GC29: from Salesian Life to Governance

GC29 “Leaps” from Salesian Life to Governance

(ANS – Turin – March 7, 2025) – The participants of GC29 have chosen to begin each assembly meeting with a meditation. This was also the case on Thursday, March 6, when Fr. Eunan McDonnell was invited once more to lead the reflection. The meditation was anchored in the Word of God, specifically Romans 12:2: “Let yourselves be transformed by God with a complete renewal of your mind.”

The importance of discerning “what is good and pleasing to God” at this stage of the chapter quickly became evident from the introduction given by Fr. Stefano Martoglio. He explained that the “leap” from the 1st thematic core, which focused on the life of the Salesian, to the 3d thematic core, which concerns the governance and animation of the Congregation, was driven by the need to secure Vatican approval for any decisions affecting elements of the Salesian Constitutions.

To ensure the chapter members had a thorough understanding of these issues, 2 key reports were presented. The first, by Fr. Pascual Chavez, summarized the historical changes in the composition of the general council and the Salesian regions. The 2d, by Fr. Pier Fausto Frisoli, outlined the technical steps required to implement the decisions made in this chapter.

Fr. Pascual Chavez

Fr. Chavez recalled that since the Second Vatican Council—a pivotal moment of renewal initiated by the Holy Spirit—the Church has required all religious orders to update their statutes and governance structures. The Salesians dedicated 3 “extraordinary” general chapters to adapting the Congregation to these new times. As he explained:

GC19, held during the Council, raised awareness and prepared the groundwork. GCS20, which lasted 9 months, set the new structures in motion. GC21 revised, corrected, confirmed, and deepened the changes. GC22 was tasked with re-examining, refining, completing, and finalizing the process.

Thruout these transformations, the challenge was to maintain unity within the vast Salesian Congregation while allowing greater autonomy at the local level. According to Fr. Chavez, all governance adaptations had to serve both a synchronous function (ensuring unity through the central departments) and a diachronic function (allowing decentralization through the regions).

Fr. Frisoli then directed the chapter members’ attention to 3 crucial topics requiring their deliberation:

Presenting the province of Southern Africa
to GC29

The configuration of the regions – Based on an analysis of reports from provincial chapters, 64 times the need to divide the current Africa Region into 2 distinct areas has been highlighted. The composition of the general council – The number of council members must align with the updated definition of the Congregation’s departments. This will determine how many members are to be elected (currently, there are 5). Eligibility requirements for the Rectors Major, provincials, and directors – A rescript issued by Pope Francis on May 18, 2022, allows religious superiors to be chosen from among non-priest confreres. While the 1st point will be addressed in the next 6-year period based on GC29 decisions, the other 2 directly impact the election of the Rector Major and the general councilors, as they require modifications to the Salesian Constitutions (art. 133 for point 2; art. 162, 177, and 189 for point 3). Consequently, Vatican approval for any changes must be secured in time, as in just 2 weeks, the selection process for candidates to the various leadership roles will begin.

Lent Provides a Model for GC29

CG29: Lent as a Model for Chapter Work

(ANS – Turin – March 6, 2025) – At the heart of the “conversation in the Spirit” taking place at CG29 in Turin-Valdocco, the moment of personal meditation became even more profound on Ash Wednesday.

While the work within the committees has now settled into a steady rhythm—constantly refining and reshaping group dynamics to maximize dialog among participants—the 225 chapter members gathered at midday in the basilica of Mary Help of Christians to celebrate the Ash Wednesday rite, which marked the beginning of the Mass presided over by Fr. Giuseppe Roggia.

Drawing an analogy to the rural practice of scattering ashes over fields and gardens—ashes accumulated during winter from fires used for warmth—Fr. Roggia emphasized that the liturgical symbol of this day should be seen as a gesture of renewal rather than mere mourning.

“The 40-day period we are entering is not meant to immerse us in a sacred mourning,” he explained. “It is not simply about making sacrifices thru reduced consumption, but rather about setting out on a journey toward the fullness of life. Giving up something or dedicating more time to prayer should allow us to enter more deeply into our own hearts. More than a time of mortification, Lent should be lived as a time of vivification.”

Many present recognized the parallel between the words of the liturgy and the ongoing work of the Salesian Congregation. Just as Lent prepares for renewal, so does the chapter, as it lays the groundwork for the future, identifying where the Salesian charism can be sown anew.

