Vatican City, Vatican - December 2018 - Today, December 17, 2018, is the birthday of Pope Francis, who turns 82.
(ANS - Vatican City) - From November 23rd to 25th, on the occasion of the feast of Saint Cecilia, Patron of music and musicians, the 3rd International Meeting of Chorales took place in the Vatican, organized by the "Nova Opera Onlus" association in collaboration with the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. Remembering the importance always attributed to music by their founder, St. John Bosco, the Salesians could not miss such an appointment. Among those melodious voices was, in fact, also the choir of the Salesian Youth Movement of Spain.
Vatican City, Vatican - November 2018 - On the afternoon of November 16th, Pope Francis visited the Solidarity Medical Presidium in St. Peter's Square, set up last week in the heart of St. Peter's Square, on the occasion of the World Day of the Poor on November 18th . The Holy Father greeted all the poor people present and gave each one a blessed rosary, exchanging a few words with them. He then greeted the volunteers and the doctors of the various clinics.
(ANS - Rabat) - "For us who want to live and deepen the communion between us and the Moroccan people, the visit of Pope Francis will be a magnificent opportunity to show and live our communion with the Bishop of Rome and, through him, with the universal Church." This is what the Salesian has declared, mgr. Cristóbal López, archbishop of Rabat, in a letter addressed to circa thirty thousand Christians in Morocco, in which he expressed his joy at the announcement on November 13 of the visit of Pope Francis to the country, scheduled for March 30-31, 2019.
(ANS - Vatican City) - Twenty-six days of work, over 300 people involved among Synodal Fathers, experts and auditors, as many as 14 minor linguistic circles for group work ... After all this huge effort and commitment, what remains at the end of the Synod of Bishops on "Youth, faith and vocational discernment"? Certainly, the Synod produced a final document rich in indications. But Pope Francis said something more: "The result is not the Document ... We have made this document, we have approved it. Now the Spirit will make it work in the heart."
(ANS - Vatican City) - The telephone in the room rings. "The Pope can receive you in five minutes", they say to Cardinal Daniel Sturla, Salesian, Archbishop of Montevideo, Uruguay. Just enough time to grab two letters, a book and a parcel of "alfajores" (typical Latin American sweets) and reach him. The Cardinal had requested a 15-minute hearing, but the meeting lasted for over half an hour.
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 BORORO
THE 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.