Mass was celebrated in the church, presided over by the Bishop of Santa Rosa, Bishop Luis Darío Martín, and concelebrated by the Provincial, Fr Manuel Cayo, the Vice-Provincial, Father Osvaldo Braccia, a large group of Salesians who came to the capital of La Pampa to share in this jubilee celebration, and several priests from the diocesan clergy.
In his homily, the Provincial referred to the recent celebration of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Salesians in Argentina: ‘This missionary expedition was led by John Cagliero – the centenary of whose death we have also just celebrated – who received an invitation in 1895 from the Archbishop of Buenos Aires to take charge of the mission in La Pampa. They arrived in this area from the south exactly 130 years ago, in 1896. That was the beginning of a long journey filled with challenges, achievements, encounters and disagreements, which left deep and transformative footprints in the history of this place.’
‘If we try to compose a picture of the place and put ourselves in the heart of those times,’ Fr Manuel asked himself, ‘how can we not imagine Frs Pedro Orsi and Juan Franchini, in General Acha and Santa Rosa, who were laying the foundations for what would become our House today?’
With a mention of several Salesians who passed through this area in those days, he described it as follows: ‘On 3 April 1896, Fr Juan Franchini took charge of the Parish of Santa Rosa de Toay (so called until 1917) for two years and became the founder of the Salesian Work in Santa Rosa, which would become one of the centres of missionary outreach for the vast expanse of this blessed territory, without neglecting Victorica, where he went every month or month and a half to provide spiritual assistance to that community.’
‘Driven by the same missionary spirit, in 1915 the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians arrived in Santa Rosa, sinking their roots into the comprehensive educational experiences of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello (...) And so, in 1924, Fr Luis Botta arrived here, with the task of building the school that had been planned several years earlier. As the months passed, on 26 October 1925, the Provincial. Fr Valentín Bonetti, blessed the foundation stone of the future Dominic Savio School,’ he recounted.
A few months later, on 8 March 1926, according to the chronicles written by the Salesians at that time, the Provincial said: ‘After Mass, we went to the new school. The children and their parents were waiting for us there. The playground was full of weeds. The buildings were not completely finished, there was a lack of premises, furniture and beds. The first thing we did was inflate a football and play a game with the boys.‘
And, as could only be expected in a Salesian house, ’The playground was the first place of missionary encounter! From that day on, this marked the style of familiarity, celebration, joy and dedication that would characterise this presence. That day, the doors of this house were opened... and they have never been closed since!’
After Mass, there was an institutional ceremony where, among others, the Director General of the House, Gabriela Etcheverry, said: ‘I wanted to focus these words on a characteristic of our founder that has been repeated in those who had the task of carrying on this house: his gaze.’
She moved those present: ‘John Bosco was not a mere spectator of his time; he was a visionary who knew how to read the reality of young people with his heart. That attentive gaze allowed him to discover the needs to which he had to respond. One only has to read the chronicles of the Dominic Savio School to realise that Salesians and lay people have done this task very well.’
After listing the examples that highlight the essence of this institution over the past 100 years, she emphasised: ‘On this centenary, our commitment is to renew that vision: to listen to what today's young people are silent about; to offer them tools in an increasingly complex world; so that every child and young person who walks through our door feels, above all, deeply loved.’
Thus, the Dominic Savio Salesian House began the celebrations of its jubilee year for its centenary in the service of children and young people in La Pampa.
Source: Don Bosco Sur
