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.
___________________
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