(ANS – Vatican City) – On Thursday, 15 February 2024, the Holy See Press Office announced that the Holy Father Francis has appointed Salesian Father Francesco Fontana as Chaplain of the Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage, Coordinator of all the Chaplains of the Directorates and Central Offices, Coordinator of the "Estate Ragazzi" Program and of the "Family Day" Program and other family pastoral initiatives.
(ANS – Vatican City) – Return to the essentials, be small before God, fast from external needs, convert with all your heart. This is the path traced by the exhortations of Francis, John Paul I, Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II. Words, taken from their Pontificates, which in this Lenten journey are an intense exhortation addressed to the heart of every human being.
(ANS – Vatican City) – The Vatican also joins the Salesian Family in celebrating the dream that St John Bosco had at nine years of age, which inspired all his work and his charism; and it does so through a stamp and a special stamp cancellation dedicated to this important anniversary.
(ANS – Rome) – The stage of the preparation in view of the 2025 Jubilee at Rome for the consecrated men and women ended on Sunday, 4 February 2024. Comprising various significant moments, including the pilgrimage to the Salesian Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Rome, it gathered about 400 religious from all over the world, who received from the Holy Father the specific mandate to be “signs of reconciliation among people” where God has called them to work.
(ANS – Vatican City) – Pope Francis celebrates Mass on the World Day for Consecrated Life highlighting the importance of perseverance and asking for the courage to make room for God’s action.
(ANS - Vatican City) - On January 31, 2024, on the feast of St John Bosco, the Holy Father Pope Francis appointed Fr Giordano Piccinotti Sdb, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, as the titular Archbishop of Gradisca.
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.