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E- NEWSLETTER OF THE SALESIAN MISSION ANIMATION
ISSUE NO. # 8 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2007
St. John Bosco Parish P.O. Box 1336 MCPO 1253 Makati City - Don Bosco Philippine North Province (FIN)
FINDING OUR IMPETUS FOR MISSION
Don Bosco commissioned his first missionaries, destined for
Argentina, in a solemn ceremony in the Basilica of Mary Help of
Christians, in Turin, on 11 November 1875. That inaugural missionary
expedition was led by Fr John Cagliero (later to become a bishop and a
Cardinal). Thus began a story that has spread throughout the world and
now sees the Salesians working in
over 115 countries.
The story of the
departure of the first Salesians for
America in 1875 is based on the
missionary ideal of Don Bosco.
After his ordination, he would
have become a missionary had not
his director, Joseph Cafasso,
opposed the idea. He eagerly read
the Italian edition of the Annals of
the Propagation of the Faith and
used this magazine to illustrate his
Cattolico provveduto (1853) and
his Month of May booklets
(1858).
When he founded the
Salesian Society, the thought of
the missions still obsessed him,
and he would gladly have sent his
religious had he not then completely lacked the means.
t is said that he searched for three years among documents, trying
to get information about different countries. For a moment he thought it
might be Abyssinia, then Hong Kong, then Australia, then India. One day,
however, a request came from the republic of Argentina, which turned him
towards the Indians of Patagonia. To his surprise, a study of the people
there convinced him that the country and its inhabitants were the ones he
had seen in his dream.
He regarded it as a sign of Providence and set about the
realization of a project long dear to him. Adopting a special way of
evangelization that would not expose his missionaries suddenly to wild,
uncivilized tribes, he proposed to set up bases in safe locations where their
missionary efforts were to be launched. The above request from Argentina
came about as follows: Towards the end of 1874, he received letters from
that country requesting that he
accept an Italian parish in Buenos
Aires and a school for boys at San
Nicolas de los Arroyos. Gazzolo,
the Argentinean Consul at Savona,
had sent the request, for he had
taken a great interest in the
Salesian work in Liguria and
hoped to obtain the Salesians' help
for the benefit of his country.
Negotiations started after
Archbishop Aneiros of Buenos
Aires had indicated that he would
be glad to receive the Salesians.
They were successful mainly
because of the good offices of the
priest of San Nicolas, Pedro
Ceccarelli, a friend of Gazzolo,
who was in touch with and had the
confidence of Don Bosco. In a
ceremony held on 29 January
1875.Don Bosco was able to
convey the great news to the Oratory in the presence of Gazzolo. On
February 5, he announced the fact in a circular letter to all Salesians asking
volunteers to apply in writing. He proposed that the first missionary
departure start in October.
This news aroused great enthusiasm everywhere, and practically
all the Salesians volunteered for the missions. Certainly a new era had now
begun for the Oratory and the young Society.
LET US REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR THE MISSIONS
The month of November is very
Then he opened a trade school at Almagro
Salesian Missionaries to be faithful to the
significant for us Salesians because we
and another at Villa Colon, Uruguay until his teachings of Don Bosco and that they may
remember the first foray of the Salesians in
to a foreign land led by Fr. Cagliero on
recall to Turin to be made bishop
consecrated in the Basilica of Mary, Help of
be given the grace of holy perseverance.
November 11, 1875. Cagliero is best
Christians in Turin on December 7, 1884, in
remembered as an intrepid missioner. He
the presence of Don Bosco.
led the first group of Salesian missionaries
to Argentina , where they carried out their
This month of November, we
ministry to the Italian immigrants of Buenos
Aires . Soon, Fr Cagliero penetrated the
remember all mission lands and the boys
under the pastoral care of priests and
Fr. Ting Miciano, SDB
interior of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego .
brothers. We remember to pray for the

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SALESIAN MISSION NEWS
The Cagliero Project gives young Australians like you an opportunity to
devote a year of your life in service of the youth overseas and in Australia.
