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Address of the Rector Major at the conclusion of the GC24 Dear Chapter Members, [221] Through the grace of the Holy Spirit we have reached the conclusion
of the 24th General Chapter. This concluding capitular Assembly is the
final stage of a path we have followed together in our shared search for
the road our Congregation is called upon to follow, together with numerous
collaborators, in the challenging years that lie ahead in our mission on
behalf of the young. In this solemn and significant moment, while we recall
in synthesis all that has slowly matured in two months of the Chapter's
work, we feel how important it is that each of us accepts and makes his
own the guidelines and deliberations of the Chapter, so as to be able to
live them and pass them on to our educative and pastoral communities. 1. Sense of gratitude [222] The first feeling that arises spontaneously is that of gratitude. First of all to God, who has accompanied us and guided us with the constant presence of his Holy Spirit: to him is due our praise for the wonders he has worked and continues to work in our Congregation, and which have been made manifest once again during this Chapter. To Mary Help of Christians, our Mother and Teacher, always close to us and attentive to our needs and those of the young; to our Father and Founder Don Bosco, to whom we have incessantly made reference at every stage of our work. The Eucharist which we shall soon celebrate, in the joyful atmosphere of the paschal liturgy, is the fullest expression of our gratitude, in union with the unending praise which the Church offers through Christ to the Father. Our thankfulness then extends also to all who have committed themselves
with constancy and self-sacrifice to the work of the Chapter, and first
of all and especially to the Moderator, Fr. Antonio Martinelli, tireless,
foreseeing, ever present and attentive in everything, and to those who
collaborated with him more directly; to the Chairmen and Secretaries of
the Chapter, so capable and precise; to the various Commissions headed
by their Presidents and Spokesmen and to the drafting group, who combined
to give us a rich and stimulating document; to the assiduous and tireless
translators; to the lay people who shared with us part of the Chapter's
proceedings; the Rector and confreres of the Generalate, who accompanied
us by their generous service and kindness; and in particular the Daughters
of Mary Help of Christians and their girls who provided for our daily needs
with such availability and courtesy. Our heartfelt thanks go to all of
them: we shall not easily forget the experience we have lived through and
which we can well refer to as a reciprocal exchange of gifts. 2. The GC24: an event of the Congregation on the threshold of the Third Millennium [223] The General Chapter, as I said in my opening address, is an event of the Congregation; it is a landmark in its history and launches it towards the future. Although celebrated institutionally in Rome it involves, in fact, the whole of the Congregation in all its structures and expressions; and we have experienced in this Chapter more than in preceding ones the closeness and involvement of confreres and communities in the event, not least because of the better quality of communications. As well as an event of the Congregation, the General Chapter is also an event of the Church, not only because through the charisma we have received from the Holy Spirit we feel ourselves to be a living part of the Church (cf. C 13) and at its service, but also because the Chapter event has its consequences on the Church's mission in today's world in which we collaborate. And from this standpoint we cannot fail to emphasize its particular character. With its celebration on the threshold of the year 2000, it inserts us in the course the Church is following to develop a renewed evangelizing capacity in the new millennium. Pope John Paul II, in the audience he granted to the General Chapter, pointed out our task of "leading the Society and the Salesian Family into the new millennium with the apostolic ardour of St. John Bosco and with all the freshness of his charism". Within the setting of our Family we have also relived, during the Chapter, the humble and prophetic episode which was at the beginnings of our history: on 12 April 1996 in fact we commemorated the 150th anniversary of Don Bosco's arrival at Valdocco, to the Pinardi shed so poor and yet so pregnant with hope, where the Oratory found a stable home and from which it spread, through the protection of Mary Help of Christians, to every continent. The memory of this event placed all our capitular reflections in the light of the origins. Some other significant facts and features characterized this Chapter at the end of a millennium. They remain engraved in our minds and hearts, and we take them with us as a substantial content of our capitular experience. [224] In the first place there is the depth and manifestation of communion within our capitular community. Though coming from a wide variety of contexts and having to face problems which of necessity implied different outlooks, we have experienced the fellowship of living and working together (C 49). Our charismatic identity, the "grace of unity" of our apostolic consecration. common prayer, harmony of hearts, the effort to reach convergence in frank and always respectful discussion: all this has been an authentic manifestation of Salesian worldwide communion. For this reason, as we finish our work, we feel supported by this "practical unity" as bearers of the Chapter's message. [225] Another characteristic feature of the GC24 has been the openness of the Congregation to the world at large, which has been manifested ever more clearly, with due and constant attention to preserving the unity of spirit and mission. This openness to the world is revealed in particular in the intercultural and transcultural vision of the charism, in the approach to realities and problems of specific contexts, in the concern for ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue, in the exploitation of different languages. Even in the reflections which led to the new arrangement of the groups of province, attention to intercultural and international exchange was one of the criteria from which the Assembly drew its inspiration. [226] Against the background of openness to the world we can also see the growth in missionary awareness, discernible in the Chapter. Even though "missionary" activity was not specifically on the agenda, its impact on many aspects of the Chapter theme, together with the communication of experiences of Provincials and Delegates from our missionary territories, contributed to a revival of