(ANS - Rome) - At the General Council meeting on Thursday, 13 June 2024, the Rector Major of the Salesians, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, with the consent of the other members of his Council, appointed Fr Néstor Ledesma as the new Provincial of the "Mary Most Holy Assumption" Province of Paraguay (PAR), based in the city of Asunción.
(ANS – Rome) – On June 12, 2024, the Rector Major appointed Fr. Marcello Baek SDB as the new Provincial of Korea for the next six years (2024-2030).
(ANS – Rome) – Work has begun in the summer plenary session of the General Council of the Salesian Congregation, the last "plenum" to be chaired by Card. Ángel Fernández Artime - Rector Major In the seven weeks of work, between now and 26 July, there will be numerous work sessions to accompany the ordinary leadership and government of the entire Congregation, as well as to prepare for some important milestones in the near future, such as the conclusion of the mandate of Card. Á.F. Artime as Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the next General Chapter, the 29th of the Congregation (GC29).
THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime
The art of being like Don Bosco: “Remember that education is a matter of the heart, of which God alone is the master, and that we can achieve nothing unless God teaches us the art and hands us the key” (The Biographical Memoirs of Saint John Bosco, XVI, 376).
Campo Grande, Brazil – June 2024 – The Catholic University Dom Bosco (UCDB) and the State Home Minister’s Office of Mato Grosso do Sul (MPE-MS) have been awarded the 2nd "Ipê Amarelo" Environmental Award. The Environment and Sustainability Commission of the Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy of Mato Grosso do Sul (Crea-MS) recognized the project of the Integrated Center for Environmental Protection and Research (Ceippam), which has been developed at UCDB over the past six years. Additionally, Master's student Priscila Quevedo Monteiro Garcez from UCDB's postgraduate program in Environmental Sciences and Agricultural Sustainability was honored for her Takakura project. UCDB was represented at the award ceremony by Denilson Oliveira Guilherme, coordinator of the Agro-environmental Program, Andressa Tognon, coordinator of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Agency (S-Inova), Ph.D., student Wesley Carvalho, and interns. Ceippam operates on two fronts: the Center for Research and Practice in Environmental Law (Nuppam), located in the Center for Legal Practices (Nuprajur) at UCDB, and the Technical Center (NT), which operates in the Geoprocessing Laboratory of the Catholic University. The technicians provide information and data to support environmental promotions in Mato Grosso do Sul in procedural decisions. The second edition of the Ipê Amarelo Prize aims to recognize projects and initiatives related to environmental conservation, sustainability, technologies, and entrepreneurship involving engineering, agronomy, and geosciences in Mato Grosso do Sul. This edition received more than 20 proposals, and two projects were awarded in each of the three categories: professional, student, and institution. In the professional category, Priscila Garcez, an environmental engineer and Master's student at UCDB, was awarded for her project "Takakura Accelerated Composting Method."
Buenos Aires, Argentina – June 2024 – From June 10 to 13, the Salesians of the Province of Argentina South (ARS) celebrated their V Provincial Chapter at the La Montonera retreat house in Pilar, Buenos Aires. Convened by ARS Provincial Fr. Darío Perera, SDB, these were days of work and reflection on the theme of GC29 and its three core themes. In the event moderated by the Vice Provincial, Fr. Osvaldo Braccia, SDB both Salesians, and laity participated with great enthusiasm. On this occasion, the preparatory committee had choses the method of spiritual dialogue, a methodology currently used by the Church in this time of synodality. The Moderator presented the regulations and methodology to the participants, after which the first of the three day-session began. On the final day, Fr. José García Arias, SDB, was elected as the Provincial delegate to GC29 to accompany Fr. Perera, and Fr. Jorge Ledesma was elected as his substitute. In concluding the Chapter, Fr. Perera thanked the participants thus: "One beautiful aspect of our Province is the strong youth participation. I usually participate in various youth meetings that are animated by the young people who are also Animators in Schools. I also see strong youth participation in the governing bodies of the Salesian houses."
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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Argentina – UNISAL Participates in the International Forum “Territories of the Future: South Atlantic and Antarctica”(ANS – Río Grande) – From February 19 to 21, the cities of Río Grande, Tolhuin, and Ushuaia hosted the International Forum “Territories of the Future: South Atlantic and Antarctica”, organized by the University Network for the Care of the Common Home (RUC) and the Municipality of Río Grande, with support from the National University of Tierra del Fuego (UNTDF). The event brought together universities from Argentina, Latin America, and the Caribbean to discuss sustainability and conservation in these regions, with the Salesian University of Argentina (UNISAL) playing an important role.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – International Women's Day: Salesian Missions highlights educational programs that empower women and girls(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8. The day honors the economic, political and social achievements of women while focusing the world’s attention on areas requiring further action.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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WE ARE DON BOSCO TODAYTHE MESSAGE OF THE VICAR OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Stefano Martoglio, SDB
Dear friends and readers, members of the Salesian Family, for this month's greeting in the Salesian Bulletin I will focus on a very important event that the Salesian Congregation is holding presently: General Chapter XXIX. This assembly, the most important one that the Congregation can experience, occurs every six years along the Salesian Congregation’s journey.
