Statue of St John Bosco is 90 years old
Sliver plaque with donor's engraving presented to mark anniversary
The Don Bosco Oratory of Victoria is commemorating the 90th anniversary of the inauguration of the statue of St John Bosco. Following the declaration of Don Bosco as a saint on April 1, 1934, the founder of the oratory, Fr Paul Micallef, commissioned artist Agostino Camilleri to create a statue of the new saint.
The statue was finished at the beginning of May 1936 and transferred to St George’s parish church, where it was blessed by Victoria archpriest Alfons Maria Hili. A procession with the statue of Don Bosco started to be held every year on the Sunday nearest to the liturgical feast, which is celebrated on January 31 along the streets of Victoria.
The statue represents Don Bosco flanked by St Domenico Savio on the right and a small boy on the left representing the Salesian missions around the world.
To mark this anniversary, the association of past pupils and the Friends of Don Bosco presented a silver plaque engraved in Fr Micallef’s handwriting, which reads L-istatua rigal tiegħi. Dun Pawl Micallef – Mejju 1936 (The statue is my gift. Fr Paul Micallef – May 1936) to the oratory.
The plaque has be fixed to the base of the statue.