Specifically, those responsible for the animation and governance of 16 Provinces, one Vice-Province, and one Provincial Delegation will be represented. Specifically, these are the circumscriptions: Austria (AUS), Belgium North and Holland (BEN), Czech Republic (CEP), Croatia (CRO), France-South Belgium (FRB), Great Britain (GBR), Germany (GER), Ireland (IRL), Malta (MLT), Poland-Warsaw (PLE), Poland-Piła (PLN), Poland-Wrocław (PLO), Poland-Krakow (PLS), Slovakia (SLK), Slovenia (SLO), and Hungary (UNG); the Vice-Province of Ukraine of Greek Catholic Rite (UKR); and the Delegation of Belarus within the AWP Province.

The activities begin on Tuesday afternoon with a welcome by the Rector Major and an introductory presentation on the state-of-affairs by the Regional Councilor, Fr. Roman Jachimowicz. The first day ends with talks by the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr. Stefano Martoglio, on collaboration and synergies in the Congregation, and by the Rector Major's Central Delegate for the Secretariat for the Salesian Family ("SF"), Fr. Joan Lluís Playà, on the current state of the SF at the regional level.

The second day will be all about Salesian Youth Ministry with two talks by General Councilor Fr. Miguel Angel García Morcuende on Salesian charismatic identity and the opportunities to be seized to be witnesses of the Gospel in Europe.

The third day features Fr. Ivo Coelho, General Councilor for Formation, delving into the Christian and Salesian formation of Salesians and lay people.

On Friday morning, May 12, Fr. Alfred Maravilla, General Councilor for Missions, will curate a critical assessment of the positive and negative processes triggered by the "Europe Project"; and in the afternoon, the General Economer, Br. Jean Paul Muller, shall present a talk entitled: "The Future of the Region: integration and collaboration, common challenges and prospects."

Saturday morning, the last session, will see two more interventions - by the General Economer, and by the Councilor for Social Communication, Fr. Gildasio Mendes, before after careful observations and meetings with the various teams, the Rector Major, with his Councilors, delivers his closing remarks.

All these interventions will be alternated with moments of discussion and sharing, fraternity and spirituality among all those present. It should not be forgotten that the Team Visit, in addition to fostering the sense of belonging of the Circumscriptions and the Region to the Congregation and carrying forward the policies outlined in the last General Chapter, is a propitious time for the General Council to listen to the situation and challenges of the Region.

The Region of Central and Northern Europe, among the most linguistically and culturally diverse Salesians, today is home to more than 1997 Salesians and is the second most numerous Region - after South Asia - among the Congregation's seven, even though of a high average age (59) it has 16 novices. It is also home to 245 Salesian houses (canonically and non-canonically erected) and 3 lay-run houses under provincial responsibility.

Central and Northern Europe is also the Region in which certain processes related to globalization and secularization are more advanced, and can therefore represent a serious testing ground for dynamics that already affect or will affect the whole Congregation in the near future.

The Visit to the Region of Central and Northern Europe represents the "turning point" of this long and demanding, as important and fruitful journey of the Team Visits. Before this visit, the visits to the South Asia, South Cone America, and Interamerica Regions already took place; this visit will be followed in the coming months by those to the Africa-Madagascar, Mediterranean, and East Asia-Oceania regions.

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