Mexico - Feast of St John Bosco and consecration of the Altar of the Mary Help of Christians Social House in Puebla
Puebla, Mexico - January 2025 - On 31January, in the city of Puebla, the community of the parish of Mary Help of Christians celebrated the feast of St John Bosco with much joy. The Rector and parish priest, Fr Francisco Abonza Contreras, SDB, invited Bishop Francisco Javier Martínez Castillo, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Puebla de los Ángeles - who leads and governs it together with Archbishop José Víctor Sánchez Espinosa - to preside over the celebrations, asking that the stone altar in the main hall of the centre be consecrated to dedicate it to divine worship. After a crowded procession, the solemn Mass in honour of St John Bosco began, concelebrated by Fr Abonza Contreras, Fr Miguel Huitizil Cuatzil, Fr Enrique Vázquez Martínez and Fr Ernesto Solís Pérez. During the ceremony, the bishop repeatedly thanked the Salesians for the good they do in the archdiocese through the services they render, particularly to young people. He also emphasised the importance of creating worthy spaces for liturgical celebrations that unite the local Church as one big Family, pointing out that consecrating an altar implies both a great gift from God and a great dignity that must be sought and cared for. After the consecration of the altar, the Eucharist was celebrated, at the end of which a popular feast was held in honour of Don Bosco.