Dearest Salesian Cooperators around the world,

I reach out to you with a heart full of joy in this time of grace as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our foundation, to wish you a peaceful and Holy Easter.

This year, our dear Rector Major has given us the Strenna “Do whatever He tells you”, inviting us to reflect on the Gospel icon of the Wedding at Cana. As we pause to contemplate this passage, we discover that it contains a profound and radiant Easter message.

The evangelist John begins the account by noting that the feast takes place “on the third day”. This is not a casual detail: it is a clear reference to the third day of the Resurrection, the day when life triumphs over death. At Cana, Jesus says to His Mother: “My hour has not yet come.” That hour, the hour of His glorification, will be fulfilled fully on the cross and in the radiant morning of Easter.

At the wedding feast, the wine—symbol of joy and hope—runs out. How often, in our families, in our communities, and in the world, do we see the “wine” of hope run dry, leaving confusion in its place! And yet, it is precisely in that moment of emptiness that grace intervenes. The water is transformed into the new and abundant wine of the feast. This is the miracle of Easter: the Lord takes our empty jars, our fatigue and fragility, and transforms them into the inexhaustible joy of the Risen One. The new wine of Cana foreshadows the total gift of Christ that renews our lives.

As Salesian Cooperators, Mary addresses to us the same invitation she gave to the servants: “Do whatever He tells you.” The servants trusted; they filled the jars with water to the brim, performing an action that could have seemed useless. Today, we too are asked to trust in the Word of the Lord, to be docile and courageous servants, ready to bring the “good wine” of God’s love to young people and to those who have lost hope.

In this Easter season, I invite you to live our vocation with boldness. Let us fill our jars with the water of daily service, co-responsibility, and fraternal communion. Let the Risen Christ transform our commitment into a celebration of new life for those around us.

On behalf of myself and the entire World Council, I wish each of you, your families, and your Local Centers an Easter of true resurrection. May the joy of the living Christ flood your hearts!

Happy Easter, brothers and sisters!

With great affection, Antonio Boccia World Coordinator of the Salesian Cooperators