2120 GC26 final dcoument in preparation
austraLasia #2120

"Are we there yet....?"

ROME: 8th April 2008 --  Given that the finishing date is 12th April, "Are we there yet?" is more than a tired kid's question on the long road.  There's a good few tired old - and young - Chapter members who've been on the road now for a while and they are beginning to ask the question.  Of course, if they'd just stop all these iuxta modums, we'd have been there long ago!
    Not really.  The process will see a conclusion on 12th, with a sense of closure. Except for the definitive vote, which will come maybe Thursday, the 1st part - Return to Don Bosco- is practically finished, including its English translation.  So now might be a good chance to look at what each of these parts will look like, based on this nearly definitive 1st part.
    It comes to seven A4 pages, if you want an idea of length.  The overall title of this section will most likely not be 'Return to Don Bosco' but 'Starting Afresh from Don Bosco', though some of the subsections use the 'Return to Don Bosco' wording. A Scripture quote and a citation from the Constitutions will be found heading each section (Are you following?  Glen Grant, who is not really a Chapter member, but helps a little along the way, is helping me write whatever follows).
    The working document's broad structure was not changed, hence there is God's Call, The Situation, and Guidelines for action.  You would not really recognise, however, the first two sections in terms of content if you are basing yourself on the original working document.
    Under God's Call we find 'Return to Don Bosco', 'Return to the young' and 'Charismatic identity and apostolic passion' as subheadings. These subheadings are then repeated for the Situation. None of these subsections are more than a few (3,4) paragraphs.
    The Guidelines for action are few in number too - just three for the most part.  Mind you, they are in turn broken into Let each Salesian....Let each Province, .....Region, ....Community, .....Rector Major with his Council dot points, so a good number of dot points appear overall, perhaps as many as 30 all up.  The idea, I think, is not that these are lists of things that have to be taken up one after the other. The individual Salesian might find about ten of these applying more directly to himself.  There has been an effort to reach out to every Salesian whatever his age or stage, so, for example, you see a set like this: Let each Salesian.....

  1. learn to encounter God through the young to whom he is sent (Cf. C. 95);

  2. find the time to be present with the young as a friend, educator and witness to God, whatever his role in the community may be;

  3. when age, health or other reasons prevent a physical presence amongst the young, cooperate in the mission to the young through prayer, showing interest, offering up his own life.

OK, so I think this gives you a little feel for the flavour.  There's a lot of 'miles' to be run yet before Saturday morning, and one gets the feeling that some of these are going to be run at night time, at least by those who have to tidy up the words, get the stuff translated, copied.... so the prayerful, interested support of confrères back at the ranch will be much appreciated. It is now midnight as I write!
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Title: australasia 2120
Subject and key words: SDB General, GC26
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2120