The Don Bosco society, borne out of the aspirations of many young people from disadvantaged communities, is celebrating its golden jubilee this year in June, said Fr. Louis and Fr. Baly, at a media conference on Monday.
St. Michael’s Boys’ Home Society is housed at Chandramouli Nagar on the Ring Road and for the last 50 years it has been training young people in various mechanical crafts at the ITI on its campus. The school was founded in 1947 by Rt. Rev. Pothakamuri Thomas the first Bishop of Guntur. The Orphanage and the School offered training for orphan boys most of whom were from the Guntur Diocese.
Founded by St. Don Bosco, a Catholic priest in Italy, the society is administered by the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDBs) who set foot on Telugu soil in June 1964. The Don Bosco Society is now present in 150 countries all over the world.
The Don Bosco society mission at the orphanage at St Michael’s Boys Home began in the year 1964 when Rev. Fr. Benjamin Puthota, Fr. P.E. Abraham and Br. Gabriel Fernandez were asked to head the institute. The institution now offers training in various industry oriented courses and has a full-fledged Industrial Training Complex offering technical training to nearly 300 boys and girls a year.
“A printing press with the latest imported machinery, a social empowerment centre reaching out to thousands of economically poor families through self-help groups and job-placement facilities, a Parish seeking the spiritual welfare of 300 families and outreach centre for rehabilitating children on the street are the hall marks of the institute,” said Fr. Baly.
The Government of India declared Don Bosco as the second largest provider of technical and skill training in the whole country. The Don Bosco later tied up with the government for setting up Bosco Tech, a joint venture of the Government of India and the Don Bosco Society for equipping the youth of the nation with skill and technical expertise, of which St. Michael’s, Guntur, is an active centre.
