| Thailand – The East Asia-Oceania Region – today’s challenges and the future |
| India – Rector Major Spells Out Roadmap for Salesians in South Asia |
When the Team Visit to the South Asia Region finished, the Rector Major moved on to Hua Hin, in Thailand to meet the Provincial Councils of the East Asia - Oceania Region about 60 confreres, and gave them a day of recollection.
In this second Visit, the successor of Don Bosco is again accompanied by the Vicar Fr Adriano Bregolin, the Councillors for Youth Ministry and the Missions, Fr Fabio Attard and Fr Václav Klement, Fr Maria Arokiam Kanaga, Councillor for South Asia and Fr Juan Bartolomé, Secretary of the Rector Major.
The specific topics for study in the East Asia - Oceania Region, are the Primacy of God, charismatic identity and evangelisation in a non-Christian context.
Fr Andrew Wong, Councillor for the East Asia - Oceania Region, comparing the figures for 2008 with those for the present noted the growth of the Region not only from a statistical point of view but also from that of the Salesian mission. Among the things he mentioned were the small travelling formation team; two study centres one at Clifton Hill, Melbourne and the other in Manila; an increase in the missionary spirit and activity especially thanks to the contribution of Vietnam; the Provinces which have expanded the Salesian mission and their outreach, by for example giving attention to migrants in Japan and to the diaspora in the cities of the Philippines, and the new presence in New Zealand.
He was followed by Fr Aldo Cipriani, Provincial of Japan and Fr Francis J. Moloney, Provincial of Australia, who respectively spoke about the taking on board of the GC26 and the “Return to Don Bosco”.
The East Asia - Oceania Region is the youngest in the Congregation, having been set up in 25th General Chapter in 2002. In contains 8 Provinces, 2 Vice Provinces those of Myanmar and Indonesia-Timor Leste, and the Provincial Delegations of Mongolia connected to the Vietnam Province; Papua New Guinea, connected to the North Philippines; and the latest, the Delegation of Indonesia.
At 31 December 2010 in the East Asia - Oceania Region which covers about twenty countries there were 1349 professed Salesians and 89 novices. The Salesian mission is carried out predominantly in large schools which sometimes have several thousand students. In this area where apart from in the Philippines and Timor Leste Catholics are not in the majority there are also many rural missionary stations.
The Team Visit to the East Asia - Oceania Region will end on Saturday 12 March.
Published 09/03/2011
