On October 24–25, 2026, at La Montañita Spirituality House, located in the municipality of La Estrella (Antioquia), the Salesian Cooperators of the Medellín Province held their first session of Spiritual Exercises of the year. The guiding theme was “The Magnificat,” hence the title: “My Soul Magnifies the Lord.” Sixty-six participants from 17 Local Centres of the Province attended, including Salesian Cooperators and aspirants. The same theme and methodology will subsequently be replicated in the different areas of the Province – the Caribbean Coast, Ibagué, the Coffee Region, and the southwestern area. All participants agreed that it was a moment of GRACE, in which we were able to encounter the Lord in different ways:

1. A first moment of integration, because fraternity is part of our spirituality.

2. A second moment, which introduced us to inner silence through painting a mandala inspired by the theme of the Association’s 150th anniversary: “Be Leaven to Be Fruitful.”

3. A third moment, during which we listened to a beautiful talk by our Provincial Delegate, Fr Ricardo Villanueva: “Mary Invites Us to Silence,” exploring the different aspects of fruitful silence:

1. Entering into silence (preparing our hearts for God).
2. Mary, a woman of inner silence.
3. Mary teaches us to listen to God (three Scripture passages for reflection: Mary in Nazareth, at Cana, and in the Upper Room).
4. The silence that transforms our Salesian vocation and mission.

Fr Ricardo proposed an itinerary for Personal Prayer:

1. Recognise God’s presence (our guide – the Holy Spirit).
2. Listen to the Word of God.
3. Allow God to examine our hearts regarding our relationship with Him, our Salesian vocation, our relationships, our Salesian mission, and our inner life.
4. Respond like Mary: “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). A key question stands out: Lord, what do you want me to change within myself so that my life may become a more generous response to your love?
5. Surrender and commitment: emerge from silence with a renewed heart.
6. Concluding prayer: Mary, teach us to listen.

4. Such a Marian theme, on the day of the week dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, could only conclude with the recitation of the Holy Rosary.

5. During the night, participants embraced the experience of a personal encounter with the Lord through an all-night Vigil before the Blessed Sacrament. We all agreed that this unprecedented experience in our Spiritual Exercises is here to stay. There is NOTHING more comforting to us as human beings, Christians, and Salesians than kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament!

6. On Sunday, October 25, we joined the Universal Church with great fervour in praying the day’s Morning Prayer (Lauds), accompanied by a catechetical explanation.

7. On Sunday morning, participants reflected more deeply on three major themes presented at the 6th World Congress of the Association of Salesian Cooperators:

1. In the World but Not of the World, by Fr Pascual Chávez (Rector Major Emeritus). Jesus invites us to be His witnesses in the midst of the world, strong in faith, hope, and love. May our Mother, Mary Immaculate Help of Christians, free us from this worldly culture and open us to the Spirit so that, filled and guided by Him, we may carry forward, with fidelity, creativity, and dynamism, the apostolic project of our beloved Father Don Bosco when he decided to found the Association of Salesian Cooperators.

2. Constellations of Hope, by Sr Leslie Sandigo Ortega (General Councillor for the Salesian Family). Stars do not shine alone; they form constellations, trace paths, and guide the way. We are called to draw new maps of hope in this new stage of the Association. Let us entrust to Mary our commitment never to extinguish the light we have received, not to keep it to ourselves, but to share it, weave it together, and give it to others.

3. Four Words for Looking to the Future, by Fr Fabio Attard (Rector Major).

a. LISTENING. A synonym for humility. Humility is born from intimacy with God, with His Word, and from opening our hearts to His Spirit.

b. COMMUNION. Let us create communion and build networks. True and authentic communion is the fruit of intimacy with God. In our Local Centres, we must cultivate the family spirit as the most beautiful and valuable gift.

c. MISSION. Mission means being sent to listen and, together – through listening and communion – perceiving the cry of young people (they are our theological place). Five loaves and two fish are more than enough in the hands of Jesus. Communion is mission. Don Bosco insists on the family spirit.

d. PARTICIPATION. It is necessary, calmly and while listening to the Spirit, to discern, seek, find, and inhabit real spaces of collaboration, fostering opportunities for convergence and cooperation.

8. At the conclusion of our Spiritual Exercises, we celebrated the closing Eucharist, during which we shared our own Magnificat. Fr Ricardo Villanueva proposed three commitments to put our reflections into practice:

1. Care for our relationship with God. Through listening to the Word, deep prayer, and examination of conscience. Never allow the source of every vocation and mission to be extinguished.
2. Renew the way we relate to others: listen, forgive, dialogue, and build community. Attract others through our way of being and living.
3. Return to young people with a Salesian heart, because young people need our closeness and everything we can do for them within our possibilities.

Let us place in God’s hands everything we have experienced during these days and thank Him for the call He has placed in our hearts. May Mary Help of Christians, a woman who listens, accompany us as we return to everyday life. Lord, I want to love You with all my heart and show that love to every brother and sister, especially the youngest.

During our closing Eucharist, we had the opportunity to Renew our Promise as Salesian Cooperators!

Thank You, Lord, for these moments of encounter with You; and thank You to the Blessed Virgin Mary for being our model during these moments of inner reflection!

Finally, we share a recipe for becoming leaven, drawn from the reflection of our World Coordinator, Borja Pérez:

Recipe

“Be Leaven to Be Fruitful”

Be a transforming presence in our families, workplaces, parishes, educational settings, and social environments.

1. Live deeply our identity as committed lay people, rooted in Christ and the Salesian charism.
2. Be present with authenticity, consistency, and joy, bringing Don Bosco’s spirit wherever life has placed us.
3. Cultivate the ability to generate life, hope, community, vocations, and social and ecclesial commitment.
4. Act from within, silently transforming the dough without imposing ourselves.
5. Believe in small and discreet actions, in what cannot be measured by statistics but can be measured by humanity.
6. Believe that genuine transformation begins in everyday life: in the way we work, live together, educate, accompany, and listen.
7. Choose perseverance, embrace authenticity, commit to communion, and recognise that what is essential happens in silence.
8. Bear lasting fruit, born of fidelity, measured in lives touched, relationships healed, hopes awakened, and new paths opened.
9. Offer a word that consoles, a presence that supports, a decision that guides, and a gesture that plants seeds.
10. Believe once again in the power of small things. Trust once again in the fruitfulness of what remains hidden. Commit once again to patience, listening, presence, and hope. Transform from within once again, without noise, without haste, without fear.

True fruitfulness does not come from doing much, but from loving well.