(ANS – Madrid) – Once again this year the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) in Spain are offering a unique spiritual experience to hundreds of teenagers and young adults in their country: the Salesian Easter. These meetings will be held in different parts of Spain from Holy Thursday (28 March) to Easter Sunday (31 March).
(ANS - Ambohidratrimo) - The Easter of Jesus Christ is celebrated around the world as Jesus' victory over death, and Jesus' resurrection opens the way to new life for the peoples of the earth. Despite great poverty and the hardships of nature, Malagasy people experience Easter as a victory of life over death, a victory of joy over sadness, a victory of light over darkness.
THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime
His name is Alberto. She’s a young mom whose name I don’t know.
He lives in Peru; she in Hyderabad, India.
What unites these two life stories is that I met each of them while carrying out my mission of service – in Peru for the one, and the following week in India for the other, the young mother.
What they have in common is precious: they experienced God’s caress in the welcome that Don Bosco once gave each of them in one of his houses, changing their lives, and saving them from the situation of poverty – and perhaps death – to which they were doomed. I think I can say that the fruit of the Lord’s Passover is also communicated through human gestures that heal and save.
Here are the two stories.
(ANS - Madrid) - From April 6 to 9, the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Spain are organizing traditional Easter gatherings, which help to live the central events of the Christian faith during Holy Week intensely: the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord. Once again, teens and young people associated with Salesian houses in Spain will have the opportunity to experience Holy Week in one of the traditional Easter gatherings. On this occasion, some 2,000 participants, aged between 16 and 25, are expected to participate in this spiritual experience.
(ANS - Madrid) - On February 22, the Christian community celebrated Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a special time of encounter and reflection for Christians. For this reason, the Salesians of Spain offer some useful pastoral resources for catechists, educators, and animators.
(ANS - Lviv) - It was a different Easter for everyone in Ukraine this year. It was also a different Easter for the Salesians, who have always been close to and supportive of the local population in its trials, and could not fail to be so in such a difficult moment as the present. The testimony comes directly from Fr Mykhaylo Chaban, Superior of the Vice-Province "Mary Help of Christians" of Greek-Catholic Ukraine (UKR): "Three Salesian priests were able to visit our young soldiers in the different places where the fighting is taking place. Of course, it was very dangerous to go, but they had the courage and the desire to accompany them, to be close to our young people during this Easter period."
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Democratic Republic of Congo – Fr Owoudou on the situation in the eastern parts of the country: “No matter how dark the night may seem, dawn will inevitably come”(ANS - Goma) - During his latest phase of the Extraordinary Visit to the "Mary Most Holy Assumption" Province of Central Africa (AFC), Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, Councillor for the Africa Madagascar Region, conducted an interview with the magazine "JAMBO VIJANA," representing the youth engaged in the Salesian works of the Province's Eastern Delegation. Addressing the ongoing violence and conflicts in the region, Fr. Owoudou expressed hope, saying: "No matter the length of the night, dawn will inevitably come."
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.