(ANS – Pescare) – The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Pescara, Italy, is a diocesan parish which in recent years has been transformed and vitalized in the charism of Don Bosco, thanks to the witness and pastoral activity of various Salesians, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Salesian Cooperators and young people.

In 1997, Fr Peter Leone of the archdiocese of Pescare-Penne, asked the Salesians to get involved in the pastoral work of the parish, especially with the young people.

Three Daughters of Mary Help of Christians were sent from Rome and later they were joined by Fr Anthony Giampaoletti, SDB.

Thus began a wonderful work on behalf of the young people of Pescara which developed along the lines of a Salesian Oratory. The Sisters ended their service in 2003 and Fr Giampaoletti died in 2005, but the seed was already planted and the pastoral activity continued as a result of the formation received by a small group of young people.

In 2011, Fr Francesco Marcoccio, Delegate for Youth Ministry of the Central Italy Circumscription (ICC) met these young people and encouraged them to take part in the SYM forums in Italy, and in various activities geared towards developing their spirituality and formation for the apostolate.

At present, these young people help Fr Anthony Palmucci, the diocesan parish priest, in animating various pastoral activities and running different youth groups.  These include Friends of Don Bosco for young people aged between 11 and 13 who are beginning their programme of Salesian youth formation; the Savio Club for young people aged 14 to 18 who follow a programme based on the life of this saintly youth, the animators who follow a formative programme guided by the Salesian Cooperators; a group of families, seven at present, who try to live their Christian life strengthened by Salesian spirituality and who are involved as catechists in the parish. There is also a group known as VIDES (Volontariato Internazionale Donna Educazione Sviluppo, an international volunteer movement of women working in education and development), which supports the missionary work of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.

Today the formation of the young people of the Parish of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is led by the Centre of Salesian Cooperators in the nearby town of Sulmona. Thanks to their commitment and example, a young Salesian past pupil called Harold Felipe Quiceno Valencia, who had come to Italy from Colombia, made his promise last December as a Salesian Cooperator, and another young man, Wilson Gilberto Villamizar, who was in charge of the Oratory in Pescara is now an aspirant to the Salesian Cooperators.

Published 19/04/2013