"It was a beautiful moment, in which it was possible to touch the heart of God expressed in the folds of history" commented Fr Martoglio on the evening of Monday 10, during the Salesian Goodnight offered to his confreres at Salesian Headquarters, in which he retraced the most significant stages and the most relevant aspects of this weekend of celebration.
The Vicar of the Rector Major arrived in Bratislava on Friday 6 September and among the first appointments he took part in a press conference organised by the Mary Help of Christians Province of Slovakia (SLK) to disseminate the meaning and prospects of this centenary at home.
On the occasion, accompanied by the Provincial of SLK, Fr Peter Timko, Fr Martoglio underlined the contribution of the "inconspicuous" Slovak Province, which however has sent Salesians so far to 52 countries around the world and has had a rich international impact. “It is interesting that a small country in the heart of Europe has been able to adapt to the changes brought by the very difficult and challenging times of the past, and is therefore very vital,” he said on the occasion.
Recalling the history of the Salesians of Slovakia, Fr Martoglio recalled that it came to life in 1924, after the "earthquake" of World War I, when the Salesians were invited "not by a bishop, but by the entire Czechoslovak Episcopal Conference".
The centenary celebrations continued, on the central day of the weekend, in the "Gopass Arena" Sports Hall in Bratislava, filled with young people and members of the Salesian Family in festivity. In the morning Fr Martoglio presided at the solemn Eucharist, in which he invited all those present to feel the presence of God in their lives, to have courage and to commit themselves to education. A great show then began, which alternated music, festivity, dancing, performances by renowned artists, sports tournaments and interviews and interventions by Salesians and personalities of the Salesian Family.
In the evening, after an entire day of celebration and the presentation of a great youth musical, an intense Eucharistic adoration took place, introduced by the thought of the Salesian Goodnight from Fr Timko, who before the thousands of people present read the message sent by the Holy Father on the occasion of the centenary, where among other things he said:
“It is with joy and gratitude that I join this celebration of the centenary of the presence of Salesian spirituality in the land of Saints Cyril and Methodius. This century of service in Slovakia is a luminous sign of the love and devotion that the Salesians have brought to your region. Salesian spirituality, inspired by the example of St John Bosco, is of fundamental importance for our Church. It supports authentic love for others and commitment to the education of young people, helps to create communities focused on the common good and the integral growth of each individual (...) I thank the Lord for this centenary of the service of the Salesians and for the fruits of their work. I pray that their mission will continue to flourish and inspire the new generations to live in faith, hope and love".
Finally, on Sunday, at the Marian shrine at Šaštín, the concluding celebration took place in the Marian shrine in the presence of numerous bishops and the Apostolic Nuncio in the country, Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, who presided over the rite. Even before the Mass – broadcast live on the national Catholic broadcaster TV Lux – several representatives of the Province, together with Fr Martoglio, had gone to the Salesians' cemetery in Šaštín to pray in silence and thank all the Salesians who wrote the history of the Salesians in Slovakia.
Then, during the Mass, also concelebrated by the Slovak Salesian Bishop Vladimír Fekete, Bishop of Baku, in Azerbaijan, the Nuncio spoke of the attention of the participants to the fact that the dream of Don Bosco and the first Salesians, which began 100 years ago; he mentioned, as the culmination of this service, the martyrdom of Blessed Titus Zeman; and invited them to look to the future with courage to the challenges that social current events pose to the Church and the Congregation.
"The return and confirmation of the Church's mandate to the Salesians, which renewed the commitment received a century ago, was very significant in the circumstance," concluded Fr Martoglio.
The first Salesians to arrive in Slovakia were Fr Jozef Bokor and Fr Viliam Vagač, who arrived in Šaštín on 8 September 1924, sent by the then Rector Major, Fr Philip Rinaldi, and accompanied by Fr Pietro Tirone. Šaštín was chosen among the three options offered for a material and a spiritual reason: the city was already connected with the railway and housed the national Marian shrine, dedicated to Mary of Sorrows.
The Salesian presence, at first dependent on the Salesians of Poland, soon became an autonomous Province and began a rapid development of works and apostolates, but it was also overwhelmed by the upheaval caused by the Second World War, first, and then by the establishment of the communist regime. Thus began the long decades of clandestinity for the Slovak Salesians, in which the Salesians were able to face 365 years of prison with faith and tenacity, but maintaining, in the trial, their identity and love for God and young people.
Since the early 1990s, the Salesians have begun again the traditional pastoral dimensions, with a significance and pastoral and vocational fruitfulness that are not to be underestimated: today the Slovak Province has almost 180 brothers, the Salesians work in every district and manage numerous types of works, for years they have always had novices in formation and are accompanied by the presence of a very lively and active Salesian Family.
