Chennai – There are many good hearts coming forward to render valuable service to the good children of Don Guanella Special School. Mr. Sivashankar, Mrs. Amend, Suseela, and Fr. P.K. Matthew showed their love and concern to the good children and joyfully served them their meal. They provided the sumptuous food: rice, oil, biscuits, sugar, sweets and even some clothes. They promised that they would come again to spend time with the children.
Cuddalore – The inauguration of Don Guanella Special School was held on June 10th in the presence of Fr. Samson, Community Superior, Fr. Rajesh, Fr. Dominic Basker, Fr. S. A. Lourduraj and Bro. Rambabu. Fr. Samson hoisted the flag and gave an inspirational talk for the staff that will be providing the good children with much care and in some cases a certain degree of healing. To conclude the ceremony, Fr. S. A. Lourduraj presented the chief guest with a shawl. On June 25th, the inauguration was completed with a Eucharistic celebration. Rev. Fr. Soosai Rathinam, the Provincial Superior, presided over the Mass which was meaningfully celebrated for the understanding of the good children. The children were delighted by his words and he prayed for their personal intentions. Following mass, a fellowship meal was provided for the children and their parents. 
Bangalore – With the blessings of the Risen Lord and prayers of St. Guanella, the Guanella Preethi Nivas community inaugurated the Don Guanella Oratory Sunday, June 23rd. After a long break, a squad of little children returned to GPN. Lay Collaborators, Ms. Stella and Ms. Sangeetha, presided over the function. In their passionate message, they said that the oratory is not only a place for enjoyment but also for acquiring knowledge and moral values which will facilitate their futures. Then Fr. Adaikalam, Oratory Coordinator, welcomed everyone and recounted the creation of the oratory and its benefits to this day. He extolled the hard work of many confreres throughout their journey. The children performed colorful dances and melodious songs. Snacks were served before the children went home filled with the love of Guanellians and longing to return soon to nourish their body and soul. 
Chelsea, MI – On Sunday February 24, 2013, a packed church at St. Mary Parish in Chelsea, MI joined the Bishop of Lansing at 10:00 a.m. Mass to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the visit of St. Louis Guanella to the United States in 1913. The Most Rev. Bishop Earl Boyea presided over the Mass attended by 400 people, along with five priests from the local Guanellian community at St. Louis Center, and Rev. William J. Turner, Pastor of St. Mary Church. Forty St. Louis residents and staff members were in attendance, along with many families from the St. Louis Guanella Council of the Knights of Columbus. The Cardinal O’Hara 4th Degree Assembly provided the Color Corps for the Mass.
During his homily, Bishop Boyea spoke of the significance of St. Louis Guanella’s outreach to America, and the contribution of the Guanellian congregation of priests to the Diocese of Lansing. At the end of Mass, Fr. Joseph Rinaldo, SdC., presented Bishop Boyea with a gift of a relic of St. Louis Guanella in a new reliquary. The relic was a bone fragment of St. Guanella, which according to Catholic teaching, is worthy of veneration by the faithful.
After Mass, nearly 200 people remained for an “Italian Breakfast” that consisted of deli meats, bread, cheese, fruit, and yogurt. Fr. Joseph Rinaldo, Provincial Treasurer, spoke about the history of Fr. Guanella’s visit (December 15, 1912 – Feb. 8, 1913), the crowd was treated to a short film about the life of Fr. Guanella, State Deputy Michael Malinowski of the Michigan Knights of Columbus spoke of the importance of caring for persons with developmental disabilities, and Bishop Boyea gave a final blessing to everyone at the end of the program.
Fr. Louis Guanella was canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church on October 23, 2011 at Vatican Square in Rome, and founded the Servants of Charity congregation of priests in 1908. He made it his mission in life to care for the “poorest of the poor,” especially persons with developmental disabilities.
“Seek out your superiors and learn from them. Do not hide nor shy away from them for the sake of your pride, for true pride is perceived, not in perceived skill, but in improvement.”
