DIREZIONE GENERALE OPERE DON BOSCO
Via della Pisana 1111 – 00163 ROMA
Il Consigliere generale per la Formazione
Rome, 24 July 2007
Prot. 07/0505
To the Reverend Regional Formation Coordinators,
To the Reverend Formation Delegates
For information
To the Reverend Provincials
Dear Coordinators and Delegates,
Through this letter I wish to communicate to you the decision of the Rector Major and the General Council to modify number 105 of “Criteria and norms for Salesian vocation discernment”.
This number of “Criteria and norms” speaks of the elements that ought to be contained in any application for admission: to the novitiate, to first profession, to renewal of temporary profession, to perpetual profession, to the ministries and to sacred orders. Among these elements is mentioned “reference to talking with the Rector and to his agreement with its being made”.
A provincial formation commission found the expression, “to his agreement with its being made”, problematic and asked for it to be suppressed.
Decision. To avoid restrictive or juridically binding interpretations with regard to the freedom in making the application for admission, the Rector Major and the General Council acceded to the request to eliminate “to his agreement with its being made” from number 105 of “Criteria and norms”, and at the same time reiterated that in this number the expression, “reference to talking with the Rector”, ought to be retained.
Motivation. In the process of admission it is the one in formation who must first carry out a discernment to ascertain whether he judges himself suitable or not for the Salesian vocation. In this discernment he receives help from the Rector and the confessor, and if he happens to be a person other than the Rector, from the spiritual director. Since these persons have been accompanying him, they are in a very good position to offer him their opinion, be it positive or negative. It is then up to the individual to take their advice into consideration with all due seriousness, assume his own responsibility before God and decide in his conscience whether he should, or should not, make his application. Therefore, he does not need the agreement of the Rector to make his application.
Thank you for your kind attention.
With my cordial greetings,
In Don Bosco,
Fr. Francis Cereda
