(ANS – Seville) – On Sunday 2 February, around 450 people attended a presentation of the musical “Gracias Don Bosco – soñar tu mismo sueño”, (Thank you Don Bosco – dreaming your dream) at the Joaquín Turina auditorium in Seville, a foretaste of the official launch to take place on 24 January 2015.

“Don Bosco,bornin Italy on 16 August 1815, could never have imagined that on the vigil of his bicentenary, in a city in southern Spain, a cast made up of more than a hundred people from Salesian presences would come together to say thanks, through music, for the work for the young that he carried out during his lifetime”. These were the words used by the Mary Help of Christians Province of Seville to announce the presentation of the musical on its website.

Fr Antonio Calero, sdb, presented an overview of Don Bosco’s life, fitting it into the coordinates of church, politics, culture and society which gave significance to him as a person; and then he sent a message to the Salesian Family: “not only should we be proud to be his followers, but we should also feel responsible”. Words that were directly tied to the theme of the musical, given that this project was strongly committed to highlighting the role of Don Bosco and his significance to society today.

Then Javier Carabaños, who wrote the script, explained the significance of each part of the work, while Fr Koldo Gutiérrez, National Youth Ministry Delegate, thanked the province for its dedication and effort towards this project which will, in due course, be extended to other Salesian places in Spain and the world.

Emilio Ramirez presented to the participants the 20 songs used in the musical, and which tell of Don Bosco’s life. They can be used for educational purposes.

Then, after the interpretation of the theme “just a dream”, Fr Francisco Ruiz, the Provincial, publicly thanked everyone who had given time and energy  to the musical and, recalling the beginnings of Don Bosco’s work, said: “everything began with a Hail Mary”.

The musical “Gracias Don Bosco, soñar tu mismo sueño”, taking advantage of the Bicentenary of Don Bosco’s birth, aims to offer society something cultural, but it is especially an educational work involving young people’s leisure time, just as the Saint from Turin did in the playgrounds at Valdocco at the end of the 19th century.

Published 13/02/2014