The day began at 7.00 am with Lauds, led by the Testimoni del Risorto and Canção Nova, followed by breakfast and the plenary assembly. The highlight of the morning was the address by the Rector Major, Fr Fabio Attard, who offered a profound reflection on Salesian charismatic identity. Among the various points of his address, he strongly emphasised that it is not enough to love Don Bosco; rather, we must understand his spiritual journey, recognising him as a man of the Spirit and a true saint.
The Rector Major invited everyone to enter into the history of young people of every age, so as to be signs and bearers not of their own words, but of the Word of God rooted in the heart. He urged them to keep their gaze fixed on Jesus, without allowing themselves to be paralysed by difficulties, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth.
“We have before us a path of educational holiness,” he stated, to be lived as authentic pastoral charity. Education is the proclamation of the Good News, and young people – he emphasised – can no longer tolerate superficiality. The Salesian identity remains that of educators and evangelisers.
Referring to the Preventive System, Fr Attard reiterated that it is not simply a method, but Don Bosco’s style and way of being: that which led him to holiness and which makes it possible to live holiness in every place and state of life.
Following the Rector Major’s address, the participants continued with group work and subsequent sharing in the assembly. This was followed by announcements from the Secretariat and the Postulation Office: Fr Joan Lluís Playà, the Rector Major’s Delegate for the Salesian Family, presented updates on the regional meetings and the Days of Spirituality; Fr Eugenio Vargas, Spiritual Animator of the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA), outlined new formation opportunities; Fr Manolo Jiménez, Ecclesiastical Assistant to the Volunteers of Don Bosco (VDB), spoke on the Ratio Fundamentalis; whilst Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General for the Causes of the Saints of the Salesian Family, recalled the witness of the Blessed Polish Salesian martyrs. There was also information from other groups within the Salesian Family.
At the end of the morning, the Eucharistic Celebration, presided over by the Rector Major and led by the groups of the Community of the Mission of Don Bosco (CMB) and the Past Pupils of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (EXA-FMA), represented the spiritual high point of the entire Advisory Council.
In his homily, Fr Attard returned to the Gospel word that had accompanied these days: “Follow me”. Whilst in the Gospel the first “follow me” means “look at me and walk with me”, today Jesus repeats it forcefully, inviting us not to waste our energy, not to lose our focus, and not to allow ourselves to be distracted by comparisons with others.
The invitation was clear: to focus on what is essential, to live in community, to be nourished by the Word and the Eucharist, and not to waste energy on what is superficial. During these days, our gaze has been fixed on the face of the charism and the heart of the Preventive System; now is the time to bring the gift of the Spirit to fruition, in the perspective of Pentecost.
The World Advisory Council thus concluded in an atmosphere of gratitude and celebration, on the eve of the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians. Sent back to their educational and pastoral contexts, the participants took with them a renewed commitment to live the Salesian charism authentically, allowing themselves to be guided by the Spirit to be credible signs of God’s love amongst young people.
{gallery}ICP – Consulta FS 2026 – Finale{/gallery}
