By John Do, SDB

Hanoi, 30 November 2024 -- The first formative meeting of rectors and those in charge of non-canonical communities in the Delegation of our Lady of La Vang took place at Van Phuc Parish of Hanoi Archdiocese on 28 November 2024. This historic gathering witnessed the serious preparation for the establishment of a Vice-Province in the North of Vietnam, indicated by the Rector Major in his directive letter to Vietnam Province after the Extraordinary Visitation by his delegate, Fr Alfred Maravilla, General Councillor for the Missions.

In the morning, the participants listened attentively to Fr. Anthony Nguyen, SDB from Australia who elaborated on the topic “The Rector as the Guardian and Animator of the Salesian Consecrated Identity” which covers chapters I and II of the famous book Animating and Governing the Community. Though the topic was not something new, it did not lose its attraction to and interest in all of the participants since it aroused the daily experiences, joys, pains, sorrows, challenges, and hopes which a leader of any Salesian community has to face day by day. The Congregation strongly reminds each leader of the community that rectorship is a vocation, namely, a call to service. The first and foremost apostolate of a rector is his community composed of his fallible brethren. This service is all about BEING rather than DOING. We have to acknowledge the unwelcome fact that Rectors and confreres often think of rectorship as functional (doing) rather than relational (being).

In the afternoon, the assembly attended the report of Delegate Fr. Thomas Vu Kim Long and his instructions on the way forward for the Delegation whose highlights are the in-process drafting of the strategic plan and SEPP of the Delegation followed by the accompaniment of the YM department to different sectors of communities in making their own SEPP, the determination of the Delegation to give Salesian qualities to make what are called “Oratories” in the Delegation (in fact, simply free playgrounds) truly “Salesian Oratories”, an enforcement of the existing ministry of Catholic university students in the North of Vietnam and a more intensive and attentive care for university aspirants. After that, each leader of the community presented a brief report on his own community, followed by a financial report regarding the current financial situation of the Delegation. In the end, the Delegate and his council paid attention to different opinions of the assembly with respect to the search for a lot to be the location of the headquarters of the awaited Vice-province. Other needs of the Delegation were also highlighted at the end of the meeting such as the need to send confreres for Salesianity studies and for Salesian accompaniment, the plan of organizing a batch of annual retreats by the Delegation itself, the urgency of preparing experts who can serve professionally the vulnerable children or adults found in our existing or unborn charity societies and the arrangement for the English improvement of our confreres in view of widening our mindset to the internationality of our Congregation.

The gathering marked the resolution of the whole Delegation with respect to putting into practice the Rector Major’s directives and recommendations with great hope about a promising future for the implantation and growth of the Salesian Charism in the Northern part of Vietnam.

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