Formation, Rector Major, Salesian World News

“Called to Serve”: Course for New Provincials Begins in Rome

(ANS – Rome) – The formation course for new Provincials began on the evening of Sunday, July 12, 2026, at the Salesian Headquarters and will continue through July 24. At the heart of the two-week program are nine Provincials who have recently begun their ministry, representing nine different Provinces of the Salesian Congregation: Fr. Ashley Miranda (INB), Fr. Peter Chinweike Morba (ANN), Fr. Racelis Amelito Mel (FIS), Fr. J. Gaston Harisoa (MDG), Fr. José Laventure Ignacio (AET), Fr. Dariusz Bartocha (PLS), Fr. Ronilo Javines (FIN), Fr. Domenico Saraniti (ISI), and Fr. Doss Kennedy Jegadoss (INT).

The Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, officially opened the meeting at 6:00 p.m., followed by an address from the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr. Stefano Martoglio. The day concluded with Adoration and Vespers in the Community Chapel, followed by a fraternal dinner.

“Called to Serve”: The Rector Major’s Five Guiding Principles

In his introductory address, entitled “Called to Serve,” Fr. Attard emphasized from the outset that the gathering was not simply a technical or administrative refresher, but “a time of grace” to reflect together on what the service entrusted by the Lord through the Congregation truly means. The ministry of the Provincial, he recalled, “before being a task of governance, is a vocation within a vocation.”

Drawing inspiration from the Gospel passage, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28–30), the Rector Major presented the new Provincials with five spiritual attitudes to guide their ministry:

  • The call, lived as an act of faith: recognizing that the work belongs to God rather than to the individual, following the example of the great biblical figures who were called despite their own weaknesses.
  • A return to the essentials: nurturing pastoral zeal rooted in a “living center”—the person of Jesus, encountered in the Word of God and in the Eucharist—so that ministry does not become mere activity without its true source.
  • Discernment: distinguishing between activism and action born of prayer, and between efficiency and spiritual fruitfulness, through daily meditation and spiritual direction.
  • Necessary solitude: understood as an interior space inhabited by God, following the example of Jesus, who withdrew to deserted places to pray—the only true antidote to the unhealthy loneliness that can accompany leadership.
  • Spiritual rest: resisting the “tyranny of urgency” and professing faith in the God who brings growth even when human effort comes to a standstill, following the model of the biblical Sabbath.

Concluding his address, Fr. Attard entrusted the new Provincials and their respective Provinces to Mary Help of Christians and Don Bosco, wishing them “a father’s heart: a heart full of zeal because it is full of God.”

Not a Course, but a Journey

Following the Rector Major’s address, the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr. Stefano Martoglio, addressed the new Provincials, offering three brief guiding principles for the two-week program.

First, he explained that this is not simply a course but a journey. The Provincials do not need to learn something entirely new, since they are already carrying out this ministry. Rather, they are invited to step back from the day-to-day demands of their Provinces to bring order to their interior lives and gain deeper perspective on their experiences. Echoing the Rector Major, he reminded them that it will not be they who change the Province, but the Province that will change them.

Second, Fr. Martoglio highlighted the communal dimension of the experience. Sharing the journey with other confreres who carry the same responsibility helps overcome the isolation often associated with the office of Provincial. It also fosters relationships among themselves, with the Rector Major and his Council, and strengthens their sense of belonging to the Congregation—an experience made all the more meaningful by being held at the General House.

Finally, he underscored the intensity of the program, which includes community meetings and personal interviews. He encouraged the participants to “take care of yourselves” and assured them of the organizers’ full support throughout the program.

Two Weeks of Formation

The course, which will conclude on July 24 with a Mass celebrated by the Rector Major, includes sessions on the legal, pastoral, and governance aspects of provincial leadership. Various General Councillors and their respective departments will lead presentations covering formation, youth ministry, Salesian missions, social communication, finance, identity, and religious discipline.

Participants will also have opportunities to visit the Pontifical Salesian University, the Vatican Library, and the sites in Rome associated with Don Bosco, while also setting aside time for personal conversations, prayer, and fraternal sharing.