The 24 Salesians departing with the 154th Salesian Missionary Expedition will take part in the event, as well as the group of Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) who will receive the Missionary Cross from the hands of Mother Chiara Cazzuola, Mother General of the FMA, for what is their 146th Salesian Missionary Expedition.
The Salesian missionaries have been preparing for over a month for this moment, with stops in Rome, Turin and other Salesian sites in Piedmont. Each of them, moreover, comes from a path of discernment, maturation and refinement of their vocation that has lasted for many years, and of which the sending will only represent the culmination.
"The missionary sending is a moment of joy for the whole Congregation, both for the Provinces that welcome the missionaries, and for those that generously formed them and sent them off. And I thank the Provinces and parents who have sent their confreres and sons to participate: the presence of the missionaries is a sign of hope and fidelity to the Congregation as Don Bosco wanted it", commented Fr Alfred Maravilla, General Councillor for the Missions, who with his collaborators in the Sector, Fr Reginaldo Cordeiro, Fr Pavel Zenisek and the young layman Marco Fulgaro, accompanied and guided the missionaries during this month long Orientation Course dedicated to them.
"I have felt great satisfaction in attending the course and in doing it in particular here in the Salesian holy Places," commented one of the departing missionaries. "Our living together as brothers in a single family from different countries is already helping us to live the future for our new destinations, with the image of a multicolored painting, from the dialogue together speaking in different languages, to the variety of cultures and customs, thanks to the community evenings we have made, the pilgrimages to Rome”, commented another missionary.
"It is a great enrichment for us not only to prepare individually, but to confront and get to know each other: it gives us courage and energy to set off with courage. This experience has given each one of us a special energy for our soul: we have shared our pleasant or unpleasant experiences. The Holy Spirit has filled our hearts with a ray of sunshine full of love and transformed our difficulties into the hope of being able to continue what Christ has invited us to live in this missionary call to fulfil his project," echoes another missionary.
To participate in this mass where the Missionaries are being sent, all you need to do is to click on the link and get connected to ANS Channel on Sunday 24 September 2023, starting at 12:30 p.m. (UTC+2).
