Matters India Reporter
Rome, 22 March 2020 — A 250 page book presenting the worldwide Salesian Family lists 32 groups with a total of 2,51,159 (two lakh fifty nine thousand one hundred fifty nine) members.
The book published in 6 languages (Italian, French, English, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish) with numerous photos is entitled: The Salesian Family of Don Bosco.
The third edition after the initial one in 1988 and the most recent in the year of 2000, the book presents the worldwide spiritual and apostolic family of St. John Bosco popularly known as Don Bosco.
The newly elected South Asia Regional Councilor Dr Biju Michael says, “The ‘Book of the Family’, is long-awaited gift to the 28th General Chapter members.”
Covid 19 threat compelled General Chapter 28 of the Salesians of Don Bosco being held at Turin, northern Italy, to be closed on 14 March 2020 ahead of scheduled closure in April.
“This book will help the young people and our lay mission partners appreciate the vast movement of the Holy Spirit raised through Don Bosco and his Salesians over past 150 years,” adds Fr. Biju Michael.
Presenting the book, the re-elected Rector Major of the Salesians Fr. Angel Fernandes Artime said, “this ‘Book of the Family’ is ‘gratitude to God for the gift of Salesian Family with its charismatic energy for the Universal Church and it is a beautiful opportunity to thank the Spirit of God for having given us our Father Don Bosco because this Family was not born as the fruit of a single human project but of God’s initiative.”
Rector Major further emphasized saying, “Indeed, with the fast-growing Salesian Family member groups, it is not easy to be aware of the great gift we have received from God for the good of the young and poor people around the world.”
The Secretariat for the Salesian Family under the direction of Spanish Salesian Fr. Eusebio Muñoz and his collaborators Fr. Giuseppe Casti, Fr. Jayapalan Raphael, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni and Fr. Joan Lluís Playá collected the data and made the publication possible.
In the book, each member of the Salesian Family group is presented along five elements: Founder and origin, History, Identity and Mission, Present Situation and Challenges for the Future.
The editors have shown a special predilection for the images from Asia featuring 14 countries out of 27 including India, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong – China, Japan, Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
Among 32 groups of Salesian Family, nine were born in Asia. Of these, MSMHC (The Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians), SMI (The Catechists Sisters of Mary Immaculate Help of Christians), The Disciples – Secular Institute, and VSDB (Visitation Sisters of Don Bosco) were born in India. SAL (Sisters Announcers of the Lord) in the Apostolic Vicariate of Bishop Versiglia; SIHM (Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), DQM Secular Institute (Daughters of the Queenship of Mary) and SQM (Sisters of the Queenship of Mary) in Thailand and the CSJ (Caritas Sisters of Jesus) were born in Japan.