Turin, Italy - April 2024 - The five gatherings of "Into the Heart of the World" held between 2023 and 2024 led 29 individuals to commit to embarking on a mission experience in August 2024. These participants included university students, young professionals, and Animators of Salesian Presences. Throughout these meetings, various topics were presented and discussed, spanning from economics and service to interculturality, with a focus on Salesian missionary spirituality. Motivated by a shared desire to choose a world to live in, that rejects the prevailing evils, the young men and women who participated in the course, facilitated by the Missionary Animation Team, will journey to Ngozi, Burundi; Nairobi, Kenya; Vilnius and Telsiai, Lithuania; and Bo, Sierra Leone. On April 7th, at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Valdocco, the Missionary Mandate for their upcoming departures was bestowed during a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr. Leonardo Mancini, the ICP Provincial.
Turin, Italy – April 2024 - "Take your life in hand and make a masterpiece of it". This phrase of John Paul II drove the theme of the SYM Day held on 7 April 2024 in Valdocco: "Impossible things – thief of souls". And the approximately 500 young people and entertainers saw many impossible things: fire-eating men, works of art, incredible acrobatics... but how does God speak to us through passion, art, creativity and how can we use it to reach others, as Don Bosco did? To try to answer these questions, there was the testimony of three guests: Silvia, a painter formed in the Salesian Youth Movement who is establishing herself as a decorator of churches; Fr Gianmarco, a Salesian very skilled in juggling; Rocco, founder of the Giullari di Dio Association who through magic and clowning gives consolation to youngsters hospitalised in Piedmont hospitals. The participants experienced together another important moment of the day, the Eucharistic celebration with the delivery of the Missionary Mandate.
Source: salesianipiemonte.info
(ANS - Turin) – Two days dedicated to the places that preserve the memory and legacy of the "Greats". It is to celebrate these places full of charm that the Associazione Nazionale Case della Memoria has decided to promote throughout Italy the National Days of the houses of Italian famous people, scheduled for next Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 April 2024. An event that this year has reached its third edition and which has been joined by the Casa Don Bosco Museum, custodian of the memory of the Father and Teacher of Youth.
(ANS – Turin) – After last July's survey of the Michael Rua Oratory, the Fourth Council Committee chaired by Vincenzo Camarda met again with the Director of the oratory, Fr Stefano Mondin, who spoke at the Palazzo Civico to present the project known as "Barriera oggi. The neighbourhood becomes a community", funded by a call for educating communities.
Mornese, Italy – March 2024 - From Sunday 10 to Saturday 16 March, the Rectors of the Salesians of Don Bosco and Superiors of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Piedmont, Valle d 'Aosta and Lithuania gathered in Mornese for the joint Spiritual Exercises. Very intense days led by Fr Giuseppe Roggia who proposed the morning reflections starting from the Letter to the Colossians and in the afternoon the historical-spiritual reading of Don Bosco's Dream at nine years of age. The day in silence, except for dinner and after dinner, created the environment to receive the contents in reflection and prayer, but also in spiritual exchanges. Prayer together was a moment of great benefit because the seriousness and harmony of spiritual styles and needs between the SDB and the FMA was "spontaneously" verified.
(ANS – Vilnius) – From 16-19 March Fr Alfred Maravilla, General Councillor for the Missions, was on a Missionary Animation Visit to the two presences in Lithuania where the Salesians arrived in the previous century. However, the flourishing Salesian presence in the country suffered greatly after the Second World War. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Lithuanian Salesians from abroad returned. Later, the Rectors Major also sent Salesian missionaries from other countries to restart the Salesian presence.
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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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.”