After three weeks of intense theoretical and practical work in the difficult art of accompanying young people in the first stages of formation, the General Councillor for Youth Pastoral Care, Fr Miguel Angel García Morcuende, and the Procurator General of the Salesian Congregation, Fr Pier Fausto Frisoli, also took part in the last few days at Genzano, Rome.

On the last evening of the meeting, the General Councillor for Formation, Fr Ivo Coelho, presided over the Eucharist, thanking the participants and the team that animated the course. He underlined the importance for the Novice Directors to express fatherliness according to Don Bosco's Preventive System, as an opportunity to mature in confidence and encourage discernment.

The course ended with each Novice Director being given a letter by Saint Louis Versiglia, who was the first Rector and Novice Director of the Genzano novitiate. He tells them:

Dear confreres,

Directors of novices in our beloved Congregation,

I write to you all with a heart full of joy and responsibility, aware of the extraordinary task that the Lord has entrusted to us: to form the young confreres, making them capable of living and transmitting the Salesian charism in the world.

Our role, as privileged as it is demanding, places us as guides and guardians of the first sparks of vocation that God ignites in the hearts of these young people. They look to us as living examples of the Gospel and as witnesses of Don Bosco's loving-kindness. The goal of formation cannot be limited to the transmission of knowledge, but it aims at rooting in them the ‘da mihi animas, cetera tolle’.

Allow me to share some thoughts that I feel are particularly urgent:

Paternal closeness:

Let us never forget that our model is the Good Shepherd. The presence among the novices, affectionate and constant, is the first educational tool. They must feel loved and accompanied, especially in moments of doubt or difficulty.

The example of life:

More than words, it is our actions that speak. Consistency between what we teach and what we live is essential. The novices observe us, and in our gestures, they find the answer to their search for meaning and faith.

The centrality of the Eucharist and Mary:

Teach them that the strength for our mission is found in the tabernacle and the maternal gaze of Mary Help of Christians. In the daily celebration, guide them to make the Eucharist the heart of their day. There they will encounter the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Community, personal and Marian prayer will be the safe haven in the storms of life.

The family spirit:

Cultivate in the novices the sense of belonging to a community. Teach them to see the Congregation as a family, where each contributes his gifts to the common good and where fraternal love is a sign of God's presence.

Dear confreres, let us not forget that our work is that of sowers. We will not always see the fruits ourselves, but the Lord, in his Providence, will make them grow and ripen at the appropriate time. Let us trust Him and the strength of our charism.

I embrace you all with affection and gratitude for your dedication, and I entrust you to the protection of Mary Help of Christians and St John Bosco.

With fraternal affection,

Fr. Luigi Versiglia, SDB
Master of Novices

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