(ANS – Sangradouro) – Representatives of the Missionary Action Group of the Salesian Mary Help of Christians" Province, Brazil-San Paolo (BSP) have recently concluded an exciting Missionary Expedition, witnessing the beauty of the encounter between different cultures and the sharing of faith and hope.

Sangradouro, Brazil - June 2023 - On 25 June, the Bishop of the Diocese of Barra de Garças, Bishop Protógenes José Luft, administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 52 Xavante indigenous people at the mission in Sangradouro, in the municipality of General Carneiro (MT). The ceremony, which was attended by the local population and the Salesian community, was concelebrated by Fr Juan Carlos Ingunza Uscola, SDB, pastor of the São José church, and by the Salesian Vice-rector and missionary, Fr Joseph Tran Van Lich. After the ceremony, hymns were presented, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Xavante language. These were the result of a study promoted in the villages, which seeks to keep alive the tradition of the hymns of the Xavante people in the liturgy. The entire celebration, in fact, emphasised the importance of intercultural dialogue and respect for differences, promoting the appreciation and preservation of indigenous traditions.

(ANS – Salinas) – As part of a project promoted by the Salesian Bosco Global NGO, which has also received funding from Cabildo Gran Canaria, in Spain, a total of 80 indigenous artisan women from the civil parishes of Salinas, Simiatug and Facundo Vela, in Ecuador, are participating in a vocational training initiative to improve artisanal processes, management and entrepreneurship of their economic activities.

(ANS – Fuerte Olimpo) – Salesian students living in the Apostolic Vicariate of el Chaco, Paraguay, have new housing thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The 2022 project provided a new apartment building for disadvantaged Indigenous college students who are studying in the capital of city of Asunción.

Mavaca, Venezuela - May 2023 - From 3 to 7 May, Fr. Rafael Montenegro, Provincial Superior of the Salesian Province of Venezuela (VEN), made a provincial visit to Mavaca, in the municipality of Alto Orinoco, accompanied by Sr. Marta Riccioli, Visiting Councilor of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Present with them were Sister Henar Alcalde, FMA, Vicar of the Venezuelan Province, and Fr. Nelson Briceño, SDB, Provincial Delegate for Missionary Animation. The purpose of the visit was to accompany the work carried out by the Apostolic Community "Santo Domingo Savio," which is made up of Sister Amparo Mugueta, FMA, Sister Nora Coronado, and Sister Jarmila Choroska, Fr. Albert Pacheco, Fr. André Ahondju, Jesika Rodríguez, Benita Aular and Deacon Jhoan Jaimes. During the days they visited the Yanomami indigenous communities of Shakita, Payarita, and Purima, and met with all the staff of Yanomami Education Unit I and Yanomami II. They also experienced moments of sharing with those working in the evangelization work. One of the most significant moments was the baptism administered by Fr. Montenegro to a large number of catechumens, who had been preparing for several years for this appointment.

(ANS - Sangradouro) - On Friday, January 13, a group of 41 young people, medical students and doctors from the Faculty of Medicine of the University Center of Lusíada (UNILUS), in Santos, São Paulo State, Brazil, reached the Salesian missions among the indigenous peoples of Sangradouro and Meruri, to carry out the 14th expedition of the Academic Project of Assistance to Indigenous Peoples (PAAPI).