The presentation ceremony will take place on 7 December in Milan, on the occasion of the Feast of St Ambrose, Doctor of the Church and Patron of the City. Accepting the award on behalf of the Salesian Congregation will be  the Rector Major of the Salesians, Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva, on whom last Monday, 16 November, Turin City Council conferred honorary citizenship.

Among a total of  76 recipients of the Golden Ambrose, the Salesian Congregation has been chosen – together with other social works such as  the Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital and the Pio Albergo Trivulzio – to receive the “Large Gold Medal” which is among the most important civic awards of Milan for individuals or institutions. The award is intended as a mark of honour to the Salesian Congregation on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of its foundation.

Considering the many candidates proposed, the compilation of the award winners is quite a long process: to reach agreement regarding the official list required a  12 hour meeting of the  Committee which lasted until 01.30 a.m. on Thursday. “We have reached a simple but not simple decision. The proposal we have approved is an attempt to represent and to show appreciation for the whole of Milan, which is a pluriform city,” Manfredi Palmeri, President of the Awards Committee declared.

The ’”Golden Ambrose” has been awarded since 1925 by the Milan local authorities to express gratitude to individuals, associations and organisations that through their work make a special contribution to the people of the city. There are several categories: Commemorative Large Gold  Medal, Commemorative Gold  Medal,
Large Gold Medal, Gold Medal, Certficate of Civil Merit.

Published 20/11/2009