New space provides more comfort, better accessibility.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Aug 26, 2025) Salesian missionaries in Rundu, Namibia, completed phase three of a construction project for the new St. John Bosco Church thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The project will benefit more than 6,500 Catholics in the community.
With the funding, Salesians were able to buy roofing sheets to finish roofing the parts that remained from the previous phase of the project. They were also able to buy the steel for truces and weld them on the roof, finish brick work, and plaster the inside and outside of the entire church.
A Salesian noted, “The project has been a long time in the making. In 2018, the Catholic bishop took over the Cathedral Parish and asked Salesians to develop a parish with the outskirts of Rundu. In 2019, on the feast of St. John Bosco, a new parish was opened by the bishop and entrusted to the Salesians of Don Bosco to run it in perpetuity. The parish was dedicated to St. John Bosco. Since then, Salesians have been working to develop the parish and make it a home for the youth and the parish community.”
St. John Bosco community is one of 15 Salesian communities in Rundu. Within three years of its development, Salesians were able to build two community houses, a school, parish offices and a parish hall, which had been used as the church prior to the new one being built. The new space provides more comfort and better accessibility to all who worship there.
Salesian programs across Namibia are primarily focused on education. Salesian primary and secondary education in the country helps youth prepare for later technical, vocational or university study. Other programs help to support poor youth and their families by meeting the basic needs of shelter, proper nutrition and medical care.
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About Salesian Missions USA
Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Network—a worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeople—all dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.