By Our Own Correspondent

RMG, 17 January 2019 -- The by now traditional six monthly joint meeting of the SDB and FMA General Councils took place for the first time at the new General House at Via Marsala, 42 (Sacro Cuore) in Rome in the afternoon of 16 January 2019.

The complete SDB General Council (Rector Major Fr Ángel F. Artime) and the FMA General Council (Mother General Sr Yvonne Reungoat) meant a total of 30 participants who spent the afternoon in prayer, sharing information the upcoming General Chapters (SDB - GC28 in February - April 2020 and FMA - GC24, scheduled for September - November 2020). This was followed by dinner together.

A special item this time was a short guided walking tour around the small section which is the new General House (chapel, offices and meeting rooms). This was welcomed by the FMA sisters, since it offered a very concrete inside glimpse of our daily life and concerns.

The dynamics of the upcoming GC28 (SDB) and GC24 (FMA) are still at the initial stages, but the open question 'What kind of Salesians for the Youth of today?' and the FMA drive for vocational revitalisation were at the center of common sharing.

Almost each of the 90 SDB provinces has a good tradition of meeting with the leadership (provincial council) of major groups of the Salesian Family, starting with the SDB-FMA provincial councils or, when there are groups in their territory, also other SF religous congregations. The consistency of regular meetings among the main groups of the Salesian Family, charismatic exchange and striving toward some common goals strengthens the Salesian mission especially at the local and provincial level. This is thanks to the good example at the world level, where these meetings have been taking place patiently and consistently since 1993!

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