EAO – October 2024 – Social Communication delegates from the East Asia-Oceania Region met online to take part in the second cycle of phase two of the "Communication Training School", focused on: "Artificial Intelligence in Evangelisation" and led by Fr Paul Aldrin Dungca, SDB, from the Salesian Province of the Northern Philippines. A total of 36 participants, including Salesians, sisters, lay people and young people from Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and other countries, joined the session. In this training session, Fr Dungca began by talking about how to conceptualise youth activities using stories, but also conflicts and tensions. It has shown how Artificial Intelligence tools, available for free, can help refine these concepts into more concrete plans. He also showed how to create materials for events, thus improving the process of planning and preparing youth activities. Important issues such as intellectual property and privacy were then touched upon. In conclusion, the participants shared how AI helped them communicate with young people. The next meeting is scheduled for 12 December and will continue to reflect the commitment to the ongoing formation of the Salesians and the Salesian Family in communication.

Bahia, Brazil – October 2024 – Don Bosco always believed that being an educator was more than a profession: it was a life mission. For him, the role of the Salesian educator went beyond formal teaching: it was about guiding young people on the path of love, hospitality and, above all, love. Inspired by this vision, the Salesians of Bahia brought together the educators from three Salesian houses - the Dom Bosco Salesian Institute in Camaçari, the Salesian High School in El Salvador and the Dom Bosco Salesian School in El Salvador - for a morning of celebration and reflection on the occasion of Salesian Educators Day. The activities began with a moment of prayer, led by the members of the Youth Ministry in Bahia, who then staged the Parable of the Sower. Fr Ildefonso Mesquita, Pastoral Coordinator and Rector of the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Bahia, then reflected on the transformative role of the educator as the one who prepares the ground for new generations to grow and flourish. There were moments of reflection, such as the speech on mental health, given by teacher Thauane Rocha, and moments of celebration such as congratulations to Fr Eudes Barreto, Rector of the Salesians in Bahia, for his birthday.

La Palma del Condado, Spain – October 2024 – In the afternoon of Saturday 5 October, the citizens of La Palma del Condado canonically crowned the statue of Mary Help of Christians, with a public ceremony held in the city's Plaza de España, presided over by the Bishop of Huelva, Bishop Santiago Gómez Sierra. The Pontifical Mass was held in the portico of the parish church of St John the Baptist, which was also attended by Fr Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy, Councillor for the Mediterranean Region, Fr Fernando Miranda, Superior of Spain's Mary Help of Christians Province (SMX) and numerous representatives of the Salesian Family. The procession began after the Eucharist,, starting from Plaza de España, and traveled through the main streets of the city, accompanied by faithful and representatives of civil and ecclesiastical institutions.