(ANS - Rome) - It is not always necessary to go to the other side of the world to be a missionary. Sometimes God asks, through the mediation of the Congregation, to serve in one’s own neighbouring country. The important thing is to know who and what you want to witness and be available to serve your new brothers and sisters. This is now the mission that awaits Fr Michał Cebulski, another of the missionaries of the 154th Salesian Missionary Expedition.
Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Italy - September 2023 - The course for new missionaries continues full steam ahead into its third week. The new missionaries have been at Colle Don Bosco since 2 September. During the third week, the Missions Sector team has been guiding them through the core concepts of Missiology, dealing with topics that help them deepen their Salesian missionary vocation, which is a call from God within the common Salesian vocation. The serene and reflective atmosphere of Don Bosco's birthplace and the moments of fraternity and sharing help the participants to appropriate and personalise the topics covered.
(ANS – Rome) – Among the missionaries who will receive their Missionary Cross from the hands of the Rector Major on 24 September, is Salesian Mario Alberto Jiménez Flores, a thirty-three year-old from Tijuana, belonging to the Salesian Province of Mexico-Guadalajara (MEG).
(ANS – Rome) – Among the missionaries who will receive their Missionary Cross from the hands of the Rector Major on 24 September, is Fr Kujur George, belonging to the Province of India-Dimapur (IND) who will leave for Nepal as part of the 154th missionary expedition.
(ANS – Rome) – Among the missionaries who will receive the Missionary Cross from the hands of the Rector Major on 24 September is a young Salesian in formation, Klimer Xavier Sánchez Carrión. The Ecuadorian, just 24 years old, is destined for the Salesian mission in Mozambique, and is not hiding the energy and enthusiasm that is driving him.
(ANS - Rome) - After having undergone a serious missionary vocational discernment and having received the letter with their destination, the Salesians who will leave in this 154th Salesian Missionary Expedition, coming 24 September are currently engaged in the second phase of their Orientation Course at Piedmont. Before leaving from Rome, where they followed the ecclesiological nuclei of the course, and they shared with ANS about their life and faith journeys, as well as their desires and fears. Opening this series of interviews is Fr Arnel Jason Mengote Bergonio, a 39-year-old Filipino destined for the Salesian mission in Mozambique.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
I’M A SALESIAN AND I’M A BORORO
THE 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.