By Fr. Andrew Nguyen Trung Tin, SDB
Darkhan Don Bosco Centre, Mongolia, 15 November 2020 -- All of us Salesians were 'born' in the Oratory at Valdocco', the motherhouse of our Congregation. When we say 'Oratory' we immediately imagine the wandering Oratory of young priest John Bosco in various places of Turin, finally after three years landing in Valdocco as we know today.
Darkhan Oratory here in Mongolia is actually the first activity of our mission here in Darkhan City, where the first two Salesians reached Darkhan in April 2005. We still treasure those memories of the origins (like Valdocco!) -
While the country was still covered by winter snow, white everywhere, we took a tour around the market and village roads. It seemed that no one see us because the people were inside their ger (=tent) or houses, the children were in school and only some dogs were barking and welcomed or scared us with their “woof woof woof!”
We started with a ball, we went to school where we had children, asking permission to play with the children, and the school manager allowed us to do so. We came in with balls and also with bags of candies. After getting to know them and becoming friends with the Darkhan youth, we became a babysitter for some kids around! Their parents entrusted their children to us to keep them safe until their return home.
After some time we invited them to our house, our Don Bosco house, that means they slowly became our friends in theDon Bosco playground, school and youth centre. In this way the children and youth learned the meaning of Oratory, the place for prayer, recreation and a house for them to stay, to be really themselves - like at home.
Now, after 15 years, the mission for the youth is still going on, even though some difficulties are there, but the Salesians with their lay mission partners, Salesian Cooperators, run the Oratory here daily - really 24/7. Although we don't have a gym, hall or proper place for indoor games or larger recreation rooms, we never stop the daily Oratory for the young.
I don’t know in how many places around the world the Salesians are running an Oratory like at Darkhan. Within the limits of the Mongolian social system, of the harsh weather, we are doing our best to be with the young - like during the summer heat (30 C) or 6 month long winter extreme cold, minus 30-40 C! Here with the terrible cold even the basketball can’t bounce anymore after some minutes outdoors - so you have to use all your strength of hand and arm to make it bounce and play! And actually the ball lasts only a few weeks and is destroyed fast, it bursts because of the cold! Such is the cold of a Mongolian winter!
But the young people come here daily with their friends, with their smiles, with their happiness for Oratory time. We also have a small library for them, music class, humanity lessons, farming during summer, outings, tours around the country, sometimes they allow us to go abroad with a message and our music and dancing group. Twice a month they have a formation session for youth leaders to foster a quality group experience. There is also an evening class for the poor youth, assisted by our staff and Salesian Cooperators. We also provide some food for dinner, cooked together by the youth and our staff, then after study time before returning back home one Salesian shares a Goodnight.
Now we have training for basketball, volleyball and football, the 'coaches' are some grown-up Oratory youth who in their turn now take care of their younger 'siblings'. On Saturday evenings after sport, the young people gather in front of our Mary Help of Christians statue to recite one Mystery of the Rosary and after the Goodnight there is send-off with some candies.
All of us Salesians in Mongolia are missionaries - once you are a foreigner, and not so young anymore, to follow the youth in the Oratory is physically really a big challenge, it's not easy: to assist running and playing, waiting at side of the playground for your turn without moving - you would be soon frozen! It's not easy for you to be outdoors during the whole Oratory time from 4:00 pm to 5:30pm daily or one hour more on the weekends.
Such is our life and mission here in the Darkhan Oratory: I am happy to be with our children and you can see their sad feelings, being cored without the presence of the Salesian among them! Here in Mongolia just to be (presence!) with the young is already a meaningful missionary action as my sacrifice and penance! Sometimes we Salesians wish to do many things, dream big - but our reality does not allow us so! Even our own confreres sometimes don't like the way we are doing it - since it seems like they do nothing! But if you ask the Darkhan young people around here what kind of Salesians they need - they can tell you!
Today, November 11th, due to the Covid pandemic some new virus cases are emerging in Mongolia, and we have to close almost all Don Bosco activities including the Oratory. It’s really heartbreaking news for the Oratorians!
May God bless the young people of Darkhan in Mongolia!
