Dear confreres,
Greetings from Salespuram.
First of all I do hope that the New Year 2002 has started well for you. You know that I do pray for the well being of all of you. May the Lord protect and accompany you on your journey with him.
In a few days I will be leaving for Austria for holidays. I am looking forward to see my parents, my relatives and my friends. I should be back by February 22nd in Salespuram.
Before leaving I wanted to share some news with you. Let me start with a little story that happened while I was visiting our brothers in the Minor Seminaries in Andhra Pradesh. I was travelling with Bala Sr. from Phirangipuram to Nidadavolu by train. Somehow we were sitting in the wrong train and the conductor informed us, that the train we were sitting in would not stop in Nidadavolu. So she looked at me and said: “But Sir, don’t worry, you get down in Eluru and you wait one year for the next train and that one will then stop in Nidadavolu!” Bala and I opted for another solution. I just didn’t see both of us waiting for one year in Eluru for the next train. Even my patience has limits. And so I can report that our brothers in both seminaries are doing fine. I enjoyed their openness and friendliness. Thank you brothers!
I still have in mind the beautiful celebration of the perpetual vows of Br. Mathew. The community in Samarpanaram manages always very well to help us to celebrate in the proper atmosphere. I am grateful for the work the scholastics and the novices (and their masters) have put into this big event for our Region. In addition to the work being put upon them for that day, they had to welcome the whole Salespuram Community in Samarpanaram. It was the first time that we all were together. This was an uplifting experience as well. You can imagine.
Christmas was terrible for me. It was the first time I celebrated in India. Last year I had had the chance to celebrate in Austria. Why did I experience it as difficult? I think it was my emotions which told me: Sebastian, this cannot be Christmas! It is not cold, it does not smell the good Austrian cookies, and there is no snow, Sebastian it is summer! A lot of questions concerning inculturation came to my mind. Why do we sing the same Christmas songs here in India as in the States or in Europe? What about this Christmas Papa who comes swinging and dancing to every Christmas celebration? Anyway, it had to do with me, not with any of the confreres in Samarpanaram, where I celebrated Christmas, this I know for sure! And it is over now!
After Christmas Fr. Aldino who had come for a visit from Brazil and myself went to South Africa where we met as General Council. Of course I was anxious to get to this meeting since it was meant to be an important meeting for our Region. And I had the chance to meet Fr. Josef present there as well.
Fr. Josef, coming from his sabbatical in the Philippines, delivered an eloquent report, which he had prepared together with Fr. Ceresko, on the situation of the Church in the Philippines and the possibility of an Oblate foundation there. I reported to the Council that in my first inquiry within the Oblates in India in December I had found a great support for the idea to start in the Philippines. All perpetually professed Oblates in India and many scholastics had declared in one way or the other their interest and their willingness to join into this possible next step. Of course I considered it also as my duty to evaluate the present situation in India, especially personnel wise.
After a lengthy discussion, the General and the Council finally directed Fr. Josef and myself to submit no later than January 2004 a proposal for a foundation in the Philippines from the India Mission. The proposal will include at least the following elements: financial and personnel resources, rationale, concrete steps and timetable. It is understood that no other province or region (other than India) would be required to fund or staff the new foundation.
I am absolutely delighted about this result. I do strongly believe that it is for the good of India, that this foundation could take place. I am happy that so many of you supported the idea and declared their willingness to go. Let me just point out two reasons why I am delighted.
First of all I do believe, that we have to keep the ‘Chablais Spirit’ alive within us individually but as well within the Region. By joining this project we do so. We say yes to the challenges of another culture, another language and another environment for the sake of what we are all about: we want to live and spread Salesian spirituality. This is our thriving force, our motivation. By joining this project we can stay faithful to our fundamental vocation as Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. I am happy that you saw it, you felt it and anticipate your continuous support for the next steps. Thank you Fathers, thank you Brothers!
The second point I would like to mention is, that it is not an individual project, but a community project: we as Asian Region are committed to it. It is not Fr. Ceresko’s project, it is not Fr. Josef’s project, it is not my project; it is OURS. A community effort will have to be the foundation stone for the foundation in the Philippines.
We do have some time now to get ready. Fr. Josef will come back to India in July to help us in our present needs in formation as well as on how to proceed for the next steps. Fr. Ceresko is our point of stability in the Philippines and I know that he will help us to find the right ministry, the right diocese, the right place as well as proper financial resources in order to enable our new foundation. After hearing in more details from Josef you will be able to discern more properly into your own contribution to this project. Some will stay home to make sure that we keep growing properly in India. Some will prepare themselves in one way or the other in order to be enabled to go to the Philippines. Together, those who will remain in India as well as those who will go, will be part of one idea: we are in love with our way of life and we want to share it. May God provide for everything else!
As for now I ask for your prayers. Feel free to let me know at any time your thoughts.
Enough for today. This week the last concreting is being done in Salespuram. Slowly we move towards completion. Slowly!
May God bless and protect you!
Fr. Sebastian Leitner osfs