Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatluru (Agenzia Fides) – This afternoon at Vatluru, Andhra Pradesh, the new minor seminary of Opera Don Guanella will be inaugurated. Present for the occasion will be the Provincial Superior Fr. Luigi De Giambattista, Don Piero Lippoli, Head of the General Council for Asia, and Bishop Prakash Mallavarapu, Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Eluru. The site, which was opened the day of All Saints in 2008 with the laying of the cornerstone, has not been yet officially closed. The program for the inauguration includes a moment of prayer, greetings of the leaders, performances by the children living in the homes the “Opera” runs, etc. There will also be a blessing of the house, a prayer of thanksgiving and the celebration of the Eucharist, after which a fraternal meal will be offered to all present.
"The 20 young men in training - says Fr Kuriakose, Superior of the community, in a statement sent to Fides - were housed in the “Guanella Karunalaya,” home for orphans." Considering the growing desire of young people in the region to attend the seminary and to receive religious formation, the congregation in 2008 bought a plot of three acres to build a small house for the project. "Today it can adequately accommodate fifty youth," notes Don Piero Lippoli.
The “Guanelliani” came to Valturu on July 16, 2004, to run the parish and a small adjoining house for a group of orphaned children. "We have encouraged these children, prayed and sang with them," explains Don Piero. "Thus gradually, with the help of a benefactor, we began the Guanella Karunalaya, a wonderful family home that now houses 60 children in a beautiful environment.” There is also a home for 20 elderly persons, where they not only eat a meal, but also share moments of prayer and carry out small jobs together. We are also very active in the pastoral care of the parish, which has 13 chapels scattered about the nearby villages. We are also launching, together with the CEI, a scholarship project for over 100 children in elementary and high school. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 14/11/2009)
