(ANS – Rome – November 6, 2026) – On the evening of November 5, during the General Council session that began on October 26, Fr. Roman Jachimowicz, General Councillor for the Central and Northern Europe Region, delivered his “goodnight” message to the Sacred Heart community at Salesian Headquarters. Drawing on his Extraordinary Visitation to Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as his experiences in Germany and Austria, he offered reflections on cultural changes in Europe and the challenges they pose for the Salesians.

Something Is Changing in Europe

Fr. Jachimowicz spoke of a time marked by encounters and reflection. The protests taking place in various European cities—each different from the others—are, in his view, signs of dissatisfaction, fear of the future, and a need for security and guidance. This raises an important question: Are the Salesians in Europe able to recognize this change?

One experience in Assel, the Netherlands, particularly stayed with him. A large group of young people had gathered to pray, most of whom had no religious background. They were seeking silence, a moment to pause, and something deeper. For the General Councillor, after years of speaking about a secularized society, we must increasingly recognize that we are now living in a post-secular society. Some people have spent years living without God or transcendence and are now experiencing a sense of emptiness.

The European Paradox

Referring to contemporary art, which often consists of fragments disconnected from goodness, truth, and beauty, he described an era filled with images, ideas, and freedoms but one that struggles to find meaning.

Europe offers opportunities never before seen: comfortable homes, well-stocked supermarkets, travel, education, health care, and technology. Yet anxiety, depression, and loneliness are on the rise. Young people have thousands of contacts but few deep relationships. They receive enormous amounts of information but struggle to make sense of the world.

Using a simple analogy, he described the phenomenon of “information overload”: like fast food, it fills you up but does not nourish you. It can lead to “mental obesity,” leaving the mind full but the heart empty.

The model of happiness that is constructed, planned, or purchased does not fully satisfy. Fundamental questions continue to surface: Who am I? Where do I belong? What is the meaning of my life? Where am I going? Not even artificial intelligence will be able to answer these questions for us.

A Cry for Meaning and the Call to Listen

What is happening today is not, in his view, merely a whisper but, at times, “a cry for meaning, for belonging” and, ultimately, a cry directed toward God. This does not mean a return to the religious practices of the past, nor does it mean that Europe is suddenly becoming Christian. Rather, many young people are searching for something genuine and lasting. He pointed to France, where tens of thousands of young people gathered to pray and meet the Pope.

For the Salesians, the key word is listening: not only listening to what young people say but also recognizing what they do not yet know how to express.

Perhaps young people are asking their questions in places where the Salesians are not present. Recalling Dino Buzzati’s novel The Desert of the Tartars and its Fortress Bastiani, he warned against the risk of having facilities filled with young people without truly hearing their questions.

The issue, he explained, is not simply whether Salesian works are functioning but whether Salesians are still listening. Can they recognize the young person who does not immediately ask for catechism but seeks silence? Can they hear the young person who does not say, “I am seeking God,” but instead admits, “I do not know what meaning my life has?”

A Path Toward God

The challenge is not to stop at social or psychological support, however necessary these services may be. The Salesians are called to offer a home, genuine relationships, education, friendship, and “also or above all,” a path toward God.

Fr. Jachimowicz expressed his conviction that a new wind is blowing across Europe and that the era in which secularization seemed to offer the definitive answer is coming to an end.

“You cannot see the wind. We only see what it moves.”

He concluded with a question for the Salesians of Europe: Are they ready to recognize and respond to this new wind?