By Fr. Fedrigotti

Today, Saturday 12 August 2023, the Salesian Family of Hong Kong and Macau, with some representatives also from Taiwan, celebrated in Tang King Po School and Mary Help of Christians Parish its Annual Get-Together. Every year this Get-Together is meant to commemorate Don Bosco's Birthday (this year the 208th) and to celebrate the Platinum, Diamond, Gold, and Silver Anniversaries of Priesthood, Religious Profession, and Promise of Salesians of Don Bosco, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Cooperator Salesians, Volunteers of Don Bosco, and other groups that are members of the local Salesian Family (like the Sisters Announcers of the Lord, founded by St. Luigi Versiglia). In addition, every year at this Get-Together, there is some special theme aimed at fostering the unity and vitality of the local Salesian Family.

This year the special theme was a double one. It could be entitled: "60 years ago and 6 days ago". The "60 years ago" have to do with Don Gaetano Nicosia, the Angel of Hansenians and Father of Poor Children in CIN Province. The "6 days ago" have to do with the local Salesian youth who have taken part, together with Pope Francis and Rector Major Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, in the World Youth Day in Portugal.

Exactly 60 years ago, today, the first day of the Triduum in preparation for the Feast of the Assumption, Don Gaetano Nicosia, accompanied by Br. Maurice Kwan Nim Cheung, set foot in the leprosarium of Ká-Hó, Coloane, Macau, transforming it within a few months into the "Village of Our Lady of Sorrows". On the occasion of this 60th anniversary, the CIN Provincial Fr. Joseph Ng Chi Yuen published the Mortuary Letter of Don Gaetano Nicosia (+ 06 November 2017). The core of this Mortuary Letter is the "Brief Notes on My Life". These were written by Don Gaetano Nicosia himself in 2001, in obedience to the explicit command given him by the CIN Provincial Fr. Savio Hon Tai Fai. Today, in the school hall of Tang King Po School, from 14:30 to about 15:15, the Mortuary Letter was presented to the two-three hundred participants. This presentation included viewing the 30-minute doc film "Father Nicosia, The Angel of Hansenians". The 84-page booklet of the Mortuary Letter, beautifully produced by the Vox Amica Press of CIN Province, was distributed to all the participants.

Precisely 6 days ago was the concluding day of the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. About 40 young men and women from the Salesian Youth Movement in Hong Kong and Macau took part. Another about 30 young men and women from Taiwan, organized by Taiwan Salesians, also took part. Today, in the same Tang King Po School hall, from about 15:15 to about 16:00 a young man and a young woman took turns to share with us their World Youth Day experience. Both were impressed by the insistent call of Pope Francis to all young people in the world to experience this: "Jesus loves me as I am, not as I would like to be!" Both also expressed their joy for having visited the Holy Places of Don Bosco in Valdocco and Becchi, before going to Portugal for World Youth Day. This visit made one of them exclaim: "Don Bosco, I have come to the place of your dream. From now on, I will dream with you".

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