austraLasia #1883
"We have to follow what the Gospel says....": the witness of a new missionary
LUANDA: 20th June 2007 -- Pedro Sachitula is just 25 years of age, from Angola. He comes from Chinguar (which can be written in various other forms), Bié province, where there were in fact no Salesians (there is a community in Benguela and one in Luena but these are miles away, even as the crow flies). Nevertheless Pedro was attracted to Salesian life in a way that Salesians the world over can attest to: the value of simple, direct literature... a well-illustrated life of Don Bosco, and the value of personal witness, even a go-between - how many have come to the Salesians via another person, perhaps another Religious of another Congregation (in Pedro's case a Sister).
Meet Brother Pedro Sachitula sdb, who is about to set off for Papua New Guinea on a missionary adventure - but not just a human adventure, romantic as all that may sound. Brother Pedro, it is obvious from the interview he gave to austraLasia, did not come down with the last rain shower. He represents an Africa that has known Christianity and Catholicism for centuries - think that the first diocese of Angola and Congo was established in 1596! We should not be amazed that Africa now sends missionaries, not only receives them. In fact Brother Pedro is the second African Salesian (the first being from Ethiopia) to be missioned to Papua New Guinea.
Brother Pedro made his novitiate in Mozambique in 2003. The 'lingua franca' there was Portuguese, but Pedro already demonstrates an extraordinary language capability. We could have conducted the interview in Italian ("I learned Italian during my novitiate"), but in fact we conducted it in English, a language he has 'picked up' during a three month stint in Nairobi and picked up well.
How is it that a 25 year old, who has done one year of his practical training in Luanda, is now heading for PNG - did he ask for that? "Well, my missionary vocation seemed already with me from the prenovitiate - visiting local villages where the Salesians were. I first thought of myself as an African missionary in Africa, but I wrote expressing my willingness to be available 'for mission', wherever. It was something I discussed along the way with my novice master, and after that with my Rectors". 'Rome' wrote back - would you be prepared to go to PNG? He said yes.
And what of family, so important in a young life, so important in African culture too? That question brought a pause, a moment of thought and, at that youthful age, a touch of wistfulness, but that was when Pedro said: "We have to follow what the Gospel says....and I am not the first young missionary to leave family and friends", but he acknowledged that it was not easy, yet his mother had encouraged him to follow God's call.
Brother Pedro Sachitula came to Rome first late last year to do the missionary preparation course and receive his mission cross in Turin. He has completed his visa applications and is due to fly out in a week's time. Our thoughts and prayers go with him.
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contactadmin@bosconet.aust.com . Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org. To contact austraLasia by voice on Skype, the Skype name is austraLasia1
"We have to follow what the Gospel says....": the witness of a new missionary
LUANDA: 20th June 2007 -- Pedro Sachitula is just 25 years of age, from Angola. He comes from Chinguar (which can be written in various other forms), Bié province, where there were in fact no Salesians (there is a community in Benguela and one in Luena but these are miles away, even as the crow flies). Nevertheless Pedro was attracted to Salesian life in a way that Salesians the world over can attest to: the value of simple, direct literature... a well-illustrated life of Don Bosco, and the value of personal witness, even a go-between - how many have come to the Salesians via another person, perhaps another Religious of another Congregation (in Pedro's case a Sister).
Meet Brother Pedro Sachitula sdb, who is about to set off for Papua New Guinea on a missionary adventure - but not just a human adventure, romantic as all that may sound. Brother Pedro, it is obvious from the interview he gave to austraLasia, did not come down with the last rain shower. He represents an Africa that has known Christianity and Catholicism for centuries - think that the first diocese of Angola and Congo was established in 1596! We should not be amazed that Africa now sends missionaries, not only receives them. In fact Brother Pedro is the second African Salesian (the first being from Ethiopia) to be missioned to Papua New Guinea.
Brother Pedro made his novitiate in Mozambique in 2003. The 'lingua franca' there was Portuguese, but Pedro already demonstrates an extraordinary language capability. We could have conducted the interview in Italian ("I learned Italian during my novitiate"), but in fact we conducted it in English, a language he has 'picked up' during a three month stint in Nairobi and picked up well.
How is it that a 25 year old, who has done one year of his practical training in Luanda, is now heading for PNG - did he ask for that? "Well, my missionary vocation seemed already with me from the prenovitiate - visiting local villages where the Salesians were. I first thought of myself as an African missionary in Africa, but I wrote expressing my willingness to be available 'for mission', wherever. It was something I discussed along the way with my novice master, and after that with my Rectors". 'Rome' wrote back - would you be prepared to go to PNG? He said yes.
And what of family, so important in a young life, so important in African culture too? That question brought a pause, a moment of thought and, at that youthful age, a touch of wistfulness, but that was when Pedro said: "We have to follow what the Gospel says....and I am not the first young missionary to leave family and friends", but he acknowledged that it was not easy, yet his mother had encouraged him to follow God's call.
Brother Pedro Sachitula came to Rome first late last year to do the missionary preparation course and receive his mission cross in Turin. He has completed his visa applications and is due to fly out in a week's time. Our thoughts and prayers go with him.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contactadmin@bosconet.aust.com . Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org. To contact austraLasia by voice on Skype, the Skype name is austraLasia1
