(ANS - Punta Arenas) – On Saturday, 12 February, at the age of 86, Msgr. Tomás González Morales, Salesian, bishop emeritus of Punta Arenas, Chile, passed away.
Vatican City - October 2021 - On Sunday 10 October Pope Francis officially opened the Synod, the Consultation on Church Reform that will lead to the celebration of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled for 2023. After the meetings in plenary sessions and the consultations in linguistic groups on Saturday 9 October, the Pontiff presided over the opening Mass yesterday, October 10, in St. Peter's Basilica. During the Mass, the Holy Father exhorted us to listen in order to meet the Lord and the others, "without soundproofing our hearts, without barricading ourselves in our certainties". Furthermore, before the Eucharistic celebration, Pope Francis greeted the Colombian nun Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argori, kidnapped in Mali and released recently.
(Foto: © Servizio Fotografico Vatican Media)
Budapest, Hungary - September 12, 2021 - The 34th Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis began yesterday (September 12). After the first stop in Hungary, the Holy Father moved to Slovakia, where he will remain until Wednesday the 15th. In the first part of the Journey, at Budapest, Pope Francis met the Hungarian President János Áder and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, to officiate at the concluding Mass of the International Eucharistic Congress. After Mass at Heroes' Square, the Pope then went to the airport and left for Bratislava. In Slovakia, meetings are planned with the authorities, with the Jewish communities, the clergy, young people, and with the Roma community.
(ANS - Caracas) - The latest testimony from Venezuela, unfortunately, confirms the local population's extremely weak condition. Msgr. José Ángel Divassón Cilveti, a Salesian, who was Apostolic Vicar in the Amazonian city of Puerto Ayacucho for almost twenty years and who now resides in the country's capital, Caracas, gives voice to the profound unease of these past months.
(ANS - Gracias) - The Honduran people and the Salesian community share the joy of the episcopal ordination of Msgr. Walter Guillén Soto, SDB, as the first Bishop of the new diocese of Gracias. The celebration took place last Friday, June 11, 2021, in the temple of St Mark, the city's oldest, which has now become the Cathedral of the new diocese, and was presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio in Honduras, Mgr. Gábor Pintér.
(ANS - Port-au-Prince) - The Salesians of the Blessed Philip Rinaldi Vice Province of Haiti (HAI) have announced the death of Msgr. Ducange Sylvain, SDB, auxiliary archbishop of Port-au-Prince and titular bishop of Nove. Yesterday, June 8, he reached the University Hospital of Mirebalais, following respiratory complications related to Covid-19.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Democratic Republic of Congo – Fr Owoudou on the situation in the eastern parts of the country: “No matter how dark the night may seem, dawn will inevitably come”
(ANS - Goma) - During his latest phase of the Extraordinary Visit to the "Mary Most Holy Assumption" Province of Central Africa (AFC), Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, Councillor for the Africa Madagascar Region, conducted an interview with the magazine "JAMBO VIJANA," representing the youth engaged in the Salesian works of the Province's Eastern Delegation. Addressing the ongoing violence and conflicts in the region, Fr. Owoudou expressed hope, saying: "No matter the length of the night, dawn will inevitably come."
EDITORIAL
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“Speaking with the Heart”: A great Antidote for the Ills of today’s world
‘Revolutionize the world with your kindness, by speaking with your heart’, is the dream that Pope Francis envisions for humanity through his 57th World Communication Day message, that falls on this Ascension Sunday, 21st May 2023. ‘Speak with your heart in truth and charity’, and this is the best antidote that can cure the ills of today’s society.
EVENTS
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Italy – "Labs To Future": the final event of the "Labs To Learn" project in Valdocco
(ANS – Turin) – The final event of the "Labs to Learn" project was held on Tuesday, 5 March 2024, entitled "Labs To Future: The path – The results – The challenges" . The project was selected by the "Con i Bambini" social enterprise within the framework of the Foundation for the Fight against Child Educational Poverty and came into being with the intention of combating early school leaving and preventing educational poverty, increasing the number of young people with difficulties who fulfil their school obligation, access higher education and/or job placement, and opening the way for personal growth according to their inclinations and aspirations.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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Peru – Centenary of the High Altar of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Lima
(ANS – Lima) – The centenary of the consecration of the high altar in the Crypt of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Lima was celebrated on 19 March, on the feast of St Joseph and in homage to Fr José Calasanz Marqués, then Provincial of the Salesians in Peru and Bolivia – now recognised as Blessed by the Church – on account of his name.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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DREAMS THAT KEEP COMING TRUE!
THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Card. Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
When reflecting on all this, I feel I have a little authority to say: “Dear Don Bosco, your Dream is still VERY ALIVE.”