There is a clear and strong tendency to human mobility expressed by large numbers of people who, driven by poverty, hunger or underdevelopment, emigrate towards the rich and well-to-do countries. One aspect of this phenomenon is urbanisation or internal migration within countries. There is the enduring challenge of poverty, of hunger, of sickness and underdevelopment, together with challenges that arise from the exploitation of children and juveniles in the tragic circumstances of marginalisation, of child labour, of sexual tourism, of begging, of street children, of juvenile delinquency, of boy soldiers and of infant mortality. It is all summed up in a vision of society based on consumerism, and everywhere there is growing a consumerist mentality, in both rich and developing countries.

The paradoxical culture of life and death comes face to face with the development of biotechnology and eugenics. An imbalance has occurred between human development and information technology and communication. The culture of individualism, which arises from a relativist view of the world and of man, is becoming more and more consolidated, and this anthropological view has given rise to a new formulation of human values, based on ethical relativism, which Pope Benedict XVI does not hesitate to brand as “tyranny”. A widespread psychological and motivational frailty can also be linked with these expressions of weak thought. There is a growing educational problem concerning the transmission of values, because of the continual transformation of customs, of the influence of the prevailing style, of models.

The diffusion of the phenomenon of secularisation extols the various forms of humanism without God, and relegates all expressions of religious faith to the private sector. Pluralism regarding such themes as the family, life, love, sex, a new sense of the sacred, the crisis of traditional institutions, and easy access to drugs are all provocative challenges. Religious fundamentalism is becoming more firmly rooted, with a consequent difficulty for real dialogue between different faiths. New religious movements are arising as a response to the need for spirituality and group worship, for example the phenomenon of the sects and the so-called “New Age” movement.

Cultural challenges of the Congregation

Naturally the challenges do not arise only from the external world; some of them come from within the Congregation itself, and are of various kinds: the advancing age of the confreres in some areas, the weakness of the functioning of government at different levels, the disparity between the living conditions of the Salesians and their environment of poverty and want.

Youth culture with its attitudes and life models makes different impacts on the personal and community life of the confreres: the difficulty of coping with a world of youth that can be very varied in its ideas and behaviour, the different degree of emphasis on the relationship between education and evangelisation, different sensitivities regarding the social impact of our mission of human advancement. In some strongly secularised contexts it is even a problem to know what specific sense to give to evangelising activity and the explicit presentation of Christ as the Saviour of mankind.

There are still a few places where spirituality remains superficial, where pastoral work is not properly organised, where we are not really in touch with the world of youth, where problems remain concerning the inculturation of the charism, or where there is little knowledge of Don Bosco and his work.

2.3 Guidelines of the Church

In the spirit of Vatican II, the teachings of which have recently been described by Benedict XVI as “proving particularly relevant to the new situation of the Church and the current globalised society”,¹⁰ we have the great ecclesial guidelines in the Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (1996), in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (2001), in the Instruction Starting afresh from Christ (2002) and in the Encyclical Deus Caritas est (2005).

Starting afresh from Christ: holiness as a pastoral programme

Starting afresh from Christ means proclaiming that consecrated life is especially following Him and “the living memorial of Jesus' way of living and acting.” ¹¹ “This implies a particular communion of love for Christ who has become the centre of their life and the continual source of every initiative.”¹² “Yes, one must start afresh from Christ because it was from him that the first disciples started in Galilee; from him, that throughout history men and women of every status and culture, consecrated by the Spirit in the strength of their call, have started out; for him they have left family and homeland, following him unconditionally, making themselves available for the announcement of the Kingdom and doing good for all (cf. Acts 10:38).»¹³

Jesus Christ, “today, yesterday and always” (Heb 13,8), is the pastoral programme of the Church of the Third Millennium: “This is a programme which does not change with shifts of times and cultures, even though it takes account of time and culture for the sake of true dialogue and effective communication.”¹⁴ Also we Salesians, as any other community or group in the church, have to translate this programme into apppropriate pastoral guidelines, « which will enable the proclamation of Christ to reach people, mould communities, and have a deep and incisive influence in bringing Gospel values to bear in society and culture.»¹⁵

«I have no hesitation in saying» with John Paul II, that « all pastoral initiatives must be set in relation to holiness»¹⁶; which is «the foundation of the pastoral planning.»¹⁷. Our holiness comes first! I have said that to you from the beginning of my ministry as Rector Major and I wrote it in my first letter.¹⁸ I repeat it once again today with more conviction and urgency: holiness «is the most precious gift we can offer to the young » (C.. 25); it is the highest goal that, with courage, we can set for all. Only in an atmosphere of holiness that is lived and experienced will the young people have the possibility of making courageous life choices, of discovering God’s plan for their future, of appreciating and welcoming the gift of a vocation of special consecration ».¹⁹

