Turin, 24 September 2023
My dear confreres,
On the day on which we celebrate the sending of the 154th missionary expedition to Valdocco, as our father Don Bosco did on 11 November 1875 I too feel the joy of being able to share with you the reflection and the decision we have taken in these days, after having carried out a wide-ranging consultation with the Salesian Provinces on our forthcoming 29th General Chapter.
We are all aware that the events of the last few months have thrust us into a congregational dynamic that leads us to the preparation of an important General Chapter after the circumstances of the pandemic that struck the world and prematurely interrupted the work of the 28th General Chapter that we were celebrating in Valdocco at the time.
Together with the General Council, we saw fit to consult the ninety-two provinces around the world, even though we knew that time for reflection and local response was short. But we are very happy to have received a contribution from 70 Provinces.
We perceived great motivation and commitment, and I am personally very grateful as Rector Major, and so are we all in the General Council.
And now is the moment of the announcement and preparation for the forthcoming General Chapter 29 which must be, as on other occasions, “the principal sign of the Congregation’s unity in diversity” (C. 146).
At this time, with joy and great hope, from this Salesian holy place that is “our” Valdocco, and in accordance with Article 150 of our Constitutions, I am convening the 29th General Chapter, which will have what follows as its theme, developed in three core areas (or parts) of particular importance, and which are real challenges for the Congregation.
“PASSIONATE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST, DEDICATED TO YOUNG PEOPLE” Living our Salesian vocation faithfully and prophetically |
“So they came to him... to be with him and to be sent out to proclaim the message” (Mk 3,14-15)
Note: Scripture quotations in English from the Revised New Jerusalem Bible
Core area 1. ANIMATION AND CARE OF THE TRUE LIFE OF EACH SALESIAN |
“Rekindle the gift of God that you possess” (2 Tim 1:6)
Core area 2. SALESIANS, SALESIAN FAMILY AND LAY PEOPLE TOGETHER “WITH” AND “FOR” YOUNG PEOPLE |
“One heart and mind” (Act 4:32)
Core area 3. A COURAGEOUS REVIEW AND RE-PLANNING OF THE CONGREGATION’S GOVERNANCE AT ALL LEVELS |
“Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by renewal of mind,
so that you may discern what is the will of God,
good, pleasing and perfect” (Rom 12:2).
The chosen theme is the result of a rich and profound reflection that we have carried out in the General Council on the basis of the answers received from the Provinces and the vision that we have of the Congregation at this time. We were pleasantly surprised by the great convergence and harmony we found in the many contributions from the Provinces, which had a lot to do with the reality we see in the Congregation, with the path of fidelity that exists in many sectors and also with present challenges.
As can be seen from the chosen theme, it refers to the centrality of God (as Trinity) and Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, without ever forgetting young people and our commitment to them. And what is offered as a subtitle captures our priority and concern at this time, both in religious life in general and in our consecrated life in particular. If fidelity and prophecy were lacking in our Congregation, we would be like the light that does not shine and the salt that does not give flavour. We have expressed our during many General Council sessions about the lack of charismatic identity that we sometimes perceive. In the letter that will be published together with the convocation of this Chapter, I address this very situation by taking stock of the achievements of these years and the challenges that I perceive are such because we have not been able to overcome certain weaknesses that make us more vulnerable.
With this proposed theme for the 29th General Chapter, our intention is that the Congregation may highlight those challenges, those shortcomings that in a very real way instead of launching us forward on the path of fidelity to the Lord and in the prophetic witness of our lives, slow us down, limit us, make us or may make us incapable of challenging. There are many beautiful things in the lives of the majority of the confreres, Provinces and the Congregation in many countries. But this is not enough and cannot serve as “consolation”, because the cry coming from the world, the great and new kinds of poverty, the daily struggle of so many people – I won't say just poor, but also simple and hard-working people – cry out to us, look to us, ask help from us as they raise their hands. How many times have I stated in these ten years as Rector Major that we cannot remain peacefully in our houses, sometimes as large and solid as castles, when there is so much pain around us. And the General Council is also very sensitive to this situation, as are many Provinces.
