Makati City, the Philippines, 12 October 2018 -- Fr. Salvatore Putzu, SDB was surrounded by confreres, benefactors, past and present lay mission partners of Word And Life Publications and many other friends and collaborators as he celebrated the Holy Eucharist at 10:00am on this day of his 80th birthday, at the St. John Bosco Parish Chapel, Makati.
It was indeed a very big day for Fr. Sal who, at the age of 80, continues to be very active in the Salesian apostolate as the head of the Word and Life Publications which he founded in 1989. He continues going to different parishes, chapels, and even offices to celebrate the Holy Eucharist both on weekdays and weekends; and to administer the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick whenever his priestly duties are sought and requested.
In his homily and in his birthday message during the lunch program, he shared how Divine Providence has never stopped giving him all the support and help he needed since he was a young boy until now. He narrated how, after the death of his father, Divine Providence was there for him in blessing his family with a very rich harvest in the family farm that helped the family meet their daily needs and fulfill their financial duties as well. Divine Providence helped him entered the Salesian Congregation, the only Religious Order who accepted him with nothing to worry about his financial difficulty. Divine Providence led him from one mission work to another in Iran, Lebanon, and the Philippines. And Fr. Sal narrated how Divine Providence helped him to start with Word and Life Publications with almost nothing to begin with just his faith, hope, and love in God and His Word. And it is Divine Providence that makes him continue to serve the Lord in spreading His Word to as many people and to as many means possible.
Fr. Sal claims to be a dreamer just like St. John Bosco. A good number of his dreams were already fulfilled, dreams that were once seemed impossible to reach. He continues to dream big and wonderful things not for him but for the Word of God and how he can spread the seeds of God’s Word in the hearts of many more people through different means of communications (print, radio, internet) with help of Word and Life Publications, Word Media Ministry, Word On Wheels, and other small groups which he inspires and guides.
Fr. Sal is a genuine son of a publisher whose name is St. John Bosco.
