5193_150th Salesian Missionary Expedition course begins

San Tarcisio in Rome

September 6, 2019

By Fr. Joseph Phuoc, SDB

San Tarcisio, Rome, 7 September 2019 -- Last Sunday, 1st September 2019, the 36 new missionaries began their preparation for the 150th Salesian Missionary Expedition (Valdocco, 29 September). The first part of the new missionary course is held in Rome, this year with the residence at the community of San Tarcisio (in the territory of the Catacombs of St Callisto). New missionaries, under the guidance of the Missions Councillor Fr. Guillermo Basañes and his team – Fr. Gianni Rolandi (outgoing member, in charge of missionary formation) and his successor Fr Joseph Nguyen Phuoc (VIE) are providing orientation regarding inter-cultural missionary dynamics during these days. In the second part of the course the group will become pilgrims in the holy places of Don Bosco in the Piedmont region of Italy.

The 150th missionary send off from Valdocco, will bring three new confreres to our Region:

• Br. Piero Ramello (ICP province-Turin) – destination Pakistan Delegation (FIS)
• Cl. David Mbanu (AFW province - Nigeria) – destination Mongolia Delegation (VIE)
• Cl. Felix Almeida (INB province – Mumbai) – destination Mongolia Delegation (VIE)
• One EAO missionary is being sent within the EAO region
• Cl. Philip Neri Tsutsumi Ryosaku (GIA-Japan) – destination PGS Vice Province
• And another 8 EAO new missionaries are being sent to other regions (4 to Europe, 4 to Latin America)
• Fr Oliver Bautista Ryan (FIN) to Lithuania (ICP Province, Project Europe)
• Cl. Nguyen Thanh Trung Peter (VIE) to Spain (SSM Province, Project Europe)
• Br. Tran Quoc Thuan Peter (VIE) to Albania (IME Province, Project Europe)
• Cl. Le Van Nhan Joseph (VIE) to Great Britain (GBR Province, Project Europe)
• Br. La Thanh Long John (VIE) to Brasil (BMA Province-Manaus, Amazon region)
• Cl. Ngo Minh Nhat Gregorio (VIE) to Ecuador (ECU Province, Amazon region)
• Cl. Nguyen Thanh Tin John (VIE) to Bolivia (BOL Province)
• Cl. Tranh Quoc Hung Luca (VIE) to Central America (CAM Province-6 countries)

We keep the new missionaries in our prayers and hope their courageous and faith-abiding attitude will inspire other young Salesians from the 12 EAO province to respond to this special call from God – to become missionary ad gentes, ad vitam and ad exteros.