In short, with the help of the Provinces through consultation, we believe we have identified the main reasons for concern and the signs of our Congregation’s vitality, always with the cultural traits of each context.
In the Chapter theme we propose to focus on what it means for us to truly be Salesians who are passionate about Jesus Christ, because without this we will offer good services, we will do good to people, we will help, but we will not leave behind much else worthwhile.
As I told you in the presentation of the Post-Chapter Reflection of GC28, “Our world, the Church and the young along with their families, need us today as they did yesterday, in order to continue on their journey of fidelity to the Lord Jesus. They need us as as significant and courageously prophetic individuals. May the Lord grant us this gift. Mediocrity and fears would allow us to offer little to the young, and this little would not be able to transform their life and fill it with meaning.”
When we read in the Gospel that Jesus called those he wanted “to be with him and to be sent out to proclaim the message” (Mk 3:14-15), he is telling us that Jesus chooses and calls to himself those he wants, and among them he has called us. The Kingdom of God is made present and those first Twelve are also an example and a model for us and for our communities. These twelve were taken from ordinary people, with strengths and weaknesses: it was not a community of the pure or a group of friends.
And we, from the moment of our profession, have opted for true companionship with Jesus, in a person-to-person relationship that totally involves us. And from this involvement with Jesus, we feel urged in the direction of our young people.
The mission of Jesus continues and is visible in the world today also through us, his envoys. We are consecrated to construct ample places of light for today’s world, to be prophets. We have been consecrated by God to follow his beloved Son Jesus, but to truly live as people conquered by God. Therefore, once again, it is all about the Congregation’s fidelity to the Holy Spirit, living, in the spirit of Don Bosco, a Salesian consecrated life centred in Jesus Christ. If this is missing – and sometimes it is missing – we can offer services, have schools, and vocational training, have oratories and youth centres, and even homes for welcoming young people..., but without having focused on Him, today we are here and tomorrow no.
And I can say that there are various voices in the Congregation asking us to address this reality and our way of living in the Lord with and for young people, including the poorest. More authenticity is sought and desired. And there is the desire and expectation for a courageous General Chapter where things are said; we do not want to get lost in phrases that may sound good, but do not touch life. In general, the confreres wish to see a Salesian Congregation always faithful to the Lord and with him, faithful to Don Bosco. They would like us all, as Salesians of Don Bosco, to live with this passion for God and for the mission. It hurts when this is not the case; it hurts when there are different speeds in the approach to dedication and the radical nature of the gospel. All this is what is at stake in this GC29, provoked also – dare I say it – by the Spirit of God through many mediations, including, first and foremost, the Holy Father himself with his decisions.
Dear confreres, I still need to emphasise one aspect that I am sure many of you have perceived. I am referring to that sure continuity that can be seen with GC28, since the theme focuses strongly on our Salesian consecrated identity, with a real desire to grow in the fidelity and prophetic value of our life, as well as on the mission shared with the laity and the Salesian Family, but always taking the young and their families, so often poor and distressed, into our hearts. A continuity also in reference to issues concerning the animation and governance of the Congregation that were not addressed previously. I can assure you that almost all the Provincials have asked that we give some time in the Chapter for this – because in the previous one it was impossible – to delve into these essential and vital situations.
Although it is already indicated in Core area 3, I wish to make it explicit because I believe it will reassure the confreres, who in their responses have asked what I will now say: “there is a surprising coincidence in the responses of the Provinces in asking that we also clarify many juridical questions in a definitive way, that require changes to the Regulations (because life has already gone beyond what we have legislated), or that with much rigour and courage we address the evaluation and necessary changes in the government of the Congregation at all levels.”
It is requested that all juridical issues that could not be completed in the previous General Chapter because of COVID be addressed. A response is expected, for example, to the new question regarding the Holy Father, Pope Francis’ authorisation that even in clerical congregations (such as ours) one can have coadjutor brothers as community superiors (directors/rectors). There are also many other issues to be resolved.
The 29th General Chapter will have almost the same duration as the previous one and will begin on 16 February 2025 and end on 12 April 2025, on the eve of Holy Week, the same day Don Bosco arrived at Valdocco with his boys, 12 April 1846, adapting the shed to become a chapel.
