(ANS – Cochabamba) – The 50th anniversary of erection of the Bolivian Province was celebrated on three basic occasions: on 31 January a priestly ordination was the main act of celebration; on 1st February there was a pilgrimage to Copacabana. The Salesian Family in Bolivia thanked God for blessings received and paid homage to the Salesians who had worked in Bolivia over the past 50 years, and even before since the arrival of the first missionaries in the country.

On the morning of 31 January, Henry Córdova was ordained priest in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in La Paz. Archbishop Tito Solari, sdb, Archbishop of Cochabamba celebrated the Mass along with many Salesian priests – amongst whom also Fr Esteban Ortiz, Councillor for Interamerica – and many faithful especially from the Salesian Family in the country.

In the afternoon,at the 16 de Julio Theatre there was a main celebration. Amongst the guests were: the Apostolic Nuncio in Bolivia, Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro; the Archbishop of La Paz, Edmundo Abastoflor; Archbishop Oscar Aparicio, president della of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Solari; Bishop Jesus Juárez Párraga, sdb, bishop of El Alto, recently appointed as bishop of Sucre; Bishop Gonzalo Del Castillo, military ordinary emeritus of Bolivia; Dr César Cocarico, Governor of La Paz Department; the newly appointed  FMA Provincial, Sr Edith Franco, and many other officials and people close to the Salesian work.

The event began with a panorama of history by the Provincial, Fr Cristóbal López; then the documentary “Sowing God's love in the hearts of the young”, produced in collaboration with “Audiovisuales Don Bosco” in Ecuador; this was followed by testimony from Fr Mario Pani, one of the Salesians who saw the Province established in 1963. Archbishop Solari also gave his missionary testimony. The Governor then awarded the province by giving the Provincial the “Avelino Sinani and Elizardo Pérez medal, for education, culture and philosophy”. Then finally the Apostolic Nuncio and the Archbishop of La Paz offered warm congratulations.

On 1st February there was a pilgrimage to Copacabana. At the feet of the Virgin Mary, in the crowded Basilica, Bishop Juárez Párraga celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving, and recalled that it was here that the Bolivian Province began on 17 Feb. 1963, when Fr Pedro Garnero celebrated the first mass as provincial, with his Council and the Rectors

During the ceremony the Provincial said: “We also want to express our commitment to continuing the Salesian mission, being useful to to Bolivian youth and society; We want to continue being a strong and positive force in the Church in Bolivia; we will continue to encourage all our brothers and sisters in the Salesian Family; we commit ourselves to witnessing to and offering everyone Salesian spirituality, keeping Don Bosco's charism alive, his spiritual and pedagogical legacy, which we will continue to update and practise in Bolivia. We renew our commitment to young who are poor and abandoned, to responding creatively to to new challenges of poverty and new frontiers in culture and education”.

Published 06/02/2013