Uruguay - Rector Major: "Commitment and life pass through a personal and profound experience of God"
(ANS - Montevideo) - On Thursday morning, 10 May, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major, began his day by presiding at Mass for aspirants and young people in vocational discernment in the Provincial House. Later he went to "Talleres Don Bosco" for the celebration of the 125 years of the center that combines offering work skills with the development of values, and for the 50 years of the "Benigno Paiva lrisarri" institute, a Salesian house for teenagers located in the countryside around the small town of Sarandí del Yí, in the department of Durazno.
(ANS - Madrid) - Fr Juan José Bartolomé, SDB, extracts "Three stories of vocation" of the Holy Scriptures - those of Samuel, Jeremiah and the rich young man - to show that "God also speaks to young people" (Dios habla también a los jóvenes is the title of his latest book, published by "Editorial CCS"). These are pieces that, according to this New Testament teacher, currently active at the Salesian Theological Institute of Tlaquepaque, Mexico, share an "obvious" message: "In times of crisis, God can make adolescents prophets ... if they dedicate themselves to listening to Him."
(ANS - Sevilla) - They come from different countries, with different cultures, but they have something in common: they have left their places of origin due to conflict or persecution. They are the young refugees welcomed by the Salesians through their social platforms in Madrid and Seville. "After leaving Iran, I crossed through 10 countries, and they told me I could not stay. In Pinardi-Nicoli, they welcomed me," says one of the young men.
(ANS - Granada) - In a blink of an eye, the stability of a nation has changed. A social security reform was the reason why the Nicaraguans came together to protest peacefully against the government. The main protagonists: young people.
(ANS - Madrid) – Fr Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy is the Provincial of the Salesian "Spain-St James Major" Province and has been President of the Catholic Schools for three years. An expert on Education, he reaffirms the value of teaching in private Catholic schools. On the young, he says that they are the key to renewal and they must be reached with one's own language: that of the heart.
(ANS – Minsk) – The second All-Belarusian Salesian youth days took place in Minsk from 15 to 17 April 2018 under the motto "Lord, give me this water". In these days more than 130 boys and girls, aged from 16 to 35 years, from all over the country arrived to the Minsk Salesian Oratory.
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.