Turin, Italy – May 24, 2024 – Friday, 24 May the Solemnity of Mary Help of Christians was celebrated at the Salesian Mother House in Valdocco, Turin. In the morning, the Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Archbishop Roberto Repole, Archbishop of Turin and Bishop of Susa, and concelebrated by Card. Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, SDB, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago de Chile. In the evening, at 6.30 pm, the Eucharistic celebration was presided over by the Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Stefano Martoglio.
(ANS – Rome) – Enthroned on the front of her Basilica in Lima, an almost eighty-year-old image of Mary Help of Christians is a silent witness to the daily movement of the thousands of passers-by who pass daily before her. Located right where Avenida Brasil is, one of the main and busiest roads in the capital of Peru, the figure is protected from the elements by a glass screen placed ten years ago during the restoration work of the church, declared a Cultural Heritage of the Nation.
(ANS – Rome) – Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime will spend his last Feast of Mary Help of Christians as Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco in the city that has been his home – apart from his many trips – in the last 10 years: Rome. The 10th Successor of Don Bosco will preside over the solemn festive Eucharist at 6 pm (UTC+2) at the Salesian Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Via Tuscolana, the church which the Holy Father Francis, on 30 September 2023, assigned him as his cardinalate.
(ANS – Rome) – When the Salesians of Don Bosco, from Italy and India, arrived in East Africa in 1980, they dreamed of a Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Nairobi, from where the glory of God would spread. That dream came true in 1994. Today, this beautiful Shrine is a magnificent landmark that punctuates the skyline of the City of the Sun. It is a living church, a place of worship, the abode of God, with about 2,000 Catholics of all ages worshiping here every Sunday.
Tomorrow, 24 May, the Feast of Mary Help of Christians will be celebrated. The Salesian Bulletin (Italian edition), in the May 2024 edition, has illustrated some of the places where the feast is celebrated.
(ANS – Rome) – We stay in Asia for the third stop among the Salesian shrines dedicated to Mary Help of Christians: from the National Shrine of Parañaque City, in the Philippines, illustrated yesterday, we move today to South Asia, to be precise to India, where the shrine at Matunga, near Mumbai, also known among the locals as the Shrine of "Don Bosco’s Madonna" is located.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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RMG – The missionaries of the 155th Salesian Missionary Expedition: Mouzinho Domingos Joaquim Mouzinho, from the Mozambiqueice-Province (MOZ) to Albania (AKM)(ANS – Rome) – Not only priests or aspirants to the priesthood: the missionaries who left with the 155th Salesian Missionary Expedition also include Mouzinho Domingos Joaquim Mouzinho, who will travel from Mozambique to Europe to be a missionary in the new Provincial Delegation of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro (AKM), belonging to the Province of Southern Italy (IME). Following the example of the Venerable Simon Srugi, his dream is to be a sign and bearer of the love of God to the young.
EDITORIAL
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Myanmar – Tragedy of Innocent Children in the midst of Armed Conflicts(ANS – Naypyidaw) - Myanmar finds itself immersed in profound grief and anguish as innocent lives, particularly those of children, continue to be mercilessly lost in the enduring armed conflicts. Families are left devastated by the tragic loss of their loved ones while the relentless violence shows no signs of abating. This week, a heartfelt plea from Myanmar reached our community, shedding light on the heart-wrenching death of a young girl Juliet in a military airstrike, prompting a unified call for prayers and action.
EVENTS
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Italy – The chapel of the relics at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin celebrates 90 years and celebrates them with an exhibition on the Shroud(ANS – Turin) – Again this year, on 14 September, on the occasion of the liturgical feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the day of the Opening of the Crypt, the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Turin hosted an evening dedicated to the Shroud, as part of the "Culture in the Basilica" exhibition, entitled "The Shroud: witness of great love".
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – World Teachers’ Day: Salesian Missions highlights support for Salesian educators around the globe(ANS – New Rochelle) - Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in honoring World Teachers’ Day, which has been celebrated each year on Oct. 5 since 1994. The day honors the vital role that teachers play in the lives of their students and commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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On WINGS of HOPETHE MESSAGE OF THE VICAR OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Father Stefano Martoglio
While continuing my service as Vicar in the coming months, quietly, very simply, and completely in continuity, I’ll replace the Rector Major in leading the Congregation to the General Chapter, the 29th, in February 2025.