austraLasia 1441
Rector Major begins visit to Hong Kong with three Hail Marys
HONG KONG: 11th February 2006 -- The Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, arrived in Hong Kong late evening Friday 10th from Hyderabad, India. He arrived amidst the whirr of hi-tech cameras, and a display of posters depicting Don Bosco and himself from all 18 Schools around Hong Kong and Macau. There was an official welcoming speech in Chinese by one of the 100 or so young people there to greet him. He told them how happy he was to be in Hong Kong with them, and that he wanted them to be happy now, and forever. The Provincial, Fr. Savio Hon, some 25 other Salesian confreres and Salesian Sisters were part of the welcoming group.
The Rector Major was exhilarated, if a little tired, and after this tumultuous welcome, and the journey back to the Provincial House, eventually retired early this morning, 11th, after saying three Hail Marys with the confreres. This is the first visit by this Rector Major to the Province and he comes inspired by Don Bosco's dream - not just a general dream, but something quite precise.
He comes to the province, he explained, bringing with him the outstanding impressions he had gained from India, the tangible missionary apostolic zeal he saw there. But he comes especially with a long-nurtured desire to come to the China Province. The two (India, China Province) he likened to siblings stemming from Don Rua's send-off back at the beginnings of the twentieth century, in both cases bringing with them a statue of Mary Help of Christians. India's original statue is kept in the parish Church in Thanjavur. For China, the original statue was brought by the then Fr Louis Versiglia to Macau in 1917 and is now kept in the Tan King Po School Don Bosco museum. Fr Carlo Socol, the province's historian, narrated the events surrounding this statue to the Rector Major and the group at the Provincial House on his arrival.
At the airport he had been presented with flowers. Before retiring, in the small chapel at the Provincial House, Fr Chávez offered the flowers to Our Lady, accompanying the offering with the traditional three Hail Marys.
After a good rest, the visit will begin later in the morning by meeting with the Provincial Council.
________________________
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
Rector Major begins visit to Hong Kong with three Hail Marys
HONG KONG: 11th February 2006 -- The Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, arrived in Hong Kong late evening Friday 10th from Hyderabad, India. He arrived amidst the whirr of hi-tech cameras, and a display of posters depicting Don Bosco and himself from all 18 Schools around Hong Kong and Macau. There was an official welcoming speech in Chinese by one of the 100 or so young people there to greet him. He told them how happy he was to be in Hong Kong with them, and that he wanted them to be happy now, and forever. The Provincial, Fr. Savio Hon, some 25 other Salesian confreres and Salesian Sisters were part of the welcoming group.
The Rector Major was exhilarated, if a little tired, and after this tumultuous welcome, and the journey back to the Provincial House, eventually retired early this morning, 11th, after saying three Hail Marys with the confreres. This is the first visit by this Rector Major to the Province and he comes inspired by Don Bosco's dream - not just a general dream, but something quite precise.
He comes to the province, he explained, bringing with him the outstanding impressions he had gained from India, the tangible missionary apostolic zeal he saw there. But he comes especially with a long-nurtured desire to come to the China Province. The two (India, China Province) he likened to siblings stemming from Don Rua's send-off back at the beginnings of the twentieth century, in both cases bringing with them a statue of Mary Help of Christians. India's original statue is kept in the parish Church in Thanjavur. For China, the original statue was brought by the then Fr Louis Versiglia to Macau in 1917 and is now kept in the Tan King Po School Don Bosco museum. Fr Carlo Socol, the province's historian, narrated the events surrounding this statue to the Rector Major and the group at the Provincial House on his arrival.
At the airport he had been presented with flowers. Before retiring, in the small chapel at the Provincial House, Fr Chávez offered the flowers to Our Lady, accompanying the offering with the traditional three Hail Marys.
After a good rest, the visit will begin later in the morning by meeting with the Provincial Council.
________________________
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
