Manaus, Brazil – January 31st, 2017 – On the occasion of the feast of Don Bosco, the Auxiliary Archbishop of Manaus, Msgr. Edmilson Tadeu Canavarros, SDB, celebrated the Perpetual Profession of three Salesians: Bartolomeu Nguyen Quang Lam Son and João Batista Duy Tan, both coming from Vietnam, and Dernival Ricardo Martins, an indigenous from São Gabriel da Cachoeira.
Cochabamba, Bolivia - February 2017 - The Polish Salesian Fr Andrzej Borowiec, director of the Provincial House of Bolivia, visited the Salesian communities in the villages of Kami and Independencia, located respectively about 4,000 and 2,800 metres above sea level, In these inaccessible areas, the Salesians offer assistance to the local population, with schools for children, vocational training for young people, and social development for the Campesinos. Thanks to a project of Fr Serafino Chiesa, an Italian Salesian missionary, a hydroelectric power plant has been built, with the aim of creating a development engine for thousands of poor farmers and miners, using the water of the river Ayopara.
Tiruchy, India - February 2017 - On 4 February, Fr Maria Arokiam Kanaga, Councillor for South Asia Region, presided at the installation ceremony of the new Provincial in Tiruchy, Fr Antony Joseph (on the right in the photo).
Irapuato, Mexico - February 2017 - The cornerstone of the "Casa Artemide Zatti" was blessed on 5 February. The building will house the sick and elderly Salesians in need of special medical attention. The blessing was performed by Fr. Timothy Ploch, Councillor for the Inter-America Region, in the presence of Fr Hugo Orozco, Provincial of Guadalajara (MEG), Fr Francisco González, Provincial Economer, and the pre-novitiate community.
Madrid, Spain - 9 February 2017 - During a press conference at the Embassy of Colombia in Madrid "Misiones Salesianas" presented the documentary "Alto el Fuego" which reports on the work of the Salesians in Medellín for the social reintegration of those who were child soldiers in militias like FARC and ELN. It showed the psychosocial and pastoral programme of the Salesians at "Ciudad Don Bosco" in Medellín. The film was made with the assistance of the director of the work, Fr Rafael Bejarano, and the General Coordinator of Programmes for the Protections of Minors, James Areiza. The main characters were two young former child soldiers, Manuel and Catalina (fictitious names), who described their process of personal reintegration with the help of the Salesians.
Mérida, Mexico - January 2017 - On 24 January, Archbishop Gustavo Rodríguez Vega of Yucatán presided at the Eucharistic celebration on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Work at Alborada di Mérida. The celebration was attended by about 600 people, among them Fr Gabino Hernández Paleta, Provincial of Mexico City (MEM).