ASIA/JAPAN - Salesian charism in evangelization of the Land of the Rising Sun

Tokyo (Agenzia Fides) – The charism of Don Bosco continues to exercise its influence on the work of evangelization in the Land of the Rising Sun. The Salesians of the Japanese province of “Saint Francis Xavier” - the first evangelizer in Japan – have alunched a program for te new year, which in Japan began on April 1, led by the new Salesian Director Fr. Aldo Cipriani. The Salesian community rejoiced with the recent perpetual vows taken and the entrance of new vocations into the community, which are signs of the attraction that the charism of Don Bosco continues to exercise in the Far East today.
The community continues to hold encounters for promoting and deepening in Salesian spirituality, which combines the entire family of religious men and women, and laity in the area. All the members of the Salesian Family are determined to work even harder in this year in the area of education and other related tasks.
They are especially focusing on the youth of Japan, who often suffer from difficulties, solitude, desolation, and despair.
The Salesians have recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of their arrival in Tokyo. From the beginnin, they began working in Arakawa, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. Their presence alongside the poor and marginalized is of great importance for the Salesians. An experience in which this closeness is expressed is at the parish of Hamamatsu, which works to assist immigrants who have lost their homes or their jobs, as a result of the economic crisis. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 22/4/2009)