Carlo Socol – “The first twenty years of the orfanato of Macao between ideal and reality (1906-1926)” in “Insediamenti e iniziative salesiane dopo don Bosco”

The present study aims at sketching the history of the first 20 years of the Salesian Orphanage of Macao (the “Orfanato”), focusing mainly on three problem areas of the first Salesian settlement in China: 1. the charismatic urge that brought the Salesians to Macao; 2. the first painful impact with reality; 3. the role played by the Orfanato in the overall strategy of Salesian expansion.

Il presente studio si propone di tracciare la storia dei primi 20 anni dell’Orfanatrofio salesiano di Macao (l'”Orfanato”), focalizzandosi principalmente su tre aree problematiche del primo insediamento salesiano in Cina: 1. la spinta carismatica che portò i Salesiani a Macao; 2. il primo doloroso impatto con la realtà; 3. il ruolo giocato dall’Orfanato nella strategia complessiva di espansione salesiana.

Index:

• 1. A charismatic urge
  • 1.1 The negotiations: the role of fr. Francesco Saverio Rondina SJ
  • 1.2 Don Arturo Conelli
  • 1.3 The negotiations: phase II and III
• 2. The first impact with reality: the Orfanato 1906-1910
  • 2.1 The arrival and the first years
  • 2.2 Exit from Macao in 1910: looking beyond the Portuguese enclave
• 3. Return to Macao: a new role for the Orfanato
  • 3.1 The orfanato in transition: Nov. 1910 – Sep. 1912
  • 3.2 A fresh look for the Orfanato: new ideas for a new China
  • 3.3 The Orfanato: growth (1912-1918) and development (1918-1924)
  • 3.4 Achievements and challenges
  • 3.5 Language and inculturation

Reference time period: 1906 – 1926

Reference institution:
Istituto Storico Salesiano