(ANS - Cagliari) - The relic of Don Bosco arrived last Friday, 11 October, in Cagliari, Sardinia, on the first stage of the pilgrimage to Central Italy (ICC). His arrival coincided with the hundredth anniversary of the Salesian presence in the Sardinian capital, which was celebrated on Saturday, 12 October.

The relic arrived at Elmas airport at around 9.30 a.m. on the Friday. It was then taken to the Salesian House at Selangor, where it was venerated by the members of the religious community and the faithful.

In the afternoon it was carried in procession to the hill of the Shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria, where the Archbishop Arrigo Miglio of Cagliari presided at Mass. For the faithful present at the Shrine it was a celebration similar to that on the occasion of another memorable visit, that of Pope Francis, which took place in September. After the Mass, another joyous procession accompanied the relic from the Shrine to the parish of St. Paul, where a second Mass was celebrated.

On the Saturday, exactly a hundred years after the arrival of the Salesians in Cagliari, the relic reached the Don Bosco Institute in the city. Hundreds of children and young people who attend Salesian works in the city and the region had gathered there for the occasion, together with several Salesians and admirers of Don Bosco. In a crowded and colourful courtyard, Fr Fabio Attard, General Councillor for Salesian Youth Ministry, presided at the Eucharist.

The following day, the relic left for Lanusei, after which it was taken to Nuoro and Sassari, locations of the other Salesian houses in Sardinia.

Published 15/10/2013