Cagliari, Don Bosco becomes three in a single community of Salesians

Don Bosco in Cagliari becomes three. And a single community is born.

From September the Salesians of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari will have a new physiognomy: a single religious community at the service of the young people of the area, with the task of animating the three Salesian houses, i.e. the three educative-pastoral communities which take care of three different and complementary attentions at the service of young people:

• the Don Bosco house in Cagliari is at the service of children, young people and young people with school and attention to the world of culture and formation.
• the house in Cagliari San Paolo is at the service of children and young people with the oratory - youth center and the parish of San Paolo, which take care of evangelization and youth associations.
• the house of Selargius San Domenico Savio is at the service of young people with the professional training center and attention to the world of work.

HISTORY. Don Bosco's dream in favor of children and young people, especially the poorest, reads a note from the religious institute, "continues with renewed enthusiasm, having its charismatic nucleus in the Salesian community, with the involvement of many lay people and young people who, becoming protagonists of their own growth, realize the beauty of an educational charism present in 136 countries of the world. Even where Christians are still persecuted and the right to religious freedom is not protected, the Salesians are called by the governments to found new schools and vocational training centres. An effective educational charisma that has helped to raise "honest citizens and good Christians" for over 180 years". The adventure in Cagliari began 110 years ago, when in October 1913 the first school year was inaugurated in what was then Via degli Orti, now Via Sant'Ignazio da Laconi. Since then, generations of children "have alternated on the benches of middle school and high school, and since the 1990s also in the kindergarten and primary school of happy childhood".

In 1955, the parish of San Paolo was erected in the populous and popular district of Fonsarda, which was immediately characterized by its oratory and youth center, and sports activities, including high-level ones. And finally, in 1967, the large Professional Training Center in Selargius, «which has trained a huge number of technicians specialized in various sectors of the world of work, in particular car mechanics, refrigerator technicians, welders, electricians».

SINCE SEPTEMBER. A story that in the metropolitan city of Cagliari will see a single community of religious, led by Don Angelo Santorsola, called to this challenge starting from 1 September.

Fr Santorsola, 55 years old originally from Caserta, has so far been inspector (provincial superior) of the Salesians in southern Italy and before that he had also held management and formation positions in Naples and Genzano di Roma. Genoese don Francesco De Ruvo, 42, already engaged in leadership roles in the religious province of central Italy, will arrive as direct manager within the school , while don Marco Deflorio will continue as parish priest of San Paolo.

Looking ahead and planning, the horizon is that of an ever more unitary mission, which does not cancel out the differences and peculiarities of each individual educational environment, which envisages initiatives and activities in a single educational offer. A very concrete sign is already active in this summer of 2023: the only Salesian Summer for children with over 300 children and young people registered for the five weeks of summer experience, which add up to those of the training camps that will take place in Alghero.

"This new structure of the Salesian houses - says Fr Stefano Aspettati, Superior of the Salesians of Central Italy - is a challenge for us religious, but also a splendid opportunity to strengthen the Salesian charism in Cagliari, together with many lay people and young people and the Salesian. The invitation to synodality that Pope Francis makes to us and which we feel urgent also translates into new paths to be followed with courage and creativity in the service of young people".

The new single Salesian community, named after Our Lady of Bonaria, will therefore be made up of about 20 religious, some older, some younger, some still in initial formation, others well known in the city, because they spent so many years in the school as in the oratory.

(Unioneonline)