austraLasia #2803
Don Bosco in Japan: a full roundup
by Fr Cipriani
TOKYO: 12 February 2011 -- By this stage, Don Bosco's pilgrimage' to the Land of the Rising Sun is just past the halfway mark. As one can read in the BM Vol 17, in the famous missionary dream of July 1885 that took Don Bosco in his dreams to Santiago in Chile, Buenos Aires, Brazil, Africa, Madagascar, Persian Gulf, India, Australia, China, and so forth, he saw a city which he called 'Meaco', at the entrance to an extended stretch of water at the foot of a mountain. Fr Lemoyne, thinking that the then elderly Don Bosco might have made a mistake, corrected this to 'Macao'. But there is a Japanese Salesian interpretation: Don Bosco saw things correctly! The mountain would be Fuji and the city, ‘Meako' or 'Miyako’, the ancient capital of Kyoto and now the new (1868) capital of Edo, which we all know asTokyo.
Japan opted for the Statue instead of the Casket. We set out to see that Don Bosco could visit the largest number of communities and works run by Salesians, Salesian Sisters and Sisters of Charity of Jesus. Since we were the first to use the Statue, it arrived prior to the due date. With a thought to the famous ‘ bilocations’ of our father, the Provincial took advantage of the situation to take Don Bosco, on 31 January, to the slopes of Mount Fuji on the shores of Lake Yamanaka, where there is an FMA community: I could not even begin to describe the joy and surprise of the 14 Sisters there.
The official pilgrimage began on 2 February with Mass at 6 a.m. at the Provincial House. From Tokyo to Osaka by truck then on the ferry to Miyazaki, in the south, where the Japan mission began 85 years ago, with Mons. Cimatti.
The relic was received and welcomed by the faithful at the Miyazaki Parish, including Diocesan clergy, confreres from the Salesian House too: the church was packed beyond expectations. The Provincial celebrated this moment as the official beginning of the pilgrimage. In the afternoon a visit to the Sisters of Charity at Kawaminami and in the evening, to the Sisters of Charity at Miyazaki: Don Bosco was welcomed by the kids orchestra there. Again the church was filled, this time with children, elderly people from the local hospice, the Sisters and many faithful from the parish who could not come int he morning. The following day was declared a feast day for the more than a thousand pupils from the Salesian School. They sang the Missa de angelis (despite the majority not being Catholic) in honour of Don Bosco. It was so moving to see their attitude before the Relic.
In the afternoon the pilgrimage moved on to Oita: the first stage was FMA di Oita–Ozai. In the afternoon on to St Joseph’s Nakatsu. A good number of Cooperators from Kita Kyushu were there, along with the faithful from Shindenbaru parish which has given many ovcations to the Salesian Family. Then on to Nakatsu-San no cho parish. Here too numbers far exceeded the preparations.
On Sunday 6 February, there were great celebrations at Beppu, the centre of missionary activity for the Oita Prefecture. Following the 9 a.m. Mass there was a constant flow of pilgrims from surrounding parishes. In the afternoon there was a solemn mass in English for students at the Asia University.
Then it was Nagasaki's turn. Not that we have so many communities in this cradle of Japanese Christianity. The Sisters of Charity welcomed the Relic in the evening, then children and parents the following day from the FMA kindergarten at Omura. then a long trip( 600 km) to Osaka, and it snowed on the way!
Wednesday saw visits to the SDB schools, Seiko Gakuin, at Osaka: they were in two groups, middle and senior school, and though most are not Christian they were very happy to be with the Relic and with Don Bosco. During free moments students from Josei school run by the FMA, came to pray.
That evening the pilgrimage moved to Yokkaichi, where the Salesian aspirantate is. As well as the aspirants, various friends and benefactors were there to welcome the Statue. Again for Mass and in the surrounds there were overwhelming numbers.
That evening to Hamamatsu, with its large number of immigrants, especially Brasilians and Filipinos. Don Bosco was carried in procession from the Centre in a solemn 'mikoshi' ( a kind of of portable 'baldacchino', very much in use for religious festivals).
Huge crowds for Confessions: Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, English.
The following day it was off the the Salesian Sisters' School, Shizuoka Salesiao: it was moving to see the devotion of students and teachers.
Then off to Yokohama, Saginuma parish. The weather was poor but many people turned out.
From12 February, Don Bosco is back in Tokyo. There will be a Symposium on education, then a vigil at the parish and the following day a solemn celebration at Meguro-Salesio with Bishop Mizobe presiding.
