By Cl. Jeswin Mastan for BISMumbai

The brother-animators of the Michael Magone Oratory under the care of Don Bosco Youth Centre, Pune organised an Oratory Day on 18 February 2023. Around 30 boys were part of this festivity.

The program began with a short prayer service led by the lay volunteers of the Centre. The boys were helped to enter into a spirit of prayer with a short guided meditation. Fr Ian Doulton, the Rector, put a garland around the portrait of Don Bosco thus honouring him at the commencement of the Oratory Day. This was followed by prayer invocations made by the oratory boys. 

The Chief Guest for the day was Fr George Miranda, Province Delegate for Social Ministry. In his brief address, he encouraged the boys to keep cheerful, keeping in mind Don Bosco’s famous maxim ‘Run, jump, play, shout but do not sin.’ After a few instructions by Cl. Jeswin Mastan, the Oratory Day entertainment started with group games organised by Clerics Ian Pinto and Infancio Pires. Needless to say, there was a lot of fun, shouting and exertion as the teams competed with a spirit of camaraderie. After the exhilarating  session of games, the boys were treated with some delicious snacks. 

The fun did not end there, rather it has just begun! The Oratory Day continued until sunset as the boys tried their luck at a few creatively prepared fete-games. Depending on the number of winning coupons they collected, they were given a chance to pick out their prizes. This indeed served as a motivator for the boys who used their coupons wisely in order to win what they desired. It was heartening to see both the Salesians and the Salesians co-operators engaging the boys during these moments of fun and frolic. 

The day ended with an elaborate photo session at the specially prepared ‘I Love Don Bosco’ photo booth.  Fr Vivian D’Souza, the oratory in-charge, distributed the prizes and bade farewell to the boys. Filled with much gratitude and elation, the boys left the gates of DBYC for their homes.