Fr. Ángel – Tenk yu tru! Tangio tu mas! Vinaka! Fa’afetai! Kia ora! Thanks!
By Our Own Correspondent
The Rector Major returned home to Rome after his longest trip of 22 days to the six countries of Oceania. Tired and happy, keeping firsthand experience of the most distant places and confreres of the Congregation from Rome. Thank you Fr. Ángel!
In his first ten month of travels to the various provinces of the Congregation, Rector Major already visited 25 countries and met some 2600 confreres. In past three weeks 10th successor of Don Bosco met 40 SDB in PNG, 7 SDB in SI, 15 SDB in Fiji, 10 SDB in Samoa, 4 SDB in New Zealand and 50 SDB in Australia. He visited two communities in PNG, two in SI, one in Fiji, 1 in New Zealand and five in Australia. Fr. Ángel met two prime ministers (PNG,SI) and 12 bishops in six countries – a good chance to have a deep insight into the social and ecclesial situation of the Pacific countries.
Rector Major had a direct interaction with thousands of Bosconians in our schools: PNG – DBTI, DBTS and Caritas Technical School; SI – Tetere RTC and Hendersson DBTS; Samoa – DBTS Alafua and DB Saleleloga; NZ - St. Paul and St.Marys School in Auckland and in Australia – Sunbury Salesian College & St. Joseph College. Eucharistic celebration and encounter with our parishioners in Sabama (Port Moresby-PNG), Tetere (Solomon Islands), Leauvaa and Saleleloga (Samoa), Massey and Avondale (New Zealand) and St. Margaret (Melbourne – Australia) offered Fr.Ángel quite deep insight in the ecclesial and cultural dynamics of Oceania. A memorable visit to the Correctional services in Grove (Honiara-Solomon Islands) and encounter with Australia Salesian youth movement animators remains deep in his heart as well.
It was a first historical visit of the Rector Major to Solomon Islands, Fiji and New Zealand. It was a truly animation visit – through his straightforward, deep and open dialogue in the encounters with the confreres – Fr. Ángel was able to touch the hearts, steer the spirit and open the minds. We report just few immediate feedbacks from the Salesians in six countries of Oceania:
Papua New Guinea
I felt really very close to Don Bosco, when the Rector Major, Fr. Angel came and stayed with us personally here…. it was a great grace and a renewal of our love and commitment for Don Bosco. In particular, the students really felt that Don Bosco was tangibly present in their midst, especially through his informal ways of desiring to reach out and make contact with individuals and groups. It was really a once-in-a-lifetime concrete and touching experience of Don Bosco being in our midst!
Solomon Islands
As I look back, the visit of Fr.Ángel to the Juvenile wing of the Correctional Home at Rove (Honiara) was indeed the highlight of the visit… I was surprised that it was a very lively interaction and an excellent response from the youngsters as well as cooperation and welcome from the prison guards and above all the superintendent. They did go out of their way to give us a good experience. Thank you Fr. Ángel above all for your patience and love and for spending time with them. Yes, indeed there was suffering but also a deep human touch, Faith and Hope....
Fiji
The Rector Major’s visit to our community in Suva established a firm and close link, a bond with the center of the Congregation. It was the first time we formators, and especially our young confreres from the Pacific, met and have been in such close contact with the father of the family to which we belong. This means a lot for the Pacific islanders. That short time together was one of excitement, joy, affection, gratitude and great pride to be Salesian.
Samoa
Meeting the Rector Major in person it’s really a blessing for me. Talking to him and listening to him, well I could feel Don Bosco's presence. The 3 days of his visitation in Samoa I feel very blessed. I have never been to Rome but sharing with him actually brings Rome in to my small world. He is a very down to earth kind of person that's very easy to approach. He brings alive the experience of Don Bosco to our young people to explore. When I saw him rowing the long boat DB200 together with the youngsters wearing a shorts and his smile actually brings comfort to us. Thank you Fr Angel Fernandez for you visit to our shore. May Go continue to bless you and ever more!
