The Joy of serving the Lord
The stories of missionaries have always fascinated me. After some
experiences in the missions of Guatemala, I had a ‘missionary dis-
tress’ during my postnovitiate. I spoke of this with my spiritual
director, my confessor, and especially with missionaries. After all,
these missionaries had one day lived this same anxiety and today are
the bearers of this charism in our province. Above all, I prayed. I
knelt before the tabernacle. My fingers rolled over my rosary beeds.
I asked the Lord for clarity in his call, the courage to answer, and
the love to make it a reality.
The counsel that impressed me most was that of Don Checchi. He
smiled and said, "My dear, if you've already placed your life in the
hands of God ... enjoy His dreams. Let Him do the driving. Let Him take you to the kids He has thought of
for you. Love His voice. Love what he has planned for your life. I assure you, you will be happy that you
trusted Him. "
Some of my confreres were more rational. They said, "Why go out? We
have such a lot of work here itself?" True, there is a lot to do. It is also
true that the Congregation is one, the world over. Young people as well
as confreres are waiting for us everywhere. If the vineyard is of the Lord,
He should be the one to distribute His workers. It is ours to do what He
asks of us, with the love He gives us, where He wants us and sends us.
And then I thought ... if the first Salesians did not risk what they had to
go beyond, how would we ever have come to know God, Don Bosco and
our vocation?
Urged on by the desire to serve the Lord, I made myself available and, in 2015, I was sent to Kosovo in
Albania. There I faced a totally unexpected reality. I had got used to thinking of missions with their
churches overflowing with believers. I had not imagined myself landing up in a completely Muslim village.
There I was, sharing the joy of being a missionary with two confreres and 18 Catholics!
My very first difficulty was to give up the idea that I had had till then of the missions. I had to try and
understand what the Lord was offering me. Add to that the difficulty of the language and my ignorance of
Islam. I found myself faced with a real challenge. Only the help of my brothers and sisters gave me the
courage to understand and to carry on. How much joy I have discovered since then in letting me be
surprised by the presence of God in the boys around me. Their questions, our discussions, and the way we
have listened to each other, are today the joy of my heart. They are my gratitude to God for my missionary
vocation. I think it will always be so, that the most beautiful blessing from being a missionary will be the
young and the confreres.
I believe that to be a missionary is part of our Salesian DNA. From going out to the streets to find boys, to
leaving our country for God's love, our vocation gets greatly enriched. We live life in its fullness when we
make God's dream our dream, His youngsters our boys, His calling our life. So if God wants you to be a
missionary, let yourself be guided by his love and go where the young people are waiting for you: I assure
you there will be no greater joy in your life!
Giuseppe Liano SDB
Guatemalan, missionary in Albania - Kosovo
Witness of Salesian Missionary Sanctity
Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni SDB, Postulator General for the Causes of Saints
The Servant of God Matilde Salem (1904-1961) did not have an easy married life, tested
by God, among other things, also by her inability to bear children. She developed her mater-
nal identity by being at the service of orphans and those in need: "These will be my children
forever, as well as all others whom the Lord will make me meet in my life." She worked tire-
lessly so that the Salesians could open a house in Aleppo (Syria). Afflicted at the age of 54
by a terrible tumour, she made the supreme offer - her life itself: "My God, I offer my life
for the unity of Christians, the sanctification of priests and the prosperity of Salesian work."
Salesian Missionary Intention
For Salesians who Work in Conflict Areas
That they may be Builders of Peace through the weapon of
“education” and the proclamation of the “Prince of Peace”.
Salesians are present in many areas of the world where there are military, social, political, ethnic,
and religious conflicts, often manipulated by commercial and business interests; interests that
have no compassion on the innocent, or the weakest. The mission of the Salesian Family in
these areas is to be free, prophet and builder of peace with the tenacity of education for coexist-
ence and human dignity, supported by the One who “is our peace”.
