Retracing Don Bosco's legacy
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The Salesians celebrated the 100th anniversary of their predecessors' arrival in India.
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IN GOOD FAITH The international president of the Don Bosco Society Fr. Pascual Chavez gets a traditional welcome on his arrival at the Province Headquarters in Hyderabad.
About a century ago, six pioneers of the Salesian Society began their work in India at Tanjore on January 14, 1906. Retracing the footsteps of the pioneers of the society started by Don Bosco that is doing yeoman service in vocational education and other fields, Rector Major, Fr. Pascual Chavez, the ninth successor of St John Bosco or Don Bosco, visited Hyderabad and inaugurated a Centenary Dream Park.
The park depicts four aspects of the original dream, spanning from Don Bosco's when he was nine years old to the current reality of a better lives for a number of young boys. The Salesians of Don Bosco extend their services in 11 districts of Andhra Pradesh reaching out to the marginalised youth in 28 institutions.The vast majority of their beneficiaries are non-Christians and the Salesians work without any discrimination of caste, creed or language.The concentration is on reaching the education to the unreached.
The Rector Major opened an exhibition on Don Bosco and his life entitled: The Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Youth according to St. John Bosco.
He unveiled a plaque, cut the ribbon and spent some time seeing the exhibits. He was so impressed that he sat on the floor at a point where he would find a place in future among his illustrious predecessors. Fr. Joachim hoped that this permanent exhibition is maintained and built on with the same freshness.
Though the Salesian mission began a century ago in India, its pioneers reached Andhra Pradesh only in 1964 when Fr. Puthota Benjamin, Fr. Panampara Abraham and Br. Gabriel started their work in Guntur. The Salesian work in this area has multiplied exponentially leading to Andhra Pradesh becoming a province in just 28 years.
Fr.Chavez releases an image from the blog.
The Superior General of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Rev. Fr. Pascual Chavez, a Mexican, was born on December 20, 1947 at Real de Catorce (San Luis de Potosi), a mining area in the centre of northern Mexico. In addition to his ecclestiastical degrees, Fr. Chavez is also a qualified teacher in scientific subjects.
During the cultural programme marking the centenary celebrations of the Salesian presence in India, the Rector Major launched the Don Bosco Tele-Youth Movement. He did this by launching the blog on Don Bosco Hyderabad Province called www.donboscohyderabad.org
Fr. Maddhichetty Noel, Salesian Provincial, Province of Hyderabad expressed his happiness over the smooth and eventful celebration.
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