Iju – Lagos – November 2024 - From 27 to 29 November, the Salesians of Don Bosco of the Africa Nigeria Niger Province (ANN), organised a workshop on the protection of vulnerable individuals in which 29 people participated, including Salesians and lay collaborators, representing all the communities of the Province. The workshop was a clear testament to the ANN Province's commitment to promoting a safe and secure environment for all and served as a platform to educate, inspire and define best practice strategies for the protection of vulnerable individuals. Participants explored ways to integrate the Salesian preventive system into safeguarding efforts, emphasising prevention, awareness and proactive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of each individual within the Salesian communities. This pivotal event underscores the Province ANN's unwavering dedication to safeguarding and ensuring that all individuals can thrive in a safe and inspiring environment.
Madrid, Spain – November 2024 – The award ceremony for the fifth edition of the Charism Awards of the Spanish Conference of Religious (CONFER) took place during a gala evening held at the CaixaForum in Madrid on 28 November. "Sueños, el Musical", a show produced by the Salesians of the Saint James the Greater Province Spain (SSM) and staged in April and part of May this year, was one of the winners in the 'Youth Vocation Ministry' section. The musical, conceived and directed by Father Toño Casado and inspired by John Bosco's childhood dream, received this award from the jury because this dream "continues to change the lives of many young people today". More than 25,000 spectators saw the musical. The president of CONFER, Jesús Díaz Sariego OP, was the first to take the floor to explain the meaning of this act and its awards. "CONFER, every year, wants to make visible its commitment to the promotion of humanity, because everything that comes from the most intimate part of the person matters a lot for the more than four hundred Congregations that are part of the Conference and for those close to it". The creator and director of the musical, Fr Toño Casado, and, representing the Salesians, Fr Xabier Camino and Fr Javier Valiente were present at the gala. After receiving the award, Casado thanked the work of the entire team and the commitment of the Salesians in producing a work that can reach young people in today's language.
(ANS – Dimapur) – The Global Coordinator of Salesian Higher Education International Rome and the former Principal of Salesian College Siliguri and Sonada, Father Dr. George Thadathil, SDB, visited the Salesian Province of Dimapur from November 21 to 27. His visit was marked by workshops and faculty development programs conducted across several regional colleges, fostering innovative research, enhancing teaching methodologies, and promoting constitutional values.
(ANS – Santiago) – As part of the approach to the 150th anniversary of the first Salesian Missionary Expedition (1875-2025), Fr Alfred Maravilla, General Councillor for the Missions, made a pilgrimage to the places linked to the first missionaries in Chile from 23 to 29 November 2024.
(ANS – Vatican City) – The Positio super martyrio of the Servants of God Rodolfo Lunkenbein and Simão Bororo was delivered to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican on 28 November 2024.
Portugal - November 2024 - In November, the educative and pastoral communities of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Cabo Verde, Mirandela, Porto and Funchal, celebrated the Festival of Youth Holiness with special activities proposed by the Pastoral Ministry and Schools. With great fervour and joy, the Salesian Educational Community in Cabo Verde celebrated the Festival of Youth Holiness. With four days of spiritual preparation, the event centred on the simultaneous celebration of two Eucharists, in the school and in the chapel, and sports activities of various disciplines in three different locations. In Mirandela, the Youth Holiness Festival aimed to look at all models of youth holiness and reflect on their ability to take the initiative with other young people and put their gifts to good use. An afternoon of conviviality and willingness shared by all was experienced during the Eucharist, as well as cultural and learning moments. The Salesians in Porto celebrated the Feast of Youth Holiness, where the pupils of the Don Bosco school took St Dominic Savio as an example. Indeed, joy was the dominant note of the day throughout the various activities. In Funchal, the celebration was enhanced by the presence of Fr Tarcízio Morais, Superior of the Salesian Province of Portugal, who presided over the Eucharist, and highlighted the simplicity and importance of each person trusting, with courage, in the achievement of holiness. Important figures from the history of the Salesians of the school, which celebrates 75 years in 2025, were not forgotten.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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RMG – The missionaries of the 155th Salesian Missionary Expedition: Guy Roger Mutombo Mutshi, from the Vice-Province of Africa Congo Congo (ACC) to the Province of Southern Italy (IME)(ANS – Rome) – The final word from the new Salesian missionaries comes from Congolese Guy Roger, a missionary in the Province of Southern Italy. "My plans and dreams for my missionary life are to live in communion of spirit and action with my Salesian brothers in IME for the salvation of poor and abandoned young people, according to the heart of Don Bosco and to the greater glory of God".
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 – Presentation of the volume "Giovanni Bosco, Predicazione"(ANS – Rome) – Last Friday, 22 November 2024, at the UPS, the Salesian Historical Institute (ISS), in collaboration with the Don Bosco Study Centre (CSDB) at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome, presented the volume Giovanni Bosco, Predicazione. Introduzione, testi critici e note a cura di Aldo Giraudo e Massimo Schwarzel. (= ISS – Fonti, Prima Series, 18). Rome, 2024. The symposium involved numerous scholars who were able to illustrate the originality and specific value of this new text on St John Bosco.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – INT’L DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Salesian Missions highlights support for people with disabilities(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 honoring International Day of People with Disabilities. Since its inception in 1945, the United Nations has outlined and reiterated its commitment to calling for the creation of inclusive, accessible, and sustainable societies and communities. In 1981, the U.N. proclaimed Dec. 3 as a recognized day for the celebration of the achievements of people living with disabilities across the world.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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A BIG HEART LIKE THE SHORES OF THE SEATHE MESSAGE OF THE VICAR OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Stefano Martoglio, SDB
A new time is given to us: from the Heart of God to the heart of humanity, mirrored in the great heart of Don Bosco.
Dear friends and readers, in this December issue I address you with my best wishes for a new year! We find ourselves in a new time that is given to us to live with intensity and with "newness of life," which I make my own, as a propitious and opportune wish. I am speaking of the gift that the Holy Father has given us in recent days: his Encyclical letter Dilexit Nos on the human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ.