Torhout, Belgium – February 2024 – Tthe Provincial Chapter of the Salesian Province of Northern Belgium and the Netherlands (BEN) was held from 14 to 17 February at the Groenhovee Diocesan Service House. The assembly, divided into various sessions, was presided over by Fr Bart Decancq, Superior of Province BEN, and Salesians, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and lay people reflected together on the future of the Salesian charism in Flanders and the Netherlands. Another session of the Provincial Chapter is scheduled for 13 April.
Tlaquepaque, Mexico – February 2024 – On Thursday, 22 February, the Provincials belonging to the America South Cone and Interamerica Regions met in Tlaquepaque, in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, to take part in the Curatorium of the Regional Centre for the Formation of Salesian Brothers in America (CRESCO America). The meeting was chaired by Fr Filiberto González, Superior of the Mexico-Guadalajara Province (MEG); and accompanying the meeting was also Fr Guido Errico of the Formation Sector, and connected online, Fr Gabriel Romero, Councillor for the America South Cone Region. The Curatorium focused on crucial issues related to the formation and guidance of Salesian brothers in formation. Among the points highlighted, the review and approval of the adjustments to the Formation Project, the Directory and the CRESCO Statutes should be noted, highlighting the commitment to the constant improvement of the formation path. Proposals for formation of the formation team for 2024 and 2025 were also discussed, with the aim of ensuring an enriching educational environment for future Salesian brothers. In addition, the commitment to the preparation of formators and the identification of possible future candidates was explored. This focus on formation and identifying talents reflects the constant commitment to strengthening the Salesian mission and ensuring quality formation for the next generations of Salesian brothers. The Curatorium of "CRESCO America" proved to be a vital space for discussion, decision-making and strategic planning, highlighting the ongoing importance of Salesian formation.
Isiolo, Kenya – February 2024 - Sunday 25 February 2024 was a joyful day for the parish community of the Don Bosco Catholic Mission Korr, the Salesian mission in Korr, Kenya, which welcomed the General Councillor for the Missions, Fr Alfred Maravilla. He was accompanied by Fr Eric Mairura, of the Missions Sector, Fr George Tharaniyil, Superior of the Salesian Province of East Africa (AFE), and Fr Jose Padinjareparampil, Head of the Commission for Missionary Animation in the Province. Fr Maravilla spent much of the day with the people of the parish, celebrating Sunday Mass for the faithful and visiting the recently renovated and reopened parish dispensary. Then he went to Ngrunit, a mission station of the parish, about 50 kilometres away, and in the afternoon he met the young people of the parish. Don Bosco Catholic Mission Korr is located about 600 kilometres north of Nairobi and is located within the vast Kaisut desert, in the diocese of Marsabit, where the population is mostly made up of shepherds. Anyone who visits the parish can feel the love and warmth of the people, a testimony to the dedication and hard work of the Salesian pioneers and other Salesians who have worked in this mission. The current Director and Pastor of the mission is Fr Eric Owuor Onyango.
(ANS – Kigali) – The Team Visit to the Africa Madagascar region concluded on Friday, February 23, 2024, in the presence of Msgr. Arnaldo Sánchez Catalán, the Apostolic Nuncio to Rwanda.
(ANS – Rome) – The Salesian Congregation’s Sector for Youth Ministry and the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) are promoting a higher-level formation course for Salesian leaders in Europe.
(ANS – Rome) – The seventh video of the series "It is time for Chapter 28" has been made available online today, Friday, 23 February 2024, in which Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major of the Salesians, illustrates the seventh Action Guideline delivered after the 28th General Chapter: "IT IS TIME FOR GREATER GENEROSITY IN THE CONGREGATION. A universal and missionary Congregation."
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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Italy – Don Bosco’s Letters Return back to Valdocco, Turin!(ANS – Turin) – On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the city of Turin, particularly Valdocco, will commemorate the publication of “The Letters of Don Bosco” (edited by Francesco Motto, Rome, LAS 1992-2024). Two distinct events will be held: one in the morning, open to the general public, and another in the evening, exclusively for Salesian family members and well wishers. These events will serve as a platform to highlight the significance of Don Bosco’s letters.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – World Water Day: Salesian Missions highlights projects that ensure clean water for youth(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 World Water Day. Led by U.N.-Water, the organization that coordinates the United Nations’ work on water and sanitation, the day has been honored on March 22 every year since 1993.
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.
