(ANS - Turin) - Docility, fidelity and hope: these are the three attitudes proposed to the Chapter members during the opening Mass of the 28th General Chapter, presided by the Rector Major, and which involved his Vicar, Fr Francesco Cereda, and Fr Enrico Stasi, Provincial of the Circumscription based in Turin, as first concelebrants. A Basilica crowded with many faithful participated in the solemn celebration.
(ANS - Rome) - The presentations of the Sectors and Regions by members of the General Council began today, Monday 17 February. Tomorrow, Tuesday 18 February, this program will be completed with the report of the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, on the state of the Congregation, broadcast live at 5:30 pm (UTC+1) on the ANS Facebook page.
We are approaching the time of Lent which will prepare us for the Passover of the Lord. At this Season, the Church proposes to us prayer, fasting, and charity help us along our path to Easter. With this my greeting I am proposing to you a reflection that has a great deal to do with an excellent way to prepare for Easter: The way to live more and better at all times by LOVING – but truly loving, as they say colloquially, “until it hurts.”
(ANS - Caracas) - The Rector Major's Animation Visit to the "San Luca" Province of Venezuela, which took place from 6 to 11 February, has ended. On the last day of his visit, the Rector Major offered his words to the provincial community. His last message was like what Don Bosco wrote to Miguel Rua: "My thoughts always fly where I have my treasure in Jesus Christ, my dear children."
(ANS - Caracas) - Under the motto “Don Bosco in Venezuela”, the Salesian Family is currently welcoming the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, with large meetings and youth-focussed parties. Caracas, “the city of spring”, welcomes him with affection and love. His visit has revitalized the Salesians, the Salesian Family and, above all, has given young people respite by giving them a smile, a word and a strength that come from Jesus. On Monday 10 February, the Rector Major had a meeting with educators and young people, then visited the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and spoke with the “Damas Salesianas”, a group of the Salesian Family born in Venezuela.
(ANS - Caracas) - Two events marked the visit of the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, to the "city of spring", Caracas, on Saturday 8 February 2020: the installation of the new Provincial and the meeting with the Salesian family. In each appointment, the Rector Major left a message of hope, a word of encouragement, a charge to continue the struggle in the midst of so many difficulties in a wounded city, which is struggling to survive the devastation caused by an economic model.
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.