by Cleric Christopher Nadar & Father Ian Doulton for BISMumbai

The community of DBYC [Don Bosco Youth Centre] Pune, organised ‘Marian Knight 2021’ at Don Bosco School Hall Yerwada for the youth of the Poona Diocese. The theme was ‘Mary, Mother of Hope’, keeping in mind the current prevailing COVID situation. A total of 188 young people from 23 parishes of the diocese participated in the event. The student brothers creatively organised this celebration to honour Mother Mary and venerate her through prayer, fun, and activities.

Father Stanley Fernandes, Poona Diocese Youth Director was the chief guest. He appreciated the Salesians for the initiative and exhorted the gathering to be knights of the faith. The youth were divided into 16 teams named after various venues of the apparitions of Our Lady. They were shuffled into groups so they might make new friends.

The programme was short, inspiring, and engaging. It included creative, lively, tech-savvy and youth-friendly fun games and activities with a Marian flavour. The highlight of the evening was ‘In Sync with Mary’, in which teams composed dance steps to sync with the music played. The top three teams, Akita, Cuapa, and Medjugorje, won the 03 prizes for the Marian Knight 2021. Every participant left with a Marian Key Chain, a symbolic takeaway.

The youth participated actively, and as the programme wound down, many youngsters commended the Salesians, sharing many positive reviews on the programme. They looked forward to many such programmes in the coming months. It was indeed an evening that came alive with the lively presence of the young people in the company of Mother Mary and the Salesians of Pune.