(ANS – Turin) – On 18 April 2024, the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) celebrates 155 years since its foundation: in Turin on 18 April 1869, by the work of St John Bosco, the year after the consecration of the Church of Mary Help of Christians in Turin (9 June 1868), as a sign of gratitude for the benefits that people recognised as received from the Virgin, and as an instrument for the defence and growth of the faith of the Christian people.
(ANS – Lima) – The centenary of the consecration of the high altar in the Crypt of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Lima was celebrated on 19 March, on the feast of St Joseph and in homage to Fr José Calasanz Marqués, then Provincial of the Salesians in Peru and Bolivia – now recognised as Blessed by the Church – on account of his name.
(ANS – Rome) –As we approach the feast of St John Bosco in this Bicentennial year of his most famous dream at nine years of age, for the readers of ANS we would like to propose a trio of dreams among the best known, most significant and most "prophetic" for the Congregation and the whole Church. We begin today with the one that went down in history as "The Dream of the Two Columns" (Biographical Memoirs VII, 169-171), whose content, so truly ecclesial, is often cited and recalled in many different places and circumstances, even outside the Salesian world.
(ANS – Rome) – Many of the dreams that Don Bosco told his boys had obviously educational purposes, so much so that very often not even his biographers were able to clearly demarcate the boundary between dream, vision and pedagogical storytelling. Among these we can certainly include the one known as “the dream of the snake and the rosary” (Biographical Memoirs – VII 141-145). Occurring in the summer of 1862, it is a clear manifestation of how central Mary Help of Christians was not only in the saint's life, but in his pedagogical vision; and how Marian devotion was never in contrast to, but rather an encouragement for his boys to move towards a full experience of sacramental and ecclesial life.
(ANS – Lisbon) – The official anthem of the 9th International Congress of Mary Help of Christians has been presented in these days. With the text by Fr Simão Cruz, SDB, and music by António Ferreira, the hymn presents Mary as Mother and Protectress, who guides the paths of the Salesian Family and all its children.
Portugal – 9th International Congress of Mary Help of Christians: Devotion to our Mother and Teacher
(ANS – Fatima) – Fatima will host the 9th International Congress of Mary Help of Christians from 29 August to 1 September 2024. Promoted by the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) and aimed at all groups of the Salesian Family, it aims to make known, deepen and spread devotion to Mary Help of Christians.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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.