(ANS - Turin) - "Mary who tells": there is not, in the invocations of the Mother of Jesus, one that recalls this characteristic of hers. Yet one of her qualities is precisely that of having been a witness and communicator of the ineffable experience of generating and following the Savior. The famous altarpiece in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians is also an expression of this commitment. Fr Enrico Lupano, one of the Valdocco Salesians engaged in welcoming pilgrims, sends an essay.
(ANS - Turin) - The eve of the Feast of Mary Help of Christians unfolds on the day of Pentecost and it is not difficult to find the two liturgical moments largely overlapping one another. This is what happened this year, thanks to the closeness of the calendar that did not sacrifice either the preparation of May 24 or the solemn celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the community of the apostles. The program that the Salesians have lived all over the world, which had its fulcrum in the Valdocco spaces, implemented this synthesis.
(ANS - Rome) - A little more than 10 days from the Feast Day of Mary Help of Christians, two important innovations arrive for Salesian Family members who intend to prepare adequately for this anniversary: first of all, the booklets to accompany them are now available online, booklets for the celebration of the world Novena promoted by the Salesian Headquarters; also, the program of the celebrations scheduled for 23 and 24 May at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin was officially clarified.
(ANS - Turin) - It was in the early 1960s when a shop selling religious objects appeared for the first time in the courtyard of Valdocco, the Mother House of the Salesian Congregation. It was born from a beautiful intuition. There were many pilgrims and missionaries already back then: all eager to bring home objects that would narrate and recall the presence of Mary Help of Christians and Don Bosco on their return to their lands of origin or mission. From this intuition comes a service that still persists, and today has expanded to the web. In fact, the website has been recently activated: http://www.valdoccoshop.it/
Carmagnola, Italy - 1857 - On an afternoon in October 1857, Don Bosco met Michele Magone, a 13-year-old boy, poor and abandoned to himself, at the Carmagnola station. Following a brief conversation, Don Bosco easily managed to gain his trust. Michael was later welcomed to Valdocco, where Don Bosco helped him study and learn a trade. That meeting at the station changed young Michele's life forever.
Today the invitation is made to everyone: Come! Get to know Valdocco. Browse around. Experience this place. Be still and listen to what the “walls are saying” because “at Valdocco, everything speaks”... What has taken place in transforming this space is much more than the mere remodeling of walls and rooms. A dream has come to life.
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 BORORO
THE 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.