SALESIAN MISSIONARY IN FOCUS
Love Truly, Live Fully
(Fr. David Buenaventura dropped by in town for a vacation from his missionary work in Italy. He has worked in several countries prior to his present
assignment particularly in Papua New Guinea and Japan. Taking a much needed respite, Fr. Dave shares his missionary experiences in snippets with the
Auxiliaries of the Mission, before he returns back to Italy in the start of this year's Holy Week
preparations.)
Italy
My work at at present is working for migrant
Filipinos in Italy I have been designated as a
chaplain for three communities namely San
Lorenzo. San Donato and Milano Tre. The
biggest group belongs to San Lorenzo with
approximately 1350 Filipinos being administered
to. This community is found at the center of
Milan. The other two communities belongs to the
suburbs or outside of Milan which have about
650 Filipinos in attendance for every gathering. I
can characterize the Filipino migrants as
belonging to the professional workforce. Some of
them are noted doctors, nurses, lawyers,
engineers or just professionals per se but as they
gather here they are bounded by one common
denominator which is working as a domestic
helper. One sad reality that occurs when they
work abroad is that they tend to regress from
their intellectual capacity. They are eaten up by
work with the desire to eam more. Ultimately, this
has a share of consequences when families
become divided leaving their children, misguided,
prone to alcohol, gambling and even drugs.
Parents. on the otherhand who work alone
experience tremendous loneliness seeking for
companionship from another..
From this standpoint, I find my involvement in
their lives by redirecting their priorities and
focusing on their formation with regards to
their spiritual needs.
I recall that when I first started my work for the
migrants, I have observed that their Bible study
was not very regular. I made it a point that my
thrust will be their formation. This confirmed my
perception when I saw there was really a hunger
for the word of God. I started conducting bible
studies with a small group. Once, when I was
still establishing the work, I conducted a bible
study in the house of one Filipino living in San
Donato. The funny part of it was that in an adjacent
room, there was a bible study that was
simultaneously conducted by a born again with
more participants than what I have. They had a
majority of Catholics attending in contrast with only
five of my attendees. The work started this way
until the news spread around there is this
priest conducting a bible study. Slowly but
surely, I gained ground in getting all the
Catholics back to the fold and from a house where
we conducted the meetings, we approached the
parish priest for permission to use a bigger hall
where we can accommodate a much bigger
group. The reception for these bible meetings
was intense that the Couples for Christ also took
part in such sessions.
These are among one of the many joys in
mission work and that is to see that the spiritual
progress of the migrant Filipinos begin to grow as
they desire all the more to learn more about
spiritual life. I make it a point that wether snow or
shine, I would come faithfully even though there
may be 2 or 3 attendees only. They seriously
come to participate in bible studies and take their
formation seriously ever conscious and mindful if
they are absent or even late during the said
meetings.
Thework remains to be as daunting as ever.
There is the continued influx of illegal migrants
among Filipinos arriving in Milan. T h e y f i l l u p
s u b u r b s l o o k i n g f o r opportunities to be able
to earn money and send it back home in the
Philippines At the center of it all, they have to be
spiritually nourished with the urgency of religious
formation not lost in them. That is why d i f f e r e n t
s e c t s l i k e J e s u s i s L o r d Movement, Ang
Dating Daan, and the born again can make a killing
in getting followers in their fold.
They say in parting that if ever I will leave
them, they are grateful that my legacy for the
group is to keep the hunger for the Word of God
alive and wanting. Actually, this was somehow the
same work I was doing when I also worked in
Japan. Up to now I make it a point to send and
update bible notes to the leaders who still continue
to promote bible studies in their communities.
Japan
It was in 1995 until 2002 that I did missionary
work in Japan. I primarily worked for women
entertainers which did not seat well when Fr.
Capelli was then the Provincial. As much as
there were risks involved, however, the work
itself proved that are also positive points were of
merit. The work I did began when a bishop
appointed me to work for Filipino migrants as
based on the need for a Filipino priest to work in a
Filipino community. This happened to be a first in
the history of the Japanese Catholic Diocese. I
received the responsibility being appointed as a
parish priest not with a designated territory but
specifically in deference to language and culture of
21 communities made up of Filipinos. I had to work
from Monday to Sunday where afterwards 3 priests
had to change me when I had to leave the work for
vacation.
Papua New Guinea
I began my missionary vocation in Papua
New Guinea when I was assigned as a
principal in Port Moresby. This was followed by
different assignments in the different provinces.
However, the most memorable work then was
in the highlands together with Br. Ramon Dela
Cruz who worked as my tandem and buddy. He
was already in the mission station as youth director
of the parish before I came where I will work as a
parish priest. I was met by Br. Ramon when I just
arrived informing me that our presence is not
anymore needed. The people does not want us
to work in the parish instead the people were
clamoring for a school. I called Fr. Capelli
informing him of what the people were asking
about and the Provincial then advised us to go
ahead with the project of putting up a school. I was
taken aback given the fact from where shall we
get the money. With such go signal from
Manila, we went to the bishop and asked what
land is available. The bishop proposed an 18.5
hectares of land which was intended for the
Polish businessmen who were about to build
a food processing cannery. Although, the deal
was intended for the Polish businessmen, it was
not yet final and approved. Immediately, I prepared
a feasibility study arguing with the local
government that the youth of the place wanted to
receive education through a school run by Don
Bosco
I was given 6 months to be able to get
signatures from different officials who can
approve in awarding the land for us. All
signatures were good as in except for one.
Everytime, I would go to his office, he would
always be out and not available. Yet in the
missions, miracles do happen. It was the last day
of the cut-off period for the six month reprieve to
gather the signatures I advised the boys that if
the school is for them, God will make a way,
otherwise, I together with Br. Ramon would leave
even without notice. Instantaneously, the official
who has not signed the documents found himself
standing at the empty lot where the school is to
be built bemused. I ran over him telling the boys
to wait while I talk with the official. The man told
me "I never smoke outside but I just found
myself standing here I really don't know why I
am standing here. perhaps I have something for
you". I brought out the paper and the official
signed the documents there and then. I jumped for
joy waving to the boys that you are going to have a
school here. The rest was history.
Missiology
When I look at myself and the vastness of
the work in the missions, I find myself
handicapped When one is sent to be a missionary,
one will always entertain fear because work can
be overwhelming; yet when one considers the
work in retrospect one should realize that we
are simply doing his work entrusted to us. One
must give himself humanly possible and God
will do the rest.
To sum up everything, a missionary
involved in evangelization will be confronted with a
lot of trials, similarly one cannot expect for fruits to
come immediately, in fact even one leaves the
missions, the fruits may never come. A
missionary will just have to be persistent in
planting and watering seeds of evangelization. It
is a matter of loving truly and living fully.
