Matters India Reporter
Hong Kong, March 25, 2020 — Four groups of Salesian Family in China province has volunteered to help the Salesian Family members in Italy to fight Covid-19 pandemic. The Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr. Stefano Martoglio has directed all ‘benefactors’ to the pandemic epicenter Milan in Lombardy.
“Some people here in China province are talking about collecting donations and sending them to the Rector Major for fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. What do you think – surgical face masks are the best to send…?,” asks a Don Bosco alumnus from Macau.
Another alumnus from Hong Kong says, “Our friends are asking, how can we help the people who suffer in Italy (birth place of Don Bosco). Which way to help is better, sending medical supplies such as masks, etc. or money instead?”
A Salesian Cooperator from Taiwan says, ”I have just received a call from my friend who would like to donate 10,000 surgical masks to the Salesians and the medical staff in Italy, but he does not know where to channel it and asks for my assistance. Can you help?”
Another group of Don Bosco Past Pupils writes to the Rector Major, “The pandemic has brought us together as never before, as we are working closely with the Salesian China Province in Hong Kong, in procuring emergency equipment for the Salesian confreres, as well as teachers and students in the local schools: items such as surgical face masks and hand sanitizers, which are now considered indispensable in containing the spread of the virus.”
The alumni underlines their obligation in repaying Italian Salesians who came to Shanghai, Mainland China in 1906 in their hour of need saying, “In taking up what essentially is a mundane task, we also realise that we are called, as past pupils, to participate in the great work of making Don Bosco’s dream of sending Salesians to serve Chinese youths on Chinese soil come true.”
They further assured saying, “As a token of our solidarity with the Salesians at the headquarters in Rome, we are working out ways to dispatch to you a modest consignment of surgical facemasks, which we hope will be useful in protection against cross-transmission of the disease. Please let us know if you need these or other emergency materials and we will try our best to help.”
On the other side of this solidarity is the Milan-Lombardy Salesian provincial of Milan province (ILE – Italia: Lombardy and Emilia) Fr Giuliano Giacomuzzi, who replies to China province Salesian Cooperators and Don Bosco Past Pupils from his heart saying, “Dear friends, many thanks! This generosity warms our hearts and helps us to be strong in this moment of history when we all feel more fragile!”
Fr Giacomuzzi adds, “We just hope that during our difficult times we can witness more of these heart warming signs of Salesian Family compassion, solidarity and effective help!”