At the dawn of spring, the first task is to spread what might appear to be mere “waste”—but in reality, is a rich concentration of minerals that reinvigorate the soil depleted from past cultivation. At the same time, this layer of ash serves as a protective barrier against harmful pests. It is a process oriented toward hope, ensuring the growth of what will truly nourish and bring joy. At first, hands may be covered in dust and breath may feel labored, but experience has shown that this work is essential.

“The days ahead are meant to reconcile us with others and with ourselves,” Fr. Roggia concluded. “It is a journey we repeat to renew a fundamental question: What truly defines me as a person?” This reflection applies not only to individuals but to the entire Salesian Family as they move forward together.

The Province of Eastern USA and Canada

The SDB Provinces

The Province of Eastern USA and Canada

In conjunction with the 29th General Chapter, ANS has been publishing the stories of the 92 Salesian provinces around the world. The New Rochelle Province’s story was composed by Fr. Mike Mendl, Julia St. Clair, Fr. Dave Moreno, and Andrea Zimmerman.

(ANS – Rome – March 5, 2025) – The U.S. East and Canada Province (SUE in SDB jargon, for Stati Uniti Est) currently has 127 confreres, including 97 priests, 19 coadjutor brothers, 6 seminarians (“clerics”), and 5 novices. All 19 coadjutor brothers are perpetually professed, as is 1 seminarian; 5 seminarians are professed with temporary vows. 

Salesians at the perpetual profession
of Bro. Thomas Junis, August 2024
Marian Shrine, Haverstraw

The Salesians came to the U.S. in 1897 at San Francisco. The next year they arrived in New York, led by Fr. Ernest Coppo. They came to both cities specifically to minister to Italian immigrants. On Jan. 20, 1902, the U.S. Province was created, consisting of three parishes in California and one in New York. It was based in San Francisco, but by 1904 its headquarters had been moved to Troy, New York. The province relocated its seat several times before settling in New Rochelle, N.Y., in 1919. In 1926, a province for the Western U.S. (SUO) was created, based in San Francisco. 

In the 1940s and ’50s, both U.S. provinces expanded into Canada, which led in 1988 to a vice province for Canada being separated from the U.S. provinces. But the entire vice province for Canada merged with SUE in 2009. 

Fr. Paul Albera’s extraordinary visitation of the U.S. province in 1903 was significant. It gave him an understanding of the unique challenges the Salesians faced in this country. He always encouraged their labors and saw that additional confreres were supplied for the province’s parishes and schools. 

The first Salesian school was set up at Troy in 1903 with the primary purpose of fostering vocations. It was transferred in 1908 to Hawthorne, N.Y., partly to be closer to New York City’s immigrants. It served both Polish and Italian students, and the confreres were mostly Polish or Italian; in 1915 the Poles moved to Ramsey, N.J., where they founded what is now the province’s oldest school, Don Bosco Prep High School.  

Don Bosco Prep's football team
prays before a game

The Italian Salesians and pupils remained in Hawthorne, but a fire destroyed the school in December 1917. In less than two years, the province acquired a new site for the school in New Rochelle, a suburb of New York City. Besides founding Salesian High School there, the new provincial, Fr. Emmanuel Manassero, made it province headquarters. In the same house, in 1947 Fr. James O’Loughlen founded Salesian Missions to publicize Don Bosco’s worldwide works and raise funds for the missions.  

Gradually, Salesian parish work expanded elsewhere in New York state and to New Jersey, Florida, Louisiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and eastern Canada, and for a time also in the Bahamas. New schools, including aspirantates, were established in Massachusetts, Florida, and Louisiana, eastern Canada, and briefly in Indiana and West Virginia. In several cities, including Boston (fulfilling a dream of Don Bosco), youth centers affiliated with Boys & Girls Clubs of America were founded. 

Fr. Richard Alejunas leads a procession
of St. John Bosco-St. James parishioners in Chicago

The Don Bosco Messenger was founded in 1912 as a U.S. version of the Salesian Bulletin. It was renamed the Salesian Bulletin in 1949. Salesian Missions also publishes a magazine. The province has published newsletters under several titles in both print and digital form, and now most of the houses have their own social media. Additionally, the province returned from around a decade of hiatus in print media with the release of Don Bosco Insights in 2025.  

