By the CIN Salesian Vocation Office

Hong Kong, China, 19 October 2020 -- The COVID-19 pandemic has brought both challenges and opportunities to Hong Kong, especially for the Salesian Vocation Office in CIN. It forces us to stay at home avoiding the spreading of COVID-19, and it also forces us to change to a new style of entering the digital platform. More than 20 students, coming from our Salesian Schools and Parish, join our Salesian Vocation camp once a month regularly. The Theme of the year is to know more and learn intensely about the holiness and virtues of our Salesian Saints, especially Bl. Artemide Zatti, St. Louis Versiglia and St. Dominic Savio. Before introducing the saints, there is a simple online game to let the participants know each other or to warm up before entering the main activities. Then they divide into small groups and read the life stories of the saint through articles and video clips, get to know the virtues, and encourage the participants to imitate them in their daily lives. An half hour online Eucharistic adoration is followed to provide opportunities praying together with the youth, and finally a Good Night Talk is given to conclude the online meeting.

The Salesian Vocation Office have made the first attempt at having a monthly Salesian Vocation gathering on 16 October via Zoom. This time focused on the charity of Bl. Artemide Zatti, by sharing the stories of how he had treated the poor and the needy on the street spontaneously and being compassionate for them. From his daily schedule, we can see how he responded as much as he can to the vocation of God in his daily life, just simply to fulfill his duties as a nurse caring for the sick.

Fr. Antonio Leung, the Vocation Promotor of CIN, emphasized in the good night talk that the source of Zatti’s charity is from his intimate love for Jesus, which helps him to put God before everything. Zatti started a new day with prayer which gave him strength and motivation to be an instrument of God taking care of his patients. Fr. Antonio also mentioned a similar example from the newly beatified young saint, Bl. Carlo Acutis, who firmly believed that Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist, established a website and collected Eucharistic miracles around the world. As a child, Carlo believed that other than the Holy Eucharist, the rosary is the most powerful weapon to fight against the devil. So he devoted himself to the Mother of God and prayed the Rosary daily. Finally, Fr. Antonio encouraged everyone to attend daily Mass and to visit more the Blessed Sacrament more frequently in the chapel of their own school.

Since there are still COVID-19 confirmed cases locally and some with unknown infection sources in Hong Kong, online meetings still remained the medium for encountering the young and for Vocation Promotion. This new form of gatherings help us, the Salesians, to acquire the skills and knowledge of having a dynamic youth activity online, and to keep in contact with the young who are looking for their vocation. But surely it cannot replace face-to-face encounter. So hopefully sooner or later our Salesian Vocation camp can be reactivated to meet the young face to face!

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