(ANS – Madrid) – The countdown has begun for the 2026 edition of Campobosco. Held under the motto “Let us follow in your footsteps”, this year’s event has attracted 687 participants, aged 19 and over, from the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM), accompanied by the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians from Spain and Portugal.
Organised by the Salesian Youth Ministry of both countries, the participants – mostly leaders from Salesian Youth Centres – will visitthe most important Salesian sites where the Salesian charism was born, from 31 July to 8 August, as reflected in the lives and works of Saints John Bosco and Mary Mazzarello. Some of these sites are located in Barcelona (which Don Bosco visited), but mainly in Piedmont, in places such as the Becchi, Mornese, Chieri and Valdocco Turin.
The aims of the gathering are to build a Christian life by encountering Jesus through the lived experience of Don Bosco, Mother Mazzarello and the young people of the first Oratory; to present the figures of the young saints who flourished in Valdocco and Mornese as an inspiration for one’s own project of evangelical life; to experience the sense of the Church through youth leadership and charismatic communion, in harmony with the whole Christian community.
Campobosco 2026 Itinerary
The starting point will be Barcelona, a city Don Bosco visited in April–May 1886, with the event commencing on Saturday 30 July; the itinerary will continue, after a long coach journey through France, to Italy, where the young people will stay at Colle Don Bosco, in the Becchi, the place where John Bosco was born in August 1815. From there they will travel to Chieri, where the founder of the Salesian Congregation was ordained as a priest, and to other towns that played an important role in his life. They will also pass through Mornese, the birthplace of Mary Mazzarello, who co-founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians with Don Bosco. Valdocco, in Turin, will be the final destination of the youth pilgrimage, where they will visit the first Salesian oratory and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, as well as several sites in the city itself where Don Bosco carried out his mission amongst young people.
An information app
As was the case in previous editions in 2018, 2022 and 2024, young participants will have access to a mobile app containing all the information about Campobosco (available on the Apple Store and Google Play). Thanks to this initiative, participants do not need any printed material to follow the event and can set up the app to receive notifications reminding them of the current activity at any time.
Through the app, in particular, young participants can keep a travel diary divided into several sections: an introduction, which provides the context for this Campobosco 2026; a chronological section dedicated to history, featuring key moments in the lives of Don Bosco, Mother Mazzarello, the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; a section on resources (including the meaning of each day and the evening prayer from the opening day to the closing day); a folder for visits, detailing the places visited during Campobosco; another section on timetables, so that no young person gets ‘lost’; a section on ‘reflection’, to help participants internalise their experiences; and, finally, a section on the anthem, featuring the lyrics of the official song for this gathering: ‘Let Us Follow in Your Footsteps’.
The event’s soundtrack
Another tradition being revived is that of the Campobosco anthem, a song that will provide the musical backdrop for the entire youth gathering. The song echoes the motto chosen for the event and, in its chorus, contains a call to action: “Let us follow in your footsteps, footprints so great that they leave a mark and are eternal”.
The anthem was composed by Javi Vázquez, an educator with the Salesians in Morón, who has extensive pastoral and musical experience and who will also be taking part in the event, providing the musical accompaniment for this gathering, which is so important for Salesian pastoral work. This project also benefited from the musical production of Carlos Harto and the contributions of numerous collaborators in the choirs and the choreography created for the occasion.
The 15th edition
With this year’s event, Campobosco reaches its 15th edition, following the first, held in 1981 in Mohernando (Guadalajara). As early as the third edition, held in 1986, the event was organised for the first time as a pilgrimage through the sacred Salesian sites of Italy, in grateful recognition of the visit that the saint from Turin had made to Barcelona in 1886, two years before his death.
Subsequent editions were held in 1988 (to mark the centenary of Don Bosco’s death), 1991, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2024 and the current one, in 2026. Since then, across all these editions, it is estimated that more than 9,000 young people have taken part in this engaging Salesian experience.
It is an “exceptional opportunity to thank God for the gift of the Salesian charism and to deepen our Salesian roots”, say the organisers. Under the motto “Let us follow in your footsteps”, this year’s edition aims to place the emphasis on the figure of Jesus, “the central focus of every activity and reflection”.
His person and his message will guide participants on “a journey aimed at strengthening faith, promoting vocational discernment and deepening spiritual accompaniment”. It will, as always, be an opportunity to allow oneself to be “challenged by the faith lived out by Don Bosco, Mother Mazzarello and the young people of the first Oratory”.https://apps.apple.com/es/app/campobosco/id1388610244 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.magan.bosco