As well as presenting an attractive model of community holiness we need to evoke and sustain in young people “a true longing for holiness, a deep desire for conversion and personal renewal in a context of ever more intense prayer and of solidarity with one's neighbour, especially the most needy.»²⁰ As real educators we need to offer « a genuine "training in holiness"²¹ which is suitably adapted to people's needs, which prepares them to become expert guides in the spiritual life and makes our communities “places for hearing and sharing the Word, for liturgical celebration, for the teaching of prayer, and for accompaniment through spiritual direction.»²²

Bearing witness to Christ: evangelisation as the primary mission

«We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard » (Acts 4,20), Peter and John repond when the authorities in Jerusalem immediately after the first Easter Day try to forbid them to evangelise. We Salesians are present in countries that have long been evangelised and where the sun seems to be setting on a “Christian society,” and also in countries which joyfully welcome a first evangelisation. «We must rekindle in ourselves the impetus of the beginnings and allow ourselves to be filled with the ardour of the apostolic preaching which followed Pentecost. We must revive in ourselves the burning conviction of Paul, who cried out: "Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel" (1 Cor 9:16).»²³

At the conclusion of World Youth Day in Cologne, Benedict XVI told the young people, “Anyone who has discovered Christ must lead others to him. A great joy cannot be kept to oneself. It has to be passed on. In vast areas of the world today there is a strange forgetfulness of God. It seems as if everything would be just the same even without him. But at the same time there is a feeling of frustration, a sense of dissatisfaction with everyone and everything.»²⁴ And to religious in Rome: « May your first and supreme desire therefore be to witness to the fact that God should be listened to and loved with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your might, before any other person or thing… Do not be afraid to present yourselves as consecrated persons, also visibly, and do your utmost to show that you belong to Christ, the hidden treasure for which you have left everything. … the Church needs your witness, she needs a consecrated life that confronts the challenges of our time courageously and creatively.» ²⁵

The great challenge facing us in this millennium scarcely begun is precisely “to make the Church the home and the school of communion.»²⁶ The extremely important task in the new evangelisation entrusted to consecrated life,²⁷ is the witness of communion, «sign for all the world and a compelling force that will lead persons to faith in Christ», ²⁸ lived « first of all in their internal life and then in the ecclesial community, and even beyond its boundaries, by opening or continuing a dialogue in charity, especially where today's world is torn apart by ethnic hatred or senseless violence.»²⁹. In an era characterised by globalisation and the return of nationalism, our Congregation and its members, too, precisely because it is international, « are sent forth to proclaim, by the witness of their lives, the value of Christian fraternity and the transforming power of the Good News »³⁰ « to uphold and to bear witness to the sense of communion between peoples, races and cultures.»³¹. Our communities are called to become « training grounds for integration and inculturation and at the same time a witness to the universality of the Christian message.»³²

More than our houses, works and organisations, the Church needs the presence of our consecrated lives, of our radical following of Christ. Pope Benedict reminds us: « In the face of the advance of hedonism, the courageous witness of chastity is asked of you as the expression of a heart that knows the beauty and price of God's love. In the face of the thirst for money that widely prevails today, your sober life, ready to serve the neediest, is a reminder that God is the true treasure that does not perish. Before the individualism and relativism that induce people to be a rule unto themselves, your fraternal life, which can be coordinated and is thus capable of obedience, confirms that you place your fulfilment in God. How is it possible not to hope that the culture of the evangelical counsels, which is the culture of the Beatitudes, may grow in the Church to sustain the life and witness of the Christian people?»³³

Returning to the young: presence as a sign of Christ’s love

The young are “for the Church a special gift of God’s Spirit.” We Salesians can only look on them as Jesus did: with compasssion (cf Mk 6, 34); we should only give them what Jesus did, the good news of God (ibid); we have nothing else to do than as Jesus did, attend to their needs (Mk 6, 37).

These « young people, whatever their possible ambiguities, have a profound longing for those genuine values which find their fullness in Christ... If Christ is presented to young people as he really is, they experience him as an answer that is convincing and they can accept his message, even when it is demanding and bears the mark of the Cross»³⁴. Like John Paul, we too should not hesitate « to ask them to make a radical choice of faith and life and present them with a stupendous task: to become "morning watchmen" (cf. Is 21:11-12) at the dawn of the new millennium.»³⁵

The evangelisation of the young through a loving presence and suitable challenging projects demands that, with courage and deep faith, we give fresh impetus to our Youth Ministry which can run the risk of remaining on the level of entertainment or education that is limited to civil or cultural matters or to a generic approach to the transcendent. Being reminded of those to whom our mission is directed obliges us to reflect and to operate “starting from the young” and not from our problems, and to return to the young who are the special “territory” for our mission, the church were we encounter God.

