'austraLasia' #43

DOUBLE-HAPPINESS FOR CHINA PROVINCE

Peter Newbery

TAIPEI, TAIWAN, ROC(31st January)- - On the feast of Don Bosco, the

China Province has received 2 big heavenly gifts: 3 young novices make

their 1st profession after a year-long novitiate preparation in Boys'

Town, Taiwan and a deacon get ordained as priest.

Among these 3 novices, 2 are from Taiwan, the past-pupils of our Tainan

Professional College and 1 from Hong Kong, the graduate from Salesian

School, Hong Kong and Savio House, the aspirantate. After their

profession, they will go to Salesian House of Studies, Hong Kong to

receive

their post-novitiate formation and will go to the Holy Spirit Seminary

College (Diocesan) to receive their philosophical training. Two of them

are clerics and the other is a lay brother. It has been over 20 years

since our last lay brother in the province.

Deacon Francis Wang, now Fr. Wang, is also the graduate from Tainan

Professional College. He has received his formation mainly in Hong Kong

and has made his deaconate year in St. John Bosco Parish, Taipei where

he got ordained as priest. The celebration was presided by the Most Rev.

Joseph Ti-Kang, Archbishop of Taipei. Since Fr. Wang is from Tainan

Diocese, so bishop of Tainan was also presented in the ceremony. The

parents and the whole big family of Fr. Wang present and over 200

parishioners, both from Taipei and Tainan had joined together for the

celebration. Fr. Francis is the first Taiwanese Salesian priest since

our "landing" in Taiwan in 1963.

Let's pray for our 3 younger brothers and Fr. Wang for the gift of

perseverance.