austraLasia #3174
Two little steps by China
Province into the Digital Continent
HONG KONG/TAIPEI: 23
December 2012 --
On Saturday, 22 December, China Province confreres took a
little second
step into the world of digital long-distance communications.
The
occasion was an Open Forum in preparation for PC13 (Provincial
Chapter
2013) and GC27 (27th General Chapter 2014). The Hong Kong
Salesians and
the Taiwan Salesians gathered separately in two different
locations
distant from each other 1,500 kilometres The Hong Kong
Salesians
gathered in Salesian Missionary House, Shau Kei Wan. The
Taiwan
Salesians gathered in St. John Bosco Parish, Taipei.
Notwithstanding
the long distance, thanks to the Skype linkage, the two groups
could
communicate instantly and intensely, looking at one another
and
listening to one another.
Being the first experience of this kind, some technical
problems were
to be expected. Twice, interference between WF and landline
connections
interrupted the distance communication. But these
interruptions turned
out to be boons, the first giving time to print reference
material
needed for the exchange of views, the second allowing for an
unplanned,
but welcome, tea-break.
The participants were all thrilled by the distance-conquering
experience. They are grateful to the organizer of this
first-ever
event, the Vice-Provincial Fr. Andrew Fung Ting Wa, and to his
technical support, Fr. Antonio Leung Wai Choi and Sc. Carlos
Cheung Sam
Ioi in Hong Kong, and Fr. Andrew Edgar Carbon in Taipei.
They are grateful also, and in the first place, to Salesian
Cardinal
Joseph Zen Ze Kiun, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, whose
generosity and
catechetical-pastoral zeal has made a viable Skype link
between Shau
Kei Wan and Taipei possible.
The story of this possibility is also worth telling in some
detail.
More than half a year ago, thinking about the beginning of the
Year of
Faith on 11 October and in response to the Holy Father’s
suggestions in
Porta fidei, the
retired (imagine!) Cardinal began planning a Province-wide and
year-long catechetical course on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Salesian
Cooperator
from the China Province offered their whole hearted
cooperation.
Salesian Missionary House in Shau Kei Wan offered the
necessary
logistical support for the lessons held every Wednesday
evening in the
Seminary hall from 07:00 p.m. to 09:00 p.m., concluding with
half an
hour adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Seminary
chapel.
The subscriptions to the course surpassed all expectations. To
satisfy
everybody, Cardinal Zen and the Cooperators, with the kind
assistance
of the staff of the Diocesan Audio-visual Centre, began
thinking of a
Skype link with other locations in Hong Kong and Macau. When
the course
opened at the beginning of September this year, about 100
places were
made available in Salesian Missionary House and 80 more,
through Skype
link, in St. James’ Parish in Yau Tong (Kowloon) and in
Instituto
Salesiano (Macau).
To improve the reception in these two other locations, the
Cardinal, at
considerable expense, arranged for an upgrading of the
signal-transmitting from Shau Kei Wan. That is why also our
Open Forum
today could be held with very satisfactory audio-visual
effects. Of
course, digital technology is neither omnipotent nor
omniscient.
Technical mishaps have also touched, but not marred, the
Cardinal’s
catechetical course. The Cardinal made up for the missed
lessons by
going in person the following day to give again the same
lesson, once
in Yau Tong and twice in Macau. Long-live this kind of
Salesian
retirement!