AUXILIUM CONVENT-GOBRA:On 27th June, 2014, boarding assistants meeting was coordinated by the Education Sector, at Auxilium Convent, Dum Dum. Sr. Juliana Rozario and Sr. Elizabeth Makil were the resource persons. The meeting started with the welcome address by vice provincial Sr. Teresa Adampakallel. It was followed by a short prayer through the power point, invoking the Holy Spirit.

The two resource persons boosted the twenty-five participants on how to be boarding assistants in our communities. They helped them to be dynamic, creative and formative assistants. The participants also had chance to share their experiences of boarding life, a growing experience of the past, present and the future. Through some clippings of video on Don Bosco they explained Salesian presence as Presence: Physical – Loving – Active – Animating – Witnessing.

comes the relevance of Don Bosco's system of education which speaks of the Preventive System. Fr. Mullick spoke about the role of teachers to equip the children with life skills to sustain themselves in this vulnerable world.

Why do we run a boarding? Because it is a noble mission… it is a powerful ministry…. a child centered undertaking. At the end of the meeting, the participants were asked to frame a Vision for the boarding house and to pinpoint two concrete ways of becoming "affective" and "effective" assistants among the young. The outcome of their suggestions was the following: Our Boarding – a home where all experience holiness, happiness, love and concern. The participants thanked the animators for their wonderful way of animating the group. The meeting came to an end with the evening prayer where we expressed our thanks to God for the enriching experiences in our Boarding ministry – past, present and yet to come.

Sr. Pramila Ekka