MACAU SAR: 12th February 2006 -- Colonised by the
Portuguese in the 16th Century, Macau (the form 'Macao' was the
original Portuguese spelling) is a Special Administrative Region (SAR)
of China, under which arrangement - the 'one country two systems'
formula - it is guaranteed a high degree of autonomy for 50 years
except in defence and foreign affairs. Its market economy, like
that of Hong Kong, also does not come under China's socialist
system. But of course for Salesians, Macau is the beginning of
Salesian work in China, and the Instituto Salesiano which dates back to
1906, is a material witness to that beginning.
On this first day, however, the Rector Major, after
arriving by ferry from an early morning start in Hong Kong, went first
to Bishop Versiglia School in Coloane (the furthest of two islands in
the South China Sea that make up Macau. Macau itself is attached
to China as the lower end of a peninsula). There after
breakfasting with the Salesians and the paparazzi (Missioni Don Bosco
Turin TV crew), he saw the Youth Centre which specialises, amongst
other things, in adventure-based group counselling. This is a
government supported program for all public school students in the
SAR. The entire cohort of LV school students were on hand to
welcome the Rector Major - and show off their wall-climbing skills!
The centrepiece for the morning was the encounter
with the Macau-Hong Kong 7-branch Salesian Family (there are 24
branches in all worldwide). Fr Chávez highlighted his role as
Father of the family and Don Bosco as the charismatic point of
reference. He pointed out how Don Bosco, although being the
founder of three groups, was also the founder of a vast movement and
had not initially set out with the intention of founding a Congregation
but rather a vast movement of people with passion for the salvation of
youth. The Rector Major took three key terms - apostolic,
spiritual, movement, and developed each. Salesian is a spiritual
movement in the first instance, he said, a fruit of the Holy Spirit
rather than Don Bosco's cleverness. With the Holy Spirit as our
leader we can confront materialism and individualism which are the
greatest dangers for the Salesian Family in China. 'Apostolic' on the
other hand makes us missionaries - not a Lion's club missionary but an
apostolically, spiritually moved missionary movement of the kind we
celebrate today in this centenary, when the Martyr, St. Louis Versiglia
arrived here in 1906. We are, then, also the fruit of martyr's
blood.
He urged the Salesian Family to grow and be united,
to come together and indeed to set up a functioning Salesian Family
Council. After lunch at Don Bosco Yuet Wah Primary, later in the
afternoon he went to the Millennium Hall at Yuet Wah College for the
Centenary Memorial Mass - but that deserves a second report, later in
the day.
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