austraLasia #3190
ULAAN BAATAR: 8 February 2103 -- In AGC 397 some years back, the Rector Major was noting the founders and pioneers of the EAO Region, and included the names of those of more recent times who had beguan a Salesian presence in countries such as Pakistan, Mongolia, Fiji....
Here below, Fr Carlo Villegas, one of those so named, reflects on the 12 years since he was the first Salesian to establish a firm footing on Mongolain soil. Excerpts of this reflection are found here, not the whole text.
When I received my "obedience" from Fr Odorico and blessings from Fr Vecchi to lead the founders of the mission in Mongolia, I began deliberately to filially seek out a way to meet the remaining (living) Salesian pioneers of my country of origin (Philippines). In the last winter months of the Jubilee year (2000) on the North American west coast, I sought out Fr. Anthony DiFalco and met him in a nursing home in California. In the early days of February 2001 a day before my entry into Mongolia I was was privileged to be brought to "Braga House" in Hong-Kong... and meet Fr. Mario Acquistapace. Bent with age, he listened to what "good news" I was eager to tell him. "Father Mario, tomorrow we enter Mongolia." Upon hearing this his eyes filled with tears and he said 'this too was our dream. This too was Don Bosco's dream'. I then asked him to write a note on a holy picture that I could carry with me as an encouragement for what lies ahead. He wrote on a holy picture of Pope Paul VI, "(mama) Maria, will be with you." And indeed she was, is and will be.
At 3:45 pm our Mongol Airlines (MIAT) Airbus wheels "touched down" at Buyant-Ukhaa airport (Mongolian: Буянт-Ухаа нисэх онгоцны буудал)* in the coldest capital city of the world, Ulaanbaatar (The Red Hero), outer Mongolia. The temperatures then were nothing compared to nowadays.
My beloved "chaperones" (they would leave me behind two days later) then were Fr. Odorico and Fr. Ty, my new Provincial now that this mission was entrusted to the Salesian Jurisdiction of Vietnam. And after the brief introductions to the mission by some missionaries I was left to live in the mission center for a while whilst preparing our place, our school, our educational mission work. For us Salesians, we Educate by Evangelizing and we Evangelize by Educating. This implies that a new Evangelization requires a New Education.
....
To my knowledge... I have prepared the school to the best of my God-given formation and experience (with 11 years as technical student at DB-Makati, 11 years as a Salesian-Educator-Priest in the making in DB Canlubang, DB Mandaluyong, DB Paranaquel; and my first mission territory as a very young priest – 7 beautiful years in Papua New Guinea)
To my knowledge... my confreres then, now and in the future will always have a place warm enough to keep the presence of St. John Bosco thawed and unfrozen if they have enough means to pay the bills.
To my knowledge... my Mongolian proficiency is our 'corporate' lacunae which I hope and pray, may someday be realized and filled.
After twelve and a half winters, nearing 500 Mongolian Youths have passed through the doors of our home, eleven graduation ceremonies, from thirty (2001) to three hundred (2012) Mongolian students per year, from seven to sixty staff, from a Russian 'cold-war' military Forgon van to a Hyundai Hybrid, from a "domboo" (colloquial for stupid) to clearly a "Дон Боско, хатуу шуударгаа гэвч маш сайн сургуул. Манай Монголд энэ шиг хэрэгтэй" (Don Bosco, very strict and honest, but is a very good school. Our Mongolia needs more of this kind). Tengerburkhan (God of the heavens and of earth) is good.
......
I always told the students and staff and parents, "It is useless to gain knowledge and skills without moral values. Let us produce not only students with a high school diploma. Let us produce not only students with a technical skill. Let us produce also honest, truthful, respectful, hard working and grateful citizens of Mongolia." ...and it all begins with a good foundation of educators in good homes (parents) and good schools (educative staff).
The secret?... I come to realize that people, young as well as older ones, do not reflect much. If we all did... reflect, the possibilities for transformation are limitless. Even the first pillar of the Preventive System is Reason. Rationality in the very human conscience is open to truth, to goodness, to transformation.
From plus 40 hot temperatures in summer to minus 40 deep freeze temperatures in winter... a non-issue even for people like me born in the tropics. Our subsistence in the great steppes of the central plains of Asia, should serve as a myth-buster for naysayers since freezing climates are not Waterloos for mission. You should try listening to our confreres in Siberia. Yet my baptism into subzero 45 degree celsius was very real when I had to go by foot and public transportation to and from my 5 month stint at Mongolian language school. But the warm reception of the Mongolian youth and elders to the truth and goodness within themselves makes it worth all the while for a Salesian to prepare the seed bed for their own generations to come to embrace the fullness of Truth and Goodness in the very Person whom Khublai and Temujin a.k.a. Chinggis Khaan called prophetically as Tenger (Burkhan).
Its humbling to be chronicled in history specially from the Rector Major... yet at great risk and responsibility when one's main task is simply to live up to what the Baptist said... That He must increase, and I must decrease. I believe we ought to have more courage to implement the “correct” and “unified” charism at all cost... learning from the past twelve years, not ever again to be compromisingly soft to the clamor of a few who demanded their individualism.... and in the end, are sadly lost. May the Lord and St. John Bosco grant us mercy.
When all things failed to unconvince my superiors, I asked Fr. Odorico why on earth he choose me to be the founder among founders, he said... "because you're crazy." ...'nuff said. :)
I tried. Viva JMJ! Christo Rey!
