Two EAO Salesians among the 14 General Council members

By our own correspondent

Valdocco, Turin, 14 March 2020 -- The General Chapter 28 officially concluded yesterday, 13 March 2020 after four weeks of hard work, joyful fraternity and deep communion among the 250+ Salesians from all 7 Regions and five continents. As the most visible fruit of this 'special' General Chapter 28 is the renewed General Council with no fewer than 10 new Councillors. From the EAO region we congratulate Fr Alfred Maravilla (former PGS Viceprovince superior) as the General Councillor for the Missions and Fr Joseph Nguyen Thinh Phuoc (former VIE province delegate for formation) who are among the 10 new members.

As Rector major, Fr Angel F. Artime (second term) and his new Vicar, Fr Stefano Martoglio, have requested our daily prayers for the whole council, we bring you their names, country and province of origin with their entrusted role in accordance with the SDB Constitutions for the 6 year period 2020-2026:

• Fr Angel F. Artime, Rector Major (Spain, former provincial of Spain-Leon and Argentina South, 60 years) 2nd term
• Fr Stefano Martoglio, Vicar of the Rector Major (Italy, former Councilor for the Mediterranian region, provincial of Italy, Piedmont, 55 years) 1st term

• Fr Ivo Coelho, Councilor for Formation (India-Mumbai, former INB provincial, 62 years) 2nd term
• Fr. Miguel Angel García Morcuende, Councilor for the Youth Ministry (Spain, former member of YM sector in Rome, 53 years), 1st term
  
• Fr Gildasio Mendes dos Santos, Councilor for SC (Brasile), former provincial of Brasile-Campo Grande, Belo Horizonte, 57 years) 1st term
  
• Fr Alfred Maravilla, Councilor for the Missions (Philippines), former provincial of PGS (PNG and Solomon Islands, 58 years), 1st term
• Br. Jean Paul Muller, General Economer (Luxembourg), former Director of Don Bosco Mission (Bonn-Germany, 63 years), 2nd term

• Fr Alphonse Owoudou, Africa-Madagascar Region, Cameroon (former provincial of ATE, Dean of Theologate) 51 years
• Fr Gabriel Romero, America Southern Corner, Argentina (former provincial of Argentina North province), 49 years
  
• Fr Michael Biju, South Asia Region, India-Guwahati (former Dean of Studies in Jerusalem, Ratisbonne 2011-2017) 50 years
  
• Fr Joseph Nguyen Thinh Phuoc, EAO Region, Vietnam (former provincial delegate for formation), 65 years
  
• Fr Roman Jachimowicz, Central and North Europe region, Poland (former provincial of Poland-Pila), 53 years
  
• Fr Hugo Orozco Sánchez, Interamerica Region, Mexico (former provincial of Mexico-Guadalajara), 52 years
  
• Fr Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy, Mediterranian Region, Spain (former provincial of Spain-Madrid), 61 years
  

"Within one year, I have received two calls from the Superiors in Rome! Go to Rome to serve the missions of the Congregation! First, as an assistant with supporting role in the Mission Sector; then the second, as an animator of our beloved EAO Region. There was no way to say NO as a son of Don Bosco, obeying the Father’s wish for me, for my confreres and the Salesian Family in EAO region.

I am grateful for the trust our superiors and the 222 delegates of the General Chapter put in me, in spite of my limitations. I thank a lot our previous Regional Councillors, Fr Thomas Panakhezam, Fr Joaquim De Sousa, Fr Andrew Wong, in particular, Fr Vaclav Klement, all of whom dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to build up the Region of East Asia - Oceania strongly in the Salesian charism and services, in union with the whole Congregation under the guidance and animation of our Rector Major.

We are a beautiful Region with a lot of shared collaboration and helping one another to grow. Let us pray to God that we will be able to continue the path God has set up for us with this General Chapter 28: listening to the needs of the poor youth today and go out to serve them as a community of consecrated people and the co-partners in our mission. May our Lady and Her Chaste Spouse, St. Joseph, be with you and your beloved ones."

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