‘Re-awaken the plan of God in every young person’, the theme proposed by St. Raphael Archangel Province, Paraguay and the slogan: “With the young, we touch the chords of life, witnessing to the joy of following Christ” kindled the hearts of every young and old in the Aspirantate community to appreciate the gift of God’s call to each one and respond to it with great sentiments of gratitude.

The one month preparation for the feast of Mother General was celebrated with initiatives like Bible Days, Bosco Days and Mazzarello Days. An in depth study of the unique ways God called people in the Bible, call of Don Bosco and of Mother Mazzarello and the way they responded to His call with joy and hope stimulated the young candidates to appreciate their own vocation as a precious gift from God.

Bible Days for the Aspirants and Postulants commenced from 6 – 8 April 2018 with a procession to the Chapel, each one carrying their own Bible. The three days were packed with Bible insights and in-depth study of various persons in the Bible.  They had input sessions on the call of God and Jesus’ way of fulfilling God’s plan for him. Various competitions like mime on parables, tableau on the call of God in the Old Testament, enactment on miracles of Jesus, skit on ‘Young people, their Faith and Vocation Discernment’ based on the call of the Apostles  and quiz on the Gospel of St. John enabled them to value their own call and respond to it decisively.

A walk with Mazzarello for three days from 11 – 13 April began with selection of names for their group such as Mornese, Valponasca, Nizza and Roverno. They placed these names around the well of Mornese which was displayed in the Hall and prayed for the graces required in order to imitate this humble and enthusiastic saint to grow in holiness. On the first day they started off with the movie on Mother Mazzarello, followed by preparation of skit and poem based on her early life till 1871 and presented the same after the dinner. On the second day they learnt the maxims of Mother Mazzarello reading through her letters and at the end of the day they staged action songs composed by them on her life. The third day was planned with study on the two books of Mother Mazzarello i.e. the Spirit of Joy and She the First. They prepared one act play on her call and life of holiness, and portrayed various personalities related to her in the form of ‘Go as you Like’ and finally ended with a quiz on Mother Mazzarello. They were very delighted to have spent these days with Mother Mazzarello, walking in her footsteps and discovering the life of simple sanctity and cheerfulness.

Don Bosco Days lasted for four days from 17 – 20 April. The statue of Don Bosco along with statues of Sacred Heart and Mary Help of Christians were well adorned with due respect and love for the Founder. The service started from the chapel and in procession, Sr. Leelamma,  the animator of the community carried the relic of Don Bosco to the Hall. To start off the day, a movie on Don Bosco ‘Mission to Love’ was viewed by the whole community.  The movie helped them to recognize and appreciate the true spirit of the Founder and enabled them to understand better the untiring life and mission of Don Bosco. The following day saw through the study of Don Bosco from two books; Don Bosco father and friend of the young and The children’s priest John Bosco. They got into their respective groups and began to prepare themselves for the rest of the day with competitions such as Tableau and self-composed songs. They also prepared charts on the maxims of Don Bosco. The following day was filled with activities of various types such as composing of Action song and ‘Go as you like’. The third day was started with study of Don Bosco’s dreams. They were asked to prepare themselves for the Quiz and enactment of one of the dreams of Don Bosco. The aspirants and postulants put their whole heart and mind to get ready with all the events. There was a lot of enthusiasm and joy in knowing and learning of the saint with a true competitive spirit.

The feast of Gratitude was celebrated in a spirit of gratitude and love. The day commenced with an experiential prayer moment thanking the Lord for the gift of our beloved Mother General and every member of our Institute. The solemn Eucharistic celebration with a heartwarming introduction and prayers of the faithful put the participants in an ambient of prayer and thanksgiving. The theme of the feast was displayed in front of the altar which helped the community to be focused on the person of our Mother General, Mother Yvonne Reungoat and offer prayers and thanksgiving for the ceaseless gift of herself to the young, the Institute, and the Church. The feast invites us to express our ‘THANKS’ through the joyful witness of life, totally given to the Lord so that the young people He entrusts to us may be strengthened in their desire to follow Jesus unreservedly.

Sr. Rosy Veliyan