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On 3 March at the Salesianum in via della Pisana, 1111 – Rome, the 26th General Chapter of the Salesian Congregation will begin..
233 Salesians, from every part of the world, will gather around the Rector Major Fr Pascual Chávez, to reflect together on how best to respond to the needs of young people today, maintaining the fidelity and the vivacity of the charism of Don Bosco expressed in the motto “Da mihi animas cetera tolle”..
The opening will be preceded by a series of events which will see the members of the Chapter taking part in a pilgrimage to the places associated with Salesian history, Turin and its surroundings, examining the situation of the Congregation and making a Retreat.
On Sunday 24 February, the Rector Major will preside at Mass in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, the church built by Don Bosco. A recording of the celebration will be broadcast by Telepace after the Pope’s Angelus.
According to the Constitutions of the Society of Saint Francis of Sales, or the Salesians of Don Bosco, the General Chapter “is the principal sign of the Congregation’s unity in diversity” (Cf. C. 146), an affirmation based on the fact that the Chapter is described as “the fraternal meeting in which Salesians carry out a communal reflection to keep themselves faithful to the Gospel and to their Founder’s charism and sensitive to the needs of time and place.”
This event, convoked every six years by the Rector Major of the Salesian Congregation, enables the sons of Don Bosco, guided by the Holy Spirit, “to discern God’s will at a specific moment in history for the purpose of rendering the Church better service” (C. 146). The General Chapter, according to what is prescribed by article 147 of the Constitutions, constitutes the “supreme authority”, to whom it belongs to “lay down laws for the whole Society, to treat of matters of greater importance, and to elect the Rector Major and the members of the General Council.”
Who are taking part in the GC26?
In virtue of article 151 of the Salesian Constitutions the following attend the General Chapter: the Rector Major (1); the Rectors Major emeriti (there are none); the members of the General Council (12); the Secretary General (1); the Procurator General (1); the Moderator of the Chapter, who in this case is already a member of the General Council (1); the Superiors of the Provinces and the Vice Provinces (96) and the Delegates (111). To the 222 Chapter members should be added, without the right to vote, 11 observers invited by the Rector Major.
The Rector Major in office, Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva, IXth successor of Don Bosco, has chosen as the theme for the GC26: “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle”, the motto that Don Bosco chose for his pastoral activity, and then for the Salesian Congregation. This expresses Don Bosco’s spiritual and pastoral programme and sums up the charismatic identity and the apostolic passion of the Salesian.
Underlying the choice of the theme is the need for the Salesians not to lose the vigour and the originality of the charism lived and proposed by Don Bosco, the bicentenary of whose birth will be celebrated in 2015, and, at the same time, to read in the signs of the times new ways of responding to the needs of youth. In addition, the theme of the Chapter is intended to offer a valid point of reference in order to keep alive the proposal of Salesian life as a prophetic and credible model of consecrated life.
The Moderator
In the document, in addition to indicating the theme, the aims and the dates, Fr Pascual Chávez, as is indicated by article 112 of the General Regulations of the Society of Saint Francis of Sales, entrusted the role of Moderator of the GC26 to Fr Francesco Cereda, General Councillor for Formation.
The task of the Moderator is to organise the various stages of the preparation and the carrying out of the Chapter, “to him the Provincial Chapters, local communities, and individual members will send their proposals and study contributions if any. He will nominate a technical commission to work with the Moderator in establishing a plan of preparation for the General Chapter and in securing the interest and active participation of the members.”
The Precapitular Commission
The Moderator makes use of a Precapitular Commission, whose members are appointed by the Rector Major, which has the task of drawing up the reports or the schemata to be sent to those taking part in the General Chapter.
The members of the Precapitular Commission were: Fr Guilherme Basañes, Superior of the Vice Province of Angola, Fr Ivo Coelho, Provincial of Bombay, Fr Carlo Socol from the Hong Kong Province, Fr Marek Chrzan, Provincial of Krakow, Fr Angel Fernández Artime, Rector of the Salesian Institute in Ourense, Fr Jean Noël Charmoille, Vice Provincial of France, Fr Alberto Lorenzelli, Provincial of Italy Liguria-Tuscany, Fr Vicente Tirabasso, Provincial of Argentina - Bahía Blanca, Fr José Pastor Ramírez, Provincial of the Antilles and Brother Giampietro Pettenon, Provincial Economer of North East Italy.
The Provincial Chapters
Between July 2006 and July 2007 the different Salesian Provinces and Vice Provinces held their Chapters, and at the end of their work sent a variety of contributions to the Moderator.
In the month of October the Precapitular Commission drew up the Working Document for the GC26 which will be the starting point for carrying out its work.
The theme “Da mihi animas”, has been divided four main areas to facilitate further consideration:
- Evangelisation: mainly undertaken in the field of education;
- The proposal of Salesian consecrated life;
- Evangelical poverty, expression of a total self-giving;
- New frontiers for the Salesian mission where the young are to be found nowadays.
During the Chapter there will be the renewal of the General Council with the election or confirmation in office of the Rector Major and the Councillors who according to the decision of the previous Chapter (GC25 in 2002) can remain in office for a maximum of two six year periods.
The Chapter members have the task of assessing in particular the deliberations of the GC25 regarding the organisation and the structure of the Departments at world level and the role of some local confreres.
23 – 25 February: Pilgrimage to the places where Don Bosco lived and worked: Colle Don Bosco, Morialdo, Turin, …
26 – 27 February: Rome – Salesianum – Reports of the Departments and of the Regions by the respective General Councillors.
27 Feb. – 2 Mar.: Retreat preached by Fr Plascencia Moncayo José Luis, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Theology in the Salesian Pontifical University.
3 March: Day of the Solemn Opening of the GC26 followed by the presentation by the Rector Major of his Report on the state of the Congregation.
12 April: Conclusion of the GC26.
