Bogotá, Colombia - April 2023 - On April 26, the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians celebrated World Appreciation Day around Mother General Mother Chiara Cazzuola. The Salesian Family joined in this special celebration of gratitude to Mother General for her task of animating and governing the FMA Institute in the spirit of St. John Bosco and St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello. The event was centered on the motto "With Mary we generate a culture of peace." The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Fr. John Jairo Gómez Rúa, Superior of the Salesian Province of Bogotá (COB), and concelebrated by various Salesians, who in a clear sign of fraternity and communion celebrated and thanked God for the service of Mother Chiara Cazzuola and for the mission carried out in the FMA world.
Bogota, Colombia-April 2023 - Salesian Past Pupils in Bogota, Colombia, offered commendation to the Mother General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA), Mother Chiara Cazzuola, who is in Colombia these very days to take part in the Feast of Grace 2023. Mother General was honored with a plaque and awarded the Salesian Institute Medal of Merit "León XIII," on behalf of Fr. Jhon Jairo Gómez Rúa, Superior of the Salesian Province of Colombia-Bogotá (COB). She was also given a Diploma of Recognition, for her merits in favor of peace and for her commitment within the Salesian Family.
Bogotá, Colombia - April 2023 - During the first three days of Holy Week, 45 young people of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM), together with the young beneficiaries of the Salesian houses of care for the vulnerable and migrants, lived the " Christ Lives" experience: a spiritual retreat organized by Fr. Jhon Freddy Hernández, Delegate for Youth Ministry of the Salesian Province of Bogotá. Participants had the opportunity to get closer to God and his teachings, reflecting on the importance of love, service and forgiveness. Through experiences of introspection, formative workshops, integration dynamics and activities such as the Stations of the Cross, the Last Supper, the Holy Hour, the Youth Rosary and the Eucharist, young people from Salesian works meditated on various aspects of their lives and vocation, a valuable space in preparation for the Easter triduum.
(ANS – New Rochelle) - Top of FormSalesian 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.
Medellín, Colombia - April 2023 - During Holy Week, missionary groups in the Salesian Province of Colombia-Medellín (COM) gave new impetus to missionary momentum, responding to the Provincial Mission Animation Project (PIAM), developed along the four areas indicated by the Salesian Congregation's Missions Sector: missionary vocation, missionary formation, new frontiers and missionary solidarity. The goal was to strengthen mission culture, revive support for mission areas, and promote missionary formation committed to the apostolate, with the participation of all groups and communities. The first mission in 2023 was held in three places in COM Province: Minca, Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, with 20 missionaries led by Fr. Jesús Bolaños and Ms. Eloina; Santander de Quilichao, Cauca, where 12 missionaries participated, led by Fr. Gustavo Monsalve and Fr. Franklin Quirama; and Condoto, Chocó, where 24 missionaries led by Fr. Fabio Díaz, Fr. Juan Diego López, Fr. José Hernando and Fr. Hernán Carmona, carried out their activities in four villages. Through local initiatives such as the "Easter Children" or "Easter Youth," and community prayer and participation in the Easter Triduum, the days were an opportunity for everyone to learn and experience missionary communion.
Popayán, Colombia - March 2023 - The “Semillero de Comunicaciones” of the Salesian work in Popayán is a group of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) that includes more than 50 children and young people who see Social Communication as an art to building a project of happiness, starting from the values of Salesian Youth Spirituality. The group, led by Pedro Anaya, Local Coordinator for Social Communication, is focused on developing skills for the production of audiovisual and sound content, encouraging research, and promoting youth leadership at the national level. The team’s goal is to generate formative strategies for building the personal life projects of its participants and has become, since its creation in 2018, a key pillar in energizing Salesian youth leadership throughout the city of Popayan. “Semillero de Comunicaciones” has managed to win several national awards, winning the award for best podcast series at the “National Sound and Audiovisual Festival” in Boyacá (Colombia), as well as being among the five best school research groups in the Department of Cauca. The group also animates the “Salesianos Radio Escolar” station, the Audiovisual Project, and a Salesian accessories store.
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.