Regarding the question of communion

Family spirit

112.   The question of communion converges into the search of the characteristics proper to the family spirit, expressed in the joy of being together in order to carry out the plan of the Father Who calls us to educate the younger generations. The  family spirit connotes  Salesian spirituality and it must be re-discovered and actualized every day in the light of an ecclesiology of communion. Though recognizing the rich Salesian tradition in this field, the provinces indicate new community characteristics that demand diversified answers with respect to the preceding ones, and attention to the various stages of life and to intergenerational differences. In particular, the increasing presence of elderly Sisters,in a good part of the Institute, requires that we give them quality of life. They still have many resources and are fruitful to the end. In some countries, the reduced number of young Sisters who are in the communities may generate loneliness in them, difficulty in communicating and sharing, and this requires an accompaniment which is both discreet and effective.

The constant presence of lay people is generally considered to be a resource for dialogue, often even an opportunity for reciprocal enrichment in the sharing of charismatic values. At times, however, the presence of the laity is considered to be only a necessity due to the diminishing number of Sisters, and thus they are never fully integrated in the vision of shared responsibility.

In many communities, the choice of reciprocal accompaniment is taking place.  Conditions are created for a lifestyle sustainable by all and the Sisters commit themselves to welcome each Sister as a person and not only as a resource for the mission or for the functioning of community organization.

·       How can we find concrete ways to carry on in the educative communities today a family spirit that radiates the joy of living together and translates the spirituality of communion into educational journeys?

·       What should be changed in the communities in order to favor an atmosphere of reciprocal accompaniment, where one experiences acceptance, is valued and cared for, and the Sisters animate one another for the common mission?

·       In what way do our communities witness, in the Church and in society, to their being communities of evangelical beatitudes, centered on the essential, projected toward the educational mission, attentive to the poverties of the young, especially young women?

Circular style of animation

113.  In many provinces there is a need for communities that are less institutionalized, more welcoming and flexible, living  a circular animation in a feminine style. Utilizing the orientations given in Mother General’s circulars and the joint experience lived in the elaboration of the Six-Year Plan and of the Plan of Formation, significant journeys are being made in participation, co-responsibiltiy and sharing. Such journeys are evident in the planning and in the educational work done with the laity who share the responsibility of the mission with us.

Circular animation, the fundamental nucleus of coordination, is an opportunity for us for personal unification and communion, an expression of a planning mentality and organizational agility. 

In many cultures, there is perceived the need to pursue circular animation with greater determination, promoting relationships of reciprocity, which do not exclude, but imply the recognition of the mediations indicated by the Constitutions as responsible for the service of authority, remembering also that authority has its foundation in the one Center to Whom we are all called to converge: Jesus Christ.

·       How can we re-think the organization of our communities and of the educating communities in order to secure unity in the diversity of journeys and duties, in view of a greater vitality and harmony of different vocations and resources?

·       What journeys should we undertake in order to bring about a type of coordination that will respond to the need of governing through animation, in co-responsibility and in  the family spirit?

·       What concrete proposal can we offer in order to qualify the formation of community animators today?

Restructuring

114.  From the responses received from the provinces, we see  that for various reasons nearly the entire Institute is undergoing restructuring. We also note the necessity of reviewing both the communities and the works in order to assure that they be expressive of the richness of the charism, taking into account the available resources and the present frontiers of the mission. This requires the seeking of formative journeys and organizational models in order to offer, in line with the charism, new answers to new educational needs.

·       How are we to proceed so that at the foundation of  re-structuring there is a planning mentalityrooted in the spirituality  proper to the charism, one that may help us not to take decisions determined by contingent situations, but to identify the deeper needs of the young with a glance to the future?