EAST ASIA-OCEANIA: FORMATION FOCUS
TIGARAKSA (Indo): 16th August -- The delegates,
Provincials, Regional, Formation Department members have all gone their separate
ways, and life in Tigaraksa has begun to return to normal once again, but
'formation' is certainly a question 'on the boil'. In a region that boasts
the strongest surge of vocations along with experiences of vocational scarcity,
the Congregation continues to reflect on its formation practice, on the
fragility of vocations (from bitter experience), on Brother vocations, on the
need for a good prenovitiate formation, the urgency of preparing one or two
persons in the region trained in Salesianity, on the formation of the formators
themselves.
Formation sounds like serious business, but part of
it - perhaps a large part of it - is the value of the community as a living
entity, and the gathering at Tigaraksa was no exception to this. As
described by Fr. Chrys Saldanha from the Formation Department, "we had a nice family get-together with some of the Provincials
and Delegates trying their hand on the 'angklung' for the first time in their
lives. It's a simple instrument made of bamboo, which when shaken,
gives off
a particular note. You need a dozen of these instruments, of different sizes, to
give you a wide range of musical notes and so form an orchestra. In fact,
without any practice, the first-timers on the angklung were able to play 'Que
sera sera'!!!"
It is to be assumed that the assembled Provincials
and Delegates eventually reached timely decisions beyond that famous refrain.
'austraLasia' will let you know in due course.
