1. LETTER OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
__________________________________________________________

TOWARDS THE 25^TH GENERAL CHAPTER

1. CONVOCATION. – The hour of the GC25. – Our journey. 2. THEME OF THE GC25. – The salesian community. – “Today”. – Main points of reference. – Fraternal life. – Evangelical witness. – Animating presence among the young. – The grace of unity. – 3. SOME CONDITIONS FOR THE ANIMATION OF THE SALESIAN COMMUNITY TODAY. – Ministry of the Rector. – Ongoing formation in daily life. – 4. INVITATION TO THE PROVINCES.

Rome, 11 June 2000

My dear Confreres,

We are pursuing with profit the jubilee process we had set before us. I receive confirmation of this from numerous confreres and communities, and I see it reflected in our young people. Reconciliation, the Eucharist, the plan for youthful spirituality, the orientation of the Salesian Family towards communion for the mission, the coming extraordinary missionary expedition, have all revived the fundamental features of our charism at a historic moment of many challenges and not without a few difficulties.

At the heart of the jubilee events we reach a deadline foreseen by our Project of life, our Constitutions, to help us to grow as individuals and communities in union with the Church and to respond to the signs which the Lord is giving us: the convocation of the General Chapter.

We all know that this is not merely the fulfilment of a law. “The general chapter is the principal sign of the Congregation's unity in diversity”.¹ It engages the Congregation and the individual provinces for a lengthy period of time in an effort at verification, a new understanding of the demands of the charism, and adaptation to the circumstances in which they must be expressed. It marks therefore a key moment in our process of constant renewal, as we know from the experience of these last thirty years.

We shall come together all over the world and from all over the world as brothers, to rethink our fidelity to the Gospel, to Don Bosco and to the times. The Congregation will adopt an attitude of complete docility to the Holy Spirit, in an effort “to discern God's will at a specific moment in history for the purpose of rendering the Church better service”.²

The General Chapter, in the sense of a community commitment, always touches on the vital points of identity, unity, and effectiveness of the salesian presence, no matter what central theme is chosen.

Through signs and events the Lord addresses to us as a Congregation the invitation of the Book of Revelation: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”.³ This is an encouragement pregnant with hope, but one which implies a pressing call to simple and genuine fidelity in the new situations which challenge us at the present day.

It is right that we should be aware of such implications of the General Chapter, that we should feel ourselves to be sharing the responsibility for its results as we take part in common prayer and become actively involved in the reflection of our own province.

1. CONVOCATION.
   
   In accordance with art.150 of our Constitutions, I intend by this letter to convoke the GC25. It will take place at the Generalate in Rome, Via della Pisana 1111, and will begin on 24 February of the year 2002. The Moderator will be Fr Antonio Domenech, General Councillor for Youth Pastoral Work.

The specific purpose⁴ of the GC25, within the general scope of animation, orientation and government proper to every General Chapter, is to study more deeply and reach common criteria on an essential aspect of our life, with regard to which the Congregation has shown itself particularly alert and concerned.

We have defined and specified this aspect with the expression: “The salesian community today: its fraternal life, its evangelical witness, its animating presence among the young”.

The theme is the result of ample reflection by the General Council on the current guidelines of the Church, on aspects of culture, on the lines of renewal of consecrated life and on the process being followed by our Congregation in recent years.

In a first study in January 2000, the General Council singled out some thematic areas which, on the basis of extraordinary visitations, team visits and other meetings, appear to be those most keenly felt, promising and needing consideration. Such areas were:

• The salesian community in its new pastoral model.⁵

• Our ability to propose the salesian vocation today: “Come and see”.⁶

• An effective presence among the young: “Here in your midst I feel completely at home”.⁷

• The “grace of unity” in our life today.⁸

The result of this evaluation of the life of the Congregation was sent to the Provincials so that, with their Councils, they could indicate a priority among the points identified, or add others. By a large majority they chose the first theme, considering it to be directly connected with the practical guidelines of the GC23 and GC24.

To this, the first and principal objective, has to be added the fulfilment of a practical guideline of the GC24 which asked the Rector Major and his Council to study "the manner of making a deeper verification of the structures of the central government, involving the Provincial Chapters, with a view to the GC25".⁹

Another purpose of the GC25 is also to elect the Rector Major and the members of the General Council for the period 2002-2008. This is the responsibility of looking ahead to the service of unity and guidance which they are called upon to provide.

All the confreres can and must take part with shared responsibility in the election to be made by the Chapter members, through intense and constant prayer that God may give to the Congregation the guidance needed at the present time for the Church, the world and the young.

The "Technical Commission", appointed in accordance with Reg.112, has already worked with the Moderator to prepare the procedures so that the reflections of the Provinces may be made in good time and in the proper form, and their contributions be submitted to the Moderator of the Chapter in the technical form required. It has drawn up an aid which specifies the implications of the theme and clarifies its aspects This aid, included in the present number of the Acts together with some indispensable juridical norms,¹⁰ is intended to be a means for sensitizing the Provinces and guiding them in the carrying out of their Chapters.