K’Long Retreat Center, 4 – 7/6/2022 -- The Quinquennium training course for perpetual professed Salesian brothers and ordained priests in their first 5 years after final profession or ordination took place at K’Long Retreat Center from 4 to 7 June 2022.
More than 50 priests and Salesian brothers attended the course. Among them were Father Thanh Long who is a missionary in Uganda, Father Quoc Dung in Sudan, Father The Lam in Bangladesh and brother Minh Nhat in Pakistan. The training course also had the presence of the Provincial Fr. Barnabas Le An Phong, the Vice-Provincial Fr. Joseph Nguyen Kim Khanh, Provincial Delegate for Formation Fr. Joseph Do Duc Dung, Provincial Delegate for Youth Ministry Fr. Peter Nguyen Viet Quang Minh.
This year's them on Pastoral Counseling and Accompanying young families, specifically listening, counseling and accompanying skills, was led by Father Joseph Hoang Ngoc Dung of the Diocese of Saigon.
Besides the main content guided by Father Ngoc Dung, there was other content interspersed. At the end of lunch on June 5, Father Thanh Long shared with everyone about his life and missionary experiences in Uganda. In the evening, Brother Minh Nhat shared about his experiences of a vocation crisis and how he overcome it, especially his experiences of missionary life in Pakistan. After that, Fr. Duc Dung reminded the fathers and brothers about on-going formation, especially updating courses from individual, community to provincial levels. He also recommended courses at the Catholic Academy for them to refer to. He urged them to study with the same mindset as Don Bosco: “For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, for you I am ready even to give my life.”
At the end of lunch on June 6, Father The Lam shared about his life and missionary experiences in Bangladesh. In the afternoon, after completing the content of Father Ngoc Dung’s topic, the fathers and brothers had time to share experiences during the Quinquennium period: about spiritual life, happiness, difficulties and challenges. After that, Fr. Barnabas gave a short talk. He asked the fathers and brothers to remember the word: Harmony. Harmonize the three inseparable elements of the Salesian consecrated life: the spiritual life associated with prayer, the community life associated with communion and sharing; and mission associated with commitment.
On the morning of June 7, Fr. Quang Minh presented the plans of the Youth Ministry Commission and introduced two new documents of the Congregation: Youth and Family Ministries, and Parishes and Shrines entrusted to the Salesian. Following this were suggestions of the attendants so that the Quinquennium training course can be organized more effectively in the future.
