(ANS - Turin) - Rise early, leave by bus, then by groups, venerate the Shroud, which is the clear sign of that '"Greatest Love" which is the basis of each religious vocation. It opened in this way on the second day of the Salesian Bishops Encounter about the places of Don Bosco.

                                                                                                                                                                                                Gian Francesco Romano

At the Turin Cathedral, about 90 Salesian bishops were focused before the shroud. Excited like all the pilgrims, they have set their eyes on the signs of the wounds that remained imprinted on the linen and, in silence, have raised their prayers. Afterwards around Msgr. Nosiglia, the archbishop of the city, they concelebrated the Eucharist.

In his homily Msgr. Nosiglia recalled the value and significance of the Shroud, as a testimony of God's passion for humanity; and also emphasized the link of this Exposition and the city of Turin with Don Bosco, whose example - he said - is still relevant today because it teaches the Church and society to give confidence to the young.

Returning to Valdocco, Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General for the Causes of Saints of the Salesian Family, led a meditation on Salesian holiness manifested in various eminent bishops: Mgr. Versiglia, Msgr. Olivares, Msgr. Ferrando, Msgr. Ortiz Arrieta, card. Hlond, Msgr. Almeida Lustosa and Msgr. Marengo; and he concluded by saying that one is a bishop in the style of Don Bosco if you take the "rosary", a sign of unconditional trust in Mary Help of Christians, and the "hair shirt", a sign that there is no apostolic fruitfulness without sacrifice.

After a short break there was another session, one of the four sessions planned as a community reflection these days. It was animated by the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, who presented to the bishops the theme, the development, and guidelines received at the General Chapter 27. Fr Á.F. Artime first talked about the spirit and collegiality experienced in that chapter. Then pointed out that the theme of the GC27 - Witnesses to the radical approach of the Gospel - a theme of urgent reality is a "crucial question on which depends the future of each of us and of our congregation."

Finally, he offered his vision on the reality of the Congregation: accepting our inheritance from Don Bosco, the attention to intimacy with God ("we must continue to grow in the interior life, in union with Him") in the spirit of family ("the community is not the residence of individual pastoral workers, but the place to create a real family spirit") and mission among the young ("visiting for the first time several provinces, I note a clear and undisputed choice for the young, especially the poorest ").

The morning ended with a Question and answer session between the bishops and the Rector Major.

The interventions of Fr Cameroni and Fr Á.F. Artime are available on the site sdb.org; while on Flickr, there are several photo albums in high quality on the activities of the morning.

Posted on 22/05/2015