(ANS – Dimapur) – Some forty Provincial Delegates for Missions, most of them front line missionaries, belonging to six groups of the Salesian Family (SDB, FMA, MSMHC, SMI, VSDB, Disciples), gathered together with the General Councillor for the Missions, Fr. Vaclav Klement SDB, for a meeting on “Missionary Synergy Building” for South Asia, 9-11 November. The meeting held at Don Bosco Provincial House in Dimapur, Nagaland had as its theme: “Mysticism and Mission.”

The speakers at the seminar included Salesian Family members along with two Salesian Bishops, Thomas Menamparampil, Archbisop emeritus of Guwahati, and George Palliparambil, Bishop of Miao.

“We now have about sixty missionary groups of people who pray for missionaries and the missions (both in formation houses and in our apostolic works), and who try to share their faith with others,” Fr Klement said. “We also have two newly opened missionary aspirantates (Assam and Tamil Nadu) for overseas missions and these bring another fresh wind to the region”.

In a concluding statement released after the three-day meeting, the Delegates affirmed that “being a missionary is essentially being a mystic (having the heart of God); and that we need to work together as a Salesian Family to reach out to the unreached.”

They also declare that “we are committed to our personal call to be mystics; to work together by having animation programmes at the South Asian Regional, inter-provincial and provincial levels, sharing animation materials; and to pray for each other and for the missions.”

In drawing up the statement they spelt out a detailed and time-bound action plan in the three areas of personal growth in mysticism, missionary networking and collaboration among the Salesian family members, and an action plan for missionary animation in the region.

Among the commitmentsin the first area, the delegates resolved to integrate prayer and apostolate better, and to give more space to meditation and Eucharistic adoration.

On the second point, the Mission Delegates agreed to strengthen cooperation with the areas of Youth Ministry, Education and Social Communication among the various religious institutes and at the various local, provincial and international levels.

To strengthenmissionary animation, the delegates agreed on a number of initiatives based primarily on the sharing and dissemination of missionary experiences, as the best way to create new enthusiasm.

Delegates of the Salesian Cooperators, of the Volunteers of Don Bosco and of the Sisters of Maria Auxiliatrix will be invited to the next meeting, which is planned for 9-11 November 2014.

Published14/11/2013