austraLasia #1949
Good King Wenceslaus!
PRAGUE: 30th September 2007 -- Some might not know that good King Wenceslaus is more than just Christmas! And he has other names too - he was Karel/Karl IV, King of Germany, then Italy would you believe, shortly afterwards, then Charles IV Holy Roman Emperor (before his eventual martyrdom). And of course, in or near Prague where he was born, he was known by his Bohemian/Czech name, Václav. I think you can see where this is heading!
Yes, our esteemed Regional is now in his homeland, though not on holiday. The Rector Major has asked him to complete the Extraordinary Visitation there, possibly about the last of such Visitations to be taking place in this six year period. And so, he found himself in home territory but right at an auspicious moment: on 28th September 1927 the first Salesians arrived in the Czech Republic (as it is now) at Frystak, a town of just some 4,000 souls. This weekend is the focus of a year-long Salesian celebration of the anniversary, especially since the first House was opened by the Servant of God, Fr Ignac Stúchly (1869-1953). He arrived with three other Salesians and seventeen boys, catching the last train to Holesov that evening then walking the remaining 11 kms to Frystak.
After that humble start, and the difficult times of both Nazi and Soviet occupation, 1989 saw the Salesians starting out again in the Czech Republic for the third time! They are now, less than twenty years later, 18 communities with 180 Salesians, 1 novice currently, 1 bishop - auxiliary of Prague, Karl Herbst - and with a mission in Bulgaria. In terms of male Congregations in the nation it is the youngest but the most numerous.
To celebrate the precise details of the Frystak arrival, on the 80th anniversary, 25 confreres from the province lined up at the Holesov station at around 11.45 pm and walked the 11 kilometres to Frystak, arriving at 1.50 am. They paused along the way to read portions of Stúchly's biography, ultimately stopping at his tomb in Frystak.
Then, once everyone had recovered from the long night, the following day proceeded with typical Salesian celebration; a Mass in the local parish, administered by the Salesians, with Bishop Herbst as presider and Good King.... sorry, Fr Václav as preacher. In addition to the 100 or so Czech confreres present, there was a strong delegation from Slovakia, confreres from Austria and hundreds of members of the Salesian Family. The afternoon saw a conference, an unveiling of a statue of Stúchly, a football match of under 40's versus over 40's (no idea who won). All this in the context of the national feast day of Good King Wenceslaus. There are at least ten members of the province with that name.
The Extraordinary Visitation, second round, now gets under way in earnest, as Salesians in the Czech Republic face up to the challenges of life and mission 80 years after they first arrived.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org
Good King Wenceslaus!
PRAGUE: 30th September 2007 -- Some might not know that good King Wenceslaus is more than just Christmas! And he has other names too - he was Karel/Karl IV, King of Germany, then Italy would you believe, shortly afterwards, then Charles IV Holy Roman Emperor (before his eventual martyrdom). And of course, in or near Prague where he was born, he was known by his Bohemian/Czech name, Václav. I think you can see where this is heading!
Yes, our esteemed Regional is now in his homeland, though not on holiday. The Rector Major has asked him to complete the Extraordinary Visitation there, possibly about the last of such Visitations to be taking place in this six year period. And so, he found himself in home territory but right at an auspicious moment: on 28th September 1927 the first Salesians arrived in the Czech Republic (as it is now) at Frystak, a town of just some 4,000 souls. This weekend is the focus of a year-long Salesian celebration of the anniversary, especially since the first House was opened by the Servant of God, Fr Ignac Stúchly (1869-1953). He arrived with three other Salesians and seventeen boys, catching the last train to Holesov that evening then walking the remaining 11 kms to Frystak.
After that humble start, and the difficult times of both Nazi and Soviet occupation, 1989 saw the Salesians starting out again in the Czech Republic for the third time! They are now, less than twenty years later, 18 communities with 180 Salesians, 1 novice currently, 1 bishop - auxiliary of Prague, Karl Herbst - and with a mission in Bulgaria. In terms of male Congregations in the nation it is the youngest but the most numerous.
To celebrate the precise details of the Frystak arrival, on the 80th anniversary, 25 confreres from the province lined up at the Holesov station at around 11.45 pm and walked the 11 kilometres to Frystak, arriving at 1.50 am. They paused along the way to read portions of Stúchly's biography, ultimately stopping at his tomb in Frystak.
Then, once everyone had recovered from the long night, the following day proceeded with typical Salesian celebration; a Mass in the local parish, administered by the Salesians, with Bishop Herbst as presider and Good King.... sorry, Fr Václav as preacher. In addition to the 100 or so Czech confreres present, there was a strong delegation from Slovakia, confreres from Austria and hundreds of members of the Salesian Family. The afternoon saw a conference, an unveiling of a statue of Stúchly, a football match of under 40's versus over 40's (no idea who won). All this in the context of the national feast day of Good King Wenceslaus. There are at least ten members of the province with that name.
The Extraordinary Visitation, second round, now gets under way in earnest, as Salesians in the Czech Republic face up to the challenges of life and mission 80 years after they first arrived.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use BoscoWiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/RSS/rssala.xml Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at at http://sdl.sdb.org