The opening celebration of the Chapter will be the Eucharist of the Holy Spirit at 5pm in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.
After searching several places, we felt that once gain the most suitable place was Valdocco - Turin (Italy). In order to offer all of us the best possible facilities for excellent reflection, prayer, work and decision-making, we have already booked sufficient rooms in and around Valdocco itself.
All the facilities will be very well prepared for the event, and certainly the fact that we will be in this beautiful Salesian holy place, where we were all born to a vocation, will be an element that will help us reach the deepest and most charismatic part of the work we want to do.
After reviewing the history of the last General Chapters and their Moderators, taking into account the reality of our Congregation and the cultural and ethnic diversity, as well as the growth of the Congregation, especially now in the Region of Africa and Madagascar, but also in South Asia and in some Provinces of Oceania, I asked the Regional Councillor for Africa and Madagascar, Fr Alphonse Owoudou, to be the Chapter Moderator. Fr Alphonse has accepted with great generosity and I am sure that all of us are grateful to him.
The single theme with its three complementary aspects must be dealt with or handled differently depending on the core area, in the preparation of the Provincial Chapters.
The sole purpose of this methodological choice is to offer a draft of a wholistic proposal that will be sent to the provincial chapters, so that all the provinces of the Congregation can see it and enrich it, or reject, change, delete it; all of which serves to arrive at the GC29 with a pre-considered and balanced opinion and wholistic overview.
The methodology of the Chapter assembly to be held in Valdocco, as well as those of the individual Provinces, must be more inductive than on previous occasions, according to the contributions from the individual Provinces.
Such a methodology will also allow us to get to know the best and finest practices that exist in so many Provinces, a very rich heritage that we can and must share.
We are now therefore called upon to reflect, at the provincial level, on the three proposed core areas with their different aspects. On this basis, a series of questions were developed that have been left open to offer everyone, in the individual Provinces, the opportunity to fully express their reflections.
On the first core area regarding the ANIMATION AND CARE OF THE REAL LIFE OF EVERY SALESIAN, we will ask ourselves, including in the Provincial Chapter:
On the second core Chapter area SALESIANS, SALESIAN FAMILY AND LAY PEOPLE TOGETHER “WITH” AND “FOR” YOUNG PEOPLE, we ask ourselves:
With reference to the third core area, this has already been indicated above in how to work in the individual provinces (see what is written regarding the methodology for the Provincial Chapters).
This expression takes me back to five years ago when I was writing the convocation letter for GC28. Not much time has passed, and yet how many things we have experienced.
I think we can say that we are arriving at GC29 with a similar feeling. We have, by grace and Divine Providence, a wonderful opportunity to prepare our Congregation and each of us Salesians to transmit more light, to be more and more passionate about God and about the Lord Jesus. A wonderful opportunity to truly leave our Congregation in the “hands” of the Holy Spirit who will guide us as he did with Don Bosco.
We have a wonderful opportunity to seek to live more and more in fidelity, simply and authentically, enthusiastically and with commitment, or at the same time, with deep faith and prayer, in a frenetic and utilitarian world, convinced as we are that God accompanies us. A wonderful opportunity to be significant. Some will realise this. Others not, but it doesn’t matter. It will only be important to serve in the name of the Lord, to do everything for Him in love, and to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to those to whom we are sent, their families, and those who have no family, no voice, and no opportunity. So we will be a bit more prophetic (or very prophetic).
“Here am I, send me” (Is 6:8) says the Lord. This is why we believe that the new GC29, in which we are already somewhat immersed without expecting it, will be a wonderful opportunity in faith for our Salesian Congregation worldwide.
Dear confreres, I only lack one thing to ask of you: to prepare ourselves over the next sixteen months in a personal, community and provincial journey in an attitude of profound prayer.
Without prayer, without a heart that continually matures in faith, all we can do are sociological things that will be over almost before they begin. Only in faith does God have the power to make all things new.
May our Mother the Help of Christians, Mother of the Church, accompany us as she accompanied Don Bosco throughout his life until the moment when she had him understand that “She had done everything”.
With a huge fraternal embrace,
Ángel Fernández Artime, sdb
Rector Major