(ANS - Rome) - The Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, is right when he reiterates that Don Bosco and his charism are not just the patrimony of the Salesian Family alone, but of the whole of humanity. Further proof, these past few days, from the many tributes paid to the Saint of Youth by people of every background and context.
(ANS - Rome) - On Sunday afternoon, January 28, Pope Francis visited the Basilica of Santa Sophia, center of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholics in Rome. He was the third Pontiff to visit the Basilica; Paul VI visited in 1969, John Paul II in 1984. In Pope Francis' address to the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic community, he recalled the history of the Catholic community in Ukraine and spoke of three great figures: cardinals Josyp Slipyj and Liubomyr Husar and Salesian bishop Stepan Czmil - whom he knew personally - buried in the basilica's crypt.
(ANS - Rome) - Next Sunday, January 28, the Holy Father, accepting the invitation of His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyč, shall visit the Basilica of Santa Sofia in Rome, where he will meet with the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic community and pray at the tomb of Salesian bishop Msgr. Stepan Czmil (1914-1978) in memory of the 40th anniversary of his death, January 22.
(ANS – New Rochelle) – On Sunday, January 14, 2018, Pope Francis celebrated the Sunday morning Mass in St. Peter’s to mark the church’s 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. From the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has demonstrated a special predilection for migrants and refugees. “Migrants and refugees don't represent just a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be welcomed, respected and loved” he has said.
(ANS - Temuco) - Before celebrating Mass in the city of Temuco last January 17, Pope Francisco met Juan Namuncurá, a relative of Salesian Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá (1886-1905), together with a group of Argentines.
(ANS - Puerto Maldonado) - An indescribable feeling: the experience of Peru's Salesian Family during various meetings with Pope Francis these past few days. In the capital, Lima, and then in Puerto Maldonado, young people, Salesian religious, representatives of missions and indigenous peoples accompanied by the Sons of Don Bosco, had the opportunity to display their affection to the Pontiff and to listen to his words of hope and of encouragement.
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.