As provincial, Fr. Richard Pittini founded Don Bosco College Seminary in 1928 as the primary house of formation for both U.S. provinces. Its enrollment in the various phases of formation peaked in the 1970s at about 200 candidates, novices, postnovices, and staff. But it had to close in 1989 due to a decline in vocations. After the founding years, the province’s students of theology were sent mainly to Italy until 1967, when they were enrolled at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. Since the late 1990s, Salesians have studied theology at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, in Jerusalem, or at Tlaquepaque, Mexico.  

SUE has given three general councilors to the Congregation (Frs. Alvin Fedrigotti, Ernest Giovannini, and Timothy Ploch) and three bishops to the Church (Bp. Ernest Coppo, Abp. Richard Pittini, and Bp. Emilio Allué), as well as many missionary priests and brothers for Asia, Latin America, and Africa. 

Fr. Richard Authier blesses a child
at day camp in Montreal

The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians came to the U.S. in 1908 and now have two provinces, based in Haledon, N.J., and San Antonio, Texas, ministering in both Canada and the U.S. Past pupils of both the SDBs and the FMAs organize at the local level rather than province level. Some former Salesians from both SUE and SUO have organized as the Salesian Old Boys, meet annually, and keep in touch with one another as well as with the Salesians.  

Today, SUE province has 15 canonical communities—10 in the U.S. and 5 in Canada. As of 2024-25, the Salesians in SUE serve 13,845 families in their parishes and 3,210 high school students. Some of their works include the renowned Salesian Missions in New Rochelle and Don Bosco Mission Office in Montreal, the heart-warming Don Bosco Community Center (which features a soup kitchen) in Port Chester, the esteemed Salesian Boys and Girls Club in East Boston and Don Bosco Youth Leadership Centre in Montreal, the well-known National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians (formerly known as the Marian Shrine) in Haverstraw-Stony Point, and Mary Help of Christians Center in Tampa, and the rapidly growing Don Bosco Latino Ministry in Montreal. 

Learning to bake at Salesian Boys & Girls Club
in East Boston

In addition to SUE province’s official office of youth and young adult ministry, Salesians are happy to have close-knit and evolving local youth ministry throughout our communities, especially in Port Chester, Etobicoke/Hamilton, Surrey, Tampa, and Montreal. 

SUE province also nurtures members of our Salesian Family besides SDBs and FMAs. This includes, but is not limited to, 344 members of ADMA (who are present in Miami, Chicago, and Port Chester), 241 Salesian Cooperators (and 15 aspirants), and 167 registered past pupils. Moreover, there are currently 13 Michaelites, 6 members of Damas Salesianas, 6 members of Cançao Nova, 5 Sisters of Mary Immaculate (SMI), 7 Don Bosco Volunteers, and 1 Volunteer with Don Bosco.

Card. Wilton Gregory of Washington
baptizes a student of Don Bosco Cristo Rey
in Takoma Park, Md.

Homily for Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Homily for Thursday after Ash Wednesday

March 6, 2025
Luke 9: 22-25
Deut 30: 15-20
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Jesus’ 1st prediction of his passion, death, and resurrection (Luke 9:22) immediately follows Peter’s recognition that Jesus is the Messiah.

In Luke’s Gospel, another prediction follows that: to be Jesus’ followers, we must bear his cross.  In Jesus’ time, the cross wasn’t a religious symbol and didn’t conjure anything resembling salvation.  It was an instrument of torture, shame, humiliation, and naked helplessness.

In truth, everyone carries a metaphorical cross; everyone suffers in life and at times is humbled and helpless.  Jesus’ disciple bears the cross with a different perspective, not of “why me?” meaninglessness but the perspective of being Jesus’ companion.  As Jesus’ companions, we’re sure of the same redemption he reached—the vindication of resurrection to eternal life.

In the 1st reading, Moses instructs the Hebrews in the desert:  “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  Choose life, then, … by loving the Lord, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him” (Deut 30:19-20).  Choosing Jesus’ cross, his way of humility, of patience in suffering, and of reliance on God rather than ourselves, is the life-saving choice:  “Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:24).

GC29 Works on 3 Core Themes

Chapter Members Working on the 3 Core Themes of GC29

Praying Evening Prayer, apparently.
"Day Is Done" is on the screen.

