NEWS
(ANS - Vatican City) - Among the approximately 50,000 faithful who flocked to St. Peter's Square for the canonization of Blesseds Giovanni Battista Scalabrini and Artemide Zatti were several hundred Salesian brothers who came from all over the world. We met some of them who testified to us with their words all their enthusiasm and joy at the recognition of the holiness embodied by Zatti: a holiness of daily life and joy; a holiness that testifies to the beauty of Consecrated Life and Salesian consecration specifically; the holiness of those who seek and fulfill God's will.
In the prayer with the intercession of Artemide Zatti that we have recited for so many years with the great desire to see him among our friends in heaven, the saints, there is an expression that has always caught my attention: "You [Lord] made him a GOOD MAN." It may seem a truism or a simplification to say of a saint that he was a "good man." In this case, I think it is the best recognition we can offer him. In fact, even the Lord Jesus, in the Gospel puts the focus on this detail: "Why do you call me good," He says to the rich young man, "only God is good." The good man is the one who in his clarity lets us see God "directly." And Zatti was just like that. His evangelical and Salesian clarity "shone with normality." They are "the saints next door" as Pope Francis reminds us.
My fraternal greetings to all of you and the joy of being able to share, in the family, a very profound experience that God, in His goodness, gifted me through the intercession of the holy nurse from Patagonia, Br. ZATTI, also rightly called "the relative of all the poor."
First, I would like to clarify: with pleasure I bear this testimony, but I always remember that the key figure in everything is Br. Zatti, who knew how to give his life for the sick. It is important not to stop at what is sensational or extraordinary in the case, but that all this animates us to live our Salesian life with the generosity and joy with which this coadjutor brother lived it.
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.”