Rector Major's last full day in Timor Leste
Dili, Timor Leste, 4 February 2018 -- The pre-last day, February 4, 2018 of animation visit of Rector Major to Timor Leste filled with two important programs, one in the morning and other in the afternoon. In the morning, Rector Major presided the Sunday Mass in the parish of Mary Help of Christian. As days before, this Sunday, the faithful people of God increase, not only because of many heard about “the charisms of Don Angel” but because the news good of God proclaimed by Fr. Angel really touch in their heart. After his homily, Rector Major received and congratulated the 24 new promised of Salesian Cooperators. The new fully-fledged Cooperator members are from Venilale 10 persons and Dili 14 persons. There are three centers of ASC in Timor Leste with total members are 101 and tens sill in probationary (aspirants). According to their regulation, the period of initial formation lasts for two years, during which a person discerns God's call to become a member. Upon completion of the two years, the candidate is inducted by making The Promise, a commitment to live the life of a Salesian Cooperator forever.
Rector Major meets with the Rectors
In the afternoon, according to the schedule, Rector Major have a meeting with all the 11 Rectors of the communities in the province. In the meeting Rector Major asked about the vision of the ITM, specifically about Timor Leste. According to Rector Major the situation of the province four years after the GC27, not very serene, but with his personally visits, he feels more serene about the reality today in the province, and God willing, the province have a wonderful future with so many possibilities. Rector Major shared some important issues to the Rectors:
The important way of living in Salesian life and mission
"We need to make sure that the way of living the Salesian life and mission today is the following: the time of the great missionaries is over and I don’t see among the rectors anymore missionary. And the path of the province is going in a mature way ahead. So you need to care a lot about the community life and our communion. More important than our work is to have a communitarian working style that will change our mission".
The important of accompaniment
"How many of you have practical trainees? All of the houses! We should not just ‘distribute’ them among the houses. The young confreres are entrusted to you in order to help them grow in their vocation and mission. We need to help with good accompaniment. We need to show more our own way of being educator and evangelizers in a Salesian style, take care more about the community life and strengthen the formation process. God willing next year you will have more than 60 confreres in initial formation. If we do well formation, in next 6 years without any other issues, the Vice-province can have more than 40 new SDB! That means to loose only 35% and the 65% will remain. Your number speaks about many possibilities. But more important is the style of the new Salesians. We need to put more energies into this. We can’t allowed anymore Salesians without passion, wanting to live a comfortable life. Yes, the diocesan life style is a different one. We need to do all the best to dedicate ourselves completely to the young".
The important option for the poor
"Never forget the poor young people in our houses. What I observed in these days, we are living and working among humble and poor people. Attention: economic difficulties should not put into your hearts that we should change just for survival. We need to look for funds. There should be a charismatic agreement on our destinataries within the whole ITM.
The province should think in fraternal dialogue and with RM & his council and to reflect, what new path of mission we can dream in the future! If we leave two-three works to the bishops, where do we would like to go? There are possibility of maturing some concrete new projects. But the vision should be clear – how to help the poorest. Yes, we don’t’ need to reject the parishes, but should be the missionary once. The education possibilities should be our priority, like VTC and/ or schools, Oratory or Youth Center, youth groups and SYM. Yes, you need to work our criteria."
The importance of the Salesian Bulletin
"What is the importance of the Salesian Bulletin? Yes in Timor Leste the SB is very important! BS should become an important instrument in our mission, a door to get know our Salesian mission and vocation promotion tool. But with 300 copies of the SB we can’t do much. We need to study how to do it cheaper with larger distribution, also with possible help from the whole Congregation.
In the conclusion Rector Major called to the Rectors to be loving kindness to the poor people: “You have the great treasure of simple, humble and many poor people around you. You need to welcome them with a much of Salesian loving kindness, not to solve all of their problems. But we can’t to treat them as ‘animal herds’. Be careful for some of them, first the father and only then God. If you miss humility and your clericalism makes a lot of hurt and damages".
