Having visited 44 provinces in recent years, Fr Á.F. Artime is increasingly aware that "it was the missionary impulse that made the Congregation universal in the Church and in the world".
Moreover, several challenges require a new missionary thrust of evangelization. Many requests come from different places in the world. There is an imbalance between countries where the Salesian presence is greatly reduced, and others where there are many young people in need who await the Sons of Don Bosco - "in the context of Project Europe, the Middle East, the islands of Oceania, in South Sudan, Mongolia, Siberia, Cambodia and Malaysia, as well as among young migrants in the Americas ". Finally, a special reason is the great missionary zeal of Don Bosco.
For all these reasons, the Rector Major invites the confreres who feel a missionary vocation, and the Provincials and Rectors, not to quench their "missionary restlessness" but rather to fulfil their desire in the proper manner already well-established in the Congregation, namely, the usual, serious process of discernment needed to cope with this restlessness. He also invites all the Salesians in the world to pray for this intention.
Very significantly the appeal was signed on 8 December last, the 175 anniversary of the meeting between Don Bosco and Bartholomew Garelli, with which, under the protection of Mary, the Salesian Oratory began.
The full text of the appeal is available on the site sdb.org