To the young, in addition to the proclamation of the Word (kerygma-martyria) and the celebration of the Sacraments (leiturgia), we offer a service of charity (diakonia), which for us is education not “a kind of welfare activity that could equally be left to others but [a service that] is part of the nature of the Church an indispensable expression of her very being.».³⁶

A very real challenge with which the whole Church is seriously being faced, is the problem of vocations. We want to encourage the young “to be aware of their active responsibility in the Church's life. Together with the ordained ministry, other ministries, whether formally instituted or simply recognised, can flourish for the good of the whole community, sustaining it in all its many needs.” ³⁷ “A primary responsibility of all consecrated men and women is therefore to propose with courage, by word and example, the ideal of the following of Christ and then to support the response to the Spirit's action in the heart of those who are called.»³⁸

2.4 Challenges and perspectives in Consecrated Life.

Challenges of Consecrated Life

Nowadays consecrated life faces considerable challenges. Rather than delay on external elements such as secularism, relativism and globalisation, I think it will be more useful to concentrate on the internal challenges.

Despite the authoritative reference in the Apostolic Exhortation on consecrated life, its identity is not always clear. Insistent proposals for its refoundation risk causing the awareness of its presence in the Church to become obscured. Moreover the lack of discernment about new forms of consecrated life lead to a confused image of it. And finally the weakness of the theology of Christian vocations makes such identity even more uncertain.

Consecrated life is not always successful in finding ways to express its credibility and its prophetic quality. The mission needs to be more boldly directed to the frontiers of poverty and evangelisation. The following of Christ requires us to find radical forms for authentic evangelisation. Fraternal life has difficulty in manifesting communion in face of the new demands of interculturality and globalisation. The spiritual life is still looking for ways to be lived and communicated.

A challenge, often felt as a threat, concerns the uncertainty of the future of consecrated life, especially with regard to the questions raised about its survival in certain parts of the world. The drop in numbers, lack of vocations and increasing age of the members create in the Congregations a lack of future prospects, the need for large-scale reshaping, and the search for a new cultural stability. To all this must sometimes be added a lack of vitality, vocational frailty, and painful desertions. It all leads to a lack of motivation, discouragement and paralysis. In such conditions it is difficult to discern a strategy of hope that will open up horizons, provide new paths to follow and ensure the necessary leadership.

Prospects for Consecrated Life.

Referring back especially to the International Congress of Consecrated Life in November 2004, entitled “Passion for Christ, passion for humanity”, it is possible to single out some possibilities for a course to follow today.

It is considered important in the first place to be able to arouse a fascination for consecrated life by making it something wonderful and attractive. It is fascination that is capable of exciting intense interest, a pleasant freshness and a stimulating optimism. Consecrated life must continue to evoke grace and sympathy, fantasy and imagination; it must give rise to strength, enthusiasm and expectations. The appeal derives from the perception of its vitality, expressed in the primacy of God and in living intimately with him, with Christ and the evangelical counsels at centre stage, in availability to the Spirit and in the depths of a spiritual life, in the strength and boldness of the mission, in fraternal acceptance and communion, and in personal and community conversion.

It is important in consecrated life to develop charismatic identity. Without a charismatic project that is absorbing and engrossing, the process of vocational identification is difficult. A weak project leads to the development of identities that are confused and uncertain. A return to the Founder’s charism is one of the decisive elements of identity. Today sociology makes it clear how the culture of excellence, the seeking for visibility and the sense of belonging help the development of the identity of religious groups. Our task is to be able to give proper theological and charismatic value to these sociological indicators by means of the evangelical excellence of consecrated life, the visible and attractive witness of our vocation and a strong sense of belonging to the community and the Congregation.

Consecrated life must be a sign that is credible and prophetic; in other words it must continue to look for forms of prophecy and credibility not only at a personal but also at an institutional level. It must return to a style of life that is poorer and simpler, frugal and basic. Structures need to be simplified; they frequently become far too heavy and, although they are useful, they do not always make clear the presence of God. Consecrated life must become a different way of living; it must inspire a new culture; it must adopt a critical approach and become a prophetic challenge to society and to the ecclesiastical world.

We need to form people who are full of zeal and enthusiasm. God has a passionate love for his people, and to this zealous God consecrated life looks with eagerness. It must therefore form individuals equally zealous for God. But a passion for God and a passion for humanity are nevertheless a point of arrival rather than a point of departure. It is important to confirm confreres in their vocation, to revive the gift they received through their religious profession, to promote a generous response and sustain their vocational fidelity, Formation provides motivation, meaningful horizons, paths to be followed at all stages of life, opens the way to spiritual discernment and sustains vocation.

2.5 The process followed by the Congregation

The process being followed by the Congregation has its roots in the commitment to the renewal of consecrated life promoted by Vatican II. We may recall the valuable reflections and guidelines of the General Chapters that have led to an ever richer awareness of the identity and mission of the Salesian and the community at the present time.

The reflection began with the broad analysis and guidelines of the Special General Chapter (SGC), with a subsequent deeper examination in the light of various ecclesial documents. Here we find the basic foundations and broad horizons of the Salesian plan of life today, solidly rooted in the charismatic identity and in the specific mission to young people, given effect in a community approach and in solidarity with the Salesian Family and the laity.

