NEWS
(ANS – Macas) – This is a great moment for the Salesian presence in Macas, which this year celebrates its centenary of service to young people: the event is an opportunity to remember and thank the first Salesians who, with their example of faith and unconditional love, in 1924 sowed the first seeds of what is now a great "community" of missionaries in love with this land, who embraced the ancestral visions and traditions of local cultures to keep Don Bosco's dream alive in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The solemn ceremony for the celebration of the centenary took place on 15 March 2024 in the "Washington Ricaurte" theatre in Macas.
(ANS – Buenos Aires) – The Extraordinary Visitation to the Blessed Cerafino Namuncurá Province of Southern Argentina (ARS) continues. The visitation has already touched the houses in Neuquén province, those in the middle valley of the Río Negro, Bahía Blanca, and the houses in the metropolitan area and the city of Buenos Aires. Fr Gabriel Romero, Regional Councillor for America South Cone, visited La Plata, La Pampa and some houses in the city of Buenos Aires; while Fr Alfonso Bauer, appointed by the Rector Major to accompany the Regional Councillor for America South Cone in his Visitation, was in Parque Avellaneda.
(ANS – Turin) – Among the skills with which Don Bosco was able to educate was the Strenna, that message that he announced at the end of the year to all the young people of the Oratory. His successors continued this tradition. The most recent of them by Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, for the 2024 Strenna, "The dream that makes you dream. A heart that transforms ‘wolves’ into ‘lambs’", was inspired by the famous dream that young John Bosco had at the age of nine, exactly 200 years ago.
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.”