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FR. DR. JAGJIVAN TIRKEY REPRESENTS CALCUTTA AT SALESIAN JUBILEE OF EDUCATION

Fr. Dr. Jagjivan Tirkey represents Calcutta at Salesian Jubilee of Education

Rome, 28 October, 2025 – Fr. Dr. Jagjivan Tirkey, SDB, from Salesian College Autonomous Siliguri, represented the Salesian Province of Kolkata at the Salesian Jubilee of Education, held parallel to the Vatican’s Jubilee of the World of Education from October 27 to November 1, 2025.

The Salesian event featured the International University Students (IUS) Conference on “Participatory Models in Salesian Higher Education: Synodal & Salesian Facilitation,” coordinated by Fr. Dr. George Thadathil, SDB, IUS General Coordinator. Fr. Tirkey joined rectors and leaders from Salesian universities worldwide at the Università Pontificia Salesiana.

The conference opened on October 28 in the Viganò Hall. Rector Major Don Fabio Attard, SDB, and university Rector Don Andrea Bozzolo, SDB, led the session. They explored “Synodality, Salesian Identity, and Facilitation,” rooted in Don Bosco’s approach of accompaniment, dialogue, and participation. They urged delegates to apply these values in modern leadership and teaching for inclusive institutions.

The Jubilee of Education at Vatican began on October 27 with a Holy Eucharist in St. Peter’s Basilica, presided over by Pope Leo XIV. He told educators: “Those who study are ‘lifted up, broadening their horizons and perspectives in order to recover a vision that does not look downward, but is capable of looking upward: toward God, others and the mystery of life.’” Salesian participants, including Fr. Tirkey, later attended a welcome dinner with the Rector Major at the Sacro Cuore.

Fr. Tirkey’s presence highlighted the Kolkata Province’s commitment to youth formation through its network of Don Bosco schools and colleges in West Bengal and beyond. As a faculty member at Salesian College, he shared experiences from serving thousands of underprivileged students in India’s diverse educational context.

The Jubilee of the World of Education in Rome celebrated the Catholic Church’s global educational mission, active through 219,000 schools and 1,760 Catholic universities and higher faculties, involving hundreds of millions of students, teachers, parents, and mentors in building a culture of fraternity, peace, and human development.