A re-reading of the guidelines of the SGC gives us immediately an outline of the path the Congregation was to pursue in the General Chapters that followed. It will be worth our while to recall a summary of the rediscovery of our identity: the living sense of God’s active presence, the mission to the young and the working classes, the building of community, the development in appreciation of the Salesian Family, and unity in decentralisation.

A first and close examination of some of these basic points was made in the GC21 and continued in increasing depth in the Chapters that followed.

GC 22: The Chapter of fidelity

The GC22 undertook the revision of the Constitutions in the light of Vatican II and the SGC. It can be rightly called the Chapter of the charismatic and missionary identity of the Congregation and consequently of the fidelity of the Salesians to their identity and mission.

The GC22 gave us the renewed text of the Constitutions, «an authoritative document” - Fr Viganò said in his concluding address – “which helps us to measure the truth and the relevance of our gospel choice of life and of our specific mission in history. Here then today is the new “identity card” of the Salesians of Don Bosco among the people of God!»³⁹

The approval of the renewed text of the Constitutions is a call to fidelity. Fr Viganò recalled Don Bosco’s words to the Salesians when the first Constitutions were approved: «What we really must do is strive to observe our rules and obey them faithfully. Now we have to abide by our rules, study them thoroughly understand them and observe them.»⁴⁰ And in his spiritual testament Don Bosco had written: “If you have loved me in the past, continue to love me in the future by the exact observance of our Constitutions”.

All this is enlightening for the GC26, in which we want to take possession of Don Bosco once again and re-examine him in the light of present-day circumstances. Taking the Constitutions as the basis for the formation and life of the Salesian and the community is the way to know Don Bosco and bring him back to life; similarly the better we know Don Bosco the more fully are we able to live the Salesian Rule of life.

GC23: The Chapter of the mission

The GC23 can be defined as the Chapter of the mission, that “mission to the young and the working classes” spoken of by the SGC, to which the GC23 returned in greater depth, taking up some elements of the GC21.

The Chapter document, Educating young people to the faith, highlights the traits of this mission: the decisive option for young people in their present situation and different contexts, with particular attention to those in most need; an authentic education to the faith with explicit evangelising activity that does not just stop at the threshold of the Gospel but provides a broad education that leads to social commitment, to the formation of conscience, to growth in love; an education to faith that leads to the choice of a vocation; the proposal of Salesian youth spirituality.

It all takes us back to Don Bosco’s charism and original mission, to be given effect at the present day in the act of faith expressed at the end of the capitular document which speaks of “listening once again today to Don Bosco’s voice”. And as a condition for effective evangelisation the Chapter asked for the witness of the communities.

GC 24:The Chapter of sharing with lay people

The GC24, in a further study of the Salesian charism, recalled another element of the Oratory of Valdocco: Don Bosco’s ability to involve many people in his mission for the young. The Chapter prompted us to renew the oratorian heart so as to share with lay people not only the mission but also the Salesian spirit. It was a new facet of the relationship between Salesians and laity called to share the same mission and spirituality.

Among the points to which it gave special emphasis were the elements of pedagogy and spirituality to be lived in common; competent training and formation; the essential role of consecrated persons as the “soul of the EPC”; the Salesian community as the guarantor and witness of the charism; and the Chapter made specific reference to works managed by lay people within Salesian projects, for which clear intentions and options were required so as to guarantee the charism.

Although the theme of the GC24 covered lay collaborators in general, it nevertheless referred in many places specifically to the Salesian Family, and to its commitment and to the involvement of the community in this regard. It leads to an emphasis on the importance of an examination by Salesians of this point also in view of the GC26.

GC 25: The Chapter of the Salesian community

The GC25 probed another essential element of the Salesian project: “The Salesian community at the present day”. Starting from the fact that Don Bosco gathered around him a community of consecrated persons for the salvation of the young, the Chapter highlighted the fundamental elements in a Salesian community project for education and evangelisation: fraternal life, evangelical witness, and animating presence among the young.

We may note once again the close connection between clear references to the evangelical values of the primacy of God, the following of Christ and brotherly love, and the missionary trait of being with young people after the manner of Don Bosco.. To this end there is also emphasis on the promoting of vocations. An essential role to which the GC25 points for the implementation of the community project as Don Bosco wanted it to be is that of the Rector.

From this rapid glance at the General Chapters of the period following Vatican II we can see the successive development and deeper study of the basic themes of our project of consecrated life, missionaries of the young according to the mind of Don Bosco. A Chapter like the GC26, centred on Don Bosco. on his charism and mission as they must be realised today, can serve as an evaluation of what we have done so far and as a relaunching for the future.

2.6. What the Provinces say

As I said earlier, the starting point for the choice of the theme for the GC26 was the situation of the Provinces, as it appeared especially from the Team Visits.