the missionary aspect of the Congregation; and this in a double sense: in becoming aware of the missionary commitment lived by our communities, and in acquiring an ever better understanding of the urgent need of missionary frontiers "ad gentes" with the missionary heart of Don Bosco. [227] An innovation of the GC24, which calls for special mention, has been the presence of lay people, who not only contributed to a deeper analysis of the Chapter's theme but enriched it by their fraternal presence, the contribution of their experiences and the witness of the gifts of their specifically lay vocation, within the Salesian Family or Movement. [228] An important fact and significant coincidence during the course of the GC24 was also the promulgation of the Apostolic Exhortation "Vita Consecrata". The Exhortation had been long awaited after the Synod, and has become inserted in the work of the GC24 as a stimulus to the ever better understanding of our specific vocation in the Church, the gift of the charism we have received through the Founder, and the great horizons now open in the Church and in the world to us who are consecrated apostles. Within the theme of the Chapter, the Apostolic Exhortation has helped us to perceive more deeply our own contribution as religious priests and lay religious in the educative and pastoral community, of which we want to be animators together with our collaborators. [229] And we must remember too the novelty of the discernment process which in this Chapter has helped us to listen to the Holy Spirit, open to different possibilities, internally free and available, for choosing those who would be called to animate the Congregation during the coming six years. This experience is a valid indication also for provincial and local communities as regards the path to be followed in making decisions or deciding on orientations concerning our life and the carrying out of our mission. [230] In pointing to these aspects, while rightly emphasizing the resulting innovations and the progress that has been made, we cannot fail to stress also the sense of continuity which has accompanied such development. In fact when we examine the reflections and proposals of the provinces we have become aware that they have moved in harmony with the Constitutions, in the effort to give effect to the apostolic project expressed in them, in a form better corresponding to the situations and needs of today's youth, but in complete fidelity to the mind of Don Bosco. Even in respect of sharing with the laity, the GC24 has recognized that this is an already existing reality or one in process of being started up, and must be stimulated and made more alive and active. Finally we must underline the quality of communication which
has marked this Chapter: both the official communication using the equipment
and professional competence of our Salesian News Agency (ANS) in close
collaboration with the Chapter Commission for information, and - an important
fact - private communication which used updated technology to reach confreres
and communities immediately. This is an aspect which will certainly be
kept in mind by future General Chapters. 3. Some orientations which have emerged After recalling some outstanding features of the event, I would now
like, without re-reading or summarizing the Chapter document, to dwell
for a while on some indications which I consider fundamental for our progress
in the coming six years. 3.1 Lay people: a grace, and a task to be performed [231] The focal point of our reflections has been the Salesian charism, mission and spirit, as a possibility still to be discovered of communion and shared responsibility in the service of the young. We must not forget this because from this gift of the Spirit stem the riches and original forms of the cooperation which we hope to achieve. The subjects involved are simultaneously the Salesians and lay people. But the novelty of the perspective stems from the sudden entrance of the latter into the Salesian horizon and of the insertion of their experience as freshly understood in the heart of the charism. For the Salesians this implies not just a marginal addition, but a new light involving the whole of their vocation. In living this vocation with renewed awareness and enthusiasm they will find the resources to enable them to put into practice the conclusions of the GC24. The new attention to the laity leads in the first place to the recognition and exploitation of the reality of which they are bearers: children of God, temples of the Spirit, members of the people of God. They act in the world with the prophetic grace which points others towards the Lord, with the sanctifying power which heals and reconciles, and with royal energy which creates, orients and transforms. They are called to holiness, which is the human fulfillment of communion with God. If these points are repeated it is because they need to be considered again and again in the real terms of daily life. The secular condition of the lay person, used as a key for a new understanding, broadens and enriches the vision of the Salesian mission: it makes it clear that, although it has an identity, this has no limits as regards extension and can integrate aspects, initiatives and ever new forms conformable to the movement of the world; it can be expressed through a whole range of persons who, while living in different parts or working in different environments, are nevertheless linked by an identical spirit and purpose. The lay perspective also leads to a discovery of the possibilities regarding the communion which Salesian consecrated life can create around spirituality, education and pedagogical praxis. It indicates to us numerous groups of persons in which these things can be active and leavening: from the Cooperators, who take and mould their lay Salesian identity under the gaze and spiritual guidance of Don Bosco and are today our main partners, down to those who share with us human values, a religious attitude and concern for education. The presence of lay people also makes us give renewed thought to secular, human and Christian experience, and situations in which this is expressed: family, professions and politics. These realities and values are naturally associated with them and form an indispensable part of the content of education, which is our own field of work. [232] In this fresh understanding emerges the identity of the woman and her contribution to culture, education, ecclesial and Salesian life, which calls on our part for welcome acceptance, exploitation and reciprocity. But we shall certainly draw from it too advantages for our consecrated life, for communion and for our pastoral work. And so with the presence of the laity our vision becomes broader and deeper, as