Messina, Italy - March 2019 - On 31 March, the work sessions of the III meeting of the 30th Provincial Chapter of the Salesians of Sicily and Tunisia (ISI) came to an end. Fr Giuseppe Ruta, ISI Provincial, in the closing speech thanked the Lord for the century-old presence of the Salesians in Sicily. In fact, Don Bosco opened a Salesian house aimed at the salvation of Sicilian youth in 1879. Today, as then, 140 years later, the Salesian spirit - which the spiritual sons of the Saint of Turin embody - is still very much present.
(ANS - Turin) – From 18 to 26 March, as part of the Extraordinary Visitation conducted in the Italy-Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta district, Fr Ivo Coelho, General Councilor for Formation, stayed at the “Crocetta” Salesian formation community of Turin which, with its 27 permanent religious and 49 students of Theology, is currently Europe's most numerous. Here's how he sums up his visit.
(ANS - Rome) - Thinking about the work of young people is part of the Salesian DNA. But the challenge is to understand what work actually is today. For this reason, the women-focussed Centro Italiano Opere Femminili Salesiane – Vocational Training (CIOFS-FP), now celebrating its 50th anniversary, has organized a two-day event of celebration and reflection: this morning, 3 April, a delegation from the institution participates in the audience of Pope Francis, and in the afternoon a meeting session is scheduled on the pedagogical and historical-charismatic meaning of CIOFS-FP; tomorrow, the institutional assembly itself.
Rome, Italy - 85 years ago, on a day like today, 1 April 1934, Don Bosco was declared a saint by Pope Pius XI. “The infallible successor of St. Peter, by solemnly whispering the words, then pronounced this formula - writes Fr Eugenio Ceria - we decree and define that Blessed Giovanni Bosco is a saint and we register him in the number of saints.” Fr. Pietro Ricaldone, Rector Major, writes in a message: “Vatican City, 1st April, at a quarter past ten. Alleluia! The Vicar of Christ has just proclaimed Don Bosco a saint. May he bless Turin, Italy and the world.”
(ANS - Turin) - A red thread links Valdocco to Seville, Versailles and Bilbao: it is the "ENTREAPP" project which brings together students from different Salesian educational institutions in the development of an app for the promotion of tourism in the city of Seville.
Messina, Italy - March 2019 - On March 17, the annual Provincial Assembly of the Association of Salesian Cooperators (ASC) of Sicily was held in the Salesian house "San Matteo", in the Giostra district of Messina. About 300 members gathered to discuss and form themselves on the theme "Courage in the beauty of the #lostuporediunsorriso, or the stupor or marvel of a smile" mission. After the initial prayer, led by Sr. Valeria Marotta, FMA, Fr Paolo Caltabiano, SDB, spoke, summoning the ASC members to know how to read the times having Intelligence, Fantasy or Imagination and a sense of Risk-taking. Then, in a packed theater, the performance of Marco Rodari, aka "Clown the Pimpa", a clown with a special mission, was held as his audience are the children of the territories battered by war such as in Syria, Iraq and the Strip of Gaza. Then the assembly was divided into 4 thematic groups to discuss the key words of the day: Courage, Beauty, Mission, Amazement.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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."