(ANS – Guadalajara) – Since Friday 14 October Fr Václav Klement, Councillor for the Missions of the Salesian Congregation has been visiting Mexico, especially the Salesian formation houses.

Among other activities on his programme Fr Klement met the Superior of the Mexico-Guadalajara Province (MEG), Fr Salvador C. Murguia, and members of his Council, on Saturday morning 15. On the agenda were issues connected with missionary animation. He also expressed his own appreciation  to the Province for having “given” various Salesians, who are working in various parts of the world as missionaries. Among these in particular, he mentioned the latest two: Fr Alfonso Abarca, now in Perù, and Fr Pedro Mario Ayala, serving as a missionary in Holland in the North Belgium Province, as part of the Project for Europe.

During the meeting Fr Klement also emphasised the need to promote a missionary culture by making known what the Salesian Congregation is doing in every part of the world.

The same morning the Councillor presided at Mass in the community of the students of theology at Tlaquepaque, and then chatted with the young residents especially those who felt a certain missionary interest.

The following day Sunday 16, Fr Klement visited the Salesian prenovitiate at Irapuato, meeting and encouraging the prenovices. From there he went to Mexico City. In the next few days he will visit Salesian centres in the Mixe Prelature, in the State of Oaxaca, to meet the missionaries working there and to get to know the situation better.

The Councillor’s visit is taking place on the occasion of the opening of the  50th anniversary of the arrival of the Salesians in what is now known as the Mixe Prelature,  this is a particular church which from its institution as a Prelature has always had the benefit of  the animation and the administration of a Salesian Bishop: first with Bishop Braulio Sánchez (†), then Bishop Luis Felipe Gallardo and at present with Bishop Héctor Guerrero Córdova. For this reason in these days the Prelature has begun celebrations for the first 50 years of the service of the Sons of Don Bosco in this area.

Published 18/10/2011