The Salesian Missionary House (SMH) is the first community which Fr Phuoc visits; therefore, it gets the blessing to be the first community to receive the Extraordinary Visitor of the Rector Major in the territory of Hong Kong.
However, Hong Kong is the last territory of the Province to be visited. This extraordinary visitation for CIN was scheduled from August 18 to 29, 2023, due to the visa issue of Fr. Phuoc, it was paused after the visitation to the other two territories of the Province, Macau and Taiwan.
The official opening begins with a solemn vesper on the 28th. The whole community gathered in the first-floor chapel. During the opening talk, Fr. Phuoc expresses his deep gratitude to the community for its hospitality. The Vietnam-born Reginal says, he was glad to see many confreres in the community. There are some share the same formators. There are others who have been his formators in his seminary years.
He continues with the emphasis that the confreres are the real treasure of the province, not the work, and they are not only the treasure of the province, but also of the whole congregation. Lastly, he mentions again the four aspects of this Extraordinary Visit, as it was given by the Rector Major in his circular letter to the CIN province:
Fidelity to our Charismatic Identity. The spiritual renewal of our communities. To consolidate our animating presence that is strongly evangelizing and educative, in view of accompanying the young to make a vocational choice. The unity and solidarity with the whole Congregation.
The visitation to SMH lasts for a week, until Friday, then Fr. Phuoc will proceed to Tang King Po School Community.
Before 1974, Vietnam and China were one Province in the Salesian congregation. Many missionaries and local confreres have worked or been formed together in these two places.
