He was accorded a Khasi traditional dance from the main gate accompanied by Rev. Mother Philomena Mathew, the Superior General, Sr. Maria Goretti T Sangma, the provincial Superior of Shillong Province, Sr. Liza Chetri, the Provincial Superior of Guwahati Province, Fr. Paul Olphindro Lyngkot, the Provincial of Salesian Shillong Province, and other dignitaries.
Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime with the MSMHC has always become a great legacy. As per the schedule, his visit was from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm. The Province prepared well for the grand welcome to the HOME of the MSMHC. The Rector Major was made to feel more at home with the traditional Mizo coat, Khasi Paila, cane cap, and a missionary bag. The province gathered a good number of the MSMHC Family to greet the revered Rector Major. A musical play on the Life of Don Bosco as a Miracle Worker was artistically performed by the Novices from Mary Immaculate Novitiate Mawroh. St. Margaret’s School Band played a small piece for our Rector Major, while the novices from Bethel Novitiate performed a prayer dance. The WAC and YAC of the Malki unit rendered a Khasi folk song.
The play entitled “THE MIRACLE WORKER” was well acted and produced by the novices from Mary Immaculate Novitiate Mawroh, and was highly appreciated by all, especially by the Rector Major, as it was well-scripted, beautifully performed with a very powerful message. It was so unique to witness that after each item Fr. Rector Major left his impression by taking pictures with the participants. After the items he gave to the family (MSMHC) there was a beautiful talk which became like a capsule for our lives.
Some extracts from his address to the MSMHC are:
To smell the sheep - the Congregation was precisely for this reason; we are born to smell the sheep. Our Congregation will grow in numbers only when we go back always to our charism and should not lose our identity.
After the program, the group photo session was taken. They took Fr. Artime to the chapel to pay homage to the mortal remains of Venerable Stephen Ferrando. The prayer was led by Sr. Meris Dkhar, the provincial Secretary, and concluded with prayer, invoking blessings through his intercession and receiving blessings from our Rector Major. This was followed by a cup of tea served to all those present for the event. The group who accompanied Fr. Rector Major then led him back to DBTS.
The Salesian Family Meet with the Rector Major was held in the evening of 28 October 2022 at Don Bosco Tehnical School, Laitumkhrah Shillong. The gathering of Salesians, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians, Visitation Sisters of Don Bosco, and the past pupils of the Salesians and FMA around the head of the Salesian Family was an experience around the hearth of a home.
In his discourse, the Rector Major reminded the members of the family of their responsibility of living the Salesian charism. Firstly, he encouraged them to implant the charism of the Salesian family in the local Church and together they could achieve much good. Secondly, the Rector Major encouraged them to continue the specific mission of each group. He also reminded them to go back to their roots and the celebration of the centenary is a momentous opportunity and responsibility to be faithful to the charism and be attentive to the essentials. The most significant message he wanted to share with the family is none other than the words of Pope Francis: to be a poor, merciful and humble church. Another important reminder he insisted on the gathering is that devotion to Mary Help of Christians is not an option for the Salesian family.
After the speech, the floor was opened for interaction in which few individuals posed their queries to the Rector Major to which he responded very aptly and precise, always adhering to the spirit of the family. Summing up the interaction session, the Father of the Salesian family pose before them a future thrust: “We should move to those where we are really needed, listening to the cry of the poor and not about just maintaining the present mission”.
Finally, he concluded the meeting exhorting everyone to have the young people as the centre of their mission, for he said the youth aid the Salesian towards their sanctity and salvation.
https://www.infoans.org/en/sections/news/item/16542-india-the-visitation-of-rector-major-to-the-msmhc-sisters#sigProId5f99bed4b0
