By TLS Soc Com Team

       Liaruca, Timor-Leste 13 September 2022 -- After some months of construction, a chapel-school building was finally inaugurated on Sunday, 11 September 2022. The Minister of Education, His Excellency Armindo Maia, PhD was accompanied by the Diocesan Administrator of Baucau, Fr. Alípio Pinto Gusmão, and the Rector of Fatumaca, Fr. David Savio, SDB was welcomed by the Chief of Village of Liaruca with the local custom ceremony. The distinguished guests proceeded to the local inauguration. It was a wide exposure area where the school was. The Minister of Education inaugurated the school building by cutting off the ribbon and on the other side, the school building and the chapel were blessed by Fr. Alípio Pinto Gusmão. The newly blessed building is composed of three classrooms, one office for the teachers, and one chapel. The ceremony continued with the Mass, celebrated by Fr. Alípio and concelebrated by TLS Provincial, Fr. Anacleto Pires, SDB, TLS Economer, Fr. Gui do Carmo da Silva, SDB, Rector of Fatumaca, Fr. David Savio, SDB and other three priests. Before the end of the Mass, Fr. Anacleto and Fr. Gui were introduced to the people.

       There were chances given to the distinguished guests to deliver their speeches on this special occasion. As the Provincial of TLS Vice-Province, Fr. Anacleto thanked the Government of Timor-Leste in the person of H. E. Armindo Maia, PhD and the local Church through Fr. Alípio for coming, seeing, inaugurating, and blessing the school and chapel building. He also thanked the benefactors for their generosity and contributions. He also mentioned the name of Fr. Locatelli, an Italian missionary since 1964, through whom the benefactors came to know the local area and gave their help. However, it was not only for the honor of him and the Salesian Congregation but for the benefit of the local Church and the people of Caiuá. Therefore, he asked the people of Caiuá and their Chief of Village, parents, young people, and children to take care of the building and use it properly. The Salesian mission is always shaped by this view of having a chapel near a school building. It cannot separate the mission of education from the evangelizing one and the purpose of education according to St. John Bosco is to form young people into “honest citizens and good Christians.”

       Since the school and the chapel were built side by side, they represented a combination of heavenly wisdom and human knowledge as stated by H. E. Armindo Maia, PhD. In his remarks, he thanked all teams involved in this successful event. He mentioned some important figures like Fr. Locatelli, SDB, the Diocesan Administrator, Fr. Alípio, the Provincial Superior of TLS, and Fr. Anacleto Pires, SDB. After the Mass, there was lunch offered by the people of Caiuá to the distinguished guests. As for your information, the school-chapel building was funded by Don Bosco Nel Mondo and the Swiss Embassy with a sum of money of US$63.000,00, in coordination with the Project Development Office of TLS Vice-Province headed by Fr. Gui do Carmo da Silva, SDB.

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