ROME - TURIN: 21
February 2014 -- Six years comes around quickly! austraLasia is
covering
its 3rd General Chapter, and will endeavour to do what it has
always
done, to accompany the events there in a way that can be
useful for
readers. The official coverage is the responsibility of ANS
and
sdb.org. Think of our coverage like a Steinbeck novel - where
he
employs what is sometimes known as an 'interchapter' or
'interchap' for
short, and that seems a very good term to use for a General
Chapter
too! Helpful commentary but from a third person perspective -
filling
in the details here and there, providing an overview, keeping
in mind
that many readers have never been to Piedmont, Rome, do not
speak
Italian, etc. etc. so expect little details here and there
that the
official communications will take for granted ...
Perhaps the first thing to do is to give
readers an idea of what is actually happening over these
immediate
coming days. Following is a general and then more
detailed
timetable for the 'Piedmont' part of things.
You realise that GC27 itself does not formally open as a
Chapter until
3 March. But the leadup, the gathering of all the Chapter
members,
invitees, is an integral part of what will follow, especially
given the
Chapter focus on Don Bosco and the upcoming bicentenary in
2015.
By now half or more have arrived in Rome and today, Friday
21st
February could be said to be the first Mass of the Chapter, at
least
for those who are in Rome. The rest are already in Turin or on
their
way, not due to all formally come together until later on
22nd. And
spare a thought for the fact that six years ago on this day,
Fr
Helvecio Baruffi, Regional for America South Cone, was buried.
He died
but a few hours after arriving from Brazil for the Chapter and
sadly,
the first Mass for those gathered in Rome then, was his
funeral Mass.
Anyway, here is the overall programme for the next few days,
followed
by a detailed programme:
February 21 - March
3 2014 Feb 21 Friday:
Those gathered at the Pisana will come together for a Mass in
the
chapel where later the complete group of Chapter members will
be
gathering for major liturgies. Fr Nicolussi, the Rector of the
Blessed
Michael Rua community will encourage them with a few words by
way of a
homily.
Feb 22 Saturday:
early morning (very early morning) departure for Turin by
coach, to
arrive in Turin in the early afternoon. Later the formal
pilgrimage
begins - Valsalice.
Feb 23 Sunday - Feb
24 Monday: Pilgrimage to key places of Salesian
origins
continues, Colle Don Bosco, Valdocco,
St
John the Evangelist's Turin, and Our Lady of Consolation (the
Consolata) Turin. Later that day - to Rome by coach.
Feb 25 Tuesday - Feb
26 Wednesday: Presentation of the Rector Major's
report on the
Congregation - an overview to set the scene.
Feb 27 Thursday -
March 2 Sunday: Retreat
March 2 Monday:
formal opening of GC27.
Programme for the
next few days:
Let's start from the afternoon of Saturday 22 February when,
please
God, all 220 delegates will be at Valdocco:
22 February Saturday:
3.30 p.m. departure for
Valsalice (not
far from Valdocco, across the Po on a hill looking back over
the city
of Turin. Stunning position, really).
4.00 p.m. gathering at the vault
which held
Don Bosco's remains after his burial there on 4 February 1888.
First
reflection by Fr Aldo Giraudo, noted scholar on the Salesian
origins,
Professor at the UPS: Work and Temperance in Don Bosco's
Spiritual
testament. Following this the Chapter members will split into
3
language groups for further commentary: Italian (Giraudo
himself),
English (Fr Joe Boenzi), Spanish (Fr Horacio Lopez).
5.15 p.m. back to Valdocco
6.00 p.m. Mass at the Basilica and
after
supper, a performance by the Postnovices from Nave. This has
been a
long tradition at Nave, where the postnovices put on a major
performance based on Don Bosco's life.
23 February Sunday
8.15 a.m. Morning Prayer in the St
Francis de
Sales Church, the first church DB built for his incipient
permanent
oratory after adapting the Pinardi 'shed' for the purpose
originally.
There simply had not been room for increasing numbers of boys.
9.00 a.m. departure for Colle
Don Bosco
about 30 kms away.
10.00 a.m. second major reflection by
Giraudo:
Work and temperance: its origins in Becchi and later at the
beginnings
of the Oratory. Break into 3 groups once more as above.
12.00 noon Mass in the now minor
basilica of
Don Bosco at Colle. Main celebrant and homilist is the
emeritus
Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Poletto.
1.30 p.m. Lunch
2.45 p.m. Back to
Valdocco
4.30 p.m. Personal time
to reflect
in Pinardi chapel, Francis de Sales Church, the 'Camerette'
(DB's rooms
which he himself built and later extended), today's weekend
(festive)
oratory, the vault below the Basilica of MHC where the graves
of the
Rectors Major are.
6.00 p.m. 3rd
key talk
by Giraudo: Work and temperance: the lifestyle, radical
dedication and
apostolic zeal of the original Salesians. Again following
this, 3
groups.
7.00 p.m.
Evening
prayer in the Basilica
24 February Monday
8.30 a.m. Off to St
John the
Evangelist's in Turin, the church built by Don Bosco close to
his
second oratory of 'San Luigi' (St Aloysius).
10.00 a.m. 4th and final
talk by
Giraudo: Work and Temperance: Don Bosco's motto as seen by his
Successors. And again, 3 groups.
11.00 .a.m. back down
towards
Valdocco again, but this time to the Church of the Consolata
where the
Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, will be main celebrant
and
homilist at the Mass to be celebrated at 12 noon. Our Lady of
Consolation (the 'Consolata') is the Patroness of Turin. It is
a
fascinating history as to how this came about - check it
out on the
Internet
1.30 p.m. Lunch at
Valdocco
and by 2.30 p.m. departure by coach(es) to Rome.
All in all a full programme! Hopefully we can accompany this
programme
with appropriate background information on the locations as
the days
continue. Meanwhile, let's pray for the success of this huge
event.
PS: The North American Provinces are running a
Facebook
page which will also help with information and
background.
If there is any
terminology used
that you are unsure of, and you don't have the app, look it up
in the Salesians
A-Z
web page.
