#560

Note: apologies to a number of confreres who are using these 'austraLAsia's to run-off to hard copy.  I've been distractedly dropping the addresses into CC instead of BCC...which means you get reams of addresses on your printout.  Thanks to those who alerted me to it.  Julian.

Adolph Furtado, Vice Provincial of Mumbai, explains his concern for an 'international perspective' on the theme of GC25:
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The effort being made by Chapter members to interact despite the cultural and linguistic barriers is highly commendable. The cultural diversity in the congregation has found expression through the various events such as good nights, animation of liturgical services, lighter moments of cultural exchange, …

The planning on the part of the Moderator and his team of translators, all Salesians, to provide us with material in the languages of our choice is another aspect at the chapter that is truly worthy of praise. What is admirable is the speed at which ‘our own men’ can deliver  documents, prayer services, goodnights, news...in 6 languages everyday!

My hope is to see this same effort sustained throughout the length of a normal year. This International perspective, I believe, needs greater prominence today. It would mark us out as a congregation that is constantly communicative despite our cultural pluralism. Systems that work towards this goal need to be put in place: structures, offices, plans, follow-up procedures -  using communication technology to network across the world and addressing the Salesians wherever they are, in the languages they feel most comfortable with.
 
My hope during this chapter is that we address, not only the traditional ways of being and living in community at all levels (we already has much documentation on this), but also the new of way of being an international community  ‘a global salesian community today’. I would like to see ourselves making our mark upon the world at the macro level as well - interacting and collaborating with world organizations that work for the benefit of youth especially those most at risk. We can do this precisely on the strength of our international status, our cross-cultural charism, our competence, our numbers and our mission throughout the world.

This ‘international’ perspective on community life does not seem to be given much prominence in our discussion and our documents at GC25. I have a feeling that we are still immersed in outlining the finer points of our community living which are already well elaborated in previous texts.


Adolph Furtado
Vice Provincial of Mumbai

<inbvp@vsnl.com>

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Thinking aloud is a private initiative that seeks to share impressions among English-speaking participants at a time when the Chapter is at its peak.
It is a response to a query from confreres back in the provinces: 'Can't our delegates tell us what they think ?'
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