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The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians
1. THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS:
The first six missionaries of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians set foot on Indian soil on November 20, 1922. They resided in the shadow of the Shrine of Mount Mary's, Bandra, before they embarked for Madras where they would sow the first seeds of the FMA charism.
It was the desire of the Major Superior in Rome to set up a house in Bombay - a situation most advantageous to the newly established institute in India. In 1945, Fr. Roque Pereira informed Sr. Luigina Appiano, the then Superior of the Provincial House, Broadway, Madras, that the Diocesan Board had decided to hand over all parochial schools to Religious. The Provincial Tersa Merlo gladly accepted the invitation and sent Sr. Luigina herself to begin work there.
Fr. Balaguer, S.J., the Vicar General of Bombay wanted the FMA presence in the parochial school close to Don Bosco, Matunga. Sr. Luigina arrived with Mother Merlo in January and met Archbishop Thomas d'E. Roberts S.J. on the feast of Don Bosco. The necessary deliberations having been made, the sisters began managing the school from June of the same year.
In the meantime, the sisters stayed in St. Teresa's School, Girgaum for some months and in April 1946, they moved to live at Sr. Lutgarde Pereira's home at Bandra. Sr. Luigina Appiano, Sr. Lutgarde Pereira, Sr. Catherine Mania and Sr. Priscillia Fernandes began their teaching apostolate in earnest at St. Joseph's School, Wadala. They travelled between Bandra and Wadala - looked after all the time by Mrs. Philomena Pereira, the mother of Sr. Luty.
After the war, the Salesians at Don Bosco's Matunga, offered the barracks as accomodation for the sisters on their premises and also provided them meals. Srs. Angela Bosotti and Mary Bout replaced Srs. Catherine Mania and Lutgarde Pereira in 1947. A year later on December 4, the first major Superior Rev. Mother Carolina Navasconi visited the Indian Province and the development around the western Indian region was given a spurt. Houses were set up at Wadala, Pali Hill, Lonavla, Uttan and Nashik. It was only on May 24, 1982, 60 years after the FMA arrived in India, that Mother Rosetta Marcheses, the Superior General of the FMA decreed the erection of Bombay as the third Province in India. To commemorate the centenary of the death of St. Mary Mazzarello, the new Province was designated "Province of St. Mary Mazzarello". Mother Helen Fernandes, who was Provincial of Madras for seven years, was appointed the first Provincial of the new Province. At that time there were nine houses altogether: The number of sisters were 85. She was succeeded by Sr. Ethelvina Rodrigues in 1988, by Sr. Wilma de Souza in 1994 and by Sr. Caroline Fernandes in 1996. Over the years, the province has grown both in numbers as well as in the variety and quality of presences.
The aim of Don Bosco in founding the Association of Salesian Co-operators (SCs) was to unite people in one heart and mind so that they would encourage one another to stand firm in the faith and do good in the world.
Even before the Bombay Province was formed in 1972, the SCs were already existing in Goa. Fr. Carreno in his "Brief History of the Province of Madras" writes: "No place in India had kept such a loving veneration for Don Bosco as Goa. In Goa there were Salesian Co-operators of the earliest hour. Even now you can come across old friends who display under your eyes a Co-operator's diploma signed by Venerable Fr. Rua. As it was, Goa seemed to be more closely in touch with the International Bureau of Co-operators in Turin than it was with the headquarters of the Salesian Province of South India."
The origin of the SCs in Goa is not exactly known. In the beginning however, all those who were co-operating with the Salesian pioneers, in one way or the other, were SCs. Later on, in January 1963, they came to be organized by Fr. Cajetan Lobo and the closest friends of the institution in Panjim were registered as members of the "Pious Union of Salesian Co- operators". The certificates or diplomas signed by the Rector Major were issued to them.
After the formation of the Bombay Province, the Special Provincial Chapter recommended in January 1973 that the Association be set up all over the province because it realised that "without the SCs the Salesians are not what Don Bosco planned and wanted the Salesian family to be". The visit of Rev. Fr. J. Raineri, Councillor for Adult Apostolate, to Bombay in 1974, also gave the first push to the Association. He called a meeting of confreres on October 28, 1974, for this purpose.
Rev. Fr. Alfred Mariotta was appointed the first Provincial Delegate of Bombay Province. He prepared a report for the Provincial Chapter 1975 on how far the recommendations of the Special Provincial Chapter 1973 have been put into effect. Practical directives for the birth of the association were sent to all the 8 houses in the province at that time.
