austraLasia #2771
Vietnam's Missionaries
HCM City: 19 December 2010 -- Two years after the Mission Councillor's (Fr Klement) first visit to Vietnam in that capacity, he has returned to lead five full days of animation in that province, given the fact that there are already 61 Vietnamese Salesian missionaries at work around the world.
The visit (which actually took place in November, but you will appreciate that your correspondent is still catching up with major news items after a month's lay-off for health reasons!) focused on two separate presentations of the 7th Mission Day celebrations in Vietnam, one at Dalat (300 km from Ho Chi Min City, 150 participants) and the other at the Provincial House in Xuan Hiep, HCM City (300 took part there). These events involved all young Salesians in initial formation, along with representatives from every community and the seven Salesian Family groups.
The Provincial Commission presented something on all 61 missionary confreres: their country of destiantion, new frontiers in the Centre and North of Vietnam where the province is founding new presences patiently, especially amongst ethnic groups, from Kontum to Lam Son. Novices and postnovices both presented a simple theatrical item on mission ad gentes.
At the conclusion of each of these Provincial Mission Day events room was offered for thanks to the parents of 75 missionaires ad gentes, who had come to Dalat and Xuan Xiep.
The Province mission animation commission, led by the vice provincial, Fr Thomas Long, also the Rector of the Postnovitiate at Dalat, has carried out an evaluation of the discernment, preparation and accompaniment of young missionaries who have gone out since 1999 from the Province, and who are now spread across 5 continents. This meeting has emphasised in particular the need for greater teamwork amongst each sector of the Salesian mission (YM, SC, Missions) and Formation, particularly mission formation for young confreres. Gradually they hope to begin a Volunteer experience and something for other youth groups.
The visit to the four formation houses (33 prenovices, 39 novices, 56 postnovices, 39 theology students) and meetings with 550 aspiring young university students were carried out in dialogue form with the Councillor. Some of their questions included:
What difficulties are the (Vietnamese) missionaries facing abroad? And how to face them?
If I fulfill the basic conditions for a missionary vocation, at what moment (stage of formation) should I decide?
What is the advantage of the Salesian Brother's presence in the missions?
Why does the Salesian always want to be a missionary ad gentes and not missionary at home? (a prenovice's question!)
Your personal feelings, when starting out on missionary life in Korea; how did you feel God’s call?
In our situation of atheism and materialism in Vietnam what advice can you offer us? How can we face these two realities?
After some years missionaries get tired and want to come back. What to do?
If the vocational and missionary culture is a main dynamic of the Church, why are the more mature consecrated Salesians not more serious about their missionary call and why are the majority of the missionaries leaving after the post-novitiate and not later on?
I have zeal for the missions, but I’m not sure about my missionary call, it’s about 50:50. Why not a trial period, to test it out for few years to verify my missionary call?
Some missionaries return after facing difficulties, it’s sad. How we can send lay people as missionaries, it’s not about escape?
To be amongst the people, inculturated in the local situation is very important for the missionary's credibility. Some concrete steps for the path of inculturation?
The mission is not only to bring the Gospel to poor countries with social development, education. What about the mission in a country like the Netherlands?
Salesian Brothers are more suitable for the missions in some situations, are making difference. Can you share with us what is their advantage?
What is more urgent, ad gentes mission abroad or mission amidst our own, our own people?
(About Project Europe? There is no deep understanding, explaining the main goals and motivations).
At the conclusion of one of the events, a missionary's mother had this to say: “We offered our children to God, and the Salesian superiors care about them. We are very happy to be part of the family, we are proud of our sons and we pray for them daily, because they are contributing to the growth of the Church worldwide”.
Countries where the 61 Vietnamese missionaries are present (2010, November)
Africa – Angola, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Middle East (MOR)
Asia – Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Mongolia, China – Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Pakistan
Europe – France, Hungary, Italy (including Lituania), Albania,
America – Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, Mexico
Oceania – Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands)
_________________
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 contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2010 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Vietnam's Missionaries
HCM City: 19 December 2010 -- Two years after the Mission Councillor's (Fr Klement) first visit to Vietnam in that capacity, he has returned to lead five full days of animation in that province, given the fact that there are already 61 Vietnamese Salesian missionaries at work around the world.
