The program of activities will be intense and will involve the entire Northeastern region of Brazil, with a particular focus on the works in Juazeiro do Norte, in the State of Ceará, and on the Metropolitan Region of Recife, the capital of Pernambuco. The visit will be marked by a series of significant events aimed at celebrating the Feast of Don Bosco and honouring the memory of the Servant of God Father Cícero Romão Batista (1844-1934) who will be awarded the posthumous qualification of Salesian Cooperator.
Cardinal Fernández Artime will begin his visit with his arrival in Recife on the evening of Monday 29 January and will be welcomed by the Rectors of the Salesian Works in BRE at the Provincial House.
On Tuesday, 30 January, the main activities will be the meeting with the Provincial Council and the celebration of the First Vespers of the Feast of St John Bosco with the Salesian Family.
On the following day, 31 January, the Feast of Don Bosco, the Rector Major will accept the first professions of the novices in Jaboatão dos Guararapes; then he will proceed to the blessing of the new house for elderly and sick Salesians in Bongi, near Recife; and in the evening, at the Provincial House, there will be a fraternal meeting with the Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Archbishop Paulo Jackson Nóbrega de Sousa.
On Thursday, 1 February, the 10th Successor of Don Bosco will reach Juazeiro do Norte and there, in addition to presiding over a Eucharist in the Church of the Bom Jesus, he will give a press conference to interested journalists and media.
On Friday, 2 February, the Rector Major will learn more about the figure of Father Cicero, visiting the House Museum dedicated to him. Then he will bless a chapel in the Basilica and Shrine of Mary of Sorrows in Juazeiro do Norte and participate in a candlelight procession.
Some of the most significant events will be concentrated on 3 February with the Provincial Feast day, the celebration of the Eucharist with the dedication of the Church of the Bom Jesus, the posthumous declaration of Father Cicero as a Salesian Cooperator, the inauguration of a monument dedicated to him and a concert by the "Bom Jesus" Philharmonic of Matriz de Camaragibe.
On the last day of the visit, the Rector Major will meet with several Provincials from the area and the local Coordinators of the Salesian Family, and will participate in the provincial youth meeting. He will accept the perpetual vows of a young Salesian and will take part in a cultural evening in the St John Bosco Institute.
Today the BRE Province has 111 Salesians active in 16 canonically erected houses and several other presences in eight states of Brazil (Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraípa, Pernanbuco, Piauí, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahía). The Salesians give life to a multitude of apostolic and social activities, aimed primarily at the most needy young people and their families. The Rector Major's visit will thus also serve to underline the Salesian community's continued commitment to promoting education, faith and progress in the Northeast region of Brazil.
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