In addition to his visit to Farnborough, Cardinal Bo also visited the Salesian community and parish at Battersea on Pentecost Sunday, where he celebrated both the 9.30 and 11.30 Masses, enabling him to meet many parishioners in this multicultural community.

 

In his homily, the Salesian Cardinal of Myanmar (Burma) spoke of the challenges of life in Myanmar, where as a Salesian since 1976, and more recently as Cardinal, he has carried out his mission to the 800,000 members of the Catholic Church through decades of conflict, and his assurance that 'peace is still possible'.

 

The peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit, and the gift of communicating the faith across borders was present in the Mass itself, as voices from the pulpit spoke the Prayer of the Faithful in languages including Spanish, Chinese, French.

 

At the end of the second Mass, parishioner Winifred Dunne was presented with a certificate for her work for Missio in the parish, and the congregation witnessed the delightful moment when she received a hug from Cardinal Bo!

 

Volunteers began work the night before, decorating the hall to reflect the international nature of the community in Battersea, and parishioners were encouraged to attend in their national dress, and to bring food from their diverse cultures for the celebrations after Mass. No one felt alone during this day of celebration of a whole unique family: the Church.

 

Read more about Cardinal Bo's encouraging visit on the ANS website (Salesian News Agency, Rome)

Source: Cristiana Ferrauti
Photos: Zheleznyakova Elena