A heartwarming missionary send-off rite was witnessed during the early morning regular mass in Don Bosco Provincial House (DBPH), Talamban, Cebu City on June 6, 2018 as Fr. GodofredoAtienza, SDB, the FIS Provincial Superior, sent-off his youngest sister, Maria Carmencita “Mency” Atienza for a one-year missionary volunteer work in Don Bosco-Mati, Davao Oriental. Mency would like to immerse first with the Salesian spirituality and works at the local level before doing volunteer work abroad which is still under the Salesian Missionary Volunteering Program. Among those who were present were Fr. Wilbert Dianon, SDB, theSLS-DB Rector in Dumaguete, Fr. Cesar Manlosa, the Sub-commission Head on schools, Fr. Orlando Borres, SDB, the Mary Help of Christians Parish Rector in Calinan, Davao City, Fr. Arvin Abatayo, SDB, the FIS Commission on Missions Delegate, Bro. Louie Domasian, SDB, Fr. John Tien Nguyen (VIN), the residents of Maryville Subdivision who are regular mass goers in DBPH and some SALVO members and volunteers.
Moreover, one of the special events highlighted during the mass was the warm welcome extended to the young volunteers, Karen Castigador and Christine Umpad from Don Bosco-Pasil, who just came back recently from their one-month missionary volunteer experience in Don Bosco Technical School-Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Prior to these two was Margarita Rio Diongzonwho first underwent the same volunteer program like them. She arrived last March 23, 2018 in the Philippines and now currently become one of the staff of the Commission on Missions in FIS.
