THE SALESIAN RECTOR’S SPIRITUAL MISSION
Amongst the readings that I have given you is a single page which stands out because it has nothing to do with MO or Don Bosco’s writings. I refer to the page which contains two articles from Canon Law. You may well ask why I would want to introduce a juridical element like this at this early stage. Wouldn’t it seem to jar particularly with the warm, narrative approach we find in the MO?
Let me tell you something. With the use of a concordance programme, which can identify every word in a text, I decided to run a search on words like ‘spirit’, ‘spiritual’ ‘spirituality’ based just on MO to see how this area obviously dear to Don Bosco would emerge. As well as identifying and isolating each word, the programme will also immediately show you each word in context, so you can very quickly get an interesting picture of how Don Bosco used his words and to see if and what sort of development there might be in the use of the word.
It’s probably no surprise to anyone to find out that at least in MO and probably in no other text either, did Don Bosco employ the word ‘spirituality’. No – it was always something much more concrete. He talks about spiritual life, spiritual exercises, spiritual directors, spiritual as opposed to temporal or bodily (e.g. in his relationship with Comollo he saw himself as benefiting from Comollo’s spiritual help while Comollo could benefit from his bodily strength). There was spiritual reading of course too. Even ‘spirit’ rarely remains a word on its own. There’s the spirit of the Lord opposed to the spirit of Satan, ecclesiastical spirit and the spirit of the good seminarian, a spirit of piety, of vocation, of morality.
But, and this is what I am driving at, once the Oratory becomes established at Valdocco, Don Bosco begins to speak of the need for unity of spirit, of discipline and of administration. And then he points out that he set out to achieve the first, unity of spirit, by means of a little rule where ‘I simply explained what we did in the Oratory and the uniform ways in which things were done.’ He goes on to say, and this is interesting, that having set out the organic base for discipline and administration, then we looked at the matter of piety and uniform, stable practice of this sort of thing. And so the boys could grasp all this in practical terms he instituted the Sodality of St. Aloysious and invited as many as possible to join, the rules being simply to give good example in Church and outside, avoid bad companions and frequent the sacraments often. That, in essence was the spirituality of the Oratory, at least as he translated it for the boys at that time. He makes a side comment that he gave this to the Archbishop – i.e. the rule and what flowed form it and it quickly made the rounds of other places receiving much praise.
Notice, then how Don Bosco himself worked – first practical experience, with each of the spiritual elements named and described in practical terms, brought together into a Rule or set of regulations. Having got that right he then began to think of the higher elements like piety (another word for spirituality for Don Bosco) which would give substance to the rule.
There is a sense in which this is true not just for the Oratory conceived of as a place for catechesis and enjoyment for young people but also as a place which identifies with the Society of St. Francis de Sales.
In fact, MO effectively terminates in 1854 despite the fact that the title points to 1855. The Regulations for Oratories were concluded in 1854. ON Jan 26th 1854 DB gathered four young men who promised with him to engage in the exercise of pastoral charity towards neighbour. This is a new story! Had DB ever written its memoirs it would be titled: The Memoirs of the Society of St. Francis de Sales. In actual fact it does get written but in bits and pieces and not as memoirs. What we had was a gradual codification. And when DB presented any drafts of his rule to authorities he always accompanied it with preambles and historical notes (cenno/i storico). He wanted these included with the rule, but Rome disallowed that.
An interesting comment by DB is recorded by Fr. Barberis in 1876. He syas there were lots of rectors around for the annual conference on St. Francis de Sales and DB was surrounded by them. After supper one evening the idea came up of recording the Society’s history. DB agreed and said ‘For now….I’ve taken the story up to 1854….the poetic period has come to an end and the prosaic period has just begun.’ He continues: ‘our most pressing need is that each rector write a summary history of his own house .’(chronicle). ‘As for me, I have set down a summary history of events relating to the Oratory from its beginnings to the present….from 1854 the discourse begins to be about the Congregation and matters begin to loom larger and put on a different face’.
I feel, then, that taking these two canons is a good way of starting our exploration of the spiritual mission of the Salesian rector. Taking ‘the different face’ if you like, as hinted at by DB. It is also a reminder that in putting together our own little personal rule of life as a Rector, general Church law and our own proper law have something to offer.
