(ANS - Turin) –The way in which the youth of SYM DON BOSCO 2015 awaited the day of the Bicentenary of Don Bosco’s birth is a perfect witness of how well-rooted the Salesian spirit is in their hearts and can be considered as the first gift of the youth of the Salesian Youth Movement (MGS) to the Father and Teacher of the Young.

by Gian Francesco Romano

It was to be an evening of celebration, and it really was! Even if in much different way from what it had at first been imagined. All previous plans were cancelled because of bad weather, which started on Saturday’s early afternoon. It was just a few minutes since the young of SYM DON BOSCO 2015 had left Castelnuovo Don Bosco, heading for Colle, when it started raining, and it practically rained without interruption for the whole day.

Therefore there were no alternatives: the vigil that had been planned on the square in front of the Basilica at Colle had to be cancelled. As the news of this change of the program gradually spread, the real surprise was the capability of the about 5000 youth to adjust to the situation. Without being even slightly discouraged or disappointed, they started occupying every possible space of the Colle community, stretching out their mats and sleeping bags on every possible surface, even inside the church.

“You simplified things that could have been difficult”, commented the Rector Major, praising the serene and pragmatic attitude of the youth. And as a sign of admiration and gratitude, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime and Mother Yvonne Reungoat, the Mother General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, made a visit to all the rooms to express to the young their greetings and thanks: a tour de force of more than two hours.

Quoting what the Pope said on his visit to Valdocco, the Rector Major recalled also how concreteness and practicality are a typical quality of the Salesian spirit and in all circumstances he reasserted how the reaction of the young to the unexpected difficulties was a high-level “witness”, an expression of the “human quality” of the MGS youth.

Mother Reungoat too offered the youth a positive interpretation of the incident. “The rain causes us to be more together”, she repeated, drawing from all this a valid teaching for the life of the young: “There is no problem without a solution”.

The final proof of their value and of their love for Don Bosco was given around midnight, when, despite the rain that kept falling, the youth crowded in the square and singing and dancing – together with Fr. Á. F. Artime and Mother Reungoat – awaited the countdown to present their wishes to Don Bosco and set off a night of feast and joy, enthusiasm and prayer, praise and thanksgiving.

Today the Bicentenary celebration will reach its peak with the Eucharist that will be presided over by the Rector Major.

The event will be broadcast live by Rete7 on channel 12 of DDTV, on channels 217 and 252 of satellite broadcasting “people tv rete 7”, on channel 825 of Sky platform, as well as on the station streaming channel.

Published 16/08/2015