{"id":21499,"date":"2025-05-27T13:28:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T20:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=21499"},"modified":"2025-05-28T12:42:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T19:42:18","slug":"feast-of-mary-help-of-christians-fr-attard-it-is-worth-giving-ones-life-for-young-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2025\/05\/27\/feast-of-mary-help-of-christians-fr-attard-it-is-worth-giving-ones-life-for-young-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Feast of Mary Help of Christians, Fr. Attard: \u2018It is Worth Giving One’s Life for Young People\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Turin) <\/strong>\u2013 A celebration of the people and young people, of the Salesian Family and the entire city community, a simple and genuine celebration, but rich in meaningful insights to be preserved for daily life: once again, the Feast of Mary Help of Christians was a cause for joy for all those who were fortunate enough to be in Valdocco around May 24 and thus celebrate Our Lady with the title so beloved by Don Bosco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrations throughout the day<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The program followed tradition, with a series of Masses and rituals that accompanied the faithful from the First Vespers on May 23, presided over by the Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, until late in the evening of the following day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were also innovations that enrich and vary the rich program of the day each year: this year, for example, there was a moment of meditation with music, “Accompanied by the harp, let us pray to Mary,” on Friday evening, and a conference, “Through Mary, encounter with Christ,” by Monsignor Marco Frisina, a well-known biblical scholar and composer, on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even beyond the significant new features, including the participation of the entire General Council of the Salesian Congregation, renewed by the 29th General Chapter, which was also held in Valdocco just over a month ago, the faith and expressions of faith of the multitude of people who gather under the mantle of Mary Help of Christians are always new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cardinal Repole’s Mass<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

That same faith that the Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa, Cardinal Roberto Repole, recalled in its genuine entirety with reference to Mary, during the Eucharist he presided over at 11 a.m. (UTC+2). Noting the Gospel passage of the Wedding at Cana and Mary’s quiet invitation to Jesus to act, Cardinal Repole commented: ‘It is infinitely beautiful to know that Mary’s gaze and words come from a simple, authentic, but radical faith: “Do whatever he tells you”; you are at peace to the extent that you are totally entrusted to Christ.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that is why the cardinal was then able to conclude by saying: ‘This is what we experience today, this is what we perceive as the beauty of being protected by Mary Help of Christians, with the desire perhaps to be a little like her: capable of looking with mercy and compassion on others and on ourselves.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Rector Major\u2019s Mass for the SYM<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Fr. Attard highlighted three other aspects of Mary’s life \u2013 listening, availability, and generosity \u2013 as the “three ways” of the same living faith, a faith that, therefore, even today can find its model in Mary and its standard-bearer in Don Bosco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Rector Major, in the 6:30 p.m. celebration, especially for the boys and girls of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) and concelebrated by the entire General Council of the Salesians of Don Bosco, proposed a clear and concrete spiritual path, divided into three phases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Do not give up your ability to be questioned!’<\/p> ~ The Rector Major told the young people, inviting them not to weaken their inner lives.<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

‘Everything begins with listening,’ said Fr. Attard. But this is not passive listening, but a profound attitude of the heart that opens us to dialogue with God. ‘A God who does not enter our lives to control them, but to love and redeem them,’ he added, emphasizing that listening to him, therefore, does not mean losing one’s identity, but finding oneself in a deeper and more authentic way. Listening that does not deny difficulties: doubts, questions, inner resistance. Yet it is precisely through these tensions that a true relationship with God develops. ‘Do not give up your ability to be questioned!’ the Rector Major told the young people, inviting them not to weaken their inner lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second step is availability. Like Mary, who accepted God’s surprising call with faith, Christians today are also called to say “yes” with confidence, which does not mean accepting a renunciation or a loss, but making a free choice, a complete entrustment, in the knowledge that \u201cYou, God, will never betray me\u201d. Human beings are always strengthened by God, so there is no need to be afraid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Do not be afraid of God: the Divine takes nothing away, but brings everything to fulfilment,\u2019<\/p>~ Rector Major<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The last point of the homily was a strong invitation to radical generosity, which comes from listening and availability. A generous, contagious, missionary generosity that does not allow itself to be stopped by obstacles or fears, that does not seek immediate success, but sows goodness with confidence, even when the fruits are not immediately visible. Once again, Mary is the perfect model: a woman who loved without calculation, who trusted fully in God’s plan. \u2018Do not be afraid of God: the Divine takes nothing away, but brings everything to fulfilment,\u2019 concluded the Rector Major emphatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gratitude of young people: builders of unity and peace<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the celebration, three young representatives of the Salesian Youth Movement expressed their heartfelt thanks to the Rector Major. They said they were living a time of grace: in the Church, with the new Pope Leo XIV, and in the Salesian Family, with the gift of the new Rector Major. They promised to commit themselves to unity and peace wherever they live, wherever the charism of Don Bosco is present. During this jubilee year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the Salesian Family<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In his final farewell, Fr. Attard thanked Mother Chiara Cazzuola, Mother General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, for her presence and all the members of the Salesian Family for their support. He concluded with meaningful words, saying, \u2018For these young people, it is worth giving one’s life.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The procession of Mary Help of Christians<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Such a rich day of celebration could only end in a festive and solemn manner, with the traditional procession with the statue of Mary Help of Christians through the streets around Valdocco. It was a celebration that had not been so well attended and joyful for at least five years, due to adverse weather conditions and Covid-19 restrictions in previous years, and ended after songs and prayers with the return to the renovated square in front of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was there that Cardinal Repole and then Fr. Attard offered their concluding thoughts on the day, with a reference to the city of Turin blessed by the continuous protection of Mary’s gaze, on the part of the former; and, on the part of the latter, with an invitation to recite the prayer prepared by Benedict XVI for the World Day of Prayer for China, which is celebrated on May 24, in consideration of the great devotion of Chinese Catholics to Mary Help of Christians.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(ANS \u2013 Turin) \u2013 A celebration of the people and young people, of the Salesian Family and the entire city community, a simple and genuine celebration, but rich in meaningful insights to be preserved for daily life: once again, the Feast of Mary Help of Christians was a cause for joy for all those who were fortunate enough to be in Valdocco around May 24 … Continuar leyendo Feast of Mary Help of Christians, Fr. Attard: \u2018It is Worth Giving One’s Life for Young People\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":21504,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4639169,516714022],"tags":[35890],"class_list":["post-21499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salesian-family","category-salesian-world-news","tag-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/mary-help-christians-may-2025-feature.jpg?fit=1600%2C875&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-5AL","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10336596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21499"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21583,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21499\/revisions\/21583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}