THOUSANDS of people in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho took pleasure in the performances of Fr Silvio Mantelli SDB from Turin, Italy who goes by the stage name Mago Sales, the Magic Salesian. A professional magician before he was ordained 25 years ago, Fr Mantelli gave 31 shows in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Swaziland and Lesotho during his 23-day tour. He was assisted by Victor Balli, the president of the Italian Magicians' Circle and one of the top proponents of the art in the world. At his ordination in 1971, Italian magicians put on a special show to celebrate the event. His links with performing magic acts remained strong through the years. At the Salesian Oratory Michelle Rua in Turin, near to where the order's founder, St John Bosco, started his work, Fr Mantelli heads a school of magic that has trained a number of European professionals. "Over the last two years he has taken his show to the rest of the world" said Fr Robert Gore SDB of Lansdowne, Cape Town. "Each year he goes on three missions to other parts of the world." Last year he performed before his biggest audience ever, a 35 000 strong crowd in the Philippines. "His shows last up to two hours and are mainly to entertain people and at the end he will say a prayer. Because he had problems with the language, we would provide the spiritual message at the end of the show, " said another Salesian, Fr Francois Dufour of Johannesburg. "He helps the children to be happy and see the wonders of life and all its possibilities." Fr Mantelli, who uses a variety of disguises in his his shows, said in a recent interview: "Magic is believing in the impossible and making the impossible come true. Try to look at the sky on a starry night and you will feel what magic is: you will begin to imagine, to live again because you have felt the marvel. Here there are no tricks, there is a mystery which makes you hope