austraLasia #2808 3 for Thanks and 3x3 for Intentions
HONG KONG: 20 February 2011 -- “I thank the Salesian
Society for giving me 3 f’s: Faith; Formation; Fervour”.
Thus Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, S.D.B., new Secretary of
the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, during
the homily at the solemn Votive Mass of Mary Help of
Christians which he celebrated Saturday, February 19, for
the whole Salesian Family in Hong Kong and Macau.
Since his return to Hong Kong on Tuesday
February 15, these have been busy days for Archbishop Savio.
On Thursday morning and afternoon he was in Macau. On
Thursday evening, he celebrated Mass in St. Anthony’s
Church, Hong Kong, where he had been celebrating Sunday Mass
for many years. On Friday evening, he celebrated Mass in St
Margaret's Church for the academic community of Holy Spirit
Seminary College, where he has been teaching philosophy and
theology for 28 years until January this year. Of this
Seminary College, aggregated to the Pontifical Urban
University, in his capacity as Secretary of CEP he is now
the Vice-Chancellor. Answering a last question at the end of
an academic family gathering after the Mass (“Reflecting on
your experience in these last two months, what words would
you like to say to the young?”), Savio said: “In these two
months more than ever I have experienced God’s love for me.
To the young I say: Whatever may happen in your life, be
sure that God loves you, loves you very much, very much!”
On the evening of Sunday, February 20,
the Diocese of Hong Kong gathered around Archbishop Savio
during a solemn Sunday Evening Mass in the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception. At the beginning of the Mass, Bishop
John Tong, the Bishop of Hong Kong, presented the new
Archbishop (Hong Kong born!) to the packed assembly, who
responded with a great applause. In his homily (whose length
imitated the wonderful 1/2 hour homily preached by the Holy
Father at his ordination on Feb 5 in St. Peter’s, Rome),
Archbishop Savio said: “Our Founder St John Bosco encouraged
new priests to ask God, during their ordination, for a
special grace, sure that God would not refuse it. Ordained a
priest, I asked the same grace Don Bosco asked, the gift of
preaching well. Ordained a bishop, I asked not one but three
graces: peace for our world; the light of the Gospel for
China; … the possibility of asking three other graces! Now,
the first of these three other graces is the grace that each
one of you this evening may wish to ask of God, basking in
the grace of my episcopal ordination.’ I hasten to write
this before the end of this great day, so that you too, dear
reader of Australasia, may enjoy this episcopal “bounty”. (Fr
Lanfranco Fedrigotti). _________________ AustraLasia
is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia
Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in
Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com
. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click
on austraLasia 2011 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS
orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from
there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle.
Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
