Mumbai, India - 24 May 2018 - Fr Godfrey D'Souza, Provincial of the India-Mumbai Province (INB), presided at the celebration during which three Salesians - Chris Ferreira, Joyston Machado and Sheldon Dias – made their professions perpetual.
Twickenham, Great Britain - June 2018 - Salesian cleric Gregory Echegwo, missionary of the "Project Europe" in Great Britain and student of "St Mary's University", was selected from over 300 students of that university to receive the "Volunteer Placement Award" , a prize for volunteers abroad, in the "Values" category. Br Echegwo was nominated by the "John Bosco College" of Battersea for his extraordinary contribution offered to the Department of Religious Education.
Caracas, Venezuela - June 2018 – Fr Giuseppe "José" Berno, the oldest Salesian of the Congregation, reached the House of the Father, yesterday, 10 June. On 24 February, Fr Berno had celebrated 107 years of life, 89 as a missionary in Venezuela, 86 of perpetual religious profession and 80 as a priest.
Fátima, Portugal - June 2018 - The 2017/2018 review meeting of the Salesian Family (FS) of Portugal took place on 2 June, with the presence of representatives of all the FS groups and of Fr Aníbal Mendonça, Superior of the Salesian Province of Portugal, Fr Joaquim Taveira, SDB, National Delegate for the SF, and Sr. Maria Fernanda Afonso, FMA, National Delegate for the FS. Besides being an important moment of communion between the different groups of the FS of Portugal, the review is also an opportunity for sharing challenges and projects.
Aschau am Inn, Germany - June 2018 - About 80 people attended the motivational seminar on the theme "Youth without incentives. Motivations for the vocational" at the Don Bosco Aschau am Inn on 5 June. The main speaker was Mr. Alexander Huber, professional mountaineer, who addressed the participants - young workers, official representatives, employers and other interested persons, to say: "It is not the mountain that we conquer, but ourselves." Mr. Huber then established a dialogue with 60 young people of the "Don Bosco Aschau am Inn" from which it emerged that,"not to believe in young people and to give them up is the worst thing that can happen." The Don Bosco Aschau am Inn offers vocational training and opportunities for young people who for various reasons do not have an easy life.
Cebu, Philippines - June 2018 - On 6 June, Fr Godofredo Atienza, Superior of the Province of the South Philippines, presided at Mass for the missionary envoy of his younger sister, Maria Carmencita, who will be working as a volunteer for a year at the Salesian Don Bosco-Mati house, in east Davao. During the event, two volunteer missionaries were warmly welcomed on their return from their experience at the "Don Bosco Technical School" in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Another volunteer, who'd returned in March, has now become a member of the commission of the South Philippines mission.