(ANS - Paris) - In Aveyron, the French Department of the Occitania Region, there are six elementary schools that are part of the "Don Bosco" network: in Bozouls, Saint-Géniez-d'Olt, Séverac-le-Château, Rodez, Onet-le-Château and Drulhe. The children of these schools have recently received a somewhat special visit; that of "Papi, the clown", sent to them at the request of the Provincial of the Salesians in France and Southern Belgium, Fr Daniel Federspiel. But what happens when "Papi, the clown" comes to class? A brief history brings us to the heart of Salesian pedagogy ...
(ANS - Quetzaltenango) - The Salesian commitment to the protection, promotion and development of indigenous peoples has always included the care of their cultures and traditional languages. It is in this perspective that the important steps taken by the "Universidad Mesoamericana" of Guatemala - part of the network of Salesian Institutions of Higher Education - are set for the promotion of the study, understanding and enhancement of the pre-Hispanic past, steps that have led to recent to the publication of a "K'ichee' Fundamental Grammar".
(ANS - Krakow) - 89 years have passed since the young Salesians in Krakow proposed the sacred representation of the Passion of Christ entitled "Mysterium" for the first time. Every year, the actors are the Salesian clerics who study in Krakow: first they were only those of the Salesian Provinces of Krakow (PLS) and Wrocław (PLO), then they came from all four Polish Provinces (thus also from Warsaw and Piła); for some years now, there are also some young people from the group “Ziemia Boga” (The Land of God).
(ANS - Porto Novo) - On 1 February last, a statue of Mary Help of Christians from the Salesian house in Córdoba, Spain, reached the Salesian community in Porto Novo, Benin. The arrival of this sculpture, which was welcomed with great joy and much-awaited for by Salesians, young people and street children, represents a significant tribute to the memory of the late Salesian Fr Antonio César Fernández; yesterday, 15 February 2021, marked two years since his tragic death.
(ANS - Paraná) - The Father and Teacher of young people, Don Bosco, was once again honored with a work of art that highlights the features of his face through solid materials and a play of lights. Located on an external wall of the Don Bosco Past Pupils Center in Paraná, Argentina, the work is part of the project "The symbolism of the Church that looks to the South", promoted by the artist Alejandro Marmo and approved by Pope Francis.
(ANS – Lusaka) – Youth in Zambia had an opportunity for cultural exchange through arts programming thanks to funding Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, received from the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia. The “Amplifying the Arts” project empowered vulnerable youth to tell their stories through American-inspired creative expression and to celebrate the diversity and unity of the human experience. The project also aimed to strengthen cultural ties between the U.S. and Zambia.
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.