austraLasia #2804 Cardinal Zen's Golden Ages: The Fruit of Growth
HONG KONG: 13 February 2011 -- “God has overwhelmed
me with love, by making me grow in life through a series of
golden ages”: thus Salesian Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze Kiun,
during the homily of the Golden Jubilee of Priestly
Ordination Mass celebrated Friday, February 11th, Memorial
of Our Lady of Fatima, in Salesian Missionary House (Shau
Kei Wan, Hong Kong).
The golden ages that Card. Zen, looking
back on his almost octogenarian life, has found, span the
first forty years of his life. The first golden age is that
of Salesian presence in Shanghai, during and just after
World War II, a presence animated by the saintly Provincial
Fr. Carlo Braga, when little Joseph was an aspirant
(1944-1948). The second golden age is that of initial
Salesian formation with such spiritual guides as Novice
Director Fr Luigi Massimino and Rector Fr Vincenzo Ricaldone
(1948-1952). The third golden age is that of the Salesian
Aspirantate in Macau and Hong Kong in the fifties, when
Joseph was the Salesian assistant of dozens of aspirants
(1952-1955). The fourth golden age is that of his
theological studies in Crocetta’s Ateneo Salesiano during
the Turin years with people like Frs Brocardo and Valentini
as Rectors, Frs Quadrio, Camilleri, Bertetto et al.
as professors and mentors (1955-1961). The fifth golden age
is that of Cheung Chau (Hong Kong) when he was Catechist and
Prefect of Studies of Salesian House of Studies with as many
as sixty young Salesians hailing from a dozen countries in
Europe, America, and South East Asia (1964-1970).
Full of gratitude for this abundance of
graces, Card. Zen expressed also a deep sense of repentance.
Recalling the generosity and fervour with which in his youth
he responded to these divine calls, he applied to himself
the stern words of the Lord Jesus to “the angel of the
Church in Ephesus”: “I know you are enduring patiently and
bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the
love you had at first” (Rev 2:3-4). After inviting all
participants to thank God together with him, he also begged
them to continue to pray for him.
The chapel wall was decorated with the
words inscribed on the memorial card of the priestly
ordination in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in
Turin at the hands of Archbishop Maurilio Fossati in 1961:
“Unless the grain of wheat…” (John 12:24) and “Carissimi, my
sacrifice and yours in the Sacrifice of Christ for the
Church of Silence”. Concelebrating with Card. Zen and
sharing in the family agape that followed the Mass were two
Shanghaiese Jesuit confessors of the faith. Frs Zhu
and Gu spent from 26 to 29 years in goal for the faith.
Their presence highlighted the deep love for the suffering
China Church that has characterised the priestly and
episcopal service of Card. Zen. Present were also Card.
Zen’s younger sister, numerous Salesian confreres from Hong
Kong and Macau, and a dozen young men connected with the
Salesian Aspirantate.
Saturday, February 12th, about one
hundred faithful, volunteer helpers of the Diocesan
Audio-Visual Centre, came to Salesian Missionary House to
continue the celebration of Card. Zen’s Golden Jubilee of
Priesthood. Led by their supervisor Dr Dominic Y. Yung, they
received the New Year 'laisi' from the Cardinal, together
with words of encouragement for their generous promotion of
evangelisation and catechesis through the distribution of
the fine audio-visual products of their Centre. In the
chapel they prayed in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament
exposed, with prayer formulas that reflected their precise
and deep knowledge of the critical situation of the Church
in China. A group photo before the statue of St. Dominic
Savio in our garden concluded the joyful encounter.
The provincial celebration of Cardinal
Joseph Zen’s Golden Priestly Jubilee of Priesthood will take
place on Don Bosco’s Birthday, August 16th, in the company
of all the other priestly, Salesian, religious, and
matrimonial jubilarians of the Salesian Family. _________________ AustraLasia
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