By Dcn Joseph Huan Vu, SDB

HCM City, VIetnam, 4 September 2017 -- Started last academic year 2016-2017 in the Prenovitiate community of Cau Bong (Ho Chi Minh Archdiocese) there is a two year program of preparation for the novitiate. Yesterday on September 4th Savio Cau Bong Community officially accepted 18 pre-novices and opened the academic year 2017-2018.

Since early morning, Cau Bong Community warmly welcomed parents of the 18 young men. Fr. Rector Peter Nguyen Doan Ngan met all of them talking about the main purpose of pre-novitiate which mainly focuses on human formation serving as an important step before entering novitiate for spiritual formation. Indeed the prenovitiate is the first stage of Salesian religious life experience.

After the meeting started the Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Rector and concelebrated together with other 14 Salesian priests. In his homily, Fr. Le An Phong, the Rector of Rinaldi Theologate in Xuan Hiep, preached about the mission of Salesians and highly appreciated these 18 young men who bravely choose to follow Christ in serving the young as Don Bosco.

After the Eucharist followed a simple refreshment and academy. The new pre-novices performed some action songs followed by words of thanks given by a representative of their parents. The day of celebration ended beautifully and meaningfully. This gives hope to a successful and fruitful formation year 2017-2018.

The Vietnam - Mongolia province (VIE) has four formation houses - prenovitiate, novitiate and theologate in Ho Chi Minh City and the postnovitiate in Dalat City. With the dimishing numbers of our candidates follows more careful and systematic accompaniment of the new generation. The two-year prenovitiate course in Cau Bong (since 2016) is a sing of this concern.

Cau Bong community is asking your prayers! Many of these young men would become Salesian Brothers and Priest not only for the VIE province but for the whole Congregation.

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