(ANS – Hong Kong) – On 20 January the Salesian Family in China Province began their preparations for the Bicentenary of Don Bosco's birth. The event took place at the Wu Kwai Sha Village and involved some 800 people.

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, Fr Lanfranco Fedrigotti, Provincial, China, Sr Monica Liu, FMA Provincial,  and Sr Mabel Chan, Supreme Moderator of the Sisters Announcers of the Lord were present, as well as representatives of all the Salesian Family Groups in the area.

The motto for the day was “Don Bosco's heart – heart to heart", and served to illustrate the desire to follow the Rector Major's invitation to “know, imitate and inherit Don Bosco's spirit” as part of the Bicentenary preparations. The aim of the event was to reawaken in the hearts of all who took part the desire to follow Don Bosco, joy at being part of the Salesian Family and an invitation to more and more people to belong to it.

During the day there were various symbolic gestures that encouraged those present and enabled them to see the beauty of being part of the Salesian Family. A number of athletes were chosen from amongst the Salesian students, their teachers and members from the youth centres who together did enough laps to number 200 laps of the 400 metre circuit. At the end everyone was invited to take a turn around the track, following Fr Fedrigotti – who led the group with trumpet – and then everyone shared a happy moment exchanging smiles and enjoying the presence of the Family.

They then set up a huge jigsaw puzzle with 200 pieces each one measuring 1 m², and this was laid out on the sports field thanks to 200 members drawn from the group. The puzzle was a picture of Don Bosco, and symbolised the determination and good will in continuing to build up the Salesian Family to extend it and the charism in view of the Bicentenary

Another moving moment was when everyone present waved flags, seeing in this flag-waving by 800 people a sign of unity of the Salesian Family gathered under the flag of Don Bosco.

Published 07/02/2013