I hand on our Salesian Charism in Cambodia
by Witnessing God’s Love as Don Bosco Did !
At a young age I was fascinated by the movie on Saint Damien of Molokai, the apostle
of lepers. In him I saw what I dreamt to be someday – a missionary serving the lep-
ers all of my life.
I kept this desire when I entered the aspirantate. But as years passed I realised
that my call to missionary life was not for lepers, but for the marginalised youth. I spent
the first 25 years of my Salesian life working for young people, then as Province delegate
for youth ministry and later as vocation promoter and eventually as delegate for formation
as well as formator either in the pre novitiate or the post novitiate. Yet, through these
years I kept the hope to be allowed to go to the foreign mission someday.
Finally my application was accepted and the Rector Major sent me to Cambodia. In
2008 I joined the Orientation Course for New Missionaries in Rome and Turin for the members of the 139th
missionary expedition. The course gave me an overall perspective of the nature, objective and demands of
missionary life. It gave me a chance to reflect and set my priorities through my personal plan of life as a Sale-
sian missionary. It also helped me to have the right motivations and at-
titudes. The pilgrimage to Salesian holy places also made me appreciate
and love more my Salesian and missionary vocation.
Now, that I am a missionary in Cambodia I try to transmit the
charism of Don Bosco to our Cambodian youth and staff by witnessing to
the love of God as Don Bosco did in his lifetime. There is so much work
here for us 3 Salesians in the community. But it becomes lighter with
everyone’s effort to collaborate and support each other. Our mission
consists in our constant presence among the poor youth and our dedica-
tion to educate and form them. Aside from the formation sessions we
give to our students and staff about Don Bosco and the Preventive Sys-
tem, we also tap them to volunteer as leaders and animators in our
weekend oratory. This year we also invited our very few Catholic stu-
dents and staff to be catechists. Through their service to the local Church they learn to practice Don Bosco’s
way. We have started re-organising our Past Pupils’ Association and have been promoting the Association of
Salesian Cooperators. Through constancy in their formation and by encouraging their involvement they be-
come more actively involved in the Salesian mission as one Salesian Family.
I continue to study personally the Khmer language. As I come to understand better the language I also
understand better the Cambodian way of thinking, culture and attitudes. Thus, I realise that now I am more
patient and understanding to the Cambodians than in my first year as a missionary. Now I have learnt to first
accept what they can do at the moment and meet them at their level. Then I try to be more imaginative or
creative in allowing them to discover new ways of growth and development.
During my last vacation in my own country I realised that my mind and my heart never really left Cam-
bodia. I hope and pray it remains this way forever!
Fr. Roel Soto
Filipino, missionary in Cambodia
Salesian Missionary Intention
EAST ASIA - OCEANIA - For the Growth of Salesian Missionary Volunteer Service
That the Salesians in East Asia-Oceania region may help the young to be en-
thusiastically committed to the Salesian missionary volunteer service.
Among the ten Provinces of the Region five have province programs of missionary volun-
teer service. We pray for the Salesians involved in missionary volunteer service that they
may help the young volunteers to grow towards a more radical and long-term commit-
ment. We pray for the young people involved ('Cagliero Project'-Australia; 'International
Volunteer Group'-Korea; 'Salesian Lay Volunteers'-Philippines-North; 'SALVO'-Philippines-
South;, 'Don Bosco Volunteer Group', Japan; 'Torch Movement'-Hong Kong), that they may
be committed not only in projects abroad during the holiday, but also be inserted with enthusiasm and energy
in the volunteer service of their Provinces of origin.
All previous issues of "Cagliero 11" are available at purl.org/sdb/sdl/Cagliero
