(ANS - Rome) – Some have come from a journey of total conversion to the faith. Others have waited 20 years from the time they first asked before receiving the go- ahead to become a missionary, and others still were inspired by young volunteers. These are the missionaries of the 147th Salesian Missionary Expedition, who tell the story of their missionary vocation as they are about to leave for their destinations.
(ANS - Rome) – There is a new website to present the different programmes of the Salesian Youth Ministry in Spain for the evangelization of young people. It is available from today at www.pastoraljuvenil.es, thanks to the efforts of the Salesian National Centre for Youth Ministry (CNSPJ, in Spanish), the organization set up by the Spanish Provinces for the coordination, leadership and reflection on their educational and pastoral activities, for the formation of pastoral agents and the publication of educational aids. Meanwhile, the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA), the fourth group of the Salesian Family, founded by Don Bosco, has renewed its website at http://www.admadonbosco.org/
(ANS - Rome) - Yesterday, 18 September, marked the centenary of the death of Monsignor Giuseppe Fagnano, missionary in Southern Patagonia, sent by Don Bosco in the first missionary expedition of 1875. The Vicar of the Rector Major, Fr Francesco Cereda, was recently in Chile to attend the beginning of the centenary celebrations. We put some questions to him:
(ANS - Rome) - "Azerbaijan has changed radically in the past sixteen years. It is a whole new country: tall buildings, high technology ... Now when people visit Baku it feels like Dubai." So says Fr Stefan Kormančik, a Slovak Salesian who has been a missionary in Azerbaijan since 2001, that is, practically since the Catholic Church returned to the country. In view of the apostolic visit of Pope Francis to the Caucasus, Fr Kormančik came to Rome to help us learn more about the astonishing reality of Azerbaijan.
(ANS - Rome) - Mercy is the theme chosen by the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, for the latest video of the Dear Confreres series. It is now available online in Spanish and Italian with subtitles in 28 other languages.
(ANS - Rome) - Just a few days after his return to the Generalate from Central America, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major, is preparing to leave for a new intercontinental journey. This time it will include the Salesians, the Salesian Family and youth of the Vice-Province of Zambia-Zimbabwe-Malawi-Namibia.
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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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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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."