(ANS - Rome) - The Special Circumscription of Central Italy (ICC) is also preparing to start the celebrations for the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco: it will officially begin next Saturday, September 13, in Rome, with a symbolic ceremony and a Mass at the Temple of Don Bosco.

At 5:00PM, lighting a votive candle inside the great church of the Tempio Don Bosco will indicate the official opening of the Bicentennial for the city of Rome and the entire District. On that occasion, during the solemn Mass that will be presided by the Superior, Fr Leonardo Mancini, there will also be the perpetual profession of 4 young Salesians: Andrea Berardi, Gabriele Graziano, Vittorio Cunsolo and Kenny Nongrum.

Other events to celebrate Don Bosco in Rome will be: the traditional Corsa dei Santi (the Saints Run), on 1 November, which on this occasion will be devoted entirely to this saint of Piedmont; Feast of Don Bosco, January 31, 2015, which will be graced by the presence of the Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, Agostino Vallini, together with the Bishops of Lazio; the Feast of the Salesian Family on Sunday, April 12, 2015; and the feast and grand procession of Mary Help of Christians which will be held at the Church of Mary Help of Christians, on May 24.

After this preparation that has made us deepen into the history, pedagogy and spirituality of Don Bosco, the bicentennial is an opportunity to imitate him with more conviction and passion (his passion: that of the Da Mihi Animas) and to give birth to something again (...), calling us to build something new, first of all inside of us, and then to invent new presences and to renew robustly the existing ones, by responding more adequately to the needs of the young and of society, "says Fr Mancini in an interview on the website of the Province.

Regarding the national Bicentennial events in Italy, all updates are available at the website: www.bicentenario.donboscoitalia.it

Posted on 09/10/2014