(ANS – Rome) – Encounter, welcome, dialogue, testimony, curiosity, joy, hugs… All this was on stage on the evening of Thursday, October 9, 2025 in Piazza Don Bosco in Rome. There consecrated men and women of the Salesian Family animated one of the three appointments scheduled for the “Note di vita,” promoted by the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in Rome on the occasion of the Jubilee of Consecrated Life (October 8-12, 2025). “Care and custody of creation – Protection of the environment” was the guiding theme of the evening, spent among dances, testimonies, songs and thematic workshops in an atmosphere of harmony and fraternity.

The evening opened with greetings from Fr Giorgio Mocci, rector and parish priest of the Don Bosco work that hosted the evening. The event was led by a young Salesian, Anthony, and a young Daughter of Mary Help of Christians, Sister Karen, who, in the style typical of Don Bosco’s followers, led the events on stage and all those present. At the opening Sister Karen immediately clarified that, “caring for the environment is not an option for today’s religious, but a fundamental part of our mission.” She continued recalling Pope Francis and his encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls for an integral ecological conversion: “not only external actions, but also a spiritual outlook that recognizes in nature a brother and sister that God has entrusted to us.”

After the touching performance of the dance and theater show “Rami di Speranza” (Branches of Hope – specially developed for the Jubilee of Hope and staged by choreographer Sonia Nifosi with over 30 artists and dancers), Franciscan Friar Francesco Zecca made himself available for an interview. Active in Taranto, a city that is home to the largest steelworks in Europe that in recent years has been faced with the dilemma of an impossible choice between health and work, he spoke of how he is committed to “reactivating hope” through two associations and a social enterprise that has integral ecology at its center, and is committed to promoting two fundamental principles: “fraternity and care.”

Another beautiful moment of art and reflection was then experienced with a musical version of the Canticle of the Creatures by musician and arranger Flavio Zampa, the creator of musical projects that combine social and spiritual dimensions. He has been living for some time at La Verna, the place where Saint Francis of Assisi received the stigmata.

The culmination came with the workshop involving all those present in ecological reflections based on the four elements: earth, air, water, fire. It was an important moment, led by young religious men and women in formation, to remind everyone that no one is a bystander in the commitment to care for Creation, but that everyone is called to do their part. And in an atmosphere of joy and celebration, before returning to their seats to listen to the subsequent speeches, everyone was invited to participate in the dance of “Mother Earth.”

After the music and joy, there was still room for reflection, through the discussion with Fr Joshtrom Kureethadam, former Coordinator of the “Ecology & Creation” Sector at the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development, and now a professor at the Pontifical Salesian University. Interviewed by the two presenters, he spoke about the originality of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ which illustrates the authentic meaning of “Integral Ecology,” while simultaneously embracing the environmental, social and economic issues of the current ecological crisis. He urged the religious to make their specific contribution, and concluded with a message of hope.

After the concluding prayer of the evening, which brought everyone together in an entrustment to God of their commitment to the care of our Common Home, the evening was brought to a close with a goodnight from Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and Rector Major Emeritus.

Happy to feel “at home again,” the Salesian Cardinal praised the atmosphere of harmony that pervaded the entire event, and noted how “when one touches so much beauty, it is difficult to understand how it is possible to ruin Creation!” He emphasized the variety, richness and centrality of Consecrated Life, well enhanced by this Jubilee. “It is a small reality, among 1,400 million Catholics, but it is like an arm that cannot be lost, because it is very significant,” he said. Finally, he concluded with an accent of hope, noting how, despite the fact that Creation continues to be wounded in many ways and in many parts of the world, “awareness is growing more and more, and truly many steps are being taken for the care of Creation, social justice and fraternity.”