Mini Congress of Brother Salesians in Vietnam
Vung Tau, Vietnam, 9 March 2018 -- The Brother Salesians of Vietnam held a mini-Congress at the Cistercian Retreat Center on March 8-9, 2018. Most of the Brother Salesians attended except 4 who could not because of their health condition. The presence of the oldest Brother Salesians [=seventy up!] as well as the newest ones [one-two years of profession] as post-novices [10!] created an inexpressible atmosphere as they shared two days together with prayers, seminar sessions, sharing and planning as well as sport on the beach!
They reflected on the document The Identity and Mission of Religious Brothers in the Church in line with its presentation given by Fr. Joseph Nguyen Thinh Phuoc SDB. The questions they had received ahead bore fruits with many positive feedbacks, deep reflections that showed the personal conviction and profound happiness in their lives as Brother Salesians.
As the only priest Salesian present in this mini-Congress, I felt honored and very happy to see how our Salesian Brothers are convinced in their life-choice to be consecrated persons, educators and pastors in the charism of Don Bosco and as brothers among brothers. They are really the living Iconswith their brotherhood and the necessary reminder of the core values that characterize the disciples of Jesus the Savior, as well as His mission of service. The disciples were not only friends of Jesus but also were given a new title after their Master had suffered and risen from the dead: "Go, tell my brothers that I am going back to my Father and your Father!"
Do I have to go through the death and resurrection of Christ to get the precious experience as brother of Jesus? Do I have to go through such a profound experience to come to understand the value of the brotherhood that our 62 brother Salesians are living with very deep conviction and are making a great contribution to the mission of the Province? I left this mini-Congress with these troubling questions raised to my life and my mission.
