Chiangmai, Thailand - May 2023 - On May 27 at Mary Help of Christians Church, Andrew Surachai Rattanayomngamdee made his perpetual profession in the Salesian Congregation in the hands of Fr. Anthony Boonlert Paneetatthayasai, Superior of the Province of Thailand (THA). Over three hundred people, including Salesians, members of the Salesian Family, relatives, and faithful, attended the celebration.
Nakhon Pathom, Thailand - May 2023 - On May 1 in the chapel of the "Savio Youth Center," in Sampran, Salesians Andrew Narongdat Pakdee and Michael Naruebet Suanchamni made their first profession in the hands of Fr. Anthony Boonlert Paneetatthayasai, Superior of the Thailand Province (THA).
Hua Hin, Thailand – March 2023 - The Salesian Confreres of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos held their annual spiritual retreat from 12-18 March 2023 [1st batch] and from 19-25 March 2023 [2nd batch] under the theme “The Gift of Fedelity and the Joy of Perseverance”. This was preached by Archbishop Francesco Panfilo S.D.B., Archbishop Emeritus of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, at the Salesian Retreat House in Hua Hin, Prachuabkhirikhan. Each year, the Salesians would hold their spiritual exercises for 6 days to replenish their zeal for the ministry and revisit their relationship with the Lord. The retreat focused on the fidelity of the salesian vocation. The preacher led the retreatants to reflect on the experiences of life enlightened by the Word of God, the Salesian Constitutions, Church Documents, lives of the saints and the experiences of the preacher himself. Aside from the conferences, the retreat gives time for personal meditation, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the way of the cross and personal prayer. At the end of the retreat, the Salesians renewed their Salesian consecration during the Mass. Everyone offered their gratitude to the preacher for his sharing. We hope this retreat will help us to renew our motivations in following Don Bosco more faithfully and to give our lives more generously for the salvation of the young.
By THA SC
(ANS – Hatyai) – The Salesian Educational Institution in Thailand provides education for children and young people according to Don Bosco’s spirit, to make them good citizens of the nation and good believers according to their religion.
Bangkok, Thailand - February 2023 - On Feb. 11 at Mary Help of Christians Church in Bangkok, the installation ceremony of Fr. Anthony Boonlert Paneetatthayasai as the new Provincial Superior of the Salesian "St. Paul" Province of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos (THA) for the 2023-2029 term was held. The Eucharist was presided over by Msgr. Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil, SDB, Bishop of the Diocese of Suratthani, and concelebrated by, among others, Fr. Andrew Wong, Superior of the Indonesia Province, representing the Rector Major, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime. In his homily, Msgr. Prathan Sridarunsil quoted a phrase by Fr. Egidio Viganò when he succeeded Fr. Ricceri as Rector Major, who said that the change of office is like a "sports relay." One of the athletes carries the baton to the other athlete to get him to the finish line. The baton is the Salesian spirit and each Provincial is responsible for leading the members of the Province to the finish line. "Today, in the Province of Thailand, we join the ceremony of passing the baton by which Fr. Dheparat Pitisant, after leading his second term for 6 years, passes the baton to Fr. Anthony Boonlert Paneetatthayasai, an energetic young Salesian to keep moving forward," the prelate said.
Sampran, Thailand - January 2023 - 120 people from the various groups of the Salesian Family in Thailand gathered on January 28 to celebrate Salesian Family Day. The event, organized by Fr. Joseph Nopphadol, Provincial Delegate for the Salesian Family, began with the presentation of the Rector Major's Strenna 2023 by Fr. Joseph Banchong Santisukniran, followed by a panel discussion. In addition, Fr. Dheparat Pitisant, Superior of the Salesian Province of Thailand (THA), presented the "Certificate of Participation" to catechists and lay people from Salesian Institutes who completed the "Don Bosco and His Spirituality" course. The Salesian Family Day culminated with the Eucharist presided over by Fr. Dheparat Pitisant.
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.