well as increasing our practical possibilities. We know that there are many people who have been moved in spirit after coming into contact with Don Bosco. And we know too that his plan of life in the spirit offers infinite possibilities for realization at both institutional and individual level. But Christifideles Laici, at n.2, reminds us: "In reality the challenge embraced by the Synod Fathers has been that of indicating the concrete ways through which the rich theory on the lay state expressed by the Council cam be translated into authentic Church practice". For us too the test lies in the practice, in which the first step is the welcome, the attitude of availability and pleasure, at the emergence of the laity in the field of the charism. It is true of course that the practice has need of ecclesial and Salesian reflection, constantly enriched and strongly motivated. And it must not be taken for granted that such reflection has been internally accepted and projected into reality by every Salesian. As regards the laity, provincial and local communities are invited by the GC24 to pass from fragmentary realizations to a complete and organic project. All the elements and situations which past experience had revealed were highlighted by the GC24, and now they have to be rethought as a whole and their problems solved, counting on the laity not as mere temporary help but as our companions all along the way. We have to pass from different individual evaluations to a communal
shared mentality. A period in which ideas and practices concerning the
participation of the laity was left to the judgment of individuals has
been replaced by another in which this has become the conviction of all,
a criterion for all institutions and programmes. 3.2 The Salesian mission [233] Don Bosco's experience, which we recalled in our celebration of the 150th anniversary of the foundation of his work at Valdocco, underlines an important fact: impressed and attracted by his relationship with poor boys and by his work for their benefit, various lay people began to gather around him. More than a few of them, perhaps, were already concerned about the youth situation and wondered how they could respond to it as Christians. But they needed a spark to prompt them to action, an example, a sign, a project, a setting. And they found it in the choice made by Don Bosco and in his first steps towards its realization. Their contributions were of various kinds: educative collaboration, financial support, close help and friendship, acceptance in social circles which could cooperate, the exploitation of his work in local churches. And with his youngsters in mind and whatever could be done for them, Don Bosco extended far and wide his invitation to share in working for them. And even today boldness in the expression of the mission calls into communion and provokes the collaboration of those moved interiorly by the Spirit. On the modern realization of the more original features of the mission, therefore, must be concentrated the efforts of provincial and local communities. [234] The setting of the young and the poor, which is a fundamental characteristic of our mission, suggests that we go more decisively in the direction of needy youth and poorer neighbourhoods. Youthful distress appears today in many different forms. Everywhere the Church has made a preferential option for the poor. Service for their benefit still has an unrivalled ability for bringing people together, and rightly so! It represents hope for those who feel themselves abandoned, and in this sense is an eminent manifestation of the pastoral love of Christ. The educative dimension opens us up to all and leads us to welcome those who are poor in life or interests, those looking for a path to follow; it enables us to offer them plans leading simultaneously to human advancement and to evangelization. Attention to the faith from the outset is certainly an essential point which we can never renounce. In it we find the energy for human growth and for meeting Christ, who leads to an understanding of the mystery of God and of man. But at the same time we work in the vast spaces of advancement, of culture, of social dynamism. Nothing that is human finds us indifferent. Such an option is natural to the lay dimension and allows for an unlimited insertion of lay people at different levels. The mission always bears the stamp of the preventive system as a synthesis of aims and methods, as a model of relationships and educative communication, as the ability to form a community of the young and the poor with specific characteristics, as a criterion of perception and assimilation of the values involved, as a vision of the resources of the individual. Ever since the GC21 the preventive system has been stimulated to reformulation in the light of the youth condition and culture of the present day. Renewal of the system is an ongoing task, but today it appears almost as a turning point as well. [235] Finally the oratory appears as the prototype of the presence and activity of Don Bosco's mission: at one and the same time it provides welcome, cultural growth, preparation for life, and maturing in Christian spirituality. This it does with an integrated programme, made concrete and vital by an environment of spontaneous participation. With reference to the overall mission of a province and of the Congregation, every foundation tends to be significant: in planning, attracting, radiating and enticing through the quality of its educative style and the relevance of what it offers. Preceding General Chapters have emphasized the need to make of every foundation an evangelical innovation suited to the condition of the young, the needs of the Church and the situation of society - an innovation expressed especially in the evangelical witness given by the community and individual members when in fraternal unity they show that they are close to the people, dedicated to their task, with a positive attitude toward the locality and an influence on its mentality and life. In addition to presence among the poor, greater significance attaches
at the present day to initiatives for young people looking for sense in
life, missionary and solidarity commitments, and journeys of faith. They
help to bring to maturity capabilities raised up by the Spirit for the
service of the Church, and insert us into the movement of the new evangelization
of the young, which strives to create a leaven and sign. To these must
be added initiatives linked with new expressions of the Areopagus, like
social communication, carried out with communal criteria, with prospects
of progressive and competent continuity, with due regard for aggregation
and dedicated to the elaboration of messages of culture and evangelization.
