(ANS - Rome) - As contributions from Provincial Chapters and the minutes of the election of Delegates and Substitutes for the 27th General Chapter reach the Moderator, some choices concerning the Chapter itself have already been made.

In recent months, the task of preaching the retreat for the Chapter members has been given to the biblical scholar Fr Juan José Bartolomé. Using the lectio divina method, he will develop the theme, "the profile of the new Salesian: mystic, prophet and servant", in a Gospel light.

The job of preparing a guide to Salesian places has been entrusted to Fr Aldo Giraudo (coordinator), Fr Joe Boenzi and Fr Horacio Lopez – each respectively for Italian, English and Spanish. They will help the Chapter members reflect in the various places on the Salesian aspects that characterise the Chapter theme. In particular, aspects of the Salesian motto "work and temperance" will be developed, as this is what gives Salesian witness to evangelical radicalism its characteristic. Arrangements for the visit to the Salesian sites will be looked after by the Special Circumscription for Piedmont and Valle D'Aosta.

In addition, the liturgical leaders who are to prepare the hymn books and liturgical books for the GC27 have been selected. With the help of the Chapter's Liturgical Commission, they will single out and animate the Chapter Assembly's main celebrations. The leaders are Fr Cristian Besso (Coordinator), Fr Stefano Vanoli and Fr Antonio Zingale.

The commission to examine the minutes of the election of Delegates and Substitutes to the GC27 to validate their correctness and regularity is composed of Fr Marian Stempel (Coordinator), Fr Francis Maraccani and Fr Saimy Ezhanikatt.

Finally, two groups of translators for the different basic international languages are being formed to supply simultaneous translation in the assembly hall and translation of written texts.

Published on 10/07/2013