November 2012
Dear Confreres, 11th of November 1875! The beginning of the Salesian Missionary expeditions! A day marked by solemn ceremonies in the Church of Mary Help of Christians in Turin and by a precise program of missionary work set up by Don Bosco himself: pastoral care of Italian immigrants in Argentina and after a process of consolidation, the evangelization of Patagonia. “We are at the beginning of a mighty enterprise, not because we have pretensions, nor because we believe we can convert the whole world in a few days… but who knows? This departure for the Missions, this humble beginning may be the seed that will grow into a mighty tree. It may be the tiny grain of mustard that will grow to accomplish great things” (Don Bosco). Clear ideas and a lot of courage supported by the prophetic dreams of Don Bosco and by a strong faith in the Divine Providence. The Universal Church has witnessed a remarkable event, the just concluded synod of the Bishops on the New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith. It is a synod which gives clear guidelines for this new evangelization and good to put the suggestions that come from it into practice. Let us tune our prayer for the Missionary intention of the Month, which comprises the urgency of new evangelisation and attention to young migrants. God bless all of us
Bro. Paolo
A synthesis of the Holy Father during the homily of the closing celebration: “I would like here to highlight three pastoral themes that have emerged from the Synod. The first concerns the sacraments of Christian initiation. It has been reaffirmed that appropriate catechesis must accompany preparation for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The importance of Confession, the sacrament of God’s mercy, has also been emphasized. This sacramental journey is where we encounter the Lord’s call to holiness, addressed to all Christians. In fact it has often been said that the real protagonists of the new evangelization are the saints: they speak a language intelligible to all through the example of their lives and their works of charity.
pastoral workers and the lay faithful. Globalization has led to a remarkable migration of peoples. So the first proclamation is needed even in countries that were evangelized long ago. All people have a right to know Jesus Christ and his Gospel: and Secondly, the new evangelization is essentially Christians, all Christians – priests, religious and lay linked to the Missio ad Gentes. The Church’s task is faithful – have a corresponding duty to proclaim the to evangelize, to proclaim the message of salvation Good News. to those who do not yet know Jesus Christ. During A third aspect concerns the baptized whose lives do the Synod, it was emphasized that there are still not reflect the demands of Baptism. During the many regions in Africa, Asia and Oceania whose Synod, it was emphasized that such people are inhabitants await with lively expectation, sometimes found in all continents, especially in the most without being fully aware of it, the first secularized countries. The Church is particularly proclamation of the Gospel. So we must ask the concerned that they should encounter Jesus Christ Holy Spirit to arouse in the Church a new missionary anew, rediscover the joy of faith and return to dynamism, whose protagonists are, in particular, religious practice in the community of the faithful.