austraLasia 1361
Two pioneers of the Asian Mission return 'to the Father's House'
BEPPU: 19th December 2005 -- With the passing of Fr Cesare Secchi last week at Beppu in Japan, and Fr Bruno Gelosa, formerly of China Province a few days later at Arese (Italy), Salesian Asia has lost two remarkable pioneers. Fr Secchi spent 67 of his 90 years in Japan (he was born in Certosa di Pavia, Italy), Fr Geloso 54 of his 91 years in China.
Fr Secchi was one of the pioneer missionaries on the island of Kyushu, in the Beppu-Oita area. He spent his remaining years in the Salesio community at Beppu, still celebrating Mass in four languages, one language per week "to keep up the language": English, Latin, Italian, Japanese. He had worked in many mission stations and was a builder and rebuilder of many churches, chapels including a memorial church to the famous Fr Peter Kibe, who died in 1639 and was the first Japanese to travel widely outside of Japan. In fact we have a delightful 'My Memories' (but it exists in Italian, not English), an autobiography which he wrote in the early '90s with foreword by Fr Viganò. In there he speaks of his time as a student of philosophy and practical trainee, during the difficult days of the Second World War. At the time of the dropping of the two atomic bombs, he had been sequestered away with the Salesian community many hundreds of miles to the North of Tokyo in a mountainous area where they had no radio. They only learned of the bombardments and their destruction days later.
For very many years, Fr Secchi had to live alone - in fact from 1954 until 1988, practically speaking. His great love for Don Bosco and the Salesian community never wavered. He sought, besides.l to always 'make friends with the non-Christians'. As late as 1984 he taught himself how to use the computer.
Fr Gelosa left Italy from Ivrea for China in 1939, where he made his novitiate in Hong Kong. He was professed on 8th September 1939. He moved to Shanghai for his postnovitiate and studied Chinese. He also did his practical training and theology in Shanghai, and was ordained in 1948. After ordination he became a 'catechist' in Salesian schools and oratories - and kept that role for nigh on twenty years, in Shanghai, and later in communities in Hong Kong. He returned to Italy in 1993, but retained his great love for China and for apostolic activity (especially with his bicycle to get around) - in fact he already had his ticket, at 91 years of age, for the centenary celebrations in China next year!
While austraLasia does not regularly run a 'mortuary letter' series, this year we have had occasion to recall some of the great missionaries of the region as the Lord has called them to himself. They remain a vibrant witness of fidelity and missionary zeal in a region that is strongly missionary not only in terms of receiving, but now sending its own missionaries to other parts of the world.
_____________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
Two pioneers of the Asian Mission return 'to the Father's House'
BEPPU: 19th December 2005 -- With the passing of Fr Cesare Secchi last week at Beppu in Japan, and Fr Bruno Gelosa, formerly of China Province a few days later at Arese (Italy), Salesian Asia has lost two remarkable pioneers. Fr Secchi spent 67 of his 90 years in Japan (he was born in Certosa di Pavia, Italy), Fr Geloso 54 of his 91 years in China.
Fr Secchi was one of the pioneer missionaries on the island of Kyushu, in the Beppu-Oita area. He spent his remaining years in the Salesio community at Beppu, still celebrating Mass in four languages, one language per week "to keep up the language": English, Latin, Italian, Japanese. He had worked in many mission stations and was a builder and rebuilder of many churches, chapels including a memorial church to the famous Fr Peter Kibe, who died in 1639 and was the first Japanese to travel widely outside of Japan. In fact we have a delightful 'My Memories' (but it exists in Italian, not English), an autobiography which he wrote in the early '90s with foreword by Fr Viganò. In there he speaks of his time as a student of philosophy and practical trainee, during the difficult days of the Second World War. At the time of the dropping of the two atomic bombs, he had been sequestered away with the Salesian community many hundreds of miles to the North of Tokyo in a mountainous area where they had no radio. They only learned of the bombardments and their destruction days later.
For very many years, Fr Secchi had to live alone - in fact from 1954 until 1988, practically speaking. His great love for Don Bosco and the Salesian community never wavered. He sought, besides.l to always 'make friends with the non-Christians'. As late as 1984 he taught himself how to use the computer.
Fr Gelosa left Italy from Ivrea for China in 1939, where he made his novitiate in Hong Kong. He was professed on 8th September 1939. He moved to Shanghai for his postnovitiate and studied Chinese. He also did his practical training and theology in Shanghai, and was ordained in 1948. After ordination he became a 'catechist' in Salesian schools and oratories - and kept that role for nigh on twenty years, in Shanghai, and later in communities in Hong Kong. He returned to Italy in 1993, but retained his great love for China and for apostolic activity (especially with his bicycle to get around) - in fact he already had his ticket, at 91 years of age, for the centenary celebrations in China next year!
While austraLasia does not regularly run a 'mortuary letter' series, this year we have had occasion to recall some of the great missionaries of the region as the Lord has called them to himself. They remain a vibrant witness of fidelity and missionary zeal in a region that is strongly missionary not only in terms of receiving, but now sending its own missionaries to other parts of the world.
_____________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
