Mexico City, Mexico – March 2024 - Twenty-four members of Sherbrooke's “Jeunes Missionnaires du Salésien” (JMS) completed a missionary trip to Mexico City from 28 February to 8 March- They were enthusiastically welcomed in a Salesian house that welcomes, accompanies and educates teenagers at risk. Many of them are orphaned, homeless or come from broken families. Others struggle with drug or alcohol problems. These young people quickly became attached to young Canadian missionaries through cultural, sports, gastronomic and spiritual activities, as well as manual labor and itinerant experiences. Various fundraisers were organized in Sherbrooke last school year to help support this mission. Since 1995, important donations have been made to the "Dejame Ayudarte" (Let me help you) Foundation.
(ANS – Rome) – The Salesian Missionary Volunteering continues to flourish, with participants deeply engaged in discussions about critical topics and plans to strengthen the program's impact. In the latest gathering, which spanned four days, attendees delved into essential themes such as identity, formation, accompaniment, and network building.
(ANS – Rome) – The Salesian Missionary Volunteer program meeting, a collaborative effort between the Mission Sector and Youth Ministry Sector, has commenced with two days of profound engagement and learning. Participants from around the world have gathered to deliberate on the Salesian congregation's volunteer programs, with more updates anticipated as the meeting unfolds.
(ANS – Rome) – In an inspiring move to foster a spirit of missionary service and community engagement, the Salesian Volunteer Advisory Board and Mission and Youth Ministry Counselors have set a plan in motion to promote their volunteer program at a congregational level. The initiative is set to commence on a promising note today, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, with a gathering of 45 SDBs and Laity from various provinces where the volunteer program has already been established locally.
(ANS – Tijuana) – Kristiñe Azpiazu is a young psychologist who spent three months as a Salesian Missionary Volunteer in several Salesian works in Tijuana, Mexico, on the northern border with the United States. Coming from a Basque Government volunteer program, she joined the international volunteer experience of "Misiones Salesianas" – the Salesian Mission Office based in Madrid – to offer her time and talent to the most needy in that Mexican city. On her return, she acknowledged that volunteering “helped me grow personally and get to know a situation that I would never have known otherwise.”
(ANS – Los Angeles) – In a world filled with challenges and uncertainties, the power of Salesian volunteerism stands as hope, offering a pathway for individuals to make a tangible, positive impact on the lives of others. At the heart of this movement lies the transformative TEDx Talk by Jc Montenegro, a Salesian Lay Missionary whose volunteer experience in the Salesian Mission of Wasak'entsa in the Amazon Jungle of Ecuador in 1994 changed his life forever.
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.