austraLasia #1904
Ravenna
Festival honours Mons. Vincent Cimatti on his birthday (15th July
1879!)
RAVENNA: 16th July 2007 -- On Sunday
15th July 2007, at the ancient Byzantine mosaic Basilica of San Apolinare Nuovo,
a large local and international crowd gathered to celebrate the Eucharist in
honour of the Venerable Vincent Cimatti. Presiding at the Eucharist was the
vice-postulator of the Cause, Fr Gaetano Compri. Mons. Cimatti had been Fr
Compri's Rector in Japan and they lived in the same community together for seven
years.
Other participants of note at the gathering
included 10 concelebrating Salesian priests (amongst whom two vice provincials,
on from Milan the other from Ancona, the EAO Regional, members of the Ravenna
community), 3 Korean Sisters of Charity of Miyazaki, the Congregation founded by
Cimatti, and 20 Japanese Catholic pilgrims.
The liturgy,
besides recalling the Venerable's birthday, took place within the framework of
the Ravenna Festival, a series of musical and other cultural events held in June
and July of each year since 1990. The Festival president, Mrs Maria Cristina
Mazzavillani, and her committee, were also present for the Mass. The central
musical arrangements for the Mass were in fact a Mass written by Monsignor
Cimatti (1879-1965), 'Saepe dum Christi', with additional pieces by Fr Lorenzo
Perosi (1872-1956). The music was performed by the polyphonic choir 'Ludus
Vocalis' directed by Stefano Sintoni. Comments on the Mass and Prayers of the
Faithful were attended to by the Faenza Chapter of Past Pupils of Don Bosco, a
group which has maintained its strong affection for its illustrious citizen and
Salesian priest.
The event became very much a celebration
of Cimatti, the model missionary. The EAO Regional, Fr Klement, drew on the
Rector Major's letter on the EAO Region where this point was made explicitly.
The Salesian Rector and Parish Priest in Ravenna, Fr Ivano Bicego, made a
similar point at the conclusion saying that 'Monsignor Cimatti is now here with
us, urging us to become ever more the missionary in our own
land!'.
This year 2007, the Salesians in Ravenna are also
celebrating their centenary of presence in the city. The Cimatti celebration was
seen as an important element of this celebration. Commemorative stamps have been
released by the Italian Post Office to record the
centenary.
The event concluded with a luncheon offered by
the Salesian community to some 400 participants at the
event.
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