Japan – EAO Congress of Salesian Cooperators

09 May 2017

(ANS – Tokyo) – The 9th EAO Salesian Cooperators’ Congress began with Mass on Good Shepherd Sunday. The 327 participants - 250 Salesian Cooperators and Aspirants with 70+ young adults gathered in downtown Tokyo  at Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku -, for 4 days (May 7-10) with the theme 'Journey Together - For the Young - With the Young'.

The Apostolic Nuncio to Japan, Archbishop Joseph Chennoth presided at the Eucharist concelebrated by 30 Salesian Priests. After the opening talk by Philip Yu, the World Councilor ASC for the EAO Region, and the welcome by Kazumi Maruyama, Provincial Coordinators ASC Japan, in the evening all participants felt at home with the “Gospel magic” of Fr. Mickey. All participants were happy to watch the Video message of the Rector Major, in which Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime said:

“You have a wonderful Christian and Salesian vocation. Your vocation is something that Don Bosco himself dreamed… so close to his heart, which you know well. I encourage you to live truly this Christian vocation, faithful to Jesus and to the mission entrusted to our Salesian Family. (…)

You are not only a group organized as an Association. (…) I invite you to live with true enthusiasm your vocation. I invite you to grow in every way. To grow in your identity, grow in your capacity to make the same proposal to others, who would say like you: Yes, I accept this call of the Lord.

Finally: do not forget that we are family. We are Salesian Family which above all means communion among us. Union is not uniformity. It’s a wonderful communion! We are family not only for ourselves. We are family to fulfil the beautiful mission which God has entrusted to us: the youngsters and among them especially those most in need - the really poor, to bring them closer to Jesus, to live as true persons of depth”.

Later in the evening, during the parallel Youth Meeting, over 70 young adult participants danced, talked, sang, and prayed together – youth people from Italy, East Timor, the Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mongolia, Thailand, Singapore, and Japan.

The second day of the EAO Salesian Cooperators Congress was the most intense in terms of program and workload.

After the morning Eucharist presided over by the GIA provincial delegate for the Salesian Cooperators, Fr. Loro Piana, the morning was dedicated to the study of the EAO provincial reports in a fun-game style. Then followed the first sharing about the commitment of lay people for poor youth given by Mr. Sawamura, from Japan but representing  the Philippines (Mindanao).

In the afternoon session there was ample time for the panel discussion about three Japan experiences of Youth Ministry – “NPO Kiitos” for the poor children shelter and care (Chofu, since 2010), “Don Bosco Volunteer Group” (missionary exposure experience in Solomon Islands, since 1991) and “Salesian Youth Movement” (Japan, since 2015).

Then followed the province group sharing and the whole afternoon was closed with an Assembly listening to the provincial sharings.

In the Key Note Talk the EAO SDB Regional Councilor shared also two video clips (available on YouTube) about Mongolian Salesian Cooperators (Darkhan Center) and Cagliero Project (Australia – Pacific), noting that EAO as a missionary region offers a special opportunity for the growth of the Salesian Cooperators’ vocation and mission.

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