austraLasia #2873
 
Heart-warming interview with Mother Apollinaris SCJ

SEOUL: 16 June 2011 -- Brother Hilario Seo has offered the full text of an interview with Mother Apollinaris, the Mother General of the Sisters of the Charity of Jesus (SCJ) also known in English as the Caritas Sisters, or the Caritas Sisters of Jesus. They were formally known as the CSM or Caritas Sisters of Miyazaki, but that name altered officially several years back.  The Annuario Pontificio does not include initials after their title, which possibly means that they would alter according to language (SCG in Italian, SCJ in English).  Hilario is of the view, and we would back this, having read the entire text, that the interview, [accompanied as it is by excellent high resolution photos as could only be expected from someone such as Hilario], would be of interest to Salesian Bulletin editors in the Region and beyond.  If that is the case, get in touch and I'll send you text and photos.  In the meantime, here is a taste of the contents.....

The interview stands out for the warmth and openness of this superior general and, it follows, of the Sisters. One senses the renewal, the attachment to the Salesian charism, the expansiveness (and the expansion) of the Sisters' vision and action. They describe their mission in terms of "words and works but especially a life of proclamation of and witness to God's merciful love for everyone, especially the poor and suffering".  They draw their inspiration from St John Bosco and St Vincent de Paul.
    The SCJ have spread widely throughout the world. They are currently in 13 countries, about to extend to a 14th (the entirely new national of South Sudan) and have many vocations from a 15th (Vietnam). They are currently in Japan, Korea, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Philippines, PNG, China, Australia, the US, Germany and Italy; iIn fact the Generalate is now in Rome. This month the Sisters gain their first PNG-born Sister - a blessing after 25 years working in PNG, in Port Moresby, nearby the Salesian administrative centre.
    Mother Apollinaris warmed especially to the question regarding challenges and opportunities for the SCJ in the world today. She speaks especially of the drama of loss of hope represented by suicide, the incidence of which is so high in Japan and Korea that the Bishops' Conferences of both nations have addressed it as a central theme.  Mother Apollinaris says the Sisters wish to project a culture of Love, Life and Vocation in these two nations, particularly where young people are beset by a materialistic culture of success which is ultimately doomed to failure.  The Sisters confront this problem in many ways through their work with families and the poor and suffering.
    Asked about the Salesian Family, Mother Apollinaris marvels at the fruitfulness of the Salesian charism as represented by its 28 official groups, and highlights the importance of the annual Strenna from the Rector Major as an inspiration and plan of action. Recently she brought all of her superiors together in Rome and brought them to the Rector Major so they could hear his words as Don Bosco's successor.  It is through their belonging to the Salesian Family and also by their being located now in Rome that they gain a sense of the Church's universality and can think and breathe with the Church. Mother Apollinaris took part in the Synod on the Word of God and found this very enriching for the same reasons.
    She noted the cooperation that is especially evident in Latin America (she cited Bolivia and Brazil) amongst member groups of the Salesian Family, and in the same breath mentioned the close work between the SCJs and SDBs in Japan.
     Now the Sisters are looking forward to their new presence next year in South Sudan. They have asked their entire Congregation to be part of this venture, to form an international community. They will commence by drawing five sisters from various countries, and will work side by side with other member groups of the Salesian Family already established in Southern Sudan.
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