Oristano (Italy). From 11 to 14 September 2025, around 40 FMA Past Pupils of the Federation of Sardinia, from the Saint John Bosco Province (IRO), gathered at the San Pancrazio holiday home in Arborea, Sardinia, by the sea, to participate in the annual summer camp, Campo Over 2025.
Upon their arrival, the Past Pupils were welcomed by the organizational team, made up of Simonetta Piccioni, President of the Federation; the Delegate, Sister Ines Perra; Paola Auzzas, Councilor; Ignazia Melis and Marzia Scotto, collaborators of the camp; and two collaborators of catering. Present also was Sister Sangitha Rani Sahaya, Delegate of the FMA Past Pupil World Confederation, who arrived from Rome.
After settling into the rooms, the participants met to introduce themselves, share the reasons for their participation, and their expectations towards the camp. It emerged that most of them had long awaited this day, mindful of the positive experiences of previous years, while some had been contagioned by word of mouth from friends and relatives. In the afternoon, the camp was officially inaugurated by Paola Auzzas and Ignazia Melis, with a dynamic of knowledge.
The camp aimed to promote personal formation, relationships with God, care for oneself and others, and harmony with people and with nature
Personal Formation
Every day, Sister Ines Perra held formation encounters on various topics: “Jubilee is… time of care; time of care for my faith; time of care for relationships; time of memory, loneliness, and silence.” In her reflections, she underlined the importance of caring for every moment with awareness. On the second day, she focused on caring for oneself and others through faith in God; while on the third day, caring for relationships with others. On the last day, the focus was on one’s memory and living meaningfully in solitude to encounter God. After each presentation, a few minutes of personal reflection were left, followed by sharing in the assembly for personal and collective enrichment.
Relationship with God
For those who wished, a day was dedicated to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, appreciated by most of the participants, with tears of remorse and joy flowing over their faces. The camp culminated with the Sunday Eucharistic Celebration, presided over by Fr. Silvio, pastor of the nearby parish.
Care of oneself and of others
Every day, morning and afternoon hours were left to the discretion of each person, to rest or relax by the sea or take a walk in the pine forest or share with people who desired this. An hour in the afternoon was dedicated to light gymnastics, animated by Marzia Scotto. Despite some ailments due to age, they all committed themselves to exercise, as a time to take care of oneself.
Another significant aspect was the availability of each one for mutual help with joy and according to their possibilities, in tidying up and readying the rooms, preparing meals, and accompanying those in need to the sea or to the pine forest. The moments of recreation, animated by Paola and Ignazia for the first two days and by three young Past Pupils and animators, was another salient time to be in together and discover the talents of the others.
Union with nature
Immersion in nature provided an opportunity to feel in harmony with creation. On one of the days, an herbal medicine workshop was offered, animated by Filippo Piccioni. The group was divided into four, and each table was assigned some jars containing various plants, which each group had to identify through smell or consistency, in order to discover their importance in nature and know their uses.
On one of the evenings, the group then experienced a moment of animated prayer under the starry sky, contemplating the beauty of the works of God’s creation. Each remembered one or more people who are stars in their lives and found inspiration to be a star for others, placing their hand on the heart of one or two people with these words, “My heart is near yours; together we are guarded by the love of God.” It was an opportunity to learn from the sky and the stars the beauty of walking together.
As most of the participants confirmed in the final evaluation, in general, the Over 2025 Camp enriched them from a spiritual, physical, mental, and social point of view. The Camp ended in an atmosphere of gratitude and joy, along with a strong desire to meet again for the following year.
