“I want to help fulfill Don Bosco’s dream
for many young people the worldover”
Iam from a family of six
children, two boys and
four girls and I am the
fifth born. I was not brought
up in a very catholic envi-
ronment though I was bap-
tized very young. I made my
first Holy Communion only
when I was already seventeen years old. Until then
I knew nothing about religious life nor the priest-
hood. But when I entered the Oratory of Don Bosco
for the first time, I met the Salesians who mixed
with us young people. I was shocked to see Euro-
pean priests playing, joking, jumping and even eat-
ing with poor dirty kids. It looked funny as well as
strange for me. At first I could not understand why
these foreigners were doing this. But I did not have
the courage to approach to ask them since I was
new in the Oratory. Slowly their very simple style
of life and their way of welcoming the young be-
came a powerful inspiration and
attraction for me. Soon I really
desired to be one of them.
That’s how my Salesian mission-
ary vocation was born. As a
young Salesian I expressed my
desire to give myself at the ser-
vice of the Lord as a missionary
anywhere He wants to send me.
Thanks be to God that my appli-
cation was accepted by the Rec-
tor Major.
I am very grateful that I was able to attend
the Course for the New Missionaries in Rome and
Turin. It was a wonderful opportunity to understand
better the dynamics of mission, about the Church
and Don Bosco and his charism. The experience
truly strengthened my vocation and my commit-
ment to be with the young throughout my life. Dur-
ing the Course I lived with and shared with fellow
new missionaries. I also met so many Salesian mis-
sionaries with so many years of missionary experi-
ence. I learnt a lot from the experiences they
shared. Thanks to the Course I was informed and
prepared to face the challenges of the missionary
life like the difficulties of languages and cultures.
Forewarned is forearmed!
My being a missionary is a fruit of the voca-
tion promotion in the Province. But being one of
the first 2 Malagasy Salesian missionaries some peo-
ple cannot understand why I decided to leave Mada-
gascar when we still need missionaries. But our Vice
– Province received a lot from other Provinces! Now
it is time for Madagascar to contribute in the fulfil-
ment of Don Bosco’s dream for many young people
in other parts of the world.
I am happy and very grateful to work here in
Zambia as a missionary together with Salesians from
Zambia and other countries. I
take everything as gifts from
God. It is a blessing to be among
the Zambian people who are
very kind, welcoming and
friendly. I do not find it difficult
to be with them even though I
still need to work very hard to
know the Zambian language and
culture.
I would like to remind my fellow
young Salesians not to be afraid
to respond if they feel God is calling them to be a
missionary outside their own country. Do not worry
about anything. God is always be there to sustain
us!
Cl. François de Paul Rakotomalala
malagasy, missionary in Zambia
Salesian Missionary Intention
For evangelisation in the Australia - Pacific Province
May Salesians in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa have a daily experience of
God, so they may proclaim and share their gift of faith through testimony and procla-
mation, b b b e it in the more secularised context of Australia or amongst young Pacific
Islanders, and may they do so joyfully and enthusiastically.
The Province of Australia-Pacific has 99 Salesians living and working in 4 countries with 12
temporarily professed confreres (3 Brothers and 9 candidates for priesthood), 12 Brothers, 75
priests and 2 novices, 6 pre-novices (2013 two). 14 Salesian communities (1 in Fiji and New
Zealand, 3 in Samoa and 9 in Australia) carrying out their educative and pastoral mission in 8
schools, 10 parishes, youth centres, altogether a wonderful multicultural mosaic of confreres
of at least 10 different nationalities.
All previous issues of "Cagliero 11" are available at purl.org/sdb/sdl/Cagliero
