(ANS - Rome)– The aim of  the new Plan of Animation and Government of the Rector Major and the General Council is to identify priorities in guiding the congregation and to draw up a suitable scheme. The plan for the six years from 2014-2020 was drafted during the summer session of the Council.

The six-year plan as it is called, is a document drawn up by the Rector Major and the General Council to guide the work of the entire congregation. It is the fourth time that one has been  produced, but - as the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, says in his presentation - "it is always new: the Rector Major and the Councillors are new, and the context and challenges are new, so the responses must be new."

In the preparatory phase great attention was paid to the Report of the Rector Major Emeritus, Fr Pascual Chávez ​at the opening of the 27th General Chapter (GC27); to the Chapter itself, and to the points of view shared within the General Council.

The  plan follows the structure of GC27, with a single goal in three parts - being mystics of the spirit, prophets of fraternity and servants of the young - and also the main processes to be carried out, and the steps to be taken in order to fulfil the deliberations of the chapter.

The plan is for the Rector Major and the Council. The Regions and Provinces will draw inspiration from the programme of the Rector Major and the General Council, and their way of thinking and acting; they will have to find the most suitable ways of putting it into practice, taking into account their own situations and contexts.

The plan for the six-year period 2014-2020 is notable for its simplicity: "Not everything that the Rector Major and the Council will do in the six-year period needs to be included in the plan; there is no need to write the ordinary things; in fact only the priorities were highlighted,” explained Fr Fernández Artime.

Presenting the project to the entire Congregation the Rector Major said, “My hope for all of you is that you grow in sharing, convergence and communion in your planning processes, with the animating presence of the Holy Spirit and the support of Mary Help of Christians. In this way we can 'walk together' in this Bicentenary of the Birth of Don Bosco."

The six-year plan period and the Rector Major’s presentation are available on the site sdb.org.

Published 08/09/2014