Liberia

IN 1979, the Salesians arrived in Liberia to discern the possibility of opening the mission in Monrovia requested by the Bishop of Monrovia. In August,1979, a Maltese Salesian, Fr Anthony Caruana, became Parish Priest of St Joseph’s Parish and took up residence there with Salesian Brother Paul Da Corte, who had come from the USA. During that same year another Salesian Brother William Regner, joined Brother Paul Da Corte in his work at the Arthur Barclay Technical Institute (ABTI), while also doing youth work in St Joseph’s Parish.

The ABTI had been run by an Irish NGO, called AFSO, and Salesians worked there until 1988, when it was legally handed over to the Salesians as the Don Bosco Polytechnic. From 1980 Fr Joe Brown (from GBR United Kingdom) had been Principal of ABTI and continued in that role in the Don Bosco Polytechnic until 2001.

Brothers Paul Da Corte and Donald MacDonald began the building of a Salesian Community Residence early in 1981 in 8^th Street, Sinkor, Monrovia. Fr Austin Malloy then became the Rector of the growing Salesian Community. When a new Salesian Community in the interior was planned, Fr John Thompson left St Joseph’s Parish and together with Fr Hans Schwirzl (from GEK) and Brother Pat Logan (from USA) took over the SMA parish and developed other works in Tappita, 400 kilometres from Monrovia. Today the Don Bosco Polytechnic, the Don Bosco Homes, the Don Bosco Youth Centre, the Don Bosco Technical High School, the Mary Help of Christians Elementary School and the Parishes of Holy Innocents and of St Joseph all bear witness to them.