On Saturday 22 September, at the Provincial House of Shillong, the Postulator met 30 priests, religious and lay people, including the Mother General of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (MSMHC), Sr. Philomena Mathew, the Salesian Provincials of Shillong, Fr Paul Olphindro and Guwahati, Fr Januarius Sangma, Fr Joseph Puthenpurankal and Fr Barnes Mawrie, vice-postulators, and the Shillong Provincial Superior of the MSMHC, Sr. Mary Concepts Dhkar.
Defining Northeast India as the land of evangelization and the Salesian charism, Fr Cameroni invited everyone to take note of how Salesian holiness flourished in the life of the first missionaries and how the Church recognized it by starting the process of canonization of the venerable Stefano Ferrando, bishop; of the Servants of God, Constantine Vendrame, priest; and mgr. Oreste Marengo, bishop.
Fr Cameroni offered guidelines and suggestions to promote these causes of beatification, also highlighting the sites where these missionaries lived and carried out their evangelizing work.
Moreover, during the two intense days spent in Shillong, Fr Cameroni met different realities of the Salesian Family. He met with the 95 students of Theology of the Sacred Heart Center of Shillong where he presented Salesian holiness and visited the sanctuary that houses the mortal remains of the Servant of God Constantine Vendrame; he spoke with 31 Salesian novices; and had the opportunity to interact on several occasions with the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians, founded by the venerable Stefano Ferrando.
On this occasion, Fr Cameroni was able to get to see and learn first hand about a congregation rich in missionary spirit and with numerous vocations: aspirants, novices and juniors. At the Mother House of the congregation, then, he was able to pray on the tomb with the mortal remains of the founder; and visited several centers dedicated to the poor, orphaned, deaf and mute children with different disabilities.
These days confirmed how the vitality of the Salesian presence in North East India is the fruit of the generous and sacrificed work of many missionaries, men of peace and reconciliation, who brought the Gospel and welcomed the little ones and the poor with the apostolic heart of Don Bosco and under the powerful protection of Mary Help of Christians.
