Mailnews_old

Views 279 Votes 0 Comment 0
?

Shortcut

PrevPrev Article

NextNext Article

Larger Font Smaller Font Up Down Go comment Print
?

Shortcut

PrevPrev Article

NextNext Article

Larger Font Smaller Font Up Down Go comment Print
austraLasia #2804
  

Cardinal Zen's Golden Ages: The Fruit of Growth

HONG KONG: 13 February 2011 -- “God has overwhelmed me with love, by making me grow in life through a series of golden ages”: thus Salesian Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze Kiun, during the homily of the Golden Jubilee of Priestly Ordination Mass celebrated Friday, February 11th, Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima, in Salesian Missionary House (Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong).
    The golden ages that Card. Zen, looking back on his almost octogenarian life, has found, span the first forty years of his life. The first golden age is that of Salesian presence in Shanghai, during and just after World War II, a presence animated by the saintly Provincial Fr. Carlo Braga, when little Joseph was an aspirant (1944-1948). The second golden age is that of initial Salesian formation with such spiritual guides as Novice Director Fr Luigi Massimino and Rector Fr Vincenzo Ricaldone (1948-1952). The third golden age is that of the Salesian Aspirantate in Macau and Hong Kong in the fifties, when Joseph was the Salesian assistant of dozens of aspirants (1952-1955). The fourth golden age is that of his theological studies in Crocetta’s Ateneo Salesiano during the Turin years with people like Frs Brocardo and Valentini as Rectors, Frs Quadrio, Camilleri, Bertetto et al. as professors and mentors (1955-1961). The fifth golden age is that of Cheung Chau (Hong Kong) when he was Catechist and Prefect of Studies of Salesian House of Studies with as many as sixty young Salesians hailing from a dozen countries in Europe, America, and South East Asia (1964-1970).
    Full of gratitude for this abundance of graces, Card. Zen expressed also a deep sense of repentance. Recalling the generosity and fervour with which in his youth he responded to these divine calls, he applied to himself the stern words of the Lord Jesus to “the angel of the Church in Ephesus”: “I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Rev 2:3-4). After inviting all participants to thank God together with him, he also begged them to continue to pray for him.
    The chapel wall was decorated with the words inscribed on the memorial card of the priestly ordination in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin at the hands of Archbishop Maurilio Fossati in 1961: “Unless the grain of wheat…” (John 12:24) and “Carissimi, my sacrifice and yours in the Sacrifice of Christ for the Church of Silence”. Concelebrating with Card. Zen and sharing in the family agape that followed the Mass were two Shanghaiese Jesuit confessors of the faith.  Frs Zhu and Gu spent from 26 to 29 years in goal for the faith. Their presence highlighted the deep love for the suffering China Church that has characterised the priestly and episcopal service of Card. Zen. Present were also Card. Zen’s younger sister, numerous Salesian confreres from Hong Kong and Macau, and a dozen young men connected with the Salesian Aspirantate.
    Saturday, February 12th, about one hundred faithful, volunteer helpers of the Diocesan Audio-Visual Centre, came to Salesian Missionary House to continue the celebration of Card. Zen’s Golden Jubilee of Priesthood. Led by their supervisor Dr Dominic Y. Yung, they received the New Year 'laisi' from the Cardinal, together with words of encouragement for their generous promotion of evangelisation and catechesis through the distribution of the fine audio-visual products of their Centre. In the chapel they prayed in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament exposed, with prayer formulas that reflected their precise and deep knowledge of the critical situation of the Church in China. A group photo before the statue of St. Dominic Savio in our garden concluded the joyful encounter.
    The provincial celebration of Cardinal Joseph Zen’s Golden Priestly Jubilee of Priesthood will take place on Don Bosco’s Birthday, August 16th, in the company of all the other priestly, Salesian, religious, and matrimonial jubilarians of the Salesian Family.

  _________________ 
 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 . RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2011 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

List of Articles
No. Category Subject Views
2810 GIA 0720_In a solemn ceremony held in the Salesian Parish Church of Shimoigusa 570
2809 World 0721_First Film Festival Dedicated to a Saint 212
2808 PGS 0722_MUMBAI MISSIONARY FOR PNG 500
2807 World 0723_EVEN BISHOPS HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL! 1922
2806 EAO 0724_MISSIONARIES LINE UP FOR EAST ASIA-OCEANIA 606
2805 AUL 0725_KANGAROO TEACHES CORE TRUTH OF PREVENTIVE SYSTEM 175
2804 PGS 0726_GRASSROOTS MEDIA AWARENESS IN SOLOMONS 4249
2803 World 0727_'ST' JOHN PAUL I? SALESIAN PROCURATOR TO HELP 571
2802 World 0728_CDB: A LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS 563
2801 World 0729_FORD: "..tout á fais strict de l’église catholique" 571
2800 World 0730_LIBERIA: BEHIND THE ACRONYMS, THE ACRIMONY. 293
2799 World 0731_DON BOSCO HOMES: FLOOD OF CHILD SOLDIERS EXPECTED 574
2798 GIA 0732_CIMATTI: NEW BOOK THROWS LIGHT ON 'MAESTRO' FOR OUR TIMES 16901
2797 AUL 0733_STEM CELL SCIENCE AND STEM CELL MORALITY 159
2796 PGS 0734_THIN RED LINE DRAWN AT TETERE ONCE AGAIN 552
2795 THA 0735_ CAMBODIA: SDB BROTHER TELLS ALL! 495
2794 AUL 0736_The Rev. Francis J. Moloney Named School of Theology Dean 304
2793 PGS 0737_Caritas Oceania meets at Holy Cross, Honiara 509
2792 Pac. 0738_FIJI: YOUNG LEADERS FLOCK TO DON BOSCO 427
2791 World 0739_....AND THE HUNTER HOME FROM HILL 556
Board Pagination Prev 1 ... 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 ... 177 Next
/ 177