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Thailand – December 2024 – On 14 December, the Catechism Commission of the Salesian Family organised a Catechists of the Salesian Family on a journey in the Holy Year activity. A total of 105 representatives of catechists and religious from five Groups of the Salesian Family joined the boat trip to retrace the journey of the Salesian missionaries along the Mae Klong River from the church of St. Jacob, in the province of Samut Songkhram, to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, in Bang Nok Khwaek. During the boat trip, Sister Supha Thong-ampai, historian of the Sisters Handmaids of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (SIHM), described the important events that occurred along the historical route that the Salesian missionaries followed to carry out their pastoral work. Participants were able to observe the lifestyle of the villagers living on both sides of the river, understanding their culture and the challenges they face. Arriving at the Cathedral, those present joined the Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil, SDB, Bishop Emeritus of Surat Thani, and concelebrated by Fr Boonlert Paneetatthayasai, Superior of the THA Province. This activity was organised to prepare Catechists for the Holy Year 2025 and to move towards the 100th anniversary of the Salesians in Thailand (1927-2027). At the same time, the activity prepared the participants to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the expedition of the first Salesian missionaries, which Don Bosco sent to Argentina in 1875, led by the future Cardinal Cagliero.
Apia, Samoa – December 2024 – A historic and joyful event was celebrated in the Salesian mission in Samoa with the ordination of Fr Anh Vu Nguyen to the priesthood, the first Vietnamese Salesian to be ordained in Samoa. The ordination Mass was celebrated in the St John Bosco parish in Sinamoga, and was presided over by Archbishop Mosese Vitolio Tui, SDB. The celebration was honoured by the presence of the Australia-Pacific Provincial Council (AUL), Salesians working in Samoa, and the wider parish community.
Guadalupe, Colombia – December 2024 - On 14 December, Salesian deacons Wilmer Delgadillo and Juan Guillermo Olarte were ordained to the priesthood. The ceremony was held in Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in Guadalupe, Santander. The ordaining bishop was Bishop Luis Augusto Campo Flórez, Bishop of the Diocese of Socorro and San Gil. The celebration, rich in expressions of fraternity and unity towards these two religious now fully consecrated to God, was accompanied by the Superior of the Provincial of Bogotá, Colombia (COB), Fr Jhon Jairo Gómez Rúa, as a family member and friend of the two new priests, and by numerous Salesians.
Messina, Italy - December 2024 - On 13 December, an important symposium was held at the St Thomas Theological Institute (ITST) in Messina on the theme ‘Dai Dubia a Fiducia Supplicans: Per un dibattito teologico dialogico e non polemico’ (‘From Dubia to Fiducia Supplicans: For a dialogical and non-polemical theological debate’), an opportunity for profound and serene reflection on the delicate relationship between faith, ecclesiastical authority and bioethics. The discussion, moderated by Professor Rosa Faraone, Professor of the History of Philosophy at the University of Messina, was attended by distinguished speakers, including Professor Marianna Gensabella Furnari, former Professor of Bioethics at the University of Messina and President of the Italian Institute of Bioethics, Sicily Section. The central theme of her address was ‘The maternal heart of the Church’, an exploration of the Church's role as a loving and attentive guide in contemporary moral challenges. Prof. Dino Calderone, former professor of philosophy at Messina high schools, offered a reflection on the delicate balance between freedom, conscience and authority in the Church, raising questions on how these concepts can be integrated without falling into polarisation. Lastly, Prof. Fr Giovanni Russo, SDB, Professor of Bioethics and Director of the ITST and SSSBS in Messina, explored moral and ecclesiological hermeneutics in the context of the passage from the ‘Dubia’ to the ‘Fiducia Supplicans’, inviting the search for a constructive dialogue that overcomes the dichotomy between doubt and the supplication of trust, highlighting the dimension of hope and openness to grace. In his speech, Fr Russo emphasised a fundamental aspect of divine mercy: never judging the sinner, but looking at him with the eyes of compassion.