After the Spiritual Exercises with the Provincials and Provincial Councils of the Inter-American Region, held in Quito, Ecuador, last week, Fr Á.F. Artime arrived in Porto Alegre on Sunday 13, from where, after a brief sharing with the Provincial Council, he went to the retreat house of São Leopoldo for these days of prayer and deep reflection.
This is an unprecedented experience that, according to the Rector Major himself, seeks to bring the Provincial Councils closer to the Tenth Successor of Don Bosco and to encourage them, especially at this time when, due to the pandemic, presence and closeness - deeply Salesian values - have been so affected.
During the prayer of Lauds on the first day, the Rector Major presented the reasons for the retreat, and noted that "in this convulsive period of human history, we are experiencing a privileged hour of the Holy Spirit."
Before the first meditation was offered, welcoming the Rector Major, the Regional Councilor, the Provincials, and all their Councilors, Fr Gilson Marcos, Provincial of Brazil-Porto Alegre, presented the large retreat house that welcomed the group: the “Christ the King” Spirituality Center, of the Society of Jesus, in the city of São Leopoldo, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. A great Jesuit seminary in the past, the house preserves the memory of a man of God, professor of theology and mystic, the Servant of God Fr João Batista Reus, whose tomb, located in the Shrine of the Sacred Heart of the same city, attracts pilgrims and devotees from all over the state.
The program of the Spiritual Exercises (from 14 to 18 February) includes seven conferences given by Fr Ángel Fernández Artime on the central theme "Salesian consecrated identity in light of the 28th General Chapter", and four dialogue meetings between the Rector Major and the assembly on themes of animation and governance of the Congregation.
The daily Eucharistic celebration and the liturgies of Lauds and Vespers structure the intense experience of reflection and prayer proposed for these days.
Fr João Carlos Ribeiro, SDB
