4651(II)_How to fire up the missionary zeal?
For the first time CIN celebrates the Salesian Mission Feast
February 25, 2018
Hong Kong -- On the 25th February we remember our two proto martyrs. It’s a good moment to share and reflect on what we have been doing regarding the Missionary Animation in China Province (CIN).
Modification to the Salesian Mission Day (SMD)
SMD should be the peak of all initiatives of Missionary Animation throughout the year. However, one day seemed not enough to arouse the consciousness of the importance of Missionary Animation. Thus the Province had decided to take one week to celebrate it instead of one day and had chosen the week in which 25th Fed fell every year. It is obvious to see the reason behind, because the example par excellence of the two great Missionaries and Martyrs should have a lot to inspire us. As a result, we used no more the name SMD but SMW (Salesian Missionary Week).
Chosen of Dates to celebrate the Feast
As more reflection on the experiences got in Missionary Animation, we find that more rich meaning given to all initiatives, more fruitful they would be. Last school year, the Provincial Council had the consensus to celebrate no more Salesian Mission Week (SMW) but SMF (Salesian Missionary Feast) and to do it within two very significant days to CIN: 13th Feb (to commemorate the first arrival of Salesians in China - Macau in 1906) and 25th Feb (to commemorate the arrival of the Saint Martyrs in Heavens). The meaning of such an itinerary is comprehensive. We hope, through all initiatives of Salesian Missionary Animation, we can arrive at Home in the Heavens as the two Saint Martyrs have achieved.
Salesian Mission Feast always a year behind:
One may find that CIN celebrates the SMF this year with the theme: ... and they remained with us, not the one of 2018. The reason is simple: we need time to translate all the materials into Chinese. Other than entrusting the ways of celebration of the local community to its own creativity, the Province, with the help of Lay Missionary Partners in the Provincial Missionary Animation Committee, provides also four lesson plans for different ages of young people in the schools and one for the members of Salesian Sodalities with the special themes as below: How the missionaries help the indigenous people know Jesus? Believing in Jesus means losing one’s own identity? Who are the missionaries? Why are the missionaries willing to stay among the indigenous people, leaving behind their home countries? Taking the Holiness of the Missionaries as example, we try to promote the Missionary Volunteer Services.
What we need to stimulate fruitful Missionary Animation is a heart of fire from which all kinds of creative and efficacious initiatives would emerge. As the Generate has moved to “Sacro Cuore”, we talk no more about “Pisana” but “the Heart of Jesus” from which flows out the sufficient inspiration we need in realizing our mission. It seems that “Sacred Heart” and “Valdocco” goes parallel as a kind of source of Grace and a good model to save the souls of young people and especially of us, the Salesians.
St. Versiglia and St. Caravario pray for us!
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