Australia – A nourishing Visit for the next 100 years. Rector Major’s visit ends in Sunbury

02 May 2023

(ANS – Melbourne) – After more than a week of festive events and intense celebrations, the Rector Major's Animation Visit to the Australia-Pacific "Mary Help of Christians" Province came to an end. The Rector Major paid tribute to the Centenary of Salesian presence in Australia and revitalized the local Salesian Family.

The penultimate day of Rector-Major Fr Ángel Fernández Artime’s visit to Australia saw him travel to St Joseph’s college in Ferntree Gully (situated approx. 40km east of Melbourne’s CBD).

The college had recently gone through a stunning transformation, adding a wide-range of facilities for the benefit of its students. The Rector-Major’s first task was to bless the new water-fountain established in the newly minted ‘Bosco Piazza’; with the allusions to Don Bosco’s methodology of meeting young people at the watering hole clear.

A quick tour of the new year 7 buildings commenced, which resulted in a meeting with students in one of their classrooms. Afterwards, the year 12 student leaders joined the gathered guests and teachers in the staff room for morning tea. Here, the Rector-Major thanked everyone gathered for all the hard work they do.

The Don Bosco Retreat Centre at Lysterfield and the Salesian community who reside there is closely associated with the college, situated only 10 minutes away. This was the next stop for the Rector Major and a meeting place for many Salesians from all around the province who travelled to be there.

Fr Frank Bertagnolli began the session with a reflection on the history of the Salesians in Australia and some light entertainment followed, in the form of Fr Mick Court, a talented magician who uses his skills in his ministry in the vein of Don Bosco. Those gathered were then invited to share some of their most precious memories throughout their lives as Salesians; and most seemed to gravitate towards talking about the Salesians that had most impressed them when they were young.

After lunch, the Rector-Major spoke with the gathered confreres on the state of the congregation and his vision for the future. His last visit to Australia was 9 years ago, and he stressed how good it was to see progress in the province from that time.

He spoke of a conscious hope; that there was surely plenty more to come in the Salesian story in Australia; the congregation just needed to march towards that with a deliberate plan for spreading Don Bosco’s charism to the young who are in need of it most. The floor was then opened for a few questions and then adjourned to ensure that everyone was given some time for rest before evening mass, which was then followed by a dinner organized by the retreat centre staff.

The final leg of Rector-Major Fr Ángel Fernández Artime’s visit took him to Salesian College Sunbury, home to the motherhouse of the Salesians in Australia! It was in 1927 that the Salesians finally found their permanent home in Australia after relocating to Melbourne from Western Australia.

The day began with a full school assembly, welcoming the Rector Major to the college grounds. In his speech to the students, he stressed the importance of dreams to young people, and passionately encouraged them to always follow their dreams, as this is the path to happiness. Then the Rector-Major reached out to the young people gathered through song, playing a couple of tunes in his native Spanish, and many members of the audience jumped up to dance.

After the assembly, the Rector-Major made his way to the cemetery. To commemorate the Rector Major’s visit and the centenary of Salesianity, the Rector-Major planted a tree by the cemetery gates, and buried an accompanying time capsule, to be opened at the next centenary!

In the background of the Rector Major’s visit, Salesian College Sunbury were participating in their “Don Bosco Derby”, a day full friendly competition between the schoolhouses through a wide range of activities and games. As Fr Ángel came to the sporting grounds, he spotted some students playing with an odd-shaped ball - an Australian Rules football. Eager to have a go at the local sport, he took the ball in hand and launched into the air by foot, impressing the locals greatly for it is a skill that is notoriously difficult to master.

One final stop at the Salesian Residence was in order, to visit the community and bless the benefactor’s monument that had been freshly minted only a couple of months. It is dedicated to all those who have supported the works of the Salesians in the Australia-Pacific province since its inception in 1923.

With that complete, it was now time to leave for the airport for the return flight to Madrid. Both Sydney and Melbourne had been blessed with fantastic, sunny weather for the Rector-Major’s visit, marking the end of an extraordinary visit that has nourished the Salesians in Australia during their 100-year celebrations!

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ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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