By Fr. Carlos Cheung, SDB
Vocation director CIN province

Hong Kong, 22 August 2016 -- Four Aspirants, two senior aspirants (=after graduating secondary school) and two junior aspirants (=still secondary school students, form 6) came last Sunday, August 21st to Aberdeen Technical School for their regular weekly meeting.

Joseph, Andrew, Steven and Moses: four young men, two Don Bosco Past Pupils (Hong Kong and Macau), one student of Don Bosco school in Hong Kong, three of them members of the SYM (Salesian Youth Movement).

What does attract them to follow Jesus in the foot steps of Don Bosco? How do the young Catholics become Salesian Aspirants? How do we journey together in order to help them to listen to the call of God?

Many answer to these questions emerged during a simple one hour dialogue - meeting with Fr. Klement during the ordinary animation visit in Hong Kong. ATS (Aberdeen Technical School) became recently a place of reference for our Aspirants for many young men interested in the Salesian Consecrated Life. Some of them help in the boarding section assistance, some are coming for regular meetings.

First attraction to Don Bosco is usually through the person of our Saint or through some Salesian Brother or Priest who attracts with his loving kindness in daily life - during the school time or youth ministry programs like recollections, pilgrimages, World Youth Day or other SYM activities.

Our Aspirants need a lot of attention. We try help them with spiritual guidance, self-knowledge, stronger prayer experience, catechesis and service opportunity. Coming together as a small group for monthly or weekly vocation gatherings is always very helpful. Not only in Hong Kong, but also in Macau and Taiwan we try to develop the 'Vocation Office' to offer the same encounter experience to the young people around us!

We ask your prayers for the young people - aspirants - as well for all those Salesians involved in accompaniment!

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