By Ms Juliana John for BIS Mumbai

The month of January is very important for the Don Bosco Parishes around the world. The Don Bosco Parish, Nashik is no exception. During this month of January, the Parish went through the novena in honour of St. John Bosco and concluded with the grand feast of our father and founder.

The novena, as usual, began from January 22 and concluded with the feast on January 31. It was a deeply spiritual experience for all the people who participated. It was marked with an atmosphere of prayer and devotion, bringing all the devoted closer to God.

The feast day mass, celebrated in all its splendour, was truly a feast for the heart and soul. Rt. Rev. Bishop Barthol Barreto DD was the main celebrant for the feast mass, joint by 14 Salesian priests who concelebrated the Eucharist. The liturgy was solemn with every word of the Missal adding a renewed depth to the Eucharistic celebration. The presence of the Holy Spirit was strongly felt especially at the moment of consecration of the Sacred Species.

Bishop Barthol’s homily was centred around the life of Don Bosco. He spoke at length about Don Bosco’s life’s journey, reminding us of the saint’s spiritual growth through his physical hardships leading to the discernment of his calling. He emphasized the significant role of Mama Margaret in shaping Don Bosco’s life. He highlighted the famous dream of little Johnny Bosco at the age of nine where the Good Shepherd Jesus showed him his true calling, i.e., ‘to turn wolves into lambs’. This meant that Don Bosco was called to convert the youth of his times to ‘good Christians and honest citizens’. The Lord, in the dream, further gave the fervent Johnny Bosco a helper, ‘Mother Mary’ who would always be with him throughout his life. He continued his reflection on the challenges of the youth during the times of Don Bosco, noting that while the nature of these challenges may differ today, their intensity and impact remains much the same. He, further, gratefully acknowledge the dedicated work of the Salesians amongst these youth today. His homily was also interspersed with light humour, bringing smiles to the faces of all even during the solemn celebration.

The vibrant choir added a festive touch to the Mass. Fr Royal D’Abreo sdb, our parish priest thanked the Bishop, the concelebrants and the gather congregation for attending this celebration and helping in keeping the mission of Don Bosco alive today.

The feast of Don Bosco, the Patron of our parish and the father and founder of the Salesian Congregation, proved to be both, a deeply spiritual and a joyful celebration. May St. John Bosco intercede for us all. Don Bosco, pray for us.