Invited to Italy for the beatification of Don Bosco　　

Don Bosco Memorial in Nakatsu on June 4, 1930

　　Invited to Italy for the beatification of Don Bosco　　

　At the beginning of 1929, two miracles of Don Bosco were recognized and Pope Pius XI decided to beatify him on April 21st of that year.
　To celebrate this great event, the superiors of the Salesian Order, whose headquarters was in Turin, invited the heads of all Salesian provinces around the world to the Roman ceremony and, on that occasion, decided to hold a general assembly of the Order at its headquarters in Turin.
　Father Cimatti had lived in Japan for three years as the head priest of Oita and Miyazaki, of which he had only spent two years as parish priest of Miyazaki, so he wanted to refuse, but due to strong words from his superiors, he appointed Father Cavoli as parish priest of Miyazaki Church and then boarded a ship for Italy. According to Father Cavoli's report, not only were many parishioners seeing him off when Father Cimatti left Miyazaki Church, but many also shed tears.
　Father Cimatti was away from Japan from mid-March to the end of December 1929.
　He took part in the opening of Don Bosco's coffin in Valsalice, Italy, his beatification in Rome and his celebration in Turin.
　"I was amazed at the participation and joy not only of the young people and Salesians, but of the countless others," wrote Father Cimatti.

　　Introducing missionary work in Japan in Italy　　　　

　That summer, Fr. Cimatti attended the Salesian General Assembly in Turin and expressed his opinions, particularly on missionary activities. He also traveled around Salesian branches and churches throughout Italy, introducing Japan's little-known situation and missionary activities. One of his goals was to provide financial assistance to the Oita and Miyazaki areas, but due to the economic slump in Italy, this did not go as expected.

　　New seminarians, monks, priests and sisters arrive in Japan　　　　

　Father Cimatti returned to Miyazaki at the end of December 1929. To celebrate the beatification of Don Bosco, he brought eight seminarians from the Salesian Society. In addition, one month before his arrival, five sisters from the Congregation of Our Lady Help of Christians, as well as one Salesian priest and one religious, had been sent to Japan.
　Thus began the year 1930. As head of the Salesian Society, he first established his own residence at Miyazaki Church and secured a place for the sisters and seminarians to live. Due to a lack of money, they ended up renting a very modest house. 1930 also marked the 25th anniversary of Father Cimatti's ordination.

　　How can we celebrate Don Bosco in Miyazaki and Oita?　　　　

　First, they printed a new biography of Don Bosco, and then, from May 31 to June 6, 1930, they planned and carried out concerts and lectures every day in public halls in towns where Salesian priests worked. In the mornings, they prayed with the faithful and those they knew in each church, and at lunchtime they invited town officials to dinner, and in the evenings they held a concert and a lecture about Don Bosco the educator. The concert and lectures, attended by the Papal Nuncio and town officials, were very helpful in eradicating prejudices against Catholicism at the time.
　Father Cimatti's personal notebook contains this assessment.
　"Don Bosco was celebrated in Japan. It was in the newspapers. Everything was a success."　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Cimatti Museum 　　Father Marsilio
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　February 6, 2020

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