Together with the Salesians of Valdocco, the Salesian Mission Office wants to recall the importance of feeling united in fraternity and of living it also with concrete actions, of support for others who invoke help: "We will celebrate together the Salesian Mission Day which is inspired by the principles of the World Mission Day, which emphasizes how the missionary journey of the whole Church continues in the light of the word we find in the account of the vocation of the prophet Isaiah: "Here I am, send me" (Is6: 8). It is the ever-new answer to the Lord's question: "Who will I send?". This call comes from the heart of God, from His mercy which challenges both the Church and humanity in the current world crisis", say the leaders of the Mission Office from Turin.
“We, as Salesians,” they continue, “add our charism, the strength of our missionary mandate, to reaffirm the precious value of weaving webs of fraternity in every missionary sphere, in every disadvantaged country. Our message for this year's Salesian Mission Day takes its cue from a verse from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians which well expresses the joy of the oratory: 'Rejoice in the Lord, always; again I will say, rejoice' (Phil 4:4) because the strength of missionary action must start from the oratory, from the youth centers as an impulse for new and shared life, together with school and vocational training.”
This joyful message, which is combined with the educative and evangelizing power of the Salesian presence, is then translated into concrete help in every part of the world.
The vital work of Don Bosco's missionaries in Ethiopia, Congo, Sierra Leone, India, Myanmar, Brazil, Peru, Guatemala, Venezuela ... today more than ever needs support: the missionaries are struggling to to help struggling populations already marked by hunger and sanitation difficulties, situations now aggravated by Covid-19 and the increase in the cost of food and basic goods.
Like Don Bosco, today's Salesians also repeat: "God bless and reward all our benefactors", people who embrace universal brotherhood and become bearers of life.
Further information at: www.missionidonbosco.org
