WHERE THE LORD LEADS US
“He said to me: ‘My grace is sufficient for you;
for power is made perfect in weakness’ ” (2 Cor 12:9)
Turin, 8 September 2023
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear confreres,
As on many other occasions when I have turned to you through letters addressed to members of our Congregation, I am greeting you with deep and fraternal affection.
On this occasion, what I am writing is accompanied by a very particular feeling. In fact, this is – along with the commentary on the Strenna that I will send shortly – the last letter I will write to you as Rector Major. I am certainly not forgetting that in a few weeks time I will be sending you the convocation letter for GC29.
It is no secret – as you have already known since 9 July, with the appointment as Cardinal made by the Holy Father, Pope Francis – that my life will undergo a major change.
In my letter, sent two days after the news announced at the Angelus on 9 July, I shared with all of you, dear confreres, and with the Salesian Family, that on 31 July 2024, if it is the Lord’s will and if he grants me peace and health, I will submit my resignation as Rector Major to dedicate myself to what Pope Francis will ask of me to serve the Church in another field. Here lies the reason for the very particular feeling that accompanies these words of mine.
The title of this letter, inspired by a book a few years ago on religious life, is very evocative. And it is intended to be both a confession of faith and a vocational response shot through with hope.1
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