By Fr. Lino Belo, SDB
Delegate for Indonesia

Rome, Itlay, 26 January 2016 - Since the establishment of the Salesian presence in Indonesia (1985) the number of confreres and presences is steadily growing. The ITM - Indonesia Delegation was approved by the Rector Major in 2010, now being blessed with some 70+ Indonesian Salesians and novices (including the 7 missionaries ad gentes out of the province) in 4 canonical communities and other 3 presences. The third Delegate of the ITM provincial for Indonesia, Fr. Lino Belo, was called recently by the Rector Major to the General House in order to make known better the situation of his Delegation and get know better the Rector Major and his council.

During these days as all new Superiors of the Provinces or Vice-provinces, Fr. Lino met personally first of all the Rector Major, his Vicar and also the General councilors for the Sectors: Formation, Youth Ministry, Social Communication, Missions, Economy. At the end of these meeting will also receive from the successor of Don Bosco the 'Road Map' for the ITM-Indonesia Delegation.

His visit is a rare opportunity to get in deeper touch with the Salesian roots in the Holy Places of Don Bosco: Torino, Chieri and Becchi around the January 31st, as well to meet the Indonesian student at the UPS (Faculty of Soc.Communication) and finally to return to Jakarta via Spain (Alicante). In the Valencia region he will meet the founder of Indonesian Salesian work Fr. Jose Llopis Carbonell (89 years).

The Delegation of Indonesia has average age of 33 years, this year blessed with 3 novices and 3 prenovices, with 7 Salesian presences in the island of Java (Jakarta-Sunter 2, Serpong, Tigaraksa, Blitar, Purwodadi and Surabaya) and one presence in the island of Sumba. At present time three Indonesian priests are working in Timor Leste and Fr. Lino is the only Timorese Salesian working in Indonesia.

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