By Fr. Carlos Cheung, SDB

Macau, 11 October 2016 -- The first Vocation Camp in Macau has been organized by the newly established Macau Vocation Office to promote Salesian consecrated vocation. The camp is the first of a series of ongoing personal accompaniment camps with spiritual direction and a variety of activities to be organized once every two months to promote vocation culture.

The first camp was held from 8 to 9 October 2016 at Yuet Wah College. 12 participants came from two Salesian schools - Yuet Wah College and the Salesian Mother house, Instituto Salesiano. The theme of the camp is “Follow Jesus. Imitate Don Bosco. We accompany the young”.

The organizers, Salesian Scholastics Peter So and John Lou, with the coordinator of the Macau Vocation Office, Fr. Joseph Chow, aim at helping the participants to discern their Salesian vocation by fostering their identity as young leaders.

The programme began with soccer, prayers and dinner. The theme activity focused on understanding the Salesian mission and was followed by spiritual direction and night prayer. The second day started with community morning prayers and breakfast. Then all the participants joined the Lectio Divina session led by Sc. Lou. Having meditated on the Sunday gospel, the participants were eager to share their experience of personal encounter with Jesus.

The camp was concluded with the Holy Mass celebrated by the Vocation Director, Fr. Carlos Cheung, and concelebrated by Fr. Francis Lau and Fr. Joseph Chow. During the Mass, Fr. Cheung shared that vocation discernment begins with reviewing our personal history by understanding the gifts and talents bestowed on us by God, and that our personal talents are best discovered and shared among the young people in our sodalities, youth groups and parishes. Moreover, he stressed that having a spiritual director is important for the discernment of our vocation to confirm whether we are called to pursue the Salesian mission.

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