Hajja Salesjana October-December 2019

H AJJA S ALESJANA A brief introduction of yourself, your family and your studies. My family was made up of my parents and six boys. Both my parents are now dead, four of my brothers are married and two are priests, one Franciscan and myself a Salesian. I was born in G˙axaq where my parents were refugees due to the Second World War. At age six shortly after my First Holy Communion my family moved back to Senglea were they were previously. I was enrolled as an altar boy at the parish church and grew up within the Society of Christian Doctrine, MUSEUM. At 14 years of age I started working as an apprentice at the Dockyard. A few years later I decided to join the Salesians. I went abroad for my studies, spent many years as a teacher and assistant at St Patrick’s school. I finished off as its Rector and later appointed Provincial Delegate for Malta. I spent five years working as a missionary in Tunisia. When I returned I was appointed again as Provincial Delegate and eventually moved to Senglea, where I am now as a member of the community in this new presence since 2008. 1. How did you come to know Don Bosco? What I am going to say might sound strange to some people. I got to know of Don Bosco through a book which I bought about his life. His style of life fascinated me. At the back of the book there was an address in Ireland. I wrote there asking for more information as I desired to become a co-operator. I got a reply saying: “Why don’t you go and speak to the Salesians in Malta?” I did not know they existed here. I searched for them and eventually found them in Sliema. Just to convince you that I did not know where they were I got off the wrong bus stop and had to walk quite a bit to meet the first Salesian, Fr Joseph Mangion, my name sake but no relation. That is where my Salesian story begins. 2. Fr Victor Mangion SDB Mill-album tal-Familja Salesjana 12