“Despite my years,” he says, "it is likely that, God willing, I will stay on the island another while because I was asked to continue to take care of the youth ministry of the diocese, and we have many projects."
The Youth Ministry developed by Fr Heriberto is recognized as a "diocesan service": "This means that he will have a budget and the support of a team of people. It is a recognition of the work that has been done until now," he adds.
Fr Cabrera says that one of the hardest things is to get the money to keep the schools running, "We have been asking for many years for our school, which is classified as private, to be funded by the government, but they were never willing,” he says.
The school where he is Director offers courses in auto-mechanics, automated industrial maintenance, hydraulic-mechanical automation, pastry, applied electronics for home systems and welding, as well as training courses for companies. This year skilled workers of a company that deals with ship repairs will be trained in ship welding.
The school on the island also performs other services for the community: "we help a Salesian technical school in Madagascar to redo all their study programmes, we accompany the police in setting up the first rehabilitation centre and we also help in a Catholic orphanage to create a specialized pedagogy."
This year the three Salesian schools on the island will face substantial changes to which they will have to adapt, such as "changes in the operating structure of schools and training programmes."
Fr Cabrera also teaches the Salesians in formation and in a doctoral programme in Pastoral Ministry.
