Missionary Animation and Formation Seminar on “Initial Proclamation and the Salesian Mission” was held  from  14 – 20 August 2017 at Sam Phran – Thailand.

There were 80 participants consists of SDB Brothers and Priests, FMA Sisters with few of Lay Mission partners coming from 16 countries of Asia and Oceania: Hong Kong – China, Japan, Indonesia, Timor Leste, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Myanmar and Russia.  There were 7 FMAs and 17 Salesians from all the provinces of India,.

The meeting was a joint venture of SDB-FMA General Councillors for the Missions: Fr. Guillermo Basanes, Sr. Alaide Deretti and their sector members: Fr. MC George, Sr. Blanca Sanchez. Sr. Maria Assunta Inoue, Fr. Maria Arokiam Kanaga and Fr. Vaclav Klement too were present for the seminar. Among the special speakers of the seminar was Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, SDB from India.

Every day the Seminar was characterized by Lectio divina by Sr. Mario Ko, FMA. Main input was prepared by Fr. Alfred Maravilla (Provincial PGS). Each day there was ample time for group work (seven groups according the languages).  The following topics were dwelt: ‘Remembrance of the past journey’ by D. Alfred Maravilla, which helped the participants to deepen the theme “Initial Proclamation and Salesian Mission Today”;   ‘Listening to the Word’ by  Archbishop Thomas Menamparambil, during which he shared his personal experience of an Initial Proclamation in North East India;   ‘Listening to the Charism’ by Sr. Teresa Joseph FMA from Mumbai province interpreted ‘Don Bosco’s  letter  from  Rome of 1884 in the light of Initial Proclamation. On the 4^th day, a  workshop was held in seven groups on ‘Sharing the Mission’. On the 5^th day, a meeting was held according to the provinces to take the action plan for their respective province. The last day’s topic was ‘Reviewing the practices’- The day was dedicated for a separate meeting of the Salesians and FMAs. During the FMA’s encounter, Sr. Alaide Deretti helped the participants to relive the missionary passion dawn through the memory lane of the first missionaries of America to the call of GCXXIII “Broaden your vision with the young missionaries of hope and joy”. This seminar has been a moment of strong pastoral formation for the initial proclamation.

Sr. Nirmala Tigga