Jakarta, Indonesia, 28 May 2019 -- While writing this reflection, the participants of the EAO Salesian Cooperators Formators Workshop here in Don Bosco Hotel School - Sihanoukville, Cambodia, are enjoying a team-building game facilitated by the organizing committee. Fun and exciting as it is - imagine each team in a line, going around the corridors and climbing the staircases up and down with only the team leader giving directions while all the rest are blindfolded - it nevertheless is not lacking in meaning and application, particularly in connection to Formation, the main topic of the workshop-seminar.
Today's activity, "Finding your Dream," is actually a follow-through to yesterday's session "What is your Dream," - dream about the Formation of the Salesian Cooperators in each one's center and province, that is. In a gist, the "Blindfold Adventure" was meant to bring home an urgent message to the participants... the importance of communication and communion in organizing and carrying out the formation process. As with every effective and fruitful workshop-seminar, it's not "All's well that ends well," but "and so it begins." The participants will certainly return to their respective centers with renewed zeal and rekindled "enthusiasm," the keyword of the Japanese delegation.
The favorite slogan during these three days encounter of Salesian Cooperator formators has been "No question... no Formation!" Indeed, for questions and querries are the stimuli to the actualization of the formation process. More questions means more interest... more inspiration... more care... and hopefully, more involvement. From the beginning the participants were encouraged not only to ask questions, but also to dream, which is good, because nothing happens unless we first dream. As someone said, "Dreams are today's answers to tomorrows questions." So, no question... no formation; no dreams... no answers.
I, too, found my dream during these days of sharing, listening and accompaniment.
I dream of us, Salesians SDB, becoming more deeply aware and appreciative of the Salesian Cooperator Vocation.
I dream of all the rectors and in-charge of all our communities in the Provinces and Delegations ready and happy to be the primary promoters, supporters and formators of the Salesian Cooperators.
After all it is the original Salesian Vocation, according to the original intuition of Don Bosco.
It is no exaggeration to say that the SDB's were born from the Association of the Salesian Cooperators!
They are our twin brothers and sisters.
With them we are Salesians - for them we are Salesians of Don Bosco.
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