(ANS - Rome) - If 2018 was recently defined by the media as "the year of young people", it is certainly also due to the XV Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in Rome, 3-28 October, 2018, dedicated, by the will of Pope Francis, to "Youth, faith and vocational discernment." The Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) walks with and alongside the Church towards this important universal appointment.
(ANS - Rome) - On the feast of the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, 25 January, the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, offered the thought of the Salesian "goodnight" at the end of the winter plenary session of the General Council, the first celebrated in the new Salesian Headquarters of the "Sacred Heart", its name: "Comunità San Giuseppe."
(ANS – Rome) – Also this year the Rector Major has chosen to celebrate the Solemnity of St. John Bosco not at the Valdocco of Turin (2016 - Sierra Leone, 2017 in Dominican Republic) but in Dili - the capital of Timor Leste.
Rome, Italy - January 2018 - Don Bosco International's Group of Experts on Poverty and Migration met at the Salesian General Headquarters from 22 to 24 January. Chaired by Angel Gudiña, DBI Secretary, and Daniel García, Salesian Social Work Coordinator and member of the Youth Ministry Department, other participants included: Fr Antoine Farrugia (Malta), Fr Giovanni d'Andrea (Italy), Achim Jägers (Germany), Pierre-Jean Allard (France), Paco Estellés and José Miguel Bautista (Spain). The meeting's aim: to reflect on and discuss, with a Salesian perspective, the phenomena of poverty and migration on the European continent; the Salesian response and the proposition of political documents that allow an updated position, and the quality of the DBI in the various forums in which it participates. Among the topics dealt with: Holy See's paper on Migration and Refugees, the application to the social sphere of Strenna 2017, and the figure of the "voluntary tutor" based on the Zampa law, approved in Italy in 2017.
Rome, Italy - January 2018 - Within the framework of the General Assembly of "Don Bosco International" (DBI), celebrated on January 22, the institution's strategic plan for 2018-2020 was approved. The DBI is an international NGO that manages the relations of the Salesian Congregation with the European Union, is based in Brussels, and is presided by Fr Fabio Attard, General Councilor for Youth Ministry. Three thematic priorities were confirmed in the DBI strategic plan: education-work transition, poverty and social inclusion, migration and refugees, with special attention to Human Rights, youth impoverishment and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Assembly also assessed the work carried out in 2017, highlighting the sustainable growth of the institution and the large number of Salesian visitors it welcomed from various Provinces and nations. Present at the meeting: Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major; Fr Stefano Martoglio, Councilor for the Mediterranean Region; and Fr Tadeusz Rozmus, Councilor for Central and Northern Europe Region.
(ANS - Rome) - The Governing Board of the Salesian Institutions of Higher Education (IUS) met at the Congregation's Central Office in Rome from 9 to 11 January, the aim to accompany the path of the IUS in each of the continents, follow up on the application of its common policies and programs, and strengthen the organizational and animation structures. The Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, spoke at the meeting, stating that "it is fundamental to have a strategic vision that adequately guides the processes of the Salesian institutions."
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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RMG - Preparation, objectives, challenges and perspectives of GC29: in dialogue with the Moderator, Fr Alphonse Owoudou(ANS - RMG) - Just a few days before the beginning of the 29th General Chapter (GC29) of the Salesian Congregation, Fr Alphonse Owoudou, Councillor for the Africa-Madagascar Region and Moderator of GC29, recounts in detail, through an articulate interview, the work preceding and underlying this responsibility, indicating the spirit that will animate it and the attitudes and conditions to make it truly a Cenacle in which the Holy Spirit can act, for the benefit of the Congregation, the Salesian mission and the youth of the world.
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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United States – CATHOLIC WORLD DAY OF THE SICK: Salesian Missions highlights medical programs for people in need around the globe(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins Catholic organizations around the globe in honoring the Catholic World Day of the Sick. Every year on Feb. 11, the Pope marks the day with a special message calling for spiritual and physical closeness to all those who are ill. Saint John Paul II instituted the day “to encourage the people of God, Catholic health institutions and civil society to be increasingly attentive to the sick and to those who care for them.”
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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GOOD, FAITHFUL, AND COURAGEOUS SERVANTSTHE MESSAGE OF THE VICAR OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Stefano Martoglio, SDB
During this Jubilee year, in this difficult world, we are invited to rise up, set out again, and, in newness of life, make our journey as human beings and believers.