Alumni and the college in the Post-Platinum Years
There are very few institutions named ‘Salesian College’ in the world. Two such are in Australia and both in the city of Melbourne. Salesians who work in the Don Bosco institutions were at one time – in the early 1940s and 50s – trained in Salesian College Sonada. Among the few who are still active in Australia, I was happy to meet up with one during the second lap of my journey to Melbourne to attend the Conference of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) held every three years and hosted this year at ACU-the Australian Catholic University. Frank Freeman is presently in the provincial office and works as the chief editor of the magazine called Salesian Bulletin for Australia. Fie was glad to receive a copy of the college magazine, Sparkle, and see the video on ‘Salesians in the Himalayas’.
What the alumni of SCS spread across the world brings home to us is that education received in one geographic, the cultural, ethnic, religious, linguistic backdrop can be of benefit to adjust and adapt to situations in other parts of the world provided the spirit of universal openness and adaptability to the truth, ever-unfolding in diverse ways, can be welcomed in and through a system of education like that of Don Bosco. May the Bicentenary of his birth is marked significantly across the globe prove evermore the relevance of his person and vision for our times.
Fr. George Thadathil
Principal, Salesian College
