austraLasia 1359
Council approves conclusions from EAO Region study
ROME: 16th December 2005 -- The Rector Major and his Council have approved the exhaustive study they have made of the EAO Region since it came into existence in 2002. This study was done in the context of the study of all regions of the Congregation and in the light of the Rector Major's intentions, by now nearly complete, to visit all Provinces throughout the world to gain firsthand knowledge. A report on this study, with its conclusions, was drawn up in the October 'skeleton' meeting of the General Council and has now been approved by the plenary Council meeting several days ago.
The report notes the varying alterations to what has settled now as East Asia Oceania - over 40 years it has carried various titles, at one time, the various circumscriptions belonging effectively to a worldwide Anglophone region. The decisive moment in the new region was earlier this year at the Team Visit in Hua Hin: a true sense of region, growth in cooperation, and a clear wish for coordination were all expressed there and summed up in a statement of vision and mission.
An obvious datum of the region is that the Salesians are clearly 'missionaries of the young', be it schools, oratories, parishes, or so many other settings. There is a felt need for the Salesians so busily engaged, to live their consecrated lives as missionaries 'inter gentes'. When one looks at the Church and the Congregation in the region, one sees how diverse are the cultures and peoples, their religions or lack of it. Oceania, and Asia, is a huge sea of islands and continents and particularly in the latter area, Asia, the majority of cultures are ancient, profoundly religious, but not Christian.
Challenges there are, and these were highlighted in three groups : (1) Spiritual and charismatic - cultural, personal and institutional. Culturally, the danger is to be swamped in material and secular realities, forgetting the primacy of God. Personally, the danger is that of seeking social status - a state of life rather than a project of life. Institutionally, the tendency is noted of a weak, formal sense of belonging to the Congregation, a formation problem, really. (2) Pastoral and evangelising: culturally the danger of individualism, personally the danger of activism, and institutionally the danger of resistance to change. (3) Religious life and community: culturally the difficulty of expressing our consecrated life in a joyful, credible witness to the Gospel, personally, the temptation to justify cultural elements which do not sit well with our Salesian life, institutionally, the urgent need to redimension works to regain community life and quality service of the mission.
The response to these challenges is to take up the call from the Team Visit 2005 at Hua Hin: primacy of spiritual life, a planning mentality, a commitment to formation, growth in the sense of common endeavour for the mission. From these flow certain practical elements - strengthened spiritual life through lectio divina, community Eucharistic celebration, daily examen, reflection, sharing, prayer with the young; planning mentality achieved by way of the various projects - provincial, community, personal; formation strengthened through closer attention to Salesian study programmes (e.g. new course at UPS), study of Don Bosco and the charism, interprovincial cooperation, continued attention to formation at all levels; growth in common endeavour through use of social communication media (including austraLasia!), collaboration with personnel for China Services, solidarity between provinces, and support from the Centre for provinces with particular difficulties.
There is more, but that's the bulk of it!
___________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
Council approves conclusions from EAO Region study
ROME: 16th December 2005 -- The Rector Major and his Council have approved the exhaustive study they have made of the EAO Region since it came into existence in 2002. This study was done in the context of the study of all regions of the Congregation and in the light of the Rector Major's intentions, by now nearly complete, to visit all Provinces throughout the world to gain firsthand knowledge. A report on this study, with its conclusions, was drawn up in the October 'skeleton' meeting of the General Council and has now been approved by the plenary Council meeting several days ago.
The report notes the varying alterations to what has settled now as East Asia Oceania - over 40 years it has carried various titles, at one time, the various circumscriptions belonging effectively to a worldwide Anglophone region. The decisive moment in the new region was earlier this year at the Team Visit in Hua Hin: a true sense of region, growth in cooperation, and a clear wish for coordination were all expressed there and summed up in a statement of vision and mission.
An obvious datum of the region is that the Salesians are clearly 'missionaries of the young', be it schools, oratories, parishes, or so many other settings. There is a felt need for the Salesians so busily engaged, to live their consecrated lives as missionaries 'inter gentes'. When one looks at the Church and the Congregation in the region, one sees how diverse are the cultures and peoples, their religions or lack of it. Oceania, and Asia, is a huge sea of islands and continents and particularly in the latter area, Asia, the majority of cultures are ancient, profoundly religious, but not Christian.
Challenges there are, and these were highlighted in three groups : (1) Spiritual and charismatic - cultural, personal and institutional. Culturally, the danger is to be swamped in material and secular realities, forgetting the primacy of God. Personally, the danger is that of seeking social status - a state of life rather than a project of life. Institutionally, the tendency is noted of a weak, formal sense of belonging to the Congregation, a formation problem, really. (2) Pastoral and evangelising: culturally the danger of individualism, personally the danger of activism, and institutionally the danger of resistance to change. (3) Religious life and community: culturally the difficulty of expressing our consecrated life in a joyful, credible witness to the Gospel, personally, the temptation to justify cultural elements which do not sit well with our Salesian life, institutionally, the urgent need to redimension works to regain community life and quality service of the mission.
The response to these challenges is to take up the call from the Team Visit 2005 at Hua Hin: primacy of spiritual life, a planning mentality, a commitment to formation, growth in the sense of common endeavour for the mission. From these flow certain practical elements - strengthened spiritual life through lectio divina, community Eucharistic celebration, daily examen, reflection, sharing, prayer with the young; planning mentality achieved by way of the various projects - provincial, community, personal; formation strengthened through closer attention to Salesian study programmes (e.g. new course at UPS), study of Don Bosco and the charism, interprovincial cooperation, continued attention to formation at all levels; growth in common endeavour through use of social communication media (including austraLasia!), collaboration with personnel for China Services, solidarity between provinces, and support from the Centre for provinces with particular difficulties.
There is more, but that's the bulk of it!
___________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
