austraLasia 1514
ITM's second oldest Brother celebrates 'Silver' in style, at Tigaraksa
TIGARAKSA: 1st April 2006 --It is quite an achievement when a province can celebrate the 25th jubilee of a confrere and call him the second oldest in the province! Indonesia-East Timor (ITM) can actually claim a little more than that - it can also claim the highest number of Coadjutor Brothers in temporary vows in the region, 20 of them. It is a figure that could be checked against a single province in other regions too - the record just might stand. Other than the result of the good Lord's insistent call and the wonder of human response, this number of Brothers is undoubtedly due to the hard work of Fr Andy Wong as Provincial who systematically encouraged the growth of this vocational path.
But our Jubilarian, let's not forget him! Brother Ephrem Santos, Filipino form Manila, 19 years in the ITM mission, 12 of those in East Timor, 7 now in Indonesia. He is in charge of the vocational training centre at Tigaraksa and also a member of the formation community there, the prenovitiate. For the occasion of this celebration all 50 plus confreres in and around Jakarta, Tigaraksa, came together - and many other members of the Salesian Family, friends as well. The Mass was celebrated by the Superior of the vice province, Fr Calleja, and the 'guest' homilist for the occasion was the Regional Superior Fr Klement.
Brother Ephrem has always been known for his smile - for many other things too; he is no mean technical expert in a dozen areas, and a shining example of the best of the vocational path he has been called to as a Brother. Before the Mass concluded, Fr Klement decided on a brief dialogue which all could listen to, asking Bro. Ephrem a little about himself and what sustained him. His answer was simple: "There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13).
Following the Mass, the 'boys' from Tigaraksa presented Bro Ephrem's life in music and drama - by all accounts very witty and well able to highlight the smiling nature of the man. Bro Ephrem is a pioneer member of the Tigaraksa community. It offers, through its Skills Training Centre, a particular service to a predominantly Muslim area.
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AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
ITM's second oldest Brother celebrates 'Silver' in style, at Tigaraksa
TIGARAKSA: 1st April 2006 --It is quite an achievement when a province can celebrate the 25th jubilee of a confrere and call him the second oldest in the province! Indonesia-East Timor (ITM) can actually claim a little more than that - it can also claim the highest number of Coadjutor Brothers in temporary vows in the region, 20 of them. It is a figure that could be checked against a single province in other regions too - the record just might stand. Other than the result of the good Lord's insistent call and the wonder of human response, this number of Brothers is undoubtedly due to the hard work of Fr Andy Wong as Provincial who systematically encouraged the growth of this vocational path.
But our Jubilarian, let's not forget him! Brother Ephrem Santos, Filipino form Manila, 19 years in the ITM mission, 12 of those in East Timor, 7 now in Indonesia. He is in charge of the vocational training centre at Tigaraksa and also a member of the formation community there, the prenovitiate. For the occasion of this celebration all 50 plus confreres in and around Jakarta, Tigaraksa, came together - and many other members of the Salesian Family, friends as well. The Mass was celebrated by the Superior of the vice province, Fr Calleja, and the 'guest' homilist for the occasion was the Regional Superior Fr Klement.
Brother Ephrem has always been known for his smile - for many other things too; he is no mean technical expert in a dozen areas, and a shining example of the best of the vocational path he has been called to as a Brother. Before the Mass concluded, Fr Klement decided on a brief dialogue which all could listen to, asking Bro. Ephrem a little about himself and what sustained him. His answer was simple: "There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13).
Following the Mass, the 'boys' from Tigaraksa presented Bro Ephrem's life in music and drama - by all accounts very witty and well able to highlight the smiling nature of the man. Bro Ephrem is a pioneer member of the Tigaraksa community. It offers, through its Skills Training Centre, a particular service to a predominantly Muslim area.
_______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
