High visibility of the Rector Major's visit in Timor Leste

By Our Own Correspondent

Bauca, Timor Leste, 1 February 2018 -- Five full days of the Rector Major visit in Timor Leste are unfolding with a vibrant sense of youthful joy and simplicity of faith felt in many encounters, talks, celebrations, shared meals and variety of different conversations.

Each animation visit of the Rector Major brings to the visiting province some special light, wider vision, inspiration and interchange. Also in Timor Leste, a small country of 1.3 million of population, with overhelming Catholic majority the many interactions, good morning and good night talk, homily, short address to Salesian Family groups, interview and interaction with the Salesians is a great gift.

And amazingly this visit of Fr. Angel does mirror in certain sense the memorable pilgrimage of the relics of Don Bosco to Timor Leste in 2011. Seven years ago the whole island nation was involved in many public celebrations that attracted literally hundreds of thousands people to pray, to meet their “Dom Bosco”. And the organizers of 2018 Rector majors visit follow similar strategies with the help of many civil authorities.

Thanks to the systematic team preparation, also the ‘Echo-Effect’ of this visit is spread far and wide through a variety of mass media, social media and also through personal and group sharing – typically Timorese style. Not only the provincial delegate for the Social Communication Fr. Jose de Sa, but also many Antigos Alumnos (Don Bosco Past Pupils) contribute to high visibility of the 10th Successor of Don Bosco visit in their country. The official invitation to the President of the RDTL (Timor Leste) was delivered by the delegation of the Salesian Family just 3 days before the Don Bosco Mass, where the President Francisco Gutteres Lu Olo, himself a DB Past Pupils, took part.

There are daily news in the main newspapers: Suara Timor Lorosae. They report even the homily and talks to the youth.

Also the official websites of FMA and many SDB Facebook pages (Salesianos ITM, Salesian Don Bosco and personal pages). And also the Rector Major himself acknowledged that on January 31, Don Bosco Feastday, about 280.000 access to his public figure Facebook with some 38.000 likes.

For those with good internet connection there are also the (National) Radio Television Timor Leste: RTTLe offers daily short video clips: (Arrival, January 30) and (Eucharist Don Bosco, January 31).

Yes, the good news of Don Bosco successor animation in the homeland does reach also many oversea Timorese (among the 235 ITM Salesians not less than 40 is now working abroad and another 17 missionaries ad gentes are working in all five continents). One of the theology students does share:

“We are here very happy, particularly for me, I am very happy for the visit of our Rector Major, for his presence in my beloved Country of East Timor. Even though we are not there in Timor by physical presence but we are always in communion with him in our prayer. Let us continue pray for the intentions of our beloved Rector Major, for the Salesian Mission and Vocations, for the growth of Salesian Charism and Spirit and for the intentions of our young poor people in Timor. VIVA DON BOSCO!”

We continue to pray for the multiple fruits of this animation visit in Timor Leste, until February 5. During the remaining time the Rector Major will meet the Salesian Youth Movement, SDB in initial formation, SDB rectors and the larger grups of the Salesian Family - ADMA, FMA and Salesian Cooperators.

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