1328 To Salesian Brothers throughout the EAO Region: thanks!
austraLasia 1328

To Salesian Brothers throughout the EAO Region: thanks!

ROME: 14th November 2005 --  All 9 provinces, 1 Delegation and 32 'respondents' (the term includes individuals, groups, provincial councils) responded to the questionnaire on the Salesian Brother.  Fr Klement, Regional councillor, extends his thanks to all Brothers throughout the region, all of whom are represented in these responses, many of whom actually took part in formulating them.
    The individual set of responses has been available on Bosconet - Brothers' page for some time.  Assuming that we have all the responses we are likely to receive now, a Combined Responses Package is now available at the same location.  Just steer to the bottom of that page (reached from a click in at least two locations on the home page) and you will find it.  For the moment this has not been zipped.  It is a largish file, some 40 pages worth, but it makes fascinating reading.  All responses, including even the 'narrative' ones, have been located under their most likely Question heading.  This enables an already more focused reading of responses and possibly represents one of the best 'snapshots' of the Salesian Brother one is likely to find anywhere in the Congregation today!  If anyone has difficulty downloading this file, let us know immediately and a zipped version will be put there as well.  It is just that some people have trouble with zipped files so as big as it is, it is actually more accessible in unzipped form.
    Now, there is another offering next to that:  the beginnings of an interpretative process of the same material.  You are particularly invited to open that file and work slowly through it, perhaps after reading the first one.  If reading all of the first one sounds like too big a task, then go to Questions 1.7 and 1.8 and read the responses there, then open the analysis file and read that.  This latter file (analysis) is the first of a 'developing' or incremental file.  It will be added to, maybe even daily over the next week, so keep opening it!  A number and date (it starts at 1, on 13-11) will indicate the file's growth.  This first version explains how the analysis and interpretation are being achieved, and the first item for analysis is 'challenges, internal and external to the Salesian Brother vocation'. 
    You have two ways of tackling this reading: either read the responses first, then go to the analysis, or read the analysis first then the responses!  Either way, see if you can identify with the analysis.  If not, and you feel able to explain why, then why not write in and offer a different analysis?  The approach taken is a scientific one.  It does claim to be accurate, but it also has to stand up to the test of the people who wrote the responses in the first place!  Happy reading.
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