(ANS – Rome) – The Evaluation and Planning Assembly of the Sacred Heart Salesian community took place on July 10–11, 2026, at the Salesian Central Headquarters.

These two days of community work, conducted using the method of spiritual conversation, were dedicated to reflecting on the 2025–2026 year and laying the foundation for planning 2026–2027. Fr. Marek Chrzan, recently appointed by the Rector Major as rector of the community for the 2026–2029 term, also participated in the assembly. The highlight of the gathering was an address by Fr. Fabio Attard, Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, who shared a reflection with his confreres based on the liturgical memorial of St. Benedict, celebrated on July 11, the same day he delivered his remarks.

“Seeking God”: The Lesson of St. Benedict

Fr. Attard began by reflecting on the life of St. Benedict of Norcia and the legacy his choices left to Europe. Through those choices, the Rector Major said, St. Benedict “built Europe.”

He recalled that at the height of Benedictine monasticism, there were approximately 700 monasteries, not including the tradition of Eastern monasticism. At the heart of St. Benedict’s experience, he explained, was the quaerere Deum—the search for God—from which the harmony between prayer and work emerged.

Using this image, Fr. Attard drew his first lesson for consecrated life, referring to Article 21 of the Salesian Constitutions on the grace of unity. He emphasized that the greatest challenge facing religious life today lies not so much outside the community as within each consecrated person—in personal authenticity.

The Rector Major warned against the danger of apostolic consecrated life becoming overly influenced by the spirit of the world and, in doing so, losing its distinctive witness. He encouraged everyone to reflect personally on their own search for Christ, stressing that this is not a matter of abstract spirituality but of being firmly rooted in one’s vocation.

Fr. Attard also announced that the next issue of the Proceedings of the General Council will include a letter he has written based on the Gospel account of Peter’s confession and Jesus’ rebuke, “Get behind me, Satan,” reflecting on the importance of learning to think as God does and allowing that perspective to shape Christian witness.

The Generalate: A Place That “Inspires the Imagination” of the Congregation

A second theme of Fr. Attard’s address focused on the significance of living in the Generalate, the community entrusted with supporting the governance of the Congregation.

He encouraged his confreres to recognize that those who visit the house—even briefly—or hear about it perceive something distinctive. This, he explained, is not due to personal merit—“we are not that, beginning with me”—but because the community is called to embody the Salesian family spirit in a way that becomes a visible sign for the entire Congregation. He emphasized that simple daily acts of hospitality and care should never be taken for granted.

Study, Ongoing Formation, and Fidelity to Our Roots

Fr. Attard concluded by highlighting the importance of study and ongoing formation.

“We are not here as officials… we are here to govern and animate.”

He urged the members of the General Council and those responsible for the various sectors not to become merely administrators or service providers but to remain intellectually engaged in order to fulfill their mission effectively.

The responsibility entrusted to them, he said, is to nurture the Salesian identity. As educators and pastors, they are called to continual renewal. As one example, he pointed to the importance of remaining current with the Church’s teaching, including the recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, which will help guide the Congregation’s priorities in the years ahead.

Concluding his address, Fr. Attard encouraged the community to cultivate serenity, fraternity, and a strong shared spiritual life, emphasizing that fraternal communion should be a visible sign of belonging to the Generalate. The assembly concluded with the recitation of the Hail Mary.

Immediately afterward, Fr. Attard expressed his gratitude to Fr. Francesco Marcoccio, the outgoing director, for his dedicated service to the community, noting that a more fitting occasion would be held to properly recognize his contributions. He also officially welcomed Fr. Marek Chrzan, recently appointed as the new rector of the community for the 2026–2029 term.

Organized into two working-group sessions, the Evaluation and Planning Assembly gave the confreres the opportunity to reflect on every aspect of community life outlined in the Directory—from prayer and ongoing formation to fraternal life, mission, stewardship of resources, and leadership structures—as they prepared plans for the 2026–2027 year.