{"id":32928,"date":"2026-08-04T18:31:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T01:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=32928"},"modified":"2026-08-04T18:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T01:31:08","slug":"the-rector-major-the-wedding-at-cana-a-key-to-understanding-the-preventive-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/08\/04\/the-rector-major-the-wedding-at-cana-a-key-to-understanding-the-preventive-system\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rector Major: The Wedding at Cana, a Key to Understanding the Preventive System"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(ANS \u2013 Rome)<\/strong> \u2013 The 5th Meeting of the <strong>Association of Salesian Cooperators of the Italy\u2013Middle East Region<\/strong> took place from <strong>July 31 to August 2, 2026<\/strong>, at <strong>Fraterna Domus<\/strong> in <strong>Sacrofano<\/strong>, on the outskirts of <strong>Rome<\/strong>, Italy. The gathering was held to mark the <strong>150th anniversary<\/strong> of the Association\u2019s foundation by <strong>St. John Bosco<\/strong> and was celebrated under the theme <strong>\u201cDrawn by Your Merciful Love.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The highlight of <strong>Saturday, August 1<\/strong>, dedicated to the motto <strong>\u201cWe Want to Love You Again by Doing Good,\u201d<\/strong> was the two-part reflection offered by <strong>Fr. Fabio Attard<\/strong>, <strong>Rector Major of the Salesians<\/strong>: the morning address, <strong>\u201cDo Whatever He Tells You,\u201d<\/strong> and the homily during the Eucharistic Celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cana: The Key to the <strong>Preventive System<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his address, <strong>Fr. Attard<\/strong> presented the <strong>Wedding at Cana<\/strong> (<strong>Jn 2:1\u201311<\/strong>) as \u201can interpretive key that brings together the <strong>Strenna<\/strong> and the charism, the Gospel and Salesian pedagogy,\u201d emphasizing that this is not \u201can artificial juxtaposition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Rector Major<\/strong> invited participants to \u201clook closely at the scene\u201d at Cana, identifying four elements that summarize <strong>Don Bosco\u2019s<\/strong> educational style:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mary\u2019s gaze<\/strong>, which is able to recognize that \u201cthey have no wine\u201d before anyone else notices;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mary\u2019s words<\/strong>, which \u201cevoke in the servants a response of trust and faith in Jesus\u201d;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The atmosphere of engagement<\/strong> that follows, in which the servants \u201cfill the jars to the brim\u201d through free choice rather than blind obedience;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The active role of the servants<\/strong>, whom \u201cthe Lord does not bypass\u201d but instead \u201cinvolves in his work.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On this Gospel foundation, <strong>Fr. Attard<\/strong> developed the three pillars of the <strong>Preventive System<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Reason:<\/strong> An invitation to look at the world of young people \u201cnot through the lens of fear, judgment, or nostalgia,\u201d but with a gaze capable of recognizing \u201cthe signs of God, the deep desires, and the thirst for authenticity\u201d among young people living in urban peripheries, countries affected by war, migrant communities, and digital environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Religion:<\/strong> The need to \u201clisten to God\u201d through daily prayer as the foundation of all pastoral action, remembering that \u201cwithout daily listening to the Word, we risk creating many generous initiatives that are not very evangelical.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Loving-kindness:<\/strong> A style modeled on the servants at Cana that \u201cdoes not create dependence, but shared responsibility,\u201d making young people and laypeople \u201cagents of good, capable in turn of receiving and bringing the new wine to others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Rector Major<\/strong> concluded his reflection by referring to the words of the banquet master at Cana: <strong>\u201cYou have kept the good wine until now\u201d (Jn 2:10)<\/strong>, presenting them as an image of hope for the Association:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCelebrating 150 years of history does not mean nostalgically preserving a vintage wine: it means believing that the Lord still has new wine to serve through us, and that the best of our vocation is not behind us, but ahead of us.