Ángel Fernández Artime – “Letter of the Rector Major” in “Acts of the General Council of the Salesian Society”

The centenary of St. Francis de Sales’ death in 2021 is a momentous occasion for the Salesian Family, deeply intertwined with its spiritual roots and mission. Reflecting on the parallels between Francis de Sales and Don Bosco, this letter underscores their shared legacy in education and evangelization. Both born of faithful mothers, they were destined to impact the world profoundly through their teachings and spiritual insights. Francis de Sales’ enduring contributions to Christian life, spiritual guidance, and anthropological understanding remain relevant today, influencing the Salesian charism profoundly. The letter highlights how his insights resonate within the Salesian Family’s identity, as reflected in its Constitutions and the Preventive System, embodying reason, religion, and loving kindness in educational and pastoral missions.

Contents:

• 1. Nothing through constraint. Freedom is God’s gift This is why our system of education appeals to other resources “other than constraint”
• 2. God’s presence in the human heart: We recognise “the desire for God, which everyone has in the depths of his being”
• 3. Life in God: that “brings together educators and youngsters” in a unique
  experience of life
• 4. A kind and friendly way of dealing with people: which leads to living with our youngsters “in a family experience of trust and dialogue”
• 5. Unconditional and unrestrained love: “Imitating God’s patience, we encounter the young at their present stage of freedom”
• 6. The need for a spiritual guide: “we then accompany them so that they may develop solid convictions”
• 7. “All through love”: so that “they may gradually assume the responsibility for the delicate process of their growth as human beings and as men of faith”
• Conclusion

Reference time period: 2022

Reference institution:
Direzione Generale SDB