austraLasia #2625 Provincial Chapters in the region...
(Note: as there are PCs across not only the region but the world, all
happening over this general period, we simply note the information as
it comes in and as provided, without making further effort to 'newsify'
it; there are two such items reported here)
SEOUL: 13 April 2010 -- On Sunday April 11th, the Korean
Province began its 13th Provincial Chapter. It will last until 14
April. Right after the end of the 26th General Chapter the province
engaged in a concrete implementation of the Chapter's spirit. The
province evaluated all of its pastoral ministry and finalized its 6
year plan for further development. It then started to restructure its
ministry and its structures of government to try to realize the spirit
of the General Chapter. We ask your prayers that this provincial
chapter may be a real Pentecost of renewal for the province.
MELBOURNE: 13 April 2010 -- Like Provinces all over the
Congregation, following the directives of the Rector Major, this
Chapter had the task of assessing the response of the Province to
GC26. This task assured the focus of the Chapter, but we had some
further documents to guide us. Shortly after the Chapter, the
Superior Council issued AGC 402, establishing a Project of Animation
for the next six year. Initially the Provincial Council in
Australia, and then the whole Province – in Australia, New Zealand,
Fiji and Samoa (moving eastward and northward out from the “home
Province”) - worked with the framework for responding to GC 26 that had
been adopted in AGC 402, and produced our own Project of Animation and
Governance 2009-2014. The final document for consideration was
provided by the Report of the Provincial to the Chapter. In this
document the Provincial attempted to repeat the methodology of GC26,
assessing God’s call, an analysis of the current situation, and
offering suggestions about lines of action. There was at least
one representative from each of the four nations that form the Province
present at the Chapter. Massey, New Zealand, was represented by
Fr James Adayadiel, Parish Priest, who had been invited as a guest to
the Chapter by the Provincial.
With these documents in hand the Chapter adopted a
number of strategies. The Provincial made his report to the
Chapter, and three sessions were dedicated to the report and response
to it. The tone had been set. Various specialist areas
(formation, youth ministry, missions, social communication, Salesian
family, Economer’s office) reported to the Chapter, knitted into the
areas covered by the Provincial’s report: starting afresh from Don
Bosco, life in community (with special attention devoted to religious
discipline), mission focus (with special attention devoted to
evangelisation), new frontiers, vocations ministry.
With all this material in hand, each subject was
taken into group discussions. The groups reported, and
foreshadowed proposals for the Chapter. The reports from the
groups were then further discussed and clarified in plenary
sessions. The Chapter decided against a large number of
proposals, and in the end there were only 10 formal proposals.
However, a great deal of substantial issues were discussed and have
been carefully recorded in the minutes. The question that loomed
over the Chapter was: where do we go from here? One could say
that the shadow of “new frontiers” loomed behind all discussions, but
that would not be precise. There can be no new frontiers without
Don Bosco, quality communities, a passion for the Gospel in our
mission, and an attention to our future through the vocations
ministry. But it is into “new frontiers” that the
Australia-Pacific must move.
The Chapter closed with a wonderful celebration of
the Province’s jubiliarians, who came to Lysterfield for an afternoon
Eucharist, followed by a celebratory dinner and some unforgettable
speeches. There was some concern at the Chapter that we run the
danger of forgetting our past. That was corrected as we
celebrated all that has been achieved. However, we must move
forward, and the Chapter gave its very clear support to the Provincial
and his Council to begin to make the necessary decisions that will lead
to a more obvious presence of Salesians in fewer places, but focussing
more and more on young people, especially those in most need, with the
Gospel in hand.
We all returned to our communities, more than ever
committed to the dream of Constitution 41: “The education of many young
people, especially among the very poor, means that we have to go to
them where they are found, and provide adequate forms of service in the
context of their own lifestyle.”
On April 9, the day after the Chapter, the
Provincial Council met at the Province Centre in Ascot Vale, looked
back across the Chapter and its hopes, and set in motion the processes
that will be required to make the dreams of the Chapter come true. _________________ AustraLasia is an
email
service
for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions
as an
agency for ANS based in
Rome.
For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com
.
Use Bosconet-wiki
to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on
austraLasia
2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser
address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail
yourself of the Salesian
Digital
Library
at http://sdl.sdb.org
