austraLasia
#1816
Back on Roman soil but with
fond memories and reminder ' to be mystics, prophetic and ready to
serve'.
ROME: 15th April
2007 -- The Rector Major arrived back
in Rome early this morning. He had left Ho Chi Minh City on 14th after a 'family
gathering' of some 200 Salesians from all communities and presences. At
the core of this family celebration was his presentation of expectations for
Salesian Vietnam, as well as his congratulations to the confreres for present
achievements. This visit had enabled him to note, as he is wont to do, the
inevitable social changes that are occurring in Vietnam as elsewhere, with the
challenges these bring to the Salesian vocation and mission. He pointed
out to the assembled confreres the important elements for Vietnamese Salesians
to ensure that they remain faithful to the identity of consecrated Salesian
life, and to remain up to date in response to the needs of the young "to be
mystics, prophetic and ready to serve'.
Again at the
homily in the Mass celebrated together - an insistence on the Salesians' main
mission in Vietnam: to be evangelisers of the young. As Mass concluded he
raised the sights still further - a challenge to increase in quantity and
quality so that a second province is called for!
That
brings to a conclusion the Vietnam sojourn and nearly twice-a-day reporting -
assisted for the first time by a well-honed communications team in Vietnam that
wrote up the events in almost better English than this writer can himself
produce! We look forward to more.
Meanwhile the
Rector Major turns his sights to another part of the world where he must soon be
in (May) - this time at the express request of the Pope: Brazil and the CELAM
meeting, the Combined Episcopal Conferences of Latin America, which are
grappling with the situation of profound crisis in faith practice in that part
of the world. It is expected that the Rector Major, who will represent the
USG of which he is president, with his now quite global hands-on perspective and
his keen analytical mind and prophetic outlook, will have an important
contribution to make.
And finally - we wish a 'happy
birthday' for tomorrow, for Pope Benedict XVI as well as a happy anniversary of
his election three days later.
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