austraLasia #2621 A Blessed Michael Rua Celebration - Vietnam
XUAN HIEP: 8 April 2010 -- On 6 April, 2010, the Philip Rinaldi
Community (Studentate of Theology) of Xuan Hiep, Vietnam, solemnly
celebrated the centenary of
the death of Blessed Michael Rua with the Provincial, involving an
opening paraliturgy, a Eucharistic celebration to conclude the day, and
the blessing of a statue to Blessed Michael Rua.
The paraliturgy included a presentation of the two letters of the
Rector Major (24-06-2009 and 31-01-2010) on the celebration
of this centenary. In his first letter, the Rector Major invited the
whole Congregation to celebrated this centenary as a spiritual and
pastoral journey at personal, community and Province level : faithful
to our Salesian Consecration and to be Don Bosco today wherever we find
ourselves living and working. In his second letter, he particularly
drew attention to 6 April, 2010, when the commemoration will be
celebrated at Turin, recalling the way the confreres responded at the
time and the addresses given at his funeral.
Following the Rector's presentation of these two letters, the last
hours and and the last days of Blessed Michael Rua were read and a
simple ceremony of commemoration was celebrated : all the participants
stood in silence to pay tribute to Blessed Michael Rua.
Father Joseph Am, who is working on a Vietnamese translation of the
Life of Fr Rua, then spoke at greater length of five periods of Blessed
Michael Rua’s life :
(1) The first 15 years in family life, not so easy (1837-1852)
(2) 11 years of study and formation in the Valdocco Oratory of Don
Bosco (1852-1863)
(3) 2 years as rector of Mirabello (1863-1965)
(4) 23 years as an “alter Don Bosco” (1865-1888)
(5) 22 years as successor of Don Bosco (1888-1910)
Then, he presented the spiritual life of Blessed Michael Rua as a
disciple in the journey of conversion (ongoing formation) to become Don
Bosco more and more, through exercise of the grace of unity, his source
of apostolic energy, his passion for God and passion for man, his work
and temperance, and his 'friendship' with poverty and humility!
As conclusion, Father Am drew a message for the Salesians in Vietnam :
like Don Rua, let us return to the roots, that is Don Bosco. And let us
inflame our heart with fervent fire of love for God and for souls of
the young.
The event included an opportunity for several confreres to express
their understanding and feelings of love towards Don Bosco and their
willingness to imitate him.
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