austraLasia #3432
Japan: Don Bosco Daycare Centre Arakawa
TOKYO: 13 May 2014 -- The Arakawa Don Bosco Daycare Centre in Tokyo has celebrated 80 years by opening a new 3-storey building.
Amongst the recollections offered in the course of the blessing and opening of the building, was an unprecedented visit from the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
Expressions of gratitude were given to leading figures in the educational enterprise and to those who planned and built the new building.
On May 10, 2014, Salesian Japan celebrated 80 years since the Don Bosco Daycare Centre (nursery school) was opened at Arakawa, Tokyo. The event was celebrated with the blessing and opening of a new building for children of pre-school age (0-5).
Arakawa is one of 23 districts which make up the city of Tokyo and bears this name because it lies next to the famous Arakawa River. Some 200,000 people live in an area of around 10.2 square kilometres. It is a heavily populated area with a large number of children.
The celebration began with a Liturgy of the Word at which the Rector of the Arakawa community and director of the Centre, Fr Dominic Matsunga, presided. A legal representative and the Provincial, Fr Aldo Cipriani, welcomed local authorities and everyone present. A certificate of gratitude was given to the architectural and building firms responsible for the building. The Mayor of Arakawa, Mr Ichiro Nishikawa, thanked the Salesian Congregation for its educational and spiritual contribution to the district and promised his cooperation, given that a number of past pupils now occupy positions in local government.
Finally, the Provincial, Fr Cipriani, gave long-standing teacher, Mrs Shirasawa, a certificate of gratitude in the name of the Tenth Successor of Don Bosco, the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime. Mrs Shirasawa was given a huge applause for the very many years she has taught successive generations of future citizens and been a great collaborator of the Salesian work at Arakawa.
The second part of the ceremony involved the blessing of the three-storey building, after which the 80 years of the Centre were celebrated in the theatre, where the history of the Centre was explained in some detail. The Parish Priest, Fr Yohane Namiki, emphasised the Christian identity of the Centre and the fact that it was attached to the Salesian parish meant that the mutual collaboration of the two entities was very important. Long-time veteran of the district, Fr Joseph Emi, described an unprecedented visit to the Centre and Parish 15 years ago, from Emperor Hirohito and Empress Michiko. On that occasion, Empress Michiko prayed briefly before a statue of Our Lady at the Parish centre.
To conclude the event, the teachers' choir provided some items and Mrs Shirakawa finished by thanking everyone and asking them to cooperate with the Salesians in this most significant presence in Arakawa city.
Japan: Don Bosco Daycare Centre Arakawa
Amongst the recollections offered in the course of the blessing and opening of the building, was an unprecedented visit from the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
Expressions of gratitude were given to leading figures in the educational enterprise and to those who planned and built the new building.
On May 10, 2014, Salesian Japan celebrated 80 years since the Don Bosco Daycare Centre (nursery school) was opened at Arakawa, Tokyo. The event was celebrated with the blessing and opening of a new building for children of pre-school age (0-5).
Arakawa is one of 23 districts which make up the city of Tokyo and bears this name because it lies next to the famous Arakawa River. Some 200,000 people live in an area of around 10.2 square kilometres. It is a heavily populated area with a large number of children.
The celebration began with a Liturgy of the Word at which the Rector of the Arakawa community and director of the Centre, Fr Dominic Matsunga, presided. A legal representative and the Provincial, Fr Aldo Cipriani, welcomed local authorities and everyone present. A certificate of gratitude was given to the architectural and building firms responsible for the building. The Mayor of Arakawa, Mr Ichiro Nishikawa, thanked the Salesian Congregation for its educational and spiritual contribution to the district and promised his cooperation, given that a number of past pupils now occupy positions in local government.
Finally, the Provincial, Fr Cipriani, gave long-standing teacher, Mrs Shirasawa, a certificate of gratitude in the name of the Tenth Successor of Don Bosco, the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime. Mrs Shirasawa was given a huge applause for the very many years she has taught successive generations of future citizens and been a great collaborator of the Salesian work at Arakawa.
The second part of the ceremony involved the blessing of the three-storey building, after which the 80 years of the Centre were celebrated in the theatre, where the history of the Centre was explained in some detail. The Parish Priest, Fr Yohane Namiki, emphasised the Christian identity of the Centre and the fact that it was attached to the Salesian parish meant that the mutual collaboration of the two entities was very important. Long-time veteran of the district, Fr Joseph Emi, described an unprecedented visit to the Centre and Parish 15 years ago, from Emperor Hirohito and Empress Michiko. On that occasion, Empress Michiko prayed briefly before a statue of Our Lady at the Parish centre.
To conclude the event, the teachers' choir provided some items and Mrs Shirakawa finished by thanking everyone and asking them to cooperate with the Salesians in this most significant presence in Arakawa city.
