Heartfelt new year greetings from Los Palos Prenovitiate in Timor Leste!

By Fr. Tomas De Carvalho, SDB

Los Palos, Timor Leste, 10 January 2017 -- Our young Vice-province started our pastoral year at the beginning of January. And we are happy to share that our 30 Prenovices: 18 are coming from the first experience of senior Aspirants in Dili - Comoro (mostly with a non-Salesian background) and 12 are coming from our traditional Aspirantate in Don Bosco Fatumaca. This school year we have also a strong formation team, composed of five perpetually professed Salesians - Fr. Rolando as the most senior member, Fr. Agapito, Fr. Alarico, Deacon Isaias and two clerics in pratical training.

For this new start we got very inspirational provincial Circular from Fr. Apolinario about how to foster communion of minds and hearts - an invitation to cultivate some important seeds of human relationship: ... "Cultivate these seeds which are required in all human relationships:”the seed of be present lovingly, attentively, actively. The seed of dare to be yourself. The seed of listening, sharing and speaking. The seed that are lovable and you are loved. The seed of being sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. The seed of affirming and encouraging one another. The seed of forgiving and accept forgiveness. The seed of creativity, smile and laughter. The seed of faith, leading and obey”. We did not enter each other’s lives by chance but by the loving design of God. We accept His love joyfully and share it with one another. We seek His Will in our daily life as religious and sons of Don Bosco!"

From our large parish of Saint Paul at the far East of East Timor, our Orphanage, our Youth Center and Prenovitiate we wish you a fruitful journey during the Salesian month of January. As a new Rector of Los Palos community i would like to ask your prayers - please, dont' forget the youngest generations of our Salesians of Timor Leste in the EAO prayer on the 16th of this month!

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