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Br. Carlo Bacalla in Memory of Philip Agbani

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Dear Salesians and Past Pupils of Don Bosco Training Centre, Onitsha-Obosi,

Greetings from Don Bosco Training Centre, Cebu City, Philippines!

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Dear Salesians and Past Pupils of Don Bosco Training Centre, Onitsha-Obosi,

Greetings from Don Bosco Training Centre, Cebu City, Philippines!

I felt sad to hear of the death of your Alumni Acting President, Philip Agbani. He was a dear student and a good friend to me. I have known him personally since the time he registered to take the entrance examination to the training centre in 1994 (if my memory is correct!) to the days he was a student and a boarder, and until he completed his studies with flying colors.

He knew Don Bosco through a Filipino engineer in Port Harcourt who helped him financially in his studies. Philip was always a diligent student who spent most of his free-time reading his books. He was always the first to reach the study hall in the evening for the study period. You will always see him busy. He was doing his chores and manual work with much seriousness and almost to perfection. I loved to hear him debate with his colleagues on varied issues from sports, politics, science, music, and just about anything under the sun during the free periods. He was Mr. Jory's favorite student (much favored than Master Emma Nwachukwu! Eventhough Master Emma was the Training Director' s favorite, hehe).

As a student and a growing young man, Philip was always neat and decent. When given a task, he would make sure that it is accomplished on time and with much quality. In my travels to Port Harcourt to visit companies or the trainees' relations, I would always take him with me. In fact, the first thing I did the moment I read the news of his death in the email was to open my photo album to see Philip and his companions. And lo and behold! there was this group photo with Linus, Cosmas, Carbon, the two youth corpers, and Philip.

As an enterprising student, he had a way of adding to his personal budget through his hobby of taking pictures. When he finished his training and eventually did his industrial training in Port Harcourt, I had no doubt in my mind that he will make it big over there. His oga had only praises for him during my visit to his company.

When I left Onitsha for Ondo, I continued to hear a lot of good things about Philip. He was always active in the Past Pupils organisation. He would travel from PH just to be present for the activities of this organisation he loved to see grow. Indeed you and I have lost a great leader and a friend in Philip.

As a student, he would personally confide to me his fears and anxieties about his illness that has caused the death of most members of his beloved family. I would always encourage him and convinced him not to fear because God has other plans for him. Rightly so, he has lived longer than he thought and expected. But one thing is sure: Philip is now happily united with his Creator and Father in heaven. I have no doubt that now he is in the
Salesian celestial garden with Mary Help of Christians, Don Bosco, Dominic Savio, and all the Salesian saints.

I would encourage the Past Pupils of Don Bosco Onitsha-Obosi to continue the legacy Philip has left behind. I know that it was his dream to make the Alumni association grow and grow to greater heights. He has done his share to make this dream of each and every Past Pupil come true. You have moved forward and have gone far in your achievements as Past Pupils. You can do more because when it is a reason of doing good, the sky is the limit!!!

I am one with you in your grief over the loss of a good son of Don Bosco. May his soul rest in perfect peace. AMEN!

-bro. dike-

Generale

- 3/9/2008

The Salesian School greets Fr.Charles Uzoeto

AFTER 5 YEARS IN ONITSHA FR.CHARLES UZOETO IS GOING TO MONROVIA LIBERIA TO BE RECTOR AND PARISH PRIEST

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After 5 good years of his Priesthood in Onitsha, the first 5 years of priesthood, Fr. Charles Uzoeto received ed accepted the obedience to move to Monrovia and to be the new Rector of the Salesian Community e the Parish Priest there.

The Students of Don Bosco Training Institute and Don bosco Secondary School together with the Staff organized a send forth day to greet and thank him. Fr. Rector invited the participant to look at what he did with deep eyes.

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As we remember him Celebrating the Mass, Preaching, Hearing Confessions, Administering Sacraments, Counseling, Directing us privately and in the Morning Evening Assembly, in the good Night, as we enjoyed his participation in the different sport times as in the lessons of the school,

we could see in him the pedagogy of Don Bosco witnessed.

First of all the pedagogy of the total dedication from which zeal, patience, constancy springs out.

We experienced the pedagogy made of love. Like Don Bosco he liked to be our friend, in the recreation time as in the personal contacts.

We can say truly that his pedagogy was of the welcoming and of the presence, presence in the Oratory, presence in the school, presence in the meeting, presence in the chapel…

Like Don Bosco who created in Valdocco a welcoming house, he was able to create an atmosphere of respect of all things and of all people, made of cordiality of relationships and progressive involvement. We appreciate his ability to choose his collaborators (animators and senior in the boarding house…) for their personal talents, maturity, exemplariness… how he was taking care of their spiritual and professional life.

It is the pedagogy of the involvement and of the responsibility. You can testify that he didn’t consider you as simple recipients of initiatives. He used to make of you the best educators of your peers so that from the church to the playground, from the formation to the diction of the readers of morning Mass, involved you and made responsible. He didn’t like to exclude anybody so all was useful to make you grow: games and physical ability, cultural activities and liturgy (mass servant, choristers, sacristans…). He intended to adjust the individuals abilities, and bring the most gifted to an increasing missionary and spiritual ambition discovering your personal vocation.

Through the pedagogy of the fest and of the joy, Fr. Charles introduced us to perform well our duties as students, workers, and as good christians, to become holy.

Fr. Charles will reach Liberia in the middle of August.

To him we wish the protection of the Virgin Mary in special way we honor on that month.