These revealed the importance of the processes launched regarding the Salesian community. The Provinces had been asked in fact to make an assessment of how the GC25 had been received, what difficulties had been met with in its application and what commitments had been made. The community was considered to be the centre of every renewal strategy. Its spiritual and fraternal life must continue to be fostered, its qualitative and quantitative consistency be maintained, its animation be assured, especially through the action of the Rector, and its ability for discernment and planning be increased.

The Team Visits also brought to light the needs and prospects most keenly felt by the Provinces. In the first place the need to rekindle the apostolic zeal of the individual confrere was expressed. Any renewal of the spiritual and pastoral life of the community was thought impossible without an effort by every individual member. Examples came to light once again of activism, dispersion, and spiritual and pastoral mediocrity. There is an awareness that the fire of pastoral love, apostolic zeal and the oratorian heart find their origin first of all in the spiritual life. The mission must not be identified only with the works, activities and initiatives; it is an expression of zeal for the salvation of souls.

There was an evident awareness of the urgent need for evangelisation. Every Region has its own particular challenges. Through the continental synods the Church has expressed its own new tasks in the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortations “Ecclesia in Africa”, “Ecclesia in America”, “Ecclesia in Asia”, “Ecclesia in Europa”, and “Ecclesia in Oceania”. The Congregation too feels the urgent need to update its own evangelising options, which were expressed in the GC23. One need think only of the challenge posed by non-Christian religions and in particular Islam, of the phenomenon of the sects, of relativism and laicism, of poverty and social exclusion, of the opportunities arising from immigration, of frontiers of the mission “ad gentes”. And the Provinces also expressed the need for more explicit evangelisation in the field of education.

Another keenly felt need concerns the fostering of consecrated Salesian vocations. Experiences of the Congregation since the GC24 make it clear that if Don Bosco’s charism is to flourish, there is need for consecrated persons. Within a youth pastoral work of an explicitly vocational nature, still more specific attention needs to be given to the consecrated Salesian vocation. A notable commitment is also needed to a deeper knowledge and greater visibility of the identity of the Salesian brother, to fostering his formation and promoting his particular vocation.

In the Team Visits the call to evangelical poverty was also emphasised. There is an awareness in the Congregation that contexts of both poverty and well-being invite us, for different reasons, to live a life that is simple, basic and austere. Our witness risks losing all credibility if ways and means are not found for the visible manifestation of a poor life. Consumerism and the shift to middle-class values are giving rise to individualism and are undermining apostolic enthusiasm. The search for an easy life puts a brake on pastoral initiatives and apostolic dedication. Poverty needs to be expressed also institutionally; there is need for transparency in the making of decisions, the sharing of goods, and solidarity with those in need. We must get back to being a Congregation of poor people and a Congregation for the poor.

Finally the Provinces are asking themselves about new forms of poverty among the young. The need is felt to reflect on this and return to being with young people.. So far we have not sufficiently analysed what it is that keeps us away from the young and sought out what would facilitate our remaining with them. In the Provinces there is a movement towards going to places where youngsters are in the greatest need and to starting work among them. The Congregation needs to mobilise its best forces, those most generous and most available, so as to be ready to go into the most arduous, risky and demanding situations of the mission.

The Team Visits also revealed specific problems in every Region, such as the situation regarding restructuring, the inculturation of formation, and the formation of lay people. The theme of the GC26 will be able to provide visions and perspectives that can throw light on even these more particular situations.

3. THE THEME OF THE GC26

The theme of the GC26 is both strongly challenging and powerfully stimulating. The phrase “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle” takes both the confrere and the community to their roots as being consecrated, and in particular to the heart of the mission, which is none other than being taken over by God for the purpose of becoming his transfiguring presence among the young. The passion for God and the passion for humanity, which consecrated life nowadays feels itself called to uphold, finds in Don Bosco’s programme of “Da mihi animas” a perfect Salesian translation.

3.1. Programme of life of Don Bosco and of the Salesian

In “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle” we, sons of Don Bosco, find the motive and method for meeting the present cultural challenge courageously and without ambiguity.

“Da mihi animas” puts at the centre of the life of the consecrated Salesian the meaning of the fatherliness of God, the riches of the death and resurrection of Christ and the power of the Spirit, which are given to every young person. At the same time it arouses in the confrere the burning desire to make these possibilities known to the youngsters, so that they may relish them, live a happy life enlightened by faith in this world, and be saved for all eternity. It will prompt the confrere to make every effort and use every means, even when there is at stake a single youngster, a single soul.

“Cetera tolle” motivates the consecrated Salesian to keep away from the “liberal model” of consecrated life depicted in the letter “You are my God. My happiness lies in you alone".⁴¹ To attribute the crisis to the prevailing culture, that is to factors such as secularism, consumerism, hedonism, is not enough. Historically consecrated life was born as an alternative, a counter-cultural movement, a contestation and revival of the faith in a stalemate situation. What makes it fragile at the present day is a weakness of motivation and of identity in the face of today’s world.