* If your computer does not read Cyrillic this and other phrases will be 'garbage' in computer terms.
12 years to the day - a missionary reflects
Here below, Fr Carlo Villegas, one of those so named, reflects on the 12 years since he was the first Salesian to establish a firm footing on Mongolain soil. Excerpts of this reflection are found here, not the whole text.
When I received my "obedience" from Fr Odorico and blessings from Fr Vecchi to lead the founders of the mission in Mongolia, I began deliberately to filially seek out a way to meet the remaining (living) Salesian pioneers of my country of origin (Philippines). In the last winter months of the Jubilee year (2000) on the North American west coast, I sought out Fr. Anthony DiFalco and met him in a nursing home in California. In the early days of February 2001 a day before my entry into Mongolia I was was privileged to be brought to "Braga House" in Hong-Kong... and meet Fr. Mario Acquistapace. Bent with age, he listened to what "good news" I was eager to tell him. "Father Mario, tomorrow we enter Mongolia." Upon hearing this his eyes filled with tears and he said 'this too was our dream. This too was Don Bosco's dream'. I then asked him to write a note on a holy picture that I could carry with me as an encouragement for what lies ahead. He wrote on a holy picture of Pope Paul VI, "(mama) Maria, will be with you." And indeed she was, is and will be.
At 3:45 pm our Mongol Airlines (MIAT) Airbus wheels "touched down" at Buyant-Ukhaa airport (Mongolian: Буянт-Ухаа нисэх онгоцны буудал)* in the coldest capital city of the world, Ulaanbaatar (The Red Hero), outer Mongolia. The temperatures then were nothing compared to nowadays.
My beloved "chaperones" (they would leave me behind two days later) then were Fr. Odorico and Fr. Ty, my new Provincial now that this mission was entrusted to the Salesian Jurisdiction of Vietnam. And after the brief introductions to the mission by some missionaries I was left to live in the mission center for a while whilst preparing our place, our school, our educational mission work. For us Salesians, we Educate by Evangelizing and we Evangelize by Educating. This implies that a new Evangelization requires a New Education.
....
To my knowledge... I have prepared the school to the best of my God-given formation and experience (with 11 years as technical student at DB-Makati, 11 years as a Salesian-Educator-Priest in the making in DB Canlubang, DB Mandaluyong, DB Paranaquel; and my first mission territory as a very young priest – 7 beautiful years in Papua New Guinea)
To my knowledge... my confreres then, now and in the future will always have a place warm enough to keep the presence of St. John Bosco thawed and unfrozen if they have enough means to pay the bills.
To my knowledge... my Mongolian proficiency is our 'corporate' lacunae which I hope and pray, may someday be realized and filled.
After twelve and a half winters, nearing 500 Mongolian Youths have passed through the doors of our home, eleven graduation ceremonies, from thirty (2001) to three hundred (2012) Mongolian students per year, from seven to sixty staff, from a Russian 'cold-war' military Forgon van to a Hyundai Hybrid, from a "domboo" (colloquial for stupid) to clearly a "Дон Боско, хатуу шуударгаа гэвч маш сайн сургуул. Манай Монголд энэ шиг хэрэгтэй" (Don Bosco, very strict and honest, but is a very good school. Our Mongolia needs more of this kind). Tengerburkhan (God of the heavens and of earth) is good.
......
I always told the students and staff and parents, "It is useless to gain knowledge and skills without moral values. Let us produce not only students with a high school diploma. Let us produce not only students with a technical skill. Let us produce also honest, truthful, respectful, hard working and grateful citizens of Mongolia." ...and it all begins with a good foundation of educators in good homes (parents) and good schools (educative staff).
The secret?... I come to realize that people, young as well as older ones, do not reflect much. If we all did... reflect, the possibilities for transformation are limitless. Even the first pillar of the Preventive System is Reason. Rationality in the very human conscience is open to truth, to goodness, to transformation.
From plus 40 hot temperatures in summer to minus 40 deep freeze temperatures in winter... a non-issue even for people like me born in the tropics. Our subsistence in the great steppes of the central plains of Asia, should serve as a myth-buster for naysayers since freezing climates are not Waterloos for mission. You should try listening to our confreres in Siberia. Yet my baptism into subzero 45 degree celsius was very real when I had to go by foot and public transportation to and from my 5 month stint at Mongolian language school. But the warm reception of the Mongolian youth and elders to the truth and goodness within themselves makes it worth all the while for a Salesian to prepare the seed bed for their own generations to come to embrace the fullness of Truth and Goodness in the very Person whom Khublai and Temujin a.k.a. Chinggis Khaan called prophetically as Tenger (Burkhan).
Its humbling to be chronicled in history specially from the Rector Major... yet at great risk and responsibility when one's main task is simply to live up to what the Baptist said... That He must increase, and I must decrease. I believe we ought to have more courage to implement the “correct” and “unified” charism at all cost... learning from the past twelve years, not ever again to be compromisingly soft to the clamor of a few who demanded their individualism.... and in the end, are sadly lost. May the Lord and St. John Bosco grant us mercy.
When all things failed to unconvince my superiors, I asked Fr. Odorico why on earth he choose me to be the founder among founders, he said... "because you're crazy." ...'nuff said. :)
I tried. Viva JMJ! Christo Rey!
* If your computer does not read Cyrillic this and other phrases will be 'garbage' in computer terms.