The Visit of the Rector Major to Samoa was a great time of blessing and Grace for all of us Samoan, especially when the Samoan confreres were the most distant from where the Rector Major, the successor of Don Bosco dwells. It was a wonderful time for us, his daughters and sons to share and to hear from him, our spiritual father and leader. His very physical presence spoke million words to us all. The way he engaged himself with the children, the young and the old, the way he greeted and met people was a telling factor to all of us. His enthusiasm and joy to meet and to share his message with us showed that he really wanted to be here with us. He was truly - "like Don Bosco, with the young, for the young." This is something that will imprint in us for the rest of our lifes. The wonderful memories of his presence will last forever. Apart from meeting and sharing with our Rector Major, his visit to Samoa is a great opportunity for us salesian FMAs and SDBs to strengthen our commitment and to be challenged to lead young people of Samoa to Jesus through St. Don Bosco's vission for the young. It leaves us with plenty to reflect and to act upon.
"Did not our hearts burn with us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the sciptures" - This is truly how we felt when the Rector Major left Samoa. We felt something within us; something stirring us within by the words he said and preached, and by the deeds he did, while he was with us. Not only our hearts burned with us but we also strongly felt his absence. We felt fatherless when he left. However, the Rector Major's spirit is very much alive and present among us.
He is a real father to us salesians and to all the young people of Samoa that he met!
New Zealand
With the visit of the Rector Major, there is a renewed enthusiasm and vitality in the Auckland Salesian parishes. His visit brought us together in a very special way. So also in the eyes of the people who did not know much about Don Bosco, the visit has made an impact of being a worldwide Congregation at the service of the youth…. We extend out wishes and prayers to the Rector Major. He has captured the minds and hearts of the people of Massey and Avondale. They talk about his simplicity, simple language and yet challenging homily and constant reference to the various ethnic diversity and the Bishop.
Australia
I was very impressed with Fr Angel. He personified Don Bosco completely.
The way he meet and greets people is outstanding. He is a man of prayer. This reflects quite clearly in liturgical moments as well as in his actions. He is genuine, open and honest person. It was so good of him to share the good things and the challenges of the Congregation to the SDB gathering. That is what we need: openness, honesty, brotherly spirit, and deeper spirituality. Fr Angel left many examples to follow.
Tenk yu tru (Tok pisin-PNG)!
Tangio tu mas! (Tok pisin-SI)!
Vinaka (Fijian)!
Fa’afetai! (Samoan)
Kia ora! (Maori-New Zealand)
Thanks! (Aussie)
3624_Launching the Salesian Cooperators Vocation in the Pacific!
3622_Founding of the National Federation of Salesian Past Pupils
from FIJI - reached just after publishing this article
Certainly! It is truly a time of grace for all of us. We, the Suva community are still coming to term with such a blessed and a happy filled event. Everyone is amazed and awed with the way in which the Rector Major come to us. We feel so much connected to the Rector Major and the rest of the congregation. I personally feel the warmth and the love of the Rector Major, and because of that I feel encouraged to look to the future with confidence and assurance.
I particularly admire the way the Rector Major come to us and talk to us. It was very fatherly, brotherly and friendly. I expected a more professional and diplomatic sort of visit since this is the first time for any Rector Major to visit Fiji but it was down to earth and much more family approach - like father visiting his sons.
Last but not the least, his plan for works/ministry for our community and his promise commitment to assist us, further demonstrated his love and support for us and our work here in FIJI. As I said before, we feel like spoiled sons of Don Bosco.
To end, I would like to thank you sincerely for your help as well. It would not be this good if was not for your hard work and sacrifice. We wouldn't be able to understand and express our feeling and needs if was not for your tireless effort to translate them. So thank you so much. We are looking forward to seeing you in the near future.