Salesian Center
Pentecost, 2013
“Come, Holy Spirit, come
And from Your celestial home,
Shed a ray of light divine!”
Dear Friends and Dear Sisters,
On this eve of Pentecost, we continue to rejoice, not only in the Resurrection of Christ, but also in the election of Pope Francis. In effect, the Pope, coming from afar, as he himself has said, seems to be what the Church needs! Since the beginning of his ministry, he amazes us with his great simplicity, his words, his overtures, his little gestures and his humility.Together they are a portrait of St. Francis of Assisi, whose name he has chosen, but certainly these traits also remind us of our St. Francis de Sales!
He invites us to open up to others, to come out of our little tranquil life, to spread the Gospel, in more ways than the witness of our life:
“Holy week is a time of grace that the Lord gives us to open the doors of our hearts, of our lives, of our parishes-how sad so many parishes are closed! —of movements, of associations and “come out” to meet others, approach to bring the light and joy of our faith!”[1]
Each of us should take these words personally; even more so Salesians. They impel us. We must go out of our Groups and Regions, if the opportunity presents itself. It is true that the life of the Group is very comfortable. We know it well, sometimes for many years, there is our place, we may practice a responsibility there. But our Association is not limited to the Group! We are an international spiritual family and we should be aware of that and take stock of this because it holds great richness. Understood, not every one can travel. But why not begin to go to meet neighboring Groups, when there is one? One might visit on the occasion of a day of recollection or a retreat, a consecration or a jubilee? If the desire is there, the occasion will be easily found. I know that some groups already do this, some regularly, but there are still some Groups that stay isolated. We are not afraid to reach out to others! The Holy Spirit is there to sustain us, to inspire us and lead us.
In the same spirit, when a Salesian member moves and therefore, leaves her Group, we must guide her in this life change, which is often difficult. The Group Directress can inform her Regional and learn which Group is the nearest to her new residence. The Regional then sends her information to the Regional of her new Region. That way, contact will be maintained and new ties created. And, if unfortunately, there is no Group or Region where the person moves, communication should continue by correspondence. Today, with all the modern means of communication, it should be unthinkable that we would lose contact with a Salesian. Now, there are still too many people from whom we do not have news. Certainly, communication is two way. If someone leaves the Group or Region without informing the Directress, how can we keep in contact with her? At the Salesian Center[2], we regularly receive mail or Liens (Bonds), which are undeliverable. What has become of these persons, have they moved? Are they in a retirement home? Have they resigned their membership? Have they died? Unfortunately, often no one knows and contact may have been lost for a long time. It falls to the Directress of the Groups to know what has become of these members.[3] Especially when one ages, it becomes more difficult to participate in meetings and other activities of the Group. When the Directress of the Group is not able to assume this service alone, it is expected that the members of here team-or other members of he group- back her up.It is only this way that we will form a true spiritual family.
It is true that a large number of Groups function this way, and they certainly feel the benefits in the ambiance of the Group, the spiritual friendship so dear to our founders and to St. Francis de Sale as well as the development of the Group. But we still receive too many lists at the Salesian Center, for instance at the time we issue the appeal for the Pence, where there is a note beside the name that they are too old, in a retirement home, no sign of life, no longer part of a Group, or other remarks of this sort. I tell you this makes us crazy! Even more so when, sometimes the information says, that, although aged, one has already paid the subscription to our publication. (We have several centenarians who are in fine shape, thanks be to God!) We also receive kind little notes from older Salesians who pay their subscription and their Pence individually because their Group is made up solely of members no longer able to meet. They note that their only tie with the spiritual family is through the Lien (Bond). This publication is well named! It is true that our spiritual family, especially in Europe, is aging. That is the reason we must take care of our elders, who have given so much when they were active. We must not forget them and certainly not abandon them. I am confident the Holy Spirit will inspire each of us, as He always does if we ask Him. He will help us discern how to maintain the ties when old age arrives or how to renew them.
There is another reason it is important to keep contact with all our members: the statistics. These are not only numbers, I tell you! These numbers are of capital importance, especially as we prepare for the next General Assembly. As you know, this is held every six years. It seems like a long time, but for the General Council, the work of preparing for it[4] has already begun! We need to know the exact number of Salesians in our Groups because this determines the number of delegates to be elected from each Region. This is why it is so important to keep contact with all our friends.
On this feast of Pentecost, we will renew our Consecration, either alone or with a Group. May the Holy Spirit whom we invoke, help us to understand the greatness of our vocation, so that the radiance of His grace may attract other souls to His love.[5]
United in prayer,
I wish all of you a beautiful feast of Pentecost.
Annie Trabichet, General Directress
