austraLasia
1434
24 Missionaries from India for Salesian Missions
Worldwide
TIRUCHY (BIS-India): 7th February 2006
-- The first batch of Salesian missionaries who came to Thanjavur in India a
hundred years ago comprised three priests, a scholastic, a brother and an
aspirant. Two days ago, one hundred years later, a group of 24 young Indian
Salesians -- including priests, scholastics and Brothers -- generously
offered themselves to the Rector Major to work for Salesian mission anywhere in
the world. They received the missionary cross from the Rector Major during the
solemn thanksgiving centenary Eucharistic celebration at Thanjavur in the
presence of hundreds of Salesians and several thousand youngsters from all the
provinces of South Asia. Fr. Francis Alencherry, General Councillor for the
Missions, presented them to the assembly and announced the destination assigned
to each of them -- to Papua New Guinea-Solomon Islands and Sudan eight
each, to Hungary two, to South Africa, Zambia, Ethiopia and Angola, one
each. Fr. Joaquim D'Souza, Regional for South Asia, said in this way we repay to
some extent the immense debt we owe to the missionaries who came to India from
Europe and the Americas during the past 100 years. The Rector Major said India
has now a historic responsibility to give back to the world what they received
from others. Don Bosco's charism was planted and nurtured on this soil by the
courageous and self-sacrificing efforts of the missionaries. Now it was India's
turn to give back it to the world.
___________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of
Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.
For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml