Vatican City, Vatican - August 2022 – Yesterday, Aug. 3, at the end of the General Audience, Pope Francis addressed a special greeting to the children who participated in the Youth Summer Camp at the Vatican: " I greet the children of the Summer Youth Camp in the Vatican. They have been quiet until now but you can hear them now. They are accompanied by their parents and the camp animators, whom I thank for their precious work. I wish to thank Fr. Franco, the 'spiritual soul' of the Vatican, who as a good Salesian was able to plant this seed in setting up this summer camp now in its third year." Fr. Franco Fontana, chaplain and coordinator of the initiative told Vatican News that the Pontiff's words meant a great deal to him and of a beautiful moment that took place before the audience, when the Pope received the animators in a small room, thanking them and “above all encouraging them on how this passion for education must animate them throughout their lives.” Fr. Fontana went on to emphasize that the Pope recalled his commitment, the Salesian commitment, to the preparation and organization of the summer center, which this year grew with the participation of 230 children for five weeks.
Source: Vatican News
(ANS - Foggia) - They began again with football at the Salesian oratory in the Candelaro neighborhood of Foggia. And on the field, here for the first time, girls and young women took to the field. A "pink", or all-female team. "Don Bosco said to start with what the kids like and then give it an educational value," explains Massimo Marino, 47, president of the "Sacred Heart" sports association. "And what the girls were asking us was to play football."
(ANS - Kyiv) - The Salesian Youth Summer Camp activities begin today, August 1, 2022, in Kyiv. In spite of the war that still continues in the country and despite all the ugliness it has generated, there is still a desire for life among the Ukrainian children, youth, and young people left in the country's capital and surrounding areas. Indeed, perhaps precisely because of the war, there is even more yearning for life than before. And that is why the Salesians, who have decided to remain always at the side of the young people and the people entrusted to them, are starting again with a new animation proposal all for them.
(ANS - Tijuana) - Playing, running, jumping, having fun... but above all offering a space for peace: this is the meaning of the Salesian summer camp in Tijuana, known as "Happy Holidays with Jesus" (VAFEJE).
(ANS - Vatican City) - Two years ago, in 2020, Pope Francis asked the Salesians, true professionals in the field, to coordinate the Youth Summer Camp in the Vatican, an initiative aimed at the families of the Holy See's employees, to give children the experience of a summer oratory within the Vatican walls. The initiative was so successful that it was repeated again in 2021 and this year is now in its third edition.
(ANS - Ljubljana) - "What kind of oratories will you do this year?" has been the most frequently asked question this spring to animators and managers of Salesian Youth Centers in Slovenia. Fr. Janez Suhoveršnik SDB, head of the largest Salesian Youth Center in Slovenia, in Ljubljana-Rakovnik, answers with a few simple words, "Again the normal oratory, in the best sense of the word," and then explains, "I mean, the crowd of smiling children and tired, but happy animators at the end of the day. This is a brief description of normalcy."
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.”