My personal experiences with Fr. Giacomin
Yangoon, Myanmar, 18 June 2018 -- Fr. Giacomin whom we take as a living Don Bosco among us was truly a man of God. I have lived under his fatherly care and affection for 19 years. We remember him as one who does not know idleness and unoccupied. We see him working in the fields, grinding coffee, plucking the maize, in the poultry farm, etc... I had the joy of being his attendant in many of his works. His enthusiasm was so great that we never see him sad nor complain for anything.
We saw him very prayerful but never exaggerated. He prayed with us daily, offer mass with great devotion, which has taught us to love the Eucharist and visit to the Blessed Sacrament. He was always regular for the prayer time and we have never seen him sleeping or dozing during prayers and meditation. Whenever he preached or gave Good Night Talk he could draw the attention of us. He taught about spiritual matters as if he has seen them with his own eyes. He carried a rosary and prayed it often as he assisted us in the dormitory and study hall. When we saw him going to confession, which he did regularly, we talk among us what sin would he confess.
No one can contest the spiritual and moral influence he had on all of us. All of us revere him so much that some of us believed that he could read our minds and hearts. Some of us feared him but never with hatred. If one feared him it is because one has done wrong.
He is an encyclopedia! We approached him for so many doubtful things, Salesian life, faith, moral, catechism and secular studies like, History, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, etc... He has very rich with general knowledge as well. We know that he was not bluffing or giving opinion, he spoke of these things with certainty and with references.
My Personal Experiences with Fr. Giacomin
The first time I come to know Fr. Giacomin was on 23 May 1981, the day I first arrived at Nazareth Salesian Seminary, Anisakan. I was 12 years old then. I was afraid of him because he was the first European I have ever met. After dinner of that day he approached me and talked to me in Burmese with much tenderness and kindness. In that very first encounter my fear for him disappeared completely.
A Prefect of Studies
At that time in Nazareth Aspirantate there were no Practical Trainees. So Fr. Giacomin is found in the midst of the Aspirants all the time. He claps has to wake us up at 5:30 in the morning but we do not know when he goes to bed. He walks silently in the dormitory until all of us fall asleep. He was with us in all the activities of the Aspirants: prayers, studies, meal, work and games. We did not need to look for him because always there where we were. Only when I became an assistant at Nazareth I came to realize the amount of sacrifice he did to be present all the time. He has been a living testimony of preventive system by present all the time in the midst of the boys.
As a Prefect of Studies he is known to be firm with the formation of the Aspirants. There are both firm and understanding in him as a good educator. He allows us to be naughty and over-looked childhood mischievousness. On a Saturday afternoon about of eight of us were asked to pluck coffee. As we plucked the coffee the plantation was turned into a playground. At the end of two hour work time we have not collect anything yet. We all were scared and were ready to receive the punishment but we found Fr. Giacomin smiling. I could not recall the exact words what he said but we could feel his understanding and joy.
He was a prefect of studies for 2 years. I have never seen him angry nor hit anyone. He corrected everyone who was out of the way but he did not lose control of his emotions. Every Sunday evening he gave remarks. He pointed out the misbehavior and reminded the discipline in general. And monthly, he met each one of us privately and gave the correction personally.
During these years as a Prefect of studies all of us respected him. There are some (about two or three) who were afraid of him. However, there was none who hated him. There were only two Salesians who took care of the Aspirantate. He was the only one close to the boys. The Rector (Fr. Maurice – First Year; Fr. Joachim – Second Year) was busy with other matters. The continuous presence of Fr. Giacomin with us was a very rich experience. He was everything to us. He took care of our health, education, prayers and liturgy, games and work, etc...
The different roles and characters he play with us is one of the most valuable experiences I learn from him. He was strict disciplinarian in general; a very kind nurse where we were sick, in the chapel he lead us in prayer and liturgy and passed on to us the salesian piety; in the study hall he was an assistant and made sure that all of study; in the playground he was the referee and made sure that we played a fair game; during work times he followed up well that each one fulfill one's responsibility. He was indeed a guardian angel of each one of us. His dedication to assist the boys was an example of Salesian assistant and preventive system.
Full text of the testimonial and prayer:
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