austraLasia #3223
EAO and the Help of Christians
EAO:
23
May 2013 --
With three of its circumscriptions dedicated to Our Lady Help
of
Christians, Salesians in the East Asia-Oceania Region have
good reasons
to keep their focus local for this 24th May 2013, while also,
of
course, noting that 24th May at Valdocco will be the usual
massive
event involving not just thousands, but hundreds of thousands
of people
from Italy and elsewhere in Europe.
Australia-Pacific
The Church in Australia celebrates the Solemnity of Mary Help
of
Christians. Mary Help of Christians was adopted as patron of
the new
Church of Australia in 1844, at a significant time in their
history.
British settlement was just over fifty years old, the
transportation of
convicts was coming to an end, and the first elections in
Australian
history had been held in 1843. Issues of land, immigration and
education had begun to surface and the Church was involved in
these
social problems. The Holy See confirmed the patronage in 1852,
making
Australia the first country in the world to adopt 'Help of
Christians'
as a national title and to build a mother cathedral (St Marys, Sydney)
under that title. This is an interesting fact - Don Bosco did
not
seriously promote devotion to Mary under this title until
after Spoleto
in 1862 and even his earliest references post-date the 1840s
and early
1850s, his 'Month of May' publication in 1858 being the first
written
recorded mention.
New Zealand, which also has a Salesian presence, likewise
claims OLHC
as a national Patroness. Both the SDB and FMA provinces in the
region
(with slightly different configurations - the FMA include
Solomon
Islands, but have no presence in NZ) are dedicated to Our Lady
Help of
Christians.
China
Sheshan Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians is located on the
peak of
Sheshan in Songjiang district in Shanghai. It is One of the
most
prominent pilgrimage shrines in China, it is well-known both
far and
wide in China and overseas.
In 1844, a Jesuit priest, Fr. Claude Gotteland, SJ, came to
Sheshan, in the Songjiang district of
Shanghai and
was very much impressed by the serenity and beauty of the
area. He
decided to build a house of prayer for retired priests.
However, he
died in 1856 before his dream was realized. In 1863, his
successor, Fr.
Joseph Gonnet, SJ came to Sheshan. He purchased the whole hill
top as
well as the southern slope and began to build religious houses
with a
chapel half way on the slope for convalescence of
missionaries. The
following year, Fr. Desjacques Marin built a hexagonal
pavilion for the
statue of our Lady. On Mar 1 1868, Bishop Adrien Languillat,
SJ
consecrated the chapel and blessed the portrait of Our Lady,
Help of
Christians, which was copied from Our Lady of Victory, in
Paris.
During the Taiping Uprising, the Catholic Church was under
attack. In
Shanghai, there were many incidents of prejudice and unrest.
The Jesuit
Superior Fr. A. Della Corte, SJ climbed the mountain of
Sheshan. He
went in front of the statue of Our Lady and made a vow that if
the area
was spared in this turmoil and danger, he would build a church
on the
location. The prayer was heard and the diocese stood unharmed.
In
September 1870, he appealed to generous Catholics to fulfill
his vow
and to thank our Lady for her protection. In 1871, in May,
Bishop
Languillat, SJ gave his blessing for laying the foundation
stone. The
most challenging part was to move all the necessary materials
to the
top of the mountain, and was done by volunteers. In 1873, on
April 15,
the new church in Gothic style was completed.
Philippines
In 1912, the first Salesians to set foot on Philippine soil
were
Fathers Ferganini and Louis Costamagna. They only stayed for
few months
in the parish of Malate. Then in 1922, Pope Benedict XV sent
Salesian
Archbishop William Piani to Manila to become the apostolic
delegate
(1922-1942). He succeeded with the Philippine bishops in
proclaiming
Mary Help of Christians as the secondary Patroness of the
Philippines,
though this fact is possibly largely overlooked now by many
Filipinos -
the clear national 'favourite', if one can use those terms, is
the
Immaculate Conception with Our Lady of Guadalupe (and let's
not forget
Archbishop Piani's and the Philippine's connections with
Mexico!) would
largely be regarded as secondary Patroness. Nevertheless there
is a
prominent and beautiful Shrine to the Help of Christians
located inside
Better Living Subdivision in Barangay Don Bosco,
Parañaque City. There is also the Diocesan Shrine at
Canlubang.
Of course, we should not overlook another local focus for the
Help of
Christians - in 2008 the Shrine to Mary Help of Chrisatians in
Port
Moresby was consecrated by the Archbishop emeritus of
Wellington, New
Zealand, Archbisjhop Williams. Then in Japan we have the
Church at
Beppu, Oita, in Mongolia, the new parish of Darkhan ..... Want
o
indicate others that we have missed?