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He then entrusted the Meeting to <strong>Mary Help of Christians<\/strong>, \u201cthe watchful Mother of Cana,\u201d and to <strong>Don Bosco<\/strong>, asking for the grace to become \u201cthat humble and fruitful leaven which makes the dough rise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Homily: Consistency as Daily Martyrdom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the Eucharistic Celebration, <strong>Fr. Attard<\/strong> reflected on the Gospel account of the martyrdom of <strong>John the Baptist<\/strong> (<strong>Mt 14:1\u201312<\/strong>), drawing a connection between the theme of the Meeting and the story of <strong>Herod<\/strong>, \u201ca tragic figure who encounters the message of grace yet refuses to be drawn to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Rector Major<\/strong> observed that <strong>Herod<\/strong> \u201cdoes not encounter Jesus; he merely catches an echo of him,\u201d filtered \u201cthrough his restless conscience.\u201d He highlighted how the tetrarch \u201cnever truly makes a decision: his decisions are made by others,\u201d first held captive by fear of the crowd and then by concern for the opinions of his guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Fr. Attard<\/strong> contrasted this barren figure with <strong>John the Baptist<\/strong>, who, although \u201cchained and destined for death,\u201d remains free and fruitful because \u201che does not compromise the truth, nor does he bend it to the convenience of the palace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The central message of the homily was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe shall not be witnesses as long as our faith remains an opinion, exposed to the winds of public opinion [\u2026]; we shall be witnesses to the extent that faith becomes conviction, conviction becomes witness, and that witness is prepared, if the Lord asks it, to pay a price.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Addressing the <strong>Salesian Cooperators<\/strong> directly, the <strong>Rector Major<\/strong> explained that the martyrdom required today is not necessarily one of blood, but rather one \u201cof consistency: to say \u2018this is not permissible\u2019 when everyone else is silent, to remain faithful when it would be more convenient to turn away, to keep the Gospel intact in a world that would have us be more pliable, more conformist, more tamed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He recalled that this consistency \u201cdoes not come from our own strength, but from having allowed ourselves to be loved first,\u201d echoing the theme of the Meeting. He concluded by entrusting the participants to <strong>Mary Help of Christians<\/strong>, \u201cthe first to be drawn to him,\u201d and to the witness of <strong>John the Baptist<\/strong>, \u201cthe friend of the Bridegroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Conclusion of the Meeting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 5th Meeting concluded on <strong>Sunday, August 2<\/strong>, with a day dedicated to the theme <strong>\u201cThis Is Why We Promise.\u201d<\/strong> The gathering ended with the closing celebration and the renewal of the <strong>Promise of the Salesian Cooperators<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The event marked the fifth stage of a journey that began in <strong>2014<\/strong> in <strong>Pesaro<\/strong> and continued through <strong>Palermo<\/strong>, <strong>Falerna<\/strong>, and <strong>Chianciano Terme<\/strong>\u2014a journey described by organizers as a \u201cthread\u201d connecting lives, places, and generations within the Association founded <strong>150 years ago by St. John Bosco<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(ANS \u2013 Rome) \u2013 The 5th Meeting of the Association of Salesian Cooperators of the Italy\u2013Middle East Region took place from July 31 to August 2, 2026, at Fraterna Domus in Sacrofano, on the outskirts of Rome, Italy. The gathering was held to mark the 150th anniversary of the Association\u2019s foundation by St. John Bosco and was celebrated under the theme \u201cDrawn by Your Merciful &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/08\/04\/the-rector-major-the-wedding-at-cana-a-key-to-understanding-the-preventive-system\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continuar leyendo <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Rector Major: The Wedding at Cana, a Key to Understanding the Preventive System<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":32933,"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":[57325636,516714022],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salesian-cooperators","category-salesian-world-news"],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-8z6","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2026-08-04-Attard-Eucharist-feature.jpg?fit=1600%2C875&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32928","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=32928"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32934,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32928\/revisions\/32934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}