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from Robert Tyrała

Feast of St. Dominic Savio, Patron Saint of Pueri Cantores

2010-05-12

Kraków – Turin, 6 May 2010
Feast of St. Dominic Savio, Patron Saint of Pueri Cantores

„We who want to be holy should be more cheerful”
St. Dominic Savio

            Dear Pueri Cantores worldwide,
 
I was privileged to have participated in the XV Congress of the Italian Pueri Cantores to have been held in Turin. It was extraordinary time, abounding with God’s grace. The Congress was first and foremost convened so as to commemorate the person of our Patron Saint Dominic Savio. Then it appeared to be special days also thanks to the solemn exhibition of “The Turin Shroud”. Still in my mind, and I am sure not only in mine, do I cherish this splendid Way of the Cross, during which all Pueri Cantores were singing, especially that moment when „Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo” could be heard when entering the Turin Basilica. This time was enriched by the presence of His Holiness Benedict XVI who paid his pastoral visit to the Turin diocese. The Pope performed the Eucharist, assisted by our little singers of the Italian Federation. I believe no one could arrange it more finely by combining so many meaningful circumstances than God Himself. The Italian Federation of Pueri Cantores had prepared the congress with great care which was then augmented  by some additional events. We would like to congratulate heartily to the Italian Federation on the Congress and we are happy they develop so splendidly.
Having been inspired by the Congress in Turin and being in the process of preparing our next International Congress to be arranged in Rome from 28 December 2010 to 1 January 2011, I would like to take this opportunity to recollect to you and to myself the person of our Patron Saint Dominic Savio. Today, while my writing this letter, we celebrate his liturgical commemoration. His holy relics are to be solemnly handed down to Pueri Cantoes during the Inauguration of the Congress in The Paul VI’s Audience Hall in the Vatican on 28 December 2010. St. Dominic is still insufficiently known in our community and I am glad our Italian friends familiarised us with this magnificent person.
Dominic Savio was born 2 April 1842 in Riva di Chieri in the vicinity of Turin. He attended the small school run by the local parish priest, and then the county school Castelnuovo d’Asti. Only at the age of five did he serve as an altar boy. He received the first Holy Communion 8 April 1849. On the occasion of his First Communion he wrote the resolution in his prayer book: I will go to Confession frequently and Communion as often as my confessor allows; I want to make Sundays and feast days holy; My friends will be Jesus and Mary; Death but not sin. At the age of 12 he was admitted to the Oratory in Valdacco in Turin by St. John Bosco. In the Oratory Dominic let himself known to be an ardent catholic, never missing the occasion to pray. He received the gift of contemplation and spiritual ecstasy. His greatest desire was to become a priest. He obtained good results at school. When once Dominic missed the classes, he was found deep in prayer at the holy tabernacle. Nudged by St. Don Bosco he simply asked the time.It turned out he had been kneeling several hours before the tabernacle. St. John Bosco realised that Dominic had been talking to Jesus Christ. At the end of autumn 1856 Dominic Savio fell ill. The doctor sent for by St. John Bosco diagnosed advanced pulmonary disease. When Dominic was saying goodbye to St. Don Bosco and his friends, he said with tears: I shall not come back here, and it happened so. He was suffering deeply for several months. When dying on 9 March 1857 he cried to Fr. Bosco: "Goodbye, Father! Goodbye! Oh, what wonderful things I see!
One might ask: what is the association of the above with our service of proclaiming the Gospel through music? First, we need to remember that St. Dominic was alleged to sing in the schola run by St. John Bosco. Yet most importantly, St. Dominic Savio is our Patron Saint because we can imitate his religious zeal and his holiness. Perhaps he sets for us – little singers – a model way of aiming at sanctity. St. Dominic was an ordinary child, just like each of us. His way of striving for holiness is the way each of you can follow. And he reminds us of it. He reminds us that sanctity is for everyone. Also for us. On this way to sanctity each of us has their own individual vocation. We, small singers, are supposed to aim at our holiness through the beauty of music we sing and through God’s perfect harmony in our hearts. St. Dominic said that those who want to be saint should be cheerful. And we should never forget it. For striving for sanctity in everyday life means waiting for God to be revealed in us. Striving for sanctity in daily life means discovering God’s trace to have been left by Him in our hearts. We are the icon of Jesus Christ. He lives in us. Thanks to His Holiness we are Holy. Be holy because I am holy – God says to us. It is our fighting with sin, our constant rising from it with the help of the holy sacraments of Penance and Eucharist, our constant working on ourselves and fighting our egoism, it is the way through which we achieve our sanctity. It is aiming at holiness which is our salvation. And Dominic Savio our Patron Saint is here to lead us on this way. Let us repeat after him, let us engrave his words in our hearts: I will go to Confession frequently and Communion as often as my confessor allows; I want to make Sundays and feast days holy; My friends will be Jesus and Mary; Death but not sin. Let us look at our daily chores, at our world, with the eyes of hope. The today’s Church and the modern world need this hope from us.
 
St. Dominic Savio, pray for our Pueri Cantores community.
 
 

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