During the Eucharist, the Rector Major began by emphasizing the value of a celebration in which the whole Salesian Family is represented in the place where it all began, and exclaimed, "Beloved Father Don Bosco, your family is here today beside you."
Then, continuing his reflection on the day's readings, the Tenth Successor of Don Bosco addressed the invitation to be light to one's neighbor - "a phrase that’s easy to say, although the difficult thing is to experience darkness." He thus urged everyone to be open to one's neighbor and foster the capacity to transmit humanity and positivity, in the awareness, as Don Bosco taught, that there is a seed of good to bear fruit in everyone.
Looking at the large human family, made up of so many people and so many trying to do good, Fr. Á.F. Artime added further, "We believe in Christian humanism and we have a Salesian optimism by inheritance; why we believe that we can be a yeast, simple and humble, for so many people. And this is Gospel, this is building the Kingdom."
Finally, he recalled how the Salesian Family born with Don Bosco has been a true gift of the Spirit, which has sustained it for more than 163 years; thus, he reminded us to always rely on the Holy Spirit and to follow what He arouses, inspires, warning against trying to promote ourselves or our own activities.
After the Mass, which ended with a moment of gathering among all the Leaders, Coordinators, and Representatives of the various groups of the SF around the remains of Don Bosco, the approximately 300 participants of GSFS 2023 divided into small groups to draft a synthesis of the work done in previous days, and then gathered one last time in the theater of Valdocco for the concluding session of the Days.
Opening the session, the Rector Major's Central Delegate for the Secretariat for the Salesian Family, Fr. Joan Lluís Playà said, "We have lived so many moments in these Days; this is the time to say what we carry in our hearts, and to express the most interesting and urgent aspects for our group and the whole Salesian Family, to live and witness this social dimension of the Salesian charism."
Co-responsibility, pastoral integration between religious and laity, joint and calibrated formation for different identities, greater mutual knowledge, removal of certain presumptions of superiority, being "salt," as well as leaven, in the great human family, the ability to get one's hands dirty, presence among young people, strengthening the sense of belonging, Salesian Family outgoing, educational responsibility of the laity, shared planning, care for relationships, networking... As the various group secretaries took the stage, a wealth of insights were shared, mapping out a whole path or journey to be lived and experienced, together, at least still throughout a new year.
"All this is fine gold. Let's do it and we shall live. There is nothing more to add," Fr. Playà said by way of conclusion.
Before declaring GSFS 2023 finally closed, there was still time to launch two major events open to the whole Salesian Family: the second edition of the Salesian film festival "Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival" (Oct. 13-14, 2023) and the World Congress of the Association of Mary Help of Christians (Aug. 29-Sept. 1, 2024 - Fatima, Portugal).