3.3 The SDB Community [236] The Salesian community, as the Constitutions declare (C 44), is the subject of the mission, even when it does not directly manage all the initiatives. It is true that many others participate in Don Bosco's charism, but the latter is concentrated in the SDB community in a special way by virtue of the force of consecration, the plan of life (profession), and total dedication to the mission. The community, therefore, is always the animating nucleus, even though not by itself and not necessarily of the local setting. It is the point from which come the vast majority of impulses for initiatives, proposals for formation, stimuli for the constitution of a wider community. What enables it to fulfill its role of animation is especially its experience of the Spirit, who is found in the primacy given to the sense of God, to the following of Christ, to pastoral charity which places it at the service of the young in its transparently fraternal character, in its Salesian educative and spiritual patrimony. All this must naturally be translated into relationships, into a project of work, in a form which gives proper value to culture, and into pedagogical method. It is strengthened further by the richness of the complementary vocations of the priest and the brother. The first has a privileged channel in the ministry of the Rector who, with the other confreres, points the way to Christ, indicates the reality of his grace, and fosters membership of the people of God. The second makes visible our closeness to the world and our confidence in secular realities coming from the hands of God the creator and redeemed by Christ. Animation is a task which goes naturally with the Spirit's gift, but it can be carried out fruitfully only under certain conditions. Hence certain elements must be attended to which are essential for fruitfulness. We have this at heart much more than the simple management of works. Numeric and qualified consistency is necessary whether the community has to animate a work or is entrusted with a collection of initiatives. We run the risk of being too much conditioned by an individual management of roles. This renders the planning and experience of communion more difficult, as also does the thinning out of the active community which becomes accustomed to carrying out its services in an individual form. Clarification and order of importance are also needed among the objectives of Salesian animation: an adult sharing of responsibility on the part of all; the Christian, Salesian and professional formation of the components of the educative and pastoral community; the constitution, unity and dynamic thrust of the overall community; planning in line with the mission and Salesian spirit, orientation towards action and the main decisions, direct and competent contact with adults and young people according to the particular possibilities, and the careful application of criteria laid down for the involvement of lay people in the educative community. [237] Certain objectives too must be pursued with perseverance, even when forces are reduced:
[238] This General Chapter provides a reminder of the role of the province in promoting religious life, in prompting the awareness of the community, and in activating pastoral creativity. The path we have followed in recent years is more than satisfactory, and prepares us for what we have to do in the immediate future. The Province not only gathers local communities into one which is broader but, as the subject of the mission in a much wider territory, can take on initiatives and activities to be carried out by lay people, properly formed and followed up. It is up to the Province to discern, applying the criterion of quality and to the extent that this makes it possible, how to distribute Salesian resources in line with the importance attaching to each initiative and its involvement in the work. We need to strengthen the sense of the provincial community and its
inter-communication with the educative and pastoral community, the convoking
and formative ability of the province, so that the laity also may have
a point of reference for communal membership over a very wide range. For
this reason the arrangement of the organisms is important as also is their
convergence; this was recommended by the GC23 (cf.nn.239-246). But still
more important is the line and tone given by the Provincial and Council
to their own governing activity. Their priorities must be those of animation;
their trust must be placed in the spiritual and professional qualiication
of Salesians and laity rather than in material means and structures. 3.4 Spirituality In every part of the Chapter's preparation and work there has been appropriate reference to "spirituality". It emerged strongly in the proposals of the Provincial Chapters, both in lay and Salesian form. And this is a sign of the vitality and assimilation of the proposal on Salesian Youth Spirituality, which the GC23 pointed to as the energy, goal and criterion of evaluation of Salesian educative processes. The discussion on the report on the state of the Congregation led to the recognition of a priority: the formation of the Salesian, understood as a preparation for the "living and communication of spirituality". The GC24 arrived at the discussion of spirituality in its search for a source of communion between laity and Salesians. There is a widespread awareness in the Congregation that our linkage with lay people needs a more robust spirituality if we are to face up together to the difficult challenges which the Salesian mission presents at the present day. Spirituality leads not only to sharing in the work of education but also in the motivations which underlie it. It represents the common ground for discussion between lay values - be they of Christian or natural inspiration - and those of consecrated life. It has been pointed out that the term 'spirituality' does not belong to our traditional language, which in general has preferred to speak of 'spirit'. But its emergence must be considered as a response to a need, and today it is indispensable for a meaningful approach to culture. Spirituality, in fact, is "a concrete programme of relations with God and one's surroundings, marked by specific spiritual emphases and choices of apostolate, which accentuate and re-present one or another aspect of the one mystery of Christ" (VC 93). [240] With the reappearance of forecasts on the eclipse of what is sacred, and the failure of promises of uninterrupted progress and wellbeing for all, and the revival of a utopia of rapid and universal justice and equality, faith has faded in the ideology, techniques and political organization in which were seen, not entirely without reason, the signs of modern civilization. All this and much more has made it quite clear that human growth is to be sought rather in conscience than in consumerism, in being rather than in having. Young people, even though deceived by so many temptations, are not insensitive to those who are able to put before them pathways of contemplation and commitment, of rediscovering the mystery of man, of Christ, of God. Many lay people who in recent years have been our traveling companions in work have shown their appreciation of the style of Christian life linked with Don Bosco's experience of the Holy Spirit. The Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata tells us: "Today, often as a result of new situations, many Institutes have come to the conclusion that their charism can be shared with the laity. The laity are therefore invited to share more intensely in the spirituality and mission of these Institutes" (VC 54). We conclude the GC24 with the conviction that to propose the Salesian spirituality to them is the proper and adequate response to a pressing calling and the offering of a desired gift. In any case, the demand for spirituality prompts us to discover our family treasures, to develop and analyze more deeply those traits which Don Bosco has left us and which are so extraordinarily efficacious. The entire Salesian mission is the mature fruit of a spiritual seed. We all know by experience the gratification that follows the success of educative work, the simple joy of being in the midst of the young who have a certain charm, the satisfaction of using our own resources in a significant setting; these do not separate us from our apostolic commitment; but there is much