English
SAFCAM Communique #72 - English
09-10-2021
SAFCAM Communique #72 09/10/2021
Dear Subscribers
The 71st communique did not reach you last Saturday as usual, but hopefully you received it by Wednesday once the new tactic of how to push it through to you via the upgraded website was mastered.
We are delighted to have Camiel back at the DBYES community. We are a total of 12 confreres presently distributed across five sectors of activities, plus a group we have baptized the Cafasso section of the community, since they are ordained but pursuing further formal studies as Don Bosco did at the Convitto.
We are preparing to start welcoming the delegates of Formation and Youth Ministry from the provinces of the region for the Regional Formation Commission and the Youth Ministry Commission. Their meetings will be held here at DBYES next week and SAFCAM will participate in them. Please keep the delegates and their travels (complicated a little by the Covid restrictions) in prayer.
FMAs
As you hopefully already know, the 24th General Chapter of the FMAs, elected Sr Chiara Cazzuola as their Mother General and 10th Successor of Saint Maria Domenica Mazzarello. The next day Sr María del Rosario García Ribas, the current Provincial of the "Mary Help of Christians" Province of Spain, was elected as vicar-general. We wish them and the rest of the general councilors, all of God’s blessings.
2021 WYD message - Pope calls on young people to 'be witnesses'
Pope Francis has released his message calling young people to “bear witness” ahead of Diocesan World Youth Day, which will take place on 21 November 2021 and is part of preparations for the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon. The theme of the day will be “Arise! I appoint you as a witness of what you have seen” (Acts 26:16), based on St Paul’s conversion to Christianity. The theme centres around the role that young people have to play in the world in Church life and in public life.
The Pope notes how the Covid-19 pandemic has presented particular difficulties for young people:
“The health emergency was a particular setback for young people, for your life is naturally directed outwards: towards school or university, to work and social gatherings. You found yourselves in difficult situations that you were not used to facing.” And Pope Francis notes that young people have seen a “rise in family problems, unemployment, depression, loneliness, and addictive behaviour”, but also says that throughout the pandemic young people have helped to “build bridges” and acted as “peacemakers”.
In his message he affirms that “Only a personal and non-anonymous encounter with Christ changes lives. Jesus shows that he knew Saul very well, inside out. Paul’s conversion did not involve turning back, but being open to a completely new way of things. He continued his journey to Damascus but something had changed. The Lord, the Church and the Pope trust you and appoint you to bear witness before all those other young people whom you will encounter on today’s road to Damascus.”
This year’s World Youth Day will be held locally in individual dioceses, and the Pope reminds that the day as part of the “spiritual pilgrimage leading to the celebration of the 2023 World Youth Day”.
Pope Francis concludes his speech calling young people to “arise together” and “become the prophets of a new and hope-filled future”. You can download the complete message in both English and French from our website in preparation for this years Youth Day on the feast of Christ the King. YM delegates get ready!
Pandora Papers
12 million documents got leaked to investigative journalists. They provide evidence of money laundering and tax evasion by over 300 super-rich celebrities and powerful politicians including heads of states, by ‘off-shore’ investments in ‘fiscal paradises’. Legislators who preached honesty, transparency and accountability to their citizens regarding their financial transactions, have ‘egg on their faces’ for not practicing what they advocated! The mind boggles at the reason why anybody needs to embezzle so wealth, most of which will not even be spendable in one lifetime, even when used to buy luxury apartments, private jets and extravagant yachts which they use once in a blue moon. There is something ‘obscene’ about that.
Last year Oxfam published some stats when it released its annual report on global inequality:
The world’s 2 153 billionaires now have more wealth than 4.6 billion people - that is, 60 per cent of the world’s population. The 22 richest men in the world have more wealth than all the women in Africa.
It is not a sin to be rich, nor to wish to have a lot. But one should only dream to have a lot in order to be able to contribute and share a lot. Wealth is like manure – when it is piled up in a heap, it stinks; but when you spread it out, it produces growth. May those who are wealthy be inspired by the billionaire Chuck Feeny – see his story here - https://youtu.be/gWKToCVtrfU (there a several other clips once you open this one of 6minutes) and our own Don Bosco, who is purported to have been among the top 5 Italians of the 19th century who handled the most finance. As for him, he spent it all on the poor, not on himself.
Family days June 2022
Like the WYD, since 1994, the church also celebrates every 3 years or so, International Family Days. As the congregation has been advocating for the last two decades, we cannot do youth ministry in isolation from family ministry. So it is important not to ignore the family events either. The official song for the next IFDs in June 2022 is available already on YouTube - https://youtu.be/azxWQhz2xzA It would be good to start promoting it: the chorus is in English and goes: “We believe in love, we believe in life, we will come to you, alleluia.” There are 10 verses each sung in 9 different languages!
All the best for the coming week. Check what is the latest on www.safcam.org ! There are now over 800 items which have been posted. The most recent dozen or so items are on the ‘slider’ and easy to access. Older items need to be dug out from a little deeper!
In union of prayer, God bless. Camiel and François
