austraLasia 1594
Of minstrels, marvels and meanderings on the Rector Major's Feastday
ROME: 24th June 2006 -- Q: Is it his birthday? A: No - that is 20th December, close to Christmas. Q: Then, is it his name day? A: No, with a name like Pascual, that sounds more like Easter. Q: Then why today, 24th June? A: because this was Don Bosco's name day and has been the traditional feastday for the office of Rector Major ever since, the day on which the Congregation comes together around the person who succeeds him.
And so it has been - a day of marvels and minstrels too, on a hot Roman summer's day. As I write, a truly international group, representing the worldwide Congregation has just come away from an inspiring hour of song by Salesian minstrel - but also Provincial of Recife - Pe. João Carlos Ribeiro and his young troupe of guitarists and vocal accompaniste. As the Rector Major said at the conclusion, this is evangelisation of a powerful kind and of a truly traditional Salesian kind. João travels his country in a 'Big Rig' with entourage, able to stop anywhere and perform - what a way to make a Provincial visitation! And there were nine so-called neophytes in that game listening and watching this afternoon, including one from the EAO Region!
Brazilians are not the only ones touring these parts at the moment - or wanting to. no doubt. It is the desire of many a Salesian to meet Don Bosco's successor 'at home', and to see, too, the places where Don Bosco traipsed. In a moment of healthy distraction this morning during liturgical celebrations, the EAO Regional was meandering through some dreams and realities of this kind from our region - which he later passed on. When he (the Regional) left the islands of Samoa on 22nd May, the newly appointed and first indigenous Rector of the community in Apia said to him "My dream is to meet the Rector Major in person there, and to visit the holy places of Don Bosco". May that dream be one day realised. The Rector Major's call to Salesians to 'return to Don Bosco' can also mean that. Parts of our Region are the furthest geographically possible, but perhaps also culturally, from Turin, Rome. It is good that this summer, the Region is represented by a number of groups who will take or have taken to the paths of Piedmont and Monferrato as pilgrims of the Salesian charism. The writer is aware too of other individuals who will do similarly. This is a news item, not a simple travelogue, so don't feel left out!
In May we saw a group of Indonesians, with their Filipino Salesian parish priest from Don Bosco Parish, Jakarta visit Rome, Turin and Tibi Dabo (Spain) to discover their Salesian roots. And in these very days, 55 teachers from the first Salesian Institute in Macao, founded by St. LouisVersiglia, are celebrating the Centenary of that Salesian presence by visiting Rome to thank the Rector Major for his presence amongst them earlier this year. They go on through Italy and France to various places of Don Bosco. Yesterday they saw the original autographed copy of Don Bosco's famous 'Barcellona' dream envisioning the Salesian presence in China.
July will see a group of Korean Salesian Pilgrims - PC2004 in Korea asked that all confreres after 15 yeaars of vows have the chance to visit the Salesian holy places. This first group to take up that desire, a group of ten, will be led by their Vice Provincial Fr Bonetti, and the outgoing student, first graduate from our Region of the new two year course in Spirituality at the UPS, Fr Paul Na. He gained his MA in Spirituality just two days ago. There will be others, too from Australia and elsewhere in the region, who will meander these paths of the Father and Founder over these months.
In his Good Night, the Rector Major announced that the 26th General Chapter effectively commences as of today, and invited all Salesians to 'return to Don Bosco', not just by nostalgic meanderings and through oft-repeated slogans, but by studying and knowing Don Bosco in his context and applying him in our context - by taking up his apostolic passion once again. He did this in the context of this week's announcement of the appointment of Cardinal Bertone as Secretary of State, the coming week's proclamation of another 60 plus Salesian Martyrs as 'Beati', and the future (by 25th November) proclamation of Mamma Margaret as Venerable.
GLOSSARY
Big Rig: a 'rig' is a large articulated vehicle, truck.
traipsed: to walk or trudge about - implies a laborious effort.
___________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm A separate service entirely is called F/OSSERVATORE to help us keep abreast of trends in the digital world.
