First 7 Salesian General Chapters

The First 7 General Chapters of the Salesian Congregation

(ANS – Rome – February 10, 2025) - The general chapter of the Salesian Congregation is the assembly of the representatives of all the Salesian communities spread throughout the world and, according to the Salesian Constitutions, is “the principal sign of the Congregation’s unity in diversity ..., the fraternal meeting in which Salesians carry out a communal reflection to keep themselves faithful to the Gospel and to the charism of the Founder, and sensitive to the needs of time and place,” a moment of grace and communion during which they “seek to discern God’s will” (Art. 146).

From a strictly juridical point of view, the GC is above all the body that has legislative authority over the entire Salesian Congregation, and not only because it elects the rector major, but above all because it can establish laws for all the confreres or modify them, as long as they conform to the spirit of the Constitutions.

The one that will open next Sunday, February 16, in Turin will be the 29th GC for the Salesians; the previous 28 have brought the Pious Society of St. Francis de Sales to where it is today, starting from the origins imprinted by the Founder, Don Bosco, and passing through numerous changes made necessary by the passage of time and the changes that have taken place in society, the Church, and the Congregation itself.

Even the general chapters have changed and evolved, reflecting the transformations that have taken place in recent decades at all levels. But if there’s a common trait along these almost 150 years of the GCs, it can be found in the great capacity to maintain the high profile of the origins and at the same time to enculturate, to grasp the signs of the times, the calls of history, and the concrete realities where Don Bosco’s sons have radiated to serve God, the Church, and the young. The dialectic between fidelity and innovation, in short, has precisely in the GCs a place of implementation and documented feedback.

In order not to lose the memory of what has been done, the Salesian iNfo Agency, in view of GC29, seeks to retrace the journey, recovering the most significant information and data of each chapter.

Today it illustrates the first 7 GCs, which were carried out in a not entirely determined style, and the first 4 while Don Bosco was still alive. Except for the first, which was longer for obvious structural reasons, they were all very short (from 4 to 13 days). The number of participants, tho limited, can already be seen growing in perspective. In this debut phase for the Congregation, great attention was paid to the internal structuring and regulation of what was done in apostolic activities.

A note should be dedicated to GC2, of which only a little information has been found since the minutes have been lost; but on the other hand “the Second General Chapter was but a revision and completion of the first” (Biographical Memoirs XIV, 520) and Don Bosco himself did not devote much time to it.

Here is a summary of the first 7 Salesian general chapters (1877-1895), showing the original structure with details of the president (rector major), moderator, chapter members, location, duration, key themes, and significant developments.

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1. GC I (1877): Consolidation of the Congregation

• Place: Lanzo, Turin
• Duration: 31 days (September 5 - October 5)
• President: Fr. John Bosco
• Moderator: Fr. Michael Rua
• Members: 23 chapter members, 4 consultants, 2 guests
• Topics: Practical application of the Constitutions in community life, morality, finances, and the establishment of the provinces
• Significant notes and developments: formation of 8 commissions to address specific areas such as studies, finances, and Cooperators.

2. GC2 (1880) - Revision and Completion of GC1

• Location: Lanzo, Turin
• Duration: 13 days (September 3-15)
• President: Fr. John Bosco
• Moderator: Not specified
• Members: 27 chapter members
• Topics: Revision of the deliberations of GC 1, election of the members of the superior chapter (excluding Don Bosco, rector major for life).
• Significant notes and developments: limited documentation, focus on improving rules and internal governance.

3. GC3 (1883) - Various Regulations

• Location: Valsalice (Turin)
• Duration: 7 days (September 1-7)
• President: Fr. John Bosco
• Moderator: Fr. John Bonetti
• Members: 35 chapter members
• Topics: Regulations for retreats, studies of aspirants, parish missions, Salesian Bulletin and Salesian Cooperators.
• Significant notes and developments: proposal for a separate novitiate for brothers.

4. GC4 (1886) - Organizational Structure

• Location: Valsalice
• Duration: 7 days (1-7 September 1886)
• President: Fr. John Bosco
• Moderator: Fr. Francis Cerruti
• Members: 37 chapter members
• Theme: Regulations for parishes, artisans, and novitiates and application of the decree of Pius IX.
• Significant notes and developments: last GC of Don Bosco lifetime.

5. GC5 (1889) - Formation and Mission

• Place: Valsalice
• Duration: 6 days (September 2-7)
• President: Fr. Michael Rua
• Moderator: Fr. Celestine Durando
• Members: 42 chapter members, 4 consultors
• Topics: Theological and philosophical studies, novitiates, and exemptions for military service.
• Significant notes and developments: first GC after Don Bosco’s death, led by Fr. Rua. 

6. GC6 (1892) - Consolidation and Growth

• Place: Valsalice
• Duration: 9 days (August 29 - September 6)
• President: Fr. Michael Rua
• Moderator: Fr. Francis Cerruti
• Members: 69 chapter members
• Topics: Codification of previous deliberations and spiritual/professional development of the members.
• Significant notes and developments: simplification of Salesian regulations. 

7. GC7 (1895) - Internal Government

• Venue: Valsalice
• Duration: 4 days (September 4-7)
• President: Fr. Michael Rua
• Moderator: Fr. Francis Cerruti
• Members: 93 chapter members
• Topics: internal government, obedience, poverty, finances, Salesian Cooperators, and devotion to Mary Help of Christians.
• Significant notes and developments: strengthening of regulations for Salesian communities.