TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Fr Ivo Nicholas Coelho, a Salesian priest who has links to Socorro and Moira, was on Thursday elected as the new General Councillor for Formation of the Salesian Society, the one of the highest posts in the order formed by Saint Don Bosco.
This is the first time an Indian is occupying such a top post in the Salesian congregation and Fr Coelho – presently the director of the Salesian Theological Study Ratisbonne in Jerusalem – will be expected to head the training of Salesians all over the world.
According to the Bosco Information Service (BIS), Fr Coelho received a large majority at the voting, and the Rector Major immediately contacted him by telephone to ask if he accepted the result of the election.
Fr Coelho responded positively, and the assembly which was listening to the conversation, broke into applause.
Born on October 15, 1958 in Mumbai, Fr Coelho was entered the Salesian novitiate of Yercaud in 1976, where he made his first vows May 24, 1977, and his perpetual vows exactly 7 years later in Mumbai. He was ordained a priest on December 27, 1987 at Panjim.
He studied philosophy at the Pontifical University ‘Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth’ of Pune and theology at ‘Kristu Jyoti College’ in Bangalore. In 1994, he obtained a doctorate in philosophy at the Gregorian University in Rome.
In the same year, he was appointed Director of the Salesian Philosophate at Nashik, a role he retained until 2001, and once again from 2008 to 2011, served in the intervening years as Provincial of the Mumbai province.
Between 2007 and 2008, he was a member of the Precapitular Commission for the 26th General Chapter, where he also held the role of moderator. In 2011, he took charge as the Director of the Salesian Theologate at Jerusalem, the BIS report stated.