This takes place in Salesian communities around the world. As missionaries
you will work in solidarity with the community in order to promote the
Gospel and the message of Don Bosco and to deepen your own spiritual
awareness. In this community, based on your skills and talents, you will
work with youth. This usually takes place in projects such as schools, youth
centres, oratories and mission centres. Cagliero Missionaries commit
themselves to a Salesian spirituality and lifestyle. This is done by
participating in your specified Salesian community through living, praying
and working in a Salesian way. In determining the type of work you want
to do, we will take into account your training, academic standard and
(http://www.cagliero.org.au/index.htm)
SALESIAN MISSIONARY IN FOCUS
trade/professional background. Your geographical area of interest will also
be taken into consideration. A primary focus of the Cagliero Project will be
working with the young people in the community: in a school, youth
centre, oratory or mission centre. You will take on a role such as teacher,
youth minister, counsellor, social worker, labourer or nurse. You will be
given a specific job before going abroad, however, there are a lot of
different ministries that go on in a Salesian community and you may be
called to undertake other tasks. For example, your primary task may be to
teach in a technical school, but the community in which you live may also
run a food program for the poor and you may also be called upon to assist
the Saesian community with the given program intended for the less
fortunate.
Most of us watched 300 … but we just celebrated 800 (that’s Sparta? this is Mongolia!).
Fr. Carlo Maria Savio D. Villegas, SDB
Mother Alan Qo’a had two sons by Dobun-mergen, namely Belguenuetei and
Bueguenuetei. After her husband died, Alan Qo’a bore three more sons Buqu-
qadagi, Bugatu-salji, Bodonchar-munchqaq. The first two, Belguenuetei and
Bueguentei were secretly red with jealous anger of the other three. As a
mother, Alan Qo’a knew their thoughts and one day called all 5 sons to her
presence. To each she gave a shaft of an arrow. And to each she asked this
to be broken into half. The 5 sons readily broke the shaft still wondering what
their Mother was up to. Then Mother Alan Qo’a took from a quiver a bundle of
5 arrows which she bundled together and gave to them to break. None of 5
was able to break the bundle of arrows into half. Then Mother Alan Qo’a said,
alone you can easily be broken by anyone. Together and of one mind, like a
bound arrow-shafts none can easily vanquish you. (19-22. “The Secret History
of the Mongols”, Prof. Urgunge Transl.)
The title of this article (In Unity, Peace, cfr. (www.carlomariasavio.blogspot.com)
may initially be seen as farfetched with the person of Chinggis Khaan
(Genghis Khan, Anglicized version) characterized by some historians as one
who mercilessly took many lives and literally cut them short. But after a few 14 years of missionary life (7 in Papua New Guinea and 7 in
Mongolia), I have been taught more by my mistakes to listen and be left in Wonder (an expression I have learned from a great classmate).
More than war, a man loves peace. And Peace is a fruit of communion.
After five years or shall I say in more poetic words as Chinggis would have had it said, after seven winters with the people of the felt-walled
tents, Life has been WONDER-full.
A Life of wonder is something one cannot exchange for all the price tags a sight-seeing tourist-package can offer to see and ride on camels.
Lest the readers be misled, Wonder should not be equated with only the scent and the velvety touch of wild roses or be equated with only the
thorns. Wonder comes with the fact that the roses come ‘packaged’ with the thorns. Just as snow is not only a matter of immaculate whites and
fluffy flakes but a fact of bringing freezing chills and bone racking shivers.
800 years ago the great divided tribes of the steppes were united into the first Mongol state. Last year, 2006 the people and government of
Mongolia celebrated the eighth centennial anniversary of their founding, their great unity – the Mongols.
With God’s grace and the intercession of our Heavenly Mother, Help of those who Believe, who has gathered her poor and young children to be
sheltered under the homes of Don Bosco would make the Salesians worthy enough to be men steeped in prayer and stooped with undying
work for building unity in a person. Therefore contributing to helping the great Mother and Mongolian youth of 1206 and today, fulfill their
dreams - to be gathered strong and to be gathered whole as a family in communion.
“In the year of the Tiger, the people of the felt-walled tents gathered around the river Onon, the Tatars, the Onggirats, the Tayichi’ut, the
Kereyit, Naiman, Merkit and Jadaran tribes and various smaller tribes” (202.The Secret History of the Mongols) to form what the world now
forever remembers as the Mongol people. In the same gathering of all these chiefs of the tribes, they chose a man, the one who had in fact
fought to the point of death, to gather them as one. That day, 1206 the great tribes of the steppes chose Chinggis to be their Khaan, their King.”
…He is now known as the father of The Empire the world has ever seen, extending way beyond than that of the Romans. This is Mongolia!