The following extract is the Appendix written by Rector Major Pascual Chavez Villanueva and Sr. Maria Fe Nuñez Muñoz, FMA President for the occasion of the Seminar on Salesian History in the East Asia – Oceania region of the Salesian Society. Continue reading “Maria Fe Nuñez Muñoz,Pascual Chavez Villanueva – “Appendix” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
Don Bosco was a man who dreamed dreams. His dreams became reality and are still becoming reality. A lot of people think that he had a dream that is connected with the Korean province. The dream concerns the evangelization of Northeast Asia. If we look at the historical records that we have in our possession, the first Salesian confrere to set foot on Korean soil was the “Don Bosco of the East”, the Eastern Interpretation of Don Bosco’s Preventive System, the Venerable, Fr. Vincenzo Cimatti. ln 1934, he went to Manchuria to give a concert. At the same time he visited Korea, giving a concert in four cities. After that Fr. Cimatti himself as Provincial began to form missionaries in Japan to send to Korea. The first Salesians to enter Korea were the fruits of these endeavors. Continue reading “Michael Chang – “A concise history of the salesian corean missions” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
Up to the present day, officially the Salesians of Vietnam has had a history of over 52 years. A history that is long, as well as epic and fruitful enough to draw admiration from many, as well as attention of those who are interested in Salesian history, as we are here in these days. Unluckily, because of the social and political turmoil of the country, most of the documents had been destroyed or lost, which certainly renders the writing down this history become a very challenging task. it is my task to present to you a short historical account of the first period of this glorious history. The beginning of the Salesian Work in Vetnam, of which, in using biblical expression, I would dare to give a subtitle: The Patriarchal story and the Exodus. The account that my presentation is dealing with covers a time-span of about 25 years, roughly from 1930 to 1955. Continue reading “John Nguyen Van Ty – “The beginning of the salesian work in Vietnam: the patriarchal story and exodus” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
The aim of the Seminar is to present the beginnings of the Salesian Presence in East Asia and Oceania. The Philippines, as part of this Salesian Region, has also its beginnings and origins from the first Salesian Presence in East Asia: China. For in the two times that the Salesians started to root themselves in the Philippines, they came from China to negotiate and to concretise what they negotiated. Continue reading “Nestor Impelido – “Salesians in the Philippines (1949-1963): historical notes” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
The purpose of this work is to show the process of the first presence of the Salesians in East Timor, between 1927 and 1929. It is a meteoric presence for it did not last two whole years and it is also intriguing due to questions that rose. In fact, how is it possible that the Salesians decided to abandon the Island shortly after a year and a half, when the Salesians had accepted the administration of a school of arts and crafts existing already in Dili (capital of the territory) – after having celebrated a contract with the Bishop of Macau, Josè da Costa Nunes, for a sexennium – what important reasons led the Major Superiors to take such a decision before the bilateral contract celebrated in January 1927 come to an end? Continue reading “Amador Anjos – “The first salesians in east Timor: 1927-1929” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
In the years 1924-25, the Salesian Congregation was preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Salesian missions and to this purpose some qualified confreres were giving talks on Salesian Missions, in parishes, schools, to cooperators and alumni to animate them about the missionary work and to get their support. On the 25h of February 1924,Msgr. Dante Munerati, the Salesian Procurator in Rome, wrote a letter to inform the Superiors in Turin that he had received an unofficial note from His Excellency Cardinal Van Rossum, Prefect of the Congregation of Propaganda Fide, saying that he would like to entrust a new mission in the Kingdom of Siam to the Salesians. Continue reading “Enrico Danieli – “The initium of the salesian presence in Thailand” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
To write this paper, I used a great part of the materials gathered by the deceased Fr. Alfonso Crevacore in the “Cimatti Museum” of Tokyo (CMT), situated in the Salesian Seminary of Chofu. It deals specially with the mail correspondence. The originals are found according to the container, or in the Vatican Archives, or in the Central Salesian Archives of Rome (ASC) or in the archive of the China Province in Hong Kong or in the said Cimatti Museum. Fr. Mario Rassiga’s manuscript “Breve cenno storico dell’opera salesiana in Cina” (vol. II, chapter XCIX, pp. 125-136), which reported the correspondence between the Holy See and the Superiors in Turin before the foundation of the Salesian work in Japan. One should note that the actual Japanese Province, up to I January 1928, was part of the Visitatoria of China, of which the superior was Fr. Ignazio Canazei. Continue reading “Gaetano Compri – “The beginning and the development of the salesian work in Japan” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
The China Mission, which started in 1906, was established as an autonomous entity on 1 January 1923, when the Visitatoria della China was erected, comprising 32 confreres and houses and works in Macao, Heung Shan and Shiu Chow. As new missions in Japan and Siam were being accepted or considered, the Sino-Japanese Province was erected on 28 May 1926. In December of that same year Fr. Pietro Ricaldone set out on a year-long extraordinary visitation of the Asian Missions.By the time the visitation ended in late 1927, there was a Salesian regional presence and a well established juridical structure in East Asia.
This brief paper intends to outline the juridical configuration and development strategies of the Salesian work in China and study the internal and external conditions that influenced its first expansion, in the years 1926-1927, in East Asia. Continue reading “Carlo Socol – “The birth of the China province and the expansion of the salesian work in east Asia (1926-1927)” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
This article would like to present a general view of the political situation of China in the period of 1920-30. Even though China has succeeded in establishing a republic through the revolution, she was still suffering from the civil wars and foreign powers invasion. It greatly affected the daily life of the people, and also, giving a great hindrance for Salesians, along with other missionaries, in their evangelization and educational endeavors. Continue reading “Leong Domingos – “The political situation in China in 1920-30 and its effects on salesians” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
On 6 February l922,Pius XI (1939) ascended the Papal throne: he would become known as a “Pope of the Missions” (as was his predecessor, Benedict XV). Two months later, on 24 April, Fr. Filippo Rinaldi ( 5 December 1931) was elected Rector Major: his ten years in office would be recalled for the great re-launching of the Salesian missionary movement. After a rapid glance at the “missionary policy” of the Papacy during the same period, we shall concentrate on that. Continue reading “Francesco Motto – “Salesian missionary activity while blessed Filippo Rinaldi (1921-1931) was Rector maior with particular reference to eastern Asia” in “The beginning of the Salesian presence in east Asia”.”
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