AGANA (Guam): 27th February 2005 --  It's been a special weekend for the Archdiocese of Agana (Guam, North West Pacific), as Catholics young and old gathered at the Guam Marriott for a two-day retreat. Event organizers say over 350 participants joined together for an opportunity to interact, grow and learn in matters of the faith and vital issues. The retreat directors from off-island include Al Vu, who was among thousands of South Vietnamese who fled their country after the fall of Saigon in 1975, and Fr Joe Boenzi.  Both are Salesians from the Western USA Province.
    Vu and his family were rescued by a U.S. Navy ship and were among thousands of Vietnamese nationals temporarily housed in refugee camps on Guam before being relocated to the U.S. mainland.  Now Vu has had a chance to return to Guam and both he and Fr Joe have been able to bring a little of the Salesian spirit with them.

    The Salesians are already in the Pacific Islands, beginning with the largest of the islands, in the sovereign state of Papua New Guinea, then in Solomon Islands (moving East), Fiji and finally Samoa; South-west Pacific, then.  Invitations to go further north have been frequent, but it is always a case of manpower and politics, the latter in the sense that Guam particularly is an unincorporated territory of the USA - hence the occasional Salesian connection from that direction, and probably the invitation to 'go West' which must ring bells of almost mythical dimensions in Stateside ears.

    Guam is part of the Marianas island chain and is the largest and southernmost of that group.  The indigenous people, the Chamorros, have experienced Spanish, Japanese and American presence over a period of some 500 years.  But at least a quarter of the population is also of Filipino descent.  In fact Cory Aquino, erstwhile president of the Philippines, recently visited Guam and herself spoke to gathered teens there of the values that had been uppermost in her life and of the importance of prayer.  Fr Joe and Al Vu now add to the distinguished company experienced by the lucky youngsters of Agana.