NEWS
(ANS – Koko) – News bouncing all over the world often does not draw attention any longer. It seems that violence, death and destruction are not a human language. But fortunately the pieces of news coming from Nigeria do draw attention. It is enough to read the papers: “Alert for humanitarian crisis in the North of Nigeria”; “The Nigerian army liberates 5.000 Boko Haram hostages”; “An investigation confirms that the Nigerian army killed 348 Shiite believers”. In this context, marked by violence, the Salesians continue to work and to proclaim the mercy of God; and since 2014, instead of reducing their presences, they have opened a new one in the area of Koko.
(ANS – Rome) – “The Rector Major could not let the Jubilee Year of Mercy pass without helping us to deeply tune in with the whole Church. He invites us to welcome the grace of this great ecclesial event and to discover the fruits of mercy that the Salesian charism can bring”. Thus writes Fr. Cereda, the Vicar of the Rector Major, on the Letter of the Rector Major “Merciful like the Father” (AGC 423).
(ANS – Morobo) – Ever since the start of clashes in Juba, ripples of fear have spread over the population in Morobo county. Towns have been depleted of their inhabitants and many people have fled to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Others have taken refuge in the interior villages, for fear of being trapped as victims of crossfire between the national army and the rebel-forces. Traveling has become difficult and dangerous, as the Salesians could experience for themselves.
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 – CATHOLIC WORLD DAY OF THE SICK: Salesian Missions highlights medical programs for people in need around the globe(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins Catholic organizations around the globe in honoring the Catholic World Day of the Sick. Every year on Feb. 11, the Pope marks the day with a special message calling for spiritual and physical closeness to all those who are ill. Saint John Paul II instituted the day “to encourage the people of God, Catholic health institutions and civil society to be increasingly attentive to the sick and to those who care for them.”
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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GOOD, FAITHFUL, AND COURAGEOUS SERVANTSTHE MESSAGE OF THE VICAR OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Stefano Martoglio, SDB
During this Jubilee year, in this difficult world, we are invited to rise up, set out again, and, in newness of life, make our journey as human beings and believers.