Making Salesian History!
By Mariana Vasquez
As many past pupils of Salesian high schools and parishes, we all have some point in our lives in which we miss our Salesian home. I easily fall into this category. I have been very fortunate to currently be a sophomore at Marist College, where I can live out my faith and Salesian Spirituality. However, it doesn’t always come that easy for everyone. That is part of the reason why the Salesian Youth Movement exists, it is born for all of us to take part in, even when we are not in our original Salesian home, and to be able to live out Salesian Spirituality and the Oratory, in our everyday lives. With something as exciting as this, you always have a beginning -- a starting point. For the Eastern province, specifically the New Jersey/New York area, our foundation was at our very first Salesian Youth Movement Gathering, which was held at Mary Help of Christians Academy this past October.
This meeting was something that I kept thinking about even after it ended. I felt I was taking part in Don Bosco’s dream for the youth, and more importantly God’s plan for them. It felt great to work with the rest of our core team, and put so much work into something that was for youth, by youth. Our meeting consisted of Mass, icebreakers, lunch, an SYM presentation and group discussions. Each part of our meeting incorporated one of the four components of the oratory: Home, School, Parish, and Playground. The main focus was to bring everyone back to a place with some familiar faces and some not so familiar ones, and be what we truly are, a Salesian Family. The part of our meeting that touched me the most was our group discussions. As young adults, we all have our own personal struggles that we deal with, especially after physically leaving our Salesian high school or parish. These discussions gave us the chance to check in on how everyone was doing, and to talk through some of those struggles. One of those was continuing to live out our Salesian Spirituality in a non-Salesian environment. As a college student, I have been a personal witness to this struggle. However, my perspective about this changed, because I made the effort to stay close to my Salesian family—this helped me continue to live my faith. Through these discussions, I was reminded that unfortunately this struggle is a reality, but they also reminded me that I’m not alone. One of the participants of our gathering said, “Thank you guys so much for this, it was exactly what I needed.” He was one of the many that feel that need for the renewal of Salesian spirit. This is what the Salesian Youth Movement is about, to keep that fire and love for God that we originally felt in our original Salesian homes—it’s about helping us remain faithful to our Faith.
Statements like the one that young man said are what motivate me to continue to be a part of the Salesian Youth Movement, because even though he wasn’t in his original Salesian home, he still felt that spirit and great feeling that being a part of Salesian Family brings. We lived the Oratory on that day, and it showed, through what he shared. Yes, our meeting did not have that many participants, maybe about fifteen at most. No, not everything went how we expected, but everyone had a great time and was looking forward to our next gathering. I’ll admit it was intimidating when I first received a call from Father Abe this past summer, saying that he wanted me and my friends to go to Stony Point and start planning for the Salesian Youth Movement. The nerves came mainly because I knew that something like this wouldn’t be easy at first. However, The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, Don Bosco’s first oratory, was born out of hard knocks, grew under hard knocks, and continues to thrive under hard knocks. Don Bosco did not have it easy when he first started gathering boys for the oratory. He was rejected, judged, and people made fun of him, but he created something beautiful for the youth, despite all of the hard knocks of life. We will do the same through the Salesian Youth Movement. It was born; we will nourish it and help it grow throughout our province. As we live it through our everyday lives and during our next gatherings and events, it will continue to thrive and be the oratory that Don Bosco had envisioned.
This meeting was something that I kept thinking about even after it ended. I felt I was taking part in Don Bosco’s dream for the youth, and more importantly God’s plan for them. It felt great to work with the rest of our core team, and put so much work into something that was for youth, by youth. Our meeting consisted of Mass, icebreakers, lunch, an SYM presentation and group discussions. Each part of our meeting incorporated one of the four components of the oratory: Home, School, Parish, and Playground. The main focus was to bring everyone back to a place with some familiar faces and some not so familiar ones, and be what we truly are, a Salesian Family. The part of our meeting that touched me the most was our group discussions. As young adults, we all have our own personal struggles that we deal with, especially after physically leaving our Salesian high school or parish. These discussions gave us the chance to check in on how everyone was doing, and to talk through some of those struggles. One of those was continuing to live out our Salesian Spirituality in a non-Salesian environment. As a college student, I have been a personal witness to this struggle. However, my perspective about this changed, because I made the effort to stay close to my Salesian family—this helped me continue to live my faith. Through these discussions, I was reminded that unfortunately this struggle is a reality, but they also reminded me that I’m not alone. One of the participants of our gathering said, “Thank you guys so much for this, it was exactly what I needed.” He was one of the many that feel that need for the renewal of Salesian spirit. This is what the Salesian Youth Movement is about, to keep that fire and love for God that we originally felt in our original Salesian homes—it’s about helping us remain faithful to our Faith.
Statements like the one that young man said are what motivate me to continue to be a part of the Salesian Youth Movement, because even though he wasn’t in his original Salesian home, he still felt that spirit and great feeling that being a part of Salesian Family brings. We lived the Oratory on that day, and it showed, through what he shared. Yes, our meeting did not have that many participants, maybe about fifteen at most. No, not everything went how we expected, but everyone had a great time and was looking forward to our next gathering. I’ll admit it was intimidating when I first received a call from Father Abe this past summer, saying that he wanted me and my friends to go to Stony Point and start planning for the Salesian Youth Movement. The nerves came mainly because I knew that something like this wouldn’t be easy at first. However, The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, Don Bosco’s first oratory, was born out of hard knocks, grew under hard knocks, and continues to thrive under hard knocks. Don Bosco did not have it easy when he first started gathering boys for the oratory. He was rejected, judged, and people made fun of him, but he created something beautiful for the youth, despite all of the hard knocks of life. We will do the same through the Salesian Youth Movement. It was born; we will nourish it and help it grow throughout our province. As we live it through our everyday lives and during our next gatherings and events, it will continue to thrive and be the oratory that Don Bosco had envisioned.