Taking advantage of the breaks between the activities of the team members, I went around the Arena to gather some impressions about the Spiritual Itineraries on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The team members, divided into groups, visited the places where Saint John Bosco lived or that are dedicated to him: Chieri and Colle Don Bosco, Valdocco and Mary Help of Christians, San Giovannino, the Sanctuary of the Consolata, the Cathedral, Saint Francis de Sales, and the Don Bosco House Museum.
Everyone managed to immerse themselves in the spirituality of the places: “It was a great experience to visit the places of a saint who worked with and for Christ,” “I found it very interesting to see the area where all of Don Bosco’s work began,” “It was very nice to go to the places where Don Bosco stayed with the young people.”
The guides helped the team members to immerse themselves in the spirituality of the places by telling and exploring the saint’s life in various languages. Most of the couples were already familiar with his figure: besides Italy, Don Bosco is also very well known in Germany, Belgium, and France; in Lebanon, there is a television channel that broadcasts the stories of the saints, including that of Don Bosco; in Spain and Colombia, many schools and hospitals are dedicated to him; in Togo, there is a group of missionaries who gather under his name.
“We need to have the courage of Don Bosco, committing ourselves personally to reach out to those who suffer, today more than ever,” says a couple very devoted to the saint. “I think everyone should know Don Bosco, even the youngest ones,” concluded one of the team members I spoke with.
