Salesians in Mongolia

The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) is a Catholic order founded by Don Bosco in Turin, in 1859.  They have a clear, specific purpose - to help the poor youths during the Industrial Revolution.  They have since grown into a global organization with a strong presence in many many countries, including Mongolia.  

Initially I wasn’t sure whether there are Salesians in Mongolia.  My good friend, Father George, a Salesian priest from India who is now based in Rome, confirmed that there are, and provided me with some leads, even though he does not know them.  Starting with those leads, I did some digging through the Internet of my own, and cold called them.  They turned out to be very friendly.  That is partly because I graduated from Aberdeen Technical School （ATS）n Hong Kong, a Salesian school.  And there is a priest in Ulaanbaatar from Hong Kong!

The Salesians run Don Bosco Technical School in the east of Ulaanbaatar, right next to the cathedral.  Don Bosco in UB is run with the same philosophy as ATS in Hong Kong. It offers practical skills alongside a regular secondary school curriculum.  At ATS,  in the 1970s, we were taught woodworking, hand tools, basic machines such as lathes ad drilling machines, technical drawing, and a choice between mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. Don Bosco at UB offers secretarial training, welding, electrical engineering, automobile engineering, etc.  

Just like my old school, they have a library, sports training, and other extra-curricular activities.  I felt so much at home at Don Bosco.  Next to the school, the Salesians also run an orphanage and a community center, offering many types of services as appropriate.  

My team was in Mongolia looking for potential sites and partners for service-learning.  We are so impressed by the Salesians.  They are truly dedicated to education, formal and otherwise, for the youths.  What they offer are very practical and effective.  The students who do well in academics can proceed to further studies at universities.  Otherwise they will have the skills that will help them find a job, and develop a career.  

We are also deeply impressed by the Salesians themselves.  They came from Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, Croatia, East Timor, Guatemala, Africa, …  Some have been in Mongolia for decades and have no plans to go back to where they came from.  For them, Mongolia is home. The priests and brothers have given up marriage and private property.  

They remind me of Brother K, who taught me at ATS in the 1970s.  He came originally from Holland.  He is now 100 years old, and continues to live in Hong Kong.  One of his former students is living with him, to take care of him, in an apartment the student rents for the purpose.  

Such dedication! Such impact! How can one not admire them?  Naturally, we are trying to find a way to work with them.  Do not be surprise when we appear in Mongolia again.