1914 Symposium on Da Mihi Animas
austraLasia #1914

Major English Language Symposium on 'Da Mihi Animas' at Berkeley

BERKELEY (US): 31st July 2007 -- Salesians from a number of English-speaking parts of the world (but not only) recently mounted a major symposium on 'Da mihi animas', attended by and with contributions from  a number of confreres from the USA, Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand, Ireland, the Middle East, the UPS, Peru and the UK. The symposium was held at Don Bosco Hall, Berkeley USA, from 18-25 July. The former Australian Provincial, Fr Ian Murdoch who had been one of the key organisers of the symposium, presented it as a an opportunity for those who normally spoke English to offer a valuable contribution from their own perspective to the wider discussion of fundamental Salesian issues.
    Fr Joe Boenzi, who teaches both at Don Bosco Hall in Berkeley and at the UPS, offered a contribution drawing from his extensive association with studies on St Francis de Sales, and spoke in particular on the de Sales' family motto, 'neither more nor less' and his episcopal motto 'let it not be destroyed, concluding with the motto more closely associated with Don Bosco but quoted as being applied by St Francis de Sales, 'Give me souls'. We have his friend, Bishop Camus' , word for that.
    Fr Francis Preston, Rector of the Studium Theologicum Salesianum, Ratisbonne, in Jerusalem offered a 'Holy Land perspective', insisting on the fundamental importance of the Ministry of Jesus in defining the Salesian perspective. This was followed up by a contribution from Fr Arthur Lenti, the doyen of Salesian Studies at Berkeley and in the English-speaking world, He offered a major study of 'Da mihi animas' showing how it summed up Don Bosco's work as priest, educator, founder and missionary.
    Fr Paddy Hennessy, Ireland, presented a youth ministry perspective with responses from Fr Savio Hon, China province and Fr John Dickson, GBR province.  The picture that emerged was a world of young people in search of values and meaning, with Salesians offering an holistic concern integarting the personal, spiritual and moral in the lived educational experience of community in a Christian context.
    The 'lived' element was likewise experienced in the surroundings, community and prayer experience of the Symposium itself.

   
 
_________________
 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xm   Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org