(ANS – Rome) – In many countries, summer is the time when many young people make themselves available for voluntary work experience. That is why in this month of June the General Councillor for the Missions, Fr Alfred Maravilla, shares some reflections on the Christian and Salesian meaning of volunteering.
(ANS – Rome) – The last Salesian to speak at the "Return to the Sources Course", organised in May by the Missions Sector and aimed at elderly and long-experienced missionaries, was Fr Oreste Valle. An 80-year-old Sardinian, he has spent a dozen years in Madagascar and more than 30 in Albania. Today there are many lessons that he leaves.
(ANS – Rome) – The youngest participant in the "Return to the Sources Course" for elderly and long-term missionaries is 66-year-old Fr José Angel Rajoy Troitiño, born on Christmas Day 1957 in Caracas, Venezuela. However, his missionary life has continued for more than 30 years in Mozambique, a country where he has been able to find great joy through his service to young people in need, despite the difficulties and challenges that he has never lacked.
(ANS – Rome) – The Superiors of 8 Salesian Circumscriptions belonging to 4 Regions (Africa-Madagascar, America South Cone and East Asia-Oceania, and Mediterranean), are the recipients of the usual formation and orientation course that is being offered in these days in Rome, in parallel with the plenary session of the General Council of the Salesian Congregation. Speaking at the meeting, which began on the evening of Sunday 9 June 2024 and is scheduled to run until Monday 24 June, the Rector Major's Day of Recognition, were Card. Ángel Fernández Artime, 10th Successor of Don Bosco, the members of the General Council, with the those responsible for the different Sectors that animate Salesian Headquarters.
Rome, Italy - June 2024 - The patronal feast of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Castro Pretorio, Rome, was celebrated on Friday, June 7, 2024, with a full congregation. The solemn Mass was led by Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, the titular Cardinal of the Basilica, accompanied at the altar by numerous Salesians, including the entire General Council of the Congregation, except for the Rector Major, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, who was attending a Vatican engagement.
During his homily, Cardinal Versaldi, drawing from his farming background, explained the day's Gospel passage and the significance of the "yoke"—an agricultural tool carried by two animals together—to illustrate Jesus' promise that He will bear the greater burden. Following the Mass, the traditional procession of the statue of the Sacred Heart took place through the neighborhood streets, joined by about 600 people, including religious and lay individuals, many young people, and tourists.
(ANS – Rome) – Warren Buffett, a prominent American entrepreneur and businessman, as well as an inventor, considered one of the most successful investors in the world said: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about it, you'll do things differently.” The causes of communication crises can range from the simplest to the most complex. In any case, it would always be good to avoid them; but if they happen, it is essential to know how to cope with them. This will also be discussed at "SHAPING TOMORROW", the Communication Conference that the Sector for Social Communication of the Salesian Congregation will promote and animate from 1 to 7 August 2024, at the facilities of the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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RMG – Fr Gildasio Mendes, General Councillor for Social Communication, talks about his two new books on Don Bosco(ANS – Rome) – At the end of the International “Shaping Tomorrow” Communication Conference (Rome, 1-7 August 2024), the General Councillor for Social Communication, Fr Gildasio Mendes, publicly presented his most recent two literary works, both dedicated to Don Bosco and motivated by the bicentenary of the latter’s famous Dream at Nine Years of Age. They are As seeing him who is invisible and Parallels 15 and 20. Today he shows us in detail the meaning and perspectives of the two books.
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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RMG – 100 years of Salesian holiness in the shadow of Mary: 8 September 2024 in Slovenia and Slovakia(ANS – Rome) – Don Bosco was a great lover of Our Lady and the "thread" of her strong and discreet presence as a mother, teacher and helper, never failed for each of her children. It is therefore not surprising that so much Salesian holiness is also interwoven with very deep bonds with Mary: every Servant of God, every Blessed and Saint of the Salesian Family has a special, sometimes all-encompassing bond with her, as it was for Fr Silvio Galli, SDB, or Sister Antonietta Böhm, FMA. This 2024 is also marked by two anniversaries directly connected to some figures of Salesian holiness: those of the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Raknovik, Ljubljana, consecrated on 8 September 1924, and that of the arrival in 1924 of the Salesians at the national Marian Shrine in Šaštín, Slovakia, dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.
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.