TOKYO: 13 May 2014
-- The
Arakawa
Don Bosco Daycare Centre in Tokyo has celebrated 80 years by
opening a new 3-storey building.
Amongst
the recollections offered in the course of the blessing and
opening of
the building, was an unprecedented visit from the Emperor
and Empress
of Japan.
Expressions of gratitude were given to leading figures in
the
educational enterprise and to those who planned and built
the new
building.
On May 10, 2014, Salesian Japan celebrated 80 years since the
Don Bosco
Daycare Centre (nursery school) was opened at Arakawa, Tokyo.
The event
was celebrated with the blessing and opening of a new building
for
children of pre-school age (0-5).
Arakawa is one of 23 districts which make up the city of Tokyo
and
bears this name because it lies next to the famous Arakawa
River. Some
200,000 people live in an area of around 10.2 square
kilometres. It is
a heavily populated area with a large number of children.
The celebration began with a Liturgy of the Word at which the
Rector of
the Arakawa community and director of the Centre, Fr Dominic
Matsunga,
presided. A legal representative and the Provincial, Fr Aldo
Cipriani,
welcomed local authorities and everyone present. A certificate
of
gratitude was given to the architectural and building firms
responsible
for the building. The Mayor of Arakawa, Mr Ichiro Nishikawa,
thanked
the Salesian Congregation for its educational and spiritual
contribution to the district and promised his cooperation,
given that a
number of past pupils now occupy positions in local
government.
Finally, the Provincial, Fr Cipriani, gave long-standing
teacher, Mrs
Shirasawa, a certificate of gratitude in the name of the Tenth
Successor of Don Bosco, the Rector Major, Fr Ángel
Fernández Artime.
Mrs Shirasawa was given a huge applause for the very many
years she has
taught successive generations of future citizens and been a
great
collaborator of the Salesian work at Arakawa.
The second part of the ceremony involved the blessing of the
three-storey building, after which the 80 years of the Centre
were
celebrated in the theatre, where the history of the Centre was
explained in some detail. The Parish Priest, Fr Yohane Namiki,
emphasised the Christian identity of the Centre and the fact
that it
was attached to the Salesian parish meant that the mutual
collaboration
of the two entities was very important. Long-time veteran of
the
district, Fr Joseph Emi, described an unprecedented visit to
the Centre
and Parish 15 years ago, from Emperor Hirohito and Empress
Michiko. On
that occasion, Empress Michiko prayed briefly before a statue
of Our
Lady at the Parish centre.
To conclude the event, the teachers' choir provided some items
and Mrs
Shirakawa finished by thanking everyone and asking them to
cooperate
with the Salesians in this most significant presence in
Arakawa city.
