(ANS – Rome) – The 29th General Chapter (GC29) is a crucial moment for the Salesian Congregation, an opportunity for encounter, reflection, and discernment on the challenges ahead and the community’s mission. This event, which will take place from February to April, will mark an intense period of spirituality, analysis, and fundamental decisions for the 2025-2031 six-year term.
The GC29 will officially begin on February 16 with a Eucharistic celebration in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians and the inaugural meeting in the Teatro Grande in Valdocco, where all the logistical information will also be communicated to Chapter members. In the following days, until February 20, Fr Pascual Chávez, Rector Major Emeritus, will guide the participants on a journey of spirituality and discernment, with a spiritual pilgrimage to Colle Don Bosco and Chieri.
Saturday, February 22, will be a key day because it will see the presentation of the Instrumentum Laboris, the working tool for all the activities of the following weeks.
On Monday and Tuesday, February 24-25, the Chapter will come to life with the presentation of reports on the state of the Congregation: first, the Vicar, then the other Sector Councillors, and the Regional Councillors will illustrate the successes and challenges of the 2020-2025 five-year period. The report of the Rector Major to GC29 will be presented at the end. The following days, February 26-28, will be dedicated to the analysis of the challenges and priorities of the 2025-2031 six-year term through moments of personal study, commission work, and the responses of the Vicar of the Rector Major to questions that the Chapter members will have specifically formulated and collected for the occasion.
The first three weeks of March will proceed regularly through the ordinary work sessions on the specific themes of the GC29. During this period, March 12-13, will stand out, when the proposed amendments to the Constitutions will be presented and voted on.
One of the most significant moments of GC29 will certainly be the period dedicated to discernment and the election of the new leadership of the Congregation. From March 23 to 29, the Rector Major, the Vicar, and the Sector and Regional Councillors will be elected, thus defining the new General Council of the Congregation.
This phase will be followed by another two weeks of specific work on the themes of GC29. The General Chapter will conclude with a jubilee pilgrimage to the Vatican on April 11, followed by the closing day on April 12 at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. It will be a moment of prayer and spiritual renewal for all the participants and will mark the beginning of a new phase for the Salesian mission in the world.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that to enrich the human, fraternal, and spiritual experience of the Chapter members, every Sunday during the GC29 will be marked by cultural events, with pilgrimages and visits to significant places in Salesian history.