JERUSALEM: 26 May 2014 -- The
solemnity of Mary Help of Christians was celebrated amongst us
with great joy, as any good sons of Don Bosco, or members of
the Salesian Family would do. But this year for the Ratisbonne
Community at the Studium Theologicum Salesianum – Faculty of
Theology, Jerusalem Campus – it was a special celebration
graced with the presence of Fr Pascual Chavez and Fr Adrian
Bregolin, former Rector Major and Vicar respectively. They had
been on pilgrimage in the Holy Land for two weeks. For one of
those weeks they chose to stay at Ratisbonne. During this time
the community enjoyed listening to Fr Chavez' good nights,
homilies and other interventions.
Fr Pascual presided at the Mass on the evening of the
Solemnity. During the Mass the Rector Major “emeritus”
received the Perpetual Profession of cleric Finansiuns
Sidabutar, from the ITM Province and conferred the ministries
of Reader and Acolyte on the clerics who conclude their first
and second year.
From our Region four clerics – Dang Lam Giuseppe
Cassino, Huang Long-Hsuan, Sidabutar Financius and Vu
Duc Huan Giuseppe - were instituted as Readers, and Cleric
Lian Thuan Piang as Acolyte.
In his homily Fr Chavez exhorted the congregation to emulate
Mary’s attitude at Cana: first to be attentive to the needs of
others, especially to the needs of young people, the least,
the underprivileged, those who count for nothing in society,
sometimes even in the Church! Secondly, to learn to turn to
Jesus as the only one capable of responding to our deepest
meaning. Thirdly, the need to bring Jesus to everyone, for
“Christ is the right of everyone”, he said. “If we give Jesus
to the youth, we give them everything”, conversely, “we may
give them many things, but they are nothing without Jesus”.
Finally, speaking to those receiving the ministries, Fr
Pascual asserted that the ministries have a pedagogical
purpose. They are aimed at developing values, cultivated
attitudes which are part of Christian identity. The goal of
the ministries of Reader and Acolyte is threefold:
configuration with Christ, identification with the Church, and
service. With regards to religious profession, Fr Pascual
described it as a profound anthropological act, because “we
are dealing with love; it is a profession of love; you are
confessing that you are loved by Someone who never deserts and
never disappoints.” For this reason we do not become Salesians
to do something (we are not volunteers or social workers), no!
We become Salesians because of Someone who has loved us first,
who has fixed his gaze on us”!
