Salesian Missionary Intention

November 11, 2011

Dear Confreres, On the anniversary of the first Salesian missionary expedition I invite you to contemplate the missionary heart of Don Bosco. From the courtyard of Valdocco he always dreamt of reaching out to young people around the world to bring them to Jesus. We are invited to understand his vision and his missionary heart if we are to know the full stature of Don Bosco. The more he sent missionaries, more young people asked to join the Salesians! I believe the Lord is calling many of the 500 novices entering the Congregation each year for a life mission ad gentes - ad extra – ad vitam. At present about 30 Salesians respond generously every year to the call of the Lord: “Go … and make disciples of all nations”! (Mt 28:18-20).

Each of us can help the missionary activity of the Congregation especially through prayer for missionary vocations, communicating the great missionary needs of the universal Church. There are at least 5 billion people, who never met Jesus Christ. This is also an invitation to examine the way we live radically our faith and consecration.

With this letter I send you the list of the urgent needs of the Congregation for 2012, as updated by the Rector Major.

There are a few steps to follow for missionaries ad gentes which are meant to help the confreres to discern well the missionary vocation within the Salesian vocation: (1) missionary formation, (2) an initial discernment (http:// tinyurl.com/5wzjsqf), after which a written application is sent to the Rector Major. Each candidate makes himself totally available to the Congregation, however, one may express his preference or concrete predisposition for a specific mission territory, (3) the discernment process concludes with a dialogue between the Councilor for the Missions and the Provincial of the confrere, (4) After a positive outcome of the discernment process, the Rector Major assigns the candidate to a specific destination, (5) All new missionaries are invited for the Course for New Missionaries (Rome-Turin) in September 2012, (6) the 143th missionary expedition will take place in Valdocco, presided by the Rector Major, on September 29, 2012.

To facilitate a good discernment I invite you to send me the applications or directly to the Rector Major as soon as possible (before January 31, 2012).

I entrust this appeal for missionary generosity for 2012 to Mary, at Muniguda in Orissa (India), where recently many of our brothers and sisters bore witness to their faith in Jesus Christ with their martyrdom.

Fr. Václav Klement, SDB Councilor for the Missions Titolo n otiziario Nome società N. 35 - november 2011 Newsletter for Salesian Missionary Animation The Synod for Africa, underlined: "The Church expects much from the witness of religious communities, characterized by racial, regional and ethnic diversity.

By their life in common they proclaim that God makes no distinctions between persons and that we are all his children, members of the same family, living in harmony in diversity and peace"(Propositio 42). Young Africans, not satisfied with the fatalism of tribal and ethnic divisions are particularly in need of this testimony.

A F R I C A

For men and women religious of the Salesian Family who live and work in Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that they may be eloquent signs of the prophecy of communion among the young.