By Fr. Thomas Long, SDB
Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, November 7, 2015 - According already established tradition, at the beginning of November is being celebrate the Salesian Mission Day. Until last year the focus was on celebration and focus on the missio ad gentes, giving space for missionary experience sharing of some Vietnamese Salesian missionary working abroad. Since 1999 the VIE province sent for the missio ad gentes 108 missionaries, and 90 of them are committed in 36 different Salesian provinces around the world (83%). Among the 395 Vietnamese Salesians SDB the percentage of the ad gentes missionaries is a little bit more superior (=22,6%) compared to the Don Bosco 1888 'charismatic standard' of 20% Salesians being working in the missions.
In this 6 years period the focus of the Vietnam province is on fostering the home-mission towards the ordinary Vietnamese non Christian youth or towards ethnic minorities in the highlands of the country. For more effective impact of this event each of the five geogprahical zones of the province does organize its own SMD 2015. Indeed in Vietnam (90+ millions of population) the Catholic Church counts only for 7% of the population, there is a large field for the witnessing and initial proclamation of Jesus to the youth.
Some 130 Salesian Brothers, Priests and novices gathered in the morning of November 7th in the chapel of Ben Cat community in the downtown of Ho Chi Min City. The provincial commission for missionary animation (Head - Fr. Thomas Long) took care about the whole event.
After the initial Lectio divina was a Key Talk of the Vice-provincial, Fr. Joseph Am about the Evangelii Gaudium and Salesian missionary commitment followed a sharing of Fr. Provincial after his recent first visit to Mongolia Delegation. All participants were involved in the group workshop, invited to contribute to the provincial plan for missionary action (2015-2021). Five practical evangelization topics were commented by all participants - how to share the Gospel in our Oratory, Parish, non-formal education experience for the poor youth and in the Vocation Training Centers.
Very meaningful was the presence of Fr. Joseph Quang, SDB Provincial and all provincial council members, together with the UK-BOVA lay missionary volunteer Adrian (service for teaching English to our prenovices and young Salesians in formation). During the meal the novices performed a simple action song and one fresh graduate of UPS-Rome Youth Ministry MA degree course refreshed all with an outstanding Italian romantic solo.
Conclusion remarks were shared by the EAO regiona, being here on the animation visit. Following the post Don Bosco 200 dreams of the Rector Major, Fr. Klement underlined the need to rekindle the missionary fire of each Salesian in all communities, availability for the mission wherever requested by the Congregation or the Church. At the end was communicated also a special appeal for the Cambodia delegation missions with very few Salesian personnel at present time.
