Video message of the Rector Major from Valdocco
RMG, 15 October 2017 -- "My dear friends, these are times for hope, not complaints." With this positive outlook on the present and the future, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major, has again sent a message of animation to all the Salesians and the Salesian Family across the globe through a new video of the series: "Dear Brothers".
Many are the reasons for hope that Fr Á.F. Artime sees for the Congregation and for those who share the charism of Don Bosco. First, the missionary calling in the Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians who, on the example of Giovanni Cagliero and many other illustrious missionary predecessors, received the missionary crucifix in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, the 148th Salesian Missionary Expedition.
There is also the fresh vitality of a "beautiful week, profound, spiritual", lived and experienced with the Salesian Provincials, who met for their mid-term review of the performance of the Provinces, and to share both joys and difficulties.
Finally, there is also great satisfaction and gratitude for the release of Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, freed after 18 months of captivity.
For this reason, beginning with Don Bosco, "man of God," who "lived with great hope", the Rector Major invites all his "dear confreres" to live with profound faith: "may the little things that each of us experiences in our daily lives not take from our seeing how the Lord continues to love us truly and so much."
Click to watch the video message
Dear Confreres
Video Message of the Rector Major - full text
My dear Confreres, I greet you!
My dear Salesian Family members, all my dear friends,
I am here at Valdocco – it is always great to be at Valdocco -
And I want to greet you today with this painting behind me: our Great John Cagliero,
our confrere Cardinal Cagliero.
I tell you why:
two hours back we completed a splendid meeting
with 15 provincials of four continents
who are beginning their second term of service,
a service which lasts six years.
A beautiful week, of deep spirituality,
and of personal conversations,
with the possibility also of making an evaluation of how things are going on.
Yesterday, Sunday, was a beautiful day,
with the celebration of the Sending of the Missionaries
of 34 new missionaries.
13 Daughters of Mary Help of Christians,
and 21 Salesian confreres who received the cross as
a beautiful sign of their mission.
And I add one more thing:
a few days back, and as we shall witness also tomorrow,
we received a great grace to have with us our confrere, Fr Tom.
It was really a gift of the Lord,
wonderful in every sense
and it is a greater reason to thank the Lord.
The fruit of much prayer in 18 months was indeed this,
yestrerday we celebrated the Eucharist
recalling his ministry and service as a missionary,
where for over 18 months he was not able to do anything,
but just pray, pray a lot,
for many and for those who captured him.
I invite you, above all to thank God,
to thank the Lord for these beautiful events.
To thank once more for the liberation of our confrere,
to thank for this missionary dedication of many and today
of these our confreres and sisters
of the 148th missionary expedition.
I invite you all to do all that is possible to live by faith,
but a faith that is deep:
so that the little things of our daily life,
which may be difficult at times,
may not prevent us from seeing
how the Lord continues to love us truly
and to take care of our congregation
and the whole Salesian Family.
I invite you to live with hope.
I believe that Don Bosco was above all a man of God, a saint.
Our beloved Don Bosco, who lived by faith,
always dreamed with farsightedness
and at the same time lived with great hope.
My dear friends, these are times of hope
and not for complaints and despair.
I thank you for everything.
I wish truly to be close to you,
and I promise you my prayers
and I trust in yours.
We shall see and hear again.
God bless you.
