By Falefa Elia SDB

Colle Don Bosco, Italy, 17 September 2024 -- Buongiorno dear Brothers and Sisters,

With a grateful heart, I am writing this message to you my Brothers and Sisters in our Province. I want to thank Fr Provincial Peter Hoang and those who made this trip for Br Lui and me possible. I am so blessed and grateful to walk around the places our founder grew up in as a young lad and then started and grew his work. Contemplating on his life and work here is such an intense experience and feeling. The place where it all started and the place where he had his dream that began his pathway in life. I can say that this is the most extraordinary experience I have ever had in my journey as a Salesian. One thing that amazes me most is the amount of Salesian Priests and Sisters that I have met during my time here.

As I walk around Don Bosco’s birthplace I continue to pray for each member of our province. I also pray for the future of our province. Yesterday we were blessed to receive a talk from Fr Gianni Ghiglione SDB on Salesian Spirituality. One important point that I received from his talk is that first and foremost, every Salesian must fall in love with the life and spirit of St Francis De Sales. Our founder Don Bosco, during his seminary life, had some anger issues, however, he deeply contemplated his future vocation and adopted the spirit of St Francis. Gentleness and loving kindness were necessary requirements as an educator. This is the identity of our Salesian charism.

And so, as I pray and ask our Lord Jesus Christ to fill me with this spirit of St Francis De Sales that was mastered by Don Bosco. Let us all continue to pray for each other, to be strengthened in this spirituality of the heart, to love tenderly and learn to be meek and humble of heart like Jesus Christ himself from whom we receive all of grace.

God bless you all my Family and Love from Colle Don Bosco

Thank You

Falefa Elia

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