(ANS – Rome) – In many countries in the northern hemisphere, young people are in vacation in July and August. This creates also a great opportunity for missionary volunteering. The Congregation has a very rich and varied experience in this area. Many young people spend a few weeks, even a month, in various forms of apostolate, animation, volunteering or summer experiences in different parts of the world.
Pictures of the summer activities of the Salesian oratories and youth centers from around the globe
Aleppo, Syria - July 7, 2017 - Offering children and teenagers a trip or a walk outside the traditional courtyards of a Salesian house is always a source of joy, but it is especially so in Aleppo. On Wednesday, July 5, about 900 people from the city's Salesian oratory visited the "Citadel of Aleppo", the most famous urban monument, located on a hill in the historic center.
(ANS - Madrid) - Summer camps and tours are among the many activities planned for approximately 18,000 children who take part in the Salesian summer activities organized by 2,500 leaders and 350 Salesians. When school finishes thousands of young people enjoy a well-deserved holiday and the Salesians, particularly through the youth centres, offer educational and recreational activities that respond to one of their specific pedagogical objectives - the educational use of leisure time.
(ANS - Rijeka) - The Salesians have been in Croatia since 1914. The country has experienced great changes in this period, with the dictatorship, the war of independence, and so on. The testimony of Fr Goran Antunovic, 32 year-old Salesian working in Rijeka (Fiume), provides an overview of the current situation.
(ANS - Dakar) – International volunteering enriches the lives of those who experience it. But what is it, in fact? "In Africa I discovered the stimulating world of Development Cooperation and I acquired skills in planning.” So says Leonard, an economics student, who spent two months working with the young people who attend the Salesian Centre in Dakar, Senegal. This is his testimony.
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.