Kochi – A group of boys in their early teens who set out to chase their missionary dreams caught up with each other for the first time after 50 years, 16 January 2016 at Pachalam.
Twenty one batch mates, among them six priests, took part at the meeting.
They were recruited by a priest who rode motor cycle the length and breadth of Kerala visiting some 100 schools and parishes, and after interviewing some 600 students selected 62 candidates for an yearlong training at Don Bosco Pachalam before sending them to become Salesians of Don Bosco and serve in the then provinces of Chennai, Calcutta and Guwahati.
The students were between 12 to 14 years of age and they were compelled to pick up spoken English in just two months.
“Most of us have not been in contact for the past 50 years. Thanks to social media we are able to identify lost batch mates and plan this long awaited get together,” says local co-coordinator of the program Fr Varghese Alangaden who belongs to Bangalore province and serves in Alameda parish in California.
Twenty one batch-mates gathered for a day-long camaraderie at Don Bosco Pachalam near Vaduthala, north Ernakulam, under the patronage of current Rector Fr Paulson.
The jubilee events included Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr Jose Njarlely Superior General of The Trinitarian Fathers now resident in Rome followed by a tour of the campus, including study hall, classroom, dormitory, dining room and playgrounds.
“After much networking efforts and snow balling we managed to contact 32 batch mates,” says owner of Kadamabari Residency Hotel Kalady Mr K. C. George Karimpanmackal who hosted 10 outstation batch-mates for the night.
“All the efforts to trace long lost batch mates were worthwhile,” says Fr Jacob Thenganakunnel serving in Nepal. Fr Jacob had been undaunted in his pursuit of making the get-together happen.
“At that tender age, recruitment was done with the intention of preparing the boys for priesthood. But only less than 10 became priests,” says Fr. Thomas Ellicherail former provincial of Kolkata province and currently director of novices in Sri Lanka.
Of these, seven became Salesian priests, of which four are in Kolkata province, one each in Kerala, Shillong and Dimapur provinces. One is the Superior General of the Trinitarians based in Rome, another an SVD priest in Africa and the third is a diocesan priest.