Dimapur, India – December 2024 – A joint meeting between Economers, Directors of the Planning and Development Offices (PDO) and Directors of mission offices in the South Asia Region took place in Dimapur from 30 November to 3 December. This collaboration marked a significant step in strategic and organisational planning and missionary initiatives. The discussions focused on two fundamental documents issued respectively by Fr Alfred Maravilla, General Councillor for the Missions, and by Br Jean Paul Muller, SDB, Economer General of the Salesian Congregation. Fr Biju Michael, Regional Councillor for South Asia, was also present for the occasion, stressing that the priority must be the spread of the Gospel. After the initial prayer and the welcome speech by Fr Joseph Pampackal, Superior of the Salesian Saint Francis de Sales Province of Dimapur, India (IND), there were several interventions and interactive sessions that allowed participants to explore the topics illustrated. Many topics were discussed, such as the integration of integral human development in missionary activities and the presentation of new software for the management and sponsorship of the Provinces, which aroused interest among the participants. The event ended with the convening of the next meeting to be held in Nepal on 22 and 23 November 2025.

Santiago, Chile – December 2024 - Representatives of the Salesian schools in Chile participated in a meeting of administrators held at the Provincial House of the Salesians in Chile on 4 and 5 December. The meeting was held with the aim of strengthening transformational leadership, accompanying the transition to new integrated software and communicating the results of the ministerial, fiscal and accounting processes. The event opened with a welcome from the Provincial of the Salesians in Chile, Fr Nelson Moreno, who expressed the importance, on the part of the participants, of being not only experts in the financial part, but to dialogue with the finance team at the central level for next year's budget and to work on the theme of solidarity economy, Christian and Salesian principle. The Provincial Economer, Fr Néstor Muñoz, commented: "We want to promote the strengthening of administrative leadership, which is so important within this culture of administration". During the morning, the Head of Administration and Finance, Andrés Berríos, presented the Closing of the 2024 processes and the 2025 Financial Statements. Subsequently, a workshop on educational leadership was held, promoted by Oscar Soto, psychologist of organisations. In the afternoon, the head of the Accounting Department, Kristhel Peralta, presented the declaratory processes, the payment of suppliers and the accounting closure 2024. The work of the first day ended with the presentation of the Head of Human Resources, Karen Henríquez. On the second day, the participants worked on formation in the SIE declarative processes, on the School Improvement Plan and on the Preferential School Allowance.

SOURCE: Salesian Communication Chile

Ayagualo, November 2024 – From 25 to 29 November, the social communicators from the Salesian Province of Central America (CAM) had their annual meeting at the Sacred Heart retreat house, in Ayagualo, El Salvador,  under the motto "Communicate +: connect, evangelise and transform". The activity brought together more than 40 participants from Salesian houses in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and El Salvador. Among the topics addressed, the "Strategic Vision of the CAM Province" stands out, curated by Fr Julio Navarro, CAM Provincial, who offered his valuable support for communication throughout the Province. Dr Roberto Damas, head of university pastoral care at Don Bosco University, also spoke on the subject of Don Bosco the Comunicator . Fr Marcelo Navarrete, Provincial Delegate for Vocational Animation, shared his presentation on "Vocational accompaniment". Alejandra Rodríguez, Provincial Delegate for Social Communication, spoke on "Knowing and communicating with the new generations (Gen Z and Alpha)". Finally, Lucía Sánchez, head of the Province's digital media, presented "Best evangelisation practices in social networks". During the meeting, the communicators exchanged experiences by sectors: parishes, oratories, educational centres and youth centres, to share best practices and address common challenges. The event was the ninth Meeting of Social Communicators in Central America, whose objective was to unify criteria, establish priorities and define commitments for 2025, all framed by the objective of cultivating hope, a value that must be reflected in every message, video and image disseminated throughout the Province.

Madrid, Spain - December 2024 - From 30 November to 1 December, the Salesian hostel in Mataelpino, Madrid, hosted the second meeting of the Salesian Missionary Volunteering course of Spain's Saint James the Greater Province (SSM)  in collaboration with Misiones Salesianas Mission Office and the Jóvenes y Desarollo NGO. This second meeting was aimed exclusively at volunteers who are preparing to leave in summer 2025 (VMS25). A total of 42 people participated in the formation event, mostly from the Salesian works in the SSM Province. The event took place in two different settings: on the one hand, on Saturday morning, at the Misiones Salesianas Museum, where Paloma Montero, head of the transformation area, together with her team, prepared a formation proposal based on the museum's exhibition, "Slave Children. The back door. ” José Alberto Medina, from the Misiones Salesianas transformation area, recounted his experience arriving in Spain and invited those present, such as Salesian Missionary Volunteers (SMVs), to "humbly put themselves in the shoes of others". In the second part of the morning, Thimbo Samb, a young Senegalese actor who arrived in Spain by boat a few years ago, staged his dramatic experience. On Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, in Mataelpino, the volunteer formation team developed the different formation modules planned for this first meeting: "The volunteer: anthropological and moral dimension", "The volunteer: vocation and mission" and "Field experience: towards transformative volunteering". Accompanying the process were 3 volunteers from the previous course who shared their experience in Nigeria and Venezuela.

Caracas, Venezuela – November 2024 - The first meeting of parish priests, rectors of shrines and heads of Salesian evangelisation centres for the period 2024-2025 took place in an atmosphere of fraternity and collaboration. Held on 28 November, at the Provincial House, the event served to strengthen teamwork and update the knowledge of the participants on some key issues for parish ministry. During the meeting, the participants had the opportunity to share experiences, challenges and best practices in the implementation of the Parish Pastoral Project. Experts in different areas, such as canon law and administration, offered presentations and workshops to enrich the formation of participants. The topics addressed concerned Parish Government: book of government, register of sacraments, and archives, by Fr Daniel Ignacio Almeida, Chancellor of the Diocese of Petare; Marriage Law: acts of marriage, declarations of nullity and functioning of the ecclesiastical court, by Fr Fabián Padilla; Parish Administration: administrative functioning of parishes after the provincial reshaping. This first meeting served to lay the foundations for improving the activities that will allow Salesian parish priests to update themselves and work in a coordinated way in the evangelisation of their communities. The next meeting is scheduled for June 2025, where the progress made will be evaluated and new issues of interest for parish ministry will be addressed.

New Rochelle, United States – December 2024 – On Sunday 24 November, the Youth Ministry Office in the Saint Philip Province in the Eastern United States (SUE) hosted the regional meeting of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM), called "DEC North" (Day Everybody Connects). The event attracted over 50 students from the high schools from the Salesian centres: Don Bosco Prep, Mary Help of Christians Academy and Salesian High School, together with 11 young adults from the team coordinating the event. The day began with the Mass, followed by a series of engaging activities and sessions that lasted until the evening, when a concluding adoration vigil and penitential liturgy took place. Salesian Brother Rafael Vargas and the coordinating team facilitated competitive games, promoting fellowship among the participants. The young people also engaged in reflections and discussions in small groups, creating an atmosphere of communion and growth, and many students also participated in a solidarity collection, donating clothes for the "Midnight Run" event organized by the Don Bosco Prep center.