The guests of honour at the celebration were Mrs. Zofia Bielak who, together with Fr Giuseppe Dossetti (for health reasons he was present online), founded the first private school in the Province of Žytomyr in 1994. After 24 years (since 2020), the Salesians have become owners of the school.
Arriving from France for the solemn concert was Fr Raphael, from the Taizé Community, who from the beginning was a source of inspiration and an example of ecumenical activity for the school.
The Church authorities were represented by Bishop Vitaliy Krivitskiy, Salesian, Bishop of Kiev-Žytomyr, and Fr Zygmunt Kostka SDB, Vice-Provincial of the Province of Krakow, Poland (PLS), on which this Salesian presence in Žytomyr depends.
The aim of the concert was to tell the story of the thirty years of history of the school as well as today. During the event it was as if the pages of the symbolic book of the history of the "Vsesvit" school had been turned, and the important moments over these 30 years were told in music: its foundation, the teachers' personalities, daily life, learning, travel and projects...
A special atmosphere for the evening was created by the music of the Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Jewhen Stetsiuk, a past pupil of the Salesian high school. The school "Sanctus" ensemble sang to his accompaniment. The children performed Taizé hymns and the school hymn entitled "Dolce sentire". The final composition was performed by the Bishop, the principal of the high school, Prof. Maria Levchenko, Fr Michał Wocial SDB, Rector of the Salesian community, and Vsesvit teachers.
"Organising this type of event in time of war always involves the risk of a bomb alert being launched, which in fact means interrupting the celebrations and thwarting many months of efforts. We are therefore grateful to God and to the population for having been able to live these solemn moments in peace, from beginning to end, " said one of the organisers of the concert.
Fr Kostka, PLS Vice-Provincial, said after the ceremony: "My impressions were very positive... The ceremony was held in the oldest theatre in Ukraine, in a beautiful setting. In addition to the invited guests, the event was attended by students and their parents. Past pupils were also present. It was touching at the beginning, when we stood in silence to commemorate how many were attached to the school and have recently died due to military attacks. The ceremony was proof that our school fits perfectly into the local community and enjoys great esteem."
Fr Michał Wocial SDB
