3383 GC27 due to formally begin!
austraLasia #3383

 
GC27 due to formally begin!

ROME: 3 March 2014 --  As had been indicated at the beginning of the Retreat last Thursday, we chose to go 'offline' duing that period to leave the GC27 members (not all of whom had arrived in Rome by this stage and they are still awaiting two) to the serious  business of the Retreat.
But hopefully you had noted that all the retreat talks were added, day by day to the link given to SDL. They will, of course, remain at that link if you wish to read or download them for further reflection.
And now that the curtain-raisers are over, it's on to the main event ....

How Monday 3 March will unfold

Morning

  7.30 a.m.      Concelebration - Mass of the Holy Spirit
                       Fr Pascual Chávez presides

Later, in the main auditorium (aula magna)

10.30  a.m.      Prayer of invocation to the Holy Spirit, the Veni, Creator Spiritus
                        The Word of God will be enthroned
                        Fr Pascual Chávez' opening address
                        Address by Card. João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
                       Greeting from Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone - who will greet the Chapter in the name of all Salesian prelates around the world
                       Greeting from Mother Yvonne Reungoat, Superior General FMA
                       Greeting from Ms Noemi Bertola, World Coordinator for the Salesian Cooperators
                       Greeting from Ms Olga Križová, Coordinator General for Don Bosco Volunteers, in the name of the Salesian Family
                       Fr Francesco Cereda, Moderator for the 27th General Chapter declares the Chapter formally open.
                       Concluding hymn, Sub tuum praesidium confugimus
1.00   p.m.       Lunch

 All the talks and the RM's Report will eventually be available. It is not appropriate, obviously, for them to be available before they are presented - but they have all been translated into English.

 Likely, too, are a number of practical details to be managed. The Chapter members need to choose a seat (really, they will already ahve done so, but that gets formalised at the beginning of the Chapter), other things like Communication procedures; and every time there is a General Chapter there is also need for a 'sanatio' (see the last item in terminology below). According to our Regulations this has to be "the first act" of the Chapter.

The Commission already set up to investigate the minutes of all provincial chapter elections will have found, inevitably (it happens every General Chapter) things like missing signatures and other small inaccuracies. All these will be given a 'sanatio' (because if they don't, well, you can imagine the difficulties!)

Then in the afternoon and evening there will be the presentation of (at least a summary of) the Rector Major's Report on the Congregation and the setting up of the various Commissions. Personal time will be given to people to study the RM's report.

In the evening there will be a performance by the Sistine Chapel Instrumental Group known as Pentaphon. Can't call it a Quartet, then!  A Goodnight will be given by the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Bregolin

Terminology - exequatur and temporalities, sanatio
       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.

There are several new terms that are about to be added, since they will be part of proceedings in the first few days: the ISS (Salesian Historical Institute) presentation noted above, for example:  'le temporalità' (which can only be translated literally as 'temporalities') were a peculiar situation for the Church in Italy during the time of reunification, and Don Bosco got involved in it. The Holy See appointed Bishops, but the Bishops could not take possession of their Sees, nor accrue any material benefits from it without what was called an Exequatur, the name given to a royal permit enabling a newly appointed bishop to take possession of the bishop’s palace and other premises and to receive revenues from the diocesan benefice, and so set up household and administration. Entering into possession at that point was called the 'Temporalities'. In order to get the exequatur, they had to present the Papal Bull of appointment. The sticking point was that since the new Government had illegally taken part of the Papal States, and by demanding the exequatur was usurping papal power, the Holy See did not agree with this procedure. The two positions were irreconcileable. Don Bosco acted as mediator (with enormous difficulties and seeming failure) but eventually came up with a compromise that resolved the issue practically. It was especially in view of allowing Archbishop Gastaldi to take possession of the See of Turin!

And sanatio? The full Latin term is sanatio in radice and reference to its substance (though not the term) is made in R. 118 - "If, at the opening of the General Chapter, the election of any delegate is found to be invalid or still doubtful, the moderator will inform the chapter of this at the first session. The first act of the chapter will then be to pronounce on each case, so that with the authority with which it is invested, it may either declare an election null and void, or rectify its invalidity." So 'sanatio' is this act of rectification of validity.

Fonti salesiane
GC26 asked the Rector Major to "see to the publication and translation of a collection of the principal Salesian sources" (GC26 no. 12).  Well, this is it, and it will be presented formally to the Chapter on Tuesday.

This opus magnum runs to 1362 pages (the number of pages will be relative of course to the printed format, but that's the case for the 'editio typica' or Italian edition).  It is the work largely of three people, Frs Francesco Motto, José Manuel Prellezo and Aldo Giraudo.

The work presents some 300 or more of Don Bosco's original documents (or documents which may have been drawn up by others, e.g. Bonetti, but were revised and signed by Don Bosco) plus several of the 'Lives' he wrote of boys at the Oratory and the Memoirs of the Oratory. And of course there is a substantial introduction to the work generally and to each section.

It is estimated that between the work done by Fr Arthur Lenti and others over recent years, we may have about 50 of the 300 documents in English - and we already have the Lives and the MO in English. This means that there is still some substantial work of translation to be done to get 'Salesian Sources' into English!  Any offers?

In the meantime, take a look at the brief (and they are brief) presentations by the three men who have put this enormous volume to print. It will give you a good feel for the contents.