[AustraLasia #3272, BANGKOK (THAILAND) 25 August,
2013] - The East Asia Oceania Region has a steady growth in the Brother
vocation. This is partly sustained by initiatives from the EAO Mobile
Formation Team, in collaboration with the different EAO provinces, that
promote and invest in the formation of the Salesian Brothers. One of these
formation moments was the recently concluded East Asia Oceania Salesian
Brothers’ Congress held from August 19 to 23, 2013 at the Salesian Retreat
House in Hua Hin, Thailand. It was the 6th meeting of this kind. It aims to
prepare for the celebration of Don Bosco’s birth come 2015 from the Salesian
Brothers' perspective.
More than 85 confreres attended from AUL, CIN, FIN, FIS, KOR, ITM, MYM, PNG-SI, THA, VIE and missionaries from Pakistan and Mongolia. Among them were about 10 priests including Fr. Prasert Somngam, (THA Provincial), Fr. Lanfranco Fedrigotti (CIN Provincial) and Fr. George Militante, (FIS Provincial) and some delegates of Formation and Youth Ministry from the various provinces. Something very significant in this congress was the attendance of a big number of young dynamic Brothers.
The congress started with the reports about the
resolutions made during the 2006 congress in Cambodia. The participants also
reflected upon the letters sent by Fr. Klement Vaclav (Missions) and Br.
Jean Paul Muller (Economer). Then Br. Michael Harris (AUL) and Br. John
Baptist Thanad Anan (THA) also delivered a conference on pedagogy. Br.
Raymond Callo (FIN) gave a talk on spirituality, including the scheme of the
Salesian Brother Specific Formation in Manila, while Fr. Chrys Saldanha (RMG)
presented the revisions on the Ratio.
The congress days started with a Lectio Divina
facilitated by Fr. Francis Gustillo. It can be said that the whole event was
marked with a reflective and prayerful atmosphere where the brothers shared
insights about the conferences, their Salesian Brother vocation and the path
where the Lord is leading them to be. On the other hand, light and
recreational moments bonded the brothers from different provinces.
Br. Callo, a member of the EAO Formation Mobile Team, headed the team of organizers composed of confreres from the THA Province and the Salesian Brothers undergoing their specific formation in Manila. Fr. Andrew Wong, Regional Councillor of the EAO, graced the event with his words of encouragement and his support for these kind of formative activities.
The congress was capped off with a fellowship and a cultural show at the Siam Niramit in Bangkok. From there, the participants parted ways bringing home a rich experience of brotherhood and growth in their vocation.
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Materials of this congress are being updated and can be downloaded from the blog of the Salesian Brothers in Manila or from the Salesian Digital Library.