austraLasia 748
SALESIAN MARTYRS: "COETERA TOLLE: MY LIFE
ALSO"
Preparing for November 13th with and in honour of
Fr. Pasquale Liberatore SDB
ROME: 1st November -- ANS yesterday announced the
sudden death of Fr. Pasquale Liberatore, Salesian Procurator for Saintly
Causes for the past 11 years. This writer had been helping Fr. Liberatore
in a range of matters associated with Salesian hagiography (= matters to do with
saints and holiness) over recent days, days leading up to celebations of
Salesian holiness....Rua, Versiglia & Caravario, Rinaldi. So, in
honour of him and noting some scribbled lines of his as he took each Salesian
candidate for the altars and compared them with a line from Don Bosco, here are
some thoughts on how he might have wanted us to prepare for the Feast of Sts.
Louis Versiglia and Callistus Caravario on November 13th. All references
are available online.
A basic document is a set of talks over 4 days which he
prepared for an occasion in West Haverstraw in 1999. The document makes no
direct reference to the two Chinese martyrs but is a masterpiece, one of the few
items of his to be found in English, translated for the occasion. He
recommends tackling Salesian holiness from its theological and pedagogical
contribution to hagiography. He would suggest considering our two
saints from aspects geographical (China), historical (1857-2000+), nature of the
message (confessors/martyrs), traits of our spirituality (oblation), and witness
in areas felt particularly today (martyrs of 20th Century). The particular
set of talks (in zipped form if you wish to download) was directed at Salesian
pedagogical understanding - presenting young adult Salesian saints to young
adults today. It will be a special source of inspiration for next year's
Strenna of the Rector Major. If the above hyperlink does not work, go to
www.bosconet.aust.com and click on
the appropriate line in Bosconet Special Services.
Fr. Liberatore had also collected a wide
range of pictures and
written various short biographies of all Salesian holy people. You
will find one particularly well-drawn and useful series of vignettes on the
hyperlinked page - the story will enable you (or a class of students) to match
the pictures with parts of the story. Some hyperlinked hints are already
offered. If the primary hyperlink does not work go to www.bosconet.aust.com/holiness.htm
There are some other guidelines for preparation
which are not Fr. Liberatore's but the result of simple 'surfing' around.
They are offered here for your use:
* In 1990 a Salesian Brother, Bro. Octavius
Fantini, died in China. He was 99, had been in China 78 years and had Fr.
Versiglia as his Rector! Read up on the story
of his life.
* It helps to have the wider picture on the
Chinese
Martyrs, of which V-C were part.
* Osservatore Romano on 4th October 2000
ran in article in preparation for the Canonization. (When you arrive at the
site, run a search on 'Chinese Believers'.
* There is of course, ASC 319 back in 1988 when Fr.
Vigano wrote a letter called 'School for Holiness'. All Fr. Vigano's letters
are available online. A brief extract
and commentary can be found also.
One final thought. None of the above contain
suggestions for liturgy, lectio divina and so forth. Do you have something
you could share?
