【慈幼通訊社
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2014
年
11
月
05
日羅馬慈幼總部訊】
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「我將時刻為你們祈禱、為你們的家庭祈禱，我將這樣祈求，使你們親愛的每一位，終有一天永遠不斷地讚頌造物主的尊威……」這就是鮑思高神父在1887年一封信函的結尾所書寫的，並囑咐人們「在我去世後把信函寄出」。今天，普世所有慈幼會士，都按照會規第76條的要求，為已亡的恩人及慈幼大家庭成員祈禱。為此，每個團體都會於11月5日奉獻一台感恩聖祭。
慈幼會士 Andrés Felipe Loaiza
感謝眾多恩人的支持，今天慈幼會的事業，已擴展至132個國家 ─ 如果以整個慈幼大家庭來說，擴展速度更快，靠著很多由懷著善心的團體及人士所推動的慈善計劃，慈幼事業得以繼續成長。鮑思高神父懷著對我們全體恩人的感恩之心，他這樣寫道：
「在我永別這世界之前，我要滿全對你們的謝意，因而滿全我心靈上莫大的需要。我要報答你們的，就是要感謝你們一切向我提供的協助，使能為眾多貧苦無告的青年，提供基督徒的教育，引導他們走上聖德與勤勞的道路，讓他們成為家庭的慰藉，成為對社會有貢獻的人，尤其幫助拯救他們的靈魂，得享永恆的福樂。」
透過世上眾多慷慨人士的善行，慈幼大家庭在今天得以繼續承擔眾多為青年的工作。早在1887年，鮑思高神父已要求協助他事業的人，繼續扶助他的繼承人：「如果你們已這樣懷著善心、持之以恆地幫助我，那麼我祈求你們，在我去世後，繼續扶助我的繼承人。我在你們的協助下所開展的事業，已不再需要我勞心勞力了，但他們卻仍需要你們，以及所有與你們一樣，尋求在世宣揚美善的人。」
在信函結尾，鮑思高神父許諾，他和所有慈幼會士，將永遠為一眾慷慨獻身拯救貧苦及被遺棄青年的人士祈禱：
「我親愛的恩人及協進慈幼會士，再見！你們中有很多人，我畢生也沒法見到，但這並不重要：我們將會在來生相識。我們將永遠為這些善行而喜悅，就是我們在世藉著天主恩寵所作的善行，尤其為貧苦無告青年利益所作的事業。……我將時刻為你們祈禱、為你們的家庭祈禱，我將這樣祈求，使你們親愛的每一位，終有一天永遠不斷地讚頌造物主的尊威……」
Don Bosco: "I have to fulfill a debt to you, and so fulfill a great need of my heart"
(ANS - RMG –Roma, 05 November 2014) – "I will always pray for you, I will pray for your families, I will pray that your loved ones may one day praise forever the majesty of the Creator ...". That was how Don Bosco concluded a letter written in 1887 with the request that it "be sent after my death." Today, all the Salesians in the world pray for the benefactors and their families, as required by art. 76 of the Regulations, "For deceased benefactors and members of the Salesian Family, a Mass will be celebrated in each community on November 5th."
Andrés Felipe Loaiza, SDB
Thanks to the support of many benefactors, the Salesian Congregation is present today in 132 countries - and the spread is even greater if you look at the Salesian Family, which continues to grow, with the help of many charitable projects promoted by associations and people of good will. Aware of this debt towards all our benefactors, Don Bosco wrote:
"Before leaving you forever in this land I have to fulfill a debt to you, and so fulfill a great need of my heart. The debt I have to repay is one of gratitude for all that you have done in helping me to give so many poor young people a Christian education and so put them on the path of virtue and work, making them the consolation of their families, useful to themselves and to civil society, and especially helping them to save their souls and so become eternally happy."
It is through the charity of many people around the world that the Salesian Family today continues to undertake many projects for young people. Already in 1887, Don Bosco asked the people who helped him to continue to do so for his successors: "If you have helped me with so much kindness and perseverance, now I pray that you continue to help my successor after my death. The works that I have begun with your help no longer need me, but they still need you and all those like you who seek to promote the good of this land."
And at the end of the letter, Don Bosco promises his prayers and those of his Salesians forever for all those whose generosity contributes to the salvation of poor and abandoned youth:
"Goodbye, my dear Benefactors and Salesian Cooperators, goodbye! Many of you I have not been able to meet in person in this life, but no matter: in the next world we will all get to know each other. We will rejoice forever for the good, that by the grace of God we have done in this country, especially for the benefit of poor young people. (...) I will always pray for you, I will pray for your families, I will pray that your loved ones may one day praise forever the majesty of the Creator ..."