Towards the end of August I took over from Fr Michael Cunningham as Provincial of the British-Liberian Province. In his farewell reflection, printed in the last issue of Don Bosco Today, Michael spoke of his six-year stint as Provincial in terms of his life-long commitment to Bolton Wanderers. Michael also made reference to my support for Oxford United! One of my most vivid childhood memories is going with my father in the mid 1950’s to watch Headington United (as Oxford United used to be known before their election to the Football League) play Bolton in a FA Cup match. At that time Bolton had one of the strongest teams in the country and were near the top of the then First Division. The match was a real David and Goliath confrontation. Headington lost, but that didn’t really matter. It was a never-to-be-forgotten afternoon of high drama and excitement. The most important thing was being there, being part of the action.
As a result of our Baptism, we are all invited to become actively involved in the greatest drama of all time: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s beloved Son. Jesus spent his life making his Father’s love available to all who would accept it. Through the power of God’s Spirit, Jesus continues his mission of bringing the Good News to our world. This he achieves through our efforts, our ministry, in the very ordinary circumstances of each and everyday. Very often the odds seem stacked against us. There is so much to be done and so few of us to do it. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed, to become depressed.
We are all aware of the continuing decline in vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. It is a matter of concern. But I read something the other day that made me stop and think. The author suggested that what we are suffering from is not so much a lack of vocations but rather a lack of VISION. Don Bosco was a man of vision. He began his work at a most unfavourable time. There was widespread social and political unrest; Christian values were under attack; religious orders were being disbanded. But in these most unfavourable times Don Bosco seized the opportunities that were given him to start a new form of youth ministry. And because he was able to share his vision with others, the members of the Salesian Family, that work continues – in Easterhouse, in Merseyside, in London, in Liberia and throughout our Province. As I begin my term as Provincial my prayer is that this work will continue to grow and diversify. And that as it does, others will discover the joy of “being part of the action”.
Fr Francis Preston SDB (Provincial)