Of minstrels, marvels and meanderings on the Rector Major's Feastday
ROME: 24th June 2006 -- Q: Is it his birthday? A: No - that is 20th December, close to Christmas. Q: Then, is it his name day? A: No, with a name like Pascual, that sounds more like Easter. Q: Then why today, 24th June? A: because this was Don Bosco's name day and has been the traditional feastday for the office of Rector Major ever since, the day on which the Congregation comes together around the person who succeeds him.
And so it has been - a day of marvels and minstrels too, on a hot Roman summer's day. As I write, a truly international group, representing the worldwide Congregation has just come away from an inspiring hour of song by Salesian minstrel - but also Provincial of Recife - Pe. João Carlos Ribeiro and his young troupe of guitarists and vocal accompaniste. As the Rector Major said at the conclusion, this is evangelisation of a powerful kind and of a truly traditional Salesian kind. João travels his country in a 'Big Rig' with entourage, able to stop anywhere and perform - what a way to make a Provincial visitation! And there were nine so-called neophytes in that game listening and watching this afternoon, including one from the EAO Region!
Brazilians are not the only ones touring these parts at the moment - or wanting to. no doubt. It is the desire of many a Salesian to meet Don Bosco's successor 'at home', and to see, too, the places where Don Bosco traipsed. In a moment of healthy distraction this morning during liturgical celebrations, the EAO Regional was meandering through some dreams and realities of this kind from our region - which he later passed on. When he (the Regional) left the islands of Samoa on 22nd May, the newly appointed and first indigenous Rector of the community in Apia said to him "My dream is to meet the Rector Major in person there, and to visit the holy places of Don Bosco". May that dream be one day realised. The Rector Major's call to Salesians to 'return to Don Bosco' can also mean that. Parts of our Region are the furthest geographically possible, but perhaps also culturally, from Turin, Rome. It is good that this summer, the Region is represented by a number of groups who will take or have taken to the paths of Piedmont and Monferrato as pilgrims of the Salesian charism. The writer is aware too of other individuals who will do similarly. This is a news item, not a simple travelogue, so don't feel left out!
In May we saw a group of Indonesians, with their Filipino Salesian parish priest from Don Bosco Parish, Jakarta visit Rome, Turin and Tibi Dabo (Spain) to discover their Salesian roots. And in these very days, 55 teachers from the first Salesian Institute in Macao, founded by St. LouisVersiglia, are celebrating the Centenary of that Salesian presence by visiting Rome to thank the Rector Major for his presence amongst them earlier this year. They go on through Italy and France to various places of Don Bosco. Yesterday they saw the original autographed copy of Don Bosco's famous 'Barcellona' dream envisioning the Salesian presence in China.
July will see a group of Korean Salesian Pilgrims - PC2004 in Korea asked that all confreres after 15 yeaars of vows have the chance to visit the Salesian holy places. This first group to take up that desire, a group of ten, will be led by their Vice Provincial Fr Bonetti, and the outgoing student, first graduate from our Region of the new two year course in Spirituality at the UPS, Fr Paul Na. He gained his MA in Spirituality just two days ago. There will be others, too from Australia and elsewhere in the region, who will meander these paths of the Father and Founder over these months.
In his Good Night, the Rector Major announced that the 26th General Chapter effectively commences as of today, and invited all Salesians to 'return to Don Bosco', not just by nostalgic meanderings and through oft-repeated slogans, but by studying and knowing Don Bosco in his context and applying him in our context - by taking up his apostolic passion once again. He did this in the context of this week's announcement of the appointment of Cardinal Bertone as Secretary of State, the coming week's proclamation of another 60 plus Salesian Martyrs as 'Beati', and the future (by 25th November) proclamation of Mamma Margaret as Venerable.
GLOSSARY
Big Rig: a 'rig' is a large articulated vehicle, truck.
traipsed: to walk or trudge about - implies a laborious effort.
___________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com Try out BoscoWiki to be interactive. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm A separate service entirely is called F/OSSERVATORE to help us keep abreast of trends in the digital world.
