Centenary of Versiglia's episcopal ordination coming soon
EAO, 18 September 2020 -- Just a few days ago the youngest among the EAO bishops, Peter Baquero (Filipino missionary in PNG), celebrated his 50th Birthday in Kerema, the provincial capital of Gulf Province. And on 9 January 2021 the EAO region will be remembering a 100 years since the consecration of it’s first bishop - Martyr Saint Louis Versiglia (1873-1930), missionary in China. During the past century also other sons of Don Bosco have been called by the successors of Peter to serve the Catholic community at large, most of them in missionary or otherwise challenging pastoral territories.
At the moment there are 17 living EAO Salesian bishops related to the 12 provinces of the region, some of them heading the Bishops Conference, one of them even the FABC (Federation of Asian Bishop's Conferences). Some are world famous theologians, some are very close to their sheep in the mountains or islands, some are living very close to Salesian settings, while some are 5 hours flight from the nearest Salesian community. But what is common - all of them share the charism of Don Bosco in different ways with the people of God and also bring their wider ecclesial outlook to their Congregation. Some Salesian bishops are great missionaries and some, even after years are still very close to the confreres of their own provinces.
A few months before the Centenary of Bishop Versiglia's episcopal ordination is a good opportunity to give thanks for these Salesian confreres. They don't live together in the same house, but live and witness to God's love with the same heart of Don Bosco as did John Cagliero, our first Salesian bishop.
Saint Louis Versiglia, pray for us!
EAO bishops who have already gone to the Salesian garden (9)
- St Versiglia Louis (1921 – Shiuchow, China + 1930)
- Canazei Ignazio (1930 - Shiuchow, China + 1946)
- Coppo Ernesto (1922 – Kimberley in Australia + 1948 in Italy)
- Passoti Gaetano (1932 - Rajaburi in Thailand + 1950)
Arduino Michele (1948 - Shiuchow, China + 1974 in Italy)
- Carretto Pietro (1965 – Suratthani in Thailand + 1994)
- Praphon Michael (1988 - Suratthani in Thailand + 2003)
- Hoang Van Tiem Giuse (2001- Bui Chu in Vietnam + 2013)
- Mizobe Francis Xavier Osamu (2001 - Sendai, Takamatsu in Japan + 2016)
EAO Apostolic prefects (not ordained as bishops - 3)
- Cimatti Vincenzo (Miyazaki-Oita: Japan, + 1965)
- Kerec Jozef (Chaotung, China, + 1974 in Yugoslavia)
- Madden John Jocelym (Lashio, Burma, +1987 in Australia)
Living EAO Salesian Bishops (17)
- Bishops emeritus (5)
- Zen Card. Joseph (1932, Hong Kong: 1996-2009) former provincial CIN
- Drona M. Leo (1941, San Jose, San Pablo-Laguna: 1987-2013)
- Van Looy Luc (1941, Gent, Belgium: 2004-2020) former delegate superior KOR
- Panfilo Francesco archbishop (1942, Alotau, Rabaul – Papua New Guinea, 2001-2020) former provincial FIL
- Ximenes Belo Carlos Filipe (1948, Dili – Timor Leste: 1983-2002)
- Bishops in active episcopal ministry (12)
- Nguyen Van De Peter (1946, Bui Chu, Thai Binh –Vietnam, si nce 2006) former provincial VIE
- Prathan Sridarunsil Joseph (1946, Suratthani – Thailand, since 2004) former provincial THA
- Capelli Luciano (1947, Gizo – Solomon Islands, since 2007) former provincial FIN
- Bo Maung Card. Charles - archbishop (1948, Lashio, Pathiem, Yangon – Myanmar, since 1986)
- Buzon Patricio (1950, Kabankalan, Bacolod – Philippines, since 2003) former provincial FIS
- Hon Taifai Savio (1950, Vatican CEP – Propaganda Fide; Nuncio in Greece since 2011) former provincial CIN
- Cantillas Precioso (1953, Cebu, Massin – Philippines, since 1995)
- Costelloe Timothy - archbishop (1954, Melbourne, Perth – Australia, since 2007)
- Yamanouchi Michiaki Mario (1955, Saitama – Japan, since 2018) former provincial GIA
- Dau Ze Lucas (1962, Lashio – Myanmar, since 2020)
- Do Carmo Da Silva Virglio - archbishop (1967, Dili – Timor Leste, since 2016) former provincial TLS
- Bacquero Pedro Jr (1970, Kerema – Papua New Guinea, since 2017) former provincial PGS
EAO Salesian Bishops - Online Photo archive Sharing from the most recent encounter of SDB bishops - Turin 2015 (DB200)
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