Navathi Celebrations of Fr. Devasia Punnakunnel and Bro N C Joseph

Posted: Oct 5th, 2021

2nd October 2021 was special for Don Bosco, Aluva not only because of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation, but also because of the twin navathi celebration of two veteran Salesians of the Sacred Heart Province, Bangalore. Fr. Devassia Punnakkunnel turned 90 on the 19th of September and Br. N. C. Joseph will hit 90 on the 15th of October. In the words of Fr. Devassia, it was a celebration of the 90th year of their earthly existence and as the Salesians of INK would testify, those were indeed eventful 90 years, worth celebrating. The celebrations began with the Solemn Holy Eucharist presided over by Fr. Benny Neeliyara, the nephew of Br. N. C. Joseph and concelebrated by several Salesians from the community of Aluva and the nearby communities. Fr. Devassia broke the word of God. The Eucharistic celebration was followed by a wonderful cultural programme organized by the brothers of Don Bosco, Aluva. During the programme, Fr. K. D. Joseph spoke felicitating the two birthday celebrants. The duo were honoured with a ponnada by Fr. Mathew Kapplikkunnel and Fr. George Neeliyara CMI. The presence of the family members of both Fr. Devassia and Br. N. C. added joy and colour to the celebrations. The fellowship meal that followed was indeed worthy of the day and marked a fitting conclusion.