SAFCAM Communique #37          English

SAFCAM Communique #37         30-31/01/2021      

Dear Subscribers

Happy Feastday to you all. Each year this feast reminds us of all our cherished founder achieved and modelled for us the Da Mihi Animas-Coetera Tolle! Two years ago, at the WYD in Panama Pope Francis spoke the following words to half a million young people:

“We know very well that to feel recognized or loved, it is not enough to just be ‘connected’ all day long. To feel respected and asked to get involved is greater than simply being “on-line”. It means finding spaces where, with your hands, your heart and your head, you can feel part of a larger community that needs you and that you yourselves need.

The saints understood this very well. I think, for example, of Saint John Bosco. He did not go off to seek young people in far-off places but learned to see with God’s eyes everything that was going on in his own city. And he was struck by the hundreds of children and young people left to themselves, without education, without work and without the helping hand of a community.

Many other people were living in the same city, and many criticized those young people, but they were unable to see them with God’s eyes. Don Bosco did!  And he found the energy to take the first step: to embrace life as it presented itself. From there, he was not afraid to take the second step: to create a community, a family with them, where through work and study they could feel loved. He gave them roots from which they could reach up to heaven.” - Pope Francis @ Panama – 27-01-2019

The pandemic is making it difficult to connect with many young people face to face presently, but let us not make too many excuses, and though online connecting with them is an alternative, we still need to seek ways for more ‘sacramental’ presence where possible.

Hopefully you have read the letter circulated of the RM to young people today wishing them JOY!

Pass it on to all your contacts!

Next SAFCAM Workshop

We completed the 4-week online workshop for Rectors last Tuesday, and begin a 4-week workshop next Tuesday (02/02) on the preventive system and its implementation in our context of Africa…

It is open to all members of the Salesian Family (including SDBs) and lay-mission-partners. Registration by Monday morning 09h00 Nairobi time!

The Lisbon WYD anthem has just been unveiled on January 27.

Loosely translated from the Portuguese the chorus goes…

The whole world will hear our voices

Let's raise our hands, urgency is in the air

Jesus is alive and will not leave us alone

We will never stop loving us.

The title of the song is “Há Pressa no Ar” - which could literally translate as “There is haste/urgency in the air” invites young people to identify with Our Lady and to make themselves available to serve in the mission and the transformation of the world as well as discovering the joy that comes from Jesus, the theme of the next WYD being - “Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39)

The song was written by Father João Paulo Vaz and set to music by Pedro Ferreira and was selected in a national competition where over 100 songs were judged by a jury. Find the video on YouTube with the link - https://youtu.be/H1x2t2EstlI  The English version is likely to be published soon.

God bless and have a good week

 Camiel and François   (safcam@safcam.org)