HISTORY
Don Bosco, Gunadala became a reality when the province of Bangalore decided to send two of its confreres to Gunadala in 1981. The chosen pioneers were Fr. Medabalimi Balaswamy and Br. Chinnabathuni Gregory. They went ahead dynamically. Initially they were staying the while at Premnivas, Don Bosco Mangalagiri.
In 1982, Fr. John Lens, Fr. Emprayil Mathew, Br. Ch. Gregory, Cl. M. Noel and Cl. M. Simon saw to it that what was begun in a little shed was transformed into a salesian house.
On 124th August 1982, Fr. Thomas Panakezham, the Regional Superior, blessed the foundation stone and initiated the construction work. This event marks the beginning of an important phase in the history of the institution. It was canonically erected in 1983. The regular house had seven pre-novices and the total number of aspirants swelled up to 35. From then on, the tree began to grow and there were fresh leaves seen every year.
On 24th August 1986, the newly constructed building was blessed and opened by Fr. Joseph Thekkedathu. It had 37 aspirants with 10 pre-novices. Besides the education and training of the aspirants and pre-novices, it is also doing apostolate among the youth in the neighbouring parishes and stations.
SCOPE
The Salesians at Gunadala are especially put in charge of those mentioned in Const. 28: “young people….who give indications of an apostolic vocation. We help them to discover, accept and develop the gift to lay, consecrated or priestly vocation, for the benefit of the whole church and of the Salesian family.”
The post intermediate students who have made a choice for Salesian life, with adequate knowledge of English can be considered for the Pre-Novitiate and to them is presented in particular the riches of the Charism of Don Bosco. Hence the goal of the pre-novitiate is:
To give the candidate the possibility of maturing as a man and as a Christian; to make contact with Salesian life and reflect seriously on it; to get to know his vocation; deepen the vocational choice and clarify his readiness for beginning the novitiate; making a decision in the knowledge of what he is doing, free from internal and external pressures.” (FSDB 309, c. 108)
To allow the congregation to judge whether a candidate is sufficiently prepared for entering the novitiate. (FSDB 309, c 109).
The aspirantate has been shifted to Don Bosco Chandur in 2014 and the Pre-Novitiate to Don Bosco Wyra in 2019, as the scope of Gunadala is now catering to formal education through CBSE syllabus.
DON BOSCO
GUNADALA
VIJAYAWADA – 520 004
ANDHRA PRADESH
(0866) 245 03 86
(0866) 245 16 60