(ANS – León) – On Saturday 4 November 2023, the Niños Don Bosco Project (PNDB) celebrated the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the first Polish refugees in Santa Rosa Plan de Ayala, near Léon, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. The event included an elaborate ceremony, with several significant moments and several inaugurations attended by a total of more than 130 people.
(ANS – Málaga) – From Guinea to Spain: Alhassane Camara shares his journey through the desert and the Mediterranean Sea, going through difficulties and losses. His story is intertwined with that of his travel companion, Abdul, and finally with the Don Bosco Foundation of the Salesians in Spain, thanks to which Alhassane found a new home, a new family and the prospect of a promising future along the way.
(ANS– Rome) – More than a hundred people from Portugal, Spain, Italy and the Middle East took part, from 12 to 15 October, in Malaga at the International Seminar on the Reception of Migrants and Refugees, to reflect on Salesian activity in this field, starting with the recognition of the considerable increase in initiatives dedicated to the reception and integration of migrants and refugees, especially in the countries bordering the Mediterranean. Fr Emanuele De Maria, SDB, Youth Ministry Delegate for the Salesians of Central Italy (ICC), and Alessandro Iannini, Delegate for Marginalisation and Hardship in ICC, who attended the seminar, now share their impressions on the subject.
(ANS - Vatican City) - On the evening of Thursday, 19 October 2023, at the end of the work of the 13th General Congregation of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, a special moment of prayer took place in St. Peter's Square, at the Angel Unawares sculpture. Presided over by Pope Francis, in the presence of the various participants in the Synod. It was dedicated to those who have lost their lives along the different migratory routes, their families, those who have survived, and all refugees and migrants who are still on their way. "It is necessary to redouble efforts to combat criminal networks, to indicate safer routes and to commit to expanding regular migration channels," said the Holy Father.
(ANS – Malaga) – From 12 to 15 October 2023, an International Seminar on the Reception of Migrants and Refugees was held at the Diocesan House in Malaga, a forum that allowed us to reflect on the Salesian work in this field through discussion between more than one hundred participants from Portugal, Spain, Italy and the Middle East and different authorities, specialists and representatives of reference bodies in this sector.
(ANS – Malaga) – In recent years, the initiatives of Salesian presences dedicated to the reception and integration of migrants and refugees have multiplied, especially in the countries bordering the Mediterranean. To reflect on these activities, unify strategies and respond to the needs of the people involved in these often dramatic processes, the National Youth Ministry Centres of Italy and Spain have decided to organise an international seminar focusing on this theme.
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.