austraLasia 1477
Your attention please: to family, cradle of life...a
resource to walk you through the Strenna
http://www.donbosco.asn.au/auxilium/pat.htm
MELBOURNE: 6th March 2006 -- At last a set of resources
you can employ with family, use at Cooperator formation gatherings,
exploit in a range of circumstances to do with the Salesian
Family. The Australian Province has made its Salesian Family
Formation Programme 2006 available from the
above link. It consists of a series of 10 units which
'walk you through' the Rector Major's Strenna, beginning with a unit on
the biblical understanding of family, then moving to the influence of
family on Don Bosco, on Mary Mazzarello, then on to family as
represented in the current Regulations for Apostolic Life
(Cooperators), to units on family as seen in some important documents
of Church or the Salesian Congregation.
These units are 'culture free' in the sense that
they are designed to work in any situation: indeed the AUL Province
embraces several very distinct cultures (Western, Polynesian,
Melanesian) and the units are applicable in any of these. Of
course, they would benefit from and are intended to be used for a
'formation programme', implying guidance and regular study and
reflection processes. Two additional items are available from the
same site - a 'bookmark' which can be downloaded and run off to paper
or cardboard, and a flier or brochure which highlights three panels:
family from a human, Salesian and Christian perspective, with some
practical ideas to follow up with. This, and the bookmark could
be available for wide distribution.
All three items are in Portable Document Format
(pdf) hence can be opened either with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader or
other programs which read pdf documents. They are the work of the
Australian Province's Pastoral Animation Team or PAT, as it is
known. There is no copyright on anything and readers should feel
free to use the material as they wish. Undoubtedly the PAT Team
would be happy to hear from you, especially if you find their material
useful. Fr Elio Capra can be contacted on
ECapra@melbourne.catholic.org.au
Readers may also be interested in two other
resources. The latest Journal of Salesian Studies (Fall
2005) is available from the Institute of Salesian Spirituality
Berkeley. It contains a leading article by Fr Art Lenti on Mamma
Margaret, and a range of other articles and Book Reviews that will
certainly be of interest. On a quite separate note, Missioni Don
Bosco, in Turin, have produced a 30 minute DVD (in 7 languages) on St.
Francis de Sales. The settings are exquisite (Annecy, Thorens)
and the 'shooting' is most professional. The spoken English text
is near perfect - marred only by a translator who seems to think that a
sanctuary is called a 'presbytery' in English, but this is a minor
blemish. For a good basic understanding of the settings in which
Francis toiled for souls it is excellent. It pretends no more
than that - and the enticing scenes of France's 'Venice', as Annecy is
known, can only whet the appetite for seeing the real thing!
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