(ANS - Rome) - On Wednesday, March 13th, Giuseppe Valditara, the Minister of Education and Merit (Italy), delivered a video message for the 'Didacta Italia Fair', the primary national event focusing on innovation in the realm of education - including universities this year. The fair is scheduled to take place from March 20th to 22nd in Florence and is dedicated to Don Bosco, the Father and Teacher of Young People. In his address, the Minister underscored the significance of the event and elucidated the rationale behind this dedication.
Milan, Italy – February 2024 – Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major of the Salesians, was present on Thursday 29 February for the launching of the National Exhibition of Masterpieces 2024, an initiative that the National Headquarters of the Centro Nazionale Opere Salesiane – Formazione Aggiornamento Professionale (CNOS-FAP) has been promoting since 2008, as a motivational tool for students, a useful goal for teaching and as a showcase to foster contact with companies. The event was hosted by the Saint Ambrose Institute in Milan and involved well-known local personalities, such as the Councillor for Education, Training and Work in the Lombardy Region, Simona Tironi, and the Vice-President of Confindustria with responsibility for Human Capital, Giovanni Brugnoli.
(ANS – Rome) – Accompanying young people on their path to integral maturity cannot ignore education in love, affectivity and sexuality, especially in today’s society, where young people are faced with a complexity of anthropological visions, models and behavioural options as never before. Aware of this, the Salesian Congregation has already been moving for years to ensure that those involved in educating the young know how to be a valid point of reference in the challenges of this era. It is in this regard that the upcoming conference "Youth and Sexuality. Challenges, criteria and educational paths" organised by the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome for the coming weekend (1-3 March 2024). It will also involve the General Councillor for Youth Ministry, Fr Miguel Angel García Morcuende, during all the proceedings, and on the final day also Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major of the Salesians, who will preside at the concluding Eucharist.
(ANS – Bethlehem) – The Salesian work in Bethlehem, begun by its forerunner Fr Antonio Belloni in 1864, continues to promote the integral growth and vocational and technical training of thousands of young people from ordinary folk. Today it takes on new challenges, networking with the cultural, social and religious institutions of the Palestinian territory between Jerusalem and Hebron.
Sanremo, Italy –February 2024 – At the end of the 74th edition of the Sanremo Italian Song Festival, seven students from the Salesian University Institute of Venice (IUSVE) – Giulia Compagnin, Elisa Filippini, Claudia Gallinaro, Stefano Girotti, Fabrizio Rospo, Ginevra Visioli and the programmer of the university radio "Cube Radio", Riccardo Secchi – presented Amadeus, host and artistic director of the Festival, with the "Ethical Champion" award, a recognition that is attributed to the ethics of content published on social media and the style with which digital communication is approached. As part of an educational project organised by IUSVE, the seven students travelling to the "city of flowers" also collaborated in the creation of content for "Rai Pubblica Utilità": accessible clips included in the two daily strips streamed on the digital channels "RaiPlay" and "Rai Play Sound" from 7 to 11 February, to tell the story of Sanremo Accessibile; and they have created video-reports for the digital edition of Catholic newspaper L'Avvenire.
Hyderabad, India – February 2024 – Following the words of Don Bosco - "Let us give them ample freedom to jump, run, shout at will. Gymnastics, music, recitation, theatre, walks are very effective means of obtaining discipline, benefitting morality and health " - on February 10, the Don Bosco Shrine at Bandlaguda Jagir, in Hyderabad, organised a day of sports and games for young people of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad. The meeting focused on passing on the Salesian participatory and collaborative lifestyle to the Church and society. Three hundred young people, from 18 parishes, participated in the various activities, including badminton, football, table tennis and volleyball. The event, entirely coordinated and organised by the young people and leaders from the Don Bosco Shrine in Hyderabad, was an opportunity to get together and show a true sporting spirit.
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.