Udonthani, Thailand - October 2023 - The Vocations Sector of the Youth Pastoral Commission of the 'St Paul' Province of Thailand led by Fr Nattawut Kitsawad, SDB, together with the Salesians of Sampran, organised a Vocations Camp from 12th to 14th October at the 'Don Bosco Vitthaya' house in Udonthani, to deepen Salesian vocation and rediscover the life of Don Bosco. In recent years, the Youth Pastoral Commission has begun to organize similar vocational campaigns to reach out to young people. The parents of the boys have accepted the appeal with serenity and have agreed to let their children participate in the vocational camp, joining in the prayers for vocations in Thailand.
Thailand - October 2023 - The final phase of the Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival 2023 (DBGYFF), in which the Salesian Province of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos (THA) participated by submitting 14 short films, was held from 13 to 14 October 2023. The participation in the event was facilitated by the Social Communications Commission of the THA Province and the collaboration of Salesian Institutes of the Salesian Family. In addition, the Salesian Institutes and Salesian Family organised the screening of short films for young people and members of the general public who were interested. Despite this being a school holiday and holiday period in Thailand there was a good participation. After watching the short films, the young people expressed their opinions and attitudes on the various aspects they gained from watching these films. The screening of these short films gave the viewers many insights and inspirations on the theme of love, peace and solidarity, and the young people involved felt a sense of belonging to the other young people of Salesian works around the world.
Hua Hin, Thailand – October 2023 – The SYM Camp organised by the Youth Ministry Commission, Thailand, and held at the Don Bosco Youth Centre in Khao Takiep, a neighbourhood a few kilometres from Hua Hin, has recently ended. From 7 to 10 October, in fact, 90 young people from 6 different schools of the Salesian Family gathered in this edition of the SYM Camp which had as its theme: "Becoming the yeast of the Salesian Youth Movement". Fr Nopphadol Joseph, Head of the Youth Ministry Commission and Director of the Camp, welcomed the participants. Numerous activities and conferences were organised with the aim of exploring the figure of Don Bosco and the SYM, to encourage young people to be a leaven for their peers and for society, to make them aware of Laudato Si' and the initiatives to be taken on behalf of the environment and to gather the voices and opinions of young people in view of the Youth Synod 2024. The Camp ended with the Mass celebrated by Fr Anthony Boonlert Paneetatthayasai, Superior of the Province of Thailand (THA), and concelebrated by other Salesians.
Banpong, Thailand – October 2023 - From 4 to 7 October last, students belonging to the Banpong Band were involved in a preparation camp in view of the Salesian Sports Festival, Thailand, which will be held in January 2024. A total of 220 young people from five different Thai Salesian schools participated. The students were divided into groups, according to the musical instrument in which they are specialised, and each group was followed by a teacher. After practising, the groups came together to play together. The camp was an opportunity for these students not only to practise music and showcase their musical talents, but also to socialise and create a team spirit.
(ANS – Kep) – The dream of the nine years of saint John Bosco was the foundation of his educational program for the young, the Salesian Preventive System. Next year there will be the celebration of the 200 years of that dream and the Rector Major made of it his 2024’s Strenna: “The dream that makes you dream.” A heart that transforms “wolves” into “lambs.” In Cambodia, the social communication department of Don Bosco Kep put the topic into a short film with three purposes: To explain to the Cambodian youth, inside their own culture, the meaning of such a dream of the saint and to put it into a theological background.
HuaHin, Thailand – October 2023 – The Salesian Commission for Schools organised a seminar for teaching staff with 10 years of service in Salesian schools in Thailand, on the theme "The Don Bosco Preventive System", which took place from 5 to 7 October at the Salesian Retreat House in Hua Hin. A total of 44 teachers from the Don Bosco Vitthaya, Huahin Vitthayalai, the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Bangkok, the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Banpong and the Saint Dominic Savio school in Bangkok participated. The seminar was introduced by Fr Smith Daengampham, Head of the Commission for Schools and Principal of Don Bosco Vitthaya, who also gave a special lecture. Among the keynote speakers, Fr Yarat Chaiyara, who revived the principles of the Preventive System and led teachers to reflect on their experiences.
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.