DENNIS DUARTE (1972-75)

Provincials' Teams 1972-1998

Fr.Dennis was born on May 16, 1918 to Manuel and Anna Duarte in Bombay. He began schooling at Don Bosco, Tardeo, in the year 1935 and then started his studies for the Salesian priesthood. He was ordained in 1946 and was chosen as the secretary to Archbishop Mathias of Madras-Mylapore. Later he was made Rector of Matunga and Panjim and then was appointed the vice Provincial of the province of Madras. He was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the fledgling visitatoria of Bombay. Hence in 1972 when the new province of Bombay was formed, he was the natural choice for the post of Provincial. His qualities of firmness and discipline helped to set the new venture on its feet. He placed the province under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier.

During his tenure as Provincial, new institutions were established. Within the span of two years, 1973-1974, four institutions began functioning: the institutes at Fatorda, Yerwada, Baroda and a study house for young salesians at Koregaon Park. In 1975 further expansion took place in Gujarat with the opening of a mission for the Ratwa tribe at Chotta Udepur.

After his term as Provincial, Fr. Dennis unassumingly took up office in the province and went wherever he was sent. He was a faithful priest, an eloquent preacher, a creative liturgist and a cordial pastor. He expired on September 24, 1996 at the age of seventy-eight.

Fr. Mauro Casarotti, the son of Charles and Mary was born at Casalbuttano in the Cremona district on May 17, 1917. He arrived in India on December 5, 1939 and began his novitiate at Tirupattur. After spending three years in the internment camp at Dheradun, he made his perpetual profession at Kotagiri in 1945 and was ordained a priest on August 7, 1949.

Immediately after his ordination he was sent as a catechist and prefect of studies to Matunga. In 1952 he was made Rector of the institute and remained in office till 1958. During these years he purchased a plot of land at Lonavla, much against the ideas of other confreres who considered Lonavla too remote a place for Salesian work. After six years of apostolate at Yercaud he was appointed the Rector of Lonavla. Soon he was appointed Provincial of Calcutta in 1964 and then of Guwahati in 1966. He joined the Bombay province in 1973 and was sent to Panjim.

In 1975 he was appointed Provincial of the Bombay province. Unfortunately ill-health caused him to submit his resignation within a year of taking office. His resignation was accepted and he was sent to Goa in the period that followed, until he was appointed rector of the study house of Poona in 1978. After that, he was posted at Lonvala for three years till in 1984 he was appointed confessor at Nashik. In 1995 he was transferred to the Provincial House at Matunga. Fr. Mauro was noted for his warm and humane approach to people and situations. He encouraged indigenous leadership not just in the Bombay province but in his earlier appointments as Provincial as well. His manner of dispensing authority was humane, forgiving and affable.

Fr. Tony D’Souza was born in Bombay on January 25, 1943 to Patrick and Mary D'Souza. He joined the aspirantate at Tirupattur in 1956, completed his perpetual profession in 1967 and was ordained in 1970. Immediately after his ordination, he was appointed catechist at Lonvala. In 1974, he was made Rector and a year later, was transferred to Koregaon Park, Pune, where he was asked to be Rector and Vice Provincial.

In 1976, at the age of 33, he was appointed Provincial of the Bombay province, thus becoming the youngest Provincial in the Salesian congregation at that time. Between the years 1977 and 1980, he was the vice president of the Religious Conference of India (CRI). In 1982, he headed the delegation of Africa and began a flourishing Salesian presence there. Unfortunately, the pressure of work affected his health and he returned to India for treatment in 1985. He was sent to California to do a course in Salesian Spirituality. A year later he returned to Africa and was Rector at Karen, Nairobi. In 1992 he decided to return to Bombay for good and was warmly welcomed by the Province. He was immediately appointed Rector at Koregaon Park, Pune, and a year later was sent to Panjim. In 1996, he was appointed the Provincial of Bombay for a second term.

Fr. Tony's first term as Provincial is noted for the strong emphasis he placed on a more inculturated formation within the province. Thus in 1978, the novitiate was started in Nashik and later, in 1980, Divyadaan, the study house of philosophy began in Pune. He also initiated the training of resource personnel for the newly established philosophate. Furthermore, he recognized the need for greater contextualising in order to keep pace with the future growth of the province in Maharashtra. He therefore ensured that all young Salesians learn Marathi through special Marathi Ghars ("Marathi Homes" where young Salesians had the possibility of a 'live in' experience of Maharashtrian culture). New presences were started: Bosco Boys' Home, Borivili (1976), Antop Hill (1981), Dakor (1981).

Fr. Chrys Saldanha was born on October 25, 1942, to Edward and Lina. He completed his schooling at Don Bosco, Matunga and joined the aspirantate at Tirupattur in 1958. In 1966, he made his perpetual profession and was sent to do his theology studies in Rome. He was ordained a priest on May 17, 1970 in Rome at the hands of Pope Paul VI. After his licentiate in Theology at the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS), Rome, in 1970 he completed his Doctorate in Theology at Maynooth, Ireland in 1979.

