On Monday 20 February 2017, the Rector Major and his secretary Fr Horacio López set out for the Provincial House in Xuan Hiep, in Thu Duc District. When they arrived at the Provincial House many different members of the Salesian Family in Viet Nam lined up along the way to welcome the Rector Major.
And then, in the corridor of the Rinaldi Theologate, the Provincial, Fr Jos Nguyen Van Quang, representing the whole Salesian Family in Vietnam, officially welcomed the Rector Major. The Rector Major was happy that there were so many young people around him and he thanked all the people present for their warm welcome and family spirit.
In the evening the Rector Major joined in Evening Prayer with the students of theology, and then gave them a talk.
The whole morning of the first full day of the Rector Major's visit to Vietnam – 21 February - was dedicated to a meeting with the Provincial Council of Vietnam-Mongolia (Province of St John Bosco). Only one Provincial councillor was absent - the Delegate for Mongolia, Fr. Paul Leung, who is now presiding at the Mongolia Delegation Mini-Chapter in Ulanbaatar.
A very open, frank and deep sharing helped the Rector Major to touch the pulse of the 300 Salesians in this dynamic provincial community. Among the important points for the future of the Salesian Charism that emerged were the following:
- The need to work together on a true Salesian vision of life and mission shared by all the confreres. This needs a long-term process with a patient, step by step approach. Speed is not important, a deeper vision is what matters.
- The need for consistent animation that involves all the confreres. It is more important to guarantee the common vision than the fast accomplishment of the 13 points of the VIE province Road Map offered by the Rector Major in March 2015.
- The importance of practising the Preventive System of Don Bosco with loving kindness in all of our works.
- The need to build a solid Salesian culture today, that all confreres will fall in love with the Salesian mission for the poor and abandoned youth of Vietnam and Mongolia.
- The need to make sure that we are not a parish Congregation, but Salesians who focus in every work on the education and faith education of the young, especially those most disadvantaged.
The Provincial and his council were happy with many precise clarifications of Salesian criteria for discernment of vocations, strengthening the Salesian identity of the 174 Salesian priests, the need of purification of the Salesian life in Vietnam, the need to strengthen the sense of belonging to the provincial community, the importance of a step by step mentality in transforming the provincial culture – with a planning mentality, working together, animating with example, dialogue and governance.
After the council meeting, there was a special lunch provided by the Majcen Bistro (Vocational Training Center for cooking and hospitality) in HCM City, the most recent Salesian work in Vietnam, started by an enterprising DB Past Pupil. The presence of 15 young trainees and 12 confreres of the Japan province (just finished their spiritual retreat in K'Long) gave this lunch a very special youthful and international taste.
In the afternoon, there will be a gathering of the SDB confreres with Fr Angel, followed by the Salesian Youth Movement Rally with the Eucharist and a dynamic Academy in the compound of the same Xuan Hiep Provincial House.
