#578 

GC25– Fr Luc Van Looy: Vicar of the Rector Major

(ANS – Rome, 3 april 2002) - Fr.Luc Van Looy has been reconfirmed as vicar of the Rector Majorof the Salesians of Don Bosco. After two rounds of voting the Assembly chose him by a significant majority to be at the side of Fr. Pascual Chavez, elected yesterday as the Rector Major..

Fr. Van Looy is  a Belgian (Flemish-speaking) born in Tielen (Antwerp) on the 28th September 1941. He made his first profession in1962 at Groot-Bijgaerden and his final professions at Oud-Heverlee in1968. From 1964, for 15 years, he was a missionary in Korea. On 26 March1970 he was ordained deacon at Oud-Heverlee and a priest the same year. From 1976 to 1978 he was a provincial councillor in Korea and then from 1978 to 1984, provincial. At that stage he was also the national president of Religious Superiors.. In 1984 he took part in GC22 and was elected General Councillor for the Missions then in the following sessennium (1990-1996) he became General Councillor for Youth Pastoral Ministry. In1993 he was nominted a councillor ad quinquennium to the Congregation for Evangelization of the Peoples. From 1995 he has been  an Ecclesiastical Assistant to  UMEC (World Union of Catholic Teachers). In 1996 GC 24 elected him as Vicar of the Rector Major.

The Recto Major's Vicar is a polyglot. His mother-tongue is Flemish, But he speaks and understands English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portughese, Korean and German. With a Licence in Missiology and specialising in music, Fr. Van Looy has done much towards the animation of youth groups and retreats for young people. Before becoming Provincial in Korea he had been coordinator in the Seoul Archdiocese for youth ministry for some time.

As animaotr of Salesian Missions, he gave himself to the development of a typical Salesian missionary spirituality, and as Councillor for Youth Ministry he worked hard to spread and develop a specifically Salesian youthful spirituality whether it be amongst young people or amongst Religious.

He is author of a number of texts on youthful spirituality.