PHNOM PENH: 2nd January 2006 -- .....yes, and the 500th
anniversary of St Francis Xavier, the 100th of the Salesians in China,
the 100th in India; it goes on, really. 2006 will be a year of
celebration, obviously! (If that line is mysterious, read aLa
#1373). But in the meantime, while we are talking history,
another little note has come in, which may be of more than passing
interest, firstly because its true origin is Fr Bernard Tohill, once
regional in this area, at least for the Asia-Oceania part of the famed
English-speaking region of the time (before some readers were thought
of!), and still residing in the region, as it happens. Fr Tohill
recently wrote to Fr Leo Ochoa in Phnom Penh, who has passed on this
interesting footnote to the Salesian presence in Cambodia: The
Rector and
community of DonBoscoTechnicalSchool
at Phnom Penh
has recently received a short letter with a Merry Christmas, Happy New
Year and
“Buon Apostolato” Greetings from Fr. Bernard Tohill. But what’s special
in the
letter was a special “footnote” personally written down by Fr. Tohill
which
carried very important historical information. In this letter Fr.
Bernard
Tohill wrote: “On December 15, 1960 I was on my way back to Vietnam
after preaching a Retreat
at Huahin, and stayed with the Bishop of Phnom Penh for the night. At
that time
I was Provincial of China-Vietnam”. “The
Bishop of Phnom Penh invited orally that I send some Salesians from
China-Vietnam (so it is written in my diary of 1960). But alas, I was
not able
to make any promises. I am so happy that now
Don Bosco is in Cambodia.
God bless Cambodia
and the Church and Congregation there. This information may be useful
for our
history in Cambodia".
Fr. Bernad Tohill, SDB. (The Bishop mentioned by Fr Tohill was Msgr Gustave
Raballand MEP, Vicar Apsotolic from 1956-62: austraLasia's
correspondent note)
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