(ANS - Bratislava) - Already 11 months have passed since that terrible February 24, 2022, when the war in Ukraine began. In the rushing whirlwind of events and their communication, the images of the many Ukrainians fleeing to Western European countries have now become almost faded, the war that was supposed to be swift has become positional and attritional, and while entire Ukrainian towns and cities have become scorched earth, millions of Ukrainian citizens - mostly women, the elderly and children - continue to live outside their homeland. The Salesians of Slovakia have been at their side since the first hours of the beginning of the conflict, taking in orphaned and needy minors from Lviv from the very beginning, and then opening their doors to as many people as possible. And despite the passage of time and all the difficulties that a sustained and enduring effort entails, they still continue to care for them today.
(ANS - Rome) - Negin is a young Afghan woman who fled her country in 2021, together with her family, to have the right to dream of a different tomorrow, in which she can be the protagonist of her choices. She now lives in Italy, welcomed by a supportive network and by the Salesians; she studies on a refugee scholarship and has started a new life with her family. “We are free here,” she says.
(ANS - Macerata) - "I like Italy very much; in Macerata, I feel fine. I don't want our children's future to be like mine. Everything I had was wiped out. Destroyed in an instant. For them, I wish a peaceful life full of joy," says Mustafa Alizada, just 24 years old but with an already very troubled past: he is a young Afghan refugee in Italy, taken in, with his family, by the Salesians of Macerata.
(ANS - Bratislava) - A beautiful home, the warm place of welcome and of one's own security, reduced to a pile of rubble; the objects of one's daily life reduced to mute witnesses to missile attacks: this is the sad experience of Erika, a girl from Irpin', in the Kyiv region, who with her family lost everything she had. It is the sad experience of thousands of Ukrainian families.
Slavina, Slovenia - December 2022 - Since last spring, due to the war, 20 children from the orphanage in Severodonetsk, Ukraine, together with the staff of the same institution, have found shelter in Slavina, a village near the town of Postojna, Slovenia, where they have been warmly welcomed by the locals. In November, the "Fundacija Don Bosko," of the Salesian Province of Slovenia (SLO), organized a campaign to help the little orphans called "Let's Give Joy to the Children"; and on December 6 in the orphanage in Slavina the feast of St. Nicholas was organized, St. Nicholas being in Slovenia and other Central European nations the patron saint of goodness, the bishop who, accompanied by angels, distributes gifts to the children. The feast was also attended by some young people from the Salesian school in Želimlje, whose animation made the children even happier. Their smiles, faces surprised by the gifts, and enthusiasm for the music and other events were the best rewards for all those who joined the campaign.
(ANS - Goma) - Last Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, as part of his visit to Goma, in the East Delegation of the "Central Africa" (AFC-EST) Province, the Provincial Superior of the "Mary Most Holy Assumption" Province of AFC, Fr. Guillermo Basañes, expressed his solidarity and assured the commitment of the Salesians to the suffering population and victims of the human barbarity that has been raging for several years in the Kivu region. "Don Bosco is always present, especially in situations of hardship," he said in a video message.
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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“Speaking with the Heart”: A great Antidote for the Ills of today’s world
‘Revolutionize the world with your kindness, by speaking with your heart’, is the dream that Pope Francis envisions for humanity through his 57th World Communication Day message, that falls on this Ascension Sunday, 21st May 2023. ‘Speak with your heart in truth and charity’, and this is the best antidote that can cure the ills of today’s society.
EVENTS
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Italy – "Labs To Future": the final event of the "Labs To Learn" project in Valdocco
(ANS – Turin) – The final event of the "Labs to Learn" project was held on Tuesday, 5 March 2024, entitled "Labs To Future: The path – The results – The challenges" . The project was selected by the "Con i Bambini" social enterprise within the framework of the Foundation for the Fight against Child Educational Poverty and came into being with the intention of combating early school leaving and preventing educational poverty, increasing the number of young people with difficulties who fulfil their school obligation, access higher education and/or job placement, and opening the way for personal growth according to their inclinations and aspirations.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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Peru – Centenary of the High Altar of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Lima
(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.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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DREAMS THAT KEEP COMING TRUE!
THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Card. Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
When reflecting on all this, I feel I have a little authority to say: “Dear Don Bosco, your Dream is still VERY ALIVE.”