austraLasia #2582 Priests getting some good press and plenty of encouragement!
HONG KONG and ROME: 25th January 2010 -- The priesthood rarely
gets a 'fair go' (Aussie expression, but you can guess what it means)
in the media, so it is good to see a few signs of positive
encouragement coming from different angles, and Salesians in the midst
of it one way or another. No doubt you have read Pope Benedict's
Message for World Communications Day released on the eve of 24th
January. If not you are certainly encouraged
to go to this link and check it out. Not that any Salesian wrote
his message for him, but we'd like to think we helped contribute!
And keep your eye open for a book that will be
published on
priesthood shortly - a series of reflections by theology professors
teaching at Ratisbonne, in Jerusalem. More on that when it
achieves
its publication date.
And thirdly, HK Examiner ran the following, showing
one of our
Region 'in action': Priests encouraged to embrace spirit of
conciliation
Hong Kong (SE): Eighty priests attended a study camp
at the Holy
Spirit Seminary from January 5 to 7 under the theme, From the role of
priest through the role of disciples.
Salesian Father Savio Hon Tai-fai spoke on the role of priests from the
theological perspective while Father Lawrence Yiu Shun-kit spoke on the
spiritual aspect. Cecilia Chan, a professor and social worker, and
Cheung Pow Yee-kam, a doctor, addressed techniques of counselling in
pastoral work.
Father Hon, a member of the International Theology Committee,
encouraged participants to learn from Christ and also to tap into the
experience of their seniors. In analysing the qualities of a priest,
Father Hon held up missionary experiences of (St) Don Bosco, the
founder of the Salesians, and Jesuit Father Mateo Ricci, as examples to
learn from.
He encouraged the participants to respond to God’s love and to make
love the core value in the spirit of peace, view others as their
friends in their missionary work and study, and get to know the local
culture.
Father Yiu, a scholar in the field of spiritual training, said priests
need to embrace the Church’s spirit of conciliation in order to
maintain it among peoples.
He said that, although a priest has a certain authority, it only
carries real weight when it comes from a Christian life and closeness
to God. He reminded Church organisations to work together in the spirit
of peace and not to succumb to secular values.
Father Yiu, former rector of the seminary, observed that “commercial
enterprises require efficiency and their leaders need authority to
control their subordinates. This kind of culture can sometimes creep
into the work of parishes.”
He cautioned priests to remind the faithful about this danger and help
them develop a life in God’s grace, be mutually supportive and
complement one another.
Father Yiu said that “a priest should treasure his role and listen to
the needs of the faithful. He should have the magnanimity of a
missionary and not restrict his perspective to that of the parish only;
he must view the needs of Church as a whole.”
------------
On an entirely different topic:
Several resources you may find of interest and now available on SDL
- RM
to General Council in Don Bosco's Rooms on 18th December. (English
collection)
- DB
Novena prepared by the novices from Bangalore (English collection)
- Haiti resources. A Powerpoint
reflection usable in schools or any other setting, really, prepared
by Chris Ford SDB AUL (you'll need to scroll down to 'Salesians in
Haiti appeal' on that page - it's in the 'Resources' collection. _________________ AustraLasia is an
email
service
for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions
as an
agency for ANS based in
Rome.
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