Relic of Don Bosco Heads for Haiti

The following comes fromt the Salesian News Agency:

At the end of the very intense pilgrimage in the Dominican Republic, Don Bosco’s casket has arrived at the frontier with Haiti. Don Bosco’s relics, which have already been enthusiastically received by many Salesian communties in south and central America, come to Haiti as it continues to try to cope with the effects of the earthquake on 12 January.

Th casket spent its last days in the Dominican Republic visiting Salesian centres in the region of Cibao, where it was admired by thousands of people especially children and young people from Salesian centres in the north of the country. At Jarabacoa, the most important centre of the Salesians in the Antilles (ANT), with two formation houses, a school, a parish, a retreat centre and other social activities, the people flocked to the Salesian centres to see the casket and to spend some time in prayer close to it. Then it was the turn of the technical and agricultural school in La Vega, and Moca, near the sanctuary dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus where the charism of Don Bosco has been warmly welcomed over the years that the Salesians have spent in this central region of the Dominican Republic.

For the last two days the casket was at Santiago de los Caballeros, where in addition to being taken to the Salesian house in the city, it was on display for the faithful inside the Cathedral. On Wednesday 7 July, the final day in the “Saint John Bosco” Province of the Antilles, it was venerated by hundreds of people gathered at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Salesian house in the city of Mao. Yesterday morning, 8 July it set out on its way to Haiti.

Fr Hiram Santiago, President of the Central Commission for the visit accompanied the casket as it was transferred to the Salesians in the neighbouring Haiti. The first community to be visited in the country struck by the earthquake will be Fort-Liberté, about 200 kilometres from Port-au-Prince, the epicentre of the quake.