The meeting conveyed to all participants the importance of working together. It was stressed that the missionary spirit is the fundamental element of the charism handed down from Don Bosco to the Salesians and to the Salesian Family, and that genuine Salesian mission animation must keep Don Bosco's missionary spirit alive  in every Salesian and educative and pastoral community; and foster in every Salesian the willingness to discern if God calls him to commit himself throughout his life as a missionary.

Mission animation is not limited to celebrations or occasional activities. It is a continuous process of mission awareness in every Province and Educative and Pastoral Community. It fosters a sense of initiative, the ability to dream and take risks, openness to other cultures and people, a sense of belonging to the Salesian world and solidarity with the poor and marginalised.

The Regional Coordinators for Mission Animation (RCMA)  from the two Regions organised the meeting in close collaboration with the representatives of the Missions Sector of each region: Fr Eric Mairura, for East Asia-Oceania, and Fr Pavel Zenisek, for South Asia. Along with them was the General Councillor for the Missions, Fr Alfred Maravilla, who offered various appropriate interventions.

The PDMAs enriched each other not only during formal group discussions, but also in informal moments. The meeting was an opportunity to get to know each other, learn from each other and develop a sense of understanding of the need to be more aware of what is happening in the Salesian world. The feeling of belonging to a worldwide Congregation, which promotes the missionary spirit in different circumstances, has given everyone a sense of solidarity with the Salesians who work in various parts of the world.

The PDMAs from each Province of the two Regions also had the opportunity to meet by Region and evaluate missionary animation in their respective constituencies for the previous year and to plan for the next year, that of the 150th anniversary of the first Salesian Missionary Expedition.

All participants were extremely satisfied with the preparation and hospitality of the Salesian St Paul Province, Thailand (THA) and in particular the Hua Hin Salesian community, which worked hard to let the participating PDMAs experience Thai hospitality and its lively and rich culture. When asked about the reason for such caring hospitality, one of the Salesians replied, “For us in Thailand every guest is like God who comes to visit us, so we take great care of our guest.”

Fr Michael Charles Arun,
 SDBRCMA - EAO

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