Awarded Honorary Doctorate
The School of Theology of Seton
Hall University
in South Orange, N.J., conferred an honorary doctorate in
theology upon Abp. Savio Hon Tai-fai, SDB, in an academic ceremony on November
8, 2012. The ceremony took place in the University’s Immaculate Conception
Chapel and was attended by a couple of hundred seminarians and seminary faculty,
including 11 Salesians.
The archbishop was honored for his dedication to the
theological formation of priests, his translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church into Chinese, his service on the
International Theological Commission, and his service to the Church as
secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
Abp. John J. Myers of Newark
presided over the ceremony, which was coordinated by Msgr. Joseph Reilly,
rector of the School
of Theology. The
Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States was also involved in
the planning and sponsored a reception for the archbishop following the
ceremony. Abp. Myers joined Dr. Gabriel Esteban, president of the School of Theology, in presenting the degree.
After receiving his honorary doctorate, Abp. Hon gave an
address entitled “Love and Wisdom: Cardinal Costantini’s Experience in China.”
Abp. Celso Costantini was the first apostolic delegate to China (1922-1933), and in that
office he displayed true missionary wisdom.
Abp. Hon began his talk by referring to the Summer Palace
in Beijing, also called the Garden of Perfect Splendor,
which was reputed to compare favorably with any natural or man-made beauty in
the West. Yet it was burned by the British and French in 1860, its ruins
becoming for the Chinese people a symbol of colonial oppression.
Arriving in China, Costantini already
understood this, and his devoted himself to separating Christianity and its
missionary activity from anything related to Western imperialism. “The
proclamation of Christ,” he said, “should go hand in hand with healing the
people.”
In one of his writings, the apostolic delegate recounted how
he had gone into a pagoda on one occasion and observed many dry, fallen leaves
within its precincts. This led him to a reflection on those leaves (foglie in Italian), producing for him
the four F’s of missionary wisdom.
1. Formation
of the people. The Chinese should be formed in authentic faith without any
contamination of colonialism. They should be formed to appreciate their own
country and culture.
2. Fostering
their religious arts. Costantini was himself an artist, and he observed at once
that European architecture, e.g. in the churches, didn’t fit the Chinese
character; it was insulting to the Chinese, and thus an obstacle to missionary
activity. Their own styles could be adapted appropriately for Christian
purposes.
3.
Friendship with all. A virtuous man’s character is strengthened by his friends.
Friendship could be considered a means that God provides for the improvement of
human beings. Friends help one learn self-discipline.
4. Faith
in God. The Christian faith enlarged Costantini’s heart. He found that the
proclamation of Jesus Christ was more powerful when combined with Chinese
wisdom. So he aimed at an intercultural synthesis between East and West. He
called Christ the tao who
recapitulates all wisdom; tao is
literally “the way,” but it could be given also the sense of the Greek logos. Anticipating the developments of
Vatican II, Costantini looked for manifestations of Christ in Chinese culture.
Respecting the culture and character of the Chinese is the
only way to lead them to Christ, Costantini believed. The Garden of Perfect Splendor
has long disappeared. But Costantini’s dry, fallen leaves have lasted, forming
a carpet on which one may walk toward Christ.
Following Abp. Hon’s address, Abp. Myers offered a few
words of appreciation, also noting that in his capacity as the ecclesiastical
ordinary of the Turks and Caicos Islands he
comes under the jurisdiction of Abp. Hon’s Roman dicastery.
After the ceremony Abp. Hon and the other dignitaries
mingled for some time with the seminarians and faculty outside the chapel. Abp.
Hon particularly enjoyed speaking with his fellow Salesians and happily posed
for several photos with them. He regretted that he couldn’t stop by the
Salesian house of formation in Orange
because his hosts had him on a tight schedule.
 |
| From left: Msgr. Joseph Chiang (retired president of Chinese Apostolate in North America), Bro. Eddy Chincha, Fr. Jay Horan, Bro. Peter Le, Bro. Steve DeMaio, Bro. Mike Eguino, Abp. Hon, Fr. John Serio, Fr. Mike Mendl, Ron Chauca, Simon Song, Bro. John Rasor, and Bro. Miguel Suarez |
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