austraLasia #2648 Our Lady Help of Christians, Patroness of Australia, New
Zealand, New York.... and the Society of St Francis of Sales. World Day
of Prayer for China As this item 'goes to press', the
day is already fading in Australia, New Zealand, China, and barely
beginning in New York, already well under way in Turin, but all these
places are linked by something special - devotion to Mary under the
title of Help of Christians. Each has its own story. We know that the
most recent of these is the placing of China under Her special care by
way of a World Day of Prayer for China instituted by Pope Benedict XVI.
This is linked with celebration at Our Lady of Sheshan, the
Shanghai-based shrine to MHC.
The Australian story is interesting in its own
right. Barely 50 years after the First Fleet had dumped any number of
Catholics, amongst others, on alien soil, the faith had survived thanks
to the Rosary and dedicated lay people, there being no priest allowed
to minister to them though there were several amongst the deported
convicts. When eventually a priest was officially appointed, Fr Therry
by name, the people and he wasted no time in declaring their patroness,
in a phrase that would be taken up by the first Bishops Conference some
years later, "Mary the Immaculate Mother of God under the special
invocation of Help of Christians". When the bishops first met, it was
the first such assembly of bishops in the British dominions since the
Reformation, and Mary took her place of honour under the title of Mary
Help of Christians at that moment, though it was some years later
before Rome officially recognised it (1852). But the reality is that
Australia was the first nation in the world to have Her as Patroness,
the first Church to celebrate 24th May on a national scale and the
first country to have a mother-cathedral under that name (Fr Therry
blessed the foundation stone in 1821).
Don Bosco must have known about it...next time you
have a chance to closely study the picture behind the main altar in
Turin, note the hooded figure to Mary's right (left as you look at the
picture, of course) and what he is holding. We can't make too
much of that but...... please pray for Australia and for the Australian
Province in particular on this Solemnity of theirs, and happy feast day
to all!
"Jesus
is calling you, say yes!": 300 Youth for Mary Camp, 2010
PORT
MORESBY: 24-05-10 -- There seems no better way to highlight
the Feast of Mary Help of Christians than by drawing on a practical
expression of devotion and action from our own EAO Region, especially
since it is a combined effort of various members of the Salesian Family.
The 5th Marian Youth Camp held at the Mary Help of
Christians
Shrine of Don Bosco Technological Institute (DBTI) Boroko, POM PNG was
organised in the lead-up to the Feast by the core group leaders of the
'300 Youth for Mary'. This group was born on the same day when the
shrine was consecrated by His Eminence Cardinal Thomas S. Williams on
the 24th May 2008. Its main objective as a group is to spread devotion
to Mary Help and to present Mary as the
model par excellence for women in PNG
as they need very much to be empowered in the country.
Challenged by the Rector Major’s Strenna 2010 … “let
us bring the
Gospel to the young” they realised that the call was to bring Jesus to
others. “How can we bring Jesus to others?” was the spontaneous
question that popped out of the mouths of two of the core group leaders
one day. So they decided to have a Marian Youth Service
Camp! A
Mission camp in which every camper should realise we have a mission to
fulfill, a calling to heed. “Jesus is calling you, say Yes!”
Two hundred and seventy-two youths and more than 24
organizers
guided by Past Pupils of DBTI Mr. & Mrs. Kennedy Tekepa, Sr.
Cristina Villasanta, FMA and Fr. Valeriano Barbero, SDB and with
collaboration of ADMA Mothers of DBTS Gabutu and Salesian Cooperators
(SC) were gathered on the triduum to MHC 21st May at 5 pm to 23rd May
at 10 am.
The first night was a moment of 'receiving Jesus': a
talk by Fr.
Roger Miranda, praying the Rosary and serenading Mary, Benediction
opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation taken by the majority
of the campers.
The second day involved sharing by Mr. Thomas Raivet
(SC) , Mr.
Ramon Garay (DBTI Registrar) and Ms. Vicky (ADMA), a talk from Fr.
Rafael Galve,SDB and the Mission Send-Off Ceremony. This was a moment
for 'giving Jesus'. The campers were divided into four large
groups:
72 went to POM General Hospital to visit the sick
65 went to Bomana Parish to visit the prisoners
64 went to WE Care Orphanage to visit the orphans
and
71 joined the animation of an Oratory for Vada-Vada
poor.
Following on from the mission experience, the youths
were so filled
with love, care and compassion for the brothers and sisters they had
recognised as the sick, prisoners, orphans and the poor that it helped
them gain a better outlook on their Christian life by being in touch
with reality: of crimes committed, or sicknesses or poverty, but
essentially they understood that in their act of 'giving Jesus' to
others, they were in fact 'receiving Jesus' in return.
What a paradox the Marian youth campers have to
fathom as they go
back to their respective families, schools, parishes and
communities!
May they listen to the disturbance in their hearts and like Mary ponder
in their hearts so as to act on Jesus' call and continue to say their
daily 'yes'! _________________ AustraLasia is an
email
service
for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions
as an
agency for ANS based in
Rome.
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