(ANS – Juazeiro do Norte) – The community of the Horto neighbourhood in Juazeiro do Norte – CE, opened the Padre Cícero Social Assistance Centre on the evening of Thursday 19 March 2026, the feast day of St Joseph. The centre forms part of the “Horto di Padre Cícero” Complex, a Salesian project in Juazeiro that provides education and formation to children and young people in the community. Among the courses offered are Administrative Assistant and Basic and Advanced IT, for young people aged 13 to 25. Shorter courses will also be offered, open to the whole community. The opening ceremony was attended by children and young people from the community, together with their parents, as well as Salesians, Sisters of the Charity of Jesus, collaborators of the Salesian works in Juazeiro do Norte, volunteers and benefactors of the “Horto di Padre Cícero”. Fr Leandro Francisco, Pastoral Coordinator of the “Horto di Padre Cícero”, emphasised the significance of the occasion and stressed that the transformation of young people necessarily involves education. Also present was Fr Francisco Inácio, Superior of the Salesian Province of Recife , Brazil (BRE), who highlighted how the Horto has already developed significant social initiatives. “It is a place well-suited to the development of the Salesian mission in the social sector,” stated the provincial.
