Provincial of Sri Lanka (LKC) presenting on the situation of the province during the General Chapter 29 at Voldocco.
A 12-page draft document has been produced, providing a global overview of the Congregation’s current state and specific proposals for strengthening its missionary capacity among young people. As a working document, it is still open to corrections and improvements. The Editorial Committee, represented by its nine members, encouraged Chapter members to submit specific suggestions for refinement.
The analysis highlights how Salesians today live in societies marked by acceleration, efficiency-driven culture, and consumerism, often leading to individualism. To counter these challenges, the Salesian community must re-centre itself on the Eucharist, recognizing it as:
• The core of the Salesian community,
• A daily return to the deeper meaning of service,
• The most potent safeguard against loss of commitment and fidelity.
With an optimistic vision, the draft reaffirms the fundamental purpose and mission of the Congregation.
Alongside the sacraments, prayer and lectio divina are seen as essential for:
• Deepening awareness of one’s vocation,
• Offering a critical, prophetic, and consistent interpretation of how to live out this vocation in today’s world.
Fraternity, Mission, and Mutual Support
The document emphasizes the need for a renewed commitment to mutual charity. Thus, we should support and encourage one another in the shared mission. This mission demands a simple and coherent lifestyle, which strengthens the Salesian community’s spiritual and apostolic energy.
Don Bosco was well aware of human limitations, the challenges of relationships, and the weaknesses of young people in his oratories. Then, as now, it is essential to invoke the Holy Spirit, asking Him to shape hearts today just as He shaped the heart of Don Bosco.
This spiritual renewal will strengthen fraternal life within Salesian communities, ensuring that members truly care for one another. The Salesian vocation, formed through years of study and formation, must be continually nourished and sustained.
As the day concluded, the assembly listened to and discussed the reports from the six Commissions, focusing on two key topics:
1. The creation of two new Regions in Africa.
2. Fr. Joan Lluis Playà’s proposal regarding the role of the Central Delegate for the Salesian Family within the General Chapter.
Finally, Fr. Pier Fausto Frisoli presented legal matters to be studied further in the coming week.
The Solemnity of Saint Joseph was celebrated during the 29th General Chapter. The participants turned to the patron of the Congregation, seeking his guidance and intercession for the successful outcome of the ongoing assembly in Valdocco.
Courtesy: ANS-Turin
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