【慈幼通訊社
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2017 年
5月
9
日日本東京訊】
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第九屆鮑思高慈幼協進會東亞澳大會，在善牧主日彌撒中揭幕。與會者共327人，包括250名協進慈幼會士及望會員，以及70多名青年，他們於東京新宿京王廣場酒店聚首一堂，舉行為期四天（5月7至10日），主題為「與青年同行，為青年服務」的會議。
開幕彌撒由教廷駐日大使車納德總主教主持，30名慈幼會神長共祭。在東亞澳區全球總會幹事余中海兄弟致開幕辭，以及協進會日本會省省會長丸山Kazumi 致歡迎辭後，晚上Mickey 神父的「福音魔術」表演，使大家感到溫馨的氣氛。接著大家帶著愉快的心情，收看總會長范達民神父的訊息影片，總會長在影片中說：
「你們有一份奇妙的基督徒及慈幼聖召。你們知道這聖召是鮑思高神父所夢想的……所心愛的。我鼓勵你們確切活出這份基督徒的聖召，忠信於耶穌，以及交托於我們慈幼家庭的使命。……」
你們不只是一個善會組織。……我邀請你們熱切地活出你們的聖召。你們要在各方面增長：在身份上，能力上，好能向其他人作出同樣的建議，及如同你一樣回答：「是的，我接納上主這份召叫。」
最後：不要忘記我們是一家人。我們是慈幼大家庭，即是說我們是團結一致的。團結不等於劃一，卻是奇妙的共融！我們這個家庭，不只是為圍內的我們，而是要滿全天主交托給我們美妙的使命：為青少年，尤其最貧苦無告的，帶領他們親近耶穌，成為真正有深度的人。
在晚上並行的青年聚會中，逾70名青年一起舞蹈、演說、歌唱、祈禱──他們分別來自意大利、東帝汶、菲律賓、緬甸、越南、韓國、中國、香港、台灣、蒙古、泰國、新加坡及日本。
東亞澳大會第二天，會議進程最為緊湊，工作甚為繁重。
早上舉行由協進會日本會省修會代理LoroPiana神父主持的彌撒後，接著以遊戲形式，進行東亞澳會省報告研習。之後舉行首場有關平信徒服務貧苦青年使命的分享會，由來自日本，卻為菲律賓（棉蘭老）代表的澤川先生主持。
在下午充裕的時間中，舉行了有關三個日本青年牧民經驗的專題研討會，主題分別為：「NPO
Kiitos」貧苦兒童庇護所（調布市，成立於2010年）、「鮑思高志願團體」(所羅門群島福傳體驗，始於1991年)以及「慈幼青年運動」（日本，成立於2015年）。
接著舉行會省分享會，而整個下午的環節，以聯合會省的分享大會作結束。
在主題演說環節中，慈幼會東亞澳區地區議員，也分享了兩輯分別有關蒙苦籍協進慈幼會士（達爾汗中心）以及賈利哀勞計劃（澳洲──大洋洲）的影片（均可在YouTube收看），指出東亞澳區作為傳教區，為協進慈幼會士的聖召及使命，提供了獨特的成長機會。
EAO Congress of Salesian Cooperators
(ANS - Japan –Tokyo, 09 May 2017) – The 9th EAO Salesian Cooperators’ Congress began with Mass on Good Shepherd Sunday. The 327 participants - 250 Salesian Cooperators and Aspirants with 70+ young adults gathered in downtown Tokyo at Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku -, for 4 days (May 7-10) with the theme 'Journey Together - For the Young - With the Young'.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Japan, Archbishop Joseph Chennoth presided at the Eucharist concelebrated by 30 Salesian Priests. After the opening talk by Philip Yu, the World Councilor ASC for the EAO Region, and the welcome by Kazumi Maruyama, Provincial Coordinators ASC Japan, in the evening all participants felt at home with the “Gospel magic” of Fr. Mickey. All participants were happy to watch the Video message of the Rector Major, in which Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime said:
“You have a wonderful Christian and Salesian vocation. Your vocation is something that Don Bosco himself dreamed… so close to his heart, which you know well. I encourage you to live truly this Christian vocation, faithful to Jesus and to the mission entrusted to our Salesian Family. (…)
You are not only a group organized as an Association. (…) I invite you to live with true enthusiasm your vocation. I invite you to grow in every way. To grow in your identity, grow in your capacity to make the same proposal to others, who would say like you: Yes, I accept this call of the Lord.
Finally: do not forget that we are family. We are Salesian Family which above all means communion among us. Union is not uniformity. It’s a wonderful communion! We are family not only for ourselves. We are family to fulfil the beautiful mission which God has entrusted to us: the youngsters and among them especially those most in need - the really poor, to bring them closer to Jesus, to live as true persons of depth”.
Later in the evening, during the parallel Youth Meeting, over 70 young adult participants danced, talked, sang, and prayed together – youth people from Italy, East Timor, the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mongolia, Thailand, Singapore, and Japan.
The second day of the EAO Salesian Cooperators Congress was the most intense in terms of program and workload.
After the morning Eucharist presided over by the GIA provincial delegate for the Salesian Cooperators, Fr. Loro Piana, the morning was dedicated to the study of the EAO provincial reports in a fun-game style. Then followed the first sharing about the commitment of lay people for poor youth given by Mr. Sawamura, from Japan but representing the Philippines (Mindanao).
In the afternoon session there was ample time for the panel discussion about three Japan experiences of Youth Ministry – “NPO Kiitos” for the poor children shelter and care (Chofu, since 2010), “Don Bosco Volunteer Group” (missionary exposure experience in Solomon Islands, since 1991) and “Salesian Youth Movement” (Japan, since 2015).
Then followed the province group sharing and the whole afternoon was closed with an Assembly listening to the provincial sharings.
In the Key Note Talk the EAO SDB Regional Councilor shared also two video clips (available on YouTube) about Mongolian Salesian Cooperators (Darkhan Center) and Cagliero Project (Australia – Pacific), noting that EAO as a missionary region offers a special opportunity for the growth of the Salesian Cooperators’ vocation and mission.