SAFCAM Communique #66 - English

SAFCAM Communique #66  *        28/08/2021     

Dear Subscribers

Happy feast of St Augustine!

Amidst so much sad bad news from around the world, the Good News is that 144 novices have made their profession in the past fortnight within our Africa region or will do so in the next fortnight!

AFC-21                              ATE-7                                 AET-6                                 AFE-17

AFO-17                              AFW-11                             AGL-12                              ANG-16

MOZ-5                               ZMB-9                               AFM-1                               MDG-22

Total =  144 !!!

Plus….

AFC reports that 38 novices have been admitted into their novitiate and 47 into the pre-novitiate! Wow!

Just a thought:

I'd rather see a Christian than have to listen to one!

I'd rather have a Christian walk with me than simply point out the way.

The eye is a better pupil and more willing than the ear.

Advice, even good advice, is perplexing, but example is always inspiring.

The best of all the preachers are the ones who live and practice their creeds.

For to see goodness in action - that's what everybody needs.

The sermons you deliver may be very wise and true,

but I'd rather get my formation by observing what you do;

For I may misunderstand you and the high instruction you give,

But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

Definitely I'd rather see a Christian (or a Salesian) than hear one any day!

Worth Reading:

The latest DBTech newsletter is also full of good news, and shows that the pandemic is not preventing its operations from pursuing almost normally! Download the August 2021 issue consisting of 14 colourful pages with many photos of confreres and lay-mission-partners from the www.DBtechafrica.org

Find it under the NEWS button, and while you’re at it, why not subscribe to its Newsletters and receive them direct into your mail box.

Fr Silvio Roggia notified us of an interesting resource for understanding where contemporary young adults stand on issues available on the internet @ http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Davos_Lab_Youth_Recovery_Plan_2021.pdf

It is a 40-page report of a survey, conducted from February - May this year, by the World Economic Forum across 187 countries and titled ‘Youth Recovery Plan’. One thing it discloses is how little importance religion plays in their world. To give you a taste here are 2 questions and the replies regarding the place of the faith:

What would you describe as some of the core competencies for a political leader of the future?

• Only 1,4% would consider it important to have spiritual/religious background.

If you needed mental health support, who or where would you turn to first?

• Only 3,5% would refer to a spiritual leader.

Useful YouTube clips:

https://youtu.be/rUvw_nuzX44  -  Elon Musk lists the factors which pose huge questions for the next couples of decades… and beyond, in a 13-minute clip. Ignore if you do not have 13 minutes, but I found it stimulating even though I have been exposed to quite a lot of this kind of stuff. He raises a couple of issues I have not yet meditated on!

https://youtu.be/FjasTcmDpF0 - Mother Teresa’s feastday is coming up. Have a look at this beautiful full feature film (1hour 50 minutes) on her life!

A simple idea to make the world more green: don’t spread any litter, but do spread seeds!

In most of our countries of the region, fruits such as pawpaw, mango, avocado, watermelon, tangerines, orange, lemon,… are plentiful and often form part of the common diet. However, food security is still not guaranteed everywhere. So, when enjoying fruits containing seeds, instead of throwing the seeds in the rubbish bin, wash them, dry them (in the sun) and store them in a paper bag or envelop, and store them in your case or in the car. Then whenever you travel in the countryside or go for a walk near fields, throw the seeds into the roadside areas where these are more likely to germinate. With this simple act, each one might contribute at least one tree each season, and the dream to make this world green can happen. The Thai government promoted this idea to its citizens in recent years, and the number of fruit trees in the wild has multiplied, especially in the northern districts of Thailand.

Finally, don’t forget to check out the latest postings on our website…

God bless - Camiel and François

*  Disclaimer :  Not everything published on our website or through this communique necessarily reflects the opinion or official stance of SAFCAM or the Salesian Congregation nor even teaching of the Catholic Church. Some postings are intended to provoke reflection on alternative views to the mainstream-media and cancel-culture, where too often only popular ‘acceptable’ opinions are tolerated!