(ANS – Turin – March 5, 2025) – A full immersion in the synodal method is underway for the 225 chapter members gathered in Turin, including provincials and delegates from around the world, tasked with shaping the future of the Salesian Congregation for the next 6 years.

At first glance, the structured schedule for the work of the committees might seem to limit the free expression of the GC29 participants. It has proven to be a fluid and effective method, however, facilitating dialog and accelerating the process of identifying and addressing the most pressing issues.

Each participant prepares through prayer and reflection before joining his committee. The 6 committees are further divided into small groups (6 tables), each assigned to one of the 3 core themes of the chapter’s main topic: “Passionate for Jesus Christ, Committed to Young People.”

Each table engages in a Spirit-led conversation, focusing on listening, interpretation, and decision-making for its assigned core theme.

The Three Core Themes and Their Subtopics

Animation and Care for the Personal Life of Every Salesian – This theme is broken down into 3 subtopics, each assigned to 2 tables:

• The centrality of Jesus Christ and the care of vocation
• Fraternity and attention to the poor
• The formation of the Salesian

Salesians Together with the Salesian Family and Lay People “with” and “for” the Young – Also divided into 3 subtopics, assigned to 2 tables each:

• Sharing spirituality and mission in the Salesian educational and pastoral community (EPC)
• Education and evangelization
• New expressions of the Salesian charism

There's time for entertainment.
Here, Fr. Dominic Tran (2d from left) and others sing.

Evaluation and Renewal of the Congregation’s Governance Structures – This theme is split into 3 key areas to ensure precise proposals for intervention:

• Organization of the general council
• Organization of the regions and interprovincial structures
• Extraordinary and ordinary visitations, provincial-level animation, and the duration of leadership roles

After discussions, each table secretary presents a summary of their work to the full committee, allowing for refinements and additional contributions. Finally, the committee votes on each theme, leading to 3 final summaries, which will be shared in the general assembly.

“Do not be afraid: it will work,” assured Fr. Alphonse Owoudou. So far, the progress of GC29 seems to confirm his confidence, as reflected in the spirit of collaboration and enthusiasm present in Valdocco’s courtyards.

There's also time for recreation.

Homily for Ash Wednesday

Homily for Ash Wednesday

March 5, 2025
Joel 2: 12-18
2 Cor 5: 20—6: 2
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

CNS photo/Christopher Riggs, The Catholic Advance

“Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart” (Joel 2: 12).

Like the Gospel, Lent is partly about conversion—returning to the Lord.  The other part is about the Lord’s reception of the repentant sinner:  “gracious and merciful is he” (2:13).  The Lord’s graciousness and mercy are personified in our Lord Jesus, who is the Gospel, the Good News, of God.

God made Jesus, “who did not know sin,” St. Paul writes, “to be sin” (2 Cor 5:21), which means that he made Jesus the atonement sacrifice for our sins,[1] “so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (5:21).  Jesus makes us right with God as an act of grace, an act of undeserved mercy.

Joel calls us to return to this merciful God.  Our hearts are distracted by so much, even our hearts in a religious community.  We have our little attachments—to things, to habits, to pleasures, even to sins—that distract us from prayer or from attending to our brothers.  We might be too inclined to think about our health, about our next meal, about the Yankees, about social media, about some slight that we suffered, about someone’s irritating habit.  We might be too prone to making sharp responses when we’re irritated, to criticizing a superior or some other brother or one of the staff, to reluctance to pray, to carelessness about our diet.  We might be fearful about the encounter with the Lord that lies ahead for every one of us.

Lent invites us to surrender ourselves more completely to God—to God who heartily desires our reconciliation with him, for he is gracious, merciful, rich in kindness (Joel 2:13).

---

[1] Navarre Bible, The Letters of Saint Paul (New York: Scepter, 2015), p. 311.

GC29: Day of Meditation & Dialog

GC29: A Day of Meditation and Dialog, Practicing “Conversation in the Spirit”

(ANS – Turin – March 4, 2025) – The first day of meditation and dialog for the chapter members, held on Monday, March 3, 2025, was marked by enthusiastic and intense participation. After gaining a panoramic “vision” of the state of the Congregation, the working committees decided to introduce 2 key innovations: restructuring the materials once the working document is approved and adopting a proposal centered on listening in the Holy Spirit, as explained by the moderator, Fr. Alphonse Owoudou.