more to it than that. Before all else the mission is a work which the Holy Spirit carries out within us: "our Transfiguration", the Vita Consecrata suggests, which makes us "signs and bearers of the love of God for young people, especially those who are poor" (C 2): "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor" (Lk 4,18). Without an experience of the Spirit no mission exists, either on our own part or on that of the laity. The contemplation of God who loves and saves man is the powerful spring which impels us towards the young and the people of God. [241] Da mihi animas is primarily an invocation, a prayer, a cry for help addressed to God that he may himself accomplish what he has asked us to do. It is an invitation to involve the laity in a spiritual adventure, rather than merely implicate them in the many mansions of an educative and pastoral service. But are we capable of such an adventure, and do we really want it? Could it not be that a certain weakening in our missionary thrust is due to spiritual tiredness? "Consecrated persons, because of their specific vocation, are called to manifest the unity between self-evangelization and witness, between interior renewal and apostolic fervour, between being and acting, showing that dynamism arises always from the first element of each of these pairs" (VC 81). And so let us not be surprised that spirituality is at the heart of the GC24. It is called to be the soul of the educative and pastoral community, the core of the formative journeys we have to make together in an atmosphere of the exchange of gifts. We communicate it through our daily life, coming down - as Don Bosco suggested - from the teacher's desk to the playground so that our words may be the exegesis of our life. The GC24 invites us to make explicit the lay dimension of Salesian spirituality, with a deeper examination and updating of those elements which, for Don Bosco, mould the "upright citizen and good Christian". We are asked to qualify our presence in the educative and pastoral community as bearers of a pedagogy with a strong spiritual validity. It is expressed in the model of the kind of man to be attained - Jesus the perfect man, in the motivations which nourish the desire, in the goal to be achieved and the methods used for the purpose. With regard to the world, the GC24 commits us to the discovery of those
"semina Verbi", which the Spirit has spread everywhere in abundance
and which enable us to enter with hope into ecumenical dialogue of both
an inter-denominational kind and with all men and women of good will. It
will be a lived spirituality that helps us "to look for and find in
the history of individuals and of entire peoples traces of God's presence,
a presence guiding all humanity towards the discernment of the signs of
his saving will" (VC 79). 3.5 The pastoral and cultural quality of the Salesian The new aspect of lay people (in quantity and the taking of responsibility), the significance of the mission, the obligation to be a solidly attracting nucleus, require in the Salesian almost a qualitative leap forward in what concerns his general preparation and specifically as a pastor and educator. Varied are the cultural and professional qualities which must find a place in this new preparation: the ability to discern reality, a mentality that can plan ahead, team-work, habitual updating, the knowledge of new languages. Others are specifically connected with the pastoral dimension: the continual re-understanding of his own Christian, consecrated and ministerial identity; a deeper study of the themes from which pastoral work draws its inspiration, so that such work may not rest on external elements or become limp under the weight of technical and professional applications; the enrichment of the spiritual life, and the ability to welcome and guide individuals, groups and communities in the faith. In our life some of these aspects are more exposed to wear and tear or to sclerosis and need particular attention. Culture evolves rapidly, knowledge becomes more extensive, new information is continually fed in, while the mentality on the values and concepts of life present ever new questions. The cultural dimension is one that calls for patient and unceasing effort. Its urgent need and stimulation needs serious attention in the process of initial formation. But it also calls for the including of time for study during the years of full commitment to activity. In this area too the set-up of life and work in the local and provincial community will be decisive. Social and inter-personal communication provide opportunities for following the evolution of culture. But a personal habit of study is indispensable, as also is concentration on areas of specialization in theory and practice, without rigid divisions. [243] At provincial level it will be well to consider the advisability of university studies for all who are capable of them in an ecclesiastical or secular setting, and the permanence with the necessary flexibility of confreres in the sectors for which they have been prepared. There is little point in spending money on obtaining qualifications if they are not subsequently exploited and perfected. The urgency which we feel is shared by all Institutes of consecrated life, traditionally the leaven of Christian life through faith and charity, but no less through the education of the mentality and presence in culture. The Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata reminds us of this in n.98 from which I want to quote at some length: "The need to contribute to the promotion of culture and to the dialogue between culture and faith is deeply felt in the Church today. Consecrated persons cannot fail to feel challenged by this pressing need. In their proclamation of the word of God, they too are called to discover the methods most suited to the needs of the different social groups and various professional categories, so that the light of Christ will penetrate all sectors of society and the leaven of salvation will transform society from within, fostering the growth of a culture imbued with Gospel values. But in addition to this service of others, within the consecrated life itself there is a need for a renewed and loving commitment to the intellectual life, for dedication to study as a means of integral formation and as a path of asceticism which is extraordinarily timely, in the face of present-day cultural diversity. A lessened commitment to study can have grave consequences for the apostolate, by giving rise to a sense of marginalization and inferiority, or encouraging superficiality and rash initiatives. With all respect for the diversity of charisms and the actual resources of individual Institutes, the commitment to study cannot be limited to initial formation or to the gaining of academic degrees and professional qualifications. Rather, study is an expression of the unquenchable desire for an ever deeper knowledge of God, the source of light and all human truth. Consequently, a commitment to study does not isolate consecrated persons in an abstract intellectualism, or confine them within a suffocating narcissism; rather, it is an incentive to dialogue and cooperation, a training in the capacity for judgment, a stimulus to contemplation and prayer in the constant quest for the presence and activity of God in the complex reality of today's world". 3.6 The principal investment: formation [244] Cultural qualification, professional approach and spirituality all direct our attention to formation. The demands for a renewed commitment to formation emerged very strongly from the analysis of the state of the Congregation and from the deeper study of the theme of the Chapter. The reflections of the GC24 have pointed to the need for the formation of the laity and of our own formation with the laity. But the Chapter emphasized no less strongly that the formation of the Salesians should include specific periods, contents and methods appropriate to our particular vocation. This latter point was made by the lay people themselves, as though to endorse the fact that communion and sharing will be the more intense and contagious the more the Salesians live their vocation in a transparently authentic manner. The GC23 had already led us to undertake a positive process in the field of ongoing formation, pointing to the importance of the local community and the quality of daily life and work; this is a task which must continue. Not less urgent is decisive action in the field of basic or initial formation. The youth condition and the cultural context, the challenges arising from the project of religious and priestly life, the problem of those leaving, and especially the profile of the Salesian of tomorrow, all require very clearly that formation must be based on quality. To do this it would seem necessary to give primacy of attention to three points. [245]
