(ANS – Buenos Aires) –In the city of Buenos Aires, in the playground of the Salesian house “St. Francis de Sales, in the quarter of Almagro, more than 1700 youth coming from all over the country, on August 15^th celebrated a Eucharist of thanksgiving to God for the one hundred years of life of the Argentinian Explorers of Don Bosco.

This brilliant creation of Fr. Lorenzo Massa and Fr. José Vespignani, inspired by the boy scouts movement but adjusted to the Salesians charism, began in the same place in 1915 during the celebrations of the Centenary of Don Bosco’s birth, and now gathers every week more than 8000 children, young and grown-ups in all the regions of the country.

During the weekend in which the Bicentenary of Don Bosco’s birth was being celebrated, the Explorers – this Salesian associative proposal which is typical and original of the Argentinian Republic – lived a special moment with a meeting that was held from Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon. To participate in this event, there were two representatives of each battalion existing in Ushuaia, the world’s most austral city, in Formosa, at the border with Paraguay, where numerous groups of children and youth of various battalions are present.

The Eucharist was celebrated by the Provincials Fr. Honorio Ccamán and Fr. Manuel Cayo, and by a large group of Salesian priests from various regions of the country. One of the most significant moments was when all were invited to recite the Creed in harmony with the “Code of Honour” that guides the Explorers’ movement.

At the closure of the event, a “time capsule” with photos and wishes of the Explorers was put under a commemorative plaque, in the playground of the House of St. Francis de Sales, to be opened in 2065.

This “centennial celebration” continued after the Eucharist in the evening, with the celebration of the 200^th birthday of Don Bosco: a moment of sharing among the participants, who paraded in the streets of Almagro and took part in the opening of the Don Bosco Museum.

The celebrations held during this last year will reach their peak in summer 2016 with various regional camps: thousands of young people from all over the country will thank God for the Explorers’ existence, for the gift of nature and for community life.

Currently, besides being in Argentina, Don Bosco Explorers are also present in Uruguay and Paraguay and in various parishes outside the Salesian world.

Published 18/08/2015