By Fr. Peter Yoshiki Sekiya, SDB

Yokohama, Japan, August 16, 2015 - At Hamamatsu Church-Pastoral Center, a Salesian parish in Shizuoka, Japan, mass was celebrated to commemorate the Bicentenary of Don Bosco’s birth. The Superior of the Salesian Japanese Province, Fr. Mario Yamanouchi celebrated the mass together with the parish priest, Fr. Angel Yamanouchi, and Fr. Evaristo Higa. The church was filled with the fervor of more than 400 people who gathered for the joyous occasion.

After mass, everyone shared a big festive meal, including a large birthday cake for Don Bosco. Some of the youth, teenagers and those in their 20s, presented a drama on Don Bosco’s life, while others performed hair-styling shows using their hairdressing skills.

There were multi-national testimonies by the members of the parish who shared about their faith experience, experience of God and of their services in different activities. Young high-school students translated the testimonies into beautiful Japanese.