By CIN SocCom

Hong Kong, China, 30 September 2024 -- At the beginning of every academic year, the Salesian Youth Ministry Office holds an Opening Mass for the students of the Salesian Family. On 28 September, over a hundred young people and past pupils from Salesian schools gathered at the Mary Help of Christians Parish to celebrate the start of the academic year.

This year’s pastoral theme is anchored, on one hand, by the Rector Major’s Strenna, “the Dream that makes you dream”. Don Bosco’s dream continues to inspire and mobilize young people to grow and build a better world for all. On the other hand, it is about building a world in which dreams can be realized. We must do something in response to the call for a sustainable future. It is hoped that our young people, this year, will engage together in reflection and concrete actions to protect our natural environment and build a fraternal relationship, achieving, as Pope Francis said in his encyclical Laudato Si, ecological conversion. Once again, wolves that selfishly damage our environment would transform into lambs.

The participants first learned this year's theme song and then were divided into groups by school to play games that taught them basic environmental knowledge, such as how to sort waste for recycling. They also learned about the current state of environmental protection in Hong Kong.

The Mass was celebrated by Fr Domingos Leong, the Provincial of China Province, and concelebrated by the Delegate of Youth Ministry, Fr Antonio Leung, and the Salesian in charge of the Salesian Youth Movement, Fr Anthony Pun. In the homily, Fr Domingos referenced a verse from the first reading, “God has loved us so much, so we should love one another,” to explain the significance of environmental protection for Salesian youth and Christians alike. He reminded the youth that the world we live in is a free gift from God, and therefore, we have the responsibility to make it better. If we destroy the world, the effects will not only impact ourselves but everyone around us. As this year marks the 200th anniversary of St John Bosco's dream at the age of nine, Fr Domingos invited the youth to dream together, imagining what the world or their local community would look like ten years from now. As discussed in the previous session, landfill sites are expected to reach capacity within a few years. therefore Fr Domingos challenged the youth to consider how each person could contribute to making the world God has given us a better place over the next decade.

Toward the end, Fr Domingos suggested that the youth could start by tidying up their rooms and homes, influencing their families first. They could also carry reusable water bottles and utensils to set an example for their peers, who may, in turn, be inspired to care for God's creation. God has generously given humanity the best, and if we only receive without sharing, our lives will lack vitality. Therefore, the youth were encouraged to begin today, improve themselves, and leave a beautiful world for the next generation.

Before the Mass concluded, Fr Anthony handed out potted plants to representatives of each school, symbolizing the need for the young to care and pay more attention in appreciating the nature God has created, and to inspire more young people to cherish the creation together. Fr Domingos also led the young in making a commitment to cherish each day in the coming year, to pursue truth in their studies, and to cultivate virtues of goodness and kindness. While appreciating all of creation, they were also encouraged to build relationships of love and justice with one another.

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