THE RECTOR MAJOR’S MESSAGE, Card. Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
Dear friends: we are at the threshold of a new year, 2024, a truly special year because we remember the bicentennial of Don Bosco’s dream at age nine. This dream was much more than a pleasant episode in the life of a nine-year-old boy; it was like a dream-vision and a premonition of what he was to do in the course of his life.
(ANS – Turin) – The presentation of the so-called "Social Saints" of Turin concludes today: apparently ordinary people, but in reality extraordinary, because they lived by putting God and their neediest neighbours first, forgetting about themselves. Precisely because of this commonality of attitudes and because of their shared existence more or less at the same time in the same geographical area, many of them knew each other directly and cooperated – or at least, shared a part of the journey together. And for this reason many of them are also remembered, with relics and panels, in the Casa Don Bosco Museum at Valdocco in Turin.
(ANS – Turin) – In the nineteenth century, Turin was a city in expansion, but many of its inhabitants lived in hardship. In this poor and degraded environment, however, there are those who did their best to help them. The most famous was Don Bosco, but he was not alone: there was also Cafasso, Murialdo, Frassati, Faà di Bruno and others. Canonised during the twentieth century and the early 2000s, they are called "social saints". Let's discover some of them together.
(ANS – Paris) – In the second and final part of his reflection on the spiritual legacy of Saint Therese of Lisieux from an educational point of view, Father Jean-Marie Petitclerc, Vice-Provincial of the Province of France-Belgium South (FRB), focuses on the constitutive elements of his "little way" and also establishes some parallels with Don Bosco and his educational thought. Here are his remarks.
In the summer of 1859 the number of young people taken in at the Valdocco Oratory continued to increase and so did the need for new classrooms to house them.
(ANS – Rome) – The Salesians of Don Bosco celebrate 164 years of existence today, 18 December. The Salesian Congregation came into existence on 18 December 1859 in Turin, with seventeen young people in addition to the founder, John Bosco, and with the name of the “Pious Society of Saint Francis de Sales”. Since then it has continued to grow and spread throughout the five continents with a clear educational charism directed to the most disadvantaged children and young people and a missionary evangelising spirit without geographical limits.
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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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.