austraLasia #2909
 
Breviary app in Chinese a definite 'first'

HONG KONG: 25 August 2011 -- Back in 2005 Fr Paul Leung - Hong Kong Salesian - built a prayer web site in Chinese (www.mhchina.net), still functioning, which offered the Breviary in Chinese, and which is in daily use by Chinese language speakers. Recently he has built an  app for iPhone and iPad, the same material, i.e. the Breviary (but also with daily Mass readings, the Ordo, lives of saints and common prayers) in a Universal Church edition and for Salesian Family use (http://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/id452205871?mt=8).
   Possibly this is the only daily Office Salesian app in the world? For now the app is written in traditional Chinese (for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), though it would be understood by continental Chinese, with a little bit of effort. Soon Paul hopes to have a simplified Chinese edition, which will be open to all to use without difficulty and obviously with great satisfaction for those who choose to do so. There will also soon be an Android version.
    Since Chinese speakers are to be found the world over, Fr Paul is hoping we will all give a hand in letting the Chinese faithful, wherever they may be know about this innovation.
    Fr Paul is now working on five other apps, for the five (Chinese) volumes of the Biographical Memoirs of  Don Bosco in preparation for the Bicentenary (2015).
Years ago, when he was working at the very first www.sdb.org site at the Generalate, Paul was interviewed by the Salesian Bulletin at the time. Already then he was making reference to online oratories for the young. iPhone, l'iPad certainly seem one way to go!