Asia-Oceania Past Pupils
Congress -
February 2013, Bangkok
BANGKOK 8 September
2012
Dear Salesian Past Pupils,
Greeting from Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand was requested to host the 10th Asia-Oceania Congress
in 2012.
Bangkok was once the host of the 7th Asia-Australia Congress
in
2000. We are afraid that this year Bangkok might be
affected by
the flooding as it was in October-December last year.
Therefore,
we decided to move the event to February 2013. The preparation
for the
forthcoming congress has demanded enormously our efforts and
cooperation of different members of the Salesian family in
Thailand due
to the shortages of resources caused by the big flooding in
2011.
Though Thailand has not yet been fully recovered economically
from the
2011 calamity, however we are delighted to facilitate the
organizing of
the 10th Asia-Oceania Congress as requested.
Thailand has a strong determination on its continuation of the
open
policy to welcome all members of past pupils in the Salesian
Family to
participate in the Bangkok Congress to foster the sense of
belonging to
the same Salesian Family among the past pupils who have
received the
same Salesian education.
The Bangkok Congress would like to introduce a new approach on
organizing the congress to facilitate the members to benefit
most of
the meeting time through the establishing the business link
among the
past pupils in the region and around the world. The
congress will
open the forum for the past pupils who are interesting in
business
grouping in the region to foster their mutual link and network
establishment for the possible success in the business
cooperation.
Consequently, their mutual relation could be built up
and their
common interest be shared to make a better quality of living
among the
past pupils in the region. We have envisaged that the outcome
of this
congress would have an impact on the better quality of
relationship
development among the past pupils in the region. Their
contribution to the society would have been characterized with
Don
Bosco’s teachings to care for the poor ones under their
responsibilities regardless of race, gender and
religion. As Don
Bosco used to look after the well being of the poor youth of
his time
very well, i.e., their stomachs should be well fed, then, they
could
listen to the teachings, etc. Therefore, we have chosen
the theme
as it is stated below.
Theme: “The Past Pupils of Don Bosco
and
Commitment in Today’s Society and the Church.”
Date:
22-25 February 2013.
Venue of the
Congress: Grand Mercure Fortune Hotel,
Ratchadapisek Road,
Bangkok, adjacent to the Bangkok Airport Rail Link
terminal. It
‘s the same hotel of 2000 Asia-Australia Congress.
Objectives
To welcome all past pupils members in the
Salesian
family.
To study the identity and the mission of
those who have
received the Salesian education.
To strengthen the witness of Don Bosco’s
teaching in
the today’s society and the Church by being a competent
and virtuous
business persons/leaders in today’s world economy.
To establish the network of resources of
the Salesian
information in the region.
We would like all of us to have a serious reflection on the
Rector
Major’s talk in April 2012 at the World Congress in Turin on
“The
identity and the mission of those who have received a Salesian
education”
The address of the Rector Major focused on the identity and
the mission
of the past pupils of Don Bosco today, presenting the great
challenges
at the social, political, economic and ecclesial levels.
“Real
past pupils are those who have succeeded in being the honest
citizens
and good Christians as Don Bosco wanted it”. You are
responsible
for bringing into the society the Christian and Salesian
educative
values, i.e., to be salt and light of the earth, developing
professionalism and witness of life on the personal, social
and
ecclesial levels.
Identity:
Those for whom having been students or having attended a
Salesian
setting is a fact of life, a simple anecdote which has not
particularly
touched their life.
