MELBOURNE: 7 August 2010 -- I thought he said "storeman with
Angus and Robertson", which seemed a little lowly for a high-flying
twenty-year-old nearing the end of a degree in Music at the Melbourne
Conservatorium, "majoring in performance" (he insisted I got that
right, at least). He's off today conducting a local band and would
like, if the truth be known, to conduct major orchestras around the
world - a well-nurtured hope that shows every promise of being
realised, along with a vocation to be a Salesian Cooperator. He didn't
say 'storeman' at all; he said he was a 'story man'. And you've got to
believe it. He might sell books to earn a quid to fulfill his dreams,
but he believes in The Story, and whatever else he does, it will be but
a character in the larger Story. He talked about it.
"I guess I got lucky. My Salesian beginnings were
initiated from the beginning and I feel undeservingly fortunate to be
in a position where I can appreciate just how nurturing my upbringing
and childhood was", Carlos (his dad prefers Carlito, I think) mused.
"Right from the very beginning I found myself being immersed in a
Salesian world. My parents always believed it was better for me to come
along than stay behind and that attitude saw me at camps (at 4 years
old, I recall!), conferences and meetings, even as far as Hong Kong
before I was old enough to even comprehend what was going on".
Carlos has had Salesian education without ever
having had Salesian schooling. He is a fine product of great men
and women, apart from his mum and dad, like Brother Frank McCarthy, an
Edmund Rice man par excellence (aka Christian Brother), but his
Salesian education, begun and continued at home, was in those camps, at
those conferences, then as a leader, now as a post-Samoa mission
immersion experience volunteer, and so on.
He tells me "one has to be silver-tongued" to sell
books, and that sounds slightly tarnished, but Carlos is a polished
performer - hence the 'major' insistence above. His eyes shine as he
goes on.
"The wonderful thing about the Salesian spirit is
that it can be found in the humblest of places. It is easily
recognisable to those familiar to it and the best part is, someone
doesn't even need to know they have it for them to share it. My mother
and father are both incredible sources of this very spirit and in their
own interaction with young people and myself; I found the best
role-model for being Salesian even though I wasn't aware of it at the
time. When I was young my parents had rallied together a group of
like-minded friends, immigrants like themselves. At the core of their
interests was the Christian upbringing of their children. These
families met every month on a Sunday... I have fond memories of these
monthly get-togethers which really involved us kids running on
trampolines and playing whatever games amused us until Mass. Little did
I realise that that was the focus for these gatherings".
Carlos is also the product of two other fine
Salesians, Ashley and Andree, who live family life in a Salesian spirit
and run a Salesian youth formation programme (aka Dromana Camp, but far
more besides), constantly inviting other families to work with them and
create a Salesian Family (literally) Centre. The story man goes on...
"When I was eight years old I forced myself into a
camp (he was under age!) which would rapidly change and shape so much
of who I am. For twelve years I have proudly associated myself with Don
Bosco Camp, Dromana, and it has provided me with an almost infinite
source of happiness over the years". Then comes the killer reflection
for a twenty-year-old. Which of us wouldn't want to still be striving
for this depth..."Inside each member of the Salesian Family lies an
unsuppressed joy that can never be silenced and is always looking to be
shared. This became entirely evident for me when I went to World Youth
Day in Sydney".
The story is long and also long-unfinished and a bit
longer than a usual 'austraLasia' but I think it's worth letting
Carlito finish this bit: "A handful of willing camp leaders and brave
outsiders quested into the New South Wales capital and into hundreds
and thousands of young people carrying the camp spirit, which really is
Don Bosco's spirit. Several hundred Salesians, youth, lay and clergy,
gathered at Engadine. Inside that simple, vast tin shed I was witness
to one of the greatest expressions of energy, joy and celebration I had
ever experienced. At that point I realised how universal the Salesian
spirit is, but really, how universal joy is. Ultimately that's what we
deal in. Joy... that's why I want to become a Salesian Cooperator".
What a line to finish a story on! Carlito would love
to go to Madrid next year, but he also has to face the fact that he
just could be auditioning in Paris, or London, or New York, and big
Carlos and mother Carmen are filled with joy too.
So by the way, are many other mums and dads and
young people who are part of the Salesian Family in this Province.
Thank you story man. Thank you Australia-Pacific _________________ AustraLasia is an
email
service
for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions
as an
agency for ANS based in
Rome.
For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com
.
Use Bosconet-wiki
to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on
austraLasia
2010 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser
address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail
yourself of the Salesian
Digital
Library
at http://sdl.sdb.org
