HONG KONG SALESIAN WORK RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS UN AWARD
Julian Fox
HONG KONG: 1st May -- Youth Outreach, a prominent Salesian work for Chinese streetkids, has been awarded the prestigious 'Worker for Peace' (Servitor Pacis) award. Centre Director, Fr. Peter Newbery sdb, along with key staff, will travel to New York on 15th June to formally accept the award, which can be regarded as a significant recognition of the Salesian work in the China Province and indeed within the Salesian Congregation. It is worth noting that this is in fact the third time in the history of the award that it has been received by a Salesian work (once in Cambodia and once in Thailand).
The 'Servitor Pacis' award comes via an organization which works under the UNO's Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. One annual 'Path to Peace' award is bestowed annually upon a single individual. This year it goes to Carlos Menem, President of Argentina. Previous recipients have been Cory Aquino and Lech Walesa. Since 1994, the Path to Peace Foundation has offered several 'Servitores Pacis' awards to recognize what it describes as 'that magnificent legion of often unsung heroes, men and women in the most remore fields, who literally spend their lives with the only purpose and desire to be where the need is greater, where the wounds of humanity are festering and the pain undending'. Further information concerning this award can be found at http://www.holyseemission.org/html/servitores.html .
