GC29 Concludes

GC29 Concludes in Turin
Final Document Approved; Journey Continues with Mary

(ANS – Turin – April 9, 2025) – The spiritual conclusion of the SDBs’ 29th General Chapter will take place with a Mass at the Vatican and the passage thru the Holy Door. The overlap between the early conclusion of the 2020–2026 six-year term and the Jubilee Year offers a symbolic opportunity to end the Salesian assembly in Rome.

This final leg involves significant logistical efforts: approximately 250 participants—provincials, delegates, and support team—will travel from Turin to Rome, many with substantial luggage after 2 months away from home. The group will be hosted at various SDB houses in Rome including St. Callistus, Pius XI, Bufalotta, the Salesian Pontifical University, and the Generalate (Sacred Heart). Their pilgrimage ends at the tomb of St. Peter, wrapping up a chapter marked by deep spiritual conversation and discernment.

The chapter members are now preparing to return to their communities, which await both their presence and the insights gathered at the Salesian motherhouse in Turin’s Valdocco neighborhood. For most, the deadline is Easter Sunday—a celebration of hope and redemption that actively shapes history. Thruout the chapter, participants continually reflected on the suffering endured by many confreres from countries afflicted by war, natural disasters, or climate change.

To represent this collective suffering symbolically, the final Good Night was entrusted to Fr. Andriy Bodnar, SDB, superior of the Greek Catholic vice province of Ukraine. His poignant testimony deeply resonated with all those present, including those who had personally endured such hardships (including confreres from Burma, Congo, the Somali Peninsula, Sudan, and the Holy Land), and those offering support in various forms. His words encapsulated the global spirit of the chapter, transforming suffering into a commitment to restore dignity and rights.

Rector Major Fr. Fabio Attard offered a heartfelt farewell—one that left space for further reflection in Rome. “I’ve only just arrived, two weeks ago,” he said, “while you’ve been here for eight....” (Fr. Fabio wasn’t a chapter member until his election on March 25.) He encouraged everyone to carry the joy and treasures of GC29 back to their provinces with courage and hope.

On the morning of April 8, the assembly unanimously approved the final document—a challenging task, given the need to find common language among delegates from 136 countries. Yet this intercultural effort bore fruit. The capitulars now take home not just a document, but a shared desire to draw closer to the Lord and to “do whatever He tells you,” echoing Mary’s words at Cana, which had been a focus of prayer and reflection thruout the assembly.

Fr. Eunan McDonnell, provincial of Ireland, offered a deep meditation on the Gospel of Luke: “She treasured all these things in her heart.” That same process now awaits the chapter members—allowing the experiences of Turin, the journey back, and the joy of reunion to settle not just in the mind, but in the heart.

On the penultimate day, during a prolonged moment of prayer, the Salesians entrusted their hopes and worries into Mary’s hands. Continuing this gesture, Fr. Attard announced a special gift: on April 9, the day of departure, he would present each participant with a “Medal of Mary” that had spent a night at Colle Don Bosco, where St. John Bosco was born. “This is not a pious gesture,” said Fr. Attard, “but a real act of entrustment to our Mother.”

It is expected that one of the new Rector Major’s first initiatives will be a reflection on devotion to Mary Help of Christians as a charismatic expression of Salesian spirituality—following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Fr. Egidio Viganò (†1995).