Rector Major, Salesian World News

Plenary Session of the General Council 2026: Work Begins at Salesian Headquarters

(ANS – Rome) – The first Plenary Session of the General Council for 2026 opened on the morning of Monday, March 9, 2026, at the Salesians of Don Bosco Headquarters in Rome and will continue until April 17, 2026. With this meeting, the members of the General Council, led by the Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, are embarking for the first time on a new cycle of assembly meetings, no longer on a semiannual basis (summer–winter), but on a four-month cycle (March–April; July–August; November–December). These shorter but more frequent meetings aim to provide a renewed and more agile rhythm for the most important decisions of animation and governance, which require the presence of the entire General Council.

The General Daily Program

The session includes nearly thirty days of work, divided among Council meetings, community moments, and institutional visits. The presence of all the Councillors at the Generalate for more than five weeks ensures the continuity of discussion and community discernment that characterizes the working method of the Rector Major and his Council.

The specific program spans six weeks, with Council meetings each morning and afternoon, interrupted only by the liturgical solemnities of Lent and Easter. There will also be opportunities for fellowship and fraternity with other communities in Rome, both Salesian and non-Salesian. In the week after Easter, beginning on Easter Monday, the community will also take part in Spiritual Exercises led by the Rector Major Emeritus, Fr. Pascual Chávez Villanueva, IX Successor of Don Bosco.

Ordinary Activities

As usual, the plenary session will focus on three fundamental areas:

  • the appointment of new Provincials;
  • the study of the reports from the Extraordinary Visitations;
  • and issues of particular relevance and importance for the institutional life of the Congregation.

Regarding the first point, the agenda includes the appointment of Superiors for:

  • Argentina North (ARN)
  • United States–West (SUO)
  • Central Africa (AFC)
  • Special Circumscription of Piedmont–Valle d’Aosta, Italy (ICP)
  • Vice Province of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (PGS)

Regarding the Extraordinary Visitations carried out in recent months by the Councillors and now under review, there are eight in total:

  • Portugal (POR), conducted by Fr. Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy, Councillor for the Mediterranean Region
  • Warsaw, Poland (PLE), conducted by Fr. Roman Jachimowicz, Councillor for the Central and Northern Europe Region
  • Ireland (IRL), also conducted by Fr. Roman Jachimowicz
  • Recife, Brazil (BRE), conducted by Fr. Gabriel Romero, Councillor for the South Cone Region
  • Peru (PER), completed by Fr. Hugo Orozco, Councillor for the Interamerica Region
  • Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (PGS), conducted by Fr. William Matthews, Councillor for the East Asia–Oceania Region
  • Equatorial Tropical Africa (ATE), completed by Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, Councillor for the Central and West Africa Region
  • Ethiopia–Eritrea Africa (AET), conducted by Fr. Innocent Bizimana
  • Sri Lanka (LKC), conducted by Fr. Biju Michael, Councillor for the South Asia Region

Through the study of these reports, the General Council has at its disposal a fundamental tool for gaining direct knowledge of—and therefore accompanying—the local realities of the various provinces and Visitations.

Regarding other strategic matters for the journey of the Congregation, topics under consideration include consultation on the canonical form of the UPS Vice Province and related discernment, the Council’s pastoral projects, updates to the Colle Don Bosco and Salesian Places Project, the Statute and Regulations of the Central Archives, the sdb.org website, and the final financial balance sheet.

The Council’s Upcoming Commitments

At the conclusion of this plenary session, the General Council will meet again for the summer plenary session scheduled for August 6–7, 2026.