By Our Own Correspondent

Mandalay, Myanmar, 24 July 2016 -- With the arrival of our EAO regional started the extraordinary visitation of our Vice-province in the heart of Myanmar, the royal city of Mandalay. At the arrival he was received by the 25 vocation trainees in the Don Bosco Youth Center in Mandalay, the city where our first presence started 77 years ago.

The Myanmar Viceprovince of Mary Help of Christians (established in 2004) builds on a long history going back to the missionary dreams of Don Bosco about Burma and to the first SDB presence since 1939. In few months time the Salesians expected the second historical visit of the successor of Don Bosco to their mother house in Anisakan.

At present the Viceprovince has 72 confreres, half of them still in initial formation, 61 SDB present in the country and 11 students abroad (1 in Rome and 10 in the Philippines). There are only 4 canonical communities and more than other 6 not-yet-canonical presences in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. This year there are 5 novices and for the first time all students of theology study abroad (Philippines and Melbourne). The young province send already two missionaries ad gentes to the Rector Major.

The extraordinary visitation aims at strengthening of communion with the Rector Major and the whole world wide community. In the morning of 25th July the Visitor met the provincial council and started the Mandalay presence (4 SDB) visitation. After the fast opening of the country after 2011 also the Church and the Salesians are trying their best to answer to the needs of the young people.

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