Rio Negro, Argentina - September 2023 - A meeting of Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians who are missionaries ad gentes in the Province of Argentina South (ARS) took place from Saturday 16 September to Monday 18 September at the Stefenelli Retreat House. Accompanying them were Fr Dario Perera, ARS Provincial; Fr Francisco Chimento, Provincial Delegate for Missions; and Salesian Brother Agustín Camiletti, Provincial Delegate for Youth Ministry. "For some time we have been thinking about a space for meeting and reflection for the missionaries ad gentes, aware of the great process of 'inculturation' and insertion that arriving in our Salesian mission land requires," said Fr Perera in his invitation to the meeting. He added: "This is why I wish to propose a meeting to share, reflect and discern, in fraternal communion, the steps that will continue to help us in our missionary commitment as a response to the Salesian circumstances in Argentina today." During the meeting, the missionaries were able to share their experiences with the volunteers of the Province who were in the same place, participating in their meeting convened by the team of Provincial volunteers.
(ANS – Chimpay) – The 53rd pilgrimage of faith in memory of the young Mapuche took place between Friday 25 and Sunday 27 August in Chimpay, a town in the Province of Río Negro that gave birth to Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá. The event took place under the motto "With Ceferino, sowers of hope today".
San Justo, Argentina – August 2023 – On Monday 28 August, the Salesian Provincials responsible for the Curatorium of the Theology Students' House for the CISUR Provinces - the two in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay - met in San Justo, in the province of Buenos Aires, together with the Councillor for the America South Cone Region, Fr Gabriel Romero. The objective of the meeting was to accompany the Salesian educational proposal, enhancing the community environment, pastoral practices and the academic curriculum. Some challenges for the coming years were also raised, and the work of the formation team was praised.
(ANS - Vatican City) - The Holy See Press Office announced today, 11 August 2023, that the Holy Father Pope Francis has appointed Salesian Fr Alejandro Musolino, currently Rector of the "Don Bosco Institute" in Formosa, as Auxiliary Bishop of Córdoba, Argentina, assigning him the titular See of Ruspe.
(ANS– Chimpay) – Once again the small rural community of Chimpay is preparing to welcome thousands of pilgrims, who between Friday 25 and Sunday 27 August 2023, will arrive in this town in the Province of Río Negro, which gave birth to Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá, to pray and thank God for the gift of the "lily of Patagonia". It will be the 53rd "Pilgrimage of Faith to Chimpay", which this year will take place under the motto "With Ceferino, sowers of hope today", and will take place on the occasion of the liturgical anniversary of the memory of the Blessed on 26 August.
(ANS – Avellaneda) – As is the case every year, in August – the month of Don Bosco's birth – the multi-sport "Racing Club" in Avellaneda pays tribute to its Patron and Protector, St John Bosco. And to do so, this year the Department of Culture and History, together with the presence of authorities, members and young people, officially unveiled a majolica in tribute to Don Bosco in the Tita Mattiussi sports centre, next to the access door to the gym, the changing rooms and the offices of the youth teams. All this happened while, in the full Salesian spirit and in a festive oratory atmosphere, a few metres away, “Racing Solidario” – the Club's Social Responsibility Department – held a recreational and educational day for more than 500 boys and girls.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Italy – A Salesian on the front line of the war in Ukraine: "Being close counts, words come later"(ANS - Rome) - As he tells with a gentleness that does not seem to come from horror, he is "resting a little bit" in Rome these days. Fr Oleh Ladnyuk is a Ukrainian Salesian priest who is a military chaplain at the front, among the soldiers who fight in defence of their country and among the civilians who for over two years have seen their lives wiped out. He brings humanitarian aid where the missiles fall and from those places he helps with the evacuation of young people and adults - so far at least 500 people, but there are probably many more. These days the Salesian – who carries out his ministry in Dnipro and teaches History in a state school in the city – is in Rome to take part with two other priests and a dozen lay people from his country in the "Accompanying when Trauma Hits" course hosted by the Pontifical Salesian University in collaboration with the Faculty of Educational Sciences, with the DON BOSCO NEL MONDO Foundation and the Don Bosco Network. A project that aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools to deal with the traumas caused by war.
EDITORIAL
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Myanmar – Tragedy of Innocent Children in the midst of Armed Conflicts(ANS – Naypyidaw) - Myanmar finds itself immersed in profound grief and anguish as innocent lives, particularly those of children, continue to be mercilessly lost in the enduring armed conflicts. Families are left devastated by the tragic loss of their loved ones while the relentless violence shows no signs of abating. This week, a heartfelt plea from Myanmar reached our community, shedding light on the heart-wrenching death of a young girl Juliet in a military airstrike, prompting a unified call for prayers and action.
EVENTS
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Italy – "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of protection and prevention models": PGS conference with UPS(ANS – Rome) – The synergy between the Salesian Youth Sports Centres (PGS) and the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome gave rise to the conference on "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of models of protection and prevention", which will take place on 13 April, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., at the UPS facilities in Rome.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – INT’L DAY FOR STREET CHILDREN: Salesian Missions highlights programs that provide shelter and support(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian and international organizations around the globe in highlighting the plight of homeless children on the International Day for Street Children. The day provides organizations and the millions of street children in countries worldwide with an opportunity to have their voices heard while ensuring that their rights are not ignored.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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I’M A SALESIAN AND I’M A BOROROTHE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
Diary of a Happy and Blessed Missionary Day
Dear friends , I’m writing to you from Meruri in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. I write this greeting almost as if it were a journalistic report, because it has been only 24 hours since I arrived in the middle of this Brazilian state.