by Andy Ortiz

The St. John Bosco High School community comes together today to celebrate the Feast of Don Bosco with our Auxiliary Bishop Marc Trudeau and to honor the influence of our Salesian patron.

Our school Mass celebrating the Feast of Don Bosco takes place in the neighboring St. Dominic Savio Church. This is a very special day honoring the life and achievements of St. John Bosco, who is the basis of our school community’s principles and values. What makes this day truly special is the coming of our Auxiliary Bishop Marc Trudeau, who comes to observe our celebration and pray with us.

The Campus Ministry students organized the Feast Day Mass along with new religion teacher Mr. James Ritter. Mr. Ritter, being an alumnus of Bosco, worked well with the members of Campus Ministry to put on this celebration for us and our bishop. They spent much time and effort preparing the readings and the church for the celebration.

“This will certainly be one special Mass,” said Mr. Ritter. “It’s not everyday you get to pray and worship with the bishop.”

Campus Ministry has been preparing for this day since the end of last semester, for the reason that the Feast of Don Bosco is not only an important event for us, but also an important event for Salesians the world over. 

“Every aspect, from the beginning to the end of the Mass, is carefully accounted for, and we’ve been working diligently behind the scenes to make it as special as possible,” said Campus Ministry junior Diego Salcedo.

The very special occasion warranted much preparation with most of the time spent choosing the perfect music and demonstrating attention to detail to do this event and the bishop justice.

“The Feast of Don Bosco is crucial to the Salesians because he initiated the entire movement,” said Diego. “It’s a time when not only our community but all Salesian communities come together, sharing a common identity.”

In the absence of Archbishop Jose Gomez, who is unable to attend today, Auxiliary Bishop Trudeau visits us. Both men have done amazing things for our community while being excellent examples of leaders in the Catholic church and standard-bearers of Don Bosco’s legacy. They both spread messages of love and teach the principles of Christ, which is why we admire them and appreciate their presence in our school community.

“We have been meeting with our Campus Ministry [team], Fr. Mike [Gergen], and we were given guidance by the archdiocese for preparing for today. It’s safe to say that there will be some expected surprises for our bishop,” said Mr. Ritter.

The big reason for why we celebrate the Feast of Don Bosco is because we want to keep his teachings and the Salesian traditions alive. A feast day is when we remember a person of great significance. For Don Bosco, a big part of what he was known for was helping young boys become mature, responsible and faithful men. 

“The most special part of the day, in my opinion, is the awareness that thousands of people worldwide are celebrating the same occasion, creating a sense of unity,” said Diego. “For our community, it’s a time to gather as a school and celebrate our shared mission and ideals inspired by St. John Bosco.”

After mass and classes, students will celebrate “field day” activities this afternoon to conclude the day of celebration.