(ANS – Rome) – On July 30, 2025 the highly anticipated SYM Jubilee Festival took place in front of the Basilica of St. John Bosco in Rome, as the central event for the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM – MGS) during the Jubilee of Youth. It was a vibrant celebration blending artistic performances, personal testimonies, and moments of spirituality – all deeply rooted in the Salesian values of faith, joy, interculturality, and youth protagonism.
A Celebration of Global Youth and Salesian Spirit
The evening featured performances from MGSound (Piedmont), SYM Central America, the oratory of Latina, groups from Kenya, La Spezia, MGS-MEM Mexico, and the DB Sons from Sicily. These diverse participants united in a powerful display of music, dance, and other creative expressions.
MGSound opened the event with original songs reflecting the joy of shared faith. Youth from Costa Rica infused the gathering with color and rhythm in a warm expression of hospitality. From Latina, a scene from Don Bosco – The Musical moved the crowd, celebrating simple, everyday holiness. The Kenyan group energized the square with their authentic spontaneity, while the youth of La Spezia danced with hopeful energy. Mexico offered two songs rich in cultural identity, and Sicily’s DB Sons closed the performances, affirming the importance of vocation and nurturing young talents through music.
“The SYMJubilee Festival was a gift we wanted to offer to the city of Rome and the universal Church,” said the event organizers. “Through youthful creativity and spirituality, we hoped to share a message aligned with the Jubilee journey and the desire to see young people as true agents of change.”
From Festive Energy to Contemplative Depth
Following the lively performances and a shared meal in the square, the gathering transitioned into a moment of reflection: an evening vigil and Eucharistic adoration led by Fr. Rafael Bejarano, General Councillor for Youth Ministry of the Salesians of Don Bosco.
The vigil featured songs, scripture, and prayer in multiple languages, alternating with moments of silent contemplation. The thousands of young people who had earlier filled the square with joyful noise now entered into a deep and personal dialogue with the Lord. Among the symbolic acts were reminders of baptism and the offering of fears, written on slips of paper and surrendered in prayer.
This moment of prayer became an invitation to reflect on the suffering in the world and the call repeatedly voiced by Pope Leo XIV, Fr. Attard, and Mother Chiara Cazzuola to work for peace.
“Being peacemakers is an urgent mission,” said Fr. Bejarano to the crowd. “In a time marked by war, division, and violence, your pure vision and desire for unity can open new paths. Peace is built through dialogue, respect, and the ability to forgive.”
Youth were encouraged to move beyond their fears and welcome light, echoing the Pope’s message from the night before: “You are the salt of the Earth, you are the light of the world.”
Messages of Encouragement from Salesian Leaders
The evening concluded with heartfelt words from the Superior Generals of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.
“I am so happy to be here with you in this unique and special Jubilee,” began Mother Chiara Cazzuola. “You are the treasure, the great potential of the world, as Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello always believed. The first grace of the Jubilee is the encounter with Jesus Christ, our hope. We think we have to do everything to meet Him, but He is the one who does everything in us – if we allow Him to. Think about how loved and desired you are by God, who welcomes you as you are and works wonders in you, as He did in Mary. Hope is born from this awareness: that the Lord walks with us and fills us with His grace and strength. Never feel alone!”
The Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, also urged the young people to be builders of peace:
“Goodness is what we have. Fear is what we can get rid of. Can we free ourselves from fear? It can only be done with the presence of Jesus. We can only do it with the presence of Jesus, alive, in our hearts. Alone, we will not manage. With Jesus, we win. This is why we ask for the Eucharist. Because we are friends with him, without a doubt. And that is why Mother Chiara referred to the point of being artisans of peace. We can be artisans of peace if we make sure that peace will prevail in our lives. And that peace is a person, and that peace is Jesus. And the moment we have Jesus, we will become #Peace Builders. As we become peacemakers, we also become missionaries of hope wherever we are – through our witness, our kindness, our presence. Let Jesus be the source that strengthens your goodness and dispels fear, because the world needs each of you. The world needs you now more than ever.”
Source: ANS – “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana“