(ANS –Konkan) – Fr. Adriano Bregolin, Vicar of the Rector Major of the Salesians, arrived in Panjim on 7 November for his first visit of the Province. During his meeting with Salesians confreres, he speaks about Identity, Visibility and Credibility of the Religiuos Life.

In the evening of the same day he addressed a gathering of about 40 Salesians from all parts of the Province, and reflected with them on some aspects and trends of religious life today. 

Welcoming him, Fr. Ian Figueiredo, Provincial, introduced the Vicar to the confreres, expressed his appreciation for this unexpected visit, invited everyone to continue to pray for the Rector Major and wished Fr. Bregolin a fruitful and pleasant stay in the Province.

In his sharing, Fr. Bregolin dwelt on the three challenges afflicting our Congregation, and all religious societies, since the past few years. He said that they are the Crisis of Identity, the Crisis of Visibility and the Crisis of Credibility. If religious life is to be relevant to the times we live in, and attract others to consider a religious, priestly or any other vocation in life, it will be impossible if religious are not clear of their own identities as consecrated persons, valued not for the roles they perform but for the fact that they are religious, he said.

Fr. Bregolin went on to say that the religious must be also visible as consecrated persons. There are tendencies among some religious to be reluctant to disclose who they are, he bemoaned. “They do not even have a visible sign of their consecrated or priestly status. If youngsters are to be saved, they should find in us, young priests and brothers, strong spiritual guides who can enable them to attain to holiness. They should first consider us capable of being such guides.”

Then Fr. Bregolin added that the absence of credibility could be one of the chief reasons why vocations do not come in anymore in large numbers and why, at times, the public is disillusioned.

Concluding his address, Fr. Bregolin thanked the confreres for their presence despite the holidays, and urged everyone to fidelity to the commitments assumed at Baptism.

Published 11/11/2013