THE SALESIAN BROTHER

Magisterium of the Rectors Major

Rinaldi (Acts 40)

In older religious orders: the lay brother was a second class religious, required for secondary services

When the required number was met, no more were taken; ‘God’s call was suspended’

Not so for the SB God’s call is open

Rinaldi

Gospel: not all of Jesus’ disciples sent to preach were called to the priesthood

DB: SP and SB called to the same perfection With equal rights and privileges With the same means, resources, supports

Rinaldi

SB is second to no one; he is not simply a helper; he is not just the right hand of the priest

DB made religious perfection accessible to all kinds of people Those with lesser formal education Those with greater education Workshops, agriculture, whatever

God’s call is open (not restricted as in the older orders)

Vigano Crisis not of SB but of Salesian self-

understanding: whole congregation is in crisis because its lay dimension is in crisis

Each SDB must understand both SP and SB Distinctive of our Society: common clerical

and lay mission + ‘splendid modernity’ inherited from DB

Vigano Distinguish ‘lay religious’ from simple ‘lay’

state SB “testifies in a splendid and singular way

that the world cannot be transfigured and offered to God without the spirit of the Beatitudes”

Vigano

SB is not a ‘consecrated secular’ He lives in community His identity impacts the community, leading it

to merge gospel and culture, to renew the earthly city

The community both evangelizes and helps human development (see SGC)

All SDBs must experience ‘lay sensitivity’ and ‘priestly sensitivity’

Avoid referring to ourselves as ‘Salesian Fathers’

Vigano

If we do not understand the lay dimension, we do not understand the SB, the Cooperators, the Congregation, the SF

ViganoThe lay dimension of the SDB

1. Affirms the goodness of creation, knowledge, science, technology. Laicism denies it is created; clericalism denies it is good

2. Feels the need of grace, in its call to make history. Lives a liturgy of life. Creation becomes a dialogue of love.

3. Is realized in community

ViganoThe secular style The secular style shows up in flexible

structures, individual ownership of goods, simple or no religious habit, family spirit, non-monastic terminology

Above all, in our ‘common’ spirituality

Vigano‘Common’ spirituality Explicitly interested in temporal values Translates the wealth of the contemplative

dimension and religious vows into an education aimed at building a society of love

Our evangelizing efforts are directed along channels of secular culture and social education

Vigano‘Common spirituality’ The lay mentality involves a vision of the

world as a place for spiritual experience Creation is good and capable of teaching

spiritual values We dream the world as KG, work to realize the

KG, celebrate the KG in the liturgy of life The lay spiritual vision is the ‘eyes of the

community’ with which it knows the world and looks with love on the world

Vecchi The SB combines in himself the gifts of

consecration with those of the lay state To his consecrated brethren, he recalls the

values of creation and of secular realities To the laity, he recalls the values of total

dedication to God for the KG To all: a particular sensitivity to the world of

work, attention to the local area, demands of the professional approach

Vecchi Particularly where the priest is seen only as a

sacred or cultic figure, the SB proclaims the presence and communication of God in daily

life, the importance of becoming disciples before being

teachers, the duty of witnessing to a personal experience of

faith over and above functional or ministerial commitments

Vecchi In the community, clerics and laymen bear

witness to a model of brotherhood, eliminating separation based on role and ministries

In such a relationship the priesthood does not eclipse the religious

identity the lay characteristic does not conceal the radical

nature of the consecration

Vecchi GC21, Vigano’, C45 explain how the lay

dimension infuses the whole of Salesian community life, and the SF We are educators Working in many fields of secular activity Where management, administration and pastoral

guidance are shared We collaborate with a large number of lay people

Vecchi The lay characteristic of the Salesian mission

finds a particular accord with the vocation of the SB In traditional roles In new forms and expressions

“One should never think … that humble tasks, that seem from a human point of view of little consequence, are without their importance.”

VecchiThe Salesian Brother and lay collaborators ‘What place has the SB in the new operative

model made up of Salesians and laity? Does not the presence of so many lay people render the presence of the SB less meaningful?’

Yes – only if you put religious consecration into parentheses

The first great difference: the SB is a consecrated person with a lay component

Many participate in DB’s charism, “but the latter is concentrated in the SDB community in a special way by virtue of the force of the consecration, the community experience, the plan of life (profession), and total dedication to the mission.”

VecchiPromoting the vocation of the SB First challenge: diminution of numbers, few

vocations Others: lack of models, clerical mentality, lack

of distinctive signs for lay religious, history of looking at brothers as secondary

Society, and often the Christian community itself, does not have an adequate knowledge of the religious life

VecchiPromoting the vocation of the SB VC recommends serenity: what is asked of us

is not success, but fidelity Trust in God and recourse to him It is always a source of wonder that even

today there are young men who choose to become consecrated laymen in the congregation. What are the reasons? Ultimately, the mystery of grace and freedom

VecchiPromoting the vocation of the SB “It is helpful if our centres of spirituality and

ongoing formation organize meetings and courses of study on the different vocations – lay and priestly – which make up our community and are the driving force behind our mission, both in their own way. Such studies are not only useful for a deeper and updated knowledge of our own vocation, but are also a stimulus to effective pastoral work for vocations. I have asked in particular the Province of the Middle East and the centre at Cremisan to promote initiatives of this kind: the biblical aspect – in the land which has known the experience of the Word of God made flesh – can open up significant perspectives.”

Chavez Talk given at San Benigno Canavese, 19

March 2005 Fr Chavez meditates abundantly on the ‘lay

dimension’ and the ‘consecration’ that characterize the SB

ChavezThe lay dimension of the SB Today: a more positive view of the lay

dimension in the church Implicitly, a recognition of the importance of

the temporal order: world of culture and finance, arts and professions, sciences, social institutions, and esp. the world of work

This calls for: study, professionalism, dialogue, realism, patience, collaboration

ChavezThe lay dimension of the SB

Involvement with the secular also brings us face to face with evil – the idols of eros, riches, power

The danger of becoming enslaved Situations of corruption, injustice, exploitation,

violence, hatred, oppression, ignorance, poverty

Chavez The lay dimension of the SB So: the lay dimension calls for involvement But also for the struggle to purify the temporal

order, to enliven it with the spirit of the Gospel

So: an immense and beautiful field of work

Chavez The lay dimension of the SB The lay dimension of the SB constitutes the

greatest and most meaningful contribution to everyone: community, SP, Christian laity, young people

It permeates not only his apostolic work but every aspect of his life: his relationships, his attitude (optimism)

The liturgy of life: life as an offering to God

ChavezThe consecration Consecration: a life centred on God as Jesus

lived it and as given to us as an example by Don Bosco

Of Ven. Simon Srugi it was said: “To see Simon and to be reminded of the Lord were one and the same thing.”

Consecration is an ongoing reality, a continual gift, a journey, a relationship

We do not become religious for something, but because of someone: Jesus Christ

ChavezThe consecration The SB does many things which lay people do,

but he does them as a consecrated person He is a reference to the Jesus event, a living

memory of Jesus’ way of existing and acting (VC)

He is prophetic: he does not simply respond to human needs, but becomes a sign that speaks to people, touches their lives, challenges their values, offers an alternative

Jesus healed many, but above all revealed a new dimension of life

ChavezThe consecration No value can survive for long in society unless

there is a group dedicated to promoting it The consecrated person keeps the sense of

God alive in people The SB keeps this sense alive especially in

young people, reminds them of the spiritual dimension, anticipates future realities

ChavezThe consecration Artemide Zatti as a good example of this

marvellous fusion of the lay dimension and the consecrated life