19 February 2020
This week that began last Sunday with the opening message of the Rector Major Fr. Angel Fernandez and the Eucharistic Celebration that he presided, is a Prologue to the Solemn Inauguration of the Chapter this coming Saturday morning, February 22. The recent General Chapters usually allotted a week of retreat at the places of Don Bosco at the opening week of the Chapter. GC 28 opened with the presentation of the Report of the Rector Major on the State of the Congregation–with the different sectors and regions presented by the members of the General Council. These are followed by three Days of Spirituality that introduce the three main topics of the General Chapter. The mornings of these three days are spent reflecting respectively on these themes. The afternoons are reserved for a reflection on the Report of the Rector Major–done by Regions and in plenary assembly.
This morning the first of the three Days of Spirituality, Fr. Rosanno Sala, SDB (who was special secretary in the 2018 Synod of Bishops on Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment) presented the reflection for the topic on the Priority of the Salesian Mission for the Youth of Today. Fr. Sala led us to reflect on some of Jesus’ encounters with young people: that his attention was for the poorest and that his method was one of accompaniment. Jesus invited the young to total self-giving. Fr. Sala then brought the Capitulars to a beautiful lesson in Salesian history–the road that led Don Bosco toward his mission: the guidance of Don Cafasso, the dream of the shepherdess, and the choice that he made–even as a young priest–to give his life for young people to the last breath. Fr. Sala notes that this choice was made despite all odds: “All the reasons are against Don Bosco: his health, the lack of means, the rumours about his alleged madness, the lack of collaborators, the opposition of the authorities. But the Gospel – we know – at decisive moments is not reasonable, it is loving!” The Italian phrase used by Fr. Sala is euphonic: non e’ ragionevole; e’ amorevole (not reasonable, but loving).
At the end of the conference by Fr. Sala, the Capitulars took some quiet time for reflection and had at their disposition the holy places of Valdocco–the Pinardi Chapel, the Church of St. Francis de Sales, and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians. At midday, the Capitulars gathered for the Eucharist presided by Fr. Sala.
In the afternoon, the Chapter Members divided into the eight regions (Africa-Madagascar, Interamerica, Mediterranean, Central and North Europe, America South Cone, South Asia, and East Asia-Oceania) in order to reflect on the Report of the Rector Major on the State of the Congregation, in particular, on the report on the different sectors (formation, youth ministry, missions, social communications, Salesian Family, finance). With the reflection on the report as starting point, each region was asked to name three greatest challenges that the Congregation is facing and three priorities for the next six years. The responses of the different regions were collected before the Evening Prayers and were collated by an assigned group. The fruit of this will be presented tomorrow.
The Good Night Talk was delivered by Fr. Guido Errico, who is the Rector of both the “Mary Help of Christians” Mother House Community and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians. He tells the Capitulars: “Welcome to Valdocco, to our Mother House, to the house of Don Bosco.” After dinner, the Capitulars were treated to a concert dubbed as a “Tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven on the 250th anniversary of his birth” at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.
