NEWS^/en/sections/news
(ANS – Madrid) – At the beginning of the new year, and with the feast of Don Bosco on the horizon, the Salesian presences in Spain are launching the 2025 vocation campaign, an educative and pastoral proposal that intends to continue promoting and consolidating a vocational culture in all the Salesian works in the country.
Malta – January 2025 - South Sudanese asylum seeker Achuil Abdalla has found his calling in medicine after a personal tragedy. In 2005, in fact, his mother died in a hospital without essential resources, motivating him to make medical education his life's mission. Now 21, Achuil is a nursing student in Malta, and is doing his internship at the St James Hospital, with the dream of becoming a doctor. Achuil arrived in Malta at the age of 16 on board the NGO rescue ship “Sea Watch 3” after being recovered off the Libyan coast with 31 other people in December 2018. Despite the challenges of applying for asylum and adjusting to life in a new country, Achuil persevered, passing examinations and excelling in nursing studies. Achuil is still grateful to the Salesians for their support, which he says was fundamental. Upon arrival, they provided him with accommodation and assistance at the Osanna Pia Home, a Salesian centre in Malta that offers shelter and opportunities to vulnerable individuals. The house, currently the residence of the Superior of the MLT Vice-Province, reflects the Salesian commitment to promote resilience, education and assistance for those in need and on the margins of society. As Achuil continues to confront the uncertainties of his being an asylum seeker, his determination and the support he received pushed him closer to his ultimate goal of becoming a doctor and thus honoring his mother's memory.
Daejeon, South Korea – January 2025 – On Friday, 3 January, two new novices began their Salesian life through the novitiate acceptance ceremony presided over by Fr Marcello Baek, Superior of the Salesian Korean Holy Martyrs South Korea Province (KOR). The main individuals of the day were Francis Park and Francis Kim, who began their formative journey to be the new Don Bosco for Korean youth. The event was attended by 20 Salesians who were completing their annual retreat at the local Salesian Educatve and Pastoral Centre, who congratulated the novices for embarking on this journey of faith, and prayed together that they would become good Salesians. Now it will be Fr Wee Felix, Director of Novices in the KOR Province, who will accompany the two novices on their journey.
Sultan Bathery, India – January 2025 – The three-day national conference "Innovations in interventions for the indigenous population" opened on Thursday, 9 January, at Don Bosco College Sultan Bathery. The event marks the beginning of the promotion of dialogue, research and solutions for the emancipation of indigenous communities. Organised by the Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience (IMHANS), the ribal Mental Health Project, the Department of Psychosocial Support in Disaster Management (DPSSDM) in Bangalore, as well as the Salesian host institute, the event brings together experts from various fields to address the mental and physical health issues faced by tribal communities. On the opening day, after the opening address by Fr Antony Thekkedath, Principal and Dean of Don Bosco College, Dr Subhasis Bhadra, head of the DPSSDM, presented the objectives of the conference. Subsequently, the Mayor of Sultan Bathery, Mr T.K. Ramesh, affirmed the importance of sensitising indigenous communities, fostering change through education, providing them with land, and implementing effective precautions against natural disasters. The director of IMHANS in Kozhikode, Dr P. Krishna Kumar, stressed the need for collaborative efforts to address the challenges faced by tribal communities; while Prof. N. Vinod Chandra Menon, founding member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), highlighted the critical gaps in access to health and mental health services, in particular among indigenous populations, underlining the urgent need for better strategies.