austraLasia #2812
 
Versiglia, Caravario: Salesian Feast, Chinese Solemnity
- and brush up on your Chi.... er, Latin, you'll need it!

HONG KONG: 27 February 2011 -- February 25, the community of Salesian Missionary House in Shau Kei Wan (Hong Kong) celebrated the liturgical Festum of Saints Louis Versiglia and Callistus Caravario as a Solemnitas. Why? Because one third of this community has them as their Patron Saints and so, according to the liturgical calendar, their feast can be upgraded to solemnity.
The Solemnitas Mass was consequently celebrated with all solemnity: three readings, incense, Kyrie, Gloria sung, (Credo recited), Sanctus, Agnus Dei, using the beautiful, simple musical score that is popular in the churches of the mainland. Main celebrant was a hard-working middle-aged Chinese priest who was born on this very day exactly 50 years ago (Happy Birthday, Domingos!) Taking part in the Mass was also a young missionary whose Chinese name (in imitation of the sounds of his Filipino name) is the same as that of Saint Louis Versiglia (Happy Nameday, Versiglia!) Concelebrating in the Mass was Cardinal Joseph Zen. What more could you demand?
    This Shau Kei Wan community (the formation community of our Province) has a very special relationship with our dear two Saints. It was born in the year of their martyrdom in December 1930. The oldest building housing the community (an old Chinese villa, still standing, something like the Casa Pinardi of Hong Kong Salesians) was chosen by Bishop Versiglia himself in one of his last visits to Hong Kong. The wonderful history of this community shows that it is the fruit of the martyrdom of our Protomartyrs. Thanks to their blood, God and Our Lady blessed this formation community not only with the fidelity unto death of the first ten missionary graduates (who were ordained 80 years ago in 1931 and who all died Salesian priests), not only with the martyrdom of 5 Chinese confreres who suffered and died in prison for the faith (2 priests, 2 brothers, and 1 cleric), but also with the call to the Apostolic Succession of 5 confreres from other provinces who studied in this community when it was stationed in Cheung Chau (2 in Thailand, 2 in Vietnam, and 1 in the Philippines) and 2 our own confreres now totally dedicated to the service of Holy Mother Church. By adding up these three facts, are we not witnessing the dawn of the “wonders” to be seen in our great fatherland and foretold by Don Bosco shortly before his death?

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