Argentina – Salesians from America Southern Cone Region gather for Team Visit around Rector Major

17 March 2023

(ANS - Buenos Aires) - Salesians in Buenos Aires will host the Team Visit to the America Southern Cone Region from March 21-24. The meeting will be presided over by Rector Major, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, who is already in Argentina to take part in the pilgrimage to Viedma in honor of St. Artemide Zatti. Seven other members of the General Council and 82 Sons of Don Bosco with positions of responsibility in the animation and governance of the Salesian mission in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, will also participate.

The Team Visit is an instrument of animation of the Rector Major and the General Council. It arose and has been carried out on the initiative of the Rectors Major since the time of Fr. Luigi Ricceri, Don Bosco's VI Successor. It is not prescribed by the Constitutions and Regulations, but it is an initiative that has become part of Salesian practice to foster "the unity of the Congregation as the fruit of communion and charismatic fidelity" (GC25, 88).

Through it, members of the General Council of the Salesian Congregation assess the progress made in the various Salesian regional settings and ensure, in accordance with the different specificities, convergence and unity. This is the second of the seven Joint Visits scheduled worldwide in this 2023, right in the middle of the second six-year rectorate of Fr. Á.F. Artime.

The Team Visit will be attended by the Rector Major, his Vicar, the Sector Councilors and the dedicated Regional Councilor, Fr. Gabriel Romero, who are meeting with the Superiors of the different Provinces of the Region - Argentina North (ARN), Argentina South (ARS), Chile (CIL), Uruguay (URU), Paraguay (PAR), Brazil-Belo Horizonte (BBH), Brazil-Campo Grande (BCG), Brazil-Manaus (BMA), Brazil-Porto Alegre (BPA), Brazil-Recife (BRE) and Brazil-São Paulo (BSP) - with members of their Provincial Councils.

Also present will be those in charge of offices and entities of great relevance in the regional Salesian context and also individuals from outside the Congregation who can offer viewpoints and authoritative contributions.

The Team Visit that opens today falls six years after the previous one to the region (in Asunción, Paraguay, in March 2017): its purpose is primarily to evaluate the level of implementation of the guidelines presented by the Rector Major at the end of the 28th General Chapter, and to reflect on the statistics of the Salesians, thus outlining the future paths of the Salesian mission in the Region.

Ordinary work will include four sessions per day, with group talks and discussions on topics such as Salesian consecrated identity, joint work between Salesians and laity, and vocational and missionary ministry. There will also be moments of work reserved for individual Provinces, as well as informal times for sharing and moments of spirituality. On Thursday, March 23, all participants will also make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Luján.

After careful observation and meetings with the various teams, the Rector Major, with his Councilors, will give a closing address.

InfoANS

ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes. By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements, you consent to the use of cookies. To learn more or to opt out, click "Further Information".