austraLasia #2841
 
Taiwan Warmly Welcomes Don Bosco!

(By the time this article goes out the pilgrim casket containing the relic of St. John Bosco will have left Taiwan in preparation for its post-Easter visit to the South Asia Region)

TAIPEI: 14 April 2011 -- The Relic of Don Bosco finally arrived in Taipei City, Taiwan, last April 7 in the afternoon, and departed on the evening of April 10. But since October of 2010, St. John Bosco Parish of Taipei has been energetically and diligently preparing and promoting the event. There was much apprehension throughout the preparation until the day of its arrival: we did not know how the Relic would be received by the Taiwanese people. The culture is rather sensitive to viewing “remains of the deceased”. Then, with its 23 million population of whom only 1.4% are Catholic, St John Bosco is barely known. Then finally, when we began dealing with the airport and customs authorities regarding the relic’s arrival, the authorities did not understand the word “relic” in Chinese. They even suggested we change our declaration to “art work for public exhibition”!
    However, in the final few days before Don Bosco’s arrival, “miracles” began to happen! First, from out of the blue the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began calling everyday offering us any help. Then a day before the relic’s arrival, the government issued a memo informing the agencies and departments concerned to expedite the process of the relic’s arrival and gave them instructions to give utmost care to the arriving “package”. Thus, in the end we experienced zero red-tape from customs and airport authorities. On that day too, the President of Taiwan, the Premier, and Minister of Foreign Affairs sent bouquets of flowers and their best wishes for the event.
    A week prior to the arrival of the relic, many groups and parishes from different parts of Taiwan began calling and informing us of their coming. During those four grace-filled days, the parish was never empty (we opened 24hrs for this event). We had an average of a thousand pilgrims a day… we prepared 4,000 souvenir items to distribute but they sufficed only for the first three days. The confessionals were never empty, almost 20 masses were celebrated for the event, and all were jam-packed. A big group even drove 8 hours just to see and be able to pray before the relic of St. John Bosco! The crowds that came exceeded all our expectations. We did not know that Don Bosco has so many “fans” here in Taiwan…as our provincial happily observed.
    The highlight of the relic's visit was the Salesian Spirituality Day for the whole Salesian Family on the morning of April 9, 2011, followed by a grand lunch for all, the renewal of promises by 35 Salesian Cooperators during the mass, and a youth festival and youth vigil late in the afternoon till evening. It is interesting to note also that on this very day, exactly 125 years ago in 1886, Don Bosco, on his visit to Barcelona, dreamed of the future expansion of his work, including our part of the world here....this might be a strange coincidence… but for us here in the Salesian China Province it is a thing to carefully reflect upon.
    Don Bosco’s visit here truly made a very deep impression on all of us.
    Note: If you want more details about the relic’s visit, visit us at Facebook: Don Bosco Comes to Taiwan.
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