In the homily, Fr Ivo Coelho, the General Councillor for Formation, invited everyone to reflect on Reconciliation, Sin and Repentance. He affirmed that ‘Spiritual Worldliness’, was fundamentally an unwillingness to serve, with the desire to put oneself at the center of the world, in one way or another. “When God takes the first place in our lives, we truly become sons and servants”, he stated, and encouraged everyone to become free of this pervasive ambiguity that often surrounds our lives.
The official programme began at 08.30 am with the welcoming words of Fr Joseph Nguyen Thinh Phuoc and the prayer through a short video of the dream of Don Bosco at the age of nine. After the prayer, the group from Philippines welcomed the Rector Major and the General Councilors with a dance and song on brotherly love.
In his message, the Rector Major Fr Ángel stated: “it is God who has brought us together and for that we must give thanks.” He continued to share insights on the all the recent developments connected to his elevation as Cardinal and the programmes thereafter. He expressed his disposition and availability to offer himself for the needs of the Church as per the plans of the Holy Father to take forward the new responsibility, that will be assigned to him by the Church. He clearly explained to everyone, that once he resigns from his responsibility, his Vicar, Fr Stefano Martoglio would assume governance of the Congregation ad interim, and carry forward all the responsibilities till the 29th General Chapter.
After the greetings and words of encouragement from the Rector Major, Fr Joseph Nguyen Thinh Phuoc, the Regional Councillor presented the report of the EAO region, with the lines of action of the Previous Team Visit of 2017. He gave a big picture of the EAO Region, presenting the statistics and highlighted the various issues that were reflected in every province. After that, the participants were divided into various inter-province groups to discuss the issues raised. This was followed by the assembly, wherein each group shared about their reflections.
In the afternoon, the Vicar of the Rector Major Fr Stefano Martoglio, spoke on religious life and the religious community. His instructions and suggestions opened the participants to further reflection through the subsequent group discussion. The discussion brought common value to the entire EAO Region in particular and the Congregation in general. After the discussions, the groups continued to draw conclusions and report to the conference.
At the end of the first day of the team visit, the Rector Major gave his comments and conclusions on the various topics of the day. He gave directions to the Provinces and wished everyone to continue to reflect and propose directions that could help the growth of the plan of the Provinces and the Salesian mission.
The participants were fully engrossed in discussion, sharing and reflection deeply discerning the issues that surrounded the EAO region, and it was a splendid manifestation of involvement and commitment.
https://www.infoans.org/en/sections/news/item/20269-vietnam-day-one-highlights-of-team-visit-at-k-long#sigProIda65d828b90
