austraLasia #2156

Pacifican Salesians speak up - and Council listens

APIA: 25th May 2008 -- "We did not spend a whole week listening to our Pacifican confrères to tell them that we know better". This was how the Provincial of the Australia-Pacific Province, Fr Frank Moloney, put it to austraLasia after the entire Provincial Council returned from the Pacific island zone last week.  The Council meeting, which took place in Apia, the capital of Samoa, involved all Pacifican Salesians in those islands and a good representation from Fiji. They had already spoken with other Pacifican confrères working in Australia. Pacifican Salesians make up around a third of the Province.For the fact that the entire Council was present at the one time in the islands, the meeting was historic. It is possibly also historic for the decision arrived at.
    As part of a well-planned redimensioning process now moving forward with the involvement of the entire province, serious consideration had been given to relocation of some formation facilities, specifically in reference to Fiji. But every Pacifican confrère to a man has asked that this be re-thought, that the presence in Fiji is important and that the presence at Nakasi, where the formation community is located, should be strengthened.
    The Pacific presence, now such a significant feature of the Province, has been a source of many good vocations, and a jewel of Salesian pastoral presence.  Of course, not without its difficulties, some of them major ones, as is the case whenever a new mission forms, norms, storms, reforms....over a period of some 25 years. It is all about the inculturation of a charism.
    Few people, also, can appreciate what it means for a province to be spread across the international dateline. The Australia-Pacific province is the only one in the Salesian world which has to deal with this factor. This weekend, for example, the Quinquennium group of seven young priests meeting in Melbourne has had to bring two of its group across those six hours of flying time (and the loss of a calendar day in their lives...to be replaced by doubling up on another as they return after another six hours across the ocean!).
    The council meeting in Samoa involved a two day workshop with all confrères, on GC26 and local matters, another day for the council alone and a day spent meeting with the Archbishop of Apia-Samoa and his council.
    These are challenging times in Oceania and the Province now becomes the focus of any number of high-powered visits to the nation and the province itself as World Youth Day runs just under two months from starting date - papal visit, visit by the Rector Major and others of his Council, the new Regional Fr Andy Wong, Days in the Diocese in Melbourne in a WYD leadup and the subsequent Sydney Salesian event during WYD. The province will appreciate the prayerful support of the rest of the region over this time.
  _________________
 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 2008 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org

Title: australasia 2156
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces AUL Pacific
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2156