SCALABRINIAN COUNCIL OF THE CONGREGATION 2025

Rome, October 10, 2025

The General Administration and the Regional Superiors, Regional Vicars and Provincial Superiors are gathered in the General House of the Scalabrinian Congregation in Rome in an annual gathering called the Council of the Congregation from 6 to 10 October 2025.

This year’s Council of the Congregation is the first one for the current General Administration whose mandate began in October 2024. It is also very significant that it falls around the celebration of the Jubilee for the Migrants and the Missionary World (4-5 October), in which the Major Superiors took part especially in the Eucharistic celebration with Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square and the Festa dei Popoli (Peoples festival) at the Gardens of Castel Sant’Angelo last Sunday, 5 October.  

The purpose of the Council of the Congregation according to the Rules of Life (#233) is: a) to examine the state of the Congregation, of the Regions and of the Provinces; b) to check on the implementation of the missionary project and of the other programs approved by the General Chapter; c) to plan personnel assignments and transfers […]; d) to treat matters of special importance that are of interprovincial / interregional interest or need an interprovincial / interregional solution; e) to treat matters regarding the projects of the Congregation. 

The series of meetings officially commenced on 6 October 2025 with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist in the Chapel of the General House presided by no other than the Superior General of the Scalabrinian Congregation, Fr. Leonir Chiarello, CS.

In his homily, drawing inspiration from the Mass readings of the day, the Superior General put emphasis on the following points:

First, return to the origin. In the first reading (Jonah 1:1 – 2:1. 11), after his dramatic failed attempts to escape from the mission that God had planned for him, Jonah was brought back to the point of departure from which he had tried to run away: the mission to preach the message of conversion to the Ninevites. As a congregation this reminds us of the moments we have escaped from our original mission: closedness and fear of openness to new horizons of missions. However, God always finds ways to bring us back to our original mission, to open up to new horizons to serve people from the different parts of the world who live the drama of migration.

Second, involving others. Drawing inspiration from the Gospel reading (Luke 10:25-37), the parable of the Good Samaritan, a Gospel passage very dear to the Scalabrinians, Fr. Leonir, shared the 7 verbs that the biblical scholars identified from the action of the Good Samaritan. Translated to the pastoral care to the migrants, these seven verbs are summarised in the following key words: “to welcome, to promote, to protect and to integrate”.

Furthermore, the Superior General drew the attention of his audience to the act of the Good Samaritan of entrusting the care of the victim to the innkeeper. He had provided the emergency-driven assistance by applying first aid to the victim. Still, he then left, presumably to attend to other matters, entrusting the victim to the care of somebody someone else, providing only financial/economic resources. This, the Superior General pointed out, is what we do as a congregation in our ministry through migrant shelters, parish settings, services to seafarers and fishers, homes for the aged, etc., when we involve others in our services, including and especially experts in certain fields.  

At the end of the Mass, Fr Leonir, invited the Major Superiors to entrust the following days of work and discernment, to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking in a special way to win against fear like that of Jonah, and to have the compassion like that of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel.

Let us entrust the Major Superiors of the Congregation to the intercession of our Founder, Saint John Baptist Scalabrini and the Blessed Mary Mother of the Migrants as they entered into intensive days of discernment, decision-making and decision-taking process for the good of the Congregation in their service to God and to the migrants, seafarers, refugees and fishers.

SFCP Media Office