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(ANS – Hua Hin) – In these days at Hua Hin Fr Piotr Gozdalski, a member of the Economer General’s Office, is leading a meeting for the Economers from the East Asia -Oceania Region.  It began yesterday Wednesday 20, and will continue until Friday 22. Thanks to modern technology the Economer General, Bro. Claudio Marangio, also took part while remaining in Rome.
 
There are 12 taking part from East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, China, Korea, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Australia. The first day began with Mass at which Fr John Bosco Thepharat, Provincial of  Thailand, presided and invited the Economers to be responsible and careful  administrators of their “time, talent and treasures” in spite of the fact that often the ordinary people think that the Salesians are rich.

During the first session Fr Gozdalski presented a letter and some reflections of Bro Marangio on the subject of evangelical poverty in the light of the 26th General Chapter (GC26). At the heart of the meditations was a positive approach to poverty, understood as a simple style of life, open to others, capable of welcoming and sharing  and  opposed to a negative approach; therefore attention needs to be given first to “internal poverty”, that of a personal attitude and a style of life rather than to “external” poverty, This can certainly be the proof  of a profound “internal poverty”, but its roots and its heart still need to be based on “internal poverty”.

In the afternoon the Economer present shared their own experiences in the Province, according to the guidelines of the GC26 in the  area of evangelical poverty.

In the “Good Night” Fr Gozdalski brought the day to an end  with a thought from Don Rua: “Many people say, ‘the Salesians are rich’... Yes, I repeat it,  they are rich in houses without any income, loaded down by taxes; they are rich in poor young people who need to be taught and supported; they are rich in debts to be paid, always on the run so as to out everything in order  and continue to sustain their mission.”.

“This is the challenge for us all,” – Fr Gozdalski concluded–: if no one considers us a poor Congregation then we have to be a  Congregation of poor Salesians following the example of Don Bosco and  Don Rua”.

Published 21/10/2010