[246]
The objectives of formation and formative pedagogy must therefore be constantly attentive to cultural situations and to pastoral evaluation, and those in charge of formation must make themselves capable of a dialogue which takes account of both elements. [247]
A solid intellectual preparation - says the Ratio - "is of indispensable assistance for a full and efficacious living of the characteristics proper to the Salesian vocation and its mission" (FSDB 210). This we have already emphasized, speaking of the pastoral and cultural quality of the Salesian. All this reflects back on the commitment the GC24 urgently asks for with respect to the formation of the laity. As the Pope said in his initial message to the Chapter: "The formation of the lay faithful is one of the priorities on which the efforts of the community must converge". [248] What are the implications for us of this commitment, which represents a challenge to the formative and motivating ability of the community and of every confrere? Without repeating the words of the capitular text, I will emphasize certain lines of action:
Of this the Pope reminds us in his initial message: "Formation helps lay people in the discovery of their particular vocation, it provides them with the means needed for their ongoing maturing process, and introduces them to the ways of the Spirit of the Lord. (...) Don Bosco placed much emphasis on spiritual formation, understood as learning to live the whole of one's personal existence, in its various expressions, in the presence of God and the active construction of the Kingdom". The GC24 asks us to make of formation our chief investment, from which we expect the greatest profit. Investing means laying down and maintaining priorities, ensuring conditions, working according to a programme which gives pride of place to persons, communities and mission. Investing in time, personnel, initiatives and financial resources for formation is a task which is of importance to all of us. It is an obligation for every confrere since he has the prime responsibility
for his own formation. It is a duty of every community, which must take
"the time necessary for attending to the quality of its life"
(VFC 13). It must be attended to by the Rector, arranging a priority among
the expressions of his service. It must be done particularly by those responsible
for provincial government who must keep in mind the formation and qualification
of personnel, the consistency of the communities and the significance of
the various works. 3.7 Communication Communication is becoming the expression of the "global village" towards which our planet is heading. It is being spoken of as the "new power" which will belong to those who have the most up-to-date "data banks" and the most sophisticated means of reaching them. The conscience of modern man is being progressively moulded by them and continually stimulated to broaden its outlook to world range, becoming instantly in touch with the events, dramas and hopes of the entire world. This new communication is showing its capacity for creating aggregations, spreading new ways of life, confronting different cultures, and generating a new context with which the traditional media (books, newspapers, radio, TV etc.) will have to come to grips. The Church has recognized in this complex phenomenon a new Areopagus which the modern Christian cannot ignore but must rather accept the fact that he is inserted in it as an active and responsible protagonist. "The means of social communication have become so important as to be for many the chief means of information and education, of guidance and inspiration in their behaviour as individuals, families and within society at large. In particular the younger generation is growing up in a world conditioned by the mass media. To some degree perhaps this Areopagus has been neglected" (RM 37). [250] Our Congregation has always shown itself sensitive to the phenomenon, but has not always found the best means for extracting from it the possible fruits for education and evangelization. It has understood, from the time of Don Bosco himself, that it could not prescind from the means of social communication in its efforts of cultural animation and work of evangelization, and that the "pastoral charity", which is at the root of our mission, is also able to orientate the new technologies in the service of mankind and of the Gospel. At the same time it has recognized the fact that in so sophisticated a field it cannot enter without adequate formation. And it has understood that the educative dimension of social communication can be developed only if supported by educators (Salesians and lay people) who are competent in the formation of "discerning listeners and expert communicators" (VC 99). For this reason it has started up ISCOS, which appears rich in promising developments; it has a General Councillor responsible for social communication; it has fostered social communication in the animation of the provinces; it has sought a technological renewal of its central services and has provided for the formation of competent confreres. The awareness of the phenomenon of communication (understood in an interpersonal, communal and social sense) is already an integral part of educative awareness. All this naturally draws attention to the quality of the communicator (an individual or community), who is committed to witnessing to what is expressed with a radical ability to provoke questions, strike the imagination and touch the heart. This is why true witnesses prove to be excellent communicators. Don Bosco was one of them because of the force of his message, the totality of his dedication, and the daring nature of his initiatives. Such awareness verifies also the quality of the message, personal or communal, and its intelligibility on the part of ordinary people. It becomes understandable when it is an event and not just an outpouring of words or display of eloquence. And it should be noted that holiness frequently endows such an event with unusual communicative force. Modern human sciences have highlighted the elements which render communication efficacious. It seems only natural that we Salesians should be attentive and interested. [251] The reflections of the GC24 could not bypass these matters, because of the very nature of the theme it had to address. Communication is an indispensable vehicle of communion within the educative and pastoral community, the Salesian Family, the Salesian Movement, and among the Friends of Don Bosco. Don Bosco had an intuition of all this when he founded the Salesian Bulletin, and we are all witnesses to its enduring validity in different languages. Moreover, it is not difficult to recognize in the field of communication a privileged area in which lay sensitivity and professional competence can be exploited for the service of the Salesian mission. We already have a lot of experience of this in the Congregation and it is still growing. Reflecting on the story of Don Bosco, we discover the close linkage that exists between his mission, the radiating of his charism and the involvement of lay people. For him communicating meant making the entire world, so to speak, a "Salesian work" in which the preventive system, the problems of the young and his concern for their salvation were at the centre of his attention. By communicating, Don Bosco made it clear that his was a "mission without frontiers", which reached everywhere where there was a youngster in need and someone who undertook to take care of him. To communicate is to reach the ordinary people and proclaim to them the mystery of salvation; it has an incidence on the culture which every youngster automatically breathes; it points to the Salesian vocation as an ecclesial charism in which everyone can commit themselves. To communicate is to mobilize and communicate forces for good, so that
together they may cultivate the hope of humanity which is called youth.
