The evaluation meeting, organised by the Vicar of the Rector Major and his Secretary, Fr Patrick Anthonyraj, was attended by 12 Superiors from 5 Regions (South Cone America, Interamerica, South Asia, East Asia-Oceania and Central and West Africa):
– Fr Guillermo Basañes, Provincial of Central Africa (AFC)
– Fr Jésus Benoît Badji, Provincial of North West Africa (AON)
– Fr Denis Soro, Provincial of South West Africa (AOS)
– Fr Líder Justiniano, Provincial of Bolivia (BOL)
– Fr Francisco Inácio Vieira, Provincial of Recife, Brazil (BRE)
– Fr Morachel Bonhomme, Superior of the Haitian Vice-Province (HAI)
– Fr Thomas Santiagu, Provincial of Hyderabad, India (INH)
– Fr Jose Thomas Koyickal, Provincial of Bangalore, India (INK)
– Fr Davis Maniparamben, Provincial of New Delhi, India (INN)
– Fr Angelo Roshan Miranda, Superior of the Sri Lanka Vice-Province (LKC)
– Fr Bosco Zaya Aung, Superior of the Myanmar Vice-Province (MYM)
– Fr Barnaba Le An Phong, Provincial of Vietnam (VIE).
In his introductory address to the days, the Rector Major quoted the invitation Jesus made to the disciples ‘Come away to a lonely place and rest a while’ (Mk 6:31) to exhort his confreres to experience the following days as a time of recharging and introspection. His message then proposed to consider rest as an act of faith, which means ‘recognising that the work is His, not ours’ and that ‘God continues to work even when we stop’.
This is why he invited them to ‘return to what matters most’, to ‘rediscover your own centre’ and take advantage of a time of discernment, in which to distinguish between activism and action born of prayer. He stressed ‘the courage to create spaces of authentic solitude’ and that rest, today, is sometimes ‘an act of resistance’, against the ‘tyranny of urgency’.
‘These days,’ he concluded, ‘are not an escape from responsibility, but a time to rediscover deep motivation, to allow ourselves to be called anew, to verify whether our hearts are still in love with the Gospel (...). The Lord wants to remind us who we are before any role: his beloved ones, called not by our abilities, but by pure grace.’
Consistent with this statement, the programme included days marked first of all by time for prayer, reflection and personal talks with the Rector Major and his Vicar, valuable opportunities for direct and personalised accompaniment. Each morning began with meditation, Morning Prayer and the Eucharist, while the central sessions were devoted to in-depth thematic discussions, followed by sharing in small groups and in plenary assembly.
At the same time, there was no lack of specific in-depth studies: on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 September, the focus was on making the Project of the Rector Major and his Council for the Six-year term from 2025-2031 known, with special talks by Fr Attard and Fr Martoglio.
On Saturday 20 September, during the visit to Colle Don Bosco, an in-depth study on the role of the family in accompanying young people took place, followed by the celebration of the Eucharist and a stop in Chieri, another symbolic place of the Salesian experience.
On Sunday 21 September, participants experienced a day in the sign of spirituality and fraternity, with the Eucharistic celebration at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians and a moment of communal adoration. On Monday 22 September, the central theme was the proposal of holiness and ecclesial life offered by St John Bosco at Valdocco, with a talk by Fr Cristian Besso, followed by a guided tour of the historical sites of the Salesian Motherhouse.
On Tuesday 23 September, the event moved to Mornese, the cradle of the experience of St Mary Domenica Mazzarello, and thus the reflection focused on the specific elements of her spiritual journey and the feminine declination of the Salesian charism. In this context, the day also included a significant stop in Nizza Monferrato.
Wednesday 24 September was dedicated to self-care and leadership, led by Dr Enrica Fusaro, while Thursday 25 September dealt with the perspective of Youth and Vocation Ministry, with a look at the future of the Salesian Mission offered by Fr Rossano Sala.
Finally, on Friday 26 September, the sharing of experiences and a summary of the work converged in the concluding exchange with the Rector Major and his Vicar, with the final Eucharistic celebration and farewell lunch officially closing the meeting.
Besides the work in the classroom, the programme also included fraternal moments and community visits, which allowed the Provincials to rediscover their charismatic roots in the places of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello. Thus the Valdocco meeting proved to be a good opportunity to evaluate the path taken and, even more, as a time of spiritual renewal and fraternity, capable of relaunching the service of animation and governance throughout the Salesian world.