By the end of 1975 three units, viz., Panjim, Andheri, Lonavla started functioning. The Panjim unit under the rector and local delegate Fr. Mauro Casarotti was revived. Twenty members attended the first meeting on November 17, 1974. The Andheri unit had its first introductory meeting and enlistment of 10 members on May 27, 1975. Mr. John D’Souza was elected first co-ordinating secretary of the unit. Bro Kenneth Sequeira was the local delegate. The inaugural meeting was held in mid August, 1975.
The first "Promise Day" in Bombay Province was held on July 11, 1976 in the crypt at Matunga. The first batch of 14 SCs from Andheri made their promise. The first bulletin of the Andheri unit was published on the feast of Don Bosco, 1997 by Bro Kenneth and Mr. John D’Souza.
There was no progress at Lonavla at this time and the unit closed down. Later three more units were started in Bombay city: Auxilium Pali, Bandra (10-12-75), Matunga (10-2-76), Our Lady of Dolours, Wadala (27-6-76). Thus by 1976 there were 4 units in Bombay city and 5 in the Province.
Fr. Mariotta continued as provincial delegate till 1981. He was followed by Fr. Vincent Vaz (1981 - 1982), Fr. Elias Dias (1982-1988), Fr. Longinus Nazareth (1988 - 1990) and Fr. Orville Coutinho (1990 - ).
Behind all the programmes conducted there was the guidance and leadership of the Salesian Sisters as well. These Provincial Delegates are: Srs. Edwidge Nazareth, Luthgarde Pereira, Lydia Dias (1987- 90), Marie de Silva (1990 - 91), Margaret Misquitta (1991 - 94), Marie De Silva (1994 - 97) and Assumption Fernandes (1997).
To back them were the office bearers: Mr. John D’Souza was the first provincial co-ordinating secretary. He was appointed on July 9, 1976 as provincial delegate to the World Congress of Salesian Co-operators in Rome. The Congress was held on the occasion of the centenary of the formation of the Association of SCs (30-10-76 to 5-11-76). He was also elected to serve the world consulting body of SCs as representative of SCs of the English speaking countries, for 3 years. He attended the world body meeting in 1978.
The first formal meeting of SCs of all units was held on January 26, 1979 and the first provincial council of SCs was elected with Mr. Aubrey Menezes as provincial co-ordinating secretary and Mr. Marcel Fernandes, Mrs. Lucy D’Souza and Mrs. Carol Lopes as council members.
The selection of the provincial council is held every three years. The name of the present office-bearers of the provincial council are Mr. Aubrey Menezes - Provincial Co-ordinator, Mrs. Philomena D'Souza - Asst. Provincial Co-ordinator, Mr. Rufus D’Souza - Treasurer and Councillor, Mrs. Jeanette Valladares, Councillor, Miss Sharon D’Souza, Councillor.
The provincial council members are in touch with the local delegates of the SDB and FMA units scattered over the province. Thanks to the hard work of the leaders, today in the Bombay Province there are presently 15 active units with 318 SCs who have made their promises.
3. THE PAST PUPILS' ASSOCIATION:
On the June 23, 1870, Charles Gastini and two of his friends - all past pupils - came to meet their beloved Rector, Don Bosco to present him with gifts. This was a small token of gratitude for the happy days they had spent at one of Don Bosco's first institutions in Italy. That historical meeting repeated every year for eighteen successive years during the life of Don Bosco, with an ever increasing number of past pupils.
When Don Bosco died, Charles Gastini told Fr. Rua, his successor, "Unable tobuild a monument worthy of the memory of Don Bosco, we decided to form a federation of past pupils so that we become living monuments dedicated to his memory."
Today, all over the world, the Salesian past pupil movement has blossomed into the World Confederation, the National Federations, the Provincial Federations and the Past Pupils' Unit at local level.
The Indian National Federation of Past Pupils was set up at the Provincial House, Bombay and Fr. Alfred Mariotta was appointed the Natonal Delegate in 1968. The monthly magazine Alumnus was launched. The National Secretariat raised the Federation to the status of a registered Society and Trust with the Charity Commissioner, Bombay. Fr. Desmond Paes ably succeeded him.
The Bombay Provincial Federation affiliated to the Indian National Federation consists of eleven functioning past pupils units from the states of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The Bombay Provincial Federation has around 1000 life members. It was established on January 20, 1974.
The Indian National Federation was the recipient of a Diploma and a Gold Medal on the occasion of the First Asia Australia Congress of Don Bosco Past Pupils, at Hong Kong in 1977. For "whole hearted response to the initiatives of the World Confederation and loyalty to the past pupils organization as stated in the diploma. Fr. Mariotta also received a diploma and gold medal for his efficient work.
Over the years, animated by their coordinators and ably led by their unit presidents, the past pupils had organized many and various programmes some of which were the project for the international year of the handicapped (1981), a centenary tournament (1988), career guidance workshops (1995), cultural programmes and get-togethers.