From Left to right: Cl. Paul Ky Quan Dai TRAN (VIE), Cl. Cirilo DE DEUS (ITM), Cl.  Joseph Phuc Huu DANG (VIE); L. José Maria CASTILLO (FIN), Cl. Paul RAJ (India-Chennai), S. Vincent Vinh Hien TRAN (Project Europe), Cl. Julião DOS SANTOS (ITM)

By Fr. Alfred Maravilla, SDB
Missions Sector, Rome

Generalate in Rome, 11 September 2016 -- These are the young missionaries from Asia: 6 from EAO and 1 from South Asia. In not so distant past the countries of Asia were recipients of many missionaries. Thanks to the work and sacrifice of these countless missionaries (some of whom are still around) today the charism of Don Bosco is deeply rooted in our region.

Certainly our EAO region still needs missionaries but it can also give many more! ‘Mission’ is not anymore only a movement towards the “mission areas”. It is, now, multi-directional: every Salesian Province, rich or poor in personnel or resources, is co-responsible in the missionary endeavour of the whole Salesian Society. All are, therefore, senders and receivers. In fact this is what it really means to be a member of the Church understood as communion!

"But do we still need missionaries in EAO when we have many vocations?"

YES! Although we Salesians from East Asia and Oceania are the real agents of inculturating the Salesian charism in our region, actually inculturation becomes more effective if the insider (local Salesian) and the outsider (Salesian missionary) work together. This is because the local Salesian has a perspective that a Salesian missionary does not have; while a foreign Salesian has certain perspective of the culture which a local Salesian may not have. Hence, a certain number of foreign missionaries is an enrichment for every Province. A monocultural Province, on the other hand, is an impoverishment of the rich expressions of the Salesian charism!

“We still need confreres in our Province, so why send missionaries?”

The thinking that ‘he should not become a missionary because he is an excellent confrere’ betrays a myopic vision. Precisely being ‘an exemplary confrere’ is one of the indications of an authentic missionary vocation. Problematic confreres have no place in the missions! Besides no Province will ever have sufficient number of confreres for all its needs. When Don Bosco died 20% of the total number of Salesians were sent by him to South America as missionaries! Don Bosco sent his best men, not the surplus personnel to the missions in South America: Cagliero, Fagnano, Costamagna, Lasagne are just some of these.

Then, let the best EAO Salesians come forward to be missionaries!

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