PILGRIMS IN HOPE, GUIDED BY MARY

We begin a new year 2025, full of hopes and challenges, a time when faith and hope illumine our path. In the new year, both the universal Church and the Salesian Family invite us to live intensely the experience of being pilgrims of hope, a mission that embraces the whole world and finds its youngest face in children and young people, the present and the future of society.

Pope Francis, with the Jubilee 2025 and the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, reminds us that Christian life is a continuous pilgrimage towards God, characterised by reconciliation, unity and rediscovering patience and joy even in the midst of difficulties. This Holy Year offers us the opportunity to renew our trust in God's constant presence in history, in a world that cries out for peace, justice and fraternal encounter.

The Strenna 2025, ‘Anchored in hope, pilgrims with the young’, resonates as an invitation to be companions on the journey of the new generations, showing them that hope is not just an abstract concept but a living and transforming force, capable of facing life's challenges with courage and joy.

Both messages find a special echo in this first month of the year, dedicated to Mary, Mother of God, whose solemnity we celebrate on 1st January. Mary, as Mother and Guide, accompanies the Church on this jubilee journey and the Salesian Family in its educational and pastoral mission. She, the first pilgrim of faith, teaches us to look to the future with confidence and to remain firmly anchored in love and hope, even in the uncertainties of our time.

The new year 2025 challenges us to live with an open and willing heart, to be signs of hope and beacons of light for those around us. Just as Mary accompanied Jesus and the disciples on their journeys, today she walks with us, supporting us with her motherly love and guiding our steps towards a full encounter with Christ.

May this Jubilee and Salesian Year be for all a time of grace and transformation. With Mary at our side, let us move on as authentic pilgrims of hope, committed to building a more just and fraternal world together with the young people and all those who seek a horizon of peace.

Happy New Year under the protection of Mary and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit!

Fr. Gabriel Cruz Trejo,

SDB Spiritual Animator ADMA Valdocco.

Renato Valera,

President ADMA Valdocco