It was a cold 30 December 1898 when Salesian Father Vincenzo Schiralli and Brother Giovanni Bertola arrived in Salamanca to look after the"Protectorate of Young Industrialists" at the initiative and with the perseverance of Francisco de la Concha Alcalde, President of the St Vincent de Paul Confrerences. The diocese of Salamanca was then headed by Augustinian Bishop Tomás Cámara y Castro. Shortly after, the first Salesian school in the city began to operate, located on the premises of the San Benito Pontifical University. The two current Salesian presences in Salamanca, entitled Mary Help of Christians and Saint Joseph, in the district of Pizarrales, are the legacy of that period.

As for the celebration on Friday, 8 December 2023, hundreds of faithful and parishioners filled the parish shrine to welcome the beginning of the 125th anniversary celebrations. "We have a parish that has a very high number of parishioners, especially thanks to devotion to Mary Help of Christians, as can be seen in the May procession" said Fr Ángel Astorgano, Rector of the Mary Help of Christians work in Salamanca, at the opening of the Mass.

The opening of the celebrations coincided with the Extraordinary Visit of Fr Fabio Attard who, for his part, with reference to the anniversary, said, "It is an opportunity to celebrate what we have lived and, above all, to strengthen the testimony of a community very much integrated into the social and cultural fabric of the city."

For a community to be firmly integrated into the city for over a century of life, it takes "closeness", he noted. Closeness, both of the community to the parishioners, and of the "people" to the religious. "This is something very positive and, without a doubt, a beautiful prospect and an opportunity especially for the young people who will be the citizens of tomorrow, he added.

The celebrations will continue until February. Next Saturday, 16 December, Fr Miguel Ángel García Morcuende, General Councillor for Youth Ministry, will travel to Salamanca to give a conference entitled "The Salesian Family and Youth Ministry".

To close the calendar year, on Saturday, 30 December, Bishop Julio Parrilla, bishop emeritus of Riobamba, Ecuador, who currently resides in Salamanca, will preside over the Eucharist.

In January, on view of the feast of Don Bosco, Saturday 20th, there will be a formation meeting entitled "Education: time of pact and innovation". On 31 January, St John Bosco's feast day, Bishop José Luis Retana, bishop of the Diocese of Salamanca, will preside at the Solemn Mass for the Salesian Family in the Old Cathedral of the city. The events will conclude with the traditional "Cross Don Bosco" solidarity competition, organised by the San José Institute in Pizarrales, on Sunday, 4 February 2024.

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