Music as excellent tool of evangelization - Mons Cimatti from Faenza

By Our Own Correspondent

Faenza, Italy, 6 September 2017 -- According the local Italian newspaper of Faenza (native place of Mons. Vincent Cimatti, born in Faenza 1879 and died in Tokyo, Chofu in1965), the 36 Caritas Sisters of Jesus on their pilgrimage to Italy and especially on the Salesian roots of their Congregation enjoyed their visit to the Manfredini Library in Faenza last September 6.

The Sisters guided by the Librarian Mr. Pier Giorgio Bassi, were “able to touch with their hands" the music of Vincenzo Cimatti: «Surely they were very interested in the home operetta work ‘Il pescatore Marco’ (Fisherman Mark) as one of the most simple but memorable piece of Cimatti music. However during the visit in the Library the Caritas Sisters were amazed by the large quantity of materials we have about Mons Cimatti in general."

Don Vincent Cimatti was born in Faenza and his life was always linked to the music. As a young Salesian apart of his ecclesiatic studies he graduated in 1900 also as the Choir-Master in the Royal Conservatorium in Parma. Then many years later, at 46 years of age in 1926 was sent as the leader of the first Salesian missionary expedition to Japan and died there on October 6, 1965. In Japan together with other Salesian missionaries was born ten years later the Caritas Sisters of Miyazaki Congregation (since 2010 named 'The Caritas Sisters of Jesus').

The Servant of God, Mons. Vincent Cimatti continued during his whole life the passion for music. There are more than 950 musical compositions in the Salesian archives and offered more than 2000 concerts around Japan, Manchuria and Korea. Also the first opera work in Japanese language 'Hosokawa Grazia' and other 48 operettas entered the history of music.

Full text of the Italian newspaper 'Il piccolo' (September 15) article: https://www.ilbuonsenso.net/giappone-tracce-padre-vincenzo-cimatti/

---

---