Don Bosco’s motto and programme sums up our spirituality (cf. C 4). It is valid for all Salesians at every time of life – not only those who because of age and good health are full of energy, but also for the sick and elderly. The zeal of Da mihi animas implies the fire of charity. It is expressed not only in tireless educational and pastoral work but is manifested also in patience and suffering, which take on a saving value in the cross of Christ.

3.2. Charismatic identity: the Salesian spirit

I would like at this point to quote a passage from 120 years ago which, apart from some obsolete terms, could have come from the present day. It is from a source outside Don Bosco, and shows us what others thought of his work by highlighting the identity of the charism of our holy founder.

It is something said by the Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Lucido Maria Parocchi who in1884 was wondering what precisely was specific in the Salesian Society, and came up with the following reply: “I want to tell you what is the distinguishing mark of your Congregation, what it is that forms your character, just as the Franciscans are distinguished for poverty, the Dominicans for the defence of the faith, the Jesuits for culture. You have traits similar to those of the Franciscans, Dominicans and Jesuits, but they are differentiated by their manner and purpose. … What therefore is special in the Salesian Congregation? What gives it its character and physiognomy? If I have properly understood it and unless I am much mistaken, what gives it its specific character, its essential note and particular countenance, is charity practised in accordance with the world’s needs at the present day”.³⁷²

The second chapter of the Constitutions gives a clear outline of the elements of the Salesian spirit, putting on the lips of Don Bosco almost from the outset the words of St Paul to the community at Philippi: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4,9).

It seems to me that this was a happy choice of a text to introduce the identity of the Salesian spirit, because it is a “reminder, at once affectionate but deeply felt, of fidelity to Don Bosco as the primary and authentic source of the Salesian spirit, in so far as he himself, like Paul, was a first genuine imitator of the Gospel of Christ and hence our authoritative and indispensable model”.⁴³

Much is said nowadays about the “refounding of Consecrated Life”. The expression is well grounded if it expresses the desire to take it to its foundation which is no other than the Lord Jesus: “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3,11). Moreover this process can be successful if the aim is to bring back consecrated life to the Founder of every charism: “Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you” (Phil 4,9). Any other interpretation given to attempts at refoundation are doomed to failure.

The Salesian spirit was defined in the SGC as “our own style of thought and feeling, of life and activity, in putting into operation the specific vocation and the mission which the Holy Spirit does not cease to give us.” (SGC, 86). The Salesian spirit is before all else the “spirit of Don Bosco” or, in other words, the vocation, life work and teaching of our father; it is realised concretely in the history and life of the Congregation and the Salesian Family, which means in the holiness of life of the Salesians (cf. SGC, 87). The definition was developed in a more structured manner in the GC21 and GC22.

The second chapter of the Constitutions presents the basic attitudes that animate the Salesian: pastoral charity, which is the centre and synthesis of the Salesian spirit and finds its source in the heart of Christ, apostle of the Father; union with God, the secret of growth of pastoral charity in the vision of faith, and in a permanent commitment of hope in daily life; the sense of Church; the love of predilection for the young, loving kindness as an expression of spiritual fatherhood, a family atmosphere, optimism and joy; work and temperance, creativity and flexibility, the preventive system as a synthesis of all this commitment; and finally Don Bosco as the practical model of the Salesian spirit.

3.3 Apostolic zeal: “the glory of God and the salvation of souls”

The glory of God and the salvation of souls were Don Bosco’s deepest interests. Working for God’s glory and the salvation of souls amounts to conforming one’s will to that of God, who communicates himself as Love, thus manifesting his glory and immense love for men, all of whom he wants to be saved.

There is a unique point in the “story of a soul” (1854), where Don Bosco reveals the secret of the purpose of all his activity: “When I dedicated myself to this part of the sacred ministry I intended to consecrate all my labours to the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls; to work to produce good citizens for this earth so that one day they might be worthy inhabitants of heaven. May God help me to be able to continue until my last breath. Amen”.⁴⁴

Don Bosco’s holiness shines out in his works, but the works are only an expression of his faith. It is not the works in themselves that make the apostle, as Paul tells us: “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love.... I am nothing” (1 Cor 13,1), but it is certainly faith given new life by works of charity that makes the apostle holy: “You will know them by their fruits” (cf. Mt 7,16.20).

To “life in God” and “union with God”, in a real and not only psychological manner, all Christians are invited. Union with God means living one’s own life in God; it means remaining in his presence; it is a sharing in the divine life that is in us. Don Bosco made God’s revelation the reason for his own life, according to the logic of the theological virtues: with a faith that became a sign that attracted the young, with a hope that became for them an enlightening word, and with a charity that they saw as a gesture of love.

Don Bosco was always faithful to his mission of active charity. Where a spurious mysticism could have cut the link with reality, faith compelled him to persevere through fidelity to needy youngsters. When his work was threatened by tiredness or resignation he was supported by the same means as Paul: Caritas Christi urget nos (2 Cor 5,14). His charity never quailed in the face of difficulties: I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some (1 Cor 9,22). In matters of education he did not fear defeat, but only apathy and lack of commitment.

