(ANS – Madrid) – On the occasion of World Earth Day, celebrated on 22 April, various activities were organised in many Salesian centres, in addition to several ongoing activities carried out throughout the year. Earth Day was established to remember that the planet and its ecosystems give us life and sustenance: in addition to promoting this harmony with nature. This day is celebrated to promote ecology and environmental protection.
(ANS – Roma) – The Salesian Rector Major, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, will commence his visit to Valencia on 26 April 2024. This is an institutional program, part of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Salesian Saint Anthony Abbot presence in Valencia, which will allow the 10th Successor of Don Bosco to get to know the work of the Salesians in the city up close.
(ANS – Madrid) – The National Salesian Centre for Youth Ministry, in collaboration with the Salesian publishing house Editorial CCS organised the "2nd Dialogue on Youth Ministry": a day of formation, held on 12 April at the Provincial House of the Salesians in Spain's St James the Greater Province (SSM), focused on a discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for Youth Ministry from a Christian perspective.
Alcalá de Henares, Spain - April 2024 - The "Pinardi Forum" was held in Alcalá de on Wednesday, 17 April as a meeting space for young people attending the Vocational Training courses carried out by the different social platforms of the Pinardi Federation, run by the Salesians in Spain's St James the Greater Province (SSM). About 250 young people from four of the nine centres that the Pinardi Federation coordinates participated in the event. After words of welcome by Farruco Rodríguez, Provincial Coordinator of Social Platforms, the day included workshops on cooking, photography and traditional Batucada dance, which fostered the integral learning and socialisation of young people. The day ended with a time for games in the playground.
(ANS – Pamplona) – The Salesians in Pamplona are involved in the INFINITE European project, which aims to boost and support the rapid progress of printed electronics, providing professional profiles and specialist knowledge. The project team will create a cooperation network of centres of professional excellence to ensure European prosperity in this field.
(ANS – Seville) – The ceremony for the 25th anniversary of the Fundación Don Bosco was held on 9 April at the CaixaForum in Seville, attended by the President of the Andalusian Parliament, Jesús Aguirre, the Mayor of Seville, José Luis Sanz, the Councillor for Educational Development, Patricia del Pozo, the Councillor for Employment, Rocío Blanco, and the Deputy Director General of the la Caixa Banking Foundation, Marc Simón.
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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Latin America – Strengthening Vocational and Educational Commitment Today: 30 Years of the Salesian School in Latin America(ANS) – Since the first meeting in Cumbayá (Ecuador), 30 years ago, educational processes on the continent have found a collaborative epicentre which has given rise to the Salesian School in (Latin) America – ESA, in Spanish – as a forum for reflection and a common path. Many Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) and other groups of the Salesian Family (SF) have enriched this synodal journey, focusing on young people and their integral development. What are today's demands of us in the educational field? How are we building the Salesian School of the future? Can we further strengthen this great Salesian educational network in America? Some FMAs and Salesians who were at the first meeting in 1994, share their experience and their vision of how this journey has allowed a growth in the understanding of the youth reality, in the strategic decisions within the Provinces themselves and in the challenges that emerge for Salesian education.
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.