(ANS – Messina) – To crown the Academic Year 2011 -2012 the “Istituto Teologico S. Tommaso” of Messina organized a Youth Pastoral Meeting. This event, the first of its kind for the Institute, was held on Friday May 18. The main speaker was the General Councillor for Youth Pastoral, Fr. Fabio Attard.

In the Aula Magna of the Institute were gathered the first-year students of the philosophico-theological cycle, together with the students for the Master’s course in Youth Pastoral, to hear a theological and pastoral lecture on the challenges which today’s youth situation poses for the Church.

Fr. Attard began his reflection on youth starting from Christ and his Gospel, accepted by the community of believers and passed on by the Church, the servant and collaborator of the Christian message. Fr. Attard said: “The Gospel is a vision of humanity which young people find themselves in: a vision of an integral human ideal, which is true, meaningful and respects the gradual development of the person in the stages of maturity, but which does not disguise the seriousness and demands of the Christian message.”  He also stressed that this was the charismatic experience taken up and lived by Don Bosco in the Oratory of Valdocco.

The academic function was concluded by a brief address of the Principal of the Institute, Fr. Francesco Di Natale, who gave a farewell salute to the students in their final year, giving each one a copy of Don Bosco’s “Memoirs of the Oratory”, emphasizing that the text offers “not just simple memories of a glorious past, but prompters of a hope-filled future for us to build together.”

At the end of the morning Fr. Fabio Attard presided at Mass, attended by all the students and lecturers of the Instiute.

Published 22/05/2012