(ANS – Sydney) – It was an enjoyable and greatly successful weekend the one dedicated to the celebration of the Bicentenary of Don Bosco’s birth in Sydney, St. Mary’s. Celebrations started on Saturday evening (August 15th) at the local social centre in Penrith, where over 280 people gathered to spend a fantastic evening. The young of the parish and of six local schools performed various dances, choirs, songs and gymnastic exercises.
On Sunday August 16th, at 10.30, the Mass in honour of Don Bosco was celebrated in the Parish of Our Lady of the Rosary, where a choir of young Filipinos performed the singing. The Mass was celebrated by Fr. Brendan, the Parish priest, Fr. Guy, vicar to the Parish priest, Fr. John, co-director of the Youth Centre, Fr. Chris Riley, founder and director of “Youth Off The Streets”, and Fr. Shane, rector. Salesian lay-brother Thuy, assistant of the Youth Centre, was also present. The FMA Community of St. Mary’s took part in the preparation of the event, and numerous Maltese, Filipino, and South-American past pupils too had an active role in it.
After the Mass, the parishioners and the young continued the celebrations at the Don Bosco Youth Centre, with a dance that was performed by the pupils of the primary school of Our Lady of the Rosary and with cultural dances of the community of Samoa, Atafu Lotomau Tokelau and of the community of Kajo-Keji both from South Sudan and of Madi ethnic community. Gymnastic and diving board exercises were also performed by Unicycle circus. Many children had their faces painted by the Spanish religious sisters of the Parish. Billiards and table tennis games were also organized. A band was also present with Salesian lay-brother Jeff Miller, Carlos Escobar and Malia, who had come directly from Melbourne. Around 1500 people participated in the event, counting the young and local people. It was a unique event to make Don Bosco known to all.
The goal of the whole celebration, which lasted two days, was to gather as many people as possible in our area, at St. Mary’s diocese of Paramatta, to express our gratitude to God for the gift of St. John Bosco, the holy founder of the Salesians, and to make known to all his great love for the young and for the salvation of their souls.
Salesians are present in Sydney since 1946, first in Engadine Boys Town and then at St. Mary’s where 23 years ago, in 1992, a Youth Centre was inaugurated. Currently, in the area of Sydney, two SDB communities and two FMA communities are present.
Published 31/08/2015
