India - Education to Faith delegates meet at Mumbai
Mumbai, India - February 2023 - The delegates of Education to Faith Dimension of the South Asia Region met on February 7 and 8, 2023, at Don Bosco Provincial House, Mumbai. Present for the meeting were Fr Savio Silveira, the Provincial in charge of Education to Faith Dimension, Fr Robert Simon, South Asia Delegate for Youth Ministry, Fr Sivy Koroth, Regional Coordinator and seven other coordinators from the provinces of the region. It is the second sitting of the delegates to discuss various dimensions of faith education. During the Eucharist on the first day, Fr Silveira enlightened the gathering by quoting the example of St Gonsalo Garcia, who was steadfast in his faith no matter what difficulties came his way. The series of meetings ensued after a warm welcome by the Rector of the Provincial House, Fr Vinod Mascarenhas and the inaugural address by Fr Silveira. Fr Robert Simon addressed the coordinators on two dimensions: animation and governance, to be guided by the vision of Don Bosco and working as a team. Later, the province coordinators presented the various activities and initiatives launched and their plans in their respective provinces concerning education to faith. Fr Koroth facilitated discussions regarding the concrete plan of action for the region: Training for catechist programmes, textbooks for youth catechesis, and uploading catechetical resources on the Don Bosco South Asia portal. On day two, the group gathered in the crypt of the Shrine of Don Bosco’s Madonna for the Holy Eucharist. Fr Robert Simon, the principal celebrant, spoke on tending to one’s interior life rather than focusing only on exterior practices in ministry. The group then proceeded to visit a few Salesian institutions in Mumbai.