Addressing the question of the “method” is crucial to ensuring that everyone has had the opportunity to express themselves while allowing all to listen effectively. Within the committees, a “seat” is also reserved for the Word of God, which enlightens and guides the path. Thus, GC29 is unfolding as a great spiritual retreat in the form of a conversation, with participants carrying in their minds and hearts the realities of their respective places of origin.

On Saturday, March 1, Fr. Andrea Bozzolo and Fr. Eunan McDonnell recalled and commented on the final document of the Synod, which states: “The word conversation expresses something more than a simple dialog: it harmoniously weaves together thought and feeling, generating a shared vital world.” Following the Synod’s approach, GC29 aims to practice personal preparation—through prayer and organizing one’s thoughts—followed by group discussions where participants share their perspectives and attentively listen to others. The process then moves to a phase of sharing what has resonated most deeply, collecting convergences and dissonances, prophetic insights, and further questions.

Three Salesians who have already implemented the “Conversation in the Spirit” method are strong advocates of its effectiveness:
–Fr. Luis Fernando Gutierrez Cuesta, from the Madrid Province, emphasized that “it is highly valuable for both personal and communal discernment. Listening, welcoming, and mutual hospitality have profound theological significance, as they affirm the value of each person. A good dose of humility is required, but the goal is to fulfill God’s will.”
– Fr. Daniel Federspiel, provincial of France-Southern Belgium, described it as a “revolutionary method, successfully applied in the conference of major superiors with 400 participants and in meetings with laypeople collaborating with the Congregation. It is also useful for addressing sensitive topics, such as sexual abuse, as it immediately fosters a fraternal atmosphere that allows people to look each other in the eye.”
– Fr. Giampaolo Roma, provincial of Southern Italy, stated, “For two years, we have been using this method in our province, even in preparation for GC29. Previously, we often experienced frustration and difficulty working together, feeling unheard. With this method, dialog becomes more authentic. The outcome is not just a sum of different ideas but something truly new.”

The work of GC29 on Monday, March 3, opened with Fr. McDonnell leading a meditation on the Gospel passage about Jesus calling the twelve apostles: “Choose the phrase or word that strikes you the most and lingers in your heart. What does it suggest? What resonance does it have? What is God communicating thru that word? And what prayer does it inspire?”

He then encouraged participants to “make themselves comfortable, resting peacefully in the presence of Jesus, relaxed in the arms of God.”

Homily for Tuesday, Week 8 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 8 of Ordinary Time

March 4, 2025
Sir 35: 1-12
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“To keep the law is a great oblation” (Sir 35: 1).

Noah's sacrifice after leaving the ark
(Joseph A. Koch)

Offering sacrifice has been an act of worship in all religions—sacrificing something precious like livestock, grain, wine, incense, even (unfortunately) human life.

Sometimes people bring gifts to God purely as adoration or thanks—pure offerings of praise.  Sometimes they bring gifts seeking favor, protection, or license to do evil—as a bribe, in the plain words of Sirach:  “Offer no bribes; these he does not accept!  Trust not in sacrifice of the fruits of extortion” (35:11)—like a mafioso bringing a fat check to the parish priest.

Rather, God desires that we sacrifice by keeping his law.  Jesus says that too:  “If you love me, you’ll keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  Sirach gets particular:  “In works of charity, one offers fine flour” (35:2), as Jesus does also:  “I give you a new commandment:  love one another” (John 13:34).

It’s easy to profess our love for faraway people, for Ukrainians, Congolese, or persecuted Christians in India or Nigeria.  It’s harder—and more sacrificial—to love the brothers we live with, to bear one another’s burdens, to bear their foibles and their faults, to “show a cheerful countenance” and pay not a tithe but brotherly respect “in a spirit of joy” (35:8).  It’s harder and more sacrificial to surrender our own will, convenience, or preference for the sake of our brother.  That’s the alms within our power, more than a financial offering.  Giving such alms, Sirach suggests, is a “sacrifice of praise” (35:2).

GC29: Walking Together, Listening and Discussing Major Themes

General Chapter 29

Walking Together with Unity and a Synodal Method

(ANS – Turin – March 3, 2025) – On Friday morning, February 28, the general chapter took a significant step forward in its “structuring” process. After a keynote speech by Fr. Pascual Chavez, who offered an “intentional” rather than chronological reflection on the first 2 weeks of the chapter, a structured working method was introduced to enhance the effectiveness of the 6 committees.

Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, the chapter’s moderator, explained: “Having completed the phase of shared understanding of the state of the Congregation, the need has emerged to modify the working document. Therefore, we are now formulating the proposals that have arisen from the chapter itself.” The committees are now tasked with identifying and proposing the 5 most important priorities in response to the challenges identified. These priorities will serve as the foundation for the final document, which will be presented to the new Rector Major and general council.

A Call to Unity and Inculturation

In his address, Fr. Chavez highlighted Article 146 of the Salesian Constitutions as a guiding principle for faithfully living the Gospel and following the Holy Spirit in the footsteps of Don Bosco. He emphasized that unity is built through fraternal encounter, which values diversity among individuals. “The general chapter is the most beautiful experience of this dynamic and the most comprehensive moment of formation we have,” he said with enthusiasm.

He also shared a key reflection for the future of the Congregation: the shift from merely enculturating the Salesian mission in different contexts to embracing the interculturality of the project as it is today worldwide.

Working in groups, whether small or large, to express a common will requires a clear method. When invoking the presence of the Holy Spirit, this approach must be even more methodical, overcoming individual protagonism and fostering true mutual listening.

The Synodal Method in the General Chapter

The Catholic Church has embraced the synodal method, which is characterized not only by the Pope’s authoritative convocation but also by a well-defined working process. This method was presented to the chapter members in a dedicated session, featuring a joint address by Fr. Andrea Bozzolo, rector magnificus of the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, and Fr. Eunan McDonnell, provincial of Ireland.

Participants in GC29 are deepening their understanding of the synodal method through resources available on a dedicated website. The testimonies of the following 3 Salesians who had successfully implemented it in their local leadership experiences were also shared:

Fr. Luis Fernando Gutierrez Cuesta, provincial of Madrid; Fr. Daniel Federspiel, provincial of France-Southern Belgium; Fr. Giampaolo Roma, provincial of Southern Italy.

The work of the committees and the adoption of the synodal method reflect GC29’s commitment to discerning current challenges and finding shared, intercultural responses. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Salesian Congregation is preparing to renew its dedication to its educational and pastoral mission, remaining faithful to Don Bosco’s charism.

Listening, Discussion, and Proposals for the Salesian Journey

February 28 marked the 2d consecutive day during which the members of the 29th General Chapter played a decisive role in determining the themes to be addressed in the assembly. As repeatedly emphasized by the president, Fr. Stefano Martoglio, the considerations raised represent a valuable contribution to analyzing the current situation and defining the guidelines that will shape the future journey of the Salesian Society.

After a morning dedicated to discussions within the 6 committees, the afternoon witnessed the responses of the members of the general council to the interventions raised by the assembly, in the following order:

• Fr. Joan Lluis Playà, central delegate of the Rector Major for the Salesian Family Secretariat
• Fr. Roman Jachimowicz, regional councilor for Central and Northern Europe
• Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, regional councilor for Africa and moderator of CG29
• Bro. Jean Paul Muller, treasurer general
• Fr. Stefano Martoglio, vicar of the Rector Major

Each speaker addressed the points within his area of service with competence and clarity, offering answers and reflections for the future. The interventions and proposals that emerged during the work sessions will remain available for further study and will be included in the official acts of the chapter, a concrete sign of the willingness to listen carefully to every voice and value every contribution.

Among the numerous topics discussed, 2 central themes captured the assembly’s attention.

The 1st theme concerned the inclusion, within the Salesian Family, of people who, while actively participating in the educational mission, do not share the Christian faith or the Catholic tradition. This phenomenon, already present in the movement of alumni of Salesian schools, also involves thousands of collaborators – whether volunteers or salaried staff – who, in many works, constitute the majority of the operational staff. The future challenge will be to delve more deeply into this reflection and address this phenomenon with openness and discretion, as it will have a decisive impact on the future of the Congregation.

The 2d theme that emerged concerns the decrease in the number of Salesian brothers. This decline should not be addressed from a statistical perspective but with a charismatic and pastoral outlook. The redesign of the Congregation, which is gaining broad consensus during the chapter, requires an attitude of obedience to reality and authentic collaboration, free from individual protagonism.

