Fr Jorge Puthenpura, born in India, was professed as a Salesian in 1960, carried out his first years of formation in India and then undertook his theological formation at Barcellona, Spain. Ordained priest in March 1970, he was the first missionary "ad gentes" who left from India.
7 years after his arrival in Guatemala, in 1977, he founded the “Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection,” which in 2004 became the 22nd group of the Salesian Family. Today the Congregation he founded has 50 professed sisters and 28 novices, in 10 communities and 3 dioceses, and working in over 400 villages.
The characteristic of this Congregation is the missionary spirit, and the fact that all the Sisters are autochthonous, of native descent; for this reason the language of the Congregation is “Quekchí”, a dialect of Mayan origin, the most widely spoken in the Region of the Alta Verapaz, where San Pedro Carchá is to be found.
Making great sacrifices many people came for the celebrations from long distances arriving on the Saturday. On Sunday early in the morning there were the first presentations of what the missionary Sisters are doing in the 400 or so villages in 6 pastoral areas. Mass was then said at which each village was given an icon, a sign that the Continental Mission was beginning, focusing mainly on the families, personally involved in the proclamation of the Gospel. Early in the afternoon the celebrations came to an end so that those who had come furthest could also return safely to their villages.
The celebration for Fr Puthenpura was an opportunity to welcome the new missionary Fr Vittorio Castagna, coming from Italy, who was welcomed by everyone with great enthusiasm.
The celebrations were also followed on the radio by thousands of people.
Published 27/10/2010
