TAMPA: ANNUAL SALESIAN YOUTH RALLY

Story and photos by Lili DeGrasse

On Tuesday, September 11, the Salesian schools of Tampa came together at Mary Help of Christians Center for their annual Salesian Youth Rally. About 900 Salesian youngsters (grades 3-11) were in attendance from Villa Madonna, Cristo Rey Tampa High School, St. Joseph’s School, and Christ the King School.

This year, as an added blessing, Fr. Wilgintz Polynice drove a small group of high school youths from the Salesian parish of St. Philip Benizi in Belle Glade, Fla., to join the festivities.

The day began with a rally of music and play in the gymnasium at Mary Help of Christians Center, followed by prayer, an honor guard commemorating the victims of 9/11, and Mass. Fr. Steve Ryan presided, along with Fr. Tim Zak, Fr. Franco Pinto, the other SDB priests of Mary Help, and a few local priests.

A very memorable moment during the Mass occurred at the homily. Fr. Steve talked about trusting Jesus and picked volunteers from the

congregation to do a trust exercise. Sr. Guerline Joseph, to everyone’s “breath-held and stomach-tensed” surprise, trusted fully and dropped backward, blindfolded, from atop the presider’s chair on the elevated sanctuary (i.e., the gym stage) into the waiting arms of students and teachers standing at floor level. The rally day also included games, activities, lunch, confessions, and guest speakers.

Before leaving, one of the youths from Belle Glade asked, “When can we do this again?” – a sure sign that the young enjoyed the day, together with their larger Salesian Family, in the spirit of St. John Bosco: They were at home at Mary Help, with their school and parish friends and teachers, playing and sharing in God.