Los Teques, Venezuela – November 2024 - From 7 to 9 November, the San José de Los Teques High School hosted the first Salesian student meeting, an event that brought together 620 young people from colleges, schools and vocational training centres in different regions of the Salesian Province of Venezuela. The event stood out for its focus on sport as the centre of the experience, complemented by cultural evenings that celebrated the values and traditions of each participating region. The young people appreciated the activities that fostered fraternity and friendship, as well as time for prayer and the Eucharist, which allowed them to get in touch with God, with themselves and with their classmates. The event was organised by the Provincial Commission for Salesian Schools, with special thanks to the San José High School team, led by Salesian Brother José Liborio Escalano. It offered a safe and welcoming environment, transforming the place into a real home, school, oratory and parish. The meeting was also attended by all the school leaders and a group of Salesians who accompanied the young people in this sporting and spiritual experience. During these days the participants had experiences of gratitude, joy and celebration, including games, dances and recreational activities. The event was not only an opportunity to strengthen the Salesian community, but also for thanking God for the 130 years since the arrival of the Salesians in Venezuela, thus reaffirming their commitment to the education and integral development of young people.

Chichirat, Peru – November 2024 - On 9 and 10 November, the community of Chichirat, in the Peruvian Amazon, was the site of the 12th Binational Congress of Achuar Lay Ecclesial Ministers. Involving 250 representatives from different communities in Peru and Ecuador, this meeting has become a lively space for reflection and strengthening the Achuar cultural identity. This congress is the result of the pastoral work of the Salesian provinces of Ecuador and Peru, which continue the legacy of Fr Luis Bolla in his accompaniment of the Achuar people and in the inculturation of the Gospel in the region. Focused on young people, the congress addressed crucial issues such as ancestral education, mythology, culture and traditions. Through an approach that embraces the past, present and future, they sought to strengthen fraternal ties between communities and reaffirm the importance of this ancestral knowledge. On the second day, the challenges faced by young people today were analysed, especially in relation to the use of technology. The participants were encouraged to take advantage of technological tools as allies for the development and well-being of their communities. The main objective of the congress was to strengthen the Achuar culture and promote good living in the communities. Fr Rogger Valdivia, a Salesian in the community at Wasakentsa, stressed the importance of generosity and sharing as fundamental values of the Achuar culture and as key elements of this meeting.

Monica Ulloa
Don Bosco Editorial Group

Namuncurá San Ignacio, Argentina – November 2024 – As part of the commemoration of the 17th anniversary of the Beatification of Ceferino Namuncurá, the community of San Ignacio, a town in Neuquén, organised a celebration, held from 8 to 10 November. The event opened with the arrival of the first gauchos on horseback, welcomed with the Mass celebrated by Fr Natalino Freitas. The next day, those present went on pilgrimage to the cemetery where Rosario Burgos de Namuncurá, Ceferino's mother, rests. At the altar in the cemetery, the tombs were blessed, the deceased were prayed for and flowers were offered in memory of each Mapuche. The pilgrims then went to the "kultrum", where the remains of the Blessed Mapuche rest. The pilgrimage was followed by torches to the top of the "Cerro Ceferino", where the pilgrims prayed in front of a bust of the young Mapuche. The event in honour of Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá was also attended by numerous authorities, including the Mayor of Junín de los Andes, Luis Madueño; the Mayor of Aluminé, Diego Victoria; Deputy Gabriel Álamo; the Minister of Education and the Governor of Neuquén, Soledad Martínez; and artist Alejandro Santana, author of the "kultrum" and the "Vía Christi", in Junín de los Andes. The formal greeting was addressed by Cirilo Namuncurá, president of the Ceferinian Commission. Mass was then celebrated by Fr Antonio Sánchez Lara, SDB, parish priest of Chimpay, Río Negro, the birthplace of Blessed Namuncurà, and concelebrated by Fr Natalino Freitas and Fr Isidoro Adami, SDB.