28 Salesians and the Provincial Council members

By Fr. Peter Chinh, SDB

Thai Binh, Vietnam. 6 September 2017 -- The Salesians started their missions in Vietnam more than half century ago [1952]. Nevertheless, political situation forced them to move to the South of Vietnam. There they continued to grow in terms of local vocations and works. The event of unification of the country reduced their services under the new atheist regime [1975]. However, they have restarted their presences in the North of Vietnam since 2001 under various services like teaching in the major seminary [Ha Noi], assisting pastoral ministries in parishes and later on, assuming parishes.

Their presences have been multiplied into 9 presences with 28 Salesians to date. In 2016, the first community was canoncially erected. And recently, the Rector major and his Council approved or gave the “sanatio” to the 8 presences to become “non canonically erected communities” which are somehow autonomous, each with three perpetually professed members.

With the initiative of the Provincial, a kind of mini-chapter was held in the Pastoral Center of Thai Binh diocese with 28 Salesians [4 brotherly and 22 priestly Salesians] and the Provincial Council. In two and half days, they examined thoroughly their community lives, vocation ministries, forms of oratories and the vision of future development of Salesian works and services in the North. As a conclusion, they came to some specific lines of action and an ‘ad experimentum’ structure to assist the animation and solidarity of those Salesian presences.

They pray that with God’s blessing, the lives and services of those Salesians will grow charismatically as Don Bosco desired in his spiritual sons.

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