Even today, the spiritual work of mercy of “visiting prisoners” has not gone out of fashion or urgency. It only asks to be re-visited in form, because of the circumstances of the pandemic in which we still find ourselves. For this reason, the Pastoral Educational Community of the Salesian Institute E. di Sardagna of Castello di Godego (made up of Salesians, teachers, young educators) decided to propose to the 250 middle school students an experience to change their perspective: joining forces to support the inmates of the "Santa Bona" prison in Treviso. Unable to physically visit the inmates, the young people and the educational community of the Salesian home rolled up their sleeves. After all, the awareness that animated the entire initiative is the same one that Don Bosco found in his heart after those visits to the prisons in Turin: "Who knows if these youngsters had they a friend outside who would take care of them, assist them... who knows if they could keep themselves from ruin or at least reduce the number of those who return to prison?"
Sharing the initiative, part of the broader Advent journey which for four weeks involved the whole Salesian house, from elementary school children to university youth, was enough to achieve the goal. The invitation came from the parish of San Bartolomeo of Treviso and the associations that animate it. Thanks to the gifts brought from home by the families of the school children, about thirty Christmas bags were packaged, each containing a towel with personal hygiene products, a sweet, some socks, a notepad or notebook for the prisoners. Many of the children have also chosen to write and package, with their own hand, a card to wish a Merry Christmas to each of the people in the prison.
The enthusiasm with which the seventh graders collected the gifts, divided them by type and packed the bags day by day (occupying the free time and recreation of their school days!) reveals the spirit with which the initiative was carried out.
“It's really true, in this time of pandemic there are many people who are waiting to return to normality... in the meantime someone else is trying to make a new normality by rolling up their sleeves,” explain the Salesians of Castello di Godego. “Everyone has the opportunity to do the same: ‘Help yourself as Heaven helps you!’ Here in the Salesian house of Sardagna it is already a reality.”
