The event, which will end on Friday 7 November, brings together delegates and scholars from eight countries – Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Thailand – belonging to seven branches of the Salesian Family (Salesians of Don Bosco, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Salesian Cooperators, Past Pupils, Volunteers of Don Bosco, Association of Mary Help of Christians, Sisters Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), in an effort of research and memory on the roots and evolution of the Salesian missionary charism in Asia and Oceania.
During the opening ceremony, greetings were read from the Rector Major, Fr Fabio Attard, the Superior General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, and the President of ACSSA, Sr Maria Maul, who emphasised the value of history as a tool for charismatic and pastoral renewal.
The first presentation, by Prof. Regalado José, offered an overview of the cultural heritage of the Philippine Church, followed by a report by Sister Florita Dimayuga FMA on the first decade of the presence of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in the Philippines.
On the second day, 4 November, the Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Bishop Marcelino Antonio Maralit of San Pablo – in whose diocese the meeting took place – who in his homily recalled how ‘the Church is a community that remembers’ and how the personal stories of missionaries colour the mission of salvation with humanity.
The days of the seminar are dedicated to a journey that intertwines theology, history, and witness, from the contribution of Salesian missionaries in Papua New Guinea to the experiences of inculturation and evangelisation in the Far East. Particular emphasis is given to the themes of education, the shared mission between religious and laity, and the enhancement of the cultural and artistic heritage of the communities born from the charism of Don Bosco.
The reflections of these days include presentations dedicated to the first FMA foundation in Oceania, the birth of the educational mission in Korea, and Don Bosco's words to Bishop John Cagliero: ‘I entrust Asia to you!’. Ample space is also given to the study of the Quaderni (Notebooks) of the Salesian missionary in Japan, Fr Antonio Cavoli, SDB, to the history of the Salesian Cooperators in the Philippines, and to the figure of Bishop Gaetano Pasotti, one of the pioneers of the Salesian presence in Thailand.
The ACSSA Seminar for East Asia-Oceania concludes the cycle of continental seminars promoted jointly with the Salesian Historical Institute and aimed at creating a privileged space for discussion and in-depth study, in which the memory of the origins illuminates the present of the mission and guides its future.
In April 2027, an International Conference will be held in Brazil, concluding the work promoted by ACSSA on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the First Salesian Missionary Expedition.
