Cuba - "Happy with Don Bosco": a camp to reaffirm that We are Family

16 August 2017

(ANS - Havana) – The greatly enjoyed experience of "Happy with Don Bosco", which took place 8 -13 August, came to its conclusion. The summer camp gathered 212 Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican young people at the spiritual house of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Peñalver, Havana. With joy, the event reiterated the Rector Major's message for 2017: "We are Family!" The 100 years of Salesian presence in the country was also celebrated.

From the very first welcome at the airport to the final goodbyes, an atmosphere of fraternity and youthful spirituality was experienced by all the event's participants in what was a meeting of different cultures.

Old Havana was the ancient and fascinating stage of the first day's long journey through its historic sites followed by a visit to the coastal town of Varadero, and its 22 km of beaches overlooking a sea of unmatched beauty.

Among the event's most beautiful and profound aspects was the accompaniment of the participants to the priestly ordination of Salesian Carlos Luis Fernández Hernández at the "San Giovanni Bosco" parish of the "La Víbora" district.

"God always manages to surprise us. Prior to this experience, I thought I had seen everything regarding the activities of Youth Ministry, but 'Happy with Don Bosco' has changed my mind. I am grateful to God, to the Virgin and to Don Bosco," said Lilian Ramón, a Salesian animator.

This experience has enabled young people and Salesians to reflect on the family as the core of their faith, and on the experience of family lived via Salesian spirituality. Furthermore, it has also allowed many to learn and share their different cultures, artistic and gastronomic traditions.

"Life is more than just a gathering of friends," said the Salesians who coordinated the event. "It is in daily life that values have to be reaffirmed and lived. It shall be in their very homes, in schools, in the oratories and in their parishes that these young people will convey the richness of this encounter. These shall be the best occasions wherein to testify that crossing the Caribbean or the entire island of Cuba, facing sleepless nights and misadventures for something important was, indeed, worthwhile."

 

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