The Salesian church will offer its parishioners a general series of traditional liturgical events together on the path that leads to Easter. On Wednesday 18 February, Ash Wednesday, the basilica will offer seven opportunities to participate in the Eucharist (at 7am, 8am, 9am, 10am, 5pm, 6.30pm and 9pm, with the 6.30pm Mass presided over by the Superior of the Special District of Italy-Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, Fr Leonardo Mancini).
In addition, every Friday at 5:45 pm, the Way of the Cross will take place, which on 27 March will also be held outside Valdocco, in the streets of the neighbourhood.
And during Holy Week, just before the Easter Triduum – specifically, Tuesday 31 March – there will be a special evening with a Liturgy of Reconciliation.
The Salesian Basilica will also host a special initiative in preparation for Easter: ‘The 5 Fridays of Lent’, a journey of prayer and reflection divided into five evening events, organised in collaboration with another ecclesial excellence in Turin, the ‘Sermig – Servizio Missionario Giovani’. The initiative will take place from 20 February to 20 March, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., offering the faithful, young people and members of the Salesian Family a spiritual journey centred on listening to the Word and fraternal sharing.
The meetings will be led by Rosanna Tabasso, President of Sermig, and are part of a journey that invites us to experience fasting not only as a material renunciation, but as a conscious choice to devote time to God and others. The proposed theme calls for a twofold commitment: “fasting from my time” and from dinner, in order to be nourished by Jesus, the “bread of life”, through the table of the Word.
Each Friday will be guided by the Gospel of the following Sunday of Lent, according to a progressive journey that will accompany participants into the heart of the mystery of Christ. It will begin with the story of the temptations in the desert, continuing with the Transfiguration, Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, the healing of the man born blind, and finally, the resurrection of Lazarus. A biblical journey that focuses on the victory over evil, the revelation of Christ’s glory, the gift of living water, the light that restores sight, and the promise of new life.
During each meeting, after meditation, there will be a time of Eucharistic Adoration, followed by sharing the Word heard, meditated upon, prayed and contemplated according to the four steps of Lectio Divina.
The initiative also aims to combine the spiritual dimension with concrete attention to the most vulnerable: the proceeds from the “skip dinner” on each Friday will be used to support people in need, through a solidarity collection that echoes the evangelical style of sharing. In this way, the Lenten proposal combines prayer, listening to the Word and active charity, in full harmony with the Salesian tradition and with Sermig’s commitment to young people and the poor.
“We want to be inspired by what St John Paul II said in his Message for Lent 2003: “Lent, a powerful time of PRAYER, FASTING and COMMITMENT to those in need, offers every Christian the opportunity to prepare for Easter … by engaging in a special way with the WORD OF GOD, which illuminates the daily journey of believers,” Fr Michele Viviano, Rector of the Salesian Basilica in Turin, said in conclusion.
