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austraLasia #2898
  

An extraordinary personal testimony

SEOUL: 2 August 2011 -- From 3-6 August, at Czestochova, Poland, an event will take place which is drawing people from all around the world, including from our Region: the 6th International Congress for the Mary Help of Christians Association (ADMA, as it tends to be called, based on the initials from the Italian term for this group). The Rector Major and his Vicar will be there as well. For those who are not so familiar with the group, it was amongst the groups founded by Don Bosco, when he first requested permission to establish it in the archdiocese of Turin in 1869.
    While what follows is not directly connected to ADMA as such - the group is only in its initial stages of growth in Korea, the testimony below comes from the pen of Fr John lee, who died at the beginning of 2010 and whose name has been featured a number of times in this newsletter. With the Congress now about to begin it just seems to be the right moment to offer this - it comes from a homily he gave, and not all the homily is included here, obviously:

"In Korea devotion to Mary Help of Christians is not as strong as devotion to her under other titles: Mary Queen of Peace, or Our Lady of Mercies. This is why, before I became a Salesian, I had neither heard of nor ever said the invocation: “Mary Help of Christians pray for us" that we Salesians would say at least three times a day.
    [Given the passage form the Wedding feast at Cana which we have just read] I could not but recall a brief story of my own vocation.    
   At the time I had come to understand the Lord was calling me, I had a wonderful experience of Mary Help of Christians. When I decided, with much joy, to set out on the path to becoming a Salesian, I suffered some anxiety about the fact that I needed to tell my mother about it! Since my father had died when I was 10, my mother had to struggle a lot so I could go and study medicine. Thanks to her many sacrifices, I was able to become a doctor. It was at that point that I could begin to help my mother and pay her back for the many sacrifices she had made without asking anything of me in return. this made it very difficult for me to tell her about my decision. In fact it was almost impossible for me to do so. I made many attempts but never succeeded because every time I looked at her, I lost courage. I also tried to tell one of my sisters to whom I was very close and could talk about many things with ease. But I couldn't even tell her! Three months went by without me saying anything.
    One wonderful day, when I went to see my sister, I stood there astounded, mouth open. My sister had already found out about my decision through a dream she had had the previous evening. (I would love to tell you that dream but I should not do so without talking to the Bishop first). However, my sister then told my mother about my decision by telling her of the dream. All my problems were resolved at that moment.
    However I had not worked out at that time that this was Mary Help of Christians at work until I heard, for the first time from my novice director that the vocation of every Salesian is tied to Mary Help of Christians.
   I had not asked Mary for her help. But Mary was aware of my problem and quietly helped me. This was the first experience I had had of Mary's help. It was such an important experience for me because through it I gained such a real image of Mary as the Lady who loved me very much. This enabled me to understand Mary as “Help of Christians” and I learned to adopt the attitude we must have when we help others: be attentive to their needs and ready to give them all necessary help. From then on I was able to speak with certainty to young people about the presence of Mary Help of Christians...
   Mary is not a special privilege just for Salesians. She is the Help of all Christians. But we Salesians are very grateful and sensitive to Mary as Helper. With this sensitivity Don Bosco chose Mary Most Holy as his inspiration, Mother and Teacher of his Congregation...
"

  _________________ 
 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2011 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org

List of Articles
No. Category Subject Views
72 KOR 3064_To all those who loved Salesian Father John Tae-Seok Lee, (1962~2010) 471
71 KOR 1554_Salesian High invites 54 past pupil priests, 1 bishop to join Golden Jubilee 474
70 KOR 3091_The '200' pilgrimage that combines martyrdom and Salesian renewal 474
69 KOR 3216_SOUTH KOREAN PROVINCIAL CHAPTER - KOR 475
68 KOR 0781_KOREA WINTER BIBLE CAMP FOR SEOUL REFORMATORY 477
67 KOR 2809_A Seminar for SDBs in perpetual vows 478
66 KOR 1860_Korea: new frontiers in youth ministry - Gang Won Support Counselling Centre 481
65 KOR 1386_International Youth Volunteer Service, Korea: 2006 482
64 KOR 0989_Korea: CSM publishing venture moving to new centre 486
63 KOR 2873_Heart-warming interview with Mother Apollinaris SCJ 486
62 KOR 2878_Korean Government's posthumous Award for Fr John Lee 486
61 KOR 2743_Korea Province preparations: Don Bosco, Don Rua 487
60 KOR 0780_KOREA AND JAPAN PROVINCES COMBINE FOR YOUNG PRIESTS' SEMINAR 488
59 KOR 2351_Eight Day Basketball Tournament in Kwangju draws large crowd 490
58 KOR 3177_Korea-Japan Quinquennium Meeting 492
57 KOR 2028_Don Bosco Youth Ministry Centre in Korea now afloat! 494
56 KOR 1839_Today's novice is still 'connected'! 497
55 KOR 2838_Seoul: Salesian Family Spirituality Day 497
» KOR 2898_An extraordinary personal testimony 499
53 KOR 1674_Korean missionary fires up Friends of the Sudan Mission in Seoul 500
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