After returning to Valdocco on the evening of Thursday 8 June 2023, the General Council members are busy in the first days of actual work (12-23 June) accompanying the newly appointed Provincials who arrived in Valdocco for the orientation course dedicated to them.
A special moment, as always, will take place on Saturday, 24 June for the “Feast of Gratitude to the Rector Major”.
Within the framework of the session, the work programme includes a number of tasks.
First, the appointment of Superiors of seven Salesian Provinces:
– United States East (SUE);
– East Africa (AFE);
– Brazil-San Paolo (BSP);
– Uruguay (URU);
– Chile (CIL);
– Australia (AUL);
– Brazil-Manaus (BMA).
Then there will be a study of the reports on the Extraordinary Visitations carried out in recent months:
– Chile (CIL), by Fr Gabriel Romero, Regional Councillor for America South Cone;
– the Antilles (ANT), by Fr Hugo Orozco, Regional Councillor for Interamerica;
– the Province of Italy-North-East (INE), by Fr Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy, Regional Councillor for The Mediterranean;
– the Province of India-Guwahati (ING), by Fr George Chalissery;
– Germany (GER), by Fr Roman Jachimowicz, Regional Councillor for Central and Northern Europe;
– the Province of India-Shillong (INS), by Fr Biju Michael, Regional Councillor for South Asia;
– Japan (GIA), by Fr Joseph Nguyen Thinh Phuoc, Regional Councillor for East Asia - Oceania;
– the Vice-Province of Southern Africa (AFM), by Fr Alphonse Owoudou, Regional Councillor for Africa-Madagascar Region;
– the Vice-Province of Madagascar (MDG), again by Fr Alphonse Owoudou;
– Argentina North (ARN), by Fr Gianni Rolandi.
A good part of the time will be dedicated to sharing work carried out by the various Sectors: Formation will present updates on the text of the Ratio Fundamentalis; Youth Ministry will illustrate initiatives for the Bicentennial of the Dream at 9 years of age; Social Communication, topics and updates inherent to the work of this Sector; Missions will indicate the distribution of the funds collected by Mission Offices, as well as the destination of new missionaries; the Economer General will provide the 2022 Final Balance sheet; the Vicar of the Rector Major will offer an interpretation of some statistics.
Further topics of study will include the mid-term review of the service of animation and governance; and conclusions from the Team Visits already carried out: South Asia, America South Cone, Interamerica and North Central Europe.
Finally, another special feature of the General Council’s 2023 summer plenary session should be noted: four days of fellowship and rest that the Rector Major and his Councillors will spend together in the Salesian house at Cogne, in the Valle d’Aosta, from 30 June to 3 July: a further recharging and team building opportunity outside the numerous and always busy assignments that Fr Á.F. Artime and his prime collaborators will be engaged in.