Since the world of the media "represents a new frontier for the mission
of the Church... the lay faithful's responsibility as professionals in
this field demands a recognition of all its values, and requires also that
it be sustained by more adequate resource materials, both intellectual
and pastoral" (CL 44). 3.8 Vocational capacity [252] Among the points emerging from the work of the General Chapter there is an indication underlying many of the aspects that were dealt with, and seems to be a signpost for the six years ahead of us. It is the vocational capacity which must distinguish every confrere and Salesian community. To give rise to vocations is one of the purposes of the Congregation's mission (cf. C 6), and to cultivate them (independently of the results we might obtain) is an essential dimension wherever we happen to be and in every project or process which takes its inspiration from Don Bosco's method of education. In fact, as the GC23 recalled, since "vocational guidance constitutes the vertex and crown of all our educational and pastoral activity, this is not the terminus of the faith-journey; it is an element always present, and one that must characterize every stage and every area of intervention" (GC23, 247). Vocational guidance comes in this way to be one of the characteristic tasks of the educative and pastoral community, which moves in the spirit of Don Bosco's preventive system. The theme of the GC24, on the communion and sharing of Salesians and laity in the spirit and mission of Don Bosco, recalls of its nature the vocational dimension. On the one hand, in fact, it leads to a consideration of the vocation of each one - be it lay, consecrated or priestly - in its intrinsic value, based on the plan God has for every individual in his personal glance of love; it leads us therefore to be able to exploit all vocations in the Church. On the other hand the Chapter theme emphasizes the specific contribution each one is called to give through the riches of his own personal endowments: the lay person, committed to making the Gospel present in the world through his typical secular style of life, and the Salesian - lay or priest - called to bear witness by his consecrated life to transcendent values and the absolute love of God. In this way Salesians and laity are invited to share vocational commitment by their witness of life and their personal ability as educators to accompany the young in the discernment and acceptance of God's plan for them. Rightly the Chapter document includes among its practical guidelines concerning the common formation of Salesians and laity that of vocational discernment. The privileged place for such commitment is the community: the Salesian community which is responsible for the genuine nature of the charism, and the educative and pastoral community where Salesians and lay people, in shared responsibility for the educative project, are involved together in the service of vocational orientation. [253] Clearly this service is open to the whole wide range of vocation in the people of God. Among them, in line with the Chapter document, we may recall in the first place attention to the family as the first and most common vocation, to the values of which we must be able to form the younger generations; then comes the care of young animators and young volunteers, disposed to give themselves freely in the service of others, and who are frequently living already an effective harmony with Don Bosco's spirit and mission. The Salesian Youth Movement has proved to be fertile territory for active participation in the spirituality of vocation and in experiencing its values. It will be the task then of the Salesian community and of the educative and pastoral community, while accompanying each young person in the discovery of his or her specific plan of life within an overall vision, to be able to present and propose also the vocations of special consecration to the religious life, to the consecrated secular life or to the priesthood. Against this background, a special commitment of the groups of the Salesian Family, which share the charism and mission, is to bear witness to and propose the vocations of the different groups, with their particular characteristics. For us SDBs, while we give effect to our mission as "educators to the faith" (C 34), we have always the challenge of bearing witness to our own particular vocation as consecrated apostles - in the double and complementary lay and priestly form - to willing youngsters, so that many can continue Don Bosco's project. This too represents one of the priority commitments for the coming six
years, in which are involved the entire educative and pastoral community
and the groups of our Family. 3.9 The worldwide aspect, a new dimension of the Salesian mission [254] The GC24 has been an experience of the worldwide character of the Congregation, not only as knowledge and unity among the provinces but as a dimension of the Salesian spirit and the possibility of working over a vast area. Numerous elements in the discussions and in the life of the Chapter have provided evidence of this wider extension: the restructuring of the Regions, inculturation, the volunteer movement, exchange of information and the reference to different contexts. It is the fulfillment of art.59 of the Constitutions: "Religious profession incorporates the Salesian in the Society, making him a participant in the communion of spirit, witness and service that is its life within the Universal Church. Union with the Rector Major and his Council, solidarity in apostolic initiatives, communication and exchange of information about the work of the confreres, all increase this communion, deepen the sense of belonging and dispose us to give our service to the world community". Many, and still increasing, are the manifestations of this worldwide concept in the recent past; the missionary enterprises carried out with the help of all provinces, intercommunication at continental level with the involvement of all five continents, financial solidarity, formal and informal 'twinning', sensitization to the needs of distant regions, the attention and support given to the UPS and the Generalate, of which we have had further proof during the present Chapter, the visits to places which are significant for all of us, the desire to follow common paths (the Educative and Pastoral Community, the Salesian Educative and Pastoral Project, the Salesian Youth Movement). This is a dimension which, with the world getting ever smaller as a result of communication and ease of movement and transport, is becoming an every-day component. It offers us new space for the mission, and provides us also with elements which today are indispensable for the education of both young and adults to important values like intercultural openness, the ability to live with others at an inter-ethnic level, solidarity, tolerance, and the critical evaluation of financial systems. It must therefore be expressed in new and more abundant forms than in the past. Leaving to the creativity of the provinces those initiatives which will gradually come into being, I emphasize some which at present seem to be the main items. One is collaboration in missionary effort: some frontiers