Salesian Family gathers for
spirituality
and installation of new provincial
SEOUL: April 27 2014 -- On
Saturday, April 26, the 7th floor of the provincial house in
Seoul saw a big celebration of the Salesian Family
spirituality day 2014 with the title of 'Let us draw upon Don
Bosco’s experience', the theme of Strenna 2014.
The atmosphere was started in understated, given the ferry
disaster 10 days ago, which killed more than 300 people,
almost of them young students who were on an educational trip.
All of Korea is feeling this loss very deeply.
But this year, there were many special guests at the Salesian
Family Day. Fr Vaclav Klement who was elected as General
Councillor for the EAO Region flew in from the Cooperator's
meeting in Manila. The Superior General of the Caritas Sisters
of Jesus, Sr Apollinaris Shimura Yuriko with her Vicar and two
more General Council members, on canonical visitation to the
three provinces in Korea, also attended the celebration. About
600 people attended from the Salesian Family groups, such as
the SDB, FMA, SCG, SSCC, VDB and SYM members too. The crowd
included co-workers and a good number of benefactors of the
various works.
The day started with a prayer accompanied by a beautiful
presentation of Don Bosco's life prepared by the Seoul
province of the CSJ. The outgoing provincial, Fr Stephen Nam,
greeted all present: "As the last event of my job as
provincial, today I invite all of you to explore and share Don
Bosco's spirituality. We are preparing for the 200th
anniversary of his birth. We have looked at his story and his
pedagogy over the last two years, and now we focus on his
spirituality. Even though ferry disaster clearly tells us that
we live in a society where we are not able to effectively
protect young people who are in danger, we have to imitate Don
Bosco's life as a good shepherd. He dedicated and sacrificed
himself totally for the young."
A short story on Don Bosco's spiritual experience played by
SYM members, and a conference on the same theme by Fr John
Jeong, the novice master, followed.
The original program for this day had envisaged family
entertainment and games after lunch, but given the national
sadness at the recent disaster, all game programs were
removed. Instead they watched the video of the new Rector
Major's address to the Salesian Family after his election. Fr
Marcelo Baek, just appointed as vice provincial, then spoke
about 'Pope Francis and the Salesian Family'.
During the Mass, the core of family spirituality, there was a
special event for the whole Salesian family in Korea, the
installation of the new provincial, Fr Stephen Yang. He
proclaimed the 'Credo' before the General Councillor, Fr
Klement who encouraged new provincial with these brief words:
"Your experience of participation in GC27 will help you in
giving of your best in the government of the provinces. We
also have great encouragement from the Pope who told us not
once but three times to go out to the peripheries, sending our
best people there." Also he gave a special gift from Rome to
the new provincial, a wrist watch with Don Bosco's on it, as a
symbol of "work and temperance, 24 hours working for the
salvation of the youth", as he explained.
The new Provincial's first words were: “In the mission for the
young, specially those most in need and for the benefit of the
confreres and the Salesian Family, I am ready any time with
the grace of the God. I will not give up, never escape! Please
join with me as a Salesian Family and help me in realising Don
Bosco's charism in our society, for the salvation of youth.”
