(ANS - Turin) –Participating in an event such as SYM DON BOSCO 2015 can be to any young person an exciting experience; but it is probably even more so to those who come from places where the Salesian presence is less spread. This statement is endorsed by Fr. Alessandro Barelli, a Salesian who for the past 17 years is a missionary in Lithuania, parish priest and director of the Oratory of the Salesian house in Vilinius.  

by Gian Francesco Romano

“I brought here to SYM a group of animators of our Oratory. To us being here means being part of a great body, like living members (…), realizing that we too, also from Lithuania, are part of a whole that transcends us, that is greater than us. We are part of a great family that meets, celebrates, but also meditates and prays together. To us this is a very, very beautiful experience”, emphasizes Fr. Barelli.

It is precisely this capability of living with the same spirit of participation moments of leisure and others that are spiritually demanding, that mostly impressed the Lithuanian delegation: “When it was time to be noisy, to sing and dance… all participated with great enthusiasm; but when it was time to keep silent (…) all knew how to listen”, recounts the Salesian father.

The Bicentenary as a moment of recollection and rediscovery of Don Bosco’s charism was something that the Oratory of Vilnius had already prepared in its monthly meeting; but this event also constitutes a starting point for other horizons. “There will certainly be a very intensive response from the youth who took part in it”, emphasized Fr. Barelli, who foresees for the oratory a future of new opportunities, may be also in collaboration with the reality of the Salesian Youth Movement in Poland.

The full text of the interview with Fr. Barelli is available on YouTube channel of AnsChannel.   

Published 17/08/2015