austraLasia 910
Australia: Rector Major busy with confreres, young people, Salesian Family.
His message - 'Launch into the deep'!
MELBOURNE: October 18th '04 -- The first visit of the current Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva, to the Australian province is now mid-stream. Within a few hours he crosses the date-line to the east, to arrive in another part of the Province, Samoa, before returning through Sydney, onto Darwin and then on to the Vice province of East Timor. The entire visit has been characterised as a visit of animation, of listening and also of celebration.
The Rector Major spent his entire first day in a listening mode with the Provincial Council, followed on the Saturday by a day spent with the Council and the Rectors of the Province. Fr Chávez has made it a point to meet with Rectors wherever he goes, recognising the importance of leadership at the level of local communities. On this occasion Fr Chávez spoke at length on aspects of Salesian Religious Life and the leadership of the Rector. There was time for sharing between all present.
On Sunday, Fr Chávez blessed and opened the new Province Centre of the Salesian of Don Bosco at Ascot Vale, a suburb to the north west of the city of Melbourne. This was very much a Salesian Family occasion. Before the blessing, he expanded on the meaning of this word and its symbolism: 'God has been very good, full of kindness...he has made fruitful the Salesian presence in Australia, so that from here it has reached out to Samoa and Fiji; He gives us today this new Province Centre'. He went on to explain that 'this Centre is called to be a true house for all the confreres, lay collaborators and guests. May they always feel at home! (It is to be) a model of the religious, educative and pastoral community we want to build in every Salesian presence, a centre of the missionary zeal that should identify all members of the Salesian Family'. He reminded those present that Don Bosco's message, if he were present, would be a missionary message - Go forth into the deep, get into your boats, do all things in a new way.
The Monday morning, 18th, saw Fr Chávez at inner city Brunswick where the Salesians have a large youth centre and hostel. Here he met with young leaders who have already taken up his challenge in a programme of 'accepting life, experiencing God and serving others' based on the 2004 Strenna and to be implemented throughout 2005. The leaders and the adults accompanying them came from Salesian Centres throughout the province.
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'austraLasia' is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia-Pacific. It functions also as an agency for ANS, based in Rome. Try also www.bosconet.aust.com Are you aware of the famous ´promise of charity´ on 26th January 1854? These days it would be a suitable reflection for 'Australia Day', also celebrated on 26th January each year. For further comment cf Lexisdb
