On the feast of Blessed Philip Rinaldi, 5th December 2009, a Newsletter was launced aimed as an aid in the on-going formation process of Confreres and Communities.This blog comes as an aid to help all those in ministry to remain in touch with the spiritual dimension of our active involvement in the apostolate.
We know the initial difficulties that Philip Rinaldi had in his vocation, but Don Bosco firmly believed in Philip and by giving him the attention and accompaniment he needed, helped to make his vocation flourish, in spite of Philip’s initial resistances.
Philip Rinaldi came to know Don Bosco and his spirit quite well, having worked close to him for a number of years. His simple statement – Union with God amidst so much business – shows the profound insight he had gained into the personality of D Bosco.
When he became Rector Major he was a able to live out a creative fidelity which he had learnt from Don Bosco himself: With Don Bosco and with the times. He acheived this because he was able to reflect on the new realities of the young that they encountered in the light of the Gospel and the Salesian Spirit. His most creative initiative was the Volontarie di Don Bosco, a secular institute for women, and a new way of living out the Gospel Counsels in a secularized environment.
