(ANS – Fleuriot-Tabarre) – On 23rd October, Fr Guillermo Basañes, Regional Adviser for Africa-Madagascar, went to Haiti, in the Vice-Province of "Blessed Philip Rinaldi", to carry out the Extraordinary Visit on behalf of the Rector Major.

Coinciding with the visit of Fr Basañes, Haiti has had to cope with the tropical storm "Sandy", which since October 24th began to storm the village. About 50 people have died, according to a provisional toll reported by civil defence, and various plantations and cattle were swept away by the raging waters, damage that will cause a rise in the cost of living in the days to come.

Fr Basañes was warmly welcomed by the Council of the Vice-Province in the absence of the Superior, Fr. Sylvain Ducange, who was engaged in a meeting of the Superiors of the Interamerica region. Already on the same day of October 23rd, the Regional Councillor had started visits, beginning with the Postnovitiate formation in Fleuriot-Tabarre, where he met members of the community: 8 post-novices and 3 Formation trainers. In his "Good night" Fr Basañes recounted his Salesian life and his experiences in the Africa-Madagascar region.

On Friday, 26th October, accompanied by Salesian Coadjutor, Hubert Mésidor, from the Team of Social Communications of the Vice-Province, Fr Basañes visited the headquarters of Radio-Télé Soleil, the Catholic radio and television station. The Regional Councillor gave an interview on television, in which he spoke of the significance of his visit to Haiti and the work developed by the Salesians in Africa-Madagascar.

On Saturday 27th, Fr Basañes accompanied the post-novices in their apostolate with children from the works of Cité Soleil, Drouillard and Bas-Fontaine.

Concluding his visit to the Postnovitiate, the Regional Councillor left a written message: "Dear confreres, the Rector Major wrote in 2010:  What is at stake is the creation of a new culture, through a new education, capable of building a New Haiti. This second year of preparation for the bicentenary of the birth of our father Don Bosco, places us exactly on the same road and invites us to rediscover his pedagogy. The richness of our Preventive System becomes a reality more and more fruitful even at Fleuriot-Tabarre ".

The visit from Fr Basañes will end on the 29th of November.

Published 29/10/2012