by Fr Avil Correa for BIS Mumbai

On Saturday, February 22, 2025, the Salesians at Don Bosco, Lonavla were blessed to have their close family members visiting the community all together. This coming together of the families of confreres served as a beautiful occasion for the Salesians as well as the family members to get to know each other better in order to build strong familial bonds. 

Those who made it to Lonavla early on Saturday morning had the opportunity to join in for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 11:45 am together with the aspirants, presided by the rector, Fr Blany Pinto.

The highlight of the occasion was a well-planned, fun-filled evening of games, which ended with a sumptuous meal. The evening began at 6:30 pm with Fr Blany introducing each member of the community to the gathering of families. 35 persons were present, Salesians included, for the evening. The first game conducted was the bingo name game, which required each individual to go to another to fill in 25 different names on their personal ticket grids in order to play bingo. A game of ‘Bombing the City’ and ‘Housie’ were conducted thereafter. The families appreciated the animated evening, which allowed them to get to know each other better. The winners were awarded with attractive keychains with the Salesian vocation promotion motif.

The evening concluded with a delicious supper wherein all who were gathered spent a memorable evening in delightful company.

The following day, i.e. 23 February 2025, all the family members joined in for the Sunday Eucharist at 7:00 am together with the aspirants. This new initiative was highly appreciated by both the Salesians and their families as it provided them an opportunity to spend quality time with each other.