5720(I)_Annual Retreat – Moved by the Spirit and Salesian models

5720(I)_Annual Retreat – Moved by the Spirit and Salesian models

By Fr. Jolino Vieira, SDB

Don Bosco Fuiloro, Timor Leste, 29 October 2021 -- According to Timor Leste Vice-province traditions, the SDB retreats are held in Don Bosco Fuiloro, in the far east of their country. This year the resource person for some 20 SDB is Fr Agostinho Soares, SDB – one of the senior Timorese Salesians.

Fr. Agostinho inspired the confreres in his talks with consistent reference to Pope Francis and his Magisterium, especially about communion – relationship with God and our fellow brothers and sisters:

  • Living in the community we do not choose each solely through human reason but it is God who calls us from different personalities, cultures, backgrounds, languages to live together in union with Christ himself.
  • Our union with each other must be founded on our communion with Christ. Our Church encourages her sons and daughters to build communion with each other not according to human will but to his will. Our consecrated life is a life full of joy and happiness.
  • We cannot deny that there have been some generational conflicts in the Church. Pope Francis says: “The dialogue between the old generation and the new once is crucial…" Most of us became Salesians because they fall in love with this spirit.
  • Archbishop Virgílio da Silva (of Dili) was telling senior Salesians in the past as provincial of ITM vice-province that “sometimes we complain about the younger Salesians that they don’t assist the young.” He continued “But who knows if they haven’t seen any good example of assisting from their older brothers!”
  • We need to show good example to the new generation who have the RIGHT TO SEE THE LIVING EXAMPLE of THEIR SENIORS.” It is their fundamental right. They are learning from us!

In his conferences the preacher invited us to work on our Personal plan of life, to grow in true friendships among the confreres and care about each other vocation and keep always a positive mind and help each other to growth with all personal limitations.

Also during this retreat all participants went to the nearby Lospalos parish on the third day, where three or our confreres lie at rest in front of the parish church of St Paul. The Eucharist in the parish church was presided by Fr Hermengildo Pereira. In his homily he encouraged us to live with the mentality of the ‘seed’ that falls into the soil, to give more fruits and to live always with the heart for the least, for the last and for the lost.Only in this way we can build more human society and Church.

“Our homilist encouraged us with the example of our Founder and the generations of Salesians who walked and worked before us. Their fidelity is anchored in God’s Grace. They were faithful until the end. Let us ask God to hold us in this journey to be faithful like them to the end. God has called us to announce the good news and to proclaims His kingdom here on earth. Our Salesian deceased confreres have been the bearers of God’s love in leading God’s people to heaven. This is an opportune time for us to renew ourselves so as to give the correct answer to current problems and not just old solutions. The one WHO CALLS US, HOLDS US TO THE END OF THE JOURNEY.”

After Mass, all the retreat participants went to the cemetery and offered their flowers on the tombs of Brother Ribeiro, Father Ernie and Fr. Ignácio, the three Salesians buried there.