In Don Bosco we have an example of spiritual theology in action; his prodigious activity was prompted by the urgency of the needs he faced. His hard work was a consequence of his interpretation of a particular aspect of ascesis: it was an apostolic activity from start to finish. If in St Alphonsus ascesis is an element particularly internal to man, in Don Bosco it took on meaning in connection with work; it consisted in wholehearted commitment to the tasks God gave him to carry out.

In Don Bosco we discover the meaning of relativity between one thing and another, and at the same time the need to use them for the purpose he has at heart. He preferred not to hold rigidly to certain schemes – he found a practical pastoral and spiritual approach better than one that was theological and speculative. His apostolic zeal had a particular tone to it: salvation is to be achieved by methods of loving kindness, gentleness, joy, humility, eucharistic and Marian piety, and charity towards God and men.

3.4. Da mihi animas

For Don Bosco therefore the first part of the motto, “Da mihi animas”, expresses zeal for the salvation of souls, made concrete in the urgency of evangelisation and the need to promote vocations to the consecrated Salesian life.

3.4.1 Urgent need for evangelisation.

Evangelisation must be motivated and encouraged. We recall Don Bosco’s own example, who always felt the salvation of the young as a pressing obligation: “he said no word, he took up no task that was not directed to the salvation of the young” (C 21), And we remember the need for all peoples to know the gospel, which is the source of humanisation and the advancement of the human race.

The main priority of the Congregation is to take on the task of evangelisation in the field of education. Conversely, when we take on direct tasks of evangelisation we cannot fail to educate; for us Salesians any kind of catechesis without education is impossible.

Nowadays evangelisation presents new and different tasks according to different regional areas. It is important therefore that every Region study its own frontiers of evangelisation so as to move to the places where the mission is calling.

3.4.2. Need for recruitment

Here again we return in the first place to Don Bosco. He became aware that he could not confront the numerous needs of the young on his own. And so he appealed to the availability and expertise of many other people. He knew also that for continuity and strength his charism would need consecrated persons; in particular he understood the need for Salesian priests and Salesian brothers.

Especially after the GC24, we too became aware of the need to involve lay people, but also that the charism will make no progress unless there is a strong and visible nucleus of consecrated persons. Moreover we realised that the Congregation would put its identity at risk if it lost its consecrated lay component. It is particularly necessary that the vocation of the Salesian brother be kept alive in the Congregation.

We must therefore acquire the skill and ability to involve and recruit others, to suggest to young people the charismatic experience of Don Bosco, to invite them to stay with him for ever. And we must also have a systematic plan for following up vocations to Salesian consecrated life in both its lay and priestly forms.

3.5. Cetera tolle

For Don Bosco the second part of the motto, “cetera tolle”, means detachment from whatever can keep us away from God and from the young. For us at the present day this becomes concrete in evangelical poverty, and in deliberately choosing to work for youngsters who are “poor, abandoned and in danger”, by being sensitive to the new forms of poverty and working on the new frontiers where they are in most need.

3.5.1. Evangelical poverty

Consecrated life in future years will be realised in its concentration on the radical following of the obedient, poor and chaste Christ. If all three of the evangelical counsels speak to us of our total offering of ourselves to God and dedication to the young, it is poverty that leads us to give ourselves without reserve or hesitation even to our last breath, as did Don Bosco. The practice of the evangelical counsels lets us give free rein to the utmost limits of our availability.

There is nothing more contradictory and inconsistent than to make profession of the total donation of ourselves through the evangelical counsels, and then live with reservations attached to our energies and availability, giving way to temptations to an easy life, spending old age in a kind of vocational rest-home, indifferent to the drama of poverty involving millions of people in the world.

We Salesians bear witness to poverty by tireless work and temperance, but also by the essentials of an austere and simple life, by sharing and solidarity, and by the responsible use of resources. Our poverty calls us to carry out an institutional reorganisation of our work in a way that will avoid the risk of seeming to be in the educational business rather than being apostles through education. Anyone who has chosen to follow Jesus has also chosen to make his own Christ’s style of life, to shun riches, to live the beatitude of poverty and of simplicity of heart, and to be on easy familiar terms with the poor.

3.5.2. New frontiers

The image of Don Bosco roaming the streets of Turin in search of needy children is not just a figment of the imagination. For us it is an imperative, a natural course of action. The ascesis of the preventive system requires us to go to young people most in need and take up our work where they are to be found. As individuals and as an institution we must identify what it is that blinds us to their situation or, if we do see, what it is that prevents us from reacting with the mind and heart of Don Bosco. Availability means we have to be ready to go into mission situations that may be risky, demanding and fraught with difficulties.

