austraLasia #3365
VATICAN CITY/OITA (Japan): 5 February 2014 -- An incredible story has been unfolding over these days. Perhaps you have noticed it, since it found mention in much of the major international news coverage in the last week of January. In brief, the story is this: A Salesian Italian missionary to Japan, Fr Mario Marega, was an avid and astute collector (one report says 'hoarder') of anything that would throw light on the history of Christianity in Japan and especially the terrible times of the Japanese martyrs. In the end he had collected some 10,000 items, which were eventually sent to Rome, and to the Vatican Archives in particular. Monsignor Cesare Pasini, now head of the Vatican’s Apostolic Library, said the so-called Marega Papers represent the largest known civic archive of its kind. And in the week before the end of January, the Vatican library and four Japanese historical institutes have agreed to inventory, catalogue and digitise these 10,000 documents. The documents come from the Bungo civic archive in the Oita Prefecture, Japan, where we know (see further on) Fr Marega worked as a Salesian. His collection of documents from the Bungo archive "reminds us of the Christian martyrs, along with those who could not withstand the trials, and constitutes extraordinary documentation for the study of Christianity in Japan," Pasini said. "In fact, experts on the subject know of no other collections of this size and breadth."
These are the bare bones of the story, but there is more to it. The CNS report, one of many concerning this story, tells us the following:
Cardinal Raffaele Farina, retired prefect of the Vatican Library and himself a Salesian, said the documents at the Vatican were discovered "when the library was closed for restructuring from 2007 to 2010."
"We began studying what kind of documents there were and how many -- at first we did not realize how much was there," Farina told Catholic News Service Thursday, the eve of the feast of St John Bosco.
Farina already was familiar with Marega's life as a selective and astute historical hoarder.
As archivist of the Salesian order for a decade before moving to the Vatican, the cardinal said, "I did what I could" to gather papers from Marega that were stored at the former Salesian generalate in Turin, Italy, and at the Salesian University in Rome. The gathering and study of the Salesian collection took a leap forward as the order prepared for the celebration in 2012 of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of its Japanese province.
Farina credits Delio Proverbio, an orientalist at the Vatican Library, and retired Bishop Francis Xavier Mizobe of Takamatsu, Japan -- another Salesian -- for discovering just how extraordinary the documents at the Vatican were.
But there is still more to the story, and maybe something we can add that many do not know. All of the reports (you can find them on CNS, Catholic Herald UK, Asia news, Japan Daily Press, etc.) run a comment something along the lines of "An Italian missionary priest took the 22 bundles of documents out of Japan in the 1940s and brought them to Rome." Was that really how it happened?
We are fortunate to have some 6,000 letters of the Venerable Vincent Cimatti on SDL, so it occurred to this writer that maybe, amidst that abundant correspondence, there would be some addressed to Fr Marega, and indeed there are, 40 or more. Many of these make reference to his historical interests and skills. But there is one in particular which may throw light on how these documents got to the Vatican. To put it in context, Cimatti usually had two reasons for being back in Italy, neither of them to do with wanting to 'visit home'. As the Salesien Superior in Japan he needed to be back for General Chapters, but more to the point, he was also the Apostolic Prefect precisely for the area that covered Oita. The two prefectures of Oita and Miyazaki, which were entrusted to the Salesians from 1928, separated from the Fukuoka Diocese and became the Apostolic Prefecture of Miyazaki on January 28, 1935. Fr Cimatti was appointed the first ordinary. He resigned in 1940. In 1938 he would have effectively been on his one and only 'ad limina' visit.
5 agosto 1938
Carissimo Marega,
Nell'udienza del S. Padre presentai il Kojiki e il testo xilografato, che esaminò qua e là con compiacenza: mi disse di inviarti le più sincere congratulazioni; da parte sua esaminerà e lo farà collocare in un posto d'onore della sua cara biblioteca vaticana. Ti dà una benedizione specialissima ed esorta a lavorare intensamente anche in questo campo di apostolato, che benché indiretto non è meno importante e fruttuoso (Se credi utile, fa' pubblicare sui giornali. Da' tu la forma).
Consegnai una copia al Sig. Don Ricaldone - espresse il desiderio fosse stampato dalla SEI - alle spiegazioni del Sig. Don Candela e del sottoscritto comprese.
Sta' tranquillo per i tuoi desiderata: macchina fotografica, nastri macchina, cose necessarie per la casa, ecc., Bibbia in ebraico, maiolica…
Dear Marega, [Italians commonly just use a surname in written and spoken address],
In my audience with the Holy Father, I presented him with the Kojiki [8th century Japanese historical chronicle - were this to be indeed the case, the collection we are referring might be more stunning than people are really letting on, since it is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan! But it is clearly a copy], which he obligingly took a look through. He told me to send you his sincerest congratulations. For his part he would examine it further and have it given a place of honour in his dear Vatican Library. He sends you a very special blessing and encourages you to work really hard in this field of apostolate too, which indirect though it may be, is no less important and fruitful (and if you think it useful, have this published in the newspapers. Up to you what form you present it in).
I also gave a copy to Fr Ricaldone - he has expressed the wish that it be printed by SEI - with explanations from Fr Candela and myself included.
Rest assured regarding the things you are after: camera, tape-recorder, things for the house, Hebrew Bible, maiolica [Renaissance ceramics - whatever that was all about!]
While it is unlikely that Cimatti carried 22 packets with him to the Holy Father, it seems likely that the audience with the Holy Father established the connection with the Vatican Library and would have been sufficient entrée for Fr Marega on a later occasion.
VATICAN CITY/OITA (Japan): 5 February 2014 -- An incredible story has been unfolding over these days. Perhaps you have noticed it, since it found mention in much of the major international news coverage in the last week of January. In brief, the story is this: A Salesian Italian missionary to Japan, Fr Mario Marega, was an avid and astute collector (one report says 'hoarder') of anything that would throw light on the history of Christianity in Japan and especially the terrible times of the Japanese martyrs. In the end he had collected some 10,000 items, which were eventually sent to Rome, and to the Vatican Archives in particular. Monsignor Cesare Pasini, now head of the Vatican’s Apostolic Library, said the so-called Marega Papers represent the largest known civic archive of its kind. And in the week before the end of January, the Vatican library and four Japanese historical institutes have agreed to inventory, catalogue and digitise these 10,000 documents. The documents come from the Bungo civic archive in the Oita Prefecture, Japan, where we know (see further on) Fr Marega worked as a Salesian. His collection of documents from the Bungo archive "reminds us of the Christian martyrs, along with those who could not withstand the trials, and constitutes extraordinary documentation for the study of Christianity in Japan," Pasini said. "In fact, experts on the subject know of no other collections of this size and breadth."
These are the bare bones of the story, but there is more to it. The CNS report, one of many concerning this story, tells us the following:
Cardinal Raffaele Farina, retired prefect of the Vatican Library and himself a Salesian, said the documents at the Vatican were discovered "when the library was closed for restructuring from 2007 to 2010."
"We began studying what kind of documents there were and how many -- at first we did not realize how much was there," Farina told Catholic News Service Thursday, the eve of the feast of St John Bosco.
Farina already was familiar with Marega's life as a selective and astute historical hoarder.
As archivist of the Salesian order for a decade before moving to the Vatican, the cardinal said, "I did what I could" to gather papers from Marega that were stored at the former Salesian generalate in Turin, Italy, and at the Salesian University in Rome. The gathering and study of the Salesian collection took a leap forward as the order prepared for the celebration in 2012 of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of its Japanese province.
Farina credits Delio Proverbio, an orientalist at the Vatican Library, and retired Bishop Francis Xavier Mizobe of Takamatsu, Japan -- another Salesian -- for discovering just how extraordinary the documents at the Vatican were.
But there is still more to the story, and maybe something we can add that many do not know. All of the reports (you can find them on CNS, Catholic Herald UK, Asia news, Japan Daily Press, etc.) run a comment something along the lines of "An Italian missionary priest took the 22 bundles of documents out of Japan in the 1940s and brought them to Rome." Was that really how it happened?
We are fortunate to have some 6,000 letters of the Venerable Vincent Cimatti on SDL, so it occurred to this writer that maybe, amidst that abundant correspondence, there would be some addressed to Fr Marega, and indeed there are, 40 or more. Many of these make reference to his historical interests and skills. But there is one in particular which may throw light on how these documents got to the Vatican. To put it in context, Cimatti usually had two reasons for being back in Italy, neither of them to do with wanting to 'visit home'. As the Salesien Superior in Japan he needed to be back for General Chapters, but more to the point, he was also the Apostolic Prefect precisely for the area that covered Oita. The two prefectures of Oita and Miyazaki, which were entrusted to the Salesians from 1928, separated from the Fukuoka Diocese and became the Apostolic Prefecture of Miyazaki on January 28, 1935. Fr Cimatti was appointed the first ordinary. He resigned in 1940. In 1938 he would have effectively been on his one and only 'ad limina' visit.
5 agosto 1938
Carissimo Marega,
Nell'udienza del S. Padre presentai il Kojiki e il testo xilografato, che esaminò qua e là con compiacenza: mi disse di inviarti le più sincere congratulazioni; da parte sua esaminerà e lo farà collocare in un posto d'onore della sua cara biblioteca vaticana. Ti dà una benedizione specialissima ed esorta a lavorare intensamente anche in questo campo di apostolato, che benché indiretto non è meno importante e fruttuoso (Se credi utile, fa' pubblicare sui giornali. Da' tu la forma).
Consegnai una copia al Sig. Don Ricaldone - espresse il desiderio fosse stampato dalla SEI - alle spiegazioni del Sig. Don Candela e del sottoscritto comprese.
Sta' tranquillo per i tuoi desiderata: macchina fotografica, nastri macchina, cose necessarie per la casa, ecc., Bibbia in ebraico, maiolica…
Dear Marega, [Italians commonly just use a surname in written and spoken address],
In my audience with the Holy Father, I presented him with the Kojiki [8th century Japanese historical chronicle - were this to be indeed the case, the collection we are referring might be more stunning than people are really letting on, since it is the oldest extant chronicle in Japan! But it is clearly a copy], which he obligingly took a look through. He told me to send you his sincerest congratulations. For his part he would examine it further and have it given a place of honour in his dear Vatican Library. He sends you a very special blessing and encourages you to work really hard in this field of apostolate too, which indirect though it may be, is no less important and fruitful (and if you think it useful, have this published in the newspapers. Up to you what form you present it in).
I also gave a copy to Fr Ricaldone - he has expressed the wish that it be printed by SEI - with explanations from Fr Candela and myself included.
Rest assured regarding the things you are after: camera, tape-recorder, things for the house, Hebrew Bible, maiolica [Renaissance ceramics - whatever that was all about!]
While it is unlikely that Cimatti carried 22 packets with him to the Holy Father, it seems likely that the audience with the Holy Father established the connection with the Vatican Library and would have been sufficient entrée for Fr Marega on a later occasion.