You can read the canons in detail. I want to highlight features and how the immediately relate to us as Salesians:
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our authority is a SERVICE entrusted to us by God through the Church (this includes our awareness of our mission and an acceptance on our part of our duty, in obedience and with a spirit of sacrifice).
There is reference to a docility to God’s will (this more than hints at the importance of constant discernment on our part).
Fulfilment of office (the phrase that comes to mind is that of Don Bosco’s, often given to him as a young seminarian as the only thing he needed to do well – fulfil his duties well. We could add to that our contemporary language of efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out our duty).
We are meant to govern (In our language but it is also the language of the contemporary church, we animate and guide).
Those in our community and for whom we are responsible are ‘children of God’ (this reminds us our the requirement for fatherliness and solicitude).
The Canon then asks us to ‘promote voluntary obedience’ (which we resonate with in terms of the art of animation, of conquering hearts through reason, religion and kindliness)
The superior is a listener (meaning in practical terms respect for persons, knowledge of character, needs, and a capacity for real friendship).
And we are mean to foster collaboration for the good of the Institute and the Church (which to me seems to mean or include the art of guiding people intellectually, psychologically and spiritually to carry out our mission in the Church. It implies, too, the wider community for which we are responsible, in our case the EPC).
And finally, a superior has the authority to decide and command (a reminder that the rector is, while brother among brothers, not just a simple confrere. There is an institutional role to carry out as well).
Canon 619 further develops the previous canon, especially in terms of the primary purpose of religious authority which is to ‘build a fraternal community in which God is sought and loved above all’. Here is the centre of our spiritual mission. Mission and brotherhood centred on the Love and primacy of God in our lives.
619
speaks of ‘seriousness in being diligent’ (what is to be done is to be well done).
Speaks of building a fraternal community (which calls on our capacity to unite).
Reminds us of the primacy of God and his love above all else (requiring from us the exercise of charity, which is God’s love in practice, and capacity to be a spiritual guide).
Invites our personal responsibility in the matter of God’s Word (which we can translate into preaching, lectio divina, catechesis and liturgical animation, study and meditation, quality of our own prayer life).
619 reminds us that we are to be exemplary in virtue (attuned very much to our own spiritual life).
Exemplary in matters of the Rule (which means knowing the rule inside out).
Solicitous to the needs of confreres (in our terms, the personal talk, availability, generosity)
Then it mentions visiting the sick. This is one of the corporal works of mercy, we know, but interesting that it is selected specifically. I can speak from personal experience of my present Rector in Rome who is outstanding in this area. He can smell a sick confreres from a huge distance (!) and is immediately on the horizon to enquire, assist, all very unassumingly. Of course the Canon does not restrict itself to this one action but lists a number of others too like looking out for the neglected and unloved, encouraging the timid and unstable and chiding the restless. (It’s probably in here somewhere that the Rector’s role in fraternal correction is involved – this is not his task alone. It belongs to the entire community. All is to be done in charity, with patience, and timeliness. S for comforting the faint-hearted, giving heart to people, it clearly involves skills of sustaining, defending, guiding, recognizing, praising, thanking…).
I feel that I am overburdening you with a list of qualities of the ideal rector; such appeals to ideal rectorship don’t always wash. The famous Rectors’ Manual, which some of you may have a copy of, made most rectors feel this way when it came out. And they did one for provincials too, who likewise felt inadequate when confronted with its suggestions.
So let’s move forward in two ways: One is that I will make this the shortest of my talks and stop in a few minutes time. The other is that it’s now time to consider in some detail and for you to begin to draw up a PERSONAL RULE OF LIFE AS RECTOR.
RECTOR’S PERSONAL RULE OF LIFE
Frame of reference:
a starting point could be the two Canon’s discussed, or
GC 25.
Alternatively, you could seek to draw a framework from one or all of the other talks, but that might mean arriving at a frame of reference rather than starting from one.
Three parts to the Rule:
the three most important things in our life and present task:
GOD, COMMUNITY, MISSION
the primacy of God in the Rector’s spiritual life – your sense of your own mission and responsibility, perceptions, role of service.
Dialogue and rapport (communal, personalised) with confreres; necessary virtues, ways of fostering spiritual life through Word, liturgy, chat,; care of the human side, valuing gifts, solicitude for needs…
Animating Mission and work: pastoral direction, educative role. Relations ad intra and ad extra with other institutions, friends, helpers..
