That is why a booklet entitled "The Spirituality and Pedagogy of St. Francis de Sales in the Groups of the Salesian Family," the result of the work of the World Consulta, or Advisory Council, gathered in Turin last May 20-23, is now being made available.
"The communion of the Salesian Family is based not only on the common charism and the same mission, but also in the knowledge and appreciation of the different Groups that compose it. Unity, in fact, is never uniformity, but plurality of expressions converging toward a single center." "To ensure unity of spirit and convergence on mission...it is necessary to learn to think together, to work together, to pray together." This is how the Charter of Identity of the Salesian Family is expressed in numbers 38 and 39.
The annual meeting of the World Council - the meeting of the World Leaders of all Groups, presided over by the Rector Major - is one of the most convivial moments in which we experience communion, appreciation and mutual knowledge, praying together, thinking together and working together.
The 2022 World Consultation was especially fruitful because of the atmosphere of communication, the joy of being together, the quality of prayer, and the shared reflection on the figure of St. Francis de Sales.
The topics were the Spirituality and Pedagogy of St. Francis de Sales. This publication presents the Groups' contributions to two questions, shared by the participants of the Consultation in group work:
- What elements of "Salesian-ness" characterize the Constitutions-Regulations of your Group or Association, and therefore your life and mission?
- How is the practice of "goodness" characterized within your Group and in pastoral-educational action, as opposed to forms of indifference, abuse and neglect? What prophetic forms and experiences of "visitation" are taking place in your Group in response to new poverty and emergencies?
Also presented are the dialogues had with Fr. Morand Wirth, Professor Emeritus from the Salesian Pontifical University and among the best connoisseurs of St. Francis de Sales.
"We mutually thank each other for shared gifts, an expression of communion in the same charism and specificity in the way we live them. To the Salesian Family, too, we can apply a beautiful word from the thought of St. Francis: 'Unidiversity.' A true gift from God,'" wrote Fr. Joan Lluís Playà, Central Delegate of the Rector Major for the Secretariat of the Salesian Family, in the presentation of the booklet.
The text being released today has been edited in five languages (Italian, English, Spanish, French and Portuguese), and can be downloaded here and at www.famigliasalesiana.org. A printed version will also be produced for distribution at meetings and gatherings.
