#569
CHOOSING A RECTOR MAJOR
The moment is almost upon us - how do we go about the task? Below are some comments on the process that will be followed, along with a heartfelt plea from one of 'austraLasia's correspondents. (By the way, will we have to change the name 'austraLasia' now there's two regions? Any thoughts on that?)
Anthony McSweeney, former Superior General of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers and now President of the Union of Superiors General in
* It is first necessary to create a climate through prayer, meditation, personal reflection and Eucharistic adoration that will be conducive to the workings of the Holy Spirit.
* Then there will be personal and fraternal sharing on the charism of the Salesians. McSweeney notes that whenever a religious group calls to mind the charism of the founder, a profound event takes place within the group.
* The process involves times of personal reflection and prayer, times open to sharing with other chapter members, times of personal prayer again, then the election. * The election of the Rector Major is different than the election of the Vicar, which is different again from the election of the Department Councilors and the
Regional Councilors.
Fr. McSweeney next went through the actual process for the election of the Rector Major.
1. The first phase will be to look at the current state of the congregation....the problems, the dynamics, and the overall situation in which the congregation finds itself right now. Reflection on the qualities needed for the Rector Major takes place at this time. There will be times of sharing either by language groups, regions, or other parameters. The important element here was to have freedom and spontaneity. Then there will be times of quiet and silence so that each can put himself before the Lord and God’s Word and look at the qualities needed.
2. The second phase will encompass the personal look shared with the other chapter members. The vision of the problems, qualities needed and the current situation will be shared and differences and convergences noted. At the end of this phase each chapter member will write down 2 names and submit them.
3. In the third phase the list of names received will be listed alphabetically with no numbers given to any of the names. Next will follow more personal prayer and meditation. Then will come the choosing of one name to be handed in, and the names listed with numbers this time so that the group might see if a convergence were taking place.
4. The last phase will follow—the election of the new Rector Major. McSweeney shared with the capitulars his hope that the Rector Major could be elected by
next Wednesday, with the Vicar on Thursday, and then the Department Councilors and the Regional Councilors on the weekend following Easter. He made it clear that we were looking for Salesians who were competent, came from a variety of cultures, and could work as a team.
AND NOW A PLEA:
Dear fr.Julian,
sorry to bother you again, but your e-mail has become a great forum for involving all confreeres in the work of the Chapter. Can you please forward this request to all capitulars of your list - as they prepare to choose the successor of don Bosco and to write down the final documents:
do not forget don Bosco!
By what I read seem that our congregation began after 1971! Except vague references to the preventive system I have not read any quotation from the words of our father don Bosco. I see that other flourishing movements (Focolarini, Opus Dei, Neocatechumenals, El-Shaddai, etc) refer continually to their founders: their every word, every action, every choice is repeated and spread all over the world. I am sometimes afraid that some confreres might see don Bosco as sometimes old (last century) and far (Italian, Western).
No Rector Major, no matter how smart, can replace don Bosco as the inspirer of our work.
Thanks for your time.
God bless you, and happy Easter
fr.Michele Ferrero - Taipei
