Page 15 - Salesian Bulletin 2016 [01] January-March

M
y missionary vocation practically began in the aspirantate in 2001 when I
My missionary joy: working for the most neglected of Bulgarian society
was given a chance to assist Fr Carmelo Attard, an elderly missionary from Malta. He was a very hardworking missionary. I was touched by his religious commitment. Gradually, I too developed the desire to be a missionary. The pictures of works of missionaries on the notice board and the occasional visits of missionaries made my missionary enthusiasm even stronger. Soon after my aspirantate I had spoken many many times about this desire to my Provincial but he was not willing to send me to the mission not even after my postnovitiate.
render it difficult to preach the Gospel while other situations may even be indifferent to the Gospel but in both situations I am called to witness Christ through my personal life. Being a missionary today does not mean only preaching the Gospel to others or going to a poor country or caring for others but it also means bearing witness through our way of life because our way of caring for one another, living and working together as a community, is already a powerful message of the Gospel of love.
my service as a priest. I see that a bright future is awaiting us and the Church in Bulgaria. Our mission with the gypsies is very promising. But we also need to explore other possibilities in the field of education and Christian formation.
I didn’t give up my missionary desire but I decided not to mention it anymore to my superiors. Instead, I decided to surrender myself to the will and plan of God saying “if God wants me to be a missionary, He will surely guide and show me the way.” One day I was surprised when my Provincial decided to send me to Italy for my practical training and my theological studies. Fortunately in Italy I met Fr Václav Klement, then Councillor for the missions. I talked to him and he encouraged me to begin my missionary discernment. Eventually, I wrote my application and the Rector Major sent me to Bulgaria in 2012.
Cleric Donbor Jyrwa, Indian, missionary in Bulgaria.
I attended the Course for New Missionaries which helped me to have a different view of being a missionary today where witness of life has primacy. Some situations may
I am happy as a missionary in Bulgaria and what gives me more joy is the mission that we do for the poor people and the most neglected section of Bulgarian society – the gypsies. Although I was in Bulgaria only for my practical training, I am eagerly waiting to return and render
23 Salesians did the 146th Missionary Expedition Orientation Course in Rome/Turin in September 2015.
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