The afternoon celebration at 6:30 pm (UTC+2), presided over by Fr Martoglio in place of the Rector Major – who was in Rome to preside over the similar celebration in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Via Tuscolana, of which he is the titular cardinal – was the culmination of Salesian May as experienced by the Salesian Family and by the faithful who gather at the Mother House of the Salesians in Valdocco.
The preparatory journey to the Feast had begun from Monday 13 May 2024 with a program that provided for each day the evening Mass animated by a different Salesian community in Turin and an evening of prayer with Rosary, Eucharistic Adoration and "Salesian Goodnight" by different groups of young people or the Salesian Family.
On Thursday 23rd, the eve of the Feast, six Masses were celebrated (7, 8, 9, 10, 18 and 24), including the evening Mass at 6 pm, presided over by Archbishop Giordano Piccinotti, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA). On the day, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians also animated a community Rosary, while the Vicar of the Rector Major presided over the First Vespers of the feast, and in the evening there was also a Marian vigil with penitential liturgy. Subsequently, the Basilica remained open all night for the adoration prayer of anyone who wished to do so.
The day of May 24th then saw the church fill with faithful at all hours of the day, to attend the numerous celebrations. It began early in the morning with the Eucharist presided over by the Rector, Fr Michele Viviano, then continued with that of the Superior of the Special Circumscription of Piedmont and Valle d 'Aosta, Fr Leonardo Mancini, before arriving at the 11 o'clock Eucharist, led by Archbishop Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa.
After the blessing of the youngsters given by the parish priest, and the first afternoon Mass, presided over by Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia, Archbishop emeritus of Turin, we finally arrived at the Mass especially aimed at the boys and girls of the Salesian Youth Movement from numerous countries around the world, presided over by Fr Martoglio.
Citing the Gospel proclaimed for the feast, that of the Wedding at Cana, the Vicar of the Rector Major observed the caring intercession of Mary for the community, the fruit of the immense faith of the Mother towards her son Jesus: "Mary knows that the heart of her son, who is God, will do what will be asked of him" he observed, also noting the "immeasurable" and disproportionate dimension of Jesus' response in the miracle of wine.
Mary's intercession at Cana, under the motto: "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5), is therefore also the central message of Don Bosco's Teacher in the Dream when he was Nine Years Old, the 200th anniversary of which is celebrated this year. The greatest teaching of this Teacher, Mary, is therefore one of listening to Jesus, and it is a teaching that comes with maternal concern from those who realise the dangers and difficulties that can be met – as evidenced by the work of Our Lady at Cana in Galilee.
"Never let go of God" and "Remember that you are God's child, intimate with God, heir of God" were the other affectionate warnings of Mary that Fr Martoglio derived from the interpretation of the Gospel and the other Readings of the day.
The adverse weather conditions that marked the evening of 24 May in Turin prevented the planned procession with the statue of Mary Help of Christians along the streets of the Valdocco district. But the Marian devotion of the entire assembly of the faithful echoed loud and convinced within the Basilica, renewed and animated by the clear and clear words of the Vicar of the Rector Major.
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