Greetings!

On Sunday March 2, 2008 the 26th General Chapter of the Salesian Congregation officially was underway with the Rector Major giving a report on the Congregation from the end of the last Chapter until now. The theme of this Chapter is ‘Da Mihi Animas, Caeterra Tolle’; “Give me Souls, take away the rest’ this was the motto that Don Bosco lived by, and later assumed as the motto for the Congregation. Don Chavez, the Rector Major of the Salesians. He is the ninth successor of Don Bosco, is urging all Salesians to return to their ‘origins’. “We are being called to find inspiration in the apostolic passion of Don Bosco himself. We are being invited to draw on the living streams of the charism, and at the same time to open ourselves with daring creativity to new ways of expressing it.”

We are all being urged to study the spirit of Don Bosco. It is extremley important for us Salesians to draw continual inspiration from Don Bosco. We need to know him, we need to study him, and most of all, we need to love him. With out these essentials how can we be Salesian? Don Bosco laid for us a great framework on how to care for the young, poor, and homeless boys. We are all called to love with the heart of Don Bosco and to imitate him with our whole hearts, to love for and care for the young.

This General Chapter, is telling us to turn back to Don Bosco, to love him and to know him. We need to get back to the roots of our founder, to study him, and to know him. We need to learn to love him to imitate his gentle charity. We need to have Don Bosco’s charism. All Salesians are called to love their founder in a new way. Don Chavez says that the aim of this General Chapter is “touching the heart of the Salesians, so that every confrere is a ‘new Don Bosco’, his interpreter today.

In Jesus, through Mary

Adam Dupre