What did Jon Bosco think? What did he feel? What influenced his life? You can read about it in this revealing look at the highlights of his life.
(ANS – Rome) – On the second Sunday of October 1844, Don Bosco had a dream which was a kind of continuation of the one he had at the age of nine. In the dream, the Blessed Virgin told him to lead a large group of various kinds of animals.
(ANS - Rome) - On the 24th of the month, it has become customary to offer ANS readers one of the articles conceived and written by Fr. Gildasio Mendes, General Councilor for Social Communication, on the theme "Don Bosco and digital and virtual reality." After delving into various aspects of communication, in all its forms, this month Fr. Mendes tackles a new and interesting topic: Don Bosco communicated through a NETWORK.
(ANS – Rome) – It is certainly a fact, and we are very grateful for it, that there is an intimate link between devotion to the Help of Christians and our salesian vocation. It is not difficult to demonstrate this in Don Bosco: from the beginning as in the dream at Becchi at the age of nine, to the end as in the dream at Barcellona in 1886; from the catechism classes begun with Bartholomew Garelli, to the way in which he obtained the approval of the Constitutions of the Society of St Francis of Sales; from the intimate conviction of Don Bosco expressed on so many occasions, to the extremal sign of the wonderful works he accomplished. But the origins are only the first fruits of the total reality.
(ANS - Rome) - Can we speak of an “originality” in our devotion to the Help of Christians which, in our desire to enter whole-heartedly into the Marian movement of the present day, should lead us to emphasize and develop certain characteristic aspects that emerge as distinctive of this devotion?
(ANS – Rome) – As often happens with saints, Don Bosco looked at the history of everything from God's perspective. With his eyes fixed on heaven, he never took his feet off the ground.
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 BORORO
THE 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.