(ANS – Rome) – On the weekend of 16 and 17 May 2026, at the CNOS in Rome, the third and final meeting of the SYM Italy National Council for the 2025–2026 pastoral year took place, marking the conclusion of an intense year of work, discussion and planning. The main areas on which the Council’s work focused were, in particular, the organisation of the SYM National Assembly, scheduled for this coming October, and the first steps towards the SYM Italy Gathering to be held in the summer of 2028. These are two significant events that will involve the entire Movement and are already taking shape thanks to the contribution of representatives from the various territories. Another important moment was the final presentation of the workbook and tools for the 2026–2027 pastoral proposal, entitled “Signs of His Love”, the fruit of the shared journey throughout the year. This material will accompany SYM groups and communities in the coming months, offering ideas, perspectives and guidance for pastoral life. As in every Council meeting, there was ample space dedicated to sharing best practices. A moment of particular spiritual intensity was the visit to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, where participants prayed before the altar of Mary Help of Christians. A moment made all the more significant by the commemoration of the anniversary of “Don Bosco’s tears”, which took place in that very place on that very day (16 May 1887): a deeply symbolic episode in which, reflecting on the dream he had at the age of nine and his entire history with young people and the Congregation, Don Bosco acknowledged with emotion that “she has done it all”.
