Fr. Attard arrived from Rome at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, where he received a warm and enthusiastic welcome from a large gathering of Don Bosco Past Pupils and Salesian confreres. Among those present were Fr. Biju Michael, Regional Councillor for South Asia; Fr. Sunil Kerketta, Vice Provincial of Kolkata; and Fr. Jijo John, Provincial Economer, together with members of the wider Salesian Family.
From the airport, the Rector Major was escorted to the Provincial House, accompanied by the joyful presence of past pupils and Salesians. In the morning hours, Fr. Attard presided over the Holy Eucharist, celebrated with the Provincial House community in an atmosphere marked by deep joy, fraternity, and gratitude for the Salesian mission.
Later in the day, the Rector Major met with the Provincial Council, engaging in dialogue and reflection on the life, challenges, and mission of the Salesians in eastern India. Following a brief period of rest, he departed for Siliguri, where the first phase of the centenary celebrations is being held today and tomorrow, marking an important milestone in the history of the Province.
The centenary commemorates the arrival of the first Salesians in Calcutta on 11 November 1925, when Monsignor Louis Mathias, together with Fr. Paolo Bonardi, Fr. Giueppe Gil, and Br. Pietro Aprile, inaugurated the Salesian presence by taking charge of the Catholic Orphan Press and the Cathedral Parish on their very first night in the city. That historic beginning laid the foundation for a mission that has profoundly shaped the spiritual, educational, and social landscape of the region over the past one hundred years.
The arrival of the Rector Major thus marks not only the opening of the centenary’s concluding celebrations, but also a renewed moment of animation, encouragement, and communion for the Salesians of Kolkata and the wider Salesian Family in India.
{gallery}Visita RM India 05.02.26{/gallery}
