EAO Good Night Talk (19)                                                                  

October 1, 2015

 

‘Look at Don Bosco!’ – Mons. Cimatti continues to inspire (1965-2015)

 

Dear friends and confreres!

 

    Some countries and provinces in our EAO Region are happy and fortunate to get ‘their Don Bosco’ (= Don Bosco of China, of Vietnam, of the Philippines, of Fiji, of PNG…) and some are still looking for their local incarnation of Don Bosco. It does mean that amongst the first missionaries were strong Salesian personalities who made visible Don Bosco in that specific culture and situation. Thanks for those great Salesians! Fr. Chávez used to say: “The best pages of Salesian history were written by our missionaries!”

 

  On 6^th October we remember with the Salesian family of Japan the 50^th anniversary of the departure of Venerable Mons. Vincenzo Cimatti (1965-2015). He spent 40 years in Japan as the leader of the first missionary group. In Tokyo – Chofu there is in every 6^th of the month a special Eucharist and encounter near his tomb and museum. I wish that many of EAO confreres would visit one day the ‘Cimatti Museum’ that documents well missionary zeal and strategies of the early EAO missionaries who shared the Charism 100 years ago.

 

When Vincenzo was three years old he was told by his mother in the Church during Don Boscos preaching: ‘Look at Don Bosco!’ After following the Salesian vocation and after many years as excellent formator of future Salesians in Turin he was sent finally at the age of 46 to become the leader of the first missionary group to Japan.  When you walk around the ‘Cimatti Museum’ in Chofu it’s easy to understand why he was called ‘Don Bosco of Japan’. Large variety of first evangelization activities, education and social work, collection of music and fossils, social communication and formation of first local vocations well documents his missionary zeal.

 

   Last September 27, the 146^th missionary expedition with 25 new missionaries was sent from Valdocco like Fr. Cimatti in 1925. We welcome two incoming missionaries to our Region (Michael and Joshua for Cambodia) as we pray as well for nine new missionaries who were sent from three EAO provinces (Korea-2, Philippines North-2 and Vietnam-5).

 

Today we are starting October, the month of Mary and of the Missions. “Lord, send me!” – Salesian Missions Day 2015 is an invitation for listening to the missionary life witness. Let’s allow them to communicate their motivations, missionary life joys and difficulties. By listening to their stories, looking at Don Bosco missionaries many young people might follow the Salesian call like Mons. Cimatti!  

 

In Jesus Christ – Missionary of the Father

 

Fr. Václav Klement, SDB

Regional Councilor EAO 2014-2020