austraLasia

ALA_5332

Online meeting among Salesians: heart to heart!

EAO - Chieri San Luigi, 8 March 2020 -- Half way from Becchi to Valdocco we find the small town of Chieri, where Don Bosco spent 10 years of his life (1831-1841), from this secondary school until his graduation in the major seminary. Just like each Salesian community, also the Chieri Oratory of San Luigi with its adjacent High School and ministry to pilgrims coming to Chieri's holy places of Don Bosco, it experience its ups and downs. After a short period of crisis, when some consecrated Salesians left their vocation path, during the last 6 years this EPC (Educative and Pastoral Community has experienced a new spring, propelled by the zeal and generous commitment of the lay mission partners of Chieri with the coordination, formation and animation of their new Rector, Fr Eligio Caprioglio. The 5 EAO Salesians from Korea, Philippines South and China province were enriched by the enthusiasm and commitment of the Chieri Salesian Cooperators and Oratory volunteers!

As did Pope Francis for his Sunday Angelus (8 March), also the Salesians interested in these charismatic Oratorian dynamics have chosen a video-conference with the core group of the San Luigi Oratory EPC. One one side were 5 EAO Salesians, on the other side were 12 Lay mission partners. Thanks to the delicacy of their Rector, the 50 minute long online dialogue unfolded in a completely free atmosphere.

Among the twelve yellow uniformed Oratory 'Volunteers' - meaning youth leaders, animators, giving a hand in many ways: from catechesis, music ministry, soccer school, liturgy, drama animation, accounting and administration, shelter for the homeless people, to animation of the Don Bosco - Chieri pilgrimages - they represented more than 70 volunteers and dozens of young animators. An impressive mission volume of 25,000 pilgrims pass through Chieri every year and almost 400 young people who take part in sports, animation, catechesis, liturgy and services to the young. From the 84-year-old President of the Past Pupils to the 20+ year-old youth leaders, there is an amazing number of youth serving other youth and their parents who contribute to this Oratorian 'miracle'.

How do you attract the young people to the Oratory? How did you overcome the Oratory crisis? How does the weekly formation Sunday evening session work? - these and many other questions from the EAO Salesians were shared through the video conference. After an initial presentation of all conference participants, the Salesians got heart-warming responses from the Chieri Oratory lay mission partners.

Quite interesting 'secrets' of the Oratory dynamics emerged: Weekly formation model for animators is based on drama, Eucharistic adoration, sharing and joint meal (supper). In order to feed large number of volunteers weekly, there is another group of food service volunteers who willingly give their time and energy. Indeed the family spirit where everybody feels at home in the Oratory is the secret of the San Luigi mission. 'We give our hearts and mind' for the good of our children and young people' - this is the continuous refrain of the Salesian Cooperators (family based) who offer with generosity their life in their 'lavori forzati' (forced labour) for the good of Chieri youth. Lay people are highly committed, but without the animation and coordination of the Salesians SDB (8 members of Chieri community) this would be impossible.

After the hour-long video conference, Luca (one of the Chieri Cooperators) shares: 'We are grateful for this beautiful morning opportunity. For us it was an occasion to give testimony to our services. We feel happy and proud to be part of a larger project than our Chieri Oratory, for which we are called to respond with a Salesian heart and Salesian charism! A hug to all confreres of East Asia - Oceania region for the magnificent mission you are entrusted with!"

At the end of the video encounter all conference participants joined in one Hail Mary in Italian, ending with the blessing by Fr Domingos, Vice-provincial of China.