Salesian Centres for study and reflection

The Congregation is committed also in other Centres, which in some cases have a direct incidence on the formation of confreres, and in others collaborate in creating a mentality, accompany young people and adults in a spiritual pilgrimage, diffuse the message of the Gospel by modern methods and communicate the salesian spirit: studentates, publishing houses, pastoral and pedagogical centres, houses of spirituality.

Our Regulations encourage Provinces which are able to do so to have "their own study centre for the formation of the confreres and to provide qualified services of animation" to the Provinces themselves and to the local Church. There are in fact quite a number of Provinces that can count on such centres. They constitute a commitment which is by no means light, but makes a valid contribution to the life of the Province and to its mission. They should therefore be sustained and strengthened, and reshaped if necessary, at regional level, rather than be multiplied without previous understandings.

The search for cultural and formative quality leads to a verification of the consistency, incidence and capacity for renewal of these Centres and especially to an ensuring of the conditions for their adequate response to the demands made on them.

In particular, as far as salesian study centres are concerned, it is necessary to ensure the composition and commitment of the teaching staff, which cannot be limited to a mere guaranteeing of the timetable of lessons; to foster collaboration and shared interprovincial responsibility when the centre provides services for more than one Province; the regular functioning of the "curatorium", affiliation or aggregation to our own Pontifical University, and the careful selection of non-salesian collaborators.

In this context, we must also consider our participation in study centres managed jointly with other institutions (Congregations, diocese, etc.), and also give attention to the formative orientation of the studies of confreres in initial formation who frequent centres in the direction of which we do not share responsibility. The influence of teachers on the development of personality is often more decisive than that of other formation guides; one cannot therefore simply "delegate" the intellectual formation of young Salesians.

Similar remarks, in respect of personnel and projects, apply to other Centres which produce and diffuse culture (publishing houses, radio stations, etc.) if we want to ensure their maximum efficiency and an adequate service to the Gospel and to the people.