Visit to Corumbá
The visit to Corumbá, a city on the border with Bolivia and known as the "Capital of the Pantanal", began on Friday, 4 October. Corumbá is located along the Paraguay River, one of the main gateways to the Pantanal, an important Brazilian biome. During the Extraordinary Visitation, Fr Romero participated in various events and meetings with Salesians and lay people.
On Saturday, 5 October, he began the visit with a prayer together with the religious community, underlining the importance of meeting and listening to the Salesians and the laity. The first commitment was a meeting with the teachers at the "Santa Teresa" Institute, during which challenges and objectives for the educational work of the Salesian work were discussed.
In the afternoon, Fr Romero met with the Pastoral Council of Mary Help of Christians Shrine with whom he spoke about evangelisation and the missionary activities carried out in the centre. He also met with members of the Salesian Family in Corumbá, including Salesian Cooperators and Past Pupils, and reiterated the role of the Salesian charism in the Church and in society.
On Sunday, 6 October, the Regional Councillor presided at Mass in the St John Bosco parish, during which he celebrated the Rite of consigning the Bible to the children studying catechism. After Mass, he spoke with the faithful and celebrated another Mass at the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, animated by the local catechism group. At the end of the celebration, he imparted the blessing of the animals in honour of St Francis of Assisi, interacting with the community in attendance.
On Monday 7 October, the last day in Corumbá, he visited the Santa Teresa Institute, where he spoke to the students during the usual moment of the Salesian "Good morning". He then visited the facilities of the "Cidade Dom Bosco" and the "Dom Bosco" State School, accompanied by Fr Jair Marques de Araújo, and there he surveyed the school's facilities and identified the urgent needs for renovation. Then he was shown the "Criança Feliz" Project, and spoke with collaborators about the social activities of the project.
At the end of the visit, the Regional Councillor met with the local religious community to leave his indications and his impressions on the progress of missionary activities. The visit ended with a Mass attended by representatives of different sectors of the Salesian presence in Corumbá.
Visit to Indápolis
On Tuesday 8 October, Fr Romero arrived in the district of Indápolis, in the municipality of Dourados. Indápolis is a small rural community whose economy is based on agriculture, especially the cultivation of soybeans and corn. The local Salesian community runs the "Dom Bosco" institute, where the Prenovitiate is located
The Regional Councillor visited the institute and met the young prenovices, telling them about the importance of Salesian formation. After presiding at the Mass, concelebrated by the Salesians in the community, he brought together parishioners and members of the Parish Pastoral Council for a discussion on pastoral activities and local challenges.
On the same day the Regional Councillor met with the members of the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) and the Salesian Cooperators (ASC), strengthening the joint work of the Salesian Family.
The visit to Indápolis ended on Thursday 10 October, with a final meeting with the religious community, during which the Councillor presented his observations on the activities carried out and discussed the next steps for the strengthening of the Salesian mission in the region.
This third week of the Extraordinary Visitation highlighted specific features of the Pantanal and the interior of Mato Grosso do Sul, underlining the commitment of the Salesian Congregation for education, evangelisation and youth ministry in diverse contexts.
