(ANS – Hong Kong) – On the occasion of the opening of the Year of Faith, the Salesians of the Province of China published an English language edition of the Gospel of Mark in comic form, taking cues from the original version of the book in Mandarin.

The new edition, comprising two volumes, had already been completed long ago under the guidance of the Salesian, Fr Dennis Martin, who died in 2006. Assisted by a group of enthusiastic pupils, Fr Dennis had supervised the production of the new version, which reiterated previously published volumes from Vox Amica Press of Hong Kong, changing the lyrics based on the Gospel of Mark in the New American Bible.

Now, in response to the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI to renew the commitment to Christian proclamation, the Province "Maria Ausiliatrice" gave to the printers the two volumes in English. In doing so, the Chinese Salesians intend, in the first place, to offer young readers the opportunity to get to know the figure of Jesus, through the simple and compelling comics form; and secondly, to pay their last respects to the Salesian missionary life of Fr Dennis, appreciating a piece of his legacy.

The two volumes chronicle the life of Jesus with bold graphics and great fidelity to the Gospel account. Flipping through the pages is a special character: "Little Priest", who has the task of guiding the readers on their journey to understanding the Good News.

The comics are one of the most popular media among young people around the world, and this helps to make this work a useful tool to tell the story of Jesus. The new English Edition already has various famous admirers: Salesian Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun, Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, hoped that "this book might arouse the interest of people to explore the Gospel and the Kingdom of heaven", while Fr Steve Ryan, Coordinator of Youth Pastoral and young adults of the Province of the Eastern United States, recommends this book to parents, teachers and instructors.

The book is on sale in major Catholic bookstores in Hong Kong; for those who want to buy it elsewhere or receive further information try osenquiry@vap.org.hk

Published 24/10/2012