DILI: 30th January 2006 -- While for most provinces
the appearance of a Salesian Newsletter (what Italian calls a
'notiziario' as distinct from just a provincial's letter) is no big
deal, it has been a notable and welcome achievement for the confreres
of ITM in East Timor and Indonesia. Number 1, Volume 1 actually
has a September-October date on it, but someone only thought of sending
it to austraLasia just a day or two ago. There has actually been
a second edition since, just before Christmas, and who knows, another
'Don Bosco Day' edition may well be in the making. What is more
significant however, is the plan that is being followed by the
Provincial - he believes, and rightly so, that if a Province newsletter
can be firmly established and be effective, then the next important
step, an ITM Salesian Bulletin, will more easily follow.
Given that history has been made here, let's take a
brief walk through 1.1.
It consists of a newsy letter from the Provincial,
Fr Andres Calleja, but with some solid input as part of it on Salesian
religious identity, very much directed to the particular circumstances
of religious life in the province. Then news from the houses follows.
Then comes a little 'entertainment' section with a story, and some word
puzzles. There is a mixture of English and Tetum, and Bahasa for
the references to communities in Indonesia.
Well then, from the 'news' section. A number of
communities explain how they have organised their community life;
community council, assembly, that sort of thing. This includes the
Provincial community at Comoro (Dili). But to take just one
community, the community at Fuiloro, as an example, the 'correspondent'
there, Fr Manuel Ximenes, explains a new scholastic programme they have
introduced, a special multi-faceted programme involving just 30
students. The community itself has, in recent months, received
new members, recently ordained - Fr Jesuino and Fr Acasio. From
what this reader can understand of the Tetum, Fr Jesuino is a busy man
as vice rector but also acting bursar. Fr Acasio is no less busy
as a catechist for various schools. A little further down the
road at Los Palos, they are already in expectation of the Extraordinary
Visitation which will take place in a month or two and anxious to
ensure that their educative and pastoral plan, including working in
closely with the Salesian Sisters, is well in place.
None of it earth-shattering news but all very good
news indeed for ITM. For this little news item here, we have left out
references to the new novitiate in Sumba and other work in Indonesia,
since that tends to be reported a little more regularly in
austraLasia. In more recent times there have been important
visits, too - Cardinal George Pell along with Bro Michael Lynch from
Australia, for example, which would deserve a news item on its own, if
the now active correspondents in that part of the world are happy to
send along some news of that visit, and indeed other news which could
well be shared with the rest of the region.
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