(ANS - Hong Kong) - The Extraordinary Visitation carried out by Fr Václav Klement, Councillor for the East Asia-Oceania region, on behalf of the Rector Major, of the Province of China, with the Provincial House in Hong Kong, ended on 28 April.

During the three months of the visitation, the visitor was able to visit all the many works in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. He heard the views of all 111 confreres, several candidates to Salesian life, members of the Salesian Family and the many lay mission partners.

The extraordinary visit was marked by the celebrations for the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco in each territory of the Province. There were public demonstrations of thousands of young people and adults from Salesian environments - in the municipal stadium of Hong Kong, in Tap Sek Square in Macau and in the streets of Taipei, near the parish of St. John Bosco in Taiwan. Over the past three years a number of initiatives raised awareness of Don Bosco among the people. These included various translations and publications on the Preventive System, pilgrimages to Salesian sites, Salesian formation programmes for lay people and for the members of the Salesian Youth Movement.

Regarding dynamic fidelity to the charism of Don Bosco, the visitor noted:

• Great progress in the systematic formation and accompaniment of the lay people co-responsible for the Salesian mission.
• An effort to rejuvenate the Association of Salesian Cooperators with the movement called 'Happy Vocation'.
• Growth in the culture of vocation around works for young people in difficulty.
• First experiences of re-dimensioning communities.
• The average age of the Salesians has remained steady over the past twelve years, due to new vocations and with the help of missionaries sent by the Rector Major.

In the past twelve years the Province of China has gone from a Province almost exclusively of schools to new fields of mission - counselling of young people and families and various services of youth volunteering. Big external challenges have also been discerned - an increasingly materialistic and consumerist culture with great influence on young people and the Salesians; strong migration and weakening of families.

Regarding the way ahead of the Province there were some points of convergence such as the vocational culture and the preparation of all the members as formators and leaders of the laity.

A constant theme of the visit was the question asked in the personal interview with the Salesians and the laity and young people in the various meetings: “What makes you deeply happy?" A visible reminder of the visit remains in the form of a large poster of the Salesian icon "Jesus - The Vine" in the chapel of each community.  It will help the confreres in their journey of ongoing conversion requested by GC27. Finally the visitor involved the Salesians in the methodology of the last General Chapter (Listening - Understanding - Acting) to strengthen the culture of communal discernment.

Published 28/04/2015