austraLasia #1817

Interviews with outstanding missionaries - glimpse into Da Mihi Animas...

MACAU: 16th March 2007 --  The place, Macau, the person, 92 year old long-time Salesian missionary to China, Fr Gaetano Nicosia.  The project, collected materials on the Da Mihi Animas... in preparation, hopefully by May this year, by Fr Aldo Giraudo sdb.  The materials will draw from interviews with a number of outstanding missionaries.  Given Fr Giraudo's grasp of the spirituality of Don Bosco, and given the practical experience and witness of a number of wonderful Salesians in the field, this material will be something to be on the lookout for.
    Just to give readers a glimpse of what the contents might contain, herewith some snippets from an interview with Fr Nicosia.
    Q: What is it Don Bosco is trying to say with his 'Da mihi animas...'?
    A: Don Bosco founded the Oratory and our Congregation. His motivation was the salvation of youth; all his work was for the salvation of souls....if we are to be true sons of Don Bosco we need to be searching for souls with all our means. It was true of the former diocese of Bishop Versiglia (Shiu Chow) and even more important in the schools after 1950 when they were full of students....the boys were enthusiastic and asked us 'I want to be a Catholic', or said 'I love Jesus'. There were many catechumens.
    Q: And the secret of Salesian success worldwide?
    A: From my personal experience it is the conviction of the precious value of each soul. And how can we save souls, as Don Bosco used say if not by making young people sense our love for them.  Since we used talk about the soul, the boys thought about it and gave their response. Another point - personal contact with the young, in the missions, in the schools.  These are souls in our hands. Even now (at 92) I go every week to the local prison to teach catechism on a one-to-one basis. For my whole life, catechism for me was not only teaching but my life's goal. Jesus in my heart - and I want to give him to each youngster! Where Jesus is, there I am too.  I have God in my heart.
    Q: What are some dangers for the Salesian mission?
    A: External dangers - society has changed so much.  Once there was just black and white tv, now they have all kinds of media.  In the past there were no forbidden newspapers even in Chinese pagan countryside.  Now in Macau and Hong Kong - too many! Digital and video games!  Internal dangers - we lack the zeal and enthusiasm to make new Christians; that's more dangerous and has a direct impact on our mission. Our school textbooks on Religion or Values education are not about the Catholic Faith anymore. We have 150 Sisters and some 60 priests around Macau but just 150 baptisms a year! In Yuet Wah College there is still catechesis going on thanks to the community (and including another old missionary Fr Rescalli, also 92 years old), and we have 20 baptisms a year [this year 30]. Don Bosco said 'give me souls', but what we lack is the means to attract them to Jesus. Every soul in our schools is an immeasurable treasure - and this soul is on your hands in our school!
    Q: Cetera tolle - is that difficult?
    A: I pray each day 3 hours before the Blessed Sacrament. I read the Bible in Portuguese. I pray from the Salesian Prayerbook. It's a wonderful time with Jesus. We are for the young. I don't even have time to think about cetera tolle!!  We havenn't talked about the Da mihi animas for a very long time. I'm very happy about this theme for our GC26. Let's not waste time changing a few rooms in this or that building.  What we need is more evangelization! Look at HK Diocese. They recently spent two years on an evangelization campaign and had more than 500 catechumens over the usual number.
   
A little background:  at five years of age when little Gaetano Nicosia entered a Salesian orphanage, he saw a picture of a Hansen's disease sufferer. It inspired him then. 'I kissed that photo', he says. 'Now I don't kiss photos - I kiss the lepers!' He joined the Salesians after studying as a trainee printer at a Salesian school and was sent to China. Some thirty years later he did in fact work in a leprosarium.
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