By Fr. Bernie Graham, SDB

Melbourne, Australia, November 29, 2015 - On Sunday, a small group of Salesians, Salesian Sister and other members of the Salesian Family gathered at the Province Centre at Ascot Vale to celebrate two occasions.

The first was to welcome in our midst Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez at a fraternal gathering. Cardinal Oscar is in Melbourne at the Invitation the Melbourne Archdiocese Office of Evangelisation, and he kindly made time, as he always does when in our Province, to meet with the confreres and members of the Salesian Family.

The second occasion was the launch of the new book written by Fr Peter Varengo sdb Re-imagining Don Bosco. Peter takes ten key Salesian motifs and reflects on them in such a way as to challenge the reader to re-imagine how Don Bosco might live these motifs in the current times and into the years ahead. The motifs include: ‘The Dream’, ‘Balancing on the Tightrope’, ‘Da Mihi Animas’, ‘The Gift of Presence’ and ‘Preventive System’.

Fr Phil Gleeson sdb, Rector of Don Bosco House and Lecturer at Catholic Theological College, launched the book and during his presentation highlighted the wonderful content in the reflections, the beautiful way it is written, and the great challenges that Peter poses for the readers to reflect upon as we re-imagine Don Bosco for the 21st Century.

Cardinal Oscar also thanked Peter for his wonderful contribution to the Bicentenary of Don Bosco with the challenge to keep Don Bosco’s mission and charism alive in the Congregation and particularly for the young.

Fr Greg Chambers, Provincial, draw everyone’ attention to this very fitting way to draw our year of celebrations to a conclusion – in a fraternal gathering of Salesians from across the Congregation and with the challenge to be ‘living Don Bosco’s for the youth of our time’.

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