have still to be consolidated with specifically qualified personnel for formation or animation and with adequate educative structures; others must be opened after a careful study of the best way to use our forces. Things are happening which we can consider as signs, and fields are appearing in which seeds can be sown which promise well for the Church and our charism. [255] Leading us towards international openness is the lay missionary volunteer movement, especially among young people. The first tests and orientations have already matured and seem sufficient to allow us to undertake a courageous expansion. It is an initiative which harmonizes well with all the pastoral work being done among young adults who show themselves available for such commitment. I include also the inculturation of the Salesian charism, on the basis of a careful study of its original riches. We shall have to deepen the spirit and content of the Constitutions which are our code of reference, together with the other fundamental texts of Salesian history and spirituality. It is impossible to inculturate something which is still unknown, even under the guise of another culture. There is the exploitation of international study centres and other initiatives of formation, in which we try to link together different parts of the Congregation. With some small exceptions, often repeated excessively, the net result of the frequenting of such centres by students is highly positive for individuals, provinces and the whole Congregation. We do not see any other arrangement that would be more advantageous. The Constitutions emphasize the importance of communication with the
Rector Major and his Council. It is our intention that nothing shall stand
in the way of you presenting requests, impressions or - if need be - your
fraternal observations, and that nothing shall prevent us from speaking
clearly in due season. 3.10 A pedagogy of practical application: guidelines, content, praxis, verification [256] Like all others, our own General Chapter offers the provinces inspirations and practical guidelines to help them to live our charism more fully in the Church of the present day. They have to be translated into practice by the individual provinces - a situation that is vast and variegated. It will be necessary for the indications of the Chapter to be integrated into a unified project and be converted into processes which foster their vital assimilation (mentalities, attitudes, capabilities, experiences). It is a question of bringing broad visions down to earth in daily life. And here we face a challenge: to find an efficacious mediation between inspiration and practice, between the document and its practical application. We have not lacked practical strategies and adequate methods for translating principles and criteria into practice, nor for reaching through them to the daily life of individuals. One need only think of our various manuals, the insistence on projects and processes; the importance given to the local community, the educative and pastoral community, and the provincial community; to the repeated recommendations in favour of programming and verification, i.e. of working together to ensure unity of criteria, convergence of efforts, adaptation to situations, and the overcoming of individualism, discontinuity and fragmentation, and vagueness in action. Progress has been made without any doubt, but the situation seems to require a further effort if we are to achieve a change of mentality and foster a personal and communal manner of living and working. Don Bosco, educator, pastor and spiritual guide, was able to combine boldness of initiative (far-seeing horizons and motivations, creative response to innovations), practical organization (ability to combine elements into a project, a system, a stable community, and organization) and the wisdom of the pedagogue, attentive to situations and processes, able to create a climate, an environment, a style of relationships, a methodology of daily life made up of successive moments and references. We are not short of guidelines, and equally evident is the multiplication of interventions or their realization. But despite this, the discrepancy between proposals and their achievement, the evaluation of the results of so many efforts, prompt us to verify our pedagogical practice. The fruitfulness of our work, the quality of our life, the significance of persons, communities and initiatives depend to a great extent on this intelligent pedagogical practical approach which is not disjoined from organization and from the magnanimity of the inspirations. [257] Reference can be made, if example be needed, to certain environments. As far as pastoral activity is concerned, we must decisively pursue that communion of criteria (mentality), that convergence of intentions (objectives), that organic arrangement of interventions (shared responsibility, dimensions, continuity, verification, etc.) which we call the educative and pastoral community and the Salesian educative and pastoral project, and which the Chapter document presents as a powerful expression of the communion and sharing of Don Bosco's spirit and mission, as a process of ongoing formation and a condition of apostolic fertility. It is a case of going beyond mere generous activity so as to reach a sharing of criteria for action, a systematic programming, periodic verification, and the readjustment of our manner of working. With regard to Salesian spiritual experience, the need is felt to translate into a life process, into a personal pedagogy, the style of holiness which unites Da mihi animas with the preventive system; of ensuring the conditions which permit the Salesian to live his vocation in depth, avoiding fragmentation, wear and tear, the spiritual, pastoral and pedagogical superficiality, which is so often denounced; to give growth to a true communal spirituality with the sharing of apostolic experience and discernment, the making together of a spiritual journey. In connection with the action of government at various levels,
there is need of a further commitment to mobilize energies in the perspective
of significance, overcoming emergency situations and pragmatic immediate
and repetitive procedures, and pursuing a proper balance between quality
and extension; giving unity to proposals, seeking a greater convergence
of objectives and messages, fostering adherence to motivated options, ordering
in importance services and interventions, and avoiding sectorialism; adapting
everything to the rhythms of assimilation and to practical capacity, to
personal and communal situations. * * * * * * * * * * [258] The prospects are demanding. The sum total of the tasks to be carried out may rightly seem ponderous and formidable. But the field before us is ever more extensive and fertile, and so the work becomes attractive, and its flourishing through the Spirit makes it joyful. May Mary, who showed Don Bosco his own field of labour and encouraged
him to cultivate it with faith, accompany us and assist us. To her today,
in the name of all our confreres, we repeat with particular intensity:
"We entrust ourselves entirely to thee, and we promise to work always
for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls". |