Nazareth, Israel - July 2016 - The summer camp at the Don Bosco centre in Nazareth opened on Monday 4 July with the motto "joy and mercy." It caters for over 200 children and the number continues to increase with each passing day. They are accompanied by 70 leaders under the care of the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. The theme of the camp is being studied taking as model the figure of Jonah going to preach conversion to the people of Nineveh.
(ANS - Madrid) - Summer camps and tours are among the many activities planned for approximately 18,000 children who take part in the Salesian summer activities organized by 2,500 leaders and 350 Salesians. When school finishes thousands of young people enjoy a well-deserved holiday and the Salesians, particularly through the youth centres, offer educational and recreational activities that respond to one of their specific pedagogical objectives - the educational use of leisure time.
Bari, Italy - June 2016 - On June 28, the Salesian Oratory of the Redeemer in Bari held a feast of law observance in collaboration with the police station as part of the 2016 Summer Camp. The State Police, with the Canine and Bomb Disposal Unit, led by director Dr Anna De Seno, met with 200 young people who daily attend the Salesian oratory in the Liberty district. The aim is to make young people aware of the law and to stop them engaging in unlawful and dangerous behaviour. The police gave a demonstration with sniffer dogs and anti-explosives and met with the young people and their parents on issues concerning law observance and bullying.
(ANS - Rome) - Over 2 million young people enrolled, 350 thousand volunteers and animators involved, 8,000 buildings utilized – these are the statistics for the summer oratory in Italy in 2016. According to the Forum for the Italian Oratories (FOI), about 2000 new oratories have opened since 2001. This year the attendance is up by 10% on last year. The Salesian oratories in Italy offer a summer experience to young people who often come from difficult and problematic backgrounds.
Damascus, Syria – June 2016 – On June 20th, there was the commencement of the 2016 Summer Activities of the Salesians of Damascus, entitled “Rejoice with my Mercy. How?”. Over 1200 young people of various age groups registered at the oratory: 250 from the elementary school, 500 of the junior high school, 250 adolescents and 200 university students. A Salesian mission in the midst of the war that goes on, a mission based on education, because education is hope. “By now our mission is staying in the midst of these young people who are in need of somebody who gives them a sign of life and hope, someone who confirms that life cannot die”, says Fr. Dani Gaurie, sdb. “The oratory has become an oasis of peace and tranquillity, far from the noise of war and death” states Fr. Mounir Hanasci, sdb. “We shall continue our mission with a great trust in the present and in the future, a trust that gives us the strength to go on”, concludes Fr. Guarie.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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RMG – “Do Elderly Salesians have a role in the Digital Culture?”The answer in the letter “Sharing wisdom and hope in digital culture” from the General Councillor for Social Communication
(ANS – Rome) – In view of the current digital reality, and due to the presence, especially in some regions of the Salesian world, of a large number of elderly Salesians, the General Councillor for Social Communication, Fr Gildasio Mendes, has decided to dedicate a special letter to them, entitled: "Sharing wisdom and hope in digital culture". Here is how he explains to ANS readers today the origins, significance and perspectives of this document.
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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Latin America – Strengthening Vocational and Educational Commitment Today: 30 Years of the Salesian School in Latin America(ANS) – Since the first meeting in Cumbayá (Ecuador), 30 years ago, educational processes on the continent have found a collaborative epicentre which has given rise to the Salesian School in (Latin) America – ESA, in Spanish – as a forum for reflection and a common path. Many Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) and other groups of the Salesian Family (SF) have enriched this synodal journey, focusing on young people and their integral development. What are today's demands of us in the educational field? How are we building the Salesian School of the future? Can we further strengthen this great Salesian educational network in America? Some FMAs and Salesians who were at the first meeting in 1994, share their experience and their vision of how this journey has allowed a growth in the understanding of the youth reality, in the strategic decisions within the Provinces themselves and in the challenges that emerge for Salesian education.
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.