4996(I)_Communion through communication

For the AustraLasia 5000

By Fr. Alfred Maravilla, SDB

PGS, 31 January 2019 -- When austraLasia was first launched after the social communications delegates’ meeting at Batulao many years ago, I considered it an interesting initiative but I was skeptical about it. “With greatest probability,” I told myself, “this will be again one of those beautiful initiatives that will just die a natural death.”

Thanks be to God I was wrong. Now we are about to reach the 5000th news item of Boscolink! It has become a wonderful way to foster a sense of belonging in a region known for its great cultural and linguistic diversity. This news service initially intended to foster communion in our EAO region has now gone beyond the geographical boundaries of East Asia-Oceania region.

I have been asking myself what made austraLasia / boscolink click? How did it become a by word in every Salesian community? There are many and various reasons, but I reckon that the most imporant are its simplicity and immediacy.

Thanks to this service EAO confreres are given the venue to narrate their own events in a simple way, in their own style even with typographical and grammatical errors. Because there is really minimum jounalistic standard, everyone feels free to share their own stories and local news events, thus creating a greater sense of awareness of the many happenings in our EAO region and an even greater desire to share with the confreres of EAO region many local events.

Since news items are published daily, there is a sense of freshness and immediacy to the news. We read as events are unfolding in a local setting.

As we reach the milestone of 5000th news item, austraLasia has shown us that communication is the priviledged way to foster communion not only in our EAO region but also in our our Provinces, local communities as well as in the wider Congregation.

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