3212 China Province: An Elder is a Treasure in the Family
austraLasia #3212
China Province: An Elder is a
Treasure in
the Family
HONG KONG: 3 April 2013
-- As the Chinese saying goes, “An old man at
home, a
treasure in the home.” Old age is often considered to be a
sign of
God’s blessing not just for the person but also for the
family.
On 1st April, Easter Monday, when the Universal Church was
celebrating
with great joy the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Salesians in
China
Province were at the same time celebrating two important
occasions:
(1) The official opening of the Provincial Chapter, and,
(2) The 100th birthday of Fr. Ernesto Rescalli, SDB.
Fr. Rescalli was born in a village near Milan, Italy, in 1913,
just
before the beginning of World War I. A missionary to China for
78
years, he has been a Salesian for 77 years, having made his
first
profession in Hong Kong in 1936. He studied theology in
Shanghai and
was ordained priest there on the Feast of St. Francis of Sales
(29
January) 1945. Back in Macau, he began his work as Catechist,
first in
Instituto Salesiano (1945-1950), then in St. Louis Hong Kong
(1950-1957), and then, back in Macau, for well over 50 years
in Yuet
Wah College (1957-2011). As Fr. Rescalli shared with us, Yuet
Wah
College had always been his mission.
In the homily, Cardinal Zen reminded us that we Salesians are
like
candles. In order to bring the light of the risen Lord to
others, we
have to sacrifice ourselves, letting ourselves be burnt. Fr.
Rescalli
had been an excellent example for us. In spite of his old age,
he
evangelized with the best effort he could give. He heard
confessions.
He sat beside the main corridor of the campus and distributed
bookmarks
printed with religious messages to teachers and students. Only
two
years ago, he left the community of Yuet Wah College and
joined Braga
House, the community for elderly confreres in Hong Kong.
