“During the novena to Don Bosco, whilst we were carrying his relic through the villages, a secondary school teacher approached us asking how to become a Salesian Cooperator,” Bro Paulus Bataona says. “It was a gift from Don Bosco for us, because we had never spoken to anyone about the Salesian Cooperators,” he added.
The Salesians were delighted by this interest, but they also waited a while to see if such enthusiasm might be fleeting and temporary. But that was not the case. On the contrary, other people expressed a desire to become Salesian Cooperators. “Over the last three months, we decided to dedicate time to ‘being with the people’,” reported Fr Maravilla. “We visited the villages, interacted with people and listened carefully to their expectations, to better understand the socio-pastoral context, which was new to us. When asked why they wanted to become Salesian Cooperators, the common response was that they had come to know Don Bosco and the Salesians and were drawn to the way we relate to young people and the community.”
“This first group of aspirants,” explained the third Salesian missionary in Vanuatu, Fr Moïse Paluku, “gives us great hope because we are seeing how Don Bosco’s charism is taking root in this new country. In such a short time, the expression of Don Bosco’s charism is gradually taking shape. This start to the formation of the first Salesian Cooperator aspirants provides a solid foundation for Don Bosco’s charism and mission, which are not tied to, nor identified with, individual personalities.”
“At first I was worried because we had few resources; sometimes we even lacked some essential items. But the people not only welcomed us, they literally embraced us with all their hearts, making us feel as though we had been here for a long time. In their simplicity, they continue to come and bring us food from their own gardens to remind us that they are with us. All this has happened because they have come to know Don Bosco and have felt drawn to his mission and his charism,” added Fr Maravilla.
“This first group of aspiring Salesian Cooperators,” he concluded, “is just one of the many simple signs that we have interpreted through the eyes of faith to remind us that Don Bosco himself is truly moving forward to realise his missionary dream in Oceania, where he saw multitudes of young people crying out: ‘Come to our aid’.”
