| India – A missionary heart beats in Nashik post-novitiate |
| India – Opening of the “Archbishop Humberto D’Rosario” missionary Aspirantate |
This third journey enabled Fr Václav Klement to make a first acquaintance with the South Asia Region. Between 6 August and 1 September, starting from Shillong, in the North East of India, to Negombo in Sri Lanka, he visited seven Provinces in India – Guwahati, Bombay, Bangalore, Oxdel, Hyderabad, Madras, Tiruchy,– and the Vice Province of Sri Lanka, in each one meeting the Provincial Council and the Provincial missionary promotion groups ; the initial formation communities (6 aspirantates, 3 prenovitiates, 5 novitiates, 4 postnovitiates and 3 theologates) and various mission stations in the State of Gujarat (the India-Bombay Province).
Fr Klement found a missionary situation which was very varied and dynamic, with features and expressions characteristic of the Salesian missionary culture. Every Province is engaged in missionary areas where the work of primary evangelisation is particularly significant. “The “outreach” spirit of our educational and pastoral centres is a feature of the strategy of many of our communities: working in villages, among the poor in the cities, Salesians are reaching and involving very many non Christians” Fr Klement reports. From the smallest villages to the largest cities the Councillor for the Missions was able to see for himself the creation of hundreds of self-support groups of “Childrens’ Parliaments” and the Planning and Development Offices.
Very active and effective is the missionary promotion being carried out in the formation houses where special groups have been formed for the purpose. These groups work in a simple but effective way: a special prayer for missionary vocations to be said every week; liturgical celebrations based on the models in the Missionary Magazine “Cagliero11” for the monthly mission day; ongoing contact through letters and e-mail, between young Salesians and missionaries from the Province; taking part in the annual Missionary Congress at which significant missionary figures are presented (over 450 in the last 105 years); and the organisation of missionary evenings in the communities for missionary promotion using the DVD produced by the Missioni Don Bosco.
In a meeting the Provincial Missionary Promotion Teams Fr Klement dealt with: the subject of the formation of the Delegates for Missionary Promotion which also ought to involve the members of the Youth Ministry and Social Communication Teams; the preparation of Regional Missionary Study Days on the subject “The Initial Proclamation of Jesus Christ” (August 2011); the “Central-North India” Project, which needs the contribution of all the Provinces to cover an area populated by 500 million inhabitants; the first foundation at Orissa after the wave of anti-Christian persecutions in 2008; and, naturally, the missionary needs of the Congregation.
At present there are about 120 Salesians from the South Asia Region engaged in the “missio ad gentes” in five continents.
Published 13/09/2010
