{"id":32455,"date":"2026-07-14T19:36:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=32455"},"modified":"2026-07-14T19:36:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:36:48","slug":"fr-fabio-attard-the-beauty-of-consecrated-life-lies-in-the-heart-of-every-person-the-evaluation-assembly-of-the-sacred-heart-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/07\/14\/fr-fabio-attard-the-beauty-of-consecrated-life-lies-in-the-heart-of-every-person-the-evaluation-assembly-of-the-sacred-heart-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Fr. Fabio Attard: \u201cThe Beauty of Consecrated Life Lies in the Heart of Every Person\u201d \u2014 The Evaluation Assembly of the Sacred Heart Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Rome)<\/strong> \u2013 The Evaluation and Planning Assembly of the Sacred Heart<\/strong> Salesian community took place on July 10\u201311, 2026<\/strong>, at the Salesian Central Headquarters<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two days of community work, conducted using the method of spiritual conversation, were dedicated to reflecting on the 2025\u20132026<\/strong> year and laying the foundation for planning 2026\u20132027<\/strong>. Fr. Marek Chrzan<\/strong>, recently appointed by the Rector Major as rector of the community for the 2026\u20132029<\/strong> term, also participated in the assembly. The highlight of the gathering was an address by Fr. Fabio Attard<\/strong>, Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco<\/strong>, who shared a reflection with his confreres based on the liturgical memorial of St. Benedict<\/strong>, celebrated on July 11<\/strong>, the same day he delivered his remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeeking God\u201d: The Lesson of St. Benedict<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fr. Attard<\/strong> began by reflecting on the life of St. Benedict of Norcia<\/strong> and the legacy his choices left to Europe. Through those choices, the Rector Major said, St. Benedict<\/strong> \u201cbuilt Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recalled that at the height of Benedictine monasticism, there were approximately 700 monasteries<\/strong>, not including the tradition of Eastern monasticism. At the heart of St. Benedict\u2019s<\/strong> experience, he explained, was the quaerere Deum<\/em>\u2014the search for God\u2014from which the harmony between prayer and work emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using this image, Fr. Attard<\/strong> drew his first lesson for consecrated life, referring to Article 21 of the Salesian Constitutions<\/strong> 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\u2014in personal authenticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 Cristo<\/strong>, stressing that this is not a matter of abstract spirituality but of being firmly rooted in one’s vocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr. Attard<\/strong> also announced that the next issue of the Proceedings of the General Council<\/strong> will include a letter he has written based on the Gospel account of Peter\u2019s confession<\/strong> y Jesus\u2019<\/strong> rebuke, \u201cGet behind me, Satan,\u201d reflecting on the importance of learning to think as God does and allowing that perspective to shape Christian witness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Generalate: A Place That \u201cInspires the Imagination\u201d of the Congregation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A second theme of Fr. Attard\u2019s<\/strong> address focused on the significance of living in the Generalate<\/strong>, the community entrusted with supporting the governance of the Congregation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He encouraged his confreres to recognize that those who visit the house\u2014even briefly\u2014or hear about it perceive something distinctive. This, he explained, is not due to personal merit\u2014\u201cwe are not that, beginning with me\u201d\u2014but 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study, Ongoing Formation, and Fidelity to Our Roots<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fr. Attard<\/strong> concluded by highlighting the importance of study and ongoing formation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe are not here as officials\u2026 we are here to govern and animate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He urged the members of the General Council<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The responsibility entrusted to them, he said, is to nurture the Salesian<\/strong> 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\u2019s teaching, including the recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas<\/strong>, which will help guide the Congregation\u2019s priorities in the years ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concluding his address, Fr. Attard<\/strong> 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<\/strong>. The assembly concluded with the recitation of the Hail Mary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediately afterward, Fr. Attard<\/strong> expressed his gratitude to Fr. Francesco Marcoccio<\/strong>, 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<\/strong>, recently appointed as the new rector of the community for the 2026\u20132029<\/strong> term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong>\u2014from prayer and ongoing formation to fraternal life, mission, stewardship of resources, and leadership structures\u2014as they prepared plans for the 2026\u20132027<\/strong> year.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Rome) \u2013 The Evaluation and Planning Assembly of the Sacred Heart Salesian community took place on July 10\u201311, 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\u20132026 year and laying the foundation for planning 2026\u20132027. Fr. Marek Chrzan, recently appointed by the Rector Major as rector … Continuar leyendo Fr. Fabio Attard: \u201cThe Beauty of Consecrated Life Lies in the Heart of Every Person\u201d \u2014 The Evaluation Assembly of the Sacred Heart Community<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":32460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[782003447,516714022],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rector-major","category-salesian-world-news"],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-8rt","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-14-Eval-Comm-feature.jpg?fit=1600%2C875&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10336596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32455"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32455\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32461,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32455\/revisions\/32461"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}