{"id":6028881,"date":"2026-07-12T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-12T22:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T22:00:00","slug":"rmg-called-to-serve-course-for-new-provincials-begins-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/rmg-called-to-serve-course-for-new-provincials-begins-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"RMG \u2013 \u201cCalled to Serve\u201d: Course for new Provincials begins in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"

(ANS – Rome) –<\/strong> The formation course for new Provincials began yesterday evening, Sunday 12 July 2026, at the Salesian Headquarters, and will run until 24 July. At the heart of the two-week programme are nine Provincials who have recently taken up their posts, hailing from nine different Provinces of the Salesian Congregation: Fr Ashley Miranda (INB), Fr Peter Chinweike Morba (ANN), Fr Racelis Amelito Mel (FIS), Fr J. Gaston Harisoa (MDG), Fr José Laventure Ignacio (AET), Fr Dariusz Bartocha (PLS), Fr Ronilo Javines (FIN), Fr Domenico Saraniti (ISI) and Fr Doss Kennedy Jegadoss (INT).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Rector Major, Fr Fabio Attard, officially opened the meeting at 6.00 pm, followed by an address from the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Stefano Martoglio. The day concluded with Adoration and Vespers in the Community Chapel, followed by a fraternal dinner.<\/p>\n

“Called to Serve”: the Rector Major’s five words<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his introductory address, entitled “Called to Serve”, Fr Attard sought to emphasise from the outset the nature of the course: not merely a technical and administrative refresher, but “a time of grace” to reflect together on what the service entrusted by the Lord through the Congregation truly means. The ministry of the Provincial, he recalled, “before being a task of governance, is a vocation within a vocation”.<\/p>\n

Drawing inspiration from the Gospel verse “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest<\/em>” (Mt 11:28–30), the Rector Major presented the new Provincials with five spiritual attitudes intended to guide their service:<\/p>\n

– The call<\/strong>, lived as an act of faith: recognising that the work is God’s and not that of the individual, following the example of the great biblical figures called despite their own frailty.<\/p>\n

– A return to the essentials<\/strong>, that is, nurturing pastoral zeal so that it springs from a ‘living centre’—the person of Jesus encountered in the Word and in the Eucharist—thereby preventing activity from being reduced to ‘hustle and bustle’ without a source.<\/p>\n

– Discernment<\/strong>, distinguishing between activism and action that springs from prayer, and between efficiency and spiritual effectiveness, through daily meditation and spiritual direction.<\/p>\n

– Necessary solitude<\/strong>, understood as an inner space inhabited by God, following the example of Jesus who withdrew to deserted places to pray – the only true antidote to the ‘bad’ loneliness of those in leadership.<\/p>\n

– Spiritual rest<\/strong>, as a resistance to the ‘tyranny of urgency’ and a profession of faith in the God who causes growth even when man comes to a standstill, following the model of the biblical Sabbath.<\/p>\n

Concluding his address, Fr Attard entrusted the new Provincials and their respective Provinces to Mary Help of Christians and to Don Bosco, wishing them “a father’s heart: a heart full of zeal because it is full of God”.<\/p>\n

Not a course, but a journey<\/strong><\/p>\n

Following the Rector Major’s address, the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Stefano Martoglio, took the floor, offering the new Provincials three brief “guiding principles” for these two weeks. First of all, he explained, this is not a course but a journey: the Provincials do not need to learn anything new, given that they are already carrying out this service, but rather to step back from their own Province in order to bring order to their inner lives and give depth and priority to what they experience – recalling, as the Rector Major had already done, that it will not be they who change the Province, but the Province that will change them.<\/p>\n

Secondly, Fr Martoglio emphasised the communal dimension of the journey: experiencing it alongside other confreres with the same responsibility helps to break free from the isolation inherent in the role of Provincial, and provides an opportunity for relationship – amongst themselves and with the Rector Major and his Council – as well as a sense of belonging to the Congregation, which is, not coincidentally, experienced at the General House. Finally, he highlighted the intensity of the programme, comprising community meetings and personal interviews, urging the participants to “look after themselves” and assuring them of the organisation’s full support for any needs they might have.<\/p>\n

Two weeks of formation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The course programme, which will conclude on 24 July with a Mass presided over by the Rector Major, includes sessions exploring legal, pastoral and governance issues relating to the Province, with contributions from various General Councillors and their respective offices: from formation to youth ministry, from Salesian missions to social communication, from finance to identity and religious discipline. There will also be opportunities for visits, including to the Pontifical Salesian University, the Vatican Library and the sites in Rome associated with Don Bosco, as well as time for personal conversation, prayer and fraternal sharing.<\/p>\n

\n [Gallery Missing]<\/strong> Folder not found: wp-content\/uploads\/images\/RMG - Corso Ispettori 2026<\/code>\n <\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(ANS – Rome) – The formation course for new Provincials began yesterday evening, Sunday 12 July 2026, at the Salesian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6028604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6028881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rector-major"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6028881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6028881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6028881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6028604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6028881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6028881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6028881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}