austraLasia #2420


OZBOSCO Alive!

MELBOURNE: 23rd May 2009 -- Some 300 boys, girls, young men and women from Salesian schools, parishes, youth groups, hostels, camps gathered at 'Rupertswood', Sunbury near Melbourne from 10 a.m. until 9. p.m. on Saturday 23rd May for the long-awaited and meticulously prepared OZBOSCO event. Participants were from ages 15-25, a number of the older group being university students. They came from various Salesian settings across the nation, from Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide in particular.
    Bishop Tim Costelloe sdb spoke passionately of the mission of Don Bosco carried out by people who show their love for others through generosity, patience and kindness.  Participants from Salesian College Chadstone had begun the day by re-enacting the Don Bosco encounter with Bartholomew Garelli.
    A significant moment in the day was the sharing by three of the older youths (Carlos Escobar Jr., Felicity Walker, and John Tran) about how they live their lives in a Salesian way.  The participants then broke into groups of 12-15 each, to discuss and draw lessons from all that they had heard in the morning.
    Naturally the extended lunch break was filled with good food, plenty of it, and lively entertainment, before participants went into workshops.  A wide variety of workshop topics was available, some run by Salesians SDB and other members of the Salesian Family, others run by key persons in the Australian Salesian Movement - the topics included meditation, the Cagliero young missionaries, vocations, how to run youth camps, how to be a good leader.....
    Towards evening another pause for the typical Aussie 'sausage sizzle', which the rest of the world probably recalls for the well-known 'put another shrimp on the barbie' comment of the likes of Crocodile Dundee. A little passé, our CD, but the shrimps weren't!
    The Eucharist was celebrated in the evening, chief celebrant the Vice Provincial, Fr John Papworth, homilist Fr Laurie Moate, who spoke of the boy who shared his handful of loaves and fishes with the mob.
    Though the Sunbury event was by then over, interstate groups headed down to the Don Bosco Camp, an hour or so away at the beach, where they continued their Salesian and festive experience and stayed overnight. They were welcomed with supper, then youth worker Emily, with the assistance of her brother, led the groups in prayer.  Mr Ashley Trethowan, a past pupil who has been running the Salesian youth training programs for camp leaders for many years, gave the Good Night, speaking of the old man who saved star-fish from the beach and 'made a difference'.
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Title: australasia 2420
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces AUL OzBosco
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2420