1440 Provincials meet for wide-ranging discussions
austraLasia 1440
EAO Provincials meet for wide-ranging discussions at
Cheung Chau HK (on a separate note: the server being used in Rome changed over
24 hours ago to a different provider .... one of the reasons I chose a
'throwaway' topic yesterday for austraLasia, in the knowledge that many
might not receive it, and to test the waters! In fact, at the
moment, ANS and austraLasia are being classified as SPAM by the home
server even before they leave Rome, let alone how the receiving server
might treat them! It is hoped this will be rectified soon.
In the meantime we trust that the coverage of the RM's visit to China
Province will surmount these difficulties)
CHEUNG CHAU HK: 10th February 2006 -- Following the
meeting of Youth Ministry Delegates, and in the lull before the arrival
of the Rector Major on the morrow, EAO provincials met for their
annnual gathering to review, to plan - and to share. This meeting
is itself an important element of continuing formation for a group
whose Salesian and spiritual well-being is vital to that of the
confreres they lead. It would be impossible to adequately
summarise a meeting that had eight separate 'moments' to it, and from
hastily scrawled notes made by another, so here we limit our selves to
the broadest of coverage
The gathering began with a personal sharing by each
provincial on the experience of being 'father' to so many
confreres. The group contains those who are towards the end of
their term, like Fr Savio Hon, CIN, those who are mid-way like Fr
Julius Sanchez FIN and those just beginning like Fr Frank Moloney
AUL. They moved on to a reflection on responses to a 2005
questionnaire on ongoing formation in the region, in an effort to see
what regional possibilities there could be - a preference for some
concrete targets emerged, such as knowledge of Don Bosco, seminars for
the likes of Rectors and maybe the establishment of a mobile team,
rather than expecting all provinces to always be sending candidates for
whatever purpose somewhere else.
Lengthy discussion took up the question of the
Salesian Brother, given that there is already a seminar due in August
of this year in Cambodia. Here the discussion considered the
proposal that there be a regional centre and structure, duly
financed - places such as Manila, Hong Kong and Bangkok all offer
possibilities. At various moments in the day the discussion came
back to the Brothers, since the topic appeared under other guises - the
Rector Major's 'executive summary' of the region, animation of the next
several years, and Fr Cereda's formation report. One thing is
fairly clear - the forthcoming meeting of Brothers will be more
far-reaching than a simple fraternal Congress. It will take up
crucial theological, pastoral, Salesian issues.
The Rector Major's summary of the region is part of
a study of all regions done within the Council. The EAO study was
finalised in the months just passed. There was an acknowledgment
of the value of the region, but this does not take away from the fact
that the region is still finding its way in the midst of enormous
cultural and situational diversity. There was a discussion of the
merits and demerits of this very medium you are now reading,
austraLasia, as an instrument to 'promote news exchange and foster a
Salesian culture in EAO' as one of the contributors to the discussion
put it.
AUL has had some adjusting to do as an EAO member,
since its history and cultural attachments have lain elsewhere in the
past and it is in some respects a 'cultural outsider' with a wide range
of cultural diversity to manage internally (Australia, plus Melanesia -
Fiji, Polynesia - Samoa). But it also has much to offer to the
region, with well-prepared personnel and a solid theological study
structure.
The provincials shared meaningful achievements over
recent years - and there were many of these. They looked at
animation occasions 2006-8, central amongst these being the coming GC26
with its concomitant provincial chapters. If the Rector Major and
Council are looking for ideas - and they are - on focus points for
GC26, then what appeared to be emerging from this discussion was a
preference for a Chapter based more on the RMs report on the state of
the Congregation (which would include the state of the provinces,
obviously for their local focus) than on any a priori 'theme'.
Fr Cereda's 12 page report on formation with a
strong focus on initial formation gave rise to much discussion.
This report was delivered by Fr Chrys Saldanha. If we are looking
for a central point in this discussion it has to be that of
enculturation of formation, the pros and cons not of that as an issue,
but how best to see it happen in the context of EAO. That there
will be changes within the region as provinces look to ways of working
together on this one, is evident. The discussion found its way
back to the Salesian Brother again, but now from a Congregation-wide
perspective, since Fr Cereda's report is the result of having visited
all formation communities the world over. By the end of 2006,
pretty much all of the Salesian world will have moved to a situation
where the formation of the Brother is more organised, with common
content but also respecting regional and local differences.
As you can see, there would be little more that we
could give room to in such a rich exchange of views. The many
topics and issues will emerge again in a dozen different circumstances,
and there are some forthcoming events to note, so keep tuned!
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