austraLasia #2648
Our Lady Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia, New Zealand, New York.... and the Society of St Francis of Sales. World Day of Prayer for China
As this item 'goes to press', the day is already fading in Australia, New Zealand, China, and barely beginning in New York, already well under way in Turin, but all these places are linked by something special - devotion to Mary under the title of Help of Christians. Each has its own story. We know that the most recent of these is the placing of China under Her special care by way of a World Day of Prayer for China instituted by Pope Benedict XVI. This is linked with celebration at Our Lady of Sheshan, the Shanghai-based shrine to MHC.
The Australian story is interesting in its own right. Barely 50 years after the First Fleet had dumped any number of Catholics, amongst others, on alien soil, the faith had survived thanks to the Rosary and dedicated lay people, there being no priest allowed to minister to them though there were several amongst the deported convicts. When eventually a priest was officially appointed, Fr Therry by name, the people and he wasted no time in declaring their patroness, in a phrase that would be taken up by the first Bishops Conference some years later, "Mary the Immaculate Mother of God under the special invocation of Help of Christians". When the bishops first met, it was the first such assembly of bishops in the British dominions since the Reformation, and Mary took her place of honour under the title of Mary Help of Christians at that moment, though it was some years later before Rome officially recognised it (1852). But the reality is that Australia was the first nation in the world to have Her as Patroness, the first Church to celebrate 24th May on a national scale and the first country to have a mother-cathedral under that name (Fr Therry blessed the foundation stone in 1821).
Don Bosco must have known about it...next time you have a chance to closely study the picture behind the main altar in Turin, note the hooded figure to Mary's right (left as you look at the picture, of course) and what he is holding. We can't make too much of that but...... please pray for Australia and for the Australian Province in particular on this Solemnity of theirs, and happy feast day to all!
"Jesus is calling you, say yes!": 300 Youth for Mary Camp, 2010
PORT MORESBY: 24-05-10 -- There seems no better way to highlight the Feast of Mary Help of Christians than by drawing on a practical expression of devotion and action from our own EAO Region, especially since it is a combined effort of various members of the Salesian Family.
The 5th Marian Youth Camp held at the Mary Help of Christians Shrine of Don Bosco Technological Institute (DBTI) Boroko, POM PNG was organised in the lead-up to the Feast by the core group leaders of the '300 Youth for Mary'. This group was born on the same day when the shrine was consecrated by His Eminence Cardinal Thomas S. Williams on the 24th May 2008. Its main objective as a group is to spread devotion to Mary Help and to present Mary as the model par excellence for women in PNG as they need very much to be empowered in the country.
Challenged by the Rector Major’s Strenna 2010 … “let us bring the Gospel to the young” they realised that the call was to bring Jesus to others. “How can we bring Jesus to others?” was the spontaneous question that popped out of the mouths of two of the core group leaders one day. So they decided to have a Marian Youth Service Camp! A Mission camp in which every camper should realise we have a mission to fulfill, a calling to heed. “Jesus is calling you, say Yes!”
Two hundred and seventy-two youths and more than 24 organizers guided by Past Pupils of DBTI Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy Tekepa, Sr. Cristina Villasanta, FMA and Fr. Valeriano Barbero, SDB and with collaboration of ADMA Mothers of DBTS Gabutu and Salesian Cooperators (SC) were gathered on the triduum to MHC 21st May at 5 pm to 23rd May at 10 am.
The first night was a moment of 'receiving Jesus': a talk by Fr. Roger Miranda, praying the Rosary and serenading Mary, Benediction opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation taken by the majority of the campers.
The second day involved sharing by Mr. Thomas Raivet (SC) , Mr. Ramon Garay (DBTI Registrar) and Ms. Vicky (ADMA), a talk from Fr. Rafael Galve,SDB and the Mission Send-Off Ceremony. This was a moment for 'giving Jesus'. The campers were divided into four large groups:
72 went to POM General Hospital to visit the sick
65 went to Bomana Parish to visit the prisoners
64 went to WE Care Orphanage to visit the orphans and
71 joined the animation of an Oratory for Vada-Vada poor.
Following on from the mission experience, the youths were so filled with love, care and compassion for the brothers and sisters they had recognised as the sick, prisoners, orphans and the poor that it helped them gain a better outlook on their Christian life by being in touch with reality: of crimes committed, or sicknesses or poverty, but essentially they understood that in their act of 'giving Jesus' to others, they were in fact 'receiving Jesus' in return.
What a paradox the Marian youth campers have to fathom as they go back to their respective families, schools, parishes and communities! May they listen to the disturbance in their hearts and like Mary ponder in their hearts so as to act on Jesus' call and continue to say their daily 'yes'!
