#533

GC25 ROUNDUP CONTINUED

(For those who di not receive ANS, the following material is largely from that source, with additional items gleaned from elsewhere)

HOW MANY AT THE CHAPTER:  231 in all.  Several have been prevented from attending to date - one through illness, one through pressing matters in his own province and a third due to visa difficulties.  Approximately half are from Europe; the next largest group is from the Americas (55) and from Asia (40).

SNAPSHOT OF THE CONGREGATION

Fr. Van Looy, prior to being hors de combat, had presented an overview of the Congregation, the main points of which are as follows:

* decreasing proprtion of Salesians to lay people in our works

*schools and training centres still the most impotant of our works

* decreasing vocations and rise in average age

*results of the last sessenium through direction adopted: new foundations, circumscriptions, provinces, increase in works for kids at risk, handing over of some works to lay management, increased service to local dioceses.

* problems: time spent in administration, needs of providing spiritual assistance to laity, initial formation settings, falling numbers of Brothers, demands of privacy (legislation), quantity of work vis-a-vis community life.

* emphases of GC25: community as normal place for formation, role of Rector, judging a work from the priorities evidenced by its young beneficiaries.

GC25 REGULATIONS:  the document has been presented.  It will be deabted and approved this week.

 GC25 WORKING DOCUMENT:  This is the 'big one'.  It consists of two items worked up by the Pre-Chapter Commission - The Salesian Community today, and Evaluation of strucutres of animation and Government.

The work this week, then, involves responding to the state of the congregation address (from Fr. Van Looy, but now to be directed through the presidency of Fr. Martinelli), adopting the Regulations of the Chapter, beginning work on the pre-capitular documents mentioned above.