Soon after, he was appointed Vice Rector at Koregaon Park, Pune and then Rector at Provincial house in 1981. He served as Provincial between the years 1982 and 1988. In 1989 he was appointed by the Salesian Provincial Conference of India to pioneer Yuva Prachodini, the on-going formation centre at Bangalore, where he presently resides.

During his tenure as Provincial of Bombay several new initiatives were taken up. In 1984, Divyadaan, the philosophate, was shifted from Pune to Nashik with a rich library facility - the fruit of the hard work of Fr. Chrys himself. In 1986 the province made its first entry into rural Maharashtra by taking over St. John's Church, Bhingar from the Jesuits. In 1986, the "Don Bosco Youth Services" was established - a unique initiative to make available in one place, a library, animation and counselling facility for youth and youth-animators. Again, in 1987, another new venture "Shelter - Don Bosco", a half-way home for street children was started at Wadala. Greater emphasis was placed on work for youth - particularly poor urban youth. Thus many young Salesians were sent for a degree or diploma in social work. In 1987 a recording studio was set up at Kurla so as to promote religious audio productions and act as a training facility for students of the electronic department. Meanwhile, the work of expansion of the province continued: Pinguli (1983), Quepem (1985), Kawant(1986), Narukot (1987), Odxel (1987).

Fr. Loddy Pires was born in Bombay on December 20, 1947, to Mathias and Edocia Pires. He began schooling at Don Bosco, Matunga in 1956 and joined the aspirantate at Tirupattur in 1960. After his novitiate in 1964, he made his perpetual profession in 1972 and was ordained in 1975. He completed a course of spirituality in Rome during the years 1978-1980. When he returned, he was made Rector of Lonvala. In 1982 he was appointed Vice Provincial.

In 1988, the death centenary year of Don Bosco, he was made Provincial and served in this capacity till 1994. After his provincialship, he completed a course in pastoral counselling at Loyola University, Chicago. He was then appointed Rector of Koregaon Park, a newly established study house for the students of Theology of the Bombay province.

During his term as Provincial, the work of expansion continued particularly at the periphery of the province: Jaitala (1989), Tuem (1990), Sutgatti (1991), Betul (1992), Alirajpur (1992). The Salesian presences in Gujarat were consolidated and plans for greater development of the people begin to take concrete shape. Again, in Maharashtra, contextual development was promoted: at Jaitala, through the establishing of the first Marathi medium school in the province; at Bhingar, through the Bosco Gramin Vikas Kendra; and at Savedi, through the Marathi medium boarding school for rural boys. As the province became more culturally diversified, a language policy was adopted for the whole province: all confreres were to be proficient in at least one vernacular language besides English. In 1991 the Catechetical Centre of Pune was challenged to cater to the people of the Marathi speaking region as well. The centre responded through an initiative to produce audio cassettes in the vernacular called Tej-Prasarini. Towards the end of his term the need was felt for a newer and more spacious provincial house and Fr. Loddy initiated the process of planning.

Fr. Joaquim D’Souza was born in Bombay on March 22, 1945 to Diego and Sabina D'Souza. He began his schooling at Don Bosco, Matunga in 1954.

Barely three years after his novitiate at Yercaud in 1962, he was sent to the Salesian University in Rome for his Doctorate in Philosophy. He returned in 1971, and in 1974 he began his licentiate in Theology at Papal Seminary, Poona. He was ordained on December 20, 1975. After a brief term as Dean of studies at Yercaud, he was appointed the first Dean of Divyadaan, the new philosophate of the Bombay province. He was made Rector of Koregaon Park in 1981 and then moved to Nashik when Divyadaan was shifted there. He was appointed the Vice Provincial in 1988 and became the Provincial in 1994. Two years later, at the 24th General Chapter at Rome in 1996 he was elected as Regional of Australasia.

As soon as he assumed office Fr. Joaquim began to consolidate the Salesian presences in Goa. The school at Panjim was to be an apostolic school, the boardings of Sulcorna and Tuem were for boys in difficult situations and plans for upgrading Quepem and Panjim to the XII standards were initiated. More houses were opened: Loutulim (1994), Kapadvanj (1994) and Sirsi (1995). Tej-Prasarini was given the go-ahead to expand into a full-fledged publishing house. Permission to open a province study house for students of Theology was received in 1995. The same year the foundation stone for the new provincial house was laid and a province infirmary was set up at Andheri. Again, in 1995, the parish of St. John, Bhingar was trifurcated into three parishes Bhingar, Nagar and Savedi. Meanwhile, Divyadaan, which began procedures to establish a Master's Degree in Philosophy, was granted the necessary permission to begin the course on an experimental basis in 1996. In Baroda, a Catechetical Centre called Amrut Dhara was set up to cater to Catechesis in the region.