Frost. With the closure of schools, it was almost a natural progression for the city’s young people to sign up for the Grest organized in their parish where they attended catechism all year round.
The 13 parishes of the city competed to win the most captivating theme and there was a spirit of healthy competition that flowed into the performances that were presented in mid-July at the Grest gathering, the event that brought together thousands of children and young people from the city. Each grest had its own characteristic. From the ten teams of the Mother Church to the cycling activities of Regina Pacis, passing through the sports tournaments organized in the Salesian oratory up to the inclusive grest of San Giacomo in which the disabled children of the parish were animators of the teams. The entertainers and those responsible for the grest spent hours and hours organizing the month of activities for the little ones without neglecting moments of fun in which families were involved and the inevitable trips to the water park.
Over the years, however, the summer event for parish children has lost its appeal.
Of the 13 parishes in Gelato, 5, of which 3 in the historic center, no longer organize the grest because the numbers of volunteer animators are not registered due to the lack of generational turnover. The people of Gresto of past years prefer to spend the month of July at the seaside with friends, without responsibilities, to enjoy a well-deserved rest after a year of studying at school.
In some cases within the neighborhood that has now become old there are no families or children who request this service, in others still there are young people who make their time available but the requests to register for the grest are equal to zero.
The opposite phenomenon is found in suburban parishes such as San San San Sebastiano where the numbers of past years are reconfirmed with over 200 members and 65 animators. There has even been a long waiting list at the Salesians.