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達爾汗青年需要怎麼樣的慈幼會會士？
【慈幼通訊社 ─ 2020 年 11月 15 日蒙古達爾汗鮑思高中心訊】 ─ 我們慈幼會會士都在華道角慶禮院，我們修會的母院出生。當我們提起「慶禮院」時，便會立刻想到鮑思高神父年輕時，慶禮院流浪在都靈不同的地方，三年後終於落籍在我們今日所熟識的華道角。
今天蒙古達爾汗慶禮院，實在是我們在達爾汗市福傳的第一項事業。2005年4月，首兩名慈幼會士抵達當地，我們至今仍十分珍惜在這發祥地的種種回憶（好像華道角一樣！）
當整個國家仍被冬天的雪覆蓋時，四處一片白色，我們四出在市場及村莊的道路遊覽。外面看來沒有人，因為人們都躲在他們的帳幕或房屋裡，小孩則在學校，只有一些狗隻向我們發出「汪汪」的吠叫聲，似在歡迎我們，又或是在嚇唬我們。
我們以球類活動作開始，帶著孩子來到學校，請求與孩子進行球類活動，學校負責人允准了。我們拿著球類及幾袋蠟燭前來。當我們與達爾汗的青年熟絡，成為朋友後，我們便成為附近一些小孩的保母！他們的父母把孩子交托給我們照顧，直至他們回家。
過了一段時間，我們邀請他們進入我們的鮑思高會院，這表示他們在鮑思高遊樂場、學校及青年中心內，慢慢地成為我們的朋友。這樣，這些小孩及青年學會了慶禮院的意義，是祈禱及遊戲之所，是他們逗留的地方，是真正屬於他們的 — 就像家一樣。
現在，經過了15年的時間，青年的福傳工作繼續進行，即使有一些困難存在，但是慈幼會會士與他們的平信徒福傳伙伴，協進慈幼會士，都每日24小時在慶禮院服務。雖然我們沒有健身室、禮堂，或是供室內遊戲的空間，或大型休憩場所，我們的慶禮院每天也不停地為青年服務。
我不知道世界上有什麼地方的慈幼會會士，所開設的慶禮院，會像在達爾汗的一樣。在蒙古的社會制度，以及嚴酷天氣的限制之下，我們盡力為青年服務——就像夏天的炎熱（攝氏30度）或長達六個月的嚴寒冬季（攝氏零下30至40度）！在嚴寒之下，籃球在室外經過數分鐘後，便難以再彈起，如要繼續下去，你們必須用盡氣力，使之再彈起來。事實上，皮球只有數星期的壽命，因為很快便會因為嚴寒而爆裂！這就是蒙古的冬天！
然而，青年每天都帶著笑容與朋友前來，享受慶禮院的時光。我們也為他們設立了小型圖書館、音樂課、人文課，在夏天時有耕種、戶外活動、國內旅行，有時我們也能到外國去，以音樂舞蹈傳遞訊息。每月兩次為青年領袖舉行培育活動，使能發展出富素質的團體經驗。那裡還有為貧困青年而設的夜校課程，並得到職員及協進慈幼會士的協助。我們也提供晚餐，與青年及職員一同烹煮，在溫習時間過後，由一名慈幼會士會主持晚訓，然後他們才回家。
現在我們有籃球、排球及足球訓練課程，由一些曾在慶禮院生活，現已長大的青年負責訓練，這就是他們負責照顧年輕「弟妹」的時候。每逢星期六運動時間過後，青年聚集在進教之佑聖母像前，誦唸一串玫瑰經。在晚訓過後，便向他們派發糖果，祝他們平安回家。
在蒙古所有慈幼會會士都是傳教士 — 當你們是外來者，也不再是青年的時候，要在慶禮院中與青年一起活動，在體力上真是一大挑戰，這並不容易：在協助跑步及遊戲時，站在操場旁等候，身體會很快僵硬起來！要在每天下午4時至5時半整段慶禮院時間（週末再多加一小時），進行戶外活動，真不容易。
這就是我們在達爾汗慶禮院的生活及使命：我們與孩子一起，十分高興，而你們也可看到，當他們沒有慈幼會會士陪伴時，面上呈現的憂愁！在蒙古這裡，以犧牲與耐心陪伴著青年，已是很有意義的福傳行動！我們慈幼會會士有時想做很多事情，夢想著偉大的事，但現實卻不容許這樣做！即使我們本身的會士，有時也不喜歡我們這樣做 — 因為這看似是他們沒有做什麼！然而如果你們問問四周的達爾汗青年，需要怎麼樣的慈幼會會士時 — 他們便能告訴你們！
今天，11月11日，因為蒙古有新的新型冠狀病毒傳入個案，我們幾乎停止所有鮑思高中心的活動，包括慶禮院。這對於常常前來的青年來說，真是痛心的事啊！
願天主降福蒙古達爾汗的青年！