We are publishing two letters - one from the Rector Major of the Salesians, Fr Pascual Chávez, and the other from the Councillor for the Missions, Fr Vàclav Klement – introducing the Salesian Missions Day to be celebrated in 2010.
Both letters are dated 12 April 2009, Solemnity of the Lord’s Passover

Letter of the Rector Major

Dear confreres and friends of the Salesian missions!

I greet you with a joyful heart for this Easter celebration, the Solemnity of the Lord`s Passover, humanity`s feast day `par excellence` since it is a hymn to life`s victory over death. It is the feast of all feasts in the Church which came about precisely through the Resurrection to be its witness throughout the world, a feast which designates who we are as a Congregation and a Salesian Family called to bring the young, especially the poorest and most needy of them, to the fullness of life in Christ.
In this Easter context I am happy to offer you a theme for the missions to propose to the whole Congregation. The chief scope of such an initiative is to give a push to mission animation by putting forward a proposal which can become a yearly concrete project.

And finally, after 1988 our attention goes, for the first time, to the European continent. We are talking about the new frontiers which GC 26 has urged us towards.

Salesian Missions day 2010, which will have the motto “The Salesians of Don Bosco walking together with young Gypsies”, presents us with a very meaningful and demanding theme. In the DVD which will follow this letter you will find experiences already taking place in three European provinces which have made a choice for Gypsies as a new frontier for their mission. To speak about Gypsies in Europe means opening one`s eyes to a challenging reality of a population something around 12 million people, belonging to more than 15 ethnic groups who have been around the old Continent for centuries.

Here are the reasons which have: urged us to choose this theme:

• Right from the outset we wanted to give Project Europe a strong and convincing missionary push, in order to give life back to this continent. As the Church reminds us from the time of Paul VI until the recent 6th World Congress on Pastoral Care for Gypsies (Germany, Freising, September 2008), ‘Gypsies are at the heart of the Church’.
• We would like the Congregation, the Salesian Family, the Church and society to know about our involvement with them. We effectively have 10 European provinces (SBA, SLE, POR, GBR, BEN, GER, IME – Albania, INE, CEP – Bulgaria, SLK, UNG) involved in various ways on behalf of Gypsy youth. The last three provinces in particular listed above, during 2010 are offering experiences of communities involved in a true integration of Gypsies into the warp and woof of modern Europe, while respecting their precious thousand year culture. It can be noted that 3 SDBs have the role of National Director of Pastoral Care for Gypsies - in Slovakia, Italy and Germany.
• A warm and pastoral approach to this cultural and social situation, other than being our contribution to building bridges amongst the various ethnic groups which make up the Gypsies and European societies, should help remove many of the prejudices or other expressions mirroring real discrimination.
• And of course it should show that, faithful to Don Bosco, our contribution is always offered from an educational perspective, involving the Gypsies themselves so they become proactive in their own human, social and Christian development. Once again we find ourselves faced with an appeal for constructive dialogue between the Preventive System and Human Rights.

I encourage you to take up this invitation of mine to set out for and enter into this new frontier in order to “walk together with young Gypsies” and be a sign of God`s love for them. Thank you for your generosity and solidarity.

With warm greetings in the Crucified and Risen Lord.

Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva
Rector Major

Letter of the Councillor for the Missions

A heartfelt greeting for Easter to all Salesian Confreres, with sincere best wishes, confident that the Risen Lord will walk with us along the roads of the world. (Lk 24,35). I am very happy to propose some aims of the 23rd Salesian Missions Day (SMD).
I hope that through the activities of the SMD2010, we may all share in the missionary enthusiasm of those confreres and communities who are working as missionaries in the heart of the European continent.

What does Salesian Missions Day 2010 hope to achieve?
1.   It wants to make known the courageous missionary engagement of some Salesian communities in Eastern Europe who have decided to devote themselves totally to the mission among their Gypsy brothers. In fact it is not only a question of pastoral work among those on the margins  but a real and proper missionary engagement in Europe. We are dealing with genuine missionary activities on behalf on an ethnic group which also include processes of  inculturation and which are harnessing the best educational and pastoral resources of our Charism (C 30).
2.   To the Region most directly involved in the Project, North Europe, the SMD provides the opportunity to “create well-organised and far-sighted presences among the Rom; re-enforce collaboration with social institutions”(AGC 402, Project of the RM, 2008-2014; p.78). The 3 Provinces engaged in the front line, met together in Kazincbarcika (UNG February 2009) to set things moving. An International Conference on  “The Salesians of Don Bosco walking together with the Gypsies” in planned between 20 and 23 November 2009 in Kosice, Slovakia,. The other European Provinces which don’t have the various groups of gypsies can get to know more about this great ethnic minority on the continent.
3.   For the Provinces in the other continents, where it is not possible to make direct contact with young gypsies, the material can still be useful: a) in arousing the interest of the confreres in these people with a very rich tradition, and  b) in becoming familiar with the missionary work and experience of the confreres engaged with the Gypsies  and, even to inspire them in the daily work they are undertaking with the various minority ethnic groups in their area. They can be found in all the Salesian Regions, from the Amazon area to all the countries in South-East Asia.
4.   We hope that the example of the Slovak missionaries in their own country, or of the confreres from Asia who dedicate themselves to the gypsies in Hungary may give rise to new missionary vocations among young Salesians. We are also praying for new apostolic vocations among the gypsies themselves  (we already have 2 SDB confreres from this background). Their example may lead to greater apostolic zeal in taking the first step towards the young, especially those coming from the more difficult backgrounds.
5.   To contribute to removing many of the age-old prejudices against them , to building bridges between the “gagé” (as they call all non-gypsies) and gypsy societies. For example we can imagine the impact that could be made by the Salesian media, with the Salesian Bulletin alone reaching 15 million readers a year. Seeing on the specially prepared DVD what is happening can help in meeting youngsters,  gypsies and others, in our centres which become important signs of getting top know each other.
6.   To also help with fund-raising for three specific projects, which can be seen on the DVD – (Jesus, the Bulgarian): Stara Zagora-Bulgaria; Lunik IX-Kosice, Slovakia; and Kazincbarcika, Hungary). Contributions collected during the SMD 2010 campaign can be sent  to the account:
transfer - Italy:
Name of the account:  DIREZIONE GENERALE OPERE DON BOSCO
Bank:                         Banca Popolare di Sondrio, Agenzia 2, Roma
IBAN:                        IT79 UO56 9603 2020 0000 2520X76
Purpose::                    DOMISAL 2010 - (name of benefactor/Province)

transfer international:
Name of the account::  DIREZIONE GENERALE OPERE DON BOSCO
Bank:                          Banca Popolare di Sondrio, Agenzia 2, Roma
IBAN:                         IT79 UO56 9603 2020 0000 2520X76
BIC/SWIFT:               POSOIT22
Purpose:                     DOMISAL 2010 - (name of benefactor/Province)

I conclude thanking all the Confreres and Collaborators, who have been involved in preparing the material, especially those who every day are “walking” with the young  Gypsies. As an indication of the close collaboration among the three Departments of/for the Salesian Mission, I thank especially the Department for Social Communication, Don Bosco Media – Eurofilm in Turin, VIS-Italy because without the help of their dedicated team-work we would not be able to present you with everything.

A special prayer imploring the Help of Mary the Mother of all Missionaries!
 
Fr. Vàclav Klement
Councillor for the Missions

Published 09/04/2009