By Fr. Dominic Seong, SDB

UPS, Rome, 9 June 2017 -- According to the tradition and customs of the Rome-based EAO confreres, the first weekend of June after the arrival of our EAO regional councilor to Rome, most of us who study in the 'eternal city' gathered together at the UPS (Salesian Pontifical University).

This time 13 of the total of 18 EAO confreres - present in Rome gathered on Friday evening, to pray together, to get know each other, to share about their future, to get some fresh news from the EAO region and also to share the dinner with the community of Don Bosco (UPS, rector Fr. Diego Vanzetta, former Provincial of Brazil - Recife).

Indeed there is one professor of the UPS - Canon Law Faculty (Fr. Dung from Vietnam) and the students are distributed as follows: first cycle - BA degree: 3; second cycle - MA degree: 11 and third cycle - Ph.D. degree: 3.

We are coming from Vietnam (5), Korea (4), Indonesia (3), Timor-Leste (2), China - Hong Kong (1), Japan (1) and Myanmar (1).

The specialization of our EAO confreres in Rome are ranging from Theology (3), Philosophy (4), Dogmatic Theology (1), Catechetics (2), Canon Law (1), Youth Ministry (1), Social Communications (1), Salesian Spirituality (1) and Family Ministry (1).

We have been happy to welcome one very fresh newcomer - Fr. Daijiro Okamoto from Japan, who arrived just 3 days ago as well listen to the work in progress of some confreres who are about to conclude their study target in Rome very soon, like Fr. Mark Vum from Myanmar (June 26).

The prayer and sharing session was held in the Philosophy lecture room around the large puzzle - design of Don Bosco used during the EAO 2017 Team Visit in Hua Hin. Fr. Klement opened with recent Good Night Talk about the visitation in VIE (Vietnam-Mongolia province) and some news from the Region - like Malaysia mission frontier in Kuching (FIN), Tokyo EAO Congress of Salesian Cooperators. We were left with an open question - how to bring the rich experience of our studies in international communities in Rome to our home province?

As usual, the next similar meeting will be held 6 months later at the beginning of the winter plenary session of the General Council next December.

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