Egidio Viganò – “Letter of the Rector Major” in “Acts of the Superior Council of the salesian society”

In this letter, the Rector Major mentions two significant events: the passing of the saintly Rector Major emeritus, Father Renato Ziggiotti, in Albarts (Verona) on April 19, and the beatification of Bishop Luigi Versiglia and Father Caruvario by Pope John Paul II at St. Peter’s on May 15. He plans to commemorate Father Ziggiotti further in a forthcoming mortuary letter. However, he briefly acknowledges Father Ziggiotti’s twelve-year tenure as Superior General, which coincided with a challenging period for the Congregation, marked by the aftermath of World War II and the preparations for Vatican II. This period saw significant cultural shifts and tensions, setting the stage for the events of 1968.

Contents:

1. Death of Father Benato Ziggiotti.
2. Beatification of Bishop Luigi Versiglia and Father Callisto Caravario.

• On the threshold of a new phase in the life of the Congregation
• The significance of thls religious act
• In the trusted hands of Mary Help of Christians we prepare to enter the Third Millennium
• Courageous missionaries for the young
• Educating for sanctity
• Why the term entrustment?
• Confidence and hope
• Appendix

Reference time period: 1983

Reference institution:
Direzione Generale SDB