The session, which lasted six weeks – one week longer than usual – also included the annual Spiritual Retreat, held in Nemi. In his address, the Rector Major first expressed his gratitude to the members of the General Council, together with the collaborators who accompanied the work during this intense and fruitful period.
A Week Marked by the “Will to Conversion”
The Rector Major devoted his first reflection to the Spiritual Retreat, describing them as “a very significant week”, lived in the spirit of Article 91 of the Constitutions: the “will to conversion”.
Accompanied by Fr Pascual, the participants reflected on the theme “Rediscovering Ourselves”, accepting the invitation to listen attentively to our times. Such listening – he underlined – requires a heart ready to go out of itself, without fear or hesitation: “Dilexit nos. The heart beyond the obstacle.”
In a historical context marked by deep tensions and rapid change, the Salesian pastoral journey often appears countercultural. For this reason, the Rector Major affirmed, the challenge of hope is decisive – not an ingenuous optimism, but a theological virtue that shapes the heart and gives meaning and joy to the mission.
At the centre of this perspective lies the inseparable bond between Religious Life and the Word of God. Without the Logos with a capital “L” – the Word of Jesus – only our own limited human word remains. For the Salesians of Don Bosco, intimacy with the Word is indispensable nourishment and the guarantee of a balance that is both delicate and urgently needed.
Interior Freedom, an Evangelical Gaze and Active Hope
Sharing some of the guidance offered to the members of the General Council, the Rector Major highlighted four fundamental attitudes:
- to ask the Lord Jesus for the grace of interior freedom, dwelling in silence in His presence;
- to look at history with the eyes of Jesus, allowing our hearts to be touched by His Sacred Heart;
- to live conversion as a journey marked by hope rooted in history, translated concretely through the lived experience of the Preventive System as a critical force capable of generating a civilisation of love;
- to ensure that the Word of God becomes the source, nourishment, light and strength of personal life and mission, to be “broken” and shared with the young.
Only from intimacy with the Word made flesh, he reaffirmed, can the Salesian vocation mature authentically.
In a “Change of Epoch”: Being Informed and Credible
In the final part of his message, the Rector Major broadened his reflection to the global context, describing it as a true “change of epoch”, marked by conflicts and tensions that profoundly challenge Christian conscience.
Faced with this reality, the Salesian headquarters – he stated – cannot limit itself to commenting on events. He therefore invited the confreres to adopt two defining attitudes:
- To be well informed, studying and understanding in depth what is happening in the world, so as to help the Provinces develop a global vision and incarnate the charism within increasingly complex cultural contexts.
- To live consistently in humility and poverty, together with serious study and attentive accompaniment of the Provinces, as choices that make the service of the central government credible.
“How we live is what we communicate,” he reminded them. “And how we live speaks louder than what we say.” Hence the invitation to safeguard and promote at the Salesian Headquarters a simple and sober lifestyle, without compromise.
“Martyrs of Otherness” and Salesians in Places of Risk
In conclusion, the Rector Major recalled the witness of the 19 martyrs of Algeria, including the monks of Tibhirine, described as “martyrs of otherness” for having chosen to remain with the Algerian people until the end.
Referring to the powerful image from the dialogue between a monk and a village girl – “We are the birds, you are the tree” – he emphasised the value of faithful presence, capable of offering shelter, protection, future and hope.
Today, he noted, the Congregation is present in ten particularly challenging contexts marked by conflict and danger, where Salesians are true “martyrs of education and evangelisation”. To them goes the human and spiritual closeness of the entire Congregation.
Their witness, he concluded, calls everyone to live the Salesian vocation authentically and without compromise, like “trees” that safeguard and nurture the hope of the young.
With this invitation to conversion, hope and coherence of life, the Rector Major entrusted to the Community of the Salesian Headquarters and to the whole Congregation the task of continuing the journey with renewed fidelity to the Gospel and to the charism of Don Bosco.
{gallery}Buona Notte RM 16.04.26{/gallery}
