By Cl. Ethan Fortes for BISMumbai

To help strengthen the vocation animation in the Province, the community of Don Bosco, Lonavla, organized a two-day vocation team meet on 24 September 2022. The vocation teams from the Salesian presences in Virar East, Makarpura, and Yerwada took part in this meeting wherein they shared, evaluated and suggested various strategies to facilitate vocation animation in the province.

Fr Chrys Saldana initiated the meeting with a session on the role of lay people in the Church. He spoke of the importance of lay people and lay collaboration especially in helping the Church to understand the young and also to actively take part in the mission of the Church in the world. During the Eucharist, Fr Blany Pinto spoke of the call of all Christians to be witnesses of the Good News to the world. He stressed on the importance of lay people as leaven in the dough of the world wherein they spread the Good News to others by their daily dealings. Fr Joyston Machado, along with a few aspirants, organized an activity that helped the participants understand how one ought to stand up for one's values. Likewise, when the concern is vocation animation, the importance needs to be given to God’s call with no other compromises.

In the evening, the vocation team members enjoyed some time to be one with nature by way of a short trek. Later that day, they participated in a vocation adoration where they prayed for each other, the aspirants, and for many more vocations to the Church and Salesian Congregation. The day concluded with a movie on Don Bosco which followed a discussion moderated by Fr Pinto.

The following day, the vocation team members joined the aspirants for the Holy Eucharist. During the day, Fr Machado shared the action plan of the aspirantate that focused on how the various activities of the house help in the aspirants’ overall growth. Fr Pinto then shared his views on vocation animation and also encouraged the participants to share in their ideas and insights as to how the task of vocation animation can be better facilitated. A few of the aspirants also interacted with the participants and shared their experience in the aspirantate and how the activities of the house have helped them to grow and also discern their vocation.

All the participants left with renewed ideas and insights as to how the vocation animation of the Province can be better facilitated to help garner more vocations for the Church and the Salesian Congregation.

The vocation team meet is to be held thrice annually. Having the meeting at Lonavla helps the team in visiting the Aspirantate while also interacting with the aspirants and getting to know their experience at Don Bosco, Lonavla.