3802(I)_Gala Premiere of The Angel of the Lepers, Fr. Gaetano Nicosia

By Ms. Kiko

Hong Kong, 11 November 2015 – On 11 November 1935, Fr. Gaetano Nicosia started his mission in Hong Kong and Macau, so the producer chose this day to release publicly this documentary movie. All proceeds will go to ‘Little Sisters of The Poor – Saint Mary’s Home for the Aged’. More than 100 audiences attended this event.

Cardinal Joseph Zen believed that Fr. Nicosia was very happy with this event because these all came from God. This documentary reminded him that it was a privilege for him to be an Italian, a Christian, a Salesian priest, and finally to be a missionary to work for the lepers. He is always full of joy and very grateful to all the benefactors. Tonight, we should also remember all those friends and benefactors who supported this work of Fr. Nicosia. Cardinal Zen believed that one thought that Fr. Nicosia wanted to give as a gift of this evening was the secret of happiness. Don Bosco was used to promise the Salesians enough to eat, enough to work and the heaven. The heaven starts here on earth. This happiness is always to have the heart open for others but forgetting one self. When you have a heart completely free from yourself, caring only for the people who need your help, and you do everything to help them, then you would find happiness.

Professor Gianni Criveller, one of the directors shared that Fr. Nicosia is a great Salesian and missionary. They wanted to make this video because they were very impressed by the quality of his missionary life and by the service that he gave to hundreds of people suffering leprosy. Fr. Nicosia lived his life together with the lepers, not only for them, but together with them. And, the generosity that he displayed and the humility that he always had with them is a very noble testimony and an example that we want to keep alive. Moreover, they hoped that through this documentary movie, the message could be transmitted to new generations who would remember his contribution. Fortunately, that village at Coloane, Macau was closed now and no more people suffered from this disease. Still, the example and witness of Fr. Nicosia will live on. This was the reason why they made this movie.

Regarding the future plan for this documentary movie, they hoped that some television channels would be interested. And they would have a presentation in Macau in early December. They might also get in touch with the Audio-Visual Centre of Hong Kong Diocese to see whether they could add Chinese subtitles to it and to spread among the Catholics here in Hong Kong and Macau. Certainly, they wanted to make this movie known to more people.