austraLasia #3088
Japan: Province Feast Day
TOKYO: 19 June 2012 -- On Sunday afternoon, 17 June, fifty or so confreres gathered at Meguro for the annual Province Feast Day celebrations for the Tokyo area.
The event began with a conference from Fr Urata Shinjiro who has only recently returned from Rome where he gained his Doctorate in Theology from the UPS. Using a well-prepared Presentation, he described his doctoral thesis in which a very practical, clear picture of Don Bosco merges, as someone very like us, very close to us, as represented in the “Cronichetta” by Fr Barberis, first Novice Master of the Congregation. questions (and answers) like “When, how much and what did Don Bosco eat?” gave the speaker a chance to let us know just how Don Bosco lived out his holiness and spirituality in concrete terms.
This all fitted in very well with the first year of preparation for hte Bicentenary, focusing on the history of Don Bosco.
then there was the Mass at which Fr Kosaka presided. He is celebrating his Golden Jubilee of priesthood. In the homily, the Provincial, Fr Aldo Cipriani, who is gradually improving from his health setback, following serious surgery, emphasised that a true witness to community life is 'an effective prophetic sign of religious life'.
Then of course the fraternal agape, brightened up with songs by the young men in formation at Chofu then followed by festivities in honour of the confreres celebrating various jubilees. at the heart of these was Fr Michele Moskwa who despite his 97 years had heartfelt words of thanks for achieving his 75th (diamond) jubilee of profession along with Fr Nicodemo Pisarski who, for reasons of health, was unable to be there. Way back in 1937, when these two veterans made their first profession, the Japan Province came into being; until then it had been a delegation of China Province.
Then came the traditional Housy-Housy (Tombola) which everyone enjoyed, winners or not.
The day concluded with the Good Night and Blessing of MHC from the Provincial
Japan: Province Feast Day
The event began with a conference from Fr Urata Shinjiro who has only recently returned from Rome where he gained his Doctorate in Theology from the UPS. Using a well-prepared Presentation, he described his doctoral thesis in which a very practical, clear picture of Don Bosco merges, as someone very like us, very close to us, as represented in the “Cronichetta” by Fr Barberis, first Novice Master of the Congregation. questions (and answers) like “When, how much and what did Don Bosco eat?” gave the speaker a chance to let us know just how Don Bosco lived out his holiness and spirituality in concrete terms.
This all fitted in very well with the first year of preparation for hte Bicentenary, focusing on the history of Don Bosco.
then there was the Mass at which Fr Kosaka presided. He is celebrating his Golden Jubilee of priesthood. In the homily, the Provincial, Fr Aldo Cipriani, who is gradually improving from his health setback, following serious surgery, emphasised that a true witness to community life is 'an effective prophetic sign of religious life'.
Then of course the fraternal agape, brightened up with songs by the young men in formation at Chofu then followed by festivities in honour of the confreres celebrating various jubilees. at the heart of these was Fr Michele Moskwa who despite his 97 years had heartfelt words of thanks for achieving his 75th (diamond) jubilee of profession along with Fr Nicodemo Pisarski who, for reasons of health, was unable to be there. Way back in 1937, when these two veterans made their first profession, the Japan Province came into being; until then it had been a delegation of China Province.
Then came the traditional Housy-Housy (Tombola) which everyone enjoyed, winners or not.
The day concluded with the Good Night and Blessing of MHC from the Provincial
