After this Fr. Tom Brennan, SDB, the Salesian Representative at the UN, challenged the young people to not simply work to eliminate poverty but to also eliminate the greed that helps widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots in the world. He noted that 48% of the world lives on less than $2 USD a day and invited the young to see how they could share some of the abundance of their own riches with those who are in need.
The young people were then asked to explore what they could do individually and within their communities to help effect a change of values that would help us become people who strive to do what they can for the least of their brothers and sisters, rather than be consumers and accumulators.
Exhibitions showed programmes which work to create sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families from poverty; help facilitate children visit incarcerated parents; provide food for malnourished children; advocate public policies which affirm human life and human dignity; provide opportunities for volunteer work among the needy.
Fr. Timothy Ploch, the Provincial of the Western USA Province presided at the closing liturgy in honour of St. John Bosco. He spoke in particular about Don Bosco’s passion for those in need and for mobilising the young to help one another to be good citizens for this world and the next.
Published 03/02/2011
