P. Agostino Young
Hankow (Hupeh, Cina) 31 maggio 1920
Franklin, WI (USA) 16 luglio 1994
P. Agostino Young è morto a Franklin, WI alle 22.30 del16 luglio 1994. Aveva 74 anni: era nato a Hankow (Cina) il 31.5.1920.
La sua famiglia era tutta cristiana e si era trasferita a Loyang, proprio di fronte alla residenza dei Saveriani, quando lui aveva circa tre anni. Nel 1933 il giovane Agostino entrò in seminario; nel 1947 fu ordinato sacerdote e quattro mesi dopo iniziò il Noviziato nella casa saveriana di Pechino. Emessa la prima Professione aI-choen nel Kiang-si il 13.3.1949, fu destinato con P. Ronzani a P'ing-Siang.
Dopo pochi mesi dovette lasciare la missione. Fu a Hong-Kong, poi a Macao e nel giugno del '50 raggiunse il Giappone.
P. Agostino lavorò per più di trent'anni nel Paese del Sol levante, dedicato alla cura pastorale delle comunità cristiane, sempre disponibile per la catechesi dei catecumeni e impegnato nella direzione degli asili infantili. Per svolgere con più competenza quest'ultima attività, il P. Agostino studiò, per due anni, pedagogia all'Università di Nagoya.
Nel 1983 P. Agostino, provato dallo stile di vita giapponese, chiese e ottenne di essere trasferito alla Regione degli USA dove si dedicò al ministero sacerdotale fino all'aprile scorso quando gli fu diagnosticato il tumore che in tre mesi lo condusse alla tomba.
Di P. Agostino piace ricordare quanto scriveva il suo maestro di Noviziato, P. Ronzani, nel lontano 1949: "Ha una bella intelligenza, profonda e pronta, ottima memoria, volontà forte e costante ... è un tipo quieto, non chiassoso e non di molte parole... chiuso, si espande poco...". Effettivamente P. Agostino era molto riservato, ma non al punto di non farci intravedere il dolore grande che portava nel cuore per non sapere niente della sua famiglia e della sua patria: "Adesso sono molto triste, perché ora sento vivissime... la tristezza e le sofferenze di uno che ha la patria ma non può rimpatriare, ha i genitori o parenti ma non può rivederli" (Lett. del 12.3.74).
Il Signore accolga nella Patria eterna, nella famiglia dei figli di Dio, questo missionario che ha sofferto l'esilio dalla sua patria terrena e la completa lontananza dalla sua famiglia.
P. Augustine Young
Hankow (Hupeh, Cina) 31 maggio 1920
Franklin, WI (USA) 16 luglio 1994
Fr. Augustine Young died in Franklin, WI at 10:30pm of July 16 1994, of cancer which appeared in March 1994. He was 74 years old, born at Hankow (China) on May 31 1920.
He came from a Christian family which moved to Loyang, just in front of the residence of the Xaverians, when he was just three years old. Fr. Augustine, in his younger days, joined the Diocesam Seminary in 1933, and was ordained a priest in 1947. After four months, he joined the Xaverian Novitiate at Peching, and professed First Vows on Mar. 13 1948 at I-choen in the Xang-si province, and, together with his Novice Master Fr. Ronzani, was assigned to P’ing-Siang.
Unfortunately, after a few months, he had to leave because of the Mao revolution, and went to Hong-Kong, then Macao, and finally he reached Japan in June 1950. Fr. Augustine worked there for over 30 years, dedicating himself in the pastoral care of the Christian communities, always available for the catechesis of the catechuments, and committed director of nursery schools. He also studied Pedagogy at the University of Nagoya for two years, in order to carry out his ministry among the children with more competence.
At the end of this challenging period, Fr. Augustine was then assigned to the USA Province in 1983, where he joined the Franklin Seminary, and helped in the priestly ministry until the end of April 1994, when he was diagnosed with a tumor. Fr. Rocco wrote: "Because of his limited knowledge of the language, he found it difficult to contribute to the community. Nevertheless he spent a lot of time in prayer. He often asked about the students, their programs, their progress; and at community meetings he would contribute with pertinent and wise observations. He was a great observer of his surroundings, and often he was right in his assessments."
It’s good to remember what Fr. Ronzani, master of Novices, wrote of Fr. Augustine in 1949: “He’s very intelligent, of deep, ready and great memory, of strong and constant will… he’s a quiet person, not noisy, and of few words… a bit shy, and reserved…” In fact, Fr. Augustine was quite reserved in dealing with others, but not shy enough to let us know how much he suffered because of the distance of his family and homeland: “Right now I’m very sad, because I feel deeply the pains and sufferings of someone who has a home, but cannot go back, who has parents or relatives, but cannot see them.” (Letter of Mar. 12 1974).
"After his death - wrote Fr. A. Turco - we found, well-hidden in his wallet, two faded photos of his parents; they were young, photos developed in the 1950s, before he left for Japan, during the Maoist Revolution. He preserved them with such love and memory till his death. They were always close to his heart.
He gave a lot with his smile, with his great sense of hospitality and presence, without many words, humble and discrete. The pastor at St. Joseph in West Allis, where he used to celebrate the Saturday Eucharist, wrote the following in the parish bulletin: 'Have you ever noticed that our dear friend Fr. Young celebrated the Eucharist, but always let me do the homily? I know that his greatest homily was his smile!'"
May the Lord welcome into his Eternal Home, in the family of the Children of God, our missionary brother who has suffered much the exile from his earthly homeland and the complete/forced distance of his own family.
