The choice of Valdocco, Turin, as the venue for the Chapter is not accidental. It underlines the deep desire to reconnect with the roots of the Congregation, in a place that breathes history and embodies the Salesian charism.
In preparation for this crucial moment, significant symbolic elements have been developed: an evocative logo and a specific prayer. The latter, prayed fervently in numerous Salesian provinces and houses, has been adopted and adapted for some Provincial Chapters, creating an atmosphere of spiritual communion that embraces the entire Congregation. In more recent weeks, there has also been a musical version.
The Moderator of GC29, Fr Alphonse Owoudou, supported by the Technical Commission, has undertaken intensive coordination and communication work with moderators of Salesian circumscriptions. The secretariat has maintained a constant link with the 92 moderators of Provincial Chapters, facilitating a number of exchanges and valuable formation sessions through the dedicated portal. In a gesture of encouragement and support, the Moderator sent a personalised letter of greeting to each province before their respective Chapter.
The publication of the Acts of the General Council No. 441 provided the essential guidelines for preparation of the Chapter. The preparatory material, subdivided by core areas and juridical topics, was then brought together in several languages, carefully reviewed by the Secretariat and the Moderator, and made available to the pre-Chapter Commissions.
A general calendar has been presented outlining the 7-week programme of the GC29, from the days of the initial retreat to the conclusion in Rome, in the context of the 2025 Jubilee.
The IT aspect has received particular attention: in a first phase a bespoke portal has been created to facilitate sending out documents from Provinces, managing participant files and systematically answering questions from Provincials and Provincial Chapter Moderators. In addition, a new special tool has been developed for the GC29, which can also be reused for future chapters, in which experienced Salesians have also collaborated, such as Fr Stefano Vanoli, Fr Saimy Ezhanikatt, Fr Francesco Valente, Fr Andrei Munteanu and Fr Pierluigi Lanotte. The use of this integrated digital platform, as well as the use of the tablet that each participant will receive to carry out all the Chapter work, will be an important step towards an effective, safe, modern and sustainable management of the General Chapter, in line with the needs of the current time.
A cutting-edge approach has also been adopted for translations. In addition to the working texts available in the various languages, Chapter members will have an API available in the new platform that will allow the real-time translation of contributions. Under the expert coordination of Fr Gianni Rolandi, two specialised teams will then be operating: the “interpreters” for simultaneous translation and the “translators” for the revision of important texts.
The provinces dealt with the three core areas following the three-stage methodology of reflection - Listening, Interpreting and Choosing - suggested by Pope Francis for the 2018 Youth Synod. The juridical issues arising from GC28 have been treated separately, some of which have been taken up in the context of the third core area. The Juridical Commission has already met from 1 to 10 September, while the Pre-Chapter Commission began its session on 18 September 2024 and will conclude next Saturday, 28 September.
Discernment plays a central role in this experience. Fr Pascual Chavez, Rector Major Emeritus, will lead the three days of initial spiritual retreat. The Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Stefano Martoglio, as president of the Chapter, will lead weekly discussions on the core areas. Father Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, Superior General of the Cistercians, will accompany the Chapter assembly in the discernment and elections of the Rector Major and the General Council. Organisation of the liturgy, group dynamics and the contribution of the Salesian Biblical Association (ABS) in the form of Lectio divina will contribute to making GC29 a genuine event of listening to the Spirit.
As for the future, in October and November new tests and any adjustments on the new software will be carried out and the tablets that will be the main tool for Chapter members will be prepared. By the end of October 2024, Chapter members will receive the GC29 working document to begin study and spiritual preparation. There will be two online meetings of Chapter members to familiarise themselves with the portal and exchange experiences. In the months prior to the Chapter, the logistical preparation in Valdocco will be intensified, defining workspaces, accommodation for Chapter members and all the practical aspects necessary for the event to run smoothly.
The preparation of GC29 is configured as a journey that involves the entire Congregation in a process of reflection and profound renewal, which requires an intensification of prayer. “Without prayer, without a heart that continually matures in faith, all we can do are sociological things that will end almost before they begin. Only in faith does God have the power to make all things new, ”the then Rector Major, Ángel Fernández Artime, advised in the letter convening the GC29.
We entrust this journey of preparation to Mary Help of Christians, invoking her maternal intercession so that GC29 may prove to be a “propitious moment” of grace and renewal for the entire Salesian Congregation. May the Holy Spirit illuminate our journey, helping us to remain faithful to the charism of Don Bosco and open to the challenges of our time, to continue to be signs and bearers of God's love for the young people of today", concludes Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, GC29 Moderator.
