The start of the celebrations was given by the Eucharistic celebration of the feast day of St. John Bosco on January 31, presided over by Msgr. Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva, bishop of Río Gallegos, and concelebrated by the parish priest, Fr Alejandro León SDB, and by Fr Carlos “Lito” Álvarez, in the presence of the whole educational-pastoral community, animated and shared by various groups of the Salesian Family.
Starting from the Gospel, and underlining Pope Francis' message about Don Bosco in the Angelus of Sunday 30 January, the bishop invited us to live like children, to imitate St. John Bosco "in his creativity and audacity" to meet all those who live in situations of vulnerability, especially young people, "making our parish a house with open doors and living the joy of the Gospel in this difficult time of the pandemic that we are going through with the same certainty that lived in the heart of John Bosco: Jesus never abandons us.”
After the celebration, Fr León said: “Celebrating 150 years of parish life fills us with emotion, being the world’s first Salesian parish, and under the care of the Salesians for 145 years. All this makes us think of Don Bosco's choice to stay here in La Boca for the young migrants, the most vulnerable, at the end of the 19th century. Throughout this period, many Salesians have given life to this space.”
Then he then focused on the significance of this jubilee year: “Celebrating 150 years of parish life is celebrating a whole history of educational-pastoral care; it means remembering, but it is also committing oneself to the present with Don Bosco-like vision, capable of dreaming up proposals and spaces for the most vulnerable young people and for the brothers and sisters most in difficulty. It is dreaming of a new parish that fits into the fabric of the neighborhood and walks with others in a network.”
Lastly, Fr León underlined the added value of the presence of Msgr. García Cuerva and Fr Álvarez, respectively bishop and member of the clergy of the diocese of Río Gallegos - a diocese in Patagonia, with a strong and historic Salesian presence, and which has Don Bosco as its patron: “It was a joy to have Msgr. García Cuerva to preside over this first celebration. His reflection helped us to think about today, celebrating our past and launching us into the future. Furthermore, it is curious that from this Salesian house came the first attempt by the Salesians to enter Patagonia, in the person of Fr Domenico Milanesio, SDB.”
And finally, he concluded: "I think this clearly represents the missionary dimension that the Salesian presence in the La Boca neighborhood must always maintain."
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