austraLasia

ALA_5485

Los Palos - Timor Leste, 13 October 2020 -- When we speak of vocation, we speak of the One who calls and the one who answers the call. God calls to carry out something, and we who answer, we must show our availability, our readiness in order to be able to collaborate with Him in this mission. For us Salesians, Don Bosco says: “Each vocation shows that the Lord loves the Congregation, wants it to live for the good of the Church, and sends it always with new strength in the apostolate.” The increase in the vocations of the members show that God loves the Congregation and the Young. We are not proud that we have plenty of vocations, but we are proud because for the good of the Church, many want to offer themselves in order to serve the Church with Don Bosco style.

This week a large group from 5 different religious congregations (SDB and four Congregation of Sisters: FMA, SSPS, ADM, FDCC) made a vocation promotion campaign at the Eskola Secundaria Nino Konis Santana Lospalos (Konis Santana Secondary School). In this occasion, all 5 congregations tried to present and make known the identity and mission of their congregation so that the students who are in the third and last year of the secondary school may start thinking about their future life. Vocation promotion is like a moment of sowing the seeds, but the Holy Spirit is the one working in each young person to choose what is good for their life, their future.

There were about a hundred young people who took part in the vocation promotion. They were indeed very happy because they were able to know and see more deeply about the identity and mission of these congregations. Indeed, we often make vocation promotion with the intention of looking for workers in God’s vineyard, but never excluded the educational and formative dimension, that besides looking for candidates for vocation (to the religious and priestly life) we also educate and form the young to be good Christians and honest citizens.

NB There are 4 secondary schools in Los Palos (two academic and two technical school) while the whole town and district is entrusted to the pastoral care of the Salesians (Parish of St Paul)