austraLasia #3261
Official launch of Tétun
Memoirs of the Oratory
13
August
2013 -- On 12 August 2013 at the ITM
Provincial
House in Dili the official launch took place of the
“Memória sira
oratóriu São Francisco de Sales nian”, the
Tétun language edition
(national language of East Timor) of the “Memoirs of the
Oratory”. The
event was organised by Fr Placido T. Freitas, sdb, Social
Communication
Delegate for ITM. It was limited to just 30 people from the
different
Salesian Family Groups in Timor. As well as Rectors from
Salesian
Houses representatives of the Past Pupils, the DBV, ADMA, the
FMA,
Salesian Cooperators and young people were present.
The day began at 10.30 with an introduction from the Social
Communication Delegate, followed by brief addresses from the
book's
translator, Fr Manuel Fraile, sdb and the Provincial, Fr
João P.
Aparicio, sdb. It concluded towards midday with distribution
of the
book to participants as a gift from the Provincial.
The initiative to translate this book by Don Bosco into
Tétun was taken
last year as part of the Provincial Plan, to celebrate the
Bicentenary
of Don Bosco's birth. Fr Placido pointed this out in his
introductory
address. He thanked Fr Fraile particularly for his
availability in
accepting the task of translating the book, as well as the
Provincial
and his Council for their support. Fr Fraile for his part
thanked all
the confreres for having given him a chance to serve the
Congregation
by translating such an important work for understanding the
life,
spirituality and pedagogy of Don Bosco. “It was really a great
honour
for me,” he said, with a certain emotion.
The Provincial said in his address that these Memoirs are esesential
for
understanding Don Bosco. Therefore he asked all members of the
Salesian
Family to read them, promote them and meditate on them. “There
is no
longer any reason,” the Superior said, “for not reading the Memoirs, since we now
have them in
our own language”. He also thanked the benefactors,
emphasising the
contribution given by the National Parliament in East Timor
for its
publication. The Provincial then handed out copies to
participants
amidst general applause, to symbolise the official launching
of the
book.
Thus, after 86 years of Salesian presence in East Timor, there
is
finally a first translation in Tétun of Don Bosco's Memoirs. This event is
only the
beginning of a series of publications of Salesian source
material soon
to be realised in East Timor.
