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The official newsletter of the Salesian Mission Animation FIN Issue No.8 October - November 2007
By His Holiness Pope John Paul II*
Mary, model of contemplation The contemplation of
Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique
way the face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her
womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human
resemblance, which points to an even
greater spiritual closeness. No one has
ever devoted himself to the contemplation
of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary.
Thereafter Mary's gaze, ever filled with
adoration and wonder, would never leave
Him. It would always be a penetrating
gaze, one capable of deeply understanding
Jesus, even to the point of perceiving His
hidden feelings and anticipating His
decisions. At other times it would be a
look of sorrow, especially beneath the
Cross, where her vision would still be that
of a mother giving birth, for Mary not only
shared the passion and death of her Son,
she also received the new son given to her
in the beloved disciple. On the morning of
Easter hers would be a gaze radiant with
the joy of the Resurrection, and finally, on
the day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the
outpouring of the Spirit.
The Rosary, a contemplative prayer
The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own
experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without
.
this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning,
as Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: "Without
contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and
its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical
repetition of formulas By its nature
the recitation of the Rosary calls for a
quiet rhythm and a lingering pace,
helping the individual to meditate on
the mysteries of the Lord's life as
seen through the eyes of her who was
closest to the Lord. In this way the
unfathomable riches of these
mysteries are disclosed".
Paul VI, mentions praying the
Rosary as a form of Christocentric
contemplation.
Remembering Christ with Mary
Mary's contemplation is above all a
remembering. The Bible is an account
of saving events culminating in Christ
himself. These events not only belong
to "yesterday"; they are also part of
the "today" of salvation. This making
present comes about above all in the
Liturgy: what God accomplished
centuries ago did not only affect the
direct witnesses of those events; it continues to affect
people in every age with its gift of grace
* Pope John Paul II issued Rosarium Virginis Mariae - Apostolic Letter on Rosary of the Virgin Mary.
My Dear Friends,
September 1, 2007
October is the month in which Mary Most Holy, Queen of the Holy Rosary, is venerated. We invite all individuals, families,
and communities to pray this Marian prayer, possibly every day, for peace, so that the world can be preserved from disasters and
wa rs.
In the face of these events, the Church tries to be faithful to her prophetic charism and remind all men about their duty to
build a future of peace for the human family. Certainly, peace is not separated from justice, but it must be nourished by mercy and
love.
May God allow the Church's faithful to be agents of peace, in the front line of the search for justice and the prohibition of
violence. May the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede for all humanity and our missionaries and grant them strength as bearers
of peace and hope.
Fr. Augustin Miciano, SDB
Missions Animation Office

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SALESIAN MISSION TERRITORIES
In a bid to offer more training alternatives and to cater
for the growing number of young people dropping out of the
education system, Don Bosco Technical College located at
Gabutu, Port Moresby, has embarked on a major fundraising
drive which would help in the establishment of additional learning
facilities.
The school, which is responsible for the
training of many young people all over the country,
officially launched the Friends of Don Bosco at the
beginning of July at Gabutu as part of the
fundraising initiative. Friends of Don Bosco is an
association of benefactors who believe in and
support the education philosophy of Don Bosco
Technical School.
.
(http://www.bosconet.aust.com/)
The Salesians at the school believe that having a
support network like Friends of Don Bosco would help in
achieving its vision to form young people, especially the poor and
excluded to be "Good Christians, honest citizens and servant
leaders of today".
The institution is now inviting ex-pupils
(Bosconians), former teachers, former and present parents,
businesses, corporations, and other individuals, who are
willing to support the school, to be part of the association by
becoming Friends of Don Bosco. It involves giving a
minimum of 100 Kina (the PNG currency (USD1=K.345),
living in the spirit of St. John Bosco and sharing time and
talent for special projects of the association.
Tell everyone that to come to the help of the missions is an infallible way to obtain from
Our Lady the graces we desire – Don Bosco
SALESIAN MISSIONARY IN FOCUS
Fr. Mario Villaraza, SDB
(Fr. Mario Villaraza is the Pastor of the Parish of the Our Lady of Good Counsel Church as the first located in Surrey which is a suburb
of Vancouver; a Pacific pearl at the foot of Canada's mountainous British Columbia shore. The parish
serves an enthusiastic community of Polish, Chinese, and Vietnamese immigrants, along with
Canada's more traditional ethnic groups.)
I consider the beginning of my mission work in the rural outskirts of the city of Naga in the
Bicol region as the Parish Priest of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Carolina; that was in June 24, 1994. I
was suppose to stay only for a year but I was extended for another year until it took me ten years in
serving the people and being one with them in their lives. When Fr. Francis Gustilo was then the
Provincial, I was likewise offered to go to Papua New Guinea
which I felt that I have to decline. At one time, I met Fr. Gustilo
again on January 24, 2004, who asked me in considering to work
for the missions and this time it was in Vancouver, Canada. I took
the option to accept the invitation taking into account that it is a welcome respite and an opportunity
of somehow to be able to rest.
Parish of Our Lady
of Good Counsel
My first arrival in Canada was a memorable event because several of these were funny
incidents. The people who were supposed to fetch me at the Vancouver Airport instead went to
Montreal. I said a short prayer which God promptly heard until I was picked up and proceeded to
Don Bosco Youth Center in Surrey. After I unpacked my things, I decided to go to mass. I went to
the church and saw a vacant pew where an old lady was seated too. I took my place in the same
pew to say a prayer not until the old lady stood up and scolded me saying that the pew was
reserved only for the ushers and usherettes of the Church. The culture in Canada especially in view
of the Church participation and activities is far from similar with what we know in the Philippines.
People leave right away after services and activities, inasmuch as they still have a lot of work to do.
As a matter of fact, after the mass, the lights, windows and doors of the Church are immediately
closed.
One of the many things I instituted as pastor in the parish is organizing and incorporating our “Simbang Gabi” held early dawn
at 5:30 am where many Filipino expatriates and communities really relished. Similarly, they would come to join the eight day novena
and likewise bring food where friends and parishioners share. It is a welcome change because in Canada there is more weight given to
the Halloween celebration over the Christmas festivities.
I continually realize that working in the missions is not a period of rest but of service irregardless of the place. God has already
plans for us where we can only understand if we are in constant communication through prayer with him.