(ANS - Campinápolis) – In early July, members of the Children's Pastoral Care team from the "St. Dominic Savio" parish in Campinápolis went to the Xavante village of Santa Fé, where 120 people live in 10 homes, and where they had already been the previous month to assess the health status of some minors at serious risk of malnutrition. After a month of monitoring by the agents in charge, these children made a significant jump in weight improvement and recovery. During this period, families received donations of food baskets, weighing, and weekly monitoring. On some days, a hot dish was served to all villagers.
(ANS - Chiachal) - It was November 4, 2020, when torrential rains swept over the northern strip of Guatemala. Within days, rivers overflowed, roads and streets became impassable, entire rural communities were isolated, and crops were lost. Several indigenous communities remained buried underwater.
(ANS - San Pedro Carchá) - Last Thursday, May 12, 2022, Sister Zoila Caal Cacao, a member of the indigenous Qeqchí people, was pleased to receive her degree in Business Administration, which sealed in joy her efforts of five long years of study. It was not easy for her, who is the Superior General of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection, an indigenous women's religious congregation, as well as the 22nd of the Salesian Family.
(ANS - Meruri) – 18 January 2022 marked 120 years of Salesian presence in the Indigenous Mission of Meruri, in Mato Grosso, Brazil. In fact, the first group of Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians arrived in the Bororo lands on January 18, 1902. The Rector was Fr. Giovanni Balzola and the Matron was Sr. Rosa Kiste. They started their first mission in the region of Tachos (Toripó, in the native language).
(ANS - Rondonopolis) - Brazil is a country rich in natural resources and with a cultural heritage that sees the indigenous peoples of the Amazon forest among its protagonists. Currently, the great challenges for the Salesian missionary community are represented by the effects of globalization which, together with some benefits, brings with it destructive phenomena such as aggression against indigenous cultures, the spread of consumerism, individualistic subjectivism, violence, prostitution, drugs, alcoholism.
(ANS - Meruri) - It was a special weekend last November 19-21 for the indigenous youth of Meruri, in the state of Mato Grosso (MT). This was because, the first "Indigenous Day" was celebrated at that time. About 40 young people from the Boe-Bororo ethnic group, who live in the village of Sagrado Coração de Jesus, participated in this experience of Salesian spirituality.
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.