Udon Thani, Thailand - March 2018 - The Salesian school "Don Bosco Vittaya" of Udon Thani celebrated its 60th anniversary with a sporting event consisting of several marathons of various distances. The event gathered around 3,500 participants and was followed by a celebratory evening with over 3,000 people taking part and circa 250 artists performing. The event was opened by Msgr. Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil, SDB, bishop of Surat Thani, and Fr John Bosco Thepharat Pitisant, Provincial of the Thailand Province, with the participation of various Salesians.
Vienna, Austria - March 2018 - A group of young Syrians and Austrians have started the "Ambassadors for Peace in Syria" platform with the aim of creating, through the Internet, a broadbased network of peace: www.syria-peaceambassadors.org The new platform is an inter-religious initiative inviting everyone to be ambassadors of peace by joining and subscribing online at the website. Mahmoud Al Alabdallah, one of the creators, said, "It hurts me that there is still war in my homeland. We need a global peace movement." The promoters invite all signatories to commit themselves so that "no more weapons are delivered and the fighting ceases immediately." The appeal is aimed primarily at the men of Syria and the politicians in power. The promoters come from the Salesian volunteer project "Don Bosco for the refugees" which in Vienna has, since 2015, been offering intensive German-language courses to 70 refugees aged between 16 and 30, most of whom are Syrians. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/syria.peaceambassadors/
Jaboatão, Brazil - March 2018 - On 3-4 March, the meeting of the Interprovincial Council of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) took place. The meeting brought together young animators of the Provinces of Recife (BRE) and of San Paolo (BSP), animators who lived a formative moment related to the "Campaign of Fraternities 2018". Together with SYM coordinators and counselors, they discussed the path undertaken by SYM in each province, defining their priorities for 2018 and strengthening the proposals for joint action between the SDB and FMA provinces.
Bukavu, D.R. Congo - March 2018 - The Missionary Week of the Central African Province (AFC) on the theme "Whispering the Gospel" ended on 4 March. In the Salesian presences of Lubumbashi, Bukavu, Goma, Uvira, the event was lived and experienced in the spirit of developing solidarity and missionary voluntary service throughout the AFC Province. On the same day, six new members of the Salesian Cooperators Association (ASC) were welcomed.
Turin, Italy - March 8, 2018 - The faithful gathered in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin were invited to offer their prayers for the needs of the Salesian Family in the Salesian Province "Spain-St James Major" (SSM). This intention is expressed by a candle before the painting of Mary Help of Christians in the Basilica that was lit by a group of teachers from Salesian schools involved in a formation course on Don Bosco and Salesian charism. It is yet another step in the path of thanksgiving and prayer inaugurated by Rector Major Fr Ángel Fernández Artime in the context of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the consecration of the Basilica of Valdocco.
Calcutta, India - March 1, 2018 - Fr. Maria Arokiam Kanaga, Councilor for the South Asia Region, and Fr. Vijaya Bhaskar Thathireddy, Provincial of the Hyderabad Province, during the Assembly of the Conference of Provinces and Vice Provinces of South Asia, presented the "Pascual Chávez 2017 Award" to the Salesian "Bosco Seva Kendra" center. The award was given for the innovative Salesian pastoral work carried out by "Bosco Seva Kendra" on gender equality: over 4000 young people were involved in an awareness-raising program on the issue and were formed to become authentic protagonists of social change.