism that are most dear to him and the “Salesian

spirit” with which he would like our lungs to be filled in order to

be able to give ourselves unreservedly to “young people,

especially the poorest, abandoned, at risk”.

One aspect that I appreciate and admire in Fr Fabio, and

which will be a great gift for the whole Congregation, is precisely

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the centrality of God in his life, which is so necessary today,

because there is enthusiasm among the confreres in their work

with young people, but it is not always clear what the source of

all that activity is, in the sense that it is often combined with

other attitudes that raise questions about their relationship with

the Lord and with prayer, so much so that we ask ourselves if we

are really convinced that we are working for their salvation, with

all that this implies. For Don Bosco, this was very clear and

fundamental: he sought nothing other than “the glory of God

and the salvation of souls”.

We entrust ourselves to Mary the Immaculate Help of Christians

so that she may continue to be a mother and guide as she was

for Don Bosco.

Rome.

12 April 2025

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