4630(III)_"Live your Salesian life with passion!"
Fifty Timorese novices and prenovices with Rector Major in Fatumaca
February 3, 2018
Fatumaca, Timor Leste, 2 February 2018 -- The last encounter of the Rector Major in Fatumaca was with the 50 Timorese Novices and Prenovices. The 22 novices are being formed in the community of Fatumaca and 28 prenovices are being formed in the community of Los Palos. In the evening of 2nd February, the Day of Consecrated Life the Fatumaca Secondary Technical School Auditorium was the venue. Together with the young Salesians was present also Fr. Apolinario Neto, ITM provincial with some of his councilors and most of the formation equipes of both houses. The Delegate for Formation, Fr. Manuel Pinto continued to exercise his role of interpreter into Tetun language.
Father Angel first shared about the necessary attitudes of the Salesians in these two important stages of initial formation: "Your personal commitment in answer the call of God is the most important. It does mean look honestly for the clear and not mixed motivations to Salesian religious life. Not like want to study, want to have safe life, have more life opportunities or because my parents want me to be a priest of religious, but like want to help the young people on their life journey with full dedication."
Then the Rector Major shared his own vocation discernment story: "Even though I didn’t know completely what is the Salesian consecrated vocation about, I was clear to give everything for the young like the Salesians i get know."
Few concrete personalized advise were noted by the 16-24 years old Salesians in formation: " I’m asking you honest attitude and transparent with you rown self, with the formators, in the presence of God. This will help you to be really happy and joyful. But we can’t have Salesians, who are not giving themselves completely to the young.... our life is really full of self giving. And you need to feel in your heart that God takes his central place. If you don’t think like this, better to dedicate yourself to the social work. Yes, we are called in the novitiate to discover a life totally consecrated to God. And while you give yourself completely to the young people, you will be deeply happy. This is the experience of Don Bosco."
After the talk of the 10th successor of Don Bosco followed 3 questions from the novices and one questions from the prenovitiate: Why did you chosen to come for the animation visit to Timor this year?
Why are these two stages of initial formation so important? What are your main observations after 3 days in our country about the Salesian Vice-province? How was your novitiate?
And as a leitmotif of the talk came again and again the invitation to live the Salesian consecrated life with honesty, openess and apostolic passion!