Intentional encounters among confreres, even outside formal contexts, have been identified also as an important tool for strengthening mutual trust. Another fundamental point that emerged is the need to consider the differences between various regional contexts. The diversity of situations calls for responses proportionate to the capacities and resources of individual communities to ensure that the Congregation can continue to grow harmoniously and concretely.

The day represented a crucial moment of sharing and listening, with a strong commitment to addressing current challenges and building a future of inclusion, collaboration, and fidelity to the Salesian charism. The reflections that emerged testify to the vitality and depth of this chapter, which continues to guide the path of the Salesian Congregation under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Homily for 8th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
8th Sunday of Ordinary Time

March 2, 2025
Luke 6: 39-45
Sir 27: 4-7
The Fountains, Tuckahoe, N.Y.
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks’” (Luke 6: 45).

One of the many sayings attributed to Abraham Lincoln is, “It’s better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”  Our words tell a lot about us.  The wise author of the Book of Sirach says, “One’s speech discloses the bent of his mind” (27:6).  We reveal what we’re thinking—or at least that’s what speech is meant to do; it’s not meant for lying and deception.

Our words may benefit others.  We can share learning, wisdom, and encouragement.  We can voice compassion and concern.  “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good” (Luke 6:45).  That’s one reason why God gives us the power of speech.

Another reason is praise.  The psalmist sings, “It’s good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to your name, Most High, to proclaim your kindness at dawn and your faithfulness thruout the nite” (92:2-3).  God has given us life, health, freedom, forgiveness of our sins, the friendship of his Son Jesus, the protection and help of Jesus’ mother and the saints.  With our voices, then, as well as our actions, we thank him for his goodness, we praise him, and we ask him to continue his blessings.

We use our voices also to praise, thank, and commend others.  With our words we express friendship and love for family and others, such as neighbors, co-workers, and students.  God gives us tongues to help us do good.

It’s awful, then, that we also use our tongues for evil.  Sirach says today that “one’s faults appear when one speaks” (27:4).  We criticize, blame, find fault, and abuse people.  We lie.  We gossip—Pope Francis has spoken many times about the harm that gossip does to people’s reputations and to relationships within families and acquaintances.

Perhaps the strongest words in the Bible on this topic come from St. James in ch. 3 of his letter:  “If anyone doesn’t fall short in speech, he’s perfect, able to bridle his whole body also.  The tongue is a small member [of the body] yet has great pretensions.  It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire.  It’s a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God” (3:2,5,6,8-9).

Wow!  Sirach’s wisdom is tame in contrast to that.  So is Jesus when he states that one’s mouth reveals “the fullness of the heart.”

There may be no fault, no sin, we’re more likely to fall into—even leap into—than the sins we commit in our speech.  In that context, I’m a little amazed that some people think their hands are unworthy vessels for receiving the Holy Eucharist and insist on receiving our Lord on their tongues.  Are our tongues really worthier than our hands?  For most people, I think not.  (It is true that there are sins that we can commit with our hands, which I won’t enumerate.  But in general, which part of us is more inclined toward sin?)

On Wednesday, we’ll begin Lent, the season of repentance and reform of our spiritual lives, the renewal or renovation of our relationships with God and with the children of God.  It might be a good practice for us to consider how we use the power of speech, to review what our “speech discloses about the bent of our minds” and the content of our hearts.  It would be a real penance to work, with God’s help, to tame our tongues, to use them for good and not for evil.

THE MESSAGE OF THE VICAR

Fr. Stefano Martoglio, SDB

WE ARE DON BOSCO TODAY

“You’ll finish the work I’m beginning; I’m making the sketch, you’ll add the colors.” (Don Bosco)

Dear friends and readers, members of the Salesian Family, for this month’s greeting in Salesian media, I’ll focus on a very important event that the Salesian Congregation is holding presently: the 29th General Chapter. This assembly, the most important one that the Salesian Congregation can experience, occurs every 6 years along the Congregation’s journey.

Our lives are filled with many things, and this Jubilee Year proposes to us many important events; but I want to focus on a different, particular one because, even if it would seem outside one’s realm, it still concerns all of us.

Don Bosco, our Founder, was aware that things wouldn’t end with him but that his life was only the beginning of a long journey to be traveled. One day in 1875, when he was 60 years old, Don Bosco said to Fr. Julius Barberis, one of his closest collaborators: “You’ll finish the work I’m beginning; I’m making the sketch, you’ll add the colors.... I’ll make a rough copy of the Congregation, and I’ll leave to those who come after me the task of making it beautiful.”

