(ANS – Pindamonhangaba) – On Friday 16 August, Don Bosco's birthday, the exact replica of the modest house where St John Bosco spent his childhood was inaugurated in Pindamonhangaba. The event brought together more than a hundred people, including Salesians and lay people, on a day marked by moments of deep faith, joy and emotion.
(ANS – Juba) – The General Councillor for the Missions, Fr Alfred Maravilla, has visited the five Salesian communities in South Sudan, accompanied by the Provincial Delegate of Sudan, Fr Joseph Can. It was his first visit to the Delegation of Saint Josephine Bakhita of South Sudan and, precisely for this reason, the Councillor was welcomed with joy by the Salesian Family, the young people and the beneficiaries of the Salesian programmes in the country.
Iauaretê, Brazil – August 2024 - On 16 August, the Salesian community of Iauaretê, in the state of Amazonas, in the far west of the country, on the border with Colombia, celebrated the feast of Don Bosco with the presence of the Regional Councillor Fr Gabriel Romero, as part of the extraordinary visit to the Province of Manaus. The Eucharistic celebration was attended by delegations from the ten communities of the parish, belonging to different ethnic groups in the area. Fr Wellington Abreu, the director and parish priest, and Fr José Reginaldo de Oliveira, Assistant Parish priest, concelebrated in the Holy Eucharist and the celebration was attended by the entire community of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. During the celebration, the formation book of the Association of the Devotees of Mary Help of Christians was given to the members of the new group that is in formation. In the afternoon the representatives of the ten communities participated in the Salesian gymkhana in honour of our Father Don Bosco, organised by Salesian José Leandro Vieira. It was truly a Salesian celebration!
Lubumbashi, DR Congo – August 2024 – On 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 18 novices belonging to the Province of Central Africa (AFC) made their first religious profession during a celebration held at the Regina Mundi chapel of the Salesian work in Imara. Fr Guillermo Basañes, Superior of the AFC Province, welcomed the first professions inviting them, in the homily, to "always have recourse to Mary, who is the Help of Christians, as Don Bosco taught us". He then urged them to remain very close to the young, especially the weakest.
Costa Rica – August 2024 – In recent days, the Salesian Cooperators of the Interamerica Region have gathered virtually to take part in the third regional meeting. During the meeting, Sister Lucrecia Uribe, World Delegate of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians for the Association of Salesian Cooperators, and Martín Calderón, ASC World Councillor for the Region, also spoke. Many activities were planned during the day, such as Sister Uribe's conference on the significant presence of Mary and group work sessions to answer three questions: A word that defines your relationship with Mary? What gestures do you use to relate to Mary? What is your favourite Marian biblical quote? Videos were then shown on the life of three Salesian Cooperators on their way to the altars and on their relationship with Jesus and Mary: Nino Baglieri, Blessed Alexandrina Maria Da Costa and Vera Grita. Martín Calderón then closed the meeting – which involved 170 participants from 13 countries – encouraging everyone to let themselves be guided and accompanied by Mary Help of Christians.
Lawaan, Philippines – August 2024 – The Shrine of St John the Dreamer in Lawaan, Philippines, hosted a ceremony during which eight Salesian novices made their first profession, before Fr Joseph Nguyen Thinh Phuoch, Councillor for the East Asia-Oceania Region. The Councillor is currently in the Philippines for the Extraordinary Visitation in the Salesian Province of the Southern Philippines. The novices who made their first profession are Emmanuel Almeria, Wilson Alo II, Matthew Espino, Madelon Gaddao and Ruel Gonzales, belonging to the Province of the Northern Philippines, and Peter Kamara, Noah Bisam and Sisto Oge, who belong to the Salesian Vice-Province of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (PGS).
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.