Fr Á.F. Artime expressed his joy, his surprise, and his emotion in seeing the forum unfolding, and said he was happy to see so much creativity and initiatives. "Don Bosco would feel great emotion in seeing his Salesian Family gathered from so many nations, in all its variety," he said.
Each Province and country that makes up the region - Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, United States, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic - was represented by at least one participant. In the polyphonic dialogue that ensued, questions, concerns and hopes emerged to which the Rector Major answered with proximity and kindness.
He invited the Salesian Family to fulfill what he called "the Salesian sacrament of presence", what Pope Francis himself, in his message to the Congregation's 28th General Chapter, defined "the Valdocco option", precisely because it is inspired from Don Bosco's words: “presence, presence and presence, among the people we are with.”
Again, the Rector Major invited everyone to have hope in these difficult moments: he exhorted everyone to pray with faith, to pray strongly, to offer the best the Salesian Family can give, to rejoice for the good of the other. “I'm convinced that the greatest value and the greatest testimony that we, as the Salesian Family, can give is the communion between us as Don Bosco's family,” he said.
He encouraged the SSCC aspirants to have great enthusiasm, to not to be afraid, to fall in love with Don Bosco, because they are already in love with Jesus, and to truly want to be living forces of the Salesian Family.
Finally, he gave his blessing to the participants, including the Salesian Cooperators, Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians Delegates, the Daughters of the Divine Savior, Volunteers of Don Bosco, Past Pupils, members of other groups of the Salesian Family, and young people of the Salesian Youth Movement.
The dialogue took place in Spanish, English and French, the languages of the Interamerica Region, the second in the world for the number of local centers and SSCC.
On the SSCC of the Interamerica Region's Facebook page it is possible to watch the event.
Victoria Mónico, SSCC
Communication team of the Interamerica Region
