General Council Session Ends
Rector Major Focuses on Call to Hope and Authenticity
(ANS – Rome – April 17, 2026) – The spring plenary session of the Salesian general council, which began on March 9, concluded on April 16 at the Salesian headquarters. As is customary at the end of each session, the rector major delivered his Good Nite to the community members of the Generalate, sharing a summary of the council’s experience and offering several spiritual and pastoral reflections for the journey of the Congregation. The session lasted 6 weeks, one week longer than usual. It also included the annual spiritual retreat, held in Nemi.
In his address, Fr. Fabio Attard first expressed his
gratitude to the members of the general council, together with the
collaborators who accompanied the work during this intense and fruitful period.
A Week Marked by the “Will to Conversion”
The rector major devoted his 1st reflection to the retreat,
describing it as “a very significant week,” lived in the spirit of Art. 91 of
the Constitutions: the “will to conversion.”
Accompanied by Fr. Pascual Chavez, rector major emeritus,
the participants reflected on the theme “Rediscovering Ourselves,”
accepting the invitation to listen attentively to our times. Such listening –
he underlined – requires a heart ready to go out of itself, without fear or
hesitation: “Dilexit nos. The heart beyond the obstacle.”
In a historical context marked by deep tensions and rapid
change, the Salesian pastoral journey often appears countercultural. For this
reason, the rector major affirmed, the challenge of hope is
decisive – not an ingenuous optimism, but a theological virtue that shapes the
heart and gives meaning and joy to the mission.
At the center of this perspective lies the inseparable bond
between Religious Life and the Word of God. Without the Logos
with a capital “L” – the Word of Jesus – only our own limited human word
remains. For the Salesians of Don Bosco, intimacy with the Word is
indispensable nourishment and the guarantee of a balance that is both delicate
and urgently needed.
Interior Freedom, an Evangelical Gaze and Active Hope
Sharing some of the guidance offered to the members of the general
council, the rector major highlighted 4 fundamental attitudes:
- to ask
the Lord Jesus for the grace of interior freedom, dwelling in
silence in His presence;
- to
look at history with the eyes of Jesus, allowing our hearts to
be touched by His Sacred Heart;
- to
live conversion as a journey marked by hope rooted in history,
translated concretely through the lived experience of the Preventive
System as a critical force capable of generating a civilization of love;
- to
ensure that the Word of God becomes the source,
nourishment, light, and strength of personal life and mission, to be
“broken” and shared with the young.
Only from intimacy with the Word made flesh, he reaffirmed,
can the Salesian vocation mature authentically.
In a “Change of Epoch”: Being Informed and Credible
In the final part of his message, the rector major broadened
his reflection to the global context, describing it as a true “change of epoch,”
marked by conflicts and tensions that profoundly challenge Christian
conscience.
Faced with this reality, the Salesian headquarters – he
stated – cannot limit itself to commenting on events. He therefore invited the
confreres to adopt 2 defining attitudes:
- To
be well informed, studying and understanding in depth what is
happening in the world, so as to help the provinces develop a global
vision and incarnate the charism within increasingly complex cultural
contexts.
- To
live consistently in humility and poverty, together with
serious study and attentive accompaniment of the provinces, as choices
that make the service of the central government credible.
“How we live is what we communicate,” he reminded them. “And
how we live speaks louder than what we say.” Hence the invitation to safeguard
and promote at the Salesian headquarters a simple and sober lifestyle, without
compromise.
“Martyrs of Otherness” and Salesians in Places of Risk
In conclusion, the rector major recalled the witness of the
19 martyrs of Algeria, including the monks of Tibhirine, described as “martyrs
of otherness” for having chosen to remain with the Algerian people until the
end.
Referring to the powerful image from the dialog between a
monk and a village girl – “We are the birds, you are the tree” – he emphasized
the value of faithful presence, capable of offering shelter, protection, future,
and hope.
Today, he noted, the Congregation is present in 10
particularly challenging contexts marked by conflict and danger, where
Salesians are true “martyrs of education and evangelization.” To them goes the
human and spiritual closeness of the entire Congregation.
Their witness, he concluded, calls everyone to live the
Salesian vocation authentically and without compromise, like “trees” that
safeguard and nurture the hope of the young.
With this invitation to conversion, hope, and coherence of
life, the rector major entrusted to the community of the Salesian headquarters
and to the whole Congregation the task of continuing the journey with renewed
fidelity to the Gospel and to the charism of Don Bosco.
