The Rector Major emphasises three main points. First, Fr Attard refers to the Strenna message for 2026, renewing the invitation to be, like Mary, attentive to what is happening around us and to always rely on Jesus.

Secondly, taking up ideas from Pope Leo XIV, the Rector Major invites us to ‘cultivate the gift of authentic friendship’ – a truly Salesian trait.

And finally, again with reference to what Pope Leo has indicated in these first months of his pontificate, the 11th Successor of Don Bosco exhorts the boys and girls of the SYM to have ‘the courage of truth’ – an attitude that means avoiding any ambiguity and arrogance, even verbal, towards others.

All this, concludes the Rector Major, so that young people may be ‘protagonists of goodness, especially for the most needy young people’.

The full text of the Rector Major’s Message is available in five languages (Italian, English, Spanish, French and Portuguese) at the bottom of the page.

In order to spread the Rector Major’s Message to the young people of the SYM for the feast of Don Bosco 2026 more widely, the Youth Ministry Sector has also produced two short informative videos:

• a very short video, lasting one and a half minutes, with animated images, on the Strenna 2026 (viewable here, in Italian, English, Spanish, French and Portuguese)
• a 3½-minute video in which Fr Attard himself speaks to young people, summarising his message in a few sentences (available here, in Italian, English, Spanish and French)

With Fr Attard’s inspiring words and the contribution of the Youth Ministry Sector, Don Bosco truly continues to speak to young people.