At the end of the seminar, the Councilor for Formation, Fr Ivo Coelho, collected several elements in a letter:
- A strong emphasis on basic Salesian identity, or apostolic consecration. As the Ratio says, Salesian consecration is that which "colors" the entirety of being Salesian, brother or priest (39.40).
- Being a Salesian brother or priest, not as a function of who becomes one, but as a talent that is received and that bears fruit only when it is spent on others. The two forms of vocation can be understood only together, in the context of the community, and not separately.
- A true "evangelization of the charism" as a prerequisite for the discernment of the two forms. One chooses only what one loves and loves only what one knows: it also applies to young people who feel attracted by the Salesian charism.
As for the signs of a lay Salesian or presbyter vocation, some indications can be found above all in the Ratio, chapters 2 and 10, and in "Criteri e Norme", 84-87. Among the many things, Christian initiation can be highlighted as a propensity characterizing the vocation of the Salesian priest; and evangelization within secular reality and of secular reality, as characteristic of the vocation of the lay Salesian, through "an almost infinite range of means." (EN 51).
The prenovitiate and all that precedes it are the fruitful time to become familiar with Salesian identity in its two forms. The novitiate is normally the time when the discovery becomes personal orientation and decision.
From the seminar various orientations emerged, which will be shared by the members of the Dicastery for Formation with the various Delegates during the meetings of the regional commissions. Specifically, it will try to provide quality aid and support especially to those who follow the initial stages of training.
The full text of the letter is available here.
