austraLasia #2758
Thai Provincial's report on the DB Casket continued ...
BANGKOK: 27-11-10 -- Today, November 27 2010, Don Bosco’s casket travelled by plane from Had Yai, the city in the deep south of Thailand, bordering Malaysia, to the provincial house in Bangkok, where the parishioners and Salesian family members welcomed him with a solemn Eucharistic celebration in the evening followed by stage shows and a prayer vigil.
Following the first report, on the first day of the arrival of Don Bosco’s casket to Thailand, November 18, 2010, the official welcome to Thailand for Don Bosco was held at Don Bosco church in Bangkok. The evening solemn Eucharistic celebration was presided over by the Arcbhishop of Bangkok flanked by two other bishops. Of course, one of them was Salesian Bishop Joseph Prathan, while the other two were former students in the seminary the Salesians were responsible for.
The entrance song, “Sapientiam” sang by Salesian Family members with the Salesian aspirants created the feeling that Don Bosco was really with us. The big Don Bosco church could not contain the great number of the faithful who came from Bangkok, and provinces near and far. There were around 1,500 faithful inside and outside the church. It was a large number of faithful when compared to the 0.5 percent of Catholics in the country. There were long lines of confessions before mass and such a huge number receiving holy communion. In his homily, the Archbishop, who spent a year taking a course in spirituality at the UPS, talked at length about the life and the mission of Don Bosco based on his dream at the age of 9. At the end of the mass Fr Provincial gave a formal speech welcoming Don Bosco to Thailand using the words of a son addressing his father and promised him a safe trip around Thailand. The church was open for the whole night for the faithful and the youth to pray before him. The past pupils of Don Bosco school organized the prayer vigil for different groups lasting through until morning.
The following morning, Don Bosco’s casket travelled around Bangkok to visit St Dominic school and St Mary's school which belong to the Salesian Family. At St Dominic's, 2,800 boys welcomed Don Bosco with shouts of joy. Each student had an opportunity to pay his respects and pray before the casket. Both schools, especially St Dominic'sl have had a long preparation academically and spiritually before the arrival of the casket. Therefore, the real presence of Don Bosco’s casket brought their expectations to a climax. The casket returned in the evening to Don Bosco church for the solemn Eucharistic celebration at which Fr Provincial presided. At first. we thought that fewer faithful would be present as most them had attended the ceremony on the first day. However, we were completely wrong; numbers were no different from the first day and its all night vigil.
From November 20-22 the casket travelled to the Ratchaburi diocese which was under the care of the Salesians for 41 years and the place where the first Salesians stayed and learned Thai language and culture when they came to Thailand in 1927. The welcome of the local clergy and the faithful in the diocese showed their very deep gratitude and appreciation for the great work the Salesians did for them, and which they could not forget. The name of the Bishop of Rachaburi diocese, incidentally, is John Bosco Panya, who was trained under the Salesians in the minor seminary and did his philosophy and theology in Bangalore and Shillong, India.
The next report will tell of the interesting events at Ratchaburi diocese and at Salesian institutions in this diocese before the casket’s trip to Suratthani diocese under Bishop Joseph Prathan sdb. Those who would like to follow the journey of Don Bosco’ casket in Thailand can also do so through www.iamsit.net
_________________
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 Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2010 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Thai Provincial's report on the DB Casket continued ...
BANGKOK: 27-11-10 -- Today, November 27 2010, Don Bosco’s casket travelled by plane from Had Yai, the city in the deep south of Thailand, bordering Malaysia, to the provincial house in Bangkok, where the parishioners and Salesian family members welcomed him with a solemn Eucharistic celebration in the evening followed by stage shows and a prayer vigil.
Following the first report, on the first day of the arrival of Don Bosco’s casket to Thailand, November 18, 2010, the official welcome to Thailand for Don Bosco was held at Don Bosco church in Bangkok. The evening solemn Eucharistic celebration was presided over by the Arcbhishop of Bangkok flanked by two other bishops. Of course, one of them was Salesian Bishop Joseph Prathan, while the other two were former students in the seminary the Salesians were responsible for.
The entrance song, “Sapientiam” sang by Salesian Family members with the Salesian aspirants created the feeling that Don Bosco was really with us. The big Don Bosco church could not contain the great number of the faithful who came from Bangkok, and provinces near and far. There were around 1,500 faithful inside and outside the church. It was a large number of faithful when compared to the 0.5 percent of Catholics in the country. There were long lines of confessions before mass and such a huge number receiving holy communion. In his homily, the Archbishop, who spent a year taking a course in spirituality at the UPS, talked at length about the life and the mission of Don Bosco based on his dream at the age of 9. At the end of the mass Fr Provincial gave a formal speech welcoming Don Bosco to Thailand using the words of a son addressing his father and promised him a safe trip around Thailand. The church was open for the whole night for the faithful and the youth to pray before him. The past pupils of Don Bosco school organized the prayer vigil for different groups lasting through until morning.
The following morning, Don Bosco’s casket travelled around Bangkok to visit St Dominic school and St Mary's school which belong to the Salesian Family. At St Dominic's, 2,800 boys welcomed Don Bosco with shouts of joy. Each student had an opportunity to pay his respects and pray before the casket. Both schools, especially St Dominic'sl have had a long preparation academically and spiritually before the arrival of the casket. Therefore, the real presence of Don Bosco’s casket brought their expectations to a climax. The casket returned in the evening to Don Bosco church for the solemn Eucharistic celebration at which Fr Provincial presided. At first. we thought that fewer faithful would be present as most them had attended the ceremony on the first day. However, we were completely wrong; numbers were no different from the first day and its all night vigil.
From November 20-22 the casket travelled to the Ratchaburi diocese which was under the care of the Salesians for 41 years and the place where the first Salesians stayed and learned Thai language and culture when they came to Thailand in 1927. The welcome of the local clergy and the faithful in the diocese showed their very deep gratitude and appreciation for the great work the Salesians did for them, and which they could not forget. The name of the Bishop of Rachaburi diocese, incidentally, is John Bosco Panya, who was trained under the Salesians in the minor seminary and did his philosophy and theology in Bangalore and Shillong, India.
The next report will tell of the interesting events at Ratchaburi diocese and at Salesian institutions in this diocese before the casket’s trip to Suratthani diocese under Bishop Joseph Prathan sdb. Those who would like to follow the journey of Don Bosco’ casket in Thailand can also do so through www.iamsit.net
_________________
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 Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2010 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
