Rome, Italy - On April 5, 1880, Pope Leo XIII invited Don Bosco to take the initiative to build a church in honor of the "Sacred Heart of Jesus", specifying that he had no funds to offer him. The Piedmontese priest accepted on one condition: expanding the work to include "a large hostel, where poor young people, extremely numerous, especially in this very neighborhood, can be housed, and started off in schools for the arts and crafts." (Giovanni Battista Lemoyne, "John Bosco, the Life of the Venerable Servant of God", vol. 2). The building cost the elderly Don Bosco an incredible effort, but on May 14, 1887, it was consecrated. The Saint of Young People celebrated Mass there for the last time on May 16, 1887, during which he "often wept on contemplating his life." In 1921, Pope Benedict XV declared the temple of the "Sacred Heart of Jesus" as Minor Basilica.
(ANS - Rome) - In March 1947 renovation and adaptation started on what was Forte Prenestino to convert it into Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco - Don Bosco Boys’ Town - one of the iconic works of the Salesians in Rome. It is the visible expression of the attention to young people most in need which is so characteristic of Salesian work.
(ANS - Rome) - On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome (25 March 1957), the founding moment of the European Union, a meeting of Heads of State and Government of the member countries is taking place in Rome. The members will be received by Pope Francis this afternoon, 24 March.
(ANS - Rome) – A meeting of young people at the Salesian Oratory of the Sacred Heart in Rome in the year 1950. In the photo we see a Salesian in a black cassock, and many young people.
(ANS – Genzano, Rome) – When Don Bosco arrived in Turin, he came up against a hell. Don Cafasso led him to the streets to let him know the reality. Don Bosco saw the real and true misery: slavery, prison, people sentenced to death, exploited children, abandoned youth without their parents, without a home, without education, without religion. After more than one hundred years, the Sons of Don Bosco continue to live this drama of the youth, but give it some responses. The Salesian novices of Genzano, in Rome, want to be another Don Bosco in our time.
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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RMG - St. Francis de Sales Communicator: All for Love(ANS – Rome) - The figure of St. Francis de Sales, chosen by Don Bosco as an example of a communicator, teaches that communication is a matter of the heart. In his expression, "Everything in the Church is love: everything lives in love, for love, and of love," we understand his revolution in the way of communicating, and how communication becomes fruitful when it allows communion and the exchange of one's experiences in a path of accompaniment and collaboration in God's project.
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."