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Held between 30 October and 1 November as an experience of spirituality, sharing and joy, the Forum examined the relationship between being good Christians and the commitment to being upright citizens.
On Saturday afternoon, 30 October, in the monumental Basilica of the Holy Cross the young people were welcomed by the Mayor of the city Dr. Matteo Renzi and the Archbishop of the archdiocese, Mons. Giuseppe Betori. In the evening over 80 NGO, businesses, voluntary service associations and charitable organisations from all areas of society set out their wares and provided the young people with information about the many different ways of contributing to the well-being of the community. The day ended with a Good Night given by Mother Yvonne Reungoat, Superior of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, who summed up what the various presentations had shown, recalling that “being citizens of the Word means thinking and acting like Jesus .”
The whole of Sunday was taken up with the consideration of some examples from the history of Florence of social commitment. To the younger ones Michelangelo was the subject as artist and humanist; for those in the final years of high school, Dante, a man of culture and of city administration was the subject; for those from Technical Vocational Training Centres, the civic and cultural contribution of the Florentine Corporations of Arts and Trades to the city was the topic; while the young university students considered the political and genuinely Christian contribution of the Servant of God Giorgio La Pira Mayor of the city.
In the evening the various groups gathered in the Salesian parish of the Holy Family to take part in a penitential service inspired by Don Bosco’s dream of the “Purity handkerchief” which he had on the night between 14 and 15 June 1861. The day ended with a social evening of music, dancing and items typical of Salesian joy.
On the final day the Feast of All Saints, after a tour of the centre of the city, the SYM went to the church of Saint Laurence where Fr Pier Fausto Frisoli, Councillor for the Italy Middle East Region, presided at Mass. “You are the beautiful face of Christ in the world, you are the saints of the IIIrd millennium,” Fr Frisoli told them in his homily in which he also spoke about Saint Dominic Savio and his tireless search for holiness.
There was a final social event in the “Mary Immaculate” Salesian house in the city before they all went back home.
On ANSChannel there is a video summary of the Forum.
Published 03/11/2010
