(ANS - Udon Thani) – 26 January 2015 will be marked as a memorable day in the history of the Don Bosco Vithaya school at Udon Thani in the Northeast of Thailand. As part of the celebrations for the Bicentenary of Don Bosco, a new six-storey building was blessed and inaugurated. Present at the ceremony were the local ordinary, Bishop Joseph Luechai and Fr Paul Prasert, Provincial of Thailand, as well as many Salesians, teachers, students and their parents.

The ceremony began at 9.00 a.m. with a song of welcome played by the school band. After the ribbon cutting ceremony by Bishop Luechai and Fr Prasert, the participants went to the large open space covered by a large canopy on the top floor of the new building.

The Bishop and the Provincial officiated at a Liturgy of the Word and then blessed the various parts of the building. This was followed by the ceremony of awards to teachers who have served the school for more than 25 years – some, indeed, for over 40 years - and a display of youthful song and dance that warmed the atmosphere.

After refreshments and a visit to an exhibition of the scholastic activities of the centre, the Bishop and other distinguished guests left, but not before expressing their appreciation at being part of the celebration of the Bicentenary of Don Bosco, marked in a special way by the blessing of the new school building.

The Don Bosco Vithaya school is one of the seven large Salesian schools in Thailand, with nearly 3,000 students from kindergarten to pre-university courses. The new building can accommodate more than 2,000 students. In addition to several classrooms, it has a large library, computer rooms, and soon also will have a large scientific laboratory.

Published 29/01/2015