by Father Dinesh Vasava for BISMumbai

Departing from Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh on 07 January 2020, after an early morning Eucharist in English, the 05 newly ordained priests of the Salesian Province of Bombay [INB] reached Kawant in the Rath Vistar of Gujarat. The Salesian confreres and the boarders eagerly awaiting the honeymooners, welcomed the five men army with garlands, gleeful smiles and handshakes.

After a quick breakfast they inspired the students with a few quips and quotes of Don Bosco, inviting the young "to be honest citizens and make every effort to be good human beings." A visit to the Dominican Nuns nearby was arranged, after the interaction with the school students, in the company of Father Charles Anthony, Rector of Don Bosco Kawant. Returning to the DBKawant campus, the students of the school honoured the newly ordained with a cultural programme comprising songs, dances and an address, prepared under the guidance of Father Pravin Macwan, Principal Don Bosco Kawant. Father Jerome Aruldas addressed the students, after which lunch was followed by a drive to the banks of the Narmada demarcating the border between Gujarat and Maharashtra at Hapeshwar.

The main purpose for which the newly ordained priests were in Kawant, the Holy Eucharist was presided over by Father Mavron Fernandes, who had spent time here as a practical trainee. He invoked the blessings and grace of God on the entire Kawant Don Bosco family and on the outreach programmes that the community involves itself in. Laying their hands on the children and people, teh newly ordained prayed for each, after which a short but well-prepared family circle preceded the festive dinner with the community and the boarders.