June 2010 Edition

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June 2010 Edition

East Timor: The Quiet Revolution

Sunday, 27 June 2010 12:56 |

Written by Br. Michael Lynch SDB |

East Timor One that I recently witnessed was the graduation in basic building skills of 106 previously unemployed young men. Most of these were school dropouts who used to spend their days sitting by the roadside and throwing stones at passing cars.

For these graduates it was clear that this was the first time their achievements were not only publicly acknowledged. What is more, about half have already secured paid jobs, a significant achievement in a country where the level of unemployment is still very high.

East Timor is still the poorest country in South East Asia where a good percentage of the population survives daily on limited food. I was in Timor last month; it was, I think, my 17^th visit in ten years and twelve months since my previous visit. What were my impressions? They were of a greater sense of purpose and safety.

The Government appears to be doing what it was elected to do; it is moving in the right direction. Like all governments, it is criticized for not doing more and not doing it quickly enough!

Last Updated (Sunday, 27 June 2010 13:02)

Weavers all of a Precious Garment

Sunday, 27 June 2010 12:50 |

Written by Fr. Frank Freeman SDB |

Fr. Frank Freeman SDB Dear Confreres

It is an honour, a pleasure and surely a welcome duty to reply on behalf of the jubilarians to your encouraging words of appreciation as expressed by Fr Provincial before this evening’s Eucharist and now Fr Norman Ford. Appreciation is very meaningful word: it has a twofold significance. First on your part it means you find in our lived lives a value to be acclaimed and honoured, and then secondly in the sense of adding value, your words appreciates our lives as your confreres and uplifts us. So we thank you both for the honour and also your encouraging appreciation.

Diamonds, gold, rubies and silver are the traditional symbols of respective anniversaries but let us this evening give them flesh and blood.

Celebration in the Solomon Islands

Sunday, 27 June 2010 12:43 |

Written by Sr. Margarey Bentley FMA |

The FMA community in Honiara, Solomon Islands, celebrated the Feast of St Maria Mazzarello in a special way this year with the blessing and opening of the Laura Vicuna Hostel for young women.

The Sisters began their work in 2007 at Don Bosco Technical Institute, Henderson. They came to work with the young women who had begun attending the College to learn life skills and home economics. It was clear from the beginning that these young women needed safe accommodation to be able to attend Don Bosco College. Many of them come from other islands or distant villages and live with relatives or others from their villages. They are often the subject of domestic violence and used as domestic help rather than being able to study. The cost of food and bus fares to get to school is often prohibitive.

Mary First Disciple

Sunday, 27 June 2010 12:35 |

Written by Fr. Frank Freeman SDB |

Online E-Conference

The Broken Bay Institute, located at Pennant Hills in the Broken Bay Diocese of New South Wales, Australia, specializes in delivering the best of contemporary biblical and theological reflection by means of contemporary media. BBI’s most successful initiative has been its development of what is known as an e-Conference. Quite simply, it means that presenters gather and are filmed in a studio in Pennant Hills, and over 30,000 people follow the presentation via the internet, as it is filmed. The show is “live.” It is also subsequently archived, and made available online, as well as handily available on a DVD. In the past twelve months BBI has run three e-Conferences: one to commemorate the Pauline year, another to initiate the “Year of Luke,” and most recently an ambitious presentation of the theme “Mary – First Disciple.” The Institute chose Fr Frank Moloney, SDB, the Provincial of the Salesians and well-known biblical scholar, to present his thoughts on the theme of Mary, the first of all disciples.

Last Updated (Sunday, 27 June 2010 12:42)

Samoa Immersion 2010

Sunday, 27 June 2010 12:30 |

Written by Lauren Bicknell |

Cagliero

After a successful journey for ten young people in 2009, the Cagliero Project Samoa Immersion will take place again in June/July of 2010. Once again the group will travel to Leauva’a where the Salesians are in charge of St Michael’s parish. There has also been a strong focus on developing a youth centre/oratory for the young people in the parish. The group travelling from Australia will assist in the youth centre and will be running another leadership camp. They will also visit the new school in Salelologa on the island of Savai’i. The Cagliero Project hopes to be able to send multiple long-term missionary volunteers to the school in January 2011 in order to support the Salesians during the initial stages of setting up the school. After Savai’i these young people will travel back to the island of Upolu and spend some time at Don Bosco Tech and in the parishes of Sinamoga and Moa Moa –it will be a busy but rewarding journey!

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