austraLasia 1427
RM in Chennai: contemplatives, or burnt out in action?
CHENNAI: 3rd February 2006 -- As colourful as it all may be, the real purpose behind a visit of a Rector Major to a Province is to 'confirm the brethren' in their faith, in Don Bosco's charism, and in their action nurtured by both. India is particularly well organised in terms of Salesian communications, and within the short space of a few hours of the Rector Major's arrival the news reports have been streaming in. In the face of it all austraLasia has made a strategic choice. We'll keep you up to date with what he is saying, since in the end, and especially for those reading beyond India, that is what will be most enduring and most useful.
In Chennai, on arrival at 9.30 this morning, the message to the 250 gathered confreres was a now familiar theme: "Renew yourself with passion, passion for God and passion for humanity". He was saying this in the nation with the second largest number of Salesians in the world, and in a nation that has taken its place as a world power. "Love and learn about Don Bosco more and more", he told them, and put in a plug for the confreres of Italy who came to know and understand and love Don Bosco and exported this knowledge and love elsewhere in the world. "Read the Memoirs of the Oratory at least once a year", he said, "not as a chronicling of the past but a testimony to the future". He also reminded them they have an historic responsibility - no longer to receive missionaries but to send them. He quoted the example of a country like Holland which has almost no vocations these days but Dutch confreres are to be found working in provinces all over the world.
The most solemn words were a warning - while complimenting Indian confreres on the work they had achieved and were achieving, he cautioned them about a clear and present danger: instead of being contemplatives in action, we get burnt out in action. That way we lose motivation and become mere social workers.
Meanwhile Fr Joaquim D'Souza was into a little action of his own - flagging off 15,000 kids taking part in a mammoth centenary rally! The public certainly saw a very public message as the rally participants moved from the Marina to St. Bede's school grounds where the party would just be beginning....
RESOURCES
For the first time in English - talk by Fr Aldo Giraudo sdb on keys for interpreting the Memoirs of the Oratory from the point of view of DB's view of family and its role. Scroll down to bottom right of Bosconet homepage. The MO itself is also available for download from Bosconet.
______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
RM in Chennai: contemplatives, or burnt out in action?
CHENNAI: 3rd February 2006 -- As colourful as it all may be, the real purpose behind a visit of a Rector Major to a Province is to 'confirm the brethren' in their faith, in Don Bosco's charism, and in their action nurtured by both. India is particularly well organised in terms of Salesian communications, and within the short space of a few hours of the Rector Major's arrival the news reports have been streaming in. In the face of it all austraLasia has made a strategic choice. We'll keep you up to date with what he is saying, since in the end, and especially for those reading beyond India, that is what will be most enduring and most useful.
In Chennai, on arrival at 9.30 this morning, the message to the 250 gathered confreres was a now familiar theme: "Renew yourself with passion, passion for God and passion for humanity". He was saying this in the nation with the second largest number of Salesians in the world, and in a nation that has taken its place as a world power. "Love and learn about Don Bosco more and more", he told them, and put in a plug for the confreres of Italy who came to know and understand and love Don Bosco and exported this knowledge and love elsewhere in the world. "Read the Memoirs of the Oratory at least once a year", he said, "not as a chronicling of the past but a testimony to the future". He also reminded them they have an historic responsibility - no longer to receive missionaries but to send them. He quoted the example of a country like Holland which has almost no vocations these days but Dutch confreres are to be found working in provinces all over the world.
The most solemn words were a warning - while complimenting Indian confreres on the work they had achieved and were achieving, he cautioned them about a clear and present danger: instead of being contemplatives in action, we get burnt out in action. That way we lose motivation and become mere social workers.
Meanwhile Fr Joaquim D'Souza was into a little action of his own - flagging off 15,000 kids taking part in a mammoth centenary rally! The public certainly saw a very public message as the rally participants moved from the Marina to St. Bede's school grounds where the party would just be beginning....
RESOURCES
For the first time in English - talk by Fr Aldo Giraudo sdb on keys for interpreting the Memoirs of the Oratory from the point of view of DB's view of family and its role. Scroll down to bottom right of Bosconet homepage. The MO itself is also available for download from Bosconet.
______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
