Spirituality Day of the Salesian Family 2022
The family event for religious and lay people inspired by Don Bosco reaches its 40th edition
(Rome, January 12, 2022) – The 40th edition of the Spirituality Days of the Salesian Family (SFSD) opens tomorrow, January 13, 2022. This edition will be held in mixed mode - in presence in Turin-Valdocco, and with digital connections - from 13 to 16 January 2022. As usual, the SFSD will focus on the message that the Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco has given to the 32 groups of the Salesian Family as inspiration for the new year - the so-called "Strenna of the Rector Major" - a message that for this 2022 is inspired by St Francis de Sales, on the 400th anniversary of his death, and which is summed up in the motto: "Do all through love, nothing through constraint".
The purpose of the GSFS is to revive Salesian Spirituality in its fundamental dimensions, suggested by the Strenna of the Rector Major, and in a spirit of communion with the 32 Groups of the Salesian Family.
This 2022 edition of the Days will be experienced on two levels:
- Worldwide with international live broadcasts from 13:00 to 15:00 (UTC + 1) from the Teatro Grande of Valdocco; the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, will always participate in these central moments, flanked by other world leaders of the various groups of the Salesian Family.
- and Regional with a specific program, and different times and methods, drawn up by the various regional teams.
A limited number of 190 representatives of the different groups of the Salesian Family, always in compliance with the anti-contagion regulations in force, will then also have the opportunity to participate in the activities that will be carried out at the local level: Eucharist, daily Rosary, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, visits to the Don Bosco House Museum ...
The program of worldwide activities – that will all be broadcast live by ANS on its Facebook page, in five languages (Italian, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese) – includes:
Thursday 13 begins with the opening session, which foresees the presentation of the Days by Fr Joan Lluís Playà, Central Delegate of the Rector Major for the Secretariat for the Salesian Family, the solemn conclusion of the year dedicated to Fr Paolo Albera, the Successor of Don Bosco, and the presentation of the Strenna by the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime;
On Friday 14 the epitome of the activities shall be reached with the round table on the spirituality of Saint Francis de Sales by various experts in the field: three Salesians (Fr Michele Molinar, Fr Eunan McDonnell, Fr Giuseppe Roggia), a well-known journalist, Vania de Luca, and Sister Maria Grazia Franceschini, of the Order of the Visitation of Saint Mary, an order founded by Saint Francis de Sales, will address topics such as: Salesian spirituality, the spiritual affinity between Saint Francis de Sales and Don Bosco, the "grace of 'unity' in the ecstasy of life and action, religious life according to the holy bishop, and the relevance of his spirituality for the laity today as a path of holiness accessible to all. The day will be completed by the intervention of Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General for the Causes of Saints of the Salesian Family, on Salesian holiness.
On Saturday 15 the sharing of the group work carried out in the first two days at the regional level will be broadcast and commented, and two significant experiences of Salesian spirituality in action will be presented, one from youth and one from laity. For the participants on site in Valdocco, Saturday will also be the day of the inauguration of the exhibition for the 400th anniversary of the death of St. Francis de Sales at the Casa Don Bosco House Museum in Turin.
Eventually, on Sunday 16, the celebration of the Eucharist from the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, presided over by the Rector Major, and the final farewell stand out.
Finally, the special space that will be dedicated to the laity of the Salesian Family, called to offer the thoughts of the "Salesian goodnight", deserves to be emphasized.
Further information and updates will be available on the websites www.infoans.org/en and www.famigliasalesiana.org/en
The Salesian Family is an ecclesial reality spread throughout the world bringing together 32 officially recognised religious institutions and movements inspired by the charism and apostolic mission of the Founder St john Bosco. It operates in all five continents and employs 200,000 committed religious and lay people.
https://www.infoans.org/en/item/14460-spirituality-day-of-the-salesian-family-2022#sigProId80e33cede4
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Chile – Former Salesian student in the fight against Alzheimer's disease
(ANS - Santiago) - Dr Nibaldo Inestrosa, graduate of the Salesian Institute in Valdivia and national prize of Natural Sciences winner, is a pioneer and expert in the study of Alzheimer's disease in the country. In this interview, he offers an insight into the current challenges, but not before reflecting on his formative experience at the Salesian Institute in Valdivia and how this influenced his interest in biology and science.
EDITORIAL
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RMG – Don Bosco: “The Fascinating Saint”
(ANS - Rome) - Don Bosco is perhaps the most amazing and fascinating saint, history has ever produced. The humble work which he began for the welfare of his poor and abandoned boys in Italy has produced astonishing results, and today there are nearly 14000 Salesians working in 138 countries, and there are more than 200,000 members belonging to the 32 groups of the worldwide Salesian Family sharing the charism of Don Bosco and reaching out to the needy young people.
EVENTS
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Italy – On-Line Course on Integral Ecology 2025: An Initiative of the Alliance for the Care of Our Common Home (Pontifical Universities & Atheneums of Rome)
(ANS – Rome) – 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical letter on the Care for Our Common Home, in which he invited all people of good to “a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet” (Laudato Si’, 14). However, as Pope Francis recognizes in Laudate Deum, the apostolic exhortation published on 4th October 2023, “our responses have not been adequate” and “the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.” (Laudate Deum, 2).
SPECIAL REPORTS
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RMG - St. Francis de Sales Communicator: All for Love
(ANS – Rome) - The figure of St. Francis de Sales, chosen by Don Bosco as an example of a communicator, teaches that communication is a matter of the heart. In his expression, "Everything in the Church is love: everything lives in love, for love, and of love," we understand his revolution in the way of communicating, and how communication becomes fruitful when it allows communion and the exchange of one's experiences in a path of accompaniment and collaboration in God's project.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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WHAT A GIFT TIME IS!
THE MESSAGE OF THE VICAR OF THE RECTOR MAJOR,
Fr Stefano Martoglio, SDBThe beginning of the new year is illuminated in our liturgy by the ancient formula with which the Israelite priests blessed the people: "May the Lord bless you, and keep you. May the Lord show His face to you, and have mercy on you. May the Lord turn His countenance to you, and give you peace."