The existence of the new forms of poverty means that we have to keep in mind that nowadays all young people are in need, but especially is this the case for those in whom material poverty is combined with affective, spiritual and cultural forms. And when we speak of new frontiers of the Salesian mission, referring to the different contexts in which it is carried out, it means we must address problems in the fields of immigration, social exclusion, discrimination, sexual exploitation, child labour and the lack of a religious sense.

Our option for the most needy of poor youngsters and for the new frontiers where they are waiting for us has its source and deepest motivation in the love of God that prompts us to perform works of charity. This frees us from any ideological or sociologising tendency.⁴⁵ Such a choice has also an evangelising purpose, as Jesus pointed out in the synagogue of Nazareth at the beginning of his ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Lk 4,18). It is not a matter therefore of reducing our option for the poor to mere human advancement, but of bringing to them the treasures of Jesus and his Gospel.

3.6. Requirements for bringing the theme down to earth

To give the theme concrete expression some requirements must first be established: the taking of certain steps, the conversion of mentalities, and the changing of structures.

Steps to be taken

Keeping in mind the objective of the GC26, which consists in the strengthening of our charismatic identity by starting again from Don Bosco and reawakening in the heart of every confrere the zeal of “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle”, we must accept the fact that achieving this goal will require the following out of certain processes.

The charismatic identity asks us for a mature knowledge of Don Bosco, of his motivations, his great spiritual and apostolic options, and a knowledge of the Constitutions, which enshrine Don Bosco at the present day.

Apostolic zeal demands the resurgence of an explicit evangelisation in all our works and foundations, the courage to invite others to consider a vocation to the Salesian consecrated life, the renewal of a poor and austere lifestyle, the finding of fields of work that will allow us to concentrate on educative priorities and evangelisation in our mission rather than on the management of works, the identification of new forms of poverty and the frontiers where they are to be found, and the making of a reappraisal of our works and activities from a charismatic standpoint.

The first step in this process will be taken through the involvement of the communities and through the Provincial Chapters, in which what God is calling for must be identified with regard to the above-mentioned aspects, the reading of the situation of communities in this regard together with the challenges presented, and proposals of what must be done for renewal.

The second step will be the celebration of the GC26 and the guidelines it will give to the whole Congregation.

Mentalities to be changed

There is need to start up a process of personal conversion regarding our Salesian charismatic identity, through a responsible reviving on the part of every confrere of fervour and vocational fidelity, a change of heart, and a life of apostolic zeal. It is first and foremost a matter of a change of mentality.

This means launching initiatives that will make a powerful impact on motivation in the confreres from a spiritual and psychological point of view, by improving their charismatic identification and their self-esteem.

This in turn will require a dynamic re-enforcing of the fact of being consecrated Salesians; of adopting a poor and simple lifestyle and shunning any “liberal model” of consecrated life; it will mean committing ourselves with apostolic dedication to the mission of evangelising the young; it will mean being available for activities of updating and renewal; it will mean supporting the plan of the community.

Structures to be changed

The process of structural change must be consistent with the conviction that “the mission is not the same thing as initiatives and pastoral activity”.

It means taking effective action to change the structures of community life and the way we carry out our mission: alternative kinds of work, revision of the roles of Salesians in the mission, the management of complex works.

These changes must be inspired and guided by courageous decisions of government which make our convictions credible.

4. PRAYER FOR THE GC26

I end this letter with an appeal to Provinces, Vice-Provinces and Delegations, to communities and individual confreres to place themselves in the atmosphere of the General Chapter, gathered around Mary who was so attentive to the voice of the Spirit.

The General Chapter cannot be reduced to the Assembly of Provincials and Delegates, but includes the whole process from its convocation to the approval of the guidelines it gives at its conclusion: it involves every community and every individual confrere.

The General Chapter is important especially for the processes it launches. Such processes cannot be completed in a period of six years, but start up a dynamic transformation that extends beyond the following Chapter.

The General Chapter is a time of intense ongoing formation that fosters a change of mentality. It makes us look at ourselves in the light of God’s call expressed in the Constitutions, not to discourage us by examining the reality of our present situation but to help us to seek together the ways that will enable us to give a fuller response.

The General Chapter inculcates in us an attitude of discernment of God’s will for the Congregation at the present moment in history, so that we can better respond to his designs and the expectations of the young. This requires a strong climate of prayer and of listening to God’s word.

To Mary, who collaborated by her motherly intervention when the Holy Spirit raised up St John Bosco (cf. C 1) and showed him “his field of labour among the young and was the constant guide and support of his work, especially in the foundation of our Society” (C 8), we entrust this Salesian Pentecost that will be the GC26. With her help we shall be able faithfully to continue our mission among young people as “witnesses to the young of her Son’s boundless love” (C 8).

I offer you now a prayer to our Father Don Bosco, that could be recited in communities and by individual confreres to obtain from God the reawakening in our hearts of the zeal of “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle” and his assistance in the preparation and celebration of the GC26, from which we hope to receive abundant fruits for our Congregation and our young people.