La Coruña, Spain - January 2018 - On January 2 and 3, Fr Daniel García Reynoso, of the Youth Ministry Dicastery, visited the Teranga Coruña Program of the "JuanSoñador" Foundation. To Fr García Reynoso, program coordinator María Garrido Puga illustrated the work carried out by the eight members of the project, which deals with migrants, and a number of social, work, formation and awareness-raising projects.
Mannuthy, India - January 2018 - On 14 and 15 January, the meeting of the Past Pupils of the Salesian aspirants of Mannuthy and Vaduthala (Kerala State) and Bandal (West Bengal State) took place. About 80 participants, past pupils of the years 1974-1984, met for the first time after many years, immediately establishing a climate of friendship. Among them were Salesians, engineers, doctors, members of the military, senior civil servants, and a nuclear scientist working for the government.
La Ceja, Colombia - January 2018 - On 12 January, in the chapel of the St Domenico Savio College in La Ceja, 12 Salesian novices made their first religious profession. The newly professed come from the Provinces of the Antilles (1), Central America (4), Peru (1), Colombia-Bogota (4) and Colombia-Medellín (2).
Battersea, Great Britain - January 2018 - From 12 to 14 January, the annual meeting of the Atlantic-German Zone of the Central and Northern Europe Region took place in the Salesian community of Battersea, London. It brought together the Provincials of the Provinces of Austria, North Belgium, France-South Belgium, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland with the Malta Delegation. Fr. Fabio Attard, General Councilor for Youth Ministry, and several Salesians from the GBR Province attended the meeting, which was animated by the Councilor for Central and North Europe Region, Fr. Tadeusz Rozmus. The community of Battersea, which hosted the meeting, has undergone a profound building expansion and charismatic transformation in recent years, part of the center's redesign by the GBR Province. Next to the new headquarters of the Salesian community, there is also a new Salesian school, run together with the diocese. Also in Battersea, there is currently a formation community for Englishspeaking Salesians.
Santiago, Chile - January 2018 - Pope Francis arrived in Chile on 15 January and was welcomed at the Santiago airport by the Apostolic Nuncio, Msgr. Ivo Scapolo; the President of the Republic, Hon. Michelle Bachelet; Cardinal Archbishop of Santiago, Msgr. Ricardo Ezzati SDB, plus many other civil and religious authorities, faithful, and a number of children.
Rome, Italy - 15 January 2018 - On 15 January, day of the liturgical memorial of Fr Luigi Variara, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major, visited the Vice Province of the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS), for the 30 years of the presence of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, founded by Fr Variara, and to meet the Salesians who are patients of the infirmary. The visit ended with the traditional "good night" of the Rector Major.