3130 Past Pupils Bangkok 2013
austraLasia #3130

 

Asia-Oceania Past Pupils Congress - February 2013, Bangkok
BANGKOK 8 September 2012

Dear Salesian Past Pupils,
Greeting from Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand was requested to host the 10th Asia-Oceania Congress in 2012. Bangkok was once the host of the 7th Asia-Australia Congress in 2000.  We are afraid that this year Bangkok might be affected by the flooding as it was in October-December last year.  Therefore, we decided to move the event to February 2013. The preparation for the forthcoming congress has demanded enormously our efforts and cooperation of different members of the Salesian family in Thailand due to the shortages of resources caused by the big flooding in 2011. Though Thailand has not yet been fully recovered economically from the 2011 calamity, however we are delighted to facilitate the organizing of the 10th Asia-Oceania Congress as requested.

Thailand has a strong determination on its continuation of the open policy to welcome all members of past pupils in the Salesian Family to participate in the Bangkok Congress to foster the sense of belonging to the same Salesian Family among the past pupils who have received the same Salesian education.

The Bangkok Congress would like to introduce a new approach on organizing the congress to facilitate the members to benefit most of the meeting time through the establishing the business link among the past pupils in the region and around the world.  The congress will open the forum for the past pupils who are interesting in business grouping in the region to foster their mutual link and network establishment for the possible success in the business cooperation. Consequently, their mutual relation could be built up and  their common interest be shared to make a better quality of living among the past pupils in the region. We have envisaged that the outcome of this congress would have an impact on the better quality of relationship development among the past pupils in the region.  Their contribution to the society would have been characterized with Don Bosco’s teachings to care for the poor ones under their responsibilities regardless of race, gender and religion.  As Don Bosco used to look after the well being of the poor youth of his time very well, i.e., their stomachs should be well fed, then, they could listen to the teachings, etc.  Therefore, we have chosen the theme as it is stated below.

Theme:  “The Past Pupils of Don Bosco and Commitment in Today’s Society and the Church.”

Date:  22-25 February 2013.

Venue of the Congress:  Grand Mercure Fortune Hotel, Ratchadapisek Road, Bangkok, adjacent to the Bangkok Airport Rail Link terminal.  It ‘s the same hotel of 2000 Asia-Australia Congress.

Objectives
  • To welcome all past pupils members in the Salesian family.
  • To study the identity and the mission of those who have received the Salesian education.
  • To strengthen the witness of Don Bosco’s teaching in the today’s society and the Church by being a competent and virtuous business persons/leaders in today’s world economy.
  • To establish the network of resources of the Salesian information in the region.

We would like all of us to have a serious reflection on the Rector Major’s talk in April 2012 at the World Congress in Turin on “The identity and the mission of those who have received a Salesian education”

The address of the Rector Major focused on the identity and the mission of the past pupils of Don Bosco today, presenting the great challenges at the social, political, economic and ecclesial levels.  “Real past pupils are those who have succeeded in being the honest citizens and good Christians as Don Bosco wanted it”.  You are responsible for bringing into the society the Christian and Salesian educative values, i.e., to be salt and light of the earth, developing professionalism and witness of life on the personal, social and ecclesial levels.

Identity:
Those for whom having been students or having attended a Salesian setting is a fact of life, a simple anecdote which has not particularly touched their life.