ABOUT US
Don Bosco Parish is a catholic parish in the diocese of Baroda, India. It is administered by the priests of the Salesian congregation. They are also known as the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) or simply Salesians
The Current Community
Fr. John
Samala SDB
Asst.
Parish Priest
Fr. Glen
Fernandes SDB
Principal
Fr. Isaac
Arackaparmbil SDB
Rector and
Parish Priest
Fr. Anthony
Goyal SDB
Asst.
Parish Priest
Fr. Gregory
Almeida SDB
Incharge of
Banswara, Rajasthan
The Salesian Congregation
The Salesians of Don Bosco are officially known as the Society of St. Francis de Sales. This is a religious congregation dedicated to various apostolic ministries in the universal church with a major focus on the young. Founded by St. John Bosco in 1859, the congregation is currently present in over 133 countries and more than 14,000 priests and bishops.
The Salesians are the members of a large family established by St. Don Bosco in 1859. He began his work in Turin, Italy, in the mid-1800s by helping poor boys and young men who had no homes and means to proper education. With the help of Sr. Maria Mazzarello, Don Bosco founded a society for women, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, known as the Salesian Sisters or FMAs, dedicated to the care and education of poor girls. Special attention is given to the young today in the form of several schools, colleges, home for abundant children, technical training centres and various other vocational courses. Salesians are also actively involved in parish ministry, missions, and theological contributions to the universal church.
Don Bosco, with lot of efforts set up an oratory where these young friends could gather, and this became their home. His efforts multiplied and so did the number of young boys in the oratory. He took responsibility of their lives, in a way and provided them with food, education and life-skills to live a life of dignity. From among the young men at the oratory, he founded a religious congregation, the Salesian Society, which consisted of priests and brothers, sister congregations and an extended family of lay faithful.
Spirituality
Don Bosco believed in cheerfulness. He used to say, “Sanctity lies in cheerfulness.” He never expected his boys to do extraordinary things rather, he encouraged them do ordinary things in extraordinary ways, with utmost dedication and zeal. He believed doing things cheerfully was equivalent to prayer.
Although his focus was the young, he was a friend of people of all ages. He formed a great network of collaborators who joined him in his mission of educating the young using the educational method of reason, religion, and loving kindness. He emphasized highly on attending the Holy Eucharist daily, adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and devotion to Mary.
The Province of St. Francis Xavier (INB):
Don Bosco Parish, Vadodara belongs to the Salesian province of Mumbai (INB). This province is named after St. Francis Xavier, missionary to India. The province administers Salesian institutions in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
The first group of Salesian fathers came to India in January 6, 1906 in erstwhile Bombay. From there they travelled to Thanjavur, Tamilnadu. Later another batch came to Bombay in 1928. The province was officially established on January 31, 1972.