_________________
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 . RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2011 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
Don Bosco in Japan: a full roundup
by Fr Cipriani
TOKYO: 12 February 2011 -- By this stage, Don Bosco's pilgrimage' to the Land of the Rising Sun is just past the halfway mark. As one can read in the BM Vol 17, in the famous missionary dream of July 1885 that took Don Bosco in his dreams to Santiago in Chile, Buenos Aires, Brazil, Africa, Madagascar, Persian Gulf, India, Australia, China, and so forth, he saw a city which he called 'Meaco', at the entrance to an extended stretch of water at the foot of a mountain. Fr Lemoyne, thinking that the then elderly Don Bosco might have made a mistake, corrected this to 'Macao'. But there is a Japanese Salesian interpretation: Don Bosco saw things correctly! The mountain would be Fuji and the city, ‘Meako' or 'Miyako’, the ancient capital of Kyoto and now the new (1868) capital of Edo, which we all know asTokyo.
Japan opted for the Statue instead of the Casket. We set out to see that Don Bosco could visit the largest number of communities and works run by Salesians, Salesian Sisters and Sisters of Charity of Jesus. Since we were the first to use the Statue, it arrived prior to the due date. With a thought to the famous ‘ bilocations’ of our father, the Provincial took advantage of the situation to take Don Bosco, on 31 January, to the slopes of Mount Fuji on the shores of Lake Yamanaka, where there is an FMA community: I could not even begin to describe the joy and surprise of the 14 Sisters there.
The official pilgrimage began on 2 February with Mass at 6 a.m. at the Provincial House. From Tokyo to Osaka by truck then on the ferry to Miyazaki, in the south, where the Japan mission began 85 years ago, with Mons. Cimatti.
The relic was received and welcomed by the faithful at the Miyazaki Parish, including Diocesan clergy, confreres from the Salesian House too: the church was packed beyond expectations. The Provincial celebrated this moment as the official beginning of the pilgrimage. In the afternoon a visit to the Sisters of Charity at Kawaminami and in the evening, to the Sisters of Charity at Miyazaki: Don Bosco was welcomed by the kids orchestra there. Again the church was filled, this time with children, elderly people from the local hospice, the Sisters and many faithful from the parish who could not come int he morning. The following day was declared a feast day for the more than a thousand pupils from the Salesian School. They sang the Missa de angelis (despite the majority not being Catholic) in honour of Don Bosco. It was so moving to see their attitude before the Relic.
In the afternoon the pilgrimage moved on to Oita: the first stage was FMA di Oita–Ozai. In the afternoon on to St Joseph’s Nakatsu. A good number of Cooperators from Kita Kyushu were there, along with the faithful from Shindenbaru parish which has given many ovcations to the Salesian Family. Then on to Nakatsu-San no cho parish. Here too numbers far exceeded the preparations.
On Sunday 6 February, there were great celebrations at Beppu, the centre of missionary activity for the Oita Prefecture. Following the 9 a.m. Mass there was a constant flow of pilgrims from surrounding parishes. In the afternoon there was a solemn mass in English for students at the Asia University.
Then it was Nagasaki's turn. Not that we have so many communities in this cradle of Japanese Christianity. The Sisters of Charity welcomed the Relic in the evening, then children and parents the following day from the FMA kindergarten at Omura. then a long trip( 600 km) to Osaka, and it snowed on the way!
Wednesday saw visits to the SDB schools, Seiko Gakuin, at Osaka: they were in two groups, middle and senior school, and though most are not Christian they were very happy to be with the Relic and with Don Bosco. During free moments students from Josei school run by the FMA, came to pray.
That evening the pilgrimage moved to Yokkaichi, where the Salesian aspirantate is. As well as the aspirants, various friends and benefactors were there to welcome the Statue. Again for Mass and in the surrounds there were overwhelming numbers.
That evening to Hamamatsu, with its large number of immigrants, especially Brasilians and Filipinos. Don Bosco was carried in procession from the Centre in a solemn 'mikoshi' ( a kind of of portable 'baldacchino', very much in use for religious festivals).
Huge crowds for Confessions: Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, English.
The following day it was off the the Salesian Sisters' School, Shizuoka Salesiao: it was moving to see the devotion of students and teachers.
Then off to Yokohama, Saginuma parish. The weather was poor but many people turned out.
From12 February, Don Bosco is back in Tokyo. There will be a Symposium on education, then a vigil at the parish and the following day a solemn celebration at Meguro-Salesio with Bishop Mizobe presiding.
_________________
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 . RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2011 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
