1524 FIS Vocation drive
austraLasia 1524

Being a friend is what it's all about, 24/7: FIS vocation drive

CEBU: 11th April 2006 -- Not over 30? No, please keep reading!  That is only one of a range of much more important questions in the 'Being a friend' brochure from Cebu, as the FIS province gets into vocation mode.  In fact, taking material from both the North and the South Salesian provinces in the Philippines this month, one gets a sense of 'The Call', as the Salesian Bulletin for Jan-Mar also presents 'Youth Calls'.
    The Cebu effort is worth a closer look.  The Social Communications Delegate there, Fr Fidel Orendain, started out the year by presenting each Rector with a complete 'travel bag' for Salesian vocation promotion, including several banners to be hung out in schools and parishes, a set of vocational posters, and a 'workbook' for promoting Salesian vocations, 32 pages offering a Salesians some basic ideas and concrete inspirations for daily vocation promotion.
    This workbook may well interest others.  It is well put together - a potpourri of ideas, really, many picked up from well-known internet sites (duly acknowledged), but with specifically Salesian material including a page on the Salesian Brother.  There is a page, too, indicating how the Lay Mission Partner can play a role in promoting vocations.  It is not a large booklet, just 32 pages, and not glossy, just practical.  The leaflets are glossier - the one already referred to, but another, produced in 'flat' pastel tones, is especially attractive, and other than the 'get in touch' portion on the back would be usable anywhere.  In fact, of the smaller items, that is, other than the banners and larger posters, the material could well give ideas to others to emulate.  There is effective use, too, of the 'Manila mural' that has received so many searches on Bosconet - Jesus' Last Supper with the street kids.  You can still find a link to the jpeg image as the last item on the Bosconet homepage, down right, and the story in #1404.
    The Salesian Bulletin, instead, presents a wide range of vocational stories, this time more Filipino oriented, as the SB has an official readership of some 13,000 but probably many more.  In this 'vocation' edition you find stories about young Salesian Cooperators (called to love), Brother Bernard Villasanta who still serves youth from his wheelchair as he has done for the past 24 years (called to suffer), the Salesians Sisters (to the one who loved us first), a Salesian past pupil from Makati who joined the diocesan clergy after forsaking a well-paid and prestigious position in society (called later), the Caritas Sisters of Miyazaki (called to mission), Called as a Family - the Damas Salesianas family movement, DB Volunteers (VDB) (called to silent witness) the Archconfraternity of Mary Help of Christians, or ADMA (called to spread devotion).  It concludes with the Pakistan story of Don Bosco relief works after the earthquake.  This is especially appropriate as Pakistan is a mission stemming from Cebu province.
    sdbvocfis@yahoo.com would get you more information - even if you are over 30!
GLOSSARY
potpourri: French term used in English to mean a mixture of things.
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