The day began at 3 p.m. with the celebration of Holy Mass in the Nossa Senhora church in the historic site of Ka Ho, a place linked to the mission and witness of Fr Gaetano. The Eucharist was presided over by the Bishop of Macao, His Excellency Stephen Lee Bun Sang, and concelebrated by about forty priests, including the Provincial, Fr Domingos Leong, and Salesians from the houses of Macao and Hong Kong, diocesan priests and religious from other congregations.
The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and numerous members of the Salesian Family were also present.
The Ka Ho chapel was packed with faithful, many of whom had known Fr Gaetano personally: former students, former Hansen’s disease patients, collaborators and people who had experienced his closeness, his words and his tireless service.
During his homily, Fr Domingos Leong emphasised the deep connection between the vocation of Fr Gaetano Nicosia and that of Blessed Louis Variara, highlighting how both were able to interpret human suffering as a call from God to the total gift of self. He emphasised Fr Gaetano’s constant commitment to promoting the dignity of every person, his tireless work to foster reconciliation and peace, and his ability to create communion where exclusion and marginalisation had dominated for years.
At the end of the Eucharistic celebration, the Opening Session of the diocesan phase took place, an ecclesial and juridical act by which the Diocese of Macao officially began the Inquiry into the life, heroic virtues, reputation for holiness and signs of the Servant of God Gaetano Nicosia.
During the session, the members of the Diocesan Tribunal and the Vice-Postulator, Fr Gabriel Cruz, took the required oath. In his address, the Bishop of Macao invited all those present to look to the life of Fr Gaetano Nicosia as a concrete model for Christian life, urging them to follow his example of simple charity and to entrust themselves with confidence to the maternal care of Mary, whom the Salesian missionary always felt as his guide and support.
Born in Sicily, in San Giovanni La Punta (Catania) on 3 April 1915 and died in Hong Kong at the age of 102 on 6 November 2017, the Servant of God Fr Gaetano Nicosia lived over eighty years of consecrated life. His figure remains alive in Macao, Hong Kong, mainland China and Italy, not only as a memory, but as a current call to live the Gospel in closeness, dignity and hope. With the opening of this diocesan phase, the Church now begins a journey of confident discernment, asking that the example of this humble servant continue to enlighten those who wish to make Christian love a way of life and invoking his intercession with confidence.
