The SF World Advisory Council's work saw the participation of as many as 25 major leaders or their delegates out of the total 32 groups, and for several of them, this was their first participation in such a gathering.
In the homily of the introductory Mass, celebrated on the afternoon of Friday 19 in the Pinardi Chapel in Valdocco, Fr. Alejandro Guevara, World Spiritual Animator of the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA), took his cue from the day's liturgy to invite everyone to perceive God's love toward the Salesian Family and, through it, to so many people around the world: "Our family has a message to convey to everyone; young and old, children and adults, poor and rich... 'I am with you': it is the sacrament of the Lord's presence, the invitation to discover God present and at work in the daily life of each person," he said.
The first day's activities continued with group work, divided by language, during which the various superiors and coordinators introduced themselves and got to know each other. They shared the most significant new developments that have emerged in the life of the groups over the past year.
On Saturday 20, the Consulta participants began the journey of contemplation and meditation that led them first to Colle Don Bosco and then to Chieri, on the steps of Don Bosco's childhood and youth. In the first stage, the visit highlighted the house of the Becchi, the meadow of the 9-year-old's dream, and also allowed a moment of veneration of Don Bosco's relic kept in the sanctuary of the Hill; in the second, the stages of growth and maturation that took place in Don Bosco were addressed through some central places of his stay in Chieri: the churches of St. Dominic and St. Philip, the Seminary, the Cathedral, the Caffè Pianta...
Later in the afternoon, during a dialogue with Fr. Michal Vojtáš, Vice-Rector of the Salesian Pontifical University, an attempt was made to transport what was learned about Don Bosco's spiritual and formative journey to the present day of youth formation and current vocational pastoral care of the various groups.
Sunday, May 21, was entirely spent in Valdocco, but always in an atmosphere of spiritual research on the steps of the founder of the SF. At the Mass at the beginning of the day, by reason of the Solemnity of the Ascension, Fr. Playà recalled the intimately missionary and apostolic dimension to which all groups of the SF are called, in the confident awareness that they are always accompanied by the presence of the Lord Jesus.
Then, those present further explored the whole experience of Don Bosco in Valdocco, making use of the opportunities for knowledge and reflection made possible by the Casa Don Bosco House Museum, as well as the Church of St. Francis de Sales and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians. The whole experience of the day was then reworked and shared in mixed working groups (consecrated, lay, and secular institutes) to trace and share the most characteristic elements of Don Bosco's charismatic experience, so as to deepen and strengthen them in the life and mission of the groups.
The concluding discussion session with Vojtáš was, in this case, specifically about "how" to live these elements, aiming to produce a forward-looking look at the Preventive System in relation to current challenges: divided families, multicultural and multireligious societies, secularization, social differences...
Monday 22 was dedicated to the figure of St. Maria Domenica Mazzarello with stops in Mornese and Nizza Monferrato. In the first of the two stops, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, Mother General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, highlighted the motherly face of the Saint of Mornese, her humility and discreet service, first in the family, then to the first sisters, and finally to the nascent Congregation. And on the occasion, she also recalled the encouragement Don Bosco gave her on her reluctance to accept the post of Mother General of the new institute: "She will only have the title of Vicar, because the true Directress is Our Lady."
The whole experience of the SF World Advisory Council, still in progress, already emerges as a propitious time of growth and fruitfulness. "I sense a very positive reaction from all participants, especially the new ones. The roots of the common charism are emerging, as well as the specificities of the various groups. We are not just sharing what we do, but the deeper meaning of what we do," testified Fr. Playà.
"These days of sharing are an important time for the whole SF: both to feel more and more family in Don Bosco, and around the Rector Major, who represents him; and, to share the experiences of family, simplicity and joy, which characterize us as SF. These days give us the opportunity to return to the origins of the early charism: not for nostalgia, but to recharge ourselves with that healthy cheerfulness and holiness made of simplicity, humility and benevolence," confirmed Mother Graziella Benghini, Superior General of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart (SOSC).
While Ms. Olivia Furlan, Vice-President of the Past Pupils of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, at her first participation in the Consultation, adds and concludes, "It is an immersion in this dimension of uniqueness of the Salesian Family. It is as if it were a fabric that from color to color, from thread to thread, is tightly woven into each other. This is what I am experiencing and I will certainly carry it in my heart... It is what makes us what we are and what we want to be for others."
