3851(I)_With a grateful heart

I'm always happy to serve! Sharing of a senior saleaian missionary

By Fr. Felice Furlan, SDB

Negros Island, Philippines, 28 December 2015 - Dear Friends and Benefactors! In these days we are celebrating the Birth of Jesus. During these days I’m trying to figure out what our good Lord wants from me! It’s not easy to accept my condition of not-so-active life after 50 years of very active Salesian life dedicated to the Filipino and PNG youth. I was always in hurry and never had time to rest, always trying to develop some pastoral activities and I had never time for myself – my life was totally given to the young people!

In these days I depend on others also in the most ordinary thing of daily life. My wheelchair is a symbol of my no-activity. It’s hard to accept this situation. I try as much as I could to be helpful to my community, to our youth in confession and with my presence in different activities of my community. As it’s my habit, I look at my life with the eyes of God and this does make my days full of the smile of God. I’m FELICE (=Happy) to serve the Lord, never was sad during my life, because I consider my life a FELICE (Happy) gift of the Lord for the youngsters, especially in this specific moment when approaching the final stage of my life. It seems that good Lord wants to entrust me with a special mission fitting to my age and my situation. It’s about a mission of suffering as a means of salvation and purification for my sins.

Last year 2015 was trully a blessed year all around the Salesian world, but also here in Victorias where we have celebrated last August 22 with some 4000 youth, parents, past pupils, SDB, FMA sisters and friends of Don Bosco. Our community of Victorias offered during the DB200 Jubilee year a special gift to Don Bosco when we accepted the pastoral care about one Chinese school in nearby city of Bacolod. It’s already 10 years when we are looking for the way how to be present in this important city - capital of our Negros Province. No doubt, it was Mary Help of Christians wanted us to be present among the Chinese-Filipino youth. With the Chinese community we would be able to help many more poor young people around Negros. At the moment only two young Salesian priest give a hand for the catechesis in this school together with one former Salesian from Hong Kong who does teach Chinese to the elementary school students.

My health is improving but the Parkinson disease entered my life only 3 years ago without much notice, just few weeks after celebrating my 50 years of Salesian and missionary life. I think, it’s a special invitation of the Lord to serve Him, his Church and the Young through this suffering and with my prayer.

What can you do for me? With your prayers help me to be really FELICE (HAPPY) to offer my life to the Lord, for his Church and the Young! Help me with your prayers to maintain serene and smiling spirit. Thanks for your help in this moment of my life.