Tuesday 9 May was the most dynamic day of the congress. The participants got to know first-hand the culture of Japan and of the Japanese Catholic Church, through a pilgrimage to Chofu to pray at the tomb of Venerable Bishop Vincenzo Cimatti, SDB, and then to Mount Fuji, where there is a house of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) with a great statue of Our Lady.
The World Delegate for Salesian Cooperators, Fr Giuseppe Casti, presided at the Eucharist in the Salesian Parish of Chofu. During the Mass, 27 new Salesian Cooperators, including the first two Samoans, were received. In his homily, Fr Casti emphasized the spirit and identity of the Salesian Cooperator, recalling the importance of collaborating in union with the ecclesiastical community and emphasizing that "everything is possible with the maternal presence of Mary, the first Cooperator of God".
In the evening, still in Tokyo, we had the last of the cultural evenings, which showed the great variety and harmony of the traditions of East Asia and Oceania.
On the closing day Sr Lesley Sandigo, World FMA Delegate for the Salesian Cooperators, introduced the day’s work by speaking about "the art of accompaniment". This was followed by the presentation of the Provincial Action Plan (2017-2019) by each Provincial Representative and the sharing of some young adults, not yet part of the Association, who participated in an event parallel to the Congress.
Finally, Mr. Philip Yu, Councillor of the Association for the Asia-Pacific region, shared the Conclusions of the Congress and the Action Plan for the period 2017-2020. He emphasized the importance of translating and studying the Project of Apostolic Life and the Guidelines for Formation, pointing out that rethinking formation is the priority of the next three years and that the idea of developing a regional workshop for formation is being considered.
He also pointed out that the Salesian Cooperators must strengthen their collaboration with the Salesian Youth Ministry Office and invited each province to send a Delegate (SDB or FMA) and two members to the World Congress scheduled for Rome in October 2018.