The visit (which actually took place in November, but you will appreciate that your correspondent is still catching up with major news items after a month's lay-off for health reasons!) focused on two separate presentations of the 7th Mission Day celebrations in Vietnam, one at Dalat (300 km from Ho Chi Min City, 150 participants) and the other at the Provincial House in Xuan Hiep, HCM City (300 took part there). These events involved all young Salesians in initial formation, along with representatives from every community and the seven Salesian Family groups.
The Provincial Commission presented something on all 61 missionary confreres: their country of destiantion, new frontiers in the Centre and North of Vietnam where the province is founding new presences patiently, especially amongst ethnic groups, from Kontum to Lam Son. Novices and postnovices both presented a simple theatrical item on mission ad gentes.
At the conclusion of each of these Provincial Mission Day events room was offered for thanks to the parents of 75 missionaires ad gentes, who had come to Dalat and Xuan Xiep.
The Province mission animation commission, led by the vice provincial, Fr Thomas Long, also the Rector of the Postnovitiate at Dalat, has carried out an evaluation of the discernment, preparation and accompaniment of young missionaries who have gone out since 1999 from the Province, and who are now spread across 5 continents. This meeting has emphasised in particular the need for greater teamwork amongst each sector of the Salesian mission (YM, SC, Missions) and Formation, particularly mission formation for young confreres. Gradually they hope to begin a Volunteer experience and something for other youth groups.
The visit to the four formation houses (33 prenovices, 39 novices, 56 postnovices, 39 theology students) and meetings with 550 aspiring young university students were carried out in dialogue form with the Councillor. Some of their questions included:
What difficulties are the (Vietnamese) missionaries facing abroad? And how to face them?
If I fulfill the basic conditions for a missionary vocation, at what moment (stage of formation) should I decide?
What is the advantage of the Salesian Brother's presence in the missions?
Why does the Salesian always want to be a missionary ad gentes and not missionary at home? (a prenovice's question!)
Your personal feelings, when starting out on missionary life in Korea; how did you feel God’s call?
In our situation of atheism and materialism in Vietnam what advice can you offer us? How can we face these two realities?
After some years missionaries get tired and want to come back. What to do?
If the vocational and missionary culture is a main dynamic of the Church, why are the more mature consecrated Salesians not more serious about their missionary call and why are the majority of the missionaries leaving after the post-novitiate and not later on?
I have zeal for the missions, but I’m not sure about my missionary call, it’s about 50:50. Why not a trial period, to test it out for few years to verify my missionary call?
Some missionaries return after facing difficulties, it’s sad. How we can send lay people as missionaries, it’s not about escape?
To be amongst the people, inculturated in the local situation is very important for the missionary's credibility. Some concrete steps for the path of inculturation?
The mission is not only to bring the Gospel to poor countries with social development, education. What about the mission in a country like the Netherlands?
Salesian Brothers are more suitable for the missions in some situations, are making difference. Can you share with us what is their advantage?
What is more urgent, ad gentes mission abroad or mission amidst our own, our own people?
(About Project Europe? There is no deep understanding, explaining the main goals and motivations).
At the conclusion of one of the events, a missionary's mother had this to say: “We offered our children to God, and the Salesian superiors care about them. We are very happy to be part of the family, we are proud of our sons and we pray for them daily, because they are contributing to the growth of the Church worldwide”.
Countries where the 61 Vietnamese missionaries are present (2010, November)
Africa – Angola, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Middle East (MOR)
Asia – Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Mongolia, China – Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Pakistan
Europe – France, Hungary, Italy (including Lituania), Albania,
America – Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, Mexico
Oceania – Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands)
_________________
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 contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2010 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
