Devotees celebrate Don Bosco’s 200th birth anniversary

CEBU, Philippines - Today marks the 200th birth anniversary of St. John Bosco, who is also known as The Father and Teacher of the Youth.

Yesterday, various devotees from the Visayas and Mindanao gathered at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish to celebrate the saint’s birthday.

Over a thousand religious devotees also joined the celebration to pay tribute to St. Bosco.

The participants included The Salesian Congregation, a religious congregation of priests and brothers, the Salesian sisters, as well as youth volunteers who paid tribute to Don Bosco.

With the theme “Like Don Bosco, with the Young and For the Young”, the Salesian Congregation hopes to continue Don Bosco’s legacy of helping the youth.

Founded in 1546, the Salesian Congregation is an international religious group of organizations committed to care and teach young people.

They have different programs and facilities such as orphanages, schools, youth centers and rehabilitation centers worldwide that focuses on helping children.

In Cebu, the Salesian Congregation has four facilities: the Don Bosco Boys home, an orphanage in Liloan, Cebu; the Second Chance Center in Kalunasan; The Children in Conflict with The Law (CICL), a rehabilitation center in Liloan, Cebu; and the Liloan National High School Don Bosco Campus.

They are the only organization in the Philippines that offers an after-care center for minors who’ve been in conflict with the law.

The center offers educational assistance by teaching them different technical skills, such as welding and carpentry, entrepreneurial skills and massage or reflex services. After they are trained, they are sent to different companies for their on-the-job training.

Fr. Arvin Abatayo SDB, one of the Salesian priests, described the Salesian family as modern-day Don Boscos. He said the people in the congregation are dedi-cated and are influenced by Don Bosco in many ways.

“Lisod kaayo ning trabaho-a, challenging. Pero makakita kas mga bata na makat-on, malipay, nindot kaayos pamati. Maka wa sa kapoy. Kalimtan nalang namo ang kakapoy kay gusto ming motabang aning mga bataa ug sa uban pang nanginahanglan sa among tabang.” he said.

Camille Tagalog, a student of the University of San Carlos who has been a member of the Salesian Youth Society since she was a kid and a volunteer of the orphanage, shared how the congregation has taught her a lot of things in life.

“The best part is you get to help a lot of people, especially the children. I realized that I am very lucky for all the blessings God has given me. These children are family to me and they inspire me to be a better person and inspire me to help others all the time,” she said  (FREEMAN)