Page 3 - Salesian Bulletin 2016 [01] January-March

Cover: Missionaries at Maynooth (see p.14) Sale of Warrenstown, p.2
A Tale of Mercy, p.4
Linda Costello in Zambia, p.12
Passing on an Awareness of Creation, p.16 Finding God in the Unexpected, p.22
SDB 3
hildren for Sale, p.8
CT
Ireland 2016
events will mark the occasion, the Salesians in Ireland will hold their Provincial Chapter in June, halfway between the 27th and the 28th General Chapters.
he children’s charter set in the Democratic Programme of the First Dáil in 1919 stated: “It
shall be the first duty of the Government of the Republic to make provision for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the children, to secure that no child shall suffer hunger or cold from lack of food, clothing, or shelter, but that all shall be provided with the means and facilities requisite for their proper education and training as Citizens of a Free and Gaelic Ireland.”
The core work is to examine how we have implemented GC27, and to reshape our presences in the Province. This involves setting criteria and guidelines for our communities and works: strengthening them and ensuring their relevance; re- dimensioning and where necessary closing them; looking at growth prospects and opening new works.
It further stated, ”The Irish Republic fully realises the necessity of abolishing the present odious, degrading and foreign Poor Law System, substituting therefor a sympathetic native scheme for the care of the Nation's aged and infirm, who shall not be regarded as a burden, but rather entitled to the Nation's gratitude and consideration. Likewise it shall be the duty of the Republic to take such measures as will safeguard the health of the people and ensure the physical as well as the moral well-being of the Nation.”
All this will require much courage and clear-sightedness - like the leaders of 1916 - and a lively sense of wanting to be like Don Bosco, missionaries of youth, sent on a mission to them, to witness God’s love for them, while providing them with all we can to enable them to flourish as human beings and sons and daughters of the God who loves them.
Such high ideals are worth recalling as we move into Commemorating 1916. Apart from whatever civic
If this motivation is lacking, no matter what we provide them with, we run the risk of working a lot, but leaving aside the mission. We would be reduced to being, as Pope Francis repeatedly says, a mere NGO working for the welfare of youth.
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