By tradition, the end of January is marked by a celebration of the Feast St John Bosco in every Salesian place. We hear about the Feast at Savio Salesian College and St James' parish in Bootle.

Our school and parish in Bootle always takes this opportunity to celebrate the day with great joy and invite many young people to join us in the celebration.

At Savio Salesian College, the Feast Day opened with festive school assemblies. Fr Jakub guided a reflection on the life of Don Bosco and the reality of the Salesian family throughout the world. A group of students performed a song in honour of Don Bosco, 'The Friend of the Young', accompanied by various musical instruments including piano, guitar and drum.

The scripture reading from the letter to the Philippians followed, and afterwards the pupils read the prayers of intercession. The headteacher, Mr. Costello, in a very enthusiastic way, encouraged the pupils to follow the values and example of Don Bosco. Then during the lunch break all pupils were treated to a surprise party in the school dining room. It was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The College Chaplaincy Team treated the students involved in the Chaplaincy activities to a special surprise meal from McDonalds and KFC. Some of them described it as 'a most beautiful day'.

The other part of the preparation was the making of a banner to highlight this special occasion. The Chaplaincy Team worked on the project. Br. Lucas and Fr. Tomasz researched and put on paper some ideas which they sketched with a pencil from a projection on the wall. This year the project consists of three parts: Savio Salesian College Crest, Don Bosco's face and a drawing of some young people jumping with joy. A thought from Don Bosco was used behind the image, saying: 'Run, jump, shout, but do not sin'. Over the next few days, the sketch they produced was painted with watercolours by some of our. We involved about ten girls and boys to do their part in the preparation of this banner, which was used during the school assemblies and during a Mass offered in St James' Salesian parish church.