With this happy and prophetic expression, Don Bosco outlined the path that we’re all called to take. Its highest form is what we are carrying out at this time in Valdocco: the general chapter of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The prophecy of the caramels

Today’s world isn’t like Don Bosco’s, but there is a common characteristic: it’s a time of profound change. Total, balanced, and responsible humanization of his boys in both their material and spiritual components was Don Bosco’s true goal. He was concerned with filling the “inner space” of the boys, making “well-formed minds,” “virtuous citizens.” In today’s world, this is more relevant than ever. Our world needs Don Bosco today.

Before all else, everyone must pose to himself/herself one simple question: “Do I want an ordinary life, or do I want to change the world?” Can we still speak of goals and ideals today? Whenever a river stops flowing, it turns into a swamp – even so with people.

Don Bosco never stopped moving forward. Today he does so with our feet.

His conviction about young people was this: “This most precious segment of human society, upon whom all hopes of a ... happy future are founded, isn’t itself of a bad disposition…. If at times these youngsters are already infected with evil, it’s more often through thoughtlessness than through deliberate malice. These youngsters truly need a helping hand to take care of them and to lead them away from evil to the practice of virtue....”[1]

In 1882, in a conference to the Salesian Cooperators in Genoa: “Removing, instructing, and educating young people in danger is good for the whole of civil society. If young people are well educated, we will have a better generation over time.” It’s as if to say: only education can change the world.

Don Bosco had an almost frightening capacity for vision. He never says “until now” but always “from now on.”

Guy Avanzini, an eminent university professor, always repeated: “The pedagogy of the 21st century will be Salesian, or it will not be.”

One evening in 1851, Don Bosco flung a handful of caramels from a window on the second floor. Naturally, this resulted in great joy. One of the boys seeing him there, smiling at the window, yelled up to him: “Don Bosco, how wonderful it would be if you could see the whole world studded with oratories!” Don Bosco fixed his serene gaze toward the horizon and responded, “Who knows, the day may come when the sons of the oratory are truly scattered throughout the world.”

Looking Far Beyond

But what is a general chapter? Why fill these pages with a theme that is specific to the Salesian Congregation?

The Constitutions of the Salesians of Don Bosco, which orders their way of life, in article 146, define a general chapter as “the principal sign of the Congregation’s unity in diversity. It is the fraternal meeting in which Salesians carry out a communal reflection to keep themselves faithful to the Gospel and to their Founder’s charism, and sensitive to the needs of time and place.

“Through the general chapter the entire So­ciety, opening itself to the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord, seeks to discern God’s will at a specific moment in history for the pur­pose of rendering the Church better service.”

The general chapter is, therefore, not a private matter of consecrated Salesians, but a very important assembly that concerns us all, touching the whole Salesian Family and those who have Don Bosco within them, because the people, the mission, the charism of Don Bosco, the Church, and each one of us, of you, are at the center.

Fidelity to God and to Don Bosco along with the ability to see the signs of the times and of different places are also at the center. This fidelity is a continuous movement, renewal, and the ability to look far ahead while keeping one’s feet firmly planted on the ground.

For this reason, about 250 Salesian confreres from all over the world have gathered to pray, think, dialog with each other, and look far beyond – in fidelity to Don Bosco.

Then, after having constructed their vision, they’ll elect the new Rector Major, the successor of Don Bosco, and his general council.

This chapter isn’t something extraneous to your life, dear friend reading this, but is part of your life and your “affection” for Don Bosco. Why tell you this? So that you’ll accompany it with your prayer – prayer to the Holy Spirit that he may help all the capitulars know what is God’s Will so that we may give better service to the Church.

I think that GC29 – no, I’m sure – will be all this: an experience of God that will help us “clean up” some parts of the sketch that Don Bosco left us, as all the general chapters in the history of the Congregation have done before, always in fidelity to his plan.

I’m certain that even today we can continue to be enlightened so as to be faithful to the Lord Jesus and our original charism with the faces, music, and colors of today.

We’re not alone in this mission; we know and feel that Mary, our Mother and Help of Christians, the Help of the Church and model of fidelity, will sustain all our steps.

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[1] Giovanni Battista Lemoyne, The Biographical Memoirs of St. John Bosco, vol. II (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Salesiana, 1966), 35-36.