austraLasia #1717

Korea's Young Salesians Seminar - Return to Don Bosco

SEOUL: 19th December 2006 -- Some 50 young Salesians took part in a 'return to Don Bosco' theme for their annual Winter Young Salesian Seminar in Seoul from 15-17 December.  The group included 10 aspirants, 10 prenovices, 8 novices, 9 postnovices, 11 practical trainees and 5 students of theology.  The event now has a twenty year old history, and quite apart from a universally felt need to offer suitable formation opportunities of this kind during initial formation, a specific need has been felt in Korea over the years due to the fact that all young Korean Salesians attend the Catholic University's philosophy and theology centres in Kwangju and Seoul, and so there is a need to balance this experience with a home-grown, specifically Salesian experience.  The seminars are held twice a year, the summer sessions centring on youth ministry, while the winter sessions centre on Salesian consecrated life.
    The chief resource person for the winter seminar was Fr Paolo Na Myong Ok, recently returned from Rome.  Fr Paolo is one of the first graduates of the two year MA course in Salesian Studies.  His input on this occasion dealt with Don Bosco's spiritual journey, especially as seen through the MO and other of Don Bosco's writings.  For all participants it was a fresh and indeed a new opportunity for understanding the heart of Don Bosco, his Da mihi animas, and his spiritual growth over many years.
    The seminar was also enriched by a showing of the Korean version of the 2004 Don Bosco movie, in two sessions thanks to EBC (Korea's Educational Broadcasting Centre), a government agency, who saw to the translation.
    A final piece of good news from Korea is that all seven candidates for the Catholic University in Kwangju have passed their exams and will be admitted to the Aspirantate on 1st January 2007
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