In these days Salesian houses should be receiving the official Poster, prayer cards and a booklet. These are the result of extensive collaboration involving the Departments for the Missions and for Social Communication, Missioni Don Bosco in Turin, the National Social Communication Centre in India and a considerable number of leaders, Salesians and lay people engaged in the missionary area.
The Poster
In the centre is a detail of the mosaic “The marriage feast of Cana” to be found in the chapel of the “Auxilium” Pontifical Faculty of Education in Rome, made by Fr Marko Ivan Rupnik and his collaborators at the Aletti Centre. Jesus, crucified and risen, brings the new wine of the new covenant offered to the whole human race.
The incident of the wedding at Cana marks the beginning of Jesus` ministry; the same ministry which continues in history and in time through the Church`s work of evangelisation. For 150 years the Salesian Congregation has been collaborating in the evangelising mission of the Church, inviting all peoples to the wedding feast with Christ, pouring out the wine of the new Covenant.
Three photographs which show some of the experiences and ways of carrying out evangelisation by the Salesians in Asia: Fr Robin Gomes with a group of Christians in Kalyani (India); Fr Salvatore Putzu, Director of the Philippine Publishing House “Word & Life”, during a radio broadcast; and Fr Andrew Ekasit Talhakultorn engaged in the formation of lay catechists in the diocese of Chiang Mai, in Thailand.
Accompanying the slogan is the motto “Go and proclaim the Gospel,” an adaptation of the verse from St Mark (16,15): “Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Good News to all creation.”
The prayer card
On one side is a reproduction of the poster and on the other a prayer composed by the Councillor for the Missions, Fr Klement and the two Councillors for the Regions of Asia Fr Andrew Wong, East Asia –Oceania and Fr Maria Arokiam Kanaga, South Asia.
The Booklet
This opens with the introductory letters written by the Rector Major, Fr Chávez and the Councillors for the Missions and for Social Communication, Fr Václav Klement and Fr Filiberto Gonzalez. These are followed by three interesting articles: the first concerning the what, why, when, how and who behind the SMD; the second explains the origin on the theme – Telling the story of Jesus – in the light of the Ist Missionary Congress of Asia held in October 2006 at Chiang Mai: and finally the third is a contribution by Fr Aldo Giraudo on “The fascinating role of story-telling in Salesian tradition.”
Then there follows the presentation of 9 videos produced in collaboration with the Mission Office in Turin and Missioni Don Bosco, which give an accounts of the experience of Salesians in Asia in the field of evangelisation. The booklet closes with the presentations of:
These aids are also available in digital form on sdb.org.
Published 22/07/2012
