(ANS - Tokyo) - Can a venerable Salesian, who died almost 50 years ago, continue to speak of the Salesian spirit , make his voice heard and even preach the retreat? The answer, surprisingly, is yes. Because, fortunately, some recordings of Don Vincent Cimatti made in 1955 have been found and published.
Venerable Vincent Cimatti (1879-1965) is an authoritative representative of the early Salesian tradition. We have notes of forty-four retreats given by him, and these can be read on the internet in the Salesian Digital Library. Now we can also hear his voice! A retreat on the Salesian Spirit preached to the students at Chofu, a suburb of Tokyo, from 25 to 29 July 1955 was recorded, unbeknownst to Don Cimatti, by Fr Federico Baggio, at that time a missionary in Japan.
Until a few years ago these were on magnetic tape. In 2005 three reels were given to Fr Gaetano Compri, who is a collaborator in the cause of Bishop Cimatti. They were then transferred to CD and are now preserved in the Don Cimatti Museum in Tokyo. The recordings are of good quality and the voice of Don Cimatti is lively, full of warmth and energy. The talks are in Italian, a language that all the participants understood.
At that time there were four talks each day during the Retreat. Those in the morning and evening were called Meditations. The other two were more practical and were called Instructions. Don Cimatti preached 10 instructions on the Salesian spirit, based on the writings of Don Bosco and his experience. He not only taught the Salesian spirit, but lived it faithfully throughout his life. The Rector Major Fr Renato Ziggiotti, a former pupil of Don Cimatti, described him as "one of the typical representatives of the Salesian spirit ... A perfect Salesian, a teacher in name and in realty of the virtues that are fundamental to our educational mission."
The titles of the 10 instructions were as follows:
In this year dedicated to the spirituality of Don Bosco, this encounter with the spiritual teaching of one of his most authentic followers is a great gift and a source we can draw on.
Published 14/01/2014
