EAO Good Night Talk (14)
May 1, 2015
Welcome to EAO Region, Fr. Ángel!
Dear friends and confreres,
Just yesterday morning we welcomed for the first time the new Rector Major in our Region of East Asia – Oceania at the airport of Port Moresby! Welcome, Fr. Ángel!
After three months of China province visitation I have embarked with the Rector Major on this 20 days visit. Fr. Ángel arrived to Papua New Guinea and will spend three weeks (April 30-May 17) between Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand and Australia, including three countries never visited by any Rector Major.
His predecessor Fr. Pascual Chávez shared eight years ago: “From a geographical point of view the place most distant from Rome is somewhere in the Region of East Asia – Oceania. I was able to verify this for myself during my journey to Australia and Samoa in 2004. It was the first Samoan Rector, who was absent at the time of my visit, who in May 2006 expressed as his dream: “I would like to visit the holy places of Don Bosco, and at least once in my life meet the Rector Major personally...”… For some Provinces their last visit from a Rector Major had been as much as 24 years ago. There were also some places where no Rector Major had ever been at all, like the Solomon Islands, Pakistan, Mongolia, Laos, and Fiji” (Acts of the General Council n.397, February 2007). We are grateful, that Fr. Ángel during GC 27 has accepted the invitation to visit in the EAO first the peripheries of the Congregation. Within next three weeks he will meet only 100+ Salesian Brothers and Priests living far from each other in the Pacific Ocean.
What does mean for us this first visit of the 10th Successor of Don Bosco in our EAO region? First of all besides the joy and festive atmosphere we approach Fr. Ángel as sons meeting their father to share with simplicity our life and listen to his sharing as well. He asked to have enough time (2 hours) for meeting the Salesians in each country. Secondly it’s a good opportunity for us to deepen the sense of belonging to the world SDB community (Constitutions art.59). Last but not the least it’s also a good chance to share with the Rector Major the lasting fruits of the DB200 Year of Grace! Welcome!
Beside the Rector Majors personal secretary Fr. Horácio Lopez (Argentina) there is also with us the ANS video producer Fr. Jacob Iruppakkaattu (India). The presence of social communicator is a good help for sharing daily at the Boscolink (www.bosco.link) and ANS as well. It’s also a good opportunity for the Salesian Mission Day 2016 video with focus on Oceania. In each of six countries some Salesians and lay mission partners will be interviewed about the initial proclamation of Jesus in their daily life.
I wish you a fruitful month of May, month of Mary!
In Don Bosco
Fr. Václav Klement, SDB
EAO Regional councillor
Thanks for your message.
Just a reminder that there is another ISLAND in the Province of Australia-Pacific... It's called Tasmania, and it's usually overlooked or forgotten... The Salesians here are at the PERIPHERY, the outskirts of the Province. It's very rare for Salesian visitors to come here; so we always have to become visitors to the Australian mainland...
Regards to Fr Angel. Enjoy the Pacific paradise!
Fr Frank Bertagnolli SDB
(Ex provincial of Australia (based now in Tasmania, Glenorchy - Rector of the most southern EAO community)
Thank you Father Klement to update us on all the good news of East Asia - Oceania
We share with you the joy of welcoming the Rector Major in the Pacific region ..
I am sure that the presence of the Rector Major will strengthen the bonds of unity ' and communion among the members of the salesian Family and the growth of the charism in the south East Asia . I am now in Portugal and I assure you may prayer to Our Lady of Fatima and I entrust your mission .
sr. Paola Battagliola, FMA general councilor
(ex provincial of TIN, Timor Leste-Indonesia)