By Mr. Philip Yu, ASC
The largest pilgrim group of 120 participants from the EAO region at the major celebrations in Turin – Valdocco arrived from China province, animated by the Salesian Cooperators (August 3-21) with 83 from Hong Kong, 27 from Macau and 11 from Taiwan including Archbishop emeritus of Taipei Joseph Ti Kang, 2 SDB priests and 4 FMA sisters. Main organizer Mr. Philip Yu, ACS:
“August 16 was the center of this pilgrimage and the DB200 closing ceremony at Colle Don Bosco is the priority of all activities in the program! The China province of Salesian Cooperators just managed to finish the printing of newly translated Project of Apostolic Life into Chinese (PAL, ed. 2014).
On August 17 at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians at Valdocco, we were able to have a joint Holy Mass with 200 Spanish pilgrims and the16 Salesian Cooperators World Council members celebrated by the Rector Major! Not only that we had an excellent opportunity to present the Chinese PAL and the special gift for RM witnessed by the World Council, but also we had a nice group photo and video.
Another planned moment of encountering is with the local Salesian Cooperators was at house of St. Dominic Savio in Morialdo. We were also well received with a great lunch organized by the local Circolo Anspi on Aug. 11th and appreciation of St. Louis life presented by his great grandnephew. The encountering with Spanish group at Valdocco was another surprise. We're all crazy in exchanging souvenirs. Even all returned to bus, a Spanish girl came to ask for exchange T shirt. The youngest (9 years old) member Indigo was so generous to give up the T shirt on his body! So we didn't get what we expected but we're given what we didn't expect, which is even better... we praised the Lord for His wonderful work!!”
It’s impressive to have an inside in the very well cared preparation and animation of this DB200 Pilgrimage:
“We divided ourselves (religious and lay... so that the religious members are taken care of) into 12 smaller groups and there's a helpful leader in each group. During the stay in Italy there were three buses, 4 smaller groups in each bus. Also in each bus there's a coordinator and spiritual guide.
Each spiritual guide was given a FM transmitter for Chinese interpretation and the pilgrims received with normal FM radio; however, not all brought their own radio and not all spiritual guides used the transmitter all the time. Also a Mandarin-speaking Hong Kong Salesian Cooperator was also helping to do make up translation from Cantonese to Mandarin for Archbishop emeritus of Taipei and the ten Taiwan Salesian Cooperators.
With such a huge group of 120 people, the biggest challenge was a toilet on every arrival, there's a long queue outside lady's room. Another challenge was to keep the schedule on time due to taking pictures while others needed more praying time. Luckily we had no record of losing anyone. We had some good members to help with the discipline, plus we say pilgrims' prayer everyday on the bus, which served as a good reminder as well.”
Viva Don Bosco!
Seven John Bosco’s in Great Tainan (Taiwan) on 16 August 2015
By Fr. Lanfranco M. Fedrigotti
The Salesian Family in Taiwan, as in the rest of the Province, celebrated DB200 on Sunday, 16 August, 2015 by celebrating the votive Mass of St. John Bosco in all Sunday Masses in all Salesian presences. The beautifully-printed Mass booklet that included a presentation of the person and work of St. John Bosco after each Mass could be taken home by the participants as a souvenir. In Great Tainan, this celebration happened to include seven John Bosco’s! Great Tainan is the recently expanded Tainan City comprising also the neighbouring counties of Rende and Guiren.
- The first John Bosco was, of course, St. John Bosco himself whose 200th Birthday we were celebrating in the great hall of Tainan Salesian Technical School.
- The second John Bosco was the beautiful statue of Don Bosco at the entrance of Tainan Salesian Technical School. Don Bosco is flanked by two young men. The group stands on a majestic marble cube with the Chinese inscription “Teacher of Youth”.
- The third John Bosco was Salesian Cooperator Msgr. John Bosco Lin Chi Nan, Bishop of Tainan. He presided over the solemn Mass of St. John Bosco in celebration of the 200th Birthday of his patron saint and in acceptance of the perpetual profession of the young Taiwanese Salesian Sc. Philip Huang Long Hsuan. In the homily, Bishop John Bosco explained how he was named John Bosco by a Dominican German missionary even before the Salesians arrived in Taiwan.
- The fourth John Bosco was the 18-year old second son of a Catholic family that came to take part in the Tainan celebration of St. John Bosco. The father and mother of the family are Cooperator Salesians from Kaohsiung. Mama Hildegard and Papa Peter gave their second son the baptismal name John Bosco.
- The fifth John Bosco shows up in the name of the Guiren St. John Bosco Church, the parish recently included into Great Tainan. At a distance of a dozen kilometres from Salesian Technical School, this parish was also celebrating the 200th birthday of their patron.
- The sixth John Bosco is the parish priest of Guiren St. John Bosco Church, the 70-year old Salesian Fr. Bosco Chen Tse Sing, class-mate of the present writer.
- The seventh John Bosco is the newly-baptized 92-year old Mr. John Bosco of Guiren Parish. During the votive Mass of St. John Bosco, the grandfather of the present chairman of the Guiren Parish Council was baptized, taking the baptismal name of John Bosco.
Longlive 200-year old (young!) Don Bosco. Evviva Don Bosco more alive than ever!
