Orientation Course for New Provincials
(ANS – Turin – Dec. 15-22, 2023) - From December 10 to 22, an orientation and
training course for recently appointed provincials by the Rector Major and his council
took place in Valdocco (Turin). The superiors of 9 Salesian vice provinces and provinces,
from 4 regions (Africa, Central and Northern Europe, Interamerica, and the
Mediterranean) took part in the course; two are superiors of vice provinces newly
erected in 2023.
This course was coordinated by the vicar of the Rector Major, Fr. Stefano Martoglio, and organized by Fr. Patrick Antoniraj. The participants:
– Fr. Fernando Miranda Ustero, provincial
of Spain-Seville;
– Fr. Aurelien Mukangwa Mwana Ngoy, superior
of Africa Congo;
– Don Tarcizio Morais De Castro, provincial
of Portugal;
– Fr. Bart Decancq, provincial of North
Belgium and Holland;
– Fr. Gianpaolo Roma, provincial of
Southern Italy;
– Fr. Dominic Tran Danh Cong, provincial
of the United States East and Canada;
– Fr. George Tharaniyil, provincial of
East Africa;
– Fr. Emilius Salema, superior of the
Tanzania province;
– Fr. Domenico
Paternò, superior of the North African vice province.
The activities included in the program allowed
the provincials to get to know and deepen their perspectives on the
Congregation, thanks to direct dialog with Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime,
Rector Major, and his councilors, as well as to share with them the reality of
their homelands.
At the level of purely formative content,
then, the works ranged from the criteria and juridical elements for animation
to the governance of the province, from the spirituality of the provincial to
the identity and discipline of religious life.
In the various sessions, moreover, thanks to
the presentation of the respective general and regional councilors, the provincials
had the opportunity to get to know each of the Congregation’s sectors of
animation, as well as the situation of the various Salesian regions; and they were
informed about the activities of the secretariat for the Salesian Family, the general
postulation office for the Salesian Family’s causes of saints, and the Salesian
mission office Missioni Don Bosco in Turin.
On the penultimate day of the meeting, were
given a guided tour of the basilica of Mary Help of Christians by Fr. Mike
Pace.
Finally, the work ended on Friday, December 22,
with the sharing of experiences, a general summary by the Rector Major and his vicar,
and the final Eucharist in the chapel of St. Francis de Sales.
On that last day, Fr. Pace, a member of the
U.S.-Canada Province, reported, “Happy to announce that Fr. Dominic passed provincial
school. He knows everything now. 😅”
[Editor's note: To be clear, Fr. Dominic is too humble to think he knows everything.]
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