Dear friends,
Human beings – unlike other species – need quite a bit of time to grow and take life into their own hands. Not only do they nourish themselves with maternal milk, but they also need the lifeblood that comes from the care of their loved ones as well as from the environment in which they live. Each of us takes shape from our family and society. We eat the bread of our household and, at the same time, and with equal importance, the food provided by the culture where we first see the light of this world. This process of gradual growth is education. To educate and to educate oneself is a human right. The Church, since its early days, considers itself “Mother and Teacher,” and therefore contributes decisively to the growth of humanity by offering the contribution that comes from the Gospel. It is neither wrong nor, much less, an attempt to indoctrinate, to say that missionary work is an educational action and that, in many ways, it contributes to the education of the peoples to whom it announces the Good News.
Fr Oscar Emilio
Lozano Ríos SDB
Lecturer in the Faculty of Sciences of Education, UPS, Rome
The year 2025, which we will enter in just a few days, will be the year of the XXIX General Chapter, but also a year of anniversaries. In addition to the Jubilee proclaimed by Pope Francis, we, as Salesians and the Salesian Family, are commemorating three major anniversaries: 200 years since the dream of young John Bosco at the age of nine, 150 years since the first Salesian missionary expedition to Argentina, and 150 years since the opening of the first Salesian house outside of Italy, in Nice, France. All these three anniversaries have a strong missionary character: in these few lines, we want to focus on the anniversary of the first missionary expedition. This anniversary is very "personal" because it is the result of the missionary vocation and the work of thousands of dedicated Salesians. Our Vicar, Don Stefano Martoglio, says: “This missionary anniversary has the face of all those who have gone in these 150 years to bring faith in God and the Salesian mission in education. God's faithfulness assures us that this is not the past, but the permanent condition of our congregation.”
The slogan chosen for this occasion shows us what we want to emphasize on as we commemorate this extraordinary 150-year heritage: to give thanks, to rethink, to relaunch.
GIVE THANKS: We thank God for the gift of the missionary vocation that today allows the sons of Don Bosco and his Family to reach poor and abandoned youth in 137 countries.
RETHINK: This is a fitting opportunity to reflect on and develop a renewed vision of the Salesian mission in light of new challenges and perspectives, which have led to new missiological reflections.
RELAUNCH: We don’t just have a glorious history to remember and be grateful for, but also a great history yet to be made! We look to the future with missionary zeal and renewed enthusiasm to reach out to more poor and abandoned youth.
Furthermore, this year Cagliero11 wants to focus more on the missionary anniversary and its three key words. In particular, the missionary intentions for each month will focus not on specific countries, but on certain groups of people or movements within our Salesian Family. In the first month of 2025, we want to give thanks. We will especially give thanks for education and teaching, and we will pray for the delegates for Youth Ministry.
Happy Jubilee Year, Happy Missionary Year!
Fr Pavel Ženíšek SDB and Marco Fulgaro
Members of the Sector for the Missions
Dear Fr Jerry, to what extent do you feel influenced in your vocational journey by the work of the Salesian missionaries in Congo?
If we look at the history of the Church in Congo, we can see that the Christianity of this region, while certainly a gift from God, is primarily the result of the pastoral work of the first missionaries. My vocation blossomed thanks to the closeness, contact, and support of the missionaries we were fortunate to meet in Pointe-Noire, in Congo Brazzaville. Both in faith groups and in my work as a youth center animator and as a Salesian priest today, I would say that I am the fruit of the formation and guidance of the missionaries. It is up to me to be a good example for the young people of today.
What was the greatest contribution of the first missionaries to the education and training of the population of Congo?
Whether it is the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Congo Brazzaville, which make up our Vice Province, the greatest contribution of the first missionaries, in my view, was the concern they had for the integral formation of the human person. Even when the first missions were established in Congo Brazzaville, for example, we could not help but notice the parallel development between the catechism classroom and the school classroom, all accompanied by a small dispensary. The first missionaries knew that evangelizing and educating were two sides of the same coin. Through their work and commitment, I have learned that evangelization and human development are twin sisters.
The ACC Vice-Province is currently blessed with many new Salesian vocations. What is the point of bringing new missionaries from abroad to you?
I am, to some extent, a product of a diverse cultural background. Indeed, I have had the fortune of studying and nurturing my vocation in multicultural environments. Different nationalities have come together and enriched our beautiful moments of formation. It can therefore be said that, despite the growth of vocations in my Vice-Province, welcoming new missionaries from outside the Province is a blessing. They enrich the Vice Province with their culture, their education, and their Christian and Salesian traditions. A Province that closes itself and does not welcome missionaries, shuts the door to grace and perhaps even to the spirit of our founder. What would our congregation be today without these early missionary expeditions? I am convinced, for my part, that uniformity impoverishes the charism, while diversity enriches it.
