(ANS – Bari) – "The two youth emergencies are education and work": this was stated in an interview on the sidelines of the "Past, present and future of the Libertà district" event – one of the difficult districts in the Apulian capital – Fr Francesco Preite, National President of Salesians for Social APS, who for many years was the Director of the Salesian Redentore oratory in Bari. The Bari event was part of the Community Hub municipal initiative in support of some problematic districts such as Libertà and Enziteto.
(ANS - Turin) - Over recent days, Fr Bruno Ferrero, Editor of the Italian Salesian Bulletin, interviewed the General Councillor for Social Communication, Fr Gildasio Mendes, discussing topics of great importance and topicality. The first part of this interesting and articulate interview, published in the magazine Note di Pastorale Giovanile (NPG), is offered today to ANS readers.
Messina, Italy – December 2023 – The first ordinary session of the 32nd Provincial Chapter of the Salesians of Sicily will be held at the San Tommaso Theological Institute in Messina from 27 to 29 December. This important assembly is attended by 39 Salesians, representing the different Sicilian communities, and 7 lay people invited to provide new impetus to the Salesian mission, including two women who deal with reception in the Salesian style. The 32nd Provincial Chapter is chaired by Fr Giovanni D’Andrea, Provincial of Sicily (ISI), who has appointed Fr Enzo Timpano, Principal of the Don Bosco High School in Catania Cibali, as moderator. During the final day, Chapter members will then be called upon to summarise the work and each committee will have to present work for discussion with the entire Assembly. On this day, the intersessional work will be presented, i.e. a time when all local communities are called upon to have their say on the issues addressed. The next stages of the 32nd Provincial Chapter are: intersession from February to April 2024 and the second session from 31 May to 3 June 2024.
(ANS - Turin) - On 22 December 2023, at Valdocco, the two General Councils of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians met for their annual meeting for dialogue and the exchange of Christmas greetings. The presence of the Rector Major, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, and his council together with Mother Chiara Cazzuola and her council was a great testimony to the identity of the spirit of the Salesian family.
(ANS – Pietra Ligure) – Mass was celebrated by Fr Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General, Postulator of the Cause of Vera and Spiritual Counsellor for the Association of the Work of Living Tabernacles on Friday afternoon, 22 December 2023, at the Saints Ambrose and Charles Chapel at Santa Corona Hospital in Pietra Ligure, where the Servant of God Vera Grita died 54 years ago.
(ANS – Milan) – The Fondazione Opera Don Bosco Onlus in Milan concludes 2023 with exciting projects on site that will be implemented in the coming years. Looking to the past, the Foundation welcomes the first ten years of commitment to support the Salesians operating around the world to bring comfort, education and basic necessities to the most vulnerable. And on the occasion of the tenth anniversary, the Foundation can recount the many projects supported by the generosity of many donors, all carried out according to a principle that characterises the work of the Foundation: "we are not content to deal with the problem 'piecemeal'. We already have to think about ‘how to repair the tear' to overcome the problem itself."
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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India – INS youth solemnise Don Bosco’s Feast Day with ‘Ka Sur Kynud S-3’ Grand Finale(ANS – Shillong) – The Youth of St John Paul II, Shillong Province, celebrated the Feast Day of St. John Bosco with the Grand Finale of “Ka Sur Kynud, Season 3.” Organised by Don Bosco Media Network Television, the Social Communication Department of the Province, at Don Bosco Youth Centre, Laitumkhrah, Shillong, this two-month-long singing competition, which imitates the global singing competition The Voice, concluded on 31 January 2025, coinciding with the Solemnity of St John Bosco.
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."