(ANS – Pamplona) – As part of an Erasmus mobility programme, the students of graphic arts at the Salesian institute in Pamplona, Spain, and their counterparts at the Don Bosco centre in Marseilles, France, worked on a Service-Learning project with great social value. This program, called "Printing Smiles" and presented to the public on Friday 2 February 2024, provides for the creation and printing of games and recreational material for children at the paediatric oncology department of the Navarre Hospital Complex.
(ANS - Madrid) - "It's the funniest musical I've ever done, because it has so much humour". This is how Toño Casado described "Sueños, el Musical", his new work, presented yesterday morning to the press in Madrid. The author of musicals such as "33" and "Viacrucis" has assured people that the new musical offers "captivating songs and an exciting staging". The result is "a musical that makes you laugh and cry, a roller coaster of emotions", he acknowledged.
Spain – January 2024 - An online meeting of the Salesian Family of Spain took place on 25 January to shareimpressions of the Salesian Family Spirituality Days celebrated in Valdocco and to explore the theme of the Rector Major's Strenna 2024. About 100 people from all over Salesian Spain and from all groups met for two hours to learn about three of the experiences shared at the SFSD in Valdocco. Fr Rafael Bejarano, SDB, member of the Youth Ministry Sector, expressed his particular perpsective on how to make the members of the Salesian Family humble, strong and energetic in educational communities. Pepelu Aguirre presented "The Buzzetti program for homeless children", of the Don Bosco - Salesianos Social Foundation, highlighting how the project makes Don Bosco's Dream present in many young people. In addition, the "Essales" project was presented, which allows access to Salesian Spirituality resources in one click." There were also testimonies from participants at the SFSD and contributions from Fr Joan Lluís Playà, Delegate of the Rector Major for Salesian Family Secretariat and Fr Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy, Councillor for the Mediterranean Region.
(ANS – Pamplona) – The President of the Parliament of Navarre, Unai Hualde, inaugurated the "La vida en una malta" (Life in a suitcase) exhibition in recent days. A collection of photographs coordinated by the Salesian Mission Office, Madrid, "Misiones Salesianas" and under the direction of Edu León, the exhibition brings the viewer into the reality of millions of people, especially children and women, fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Godelleta, Spain – January 2024 - From 15 to 19 January, the Salesian work in Godelleta hosted the first part of the Salesian Spirituality Formation organised by the Delegation for the Charism and Shared Mission. It was attended by 38 educators and administrative and service personnel from different houses and bodies from the Mary Help of Christians, Spain (SMX) Province. The Formation in Salesian Spirituality (FES) aims to offer educators and staff of Salesian houses and groups a formative experience that helps deepen the spiritual and pedagogical dimension of Don Bosco as an ever permanent element of current renewal in Salesian educational activity. The Delegation has organised this formation which includes two planned parts, a first week of theoretical formation in Salesianity held this month (January), and a second week with a pilgrimage to the Salesian sites in Turin.
(ANS – Madrid) – Saturday, 13 January 2024 was the day chosen to carry out the traditional “Formation of formators” day for Salesian provinces in Spain and Portugal. A total of 22 Salesians participated in the meeting.
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.