(ANS – Lahore) – Ten months after the Study Days on Salesian presence among Muslims, Fr Václav Klement, Councillor for the Salesian Missions, visited the two Salesian centres in Pakistan, at Lahore and Quetta, between 14 and 21 May. This was the fourth visit the Councillor has made to this country in ten years.

The principal fruit of this visit was the programme for the way forward to 2020. This helps to clarify the lines of action for the future of the Salesians there. Three priorities were indentified:

1. Consolidate the communities.
2. Increase the sense of belonging – despite the distances  – to the Southern Filipino Province, of which the two communities are part.
3. Care for vocations and the quality of formation.

In his conversations with the five Salesians (three missionaries, two Pakistani), six candidates and one hundred teachers in the Salesian schools,  as well as with educators, past pupils and young people from Salesian works, Fr Klement noticed that the Salesian presence had become much stronger, compared to his previous visits.

The Salesians came to Pakistan 22 years ago, when the then Apostolic Nuncio in Pakistan, Mons. Luigi Bressan, asked Fr Egidio Viganó, seventh successor of Don Bosco, to open a house there. In 1995 the Salesian presence in Pakistan was approved and on 26 August 1988 the first Salesian Fr Peter Zago, reached Quetta.

From then until now, the Salesian mission has been expressed in various ways, with courage and creativity.  The works include a good technical school with 150 students, a primary and secondary school with 900 pupils, three boarding schools (two for boys and one for girls), assistance to the six schools for refugees from Afghanistan (2700 pupils) an aspirantate for Salesians and another for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, a Salesian Welfare Society for social work, and a festive oratory. Interventions following natural disasters, such as the earthquake in 2005 and the floods in 2010-2011, helped greatly to make the name of Don Bosco known in society.

The two simple Salesian works, Don Bosco Technical School in Lahore and Don Bosco Learning Center in Quetta, are becoming more and more a point of reference for the population of the country and an oasis of sharing.  All the Salesian activities are for the poorest and most needy, without any distinction on the basis of religious faith.  The Preventive System is still relevant in transforming the lives of young people and of their educators, even in the local culture. Salesian vocations – two students of theology, one pre-novice and several candidates – are a first sign that the charism is taking root.

With about 1,800,000 faithful, Catholics represent barely 1% of the population. They are spread over seven dioceses and 125 parishes. Pastoral personnel include 250 priests, 800 religious (male and female) and a few hundred lay catechists. These are very important for their presence in the villages. Putting down roots in an Islamic country, where there are 180 million Muslims, 97% of the population, is a big challenge for the Salesian community. Among the difficulties they face are problems with the Urdu language and the fact that Christians are marginalized both politically and socially. Nine missionaries have left the country in recent years. Still, there are reasons for optimism. This very day the first issue of the Salesian Newsletter Don Bosco Zinadabad is being sent out. Many bishops are asking for Salesian missionaries in their dioceses, a sign of the confidence they have in the Salesian charism, and we are waiting for the entry visa for four new missionaries who have already given their letter of request.

One boy said to Fr Klement during his recent visit, “You asked us yesterday if we had ever met Don Bosco. Yes, we have! We can now say that the Salesian missionaries are the image of Don Bosco, and that he is alive here in Quetta. The seed of his mission is growing in us and one day it will bear fruit.”

Published 24/05/2013