(ANS - Rome) - Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, presided over Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Rome.
(ANS – Rome) – Since 2017, that is, since the Sacred Heart of Jesus community in Rome has housed the Salesian Headquarters, many of the people who come through the entrance are individuals called in various capacities to interact with the central government of the Congregation – the Rector Major, his Council and all the central offices. But together with them, every day, some of the most humble and often "discarded" people in society also pass through the same entrance: the homeless, migrants or refugees, young people in need of a hand to be able to look to their future.
(ANS – Rome) – The Rector Major of the Salesians, now Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, celebrated his first Mass as a Cardinal in the Salesian Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome on Sunday, October 1st.
(ANS – Mestre) – Fr Guido Novella, an 80-year-old Salesian priest with 58 years of profession and 49 of ordination, passed away at the Artemides Zatti home for elderly and sick Salesians in Mestre on Saturday, 29 July 2023. Known and appreciated both where he came from, in the Triveneto, and in Rome where he carried out his most recent pastoral assignments, he will be remembered as a pastor and educator with a fully Salesian heart, as well as an esteemed liturgist, writer and parish priest.
(ANS – Rome) – The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which this year took place on the same date on which one of the apparitions of the Sacred Heart to St Margaret Mary Alacoque was recorded, on 16 June, is one of the most heartfelt and well-attended religious celebrations in the Salesian Family around the world, given the great attention that St John Bosco and, before him St Francis de Sales, gave to this particular devotion. Celebrations at the minor Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome in particular were great. The Basilica is entrusted to the Salesians and it celebrates its patronal feast on this occasion.
THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR,
Don Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
This June I wish to present to you the reality of the meaning of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Rome (Sacro Cuore). It is a church with a very great history – one that has its roots in Don Bosco himself – for at the Pope’s request he spent the last years of his life, as well as his last energies and strength, on the construction of this beloved church.
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.