By Bro. Hilario Seo, SDB
Taean, Korea, August 27, 2015 - The 15th Provincial Chapter was held in the Salesian Retreat House in Neri, on the cost of the middle west of the peninsula from 24th to 27th of August, 2015. The Chapter was attended by 30 SDB delegaters, 1 SDB observer and 9 from salesian family groups (2 from FMA, 6 from the 3 Provinces of the Caritas Sister of Jesus and the Provincial Coordinator of the Salesian Cooperator).
The opening started with a Mass at 3pm. The significance of the Chapter was once again ruminated by the homily of the provincial, Fr. Stefano Yang, who had invited the participants to spur brotherhood and make the gathering a time of sharing.
The time to establish the structure of the Provincial Chapter immediately followed. First was the approval of the rules of Provincial Chapter which was to be adopted. The Provincial Chapter's rules were made basically in 1994 and revised every time in the chapter meetings, so no further corrections were approved this time. For the moderator was proposed Fr. Bosco Park, Rector of Sinan Dong seminarian community, in Kwangju by the Provincial and the assembly elected him.
In the night session of the first day the Provincial had presented his report on the situation of the province. Within several priorities, he mentioned are the betterment of the confreres’ quality of the intercultural ability, strengthening the support system of the missions, realization of the oratory through new social media, strengthening the vocational ministry, promoting the youth voluntary system and structural enforcement of the SYM.
On the second and third day all participants dedicated to work on the themes of the 27th General Chapter's resolution in their application to the provincial life. The members who were divided into four commissions, each worked for making the bills based on the contributions from the communities. In the early afternoon of the third day all the bills proposed and adjusted by the four commissions and assembly passed unanimously.
Followed the presentation of the issues on the provincial community life. Some proposed contribution by the confreres and communities were brought before the plenary session and distributed into each commission.
On the last day the assembly had approved two resolutions regarding provincial community life, such as the making of the TF team for the youth migrant ministry and the animating to organize local as well provincial level of the youth autonomy committee for the proposal of their opinion to the Salesian ministry in proper levels. Then followed by free chatting. They were given their own chances to freely speak their thoughts considering the improvement of the provincial community life.
It finished earlier than the expected time in the morning and ended with a Holy Mass at 12 noon of 27th August. The Provincial in his homily praised the Regulator, Fr. John Jeong and the Moderator for the successful meeting, expressing his gratitude to all members who had showed cooperation and brotherhood in the accomplishment of such endeavor.
