Różanystok, Poland - August 2022 - 31 Ukrainian youth from the city of Žytomyr, Ukraine, came to Poland's Warsaw Province (AWP) at the invitation of the Salesian parishes of Suwałki and Różanystok to spend some time on vacation. The program of the visit includes, among other things, a visit to Białystok, a kayaking activity on the Czarna Hańcza River, a cruise on the Augustów sailing ship, a day at the Suwałki Aquapark, guided tours, participation in Masses, meetings and games with peers from Poland. The youth are hosted at the Salesian Educational Center in Różanystok, and the Warsaw Province is grateful to all those who supported the arrival and stay of the Ukrainian youth in the northeastern Poland region.
(ANS - Tijuana) - Last July 28, the "Padre Chava" Salesian Refectory, one of the newest but at the same time most significant works of the "Proyecto Salesiano Tijuana A.C.," received an award from the Secretary of Health of the State of Baja California, Dr. José Adrián Medina Amarillas. Also present at the event was Dr. Juan Antonio Ferrer Aguilar, Director General of the Institute of Health for Wellness (INSABI). Both praised the work of the Salesians in this area of the city and the service they provide to the community; they toured the spaces of the Salesian refectory, spoke with the people who frequent it, and witnessed the dignified treatment given to all those who turn to the Salesian work.
(ANS - Tijuana) – On July 21 and 22, the “Proyecto Salesiano Tijuana A.C.” was invited to participate, as a civil organization competent on the subject, in three events of great importance for work with migrants, refugees, and in general with people in situations of human mobility.
(ANS - Turin) - Victoria is 32 years old and had always lived in Kyiv with her whole family until the first bombs of the war fell very close to her home and she had to leave her home. She used to work in a bank and was happy, but since the invasion began she has done nothing but run away, feeling as if the shadows of war haunted her, her loved ones ... and the baby she was expecting, finally born last May, when she was already in Italy. Now, with the Salesians in Turin, she hopes peace will come soon so she can return home, reunite with her husband and be with her whole family again.
(ANS - České Budějovice) - Salesians and their collaborators in České Budějovice, Czech Republic, are preparing three summer camps for young Ukrainian refugees. After their extraordinarily painful experiences over the past four months, this is not a luxury, but a necessity.
(ANS - Rome) - “Whoever. Wherever. Whenever. Everyone has the right to seek safety” is the motto chosen for World Refugee Day 2022, which is celebrated today, June 20. According to the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at the end of 2021, there were 89.3 million people fleeing war, violence, persecution, and human rights violations - a figure more than double that calculated 10 years earlier, and one that still does not take into account the approximately 12 million Ukrainians forced to flee because of war. That is why today it can be said that in the world people forced to leave their homes has reached the incredible figure of more than 100 million.
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.