The activities of the Team Visit begin in Africa with a spiritual preview intended to place all the work of the coming days in Mary’s hands: as agreed by the Conference of Provinces and Vice-Provinces of Africa-Madagascar (CIVAM) last October, all the Provincial Councils of the Region will spend Monday, 19 February, on a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine at Kibeho, the place of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s apparitions in Rwanda.
Early in the morning of Tuesday 20th, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major; his Vicar, Fr Stefano Martoglio, and the Sector Councillors are expected to arrive from Vietnam. There will also be two specific moments that morning: one to reflect on the juridical elements of administration of Salesian circumscriptions – dedicated to the Vice-Provincials and Provincial Secretaries; and one dedicated to the synergy between the Salesian Higher Education Institutions in Africa and the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome.
In the early afternoon, the 10th Successor of Don Bosco will officially open the Visit, illustrating its objectives and methods; and the Regional Councillor, Fr Alphonse Owoudou, will present the situation in the Region. The day will end with a first presentation by the General Councillor for the Missions, Fr Alfred Maravilla, followed by a time for discussion by inter-provncial groups.
On the second day, Wednesday, 21 February, after the time reserved for morning celebrations, Fr Ivo Coelho, General Councillor for Formation, will lead the assembly, then leaving three questions for subsequent discussion by groups and sharing in plenary session; the same pattern will be repeated in the afternoon, where the speaker at the session will be the Economer General of the Congregation, Salesian Brother Jean Paul Muller.
The morning of Thursday 22nd will see the contribution from the General Councilor for Youth Ministry, Fr Miguel Angel García Morcuende, entitled "Times of new hopes. Some educative and pastoral opportunities"; and in the early afternoon a session moderated by the Central Delegate of the Rector Major for the Secretariat for the Salesian Family, Fr Joan Lluís Playà. The second part of the afternoon will include the opportunity to participate in an excursion or enjoy some free time for informal exchanges.
On the last day of work on Friday, 23 February, the Provincial Councils of Africa-Madagascar will still have the opportunity to receive ideas and questions for reflection from the General Councillor for Social Communication, Fr Gildasio Mendes; and then from the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Martoglio, who will speak on the theme of reshaping the Region. Finally, the activities will end in the afternoon after the last discussion sessions for groups and the discussion in the assembly, with the general conclusions by the Rector Major and the final fraternal evening.
The Africa-Madagascar region includes Salesians and presences spread across 6 Provinces: Central Africa (AFC), East Africa (AFE), Tanzania (TZA), North West Africa (AON), South West Africa (AOS) and Africa Nigeria Niger (ANN); and as many as 9 Vice-Provinces: Africa Congo Congo (ACC), Africa Great Lakes (AGL), Southern Africa (AFM), Equatorial Tropical Africa (AET), Ethiopia (AET), Angola (ANG), Madagascar (MDG), Mozambique (MOZ) and Zambia-Malawi-Zimbabwe-Namibia (ZMB).
Altogether, in terms of numbers, the Region is home to about 2,100 Salesians, spread across 41 countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Leshoto, eSwatini, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Conakry, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Angola, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Nigeria and Niger.
The Region currently represents the "green lung" of the Congregation, with the lowest average age of religious and the highest number of novices in the Congregation – almost 200.
The Team Visit is an animation tool not expressly provided for by the Salesian Constitutions, but used by the Rector Major and the General Council to verify the ongoing journey in the different Salesian circumscriptions and ensure convergence and unity. The Team Visit to the Africa-Madagascar Region concludes the cycle of team visits to the 7 Salesian regions which began in March 2023 with South Asia and then continued with America South Cone, Interamerica, North Central Europe, Mediterranean and, most recently, East Asia-Oceania.
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