by Father Vishal Lopes for BISMumbai

The Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians - SDBs and FMAs organised a 'day and a half 'Come and See' programme in which 28 young people participated. Hosted at the Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra's (BGVK) sprawling green campus at Khedgaon-Ahmednagar, this was a follow up of the the previous vocation camp held in September 2019. Apart from the SDBs and the FMAs, the Medical Mission nuns from Pathardi and Shevgaon joined in this venture.

Intended as a following up of those young people, boys and girls, seeking to discern God's call and desirous of joining religious life, the main aim of this camp was to invite the young to discover the joy of priestly and religious life. Father George D'Abreo Director BGVK remarked, "It is being increasingly observed that the young people of today are bombarded with different career options by their parents and society, but hardly does anyone tell these confused people about discerning their life's mission and neither does anyone, if ever rarely invite them to seek the joy of priestly or religious life opting to serve society like Christ."

Father McEnroe Lopes MumbaiSalesians' Vocation Promoter invited the participants to, "experience God's call, listen attentively and respond proactively as Pope Francis invites all young people to live as the 'Now of God' in Christus Vivit." Sister Antoinette addressed the young ones saying, "our mission is Jesus Christ, to be like Him, always seeking to do the Will of God, every moment of our lives."

A lively and enthusiastic sharing of vocation stories by the priests and nuns, followed by a higly interactive Q&A session provided more than sufficient food for thought for the young to arrive at vocation and vocational clarity.