Beirut, El Housson and El Fidar…

Dear Father Christopher,

It was a pleasure to read and to see what you sent to our webmaster Diego for our Salesian School in Beirut (SSB).

I am a Salesian Father and spent six years in Lebanon from ’63 to ’67 and then from ’72 to ’74 and I think I can say that I know  very well what you’re talking about because I spent some time  with quite a lot of youngsters as well as the Salesian Fathers and Brothers you mentioned in your emails.

Of course quite a lot of them passed away some years ago and I can tell you that, for instance, Father Morra died in Bethlehem, Father Bias died in Trento in his native town in Italy, Father Ottone passed away in Nazareth, Father Laleta died in Beirut in ’72 and is buried in the graveyard in El Houssun. Father Guzzetti died in Milano, Father Faoro died in Alexandria and Father Pireddu in his native Sardinia.

What about Brother Dell : I think you’ll be pleased to know that he studied theology at Santa Rosa in California and later on he was ordained as a priest in the diocese of Porto and Santa Ruffina which is the closest diocese to the diocese of Rome and he spent a few years as a parish priest in the small village of Anguillara Sabazia. He was then appointed a registrar and archivist in the archives of the diocese and few years later he passed peacefully away.

He studied theology in the famous Pontifical Beda College in Rome and up to the end of his life he was a joyful man, very fine and very also precise in his duties, as probably you remember him.

At present we Salesians are still in Lebanon. El Houssun is still open as a elementary and secondary school and it welcomes hundreds of boys and girls during the summer period for the summer camps. They are refugees from Iraq, Syria, South Lebanon or native Lebanese from the villages around El Houssun. The three Salesians that are still there, run all the activities with the cooperation of a good number of young animators. During the school year they transfer themselves to the region of Biblos. There is a very beautiful new Salesian school, Don Bosco Technique, with I think three hundred and fifty to four hundred students. They attend the technical courses in Mechanics, Electricity and similar subject matters.

At present in Al Fidar, this is the name of the location of this school, there is Father Vittorio Pozzo who was himself a student in El Houssun and then became principal of the Middle East province. The other one is Father Mario Murru who was himself a student in El Houssun from ’62 or even ’61 to ’64 or ’65. And Father Luciano Buratti was a student in Beirut when the post noviciate was first in in the premises of Christ Roi close to Nar el Kelb where, by the way, you have a very beautiful picture taken in the sixties. In addition to that our Salesian Fathers and Salesian cooperators have their responsibility, the pedagogical responsibility of a school in Beirut attended by Iraqi refugees,  one hundred twenty one hundred fifty and it depends on the scholarship.

Finally, the Salesian school, the school “italiana maschile” you knew and you attended in your early years in Beirut was demolished and right after the civil war at this same spot there is a huge hotel/complex named “Le jardin de Verdun”. If you search on our SSB website, you will be able to read the history of this school and you’ll be able to watch some very recent pictures.

Thank you Father Christopher, I repeat my gratitude to you for having sent short outline of your life and some very beautiful pictures and I wish you a fruitful period of ministry in London and I ask you also to pray for me because I am at present going through some difficulties with my health. I pray for you and once again thank for your connection with our SSB.

God bless you.

Don Caputa

Dear Don Caputa,

Thanks to Diego the good Web master we have been brought together!
Today 31.01.2026 feast of St John Bosco I give thanks to all of you for continuing his spirit which formed me 1963-65 and no doubt inspired me to folllow the path to the priesthood myself.

I was ordained in 1979 in London by the Archbishop of Isfahan of the Latins as I was raised in Iran from where I commuted to Beirut. After a year with Cancer I am now restored to health but retired and at the moment in Egypt (my birth place) soaking up some sun!

What a very different world it was 60 years ago and what history we have lived through. I pray for peace to somehow come to our beloved Middle East and I thank all you Salesians for what you do for the future of the Church and humanity!

God bless
fr Christopher Basden