(ANS – Lisbon) – During the World Youth Day just concluded in Lisbon, the Italian Bishops' Conference set up a stand for vocations in the "City of Joy", "a space of silence in the celebration of young people". Images of the faces of different people – more or less known ones – were posted on the walls of the stand. Next to it, a QR code. By scanning it with your smartphone, you could read the biography of the chosen person. The QR code referred to the website of the Vocations magazine that tells their stories.
(ANS - Vatican City) - The Postulator General for the Causes of Saints of the Salesian Family, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, has transmitted to the Bishop of Tivoli-Palestrina, Msgr. Mauro Parmeggiani, and to the Superior General of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart, Mother Graziella Benghini, the news that the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in its Ordinary Congress of Jan. 11, 2023, gave juridical validity to the diocesan inquiry for the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God Giuseppe Cognata (Agrigento Oct. 14, 1885 - Pellaro July 22, 1972) of the Pious Society of St. Francis de Sales, Titular Bishop of Farsalo, former Bishop of Bova, Founder of the Institute of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart, closed in San Vittorino Romano on Oct. 1, 2022. This follows the verification carried out regarding the formal aspects of the procedural Acts and the consistency of the evidentiary apparatus: number and quality of witnesses, documents collected.
(ANS - Messina) - The first Convention of theological-spiritual studies on the figure of the Servant of God Monsignor Giuseppe Cognata, SDB (1885-1972), Bishop of Bova and Founder of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart (SOSC), IX group of the Salesian Family, ended last Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at the headquarters of the "St. Thomas" Theological Institute in Messina. The large and qualified participation in the Conference saw students, St. Thomas faculty, numerous SOSCs, experts and scholars of the history of Christianity immerse themselves in the articulate and dense program.
(ANS - Messina) - A conference of theological-spiritual studies on the figure of the Servant of God Monsignor Giuseppe Cognata, SDB (1885-1972), Bishop of Bova and Founder of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart (SOSC), IX group of the Salesian Family, will be held for the first time on Nov. 24 and 25, 2022, at the "St. Thomas" Theological Institute of Messina.
(ANS - Rome) - On Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in San Vittorino Romano, the diocesan phase of the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God Monsignor Giuseppe Cognata (1885-1972), Founder of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart (SOSC), concluded.
Cochabamba, Bolivia - July 2022 - On July 23 in the city of Cochabamba, a Eucharist of thanksgiving was celebrated for the 50th anniversary of the Dies Natalis of Msgr. Giuseppe Cognata, SDB, founder of the Salesian Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (SOSC), the 9th group of the Salesian Family. Several Salesians were present at the celebration; they accompanied the SOSCs in their activities during the day. The 50th celebration then included the screening of the documentary "Our Eyes Have Seen Him," a collection of testimonies from those who knew Msgr. Cognata, and some performances by the religious sisters. The day ended with the visit and blessing of the exhibition hall dedicated to the life and relics of Msgr. Cognata, in the formation house of the same name.
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.