― Megan Webster
Chennai – The Indian Guanellian leaders of the local communities came together for a two-day revitalizing course January 28th and 29th at Don Guanella Major Seminary. Fr. Battista and Fr. Theophilus shared their life experiences, convictions and better ways for leadership in the modern religious world. Apart from them, the realistic and inspirational witness of Rev. Fr. Rathinam, Provincial Superior, gave wisdom, strength and enthusiasm to the participants. He shared his dreams, visions, difficulties and possibilities expecting the encouragement and partnership of the local leaders. The open forum paved the way for understanding each other and improving one’s fatherly effectiveness. They prayed together for the growth and well-being of the Guanellian family; and for a joyful, safe and better tomorrow for the recipients and confreres through the providential guidance of the Father.
Cuddalore – The Annual Retreat at St. Joseph’s Seminary was held January 13th to 16th for the Minor Seminarians. Rev. Fr. Ligory, the Rector of Don Guanella Major Seminary was invited to preach the retreat on the theme “Vocation Discernment.” Fr. Ligory was very simple in presenting his thoughts on the topic and he made the students seriously think about the vocation that they have received from God. He invited them to be truthful, sincere and committed to their call and to imbibe the spirit of our founder St. Louis Guanella.
Cuddalore – The Community witnessed an extraordinary moment of charity when the First Year College going Seminarians of St. Joseph Seminary came forward to offer their laptop computers to the students at Don Guanella Boys Home. Five students were given laptops under a Tamil Nadu Governmental program, and since there has been a well-equipped computer lab at St. Joseph Seminary, the students were motivated to offer the computers to the orphanage for the benefit of the students there. A new computer lab has now been erected at DGBH. Joy exists in the hearts of both the seminarians and students at DGBH.
Chennai – After Theology courses were complete, the students of Don Guanella Major Seminary jumped into the camps to prepare themselves for perpetual preparation. They are experiencing different communities through various ways. They spent several days during October in the Thalavadi Community. The regular programs were arranged by Fr. Ligory in order to enjoy their stay with the special children. Basic orientation was given to help them attend to the needs of the poor while understanding the pastoral necessities of the community.
In November, they arrived in Yesuvanam; experiencing a warm welcome and orientation by Fr. Gnanaraj. Fr. Praveen organized a short seminar on ‘The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith.’ There was also a talk on ‘Administrative Skills in the Ministry’ by a Salesian priest. A valuable talk, ‘Challenges in Religious Life,’ was given by a Servite priest. The Students share experiences and spend precious time with the ‘good children’ of Anbagam every day. Fr. Gustavo De Bonis joined the group to present ‘Guanellian Spirituality and Charism’
Tamil Nadu – Vocation Promotion is the mother of all ministries and it is a challenging one in Tamil Nadu, like any fast-growing state. Witnessing the life of Jesus Christ is another foundation for vocations. The theologians of Don Guanella Major Seminary ended their semester and had a week of holidays. After celebrating the one year Canonization anniversary of St. Guanella locally, the days were made useful by vocation drives in various dioceses of Tamil Nadu. They visited the students from Catholic schools; finding flourishing faith formation in traditional catholic families and gives counter witness to the poor. What a blessing from God this short period has been for carrying out the fruitful ministry of visiting families and students to promote vocations to the Servants of Charity.
Chennai – In the evening on October 21st, the Evening School children and staff were invited to participate in the first day of the ‘Triduum to the Founder’ on the theme “Guanella and His early years”. The service was organized by the IV Year Theologians of the Don Guanella Major Seminary. The service began with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The children were allowed to carry the relic and the portrait of St. Guanella during the procession. Bro. Arputharaj presented the early years of St. Guanella’s life in such a way that the children took active participation. The children were allowed to kiss the relic of our founder. After the prayer service a delicious dinner was served during which the Don Guanella Evening School Children performed a dance to the hymn of our founder.
Servants of Charity 