(ANS – Dungalpitiya) – Almost a month after the end of the pilgrimage of the relics of  Don Bosco in Sri Lanka, the memory of that event is still alive in the hearts of those who experienced it, as  the comments of Mr George Panicker, a lay man involved with the Salesians in this country as part of this contribution demonstrate.

After visiting all the Indian Provinces and before leaving for Africa Don Bosco’s relics also went to Sri Lanka. The Salesians in the “Saint Joseph” Vice Province of Sri Lanka received the casket containing the Sacred Relic of Don Bosco at the Bandaranayake International Airport at 8.30 a.m on the 19th of November 2011. Special arrangements were made at the VIP lounge of the airport for eminent personalities to pay their respects to St. John Bosco.

The casket was then taken in procession from the airport to the Provincial House at Dungalpitiya where a solemn concelebrated Eucharist was celebrated at 5.00 p.m. by the Archbishop of Colombo His Grace Malcom Cardinal Ranjith.

On the following days the Relic then continued its Pilgrim journey across the island visiting various churches, cathedrals and Don Bosco institutions and was exposed for public veneration, during which numerous school students and lay people participated. “At every place where the Relic was taken, people queued up in hundreds to pay homage to the Saint,” Mr George Panicker, General Administrator of the Development Office of the Salesians in Sri Lanka reports.

However, as he explains: “Don Bosco's journey in Sri Lanka began 50 years ago. The very first Don Bosco Centre in Sri Lanka was established in 1956 at Negombo. Today the Salesians of Don Bosco Sri Lanka have established 17 centres across the island stretching from Hambantota in the South to Kilinochchi in the North, mainly providing vocational education in a holistic manner for the underprivileged youth of our nation, moulding them into skilled, constructive and law abiding citizens of the country. These youth are contributing very positively to the growth of Sri Lanka.”

After 11 days, finally the Salesians of Sri Lanka, together with the thousands of people from the island nation bade an emotional farewell to St. John Bosco on the 30th of November with a solemn Mass during which the Salesians renewed their commitment in front of the Sacred Relic of Don Bosco.

“Overall,” Mr Panicker concludes, “the visit of the Sacred Relic of Don Bosco to Sri Lanka was an experience for the people of Sri Lanka taking part in this historic event that was a true privilege.”

Published 29/12/2011