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Our Lady Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia, New Zealand, New York.... and the Society of St Francis of Sales. World Day of Prayer for China
As this item 'goes to press', the day is already fading in Australia, New Zealand, China, and barely beginning in New York, already well under way in Turin, but all these places are linked by something special - devotion to Mary under the title of Help of Christians. Each has its own story. We know that the most recent of these is the placing of China under Her special care by way of a World Day of Prayer for China instituted by Pope Benedict XVI. This is linked with celebration at Our Lady of Sheshan, the Shanghai-based shrine to MHC.
The Australian story is interesting in its own right. Barely 50 years after the First Fleet had dumped any number of Catholics, amongst others, on alien soil, the faith had survived thanks to the Rosary and dedicated lay people, there being no priest allowed to minister to them though there were several amongst the deported convicts. When eventually a priest was officially appointed, Fr Therry by name, the people and he wasted no time in declaring their patroness, in a phrase that would be taken up by the first Bishops Conference some years later, "Mary the Immaculate Mother of God under the special invocation of Help of Christians". When the bishops first met, it was the first such assembly of bishops in the British dominions since the Reformation, and Mary took her place of honour under the title of Mary Help of Christians at that moment, though it was some years later before Rome officially recognised it (1852). But the reality is that Australia was the first nation in the world to have Her as Patroness, the first Church to celebrate 24th May on a national scale and the first country to have a mother-cathedral under that name (Fr Therry blessed the foundation stone in 1821).
Don Bosco must have known about it...next time you have a chance to closely study the picture behind the main altar in Turin, note the hooded figure to Mary's right (left as you look at the picture, of course) and what he is holding. We can't make too much of that but...... please pray for Australia and for the Australian Province in particular on this Solemnity of theirs, and happy feast day to all!
"Jesus is calling you, say yes!": 300 Youth for Mary Camp, 2010
PORT MORESBY: 24-05-10 -- There seems no better way to highlight the Feast of Mary Help of Christians than by drawing on a practical expression of devotion and action from our own EAO Region, especially since it is a combined effort of various members of the Salesian Family.
The 5th Marian Youth Camp held at the Mary Help of Christians Shrine of Don Bosco Technological Institute (DBTI) Boroko, POM PNG was organised in the lead-up to the Feast by the core group leaders of the '300 Youth for Mary'. This group was born on the same day when the shrine was consecrated by His Eminence Cardinal Thomas S. Williams on the 24th May 2008. Its main objective as a group is to spread devotion to Mary Help and to present Mary as the model par excellence for women in PNG as they need very much to be empowered in the country.
Challenged by the Rector Major’s Strenna 2010 … “let us bring the Gospel to the young” they realised that the call was to bring Jesus to others. “How can we bring Jesus to others?” was the spontaneous question that popped out of the mouths of two of the core group leaders one day. So they decided to have a Marian Youth Service Camp! A Mission camp in which every camper should realise we have a mission to fulfill, a calling to heed. “Jesus is calling you, say Yes!”
Two hundred and seventy-two youths and more than 24 organizers guided by Past Pupils of DBTI Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy Tekepa, Sr. Cristina Villasanta, FMA and Fr. Valeriano Barbero, SDB and with collaboration of ADMA Mothers of DBTS Gabutu and Salesian Cooperators (SC) were gathered on the triduum to MHC 21st May at 5 pm to 23rd May at 10 am.
The first night was a moment of 'receiving Jesus': a talk by Fr. Roger Miranda, praying the Rosary and serenading Mary, Benediction opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation taken by the majority of the campers.
The second day involved sharing by Mr. Thomas Raivet (SC) , Mr. Ramon Garay (DBTI Registrar) and Ms. Vicky (ADMA), a talk from Fr. Rafael Galve,SDB and the Mission Send-Off Ceremony. This was a moment for 'giving Jesus'. The campers were divided into four large groups:
72 went to POM General Hospital to visit the sick
65 went to Bomana Parish to visit the prisoners
64 went to WE Care Orphanage to visit the orphans and
71 joined the animation of an Oratory for Vada-Vada poor.
Following on from the mission experience, the youths were so filled with love, care and compassion for the brothers and sisters they had recognised as the sick, prisoners, orphans and the poor that it helped them gain a better outlook on their Christian life by being in touch with reality: of crimes committed, or sicknesses or poverty, but essentially they understood that in their act of 'giving Jesus' to others, they were in fact 'receiving Jesus' in return.
What a paradox the Marian youth campers have to fathom as they go back to their respective families, schools, parishes and communities! May they listen to the disturbance in their hearts and like Mary ponder in their hearts so as to act on Jesus' call and continue to say their daily 'yes'!
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
