Valdocco hosts the 36th Salesian Family Spirituality Days (Jan 18-21,2018)
Turin, Italy, 18 January 2018 -- In the afteroon of 18th January gathered at Valdocco (Turin-Piedmont, Italy) in the Salesian Mother House not less than 380 participants of the 36th edition of the Salesian Family Spirituality Days. The annual 4 days world level event presided by the Rector Major Fr. Angel F. Artime and participated by lay and religious members of 22 groups of the Salesian Family (among the 31 officialy recogized groups).
After many years of SF Spirituality Days in Rome - Via della Pisana (Salesianum), this time thanks to generosity of many Turin Salesian Family member volunteers this event is stretched in five different facilities (SDB, FMA and Hotels), meals are offered in three different venues in Valdocco and the main venue of the event is in the Theater Hall of Valdocco and the Eucharist in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.
A traditional trade mark of the SF Spirituality Days is the Family Spirit expressed in many ways, in greeting, listening, sharing, mutual interest and attention - in spite of many different languages (simultaneous translation is offered only in Italian, Spanish, English and Portoghese).
The first day (4:30 PM - 10 PM) of the event was dedicated to know each other and to the simple presentation of the Strenna 2018: 'Let's cultivate the art of Listening and Accompaniment' - 'Sir, give the this water (John 4,15). After the Strenna 2018 Video presentation the Rector Major himself offered through a simple powepoint presentation the main content and expectation. Again in the family environment followed few questions and answers in the Assembly.
This year there are only two groups of the EAO participnts - two SIHM Sisters from Thailand and eight Caritas Sisters of Jesus (members of the general council and from Korea and Japan).
The first day was concluded by the Good Night Talk of the Successor of Don Bosco: 'Our DNA is the Family Spirit'. Fr. Angel shared about his incoming visit to Timor Leste (70th country visited during his 6 years term). In very personal way he stressed that every time coming back to Rome after visit to specific country is deeply grateful to God for witnessing so many beautiful things done by the Salesian Family.
"Let’s imagine just for one minute the world or the Catholic Church without the Salesian Family (with all 500.000+ members). Imagine, the world would miss so much good! I tell this that we are often too much demanding and try to do our best. Yes we need to be more courageous, generous, but I invite you to this outlook - view of faith. Yes, we need be more coraugeours, be more generous… but we need to give thanks to God for so much wonderful reality!
Like Mother Teresa, we should say 'Even if I would do good only to one beggar, my life is full of meaning'. I invite you to keep a outlook of joy, of hope... Where we don’t’ reach, God is reaching there, we are only the mediation. Our service of evangelization is necessary, the world does need us. In our world with 80% of bad news we are called to spread the good news of God through our humble service. .. I would like to be just like the USB (pen drive) to be put in any PC and we would see how much emotions and beauty did see my eyes and heard my ears in these 70 countries visited. Let’s continue this family encounter. Good night!"
From January 19, 9:00 AM (Italian time, GMT+1) is possible to follow the Salesian Family Spirituality Days in live streaming on the ANS FB pages (https://www.facebook.com/agenziaans).
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