austraLasia 1561
Telling the story of Jesus in Asia - First Mission
Congress in final stages of preparation
CHIANG MAI: 15th May 2006 -- In fact, the first ever
Asian Mission Congress will not be taking place in the Thai city of
Chiang Mai until October, but it has already been four years in the
making. Cardinal Crescenzo Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for
the Evangelization of Peoples first addressed the question in 2001 at a
meeting of the Central Committee of the Federation of Asian Bishops'
Conferences (FABC) in Bangkok on 27 September 2002, pledging "the total
cooperation and full support of our missionary dicastery for this
missionary venture".
Several significant reasons emerge for holding this
first-ever Asian Mission Congress. It is to be an offshoot of the
year of the Eucharist, in fact a concrete Asian response to the late
Pope's call 'Eucharist: The Principle and Plan of Mission'. To
that one can add the 500the anniversary of the birth of St. Francis
Xavier, a providential sign focusing Asia's attention on a model of
mission ad gentes and intra gentes. This year is
also the 300th anniversary of Asia's first indigenous Society of
Apostolic Life, which developed from the oratory of Blessed Joseph Vaz.
The Gospel of Mark anchors the spirit of the Asian
Congress: "Go home to your people and tell them how much the Lord
has done for you and how He has had mercy on you" (Mk 5:19).
The biblical challenge to tell the story of Jesus becomes an Asian
expression of faith. No surprise, then, that the overall theme of
the projected Congress is "Telling the story of Jesus in Asia: A
Celebration of Life and Faith".
The proposed dynamic for the Congress is worth a
close look. Personal faith stories and reflections by ten faith sharers
and four missiologists will be central, around daily themes such as The
Story of Jesus in the Peoples of Asia, The Story of Jesus in the
Religions of Asia, The Story of Jesus in the Cultures of Asia, the
Story of Jesus in the Life of the Church in Asia. This last
named will fall on Sunday 22nd October, also World Mission Sunday.
The pedagogy of presentation too is interesting -
sharing joy and enthusiasm, celebrating Asian ways of mission in the
midst of daily reality, raising awareness in the Asian churches about
renewed understandings of mission in the Church since Vatican II.
At this stage, the writer would not know if any
members of the Salesian Family are enrolled for the Congress, but with
six months good warning, and knowing that there is also a developing
Salesian work in Chiang Mai - the opportunity is there!
_________________________
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