(ANS - Rome) - Fr Alfred Maravilla, General Councilor for the Missions, published a missionary message for the month of January 2021. The focus of his reflection is the need to leave one's comfort zone, even if this can be very demanding for each of us.

(ANS - Rome) - The Spirituality Days of the Salesian Family take place online from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 January. To date, more than 5,000 registrations have already been made among the 12 regional-linguistic coordination centers.

(ANS – Rome) - In the Acts of the General Council 432 (2020), the Rector Major Fr Ángel Fernández Artime promulgated a year dedicated to the memory of Fr Paolo Albera, commemorating the first centenary of the death of the second successor of Don Bosco.

(ANS - Rome) - January 8 is the liturgical memorial celebration of Blessed Titus Zeman, a Slovak Salesian priest, who died in hatred of the faith at the age of 54 (Vajnory, January 4, 1915 - Bratislava, January 8, 1969). He was beatified on 30 September 2017 in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava. “By this, we came to know love: He gave His life for us; thus we too must give our life for our brothers” (1 Jn 3:16). It was in listening to this Word of God during the celebration of the Eucharist that Titus Zeman felt in his heart the inspiration and strength to sacrifice his own life for the salvation of vocations, overcoming fear and declaring himself ready to follow the will of God, trusting in divine mercy and hoping for eternal life. His offer, repeated several times during the dangerous years: “Even if I lost my life, I would not consider it wasted knowing that at least one of those I had helped became a priest in my place” is for us a seed of hope and trust in new generations.

(ANS - Rome) - In Fr Luigi Versiglia, missionary and superior of the Salesians in China, there was always a great desire to acquire the virtues necessary to become a good missionary, convinced that at the basis of every apostolate for souls there must be profound piety, union with God and entrustment to Mary Help of Christians. At the beginning of Lent in 1920 he sent all the confreres a circular in which he summarized his thoughts in five points that became known as the five commandments of the missionary:

(ANS - Rome) - The process of disseminating "Young Salesians and accompaniment – Orientations and Guidelines" continues and the seed video for January occupies a special place. It is Don Bosco's month: the video begins in his room in Valdocco, where it all began. Kept there now is a small seed measuring 10 x 5 cm, the tiny notebook on which Michele Rua, aged sixteen, wrote on January 26, 1854: “On the evening of January 26, 1854 we gathered in Don Bosco's room; with Don Bosco himself, Rocchietti, Artiglia, Cagliero and Rua. A practical exercise of charity towards one's neighbour, with the help of the Lord and of St. Francis de Sales, was proposed to us; and later to take a promise, if it seems possible and convenient, to make a vow to the Lord. From that evening the name Salesian was placed on those ready to do the same.”