During next three months Fr Vaclav will listen to all confreres, novices and prenovices as well to all groups of the Salesian Family and our Lay Mission partners. There are 174 Salesian Priests, 66 Salesian Brothers, 77 candidates for the Salesian Priesthood, 11 novices and 30 prenovices, with an average age of 43 years. At present 42 confreres are studying or working abroad and other 93 missionaries ad gentes are already incardinated in 40 other Salesian provinces in all five continents.
Most of the apostolic works are parishes (32), vocation training centers - technical schools (5) with numerous youth centers, oratories and non formal education facilities for the youth in need. The missionary spirit in Vietnam is fostered by the recently started mission for a variety of ethnic groups in South-Central part of the country and with the Mongolia Delegation (11 SDB from 9 different nationalities). One of the main challenge is the strong domestic migration (from the North to the South and from the rural zones to the cities) that affects most of our works.
For instance, Salesian parishes in HCM City are witnessing a sharp increase of parish population due to migration. The parish of St. John Bosco and the Salesian compound in Ba Thon register an annual increase of more than 300 new parishioners and about 200 newly baptized (150 infants and 50 adults), so that the parish attendance on Sunday is now close to 5000 Catholics. Industrial and fast growing zone of the parish is divided in 16 smaller communities, each with own lay leader. Parish council of 60 and some 200+ active mission partners is involved in the main activities of the Catholic community. Also Salesian Family counts Salesian Cooperators, VDB and Don Bosco Alumni.
After the GC27 the Vietnam province embarked on the serious reshaping of all it's works starting with a planning mentality at all levels (personal, community, sectors and province). As in every extraordinary visitation the Rector Major is requesting to make this time an opportunity for GROWTH IN COMMUNION, for serious EVALUATION and deep ANIMATION according the GC27 'Radical WITNESSING TO THE GOSPEL'. It's very meanigful that the 10th successor of Don Bosco will also personally visit Vietnam for one week during in late February.
