Argentina – The Extraordinary Visitation to ARS encourages communion and new perspectives in Salesian communities

21 March 2024

(ANS – Buenos Aires) – The Extraordinary Visitation to the Blessed Cerafino Namuncurá Province of Southern Argentina (ARS) continues. The visitation has already touched the houses in Neuquén province, those in the middle valley of the Río Negro, Bahía Blanca, and the houses in the metropolitan area and the city of Buenos Aires. Fr Gabriel Romero, Regional Councillor for America South Cone, visited La Plata, La Pampa and some houses in the city of Buenos Aires; while Fr Alfonso Bauer, appointed by the Rector Major to accompany the Regional Councillor for America South Cone in his Visitation, was in Parque Avellaneda.

From 4 to 8 March, Fr Romero visited all the Salesian houses in the La Pampa: General Acha, General Pico, Santa Rosa and Victorica. During all the stops he met the communities and pastoral teams, and met with teachers, leaders, children and young people. In Victorica, in particular, he also met the volunteers who are doing their experience there: Lucrecia Zapata, Tomás Ávalos and Julián Cámara.

On the last day, in Santa Rosa, all those in charge of the 4 presences met with the Regional Councillor, and shared the common working processes they are carrying out and their respective programmes. "It was a day of meetings and sharing of the life of our institutions. His willingness to listen, his closeness, demonstrated with small gestures, and the clarity of his words are remarkable. It was undoubtedly an enriching experience for all of us. We want to activate each of the proposals you have left us to enrich the task of accompanying children and young people. Thank you very much, Fr Gabriel, "said Gabriela Etcheverry, who is the leader of the Salesian Domingo Savio house in Santa Rosa.

Then, from Saturday 9 to Tuesday 12 March, Fr Romero made an extraordinary visitation to the Sacred Heart house in La Plata, where he shared some ideas with his Salesian confreres and with members of the various pastoral sectors  to "help dream as part of God's plans" for Salesian work. Also in this locality there was plenty of room for dialogue, as well as time for celebrations in the local parish and for a fraternal meeting with the Archbishop of La Plata, Archbishop Gabriel Mestre.

"We thank God for Fr Gabriel's visit and we pray that he will always be enlightened by the Holy Spirit to remain faithful to the Salesian charism in the service he is called to carry out" the Salesians of the community declared.

On 14 and 15 March Fr Romero was at the St John the Evangelist house in La Boca, where he met the Salesian community, spoke with each confrere and had a series of meetings with the different teams that animate and accompany the House, and celebrated the Eucharist in the parish, which is rich in Salesian history.

A few days later, on 16 and 17 march, the Regional Councillor visited the parish community of San Carlos and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, in the Almagro district of Buenos Aires, with the usual program of listening, dialogue and accompaniment, and presiding over the Eucharist in the shrine.

For his part, Fr Bauer visited Nuestra Señora de los Remedios house in Parque Avellaneda. He was received by the Rector, Guillermo Bálsamo, and met the different teams that accompany the house, then sharing moments of closeness and dialogue with young people and students.

And on the same day, 18 March, Fr Romero met digitally with the Provincial Formation Team. On the occasion, the members of the commission presented him with the formation program for the Province and illustrated the objectives set in view of the agreements reached in the Fourth Provincial Chapter, held in 2022.

In this way, Fr Romero and Fr Bauer continue to accompany the Salesian houses and the pastoral teams of ARS on behalf of the Rector Major, fostering a sense of unity between them and with the entire Salesian Congregation.

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ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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