The morning Eucharist was presided over by Fr Agnelo Jeronimo Moreira, Executive Director of the Salesian Educational Foundation, representing Fr Anacleto Guterres Pires, the provincial. The celebration honored the heroic witness of Blessed Luigi Versiglia and St Callisto Caravario, patron saint of the Salesian Vice Province of Timor-Leste, who served in the country from 1927 to 1929. The academic community was invited to renew its dedication to the Salesian mission of educating and accompanying young people in the spirit of Don Bosco.
In the afternoon, the Institute inaugurated and blessed the St Francis de Sales Garden and the extension of the college building, a development made possible through funding from the Government of Timor-Leste via the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Culture. The ceremony was attended by His Excellency Dr José Honório da Costa Jerónimo, Minister for Higher Education, Science and Culture, along with the President of the National Institute of Research, the President of the National University of Timor-Leste, the Executive Director of the National Accreditation Agency, and other distinguished guests. The program opened with a traditional Timorese welcome, followed by the ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessing of the new facilities.
The celebration also featured the launch of the book Responsabilidade e Esperança, authored by Fr Plácido Teófilo Freitas. Fr Hélio Francisco Cabral, the Vice-Rector of ISDB, welcomed the dignitaries and participants, while the Minister expressed appreciation for the publication and its contribution to the nation’s academic and social development.
The event concluded with the presentation of the book to the guests and words of gratitude to all collaborators, highlighting a day that combined remembrance of missionary witness, institutional growth, and renewed commitment to quality higher education in Timor-Leste.
