TOKYO: 7th October 2008
(austraLasia
#2273) --
Venerable Vincent Cimatti, founder of the Salesian work in Japan , revered
patriarchal figure in that nation when he died in 1956 and, amongst
Christian believers, already with a
reputation
for holiness, was remembered amongst Salesians in that country on 6th
October, the 43rd anniversary of his death, with a solemn mass and concert.
The vice-postulator for the Cause, Fr Gaetano Compri, missionary in
Japan for the past 53 years, is beavering away constantly with the
collection and presentation of materials relevant to the Cause. Fr Compri
is also the director of the Cimatti Museum in Tokyo . Some 6,000 items of
correspondence have already been fully transcribed and catalogued (available
on SDL, Cimatti collection) and now an additional CD of original musical
recordings of Mons . Cimatti has been created. Once that arrives we will
endeavour to make all of it or at least excerpts available for download in
the same SDL collection. Fr Compri is still working on a biography which
will draw from the contents of that correspondence. He hopes to have this
ready for publication in 2009.
Writing recently to Italian Provincials in view of a new book to be
published in that language on Cimatti's life, by Elledici, Fr Compri reminds
them that the Vatican's theological commission examining the Cause has said
of Cimatti that: "we find ourselves faced with one of the most attractive
figures of holiness in the 29th century".