III. THE PROFESSION OF THE SALESIAN
"Jesus said to them: 'Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Mk 1,17-18)
Personal vocation of the Salesian
22. Each one of us is called by God to form part of the Salesian Society. Because of this God gives him personal gifts, and by faithful correspondence he finds his way to complete fulfilment in Christ.
The Society recognizes his vocation and helps him to develop it; and he, as a responsible member, puts himself and his gifts at the service of the community and of its common tasks.
Every call is an indication that the Lord loves the Congregation, wants to see it vibrant for the good of the Church and never ceases to enrich it with new apostolic energy.
23. Religious profession is a sign of a loving encounter between the Lord who calls and the disciple who responds by giving himself totally to God and to his brothers and sisters.
It is one of the most lofty choices a believer can consciously make, an act which recalls and endorses the mystery of his baptismal covenant by giving it a deeper and fuller expression.
By publicly binding himself in the eyes of the Church, through whose ministry he is more intimately consecrated to the service of God,1 the Salesian begins a new life, which is lived out in a service of permanent dedication to the young.
Profession is also the expression of a mutual commitment between the professed member who enters the Society and the Society which receives him with joy.2
24. Our formula of profession is the following:
"God my Father, you consecrated me to yourself
on the day of my baptism.
In response to the love of the Lord Jesus your Son, who calls me to follow him more
closely,
and led by the Holy Spirit who is light and strength,
with complete freedom I, N.N., offer myself totally to you.
I pledge myself to devote all my strength to those to whom you will send me, especially to
young people who are poorer; to live in the Salesian Society in communion of spirit and
action with my brothers; and in this way to share in the life and mission of your Church.
And so, in the presence of my brothers, and before Fr N.N. (who takes the place of the) Rector Major of the Society of St Francis de Sales,
I make the vow for ever to live obedient, poor and chaste according to the way of the Gospel set out in the Salesian Constitutions.
Father, may your grace, the intercession of Mary Help of Christians, of St Joseph, of St Francis de Sales, and of St John Bosco, together with the assistance of my brother Salesians keep me faithful day by day."
(for those making temporary profession):
"And so, in the presence of my brothers, and
before Fr N.N. (who takes the place of the) Rector Major of the Society of St
Francis de Sales,
although it is my intention to offer myself to you for all my life, in accordance with the
Church's dispositions,
I make the vow for ... year(s) to live obedient, poor and chaste according to the way of
the Gospel set out in the Salesian Constitutions.
Father may your grace, the intercession of Mary Help of Christians, of St Joseph, of St Francis de Sales, and of St John Bosco, together with the assistance of my brother Salesians keep me faithful day by day."
The Superior responds:
"In the name of the Church
and of the Society
I welcome you among the Salesians of Don Bosco as a confrere committed by perpetual
(temporary) vows.
Profession a source of sanctification
25. The action of the Spirit is for the professed member a lasting source of grace and a support for his daily efforts to grow towards the perfect love1 of God and men.
The confreres who are living or have lived to the full the gospel project of the Constitutions are for us a stimulus and help on the path to holiness.
The witness of such holiness, achieved within the Salesian mission, reveals the unique worth of the beatitudes and is the most precious gift we can offer to the young.