by SrDeniseSickinger | Dec 23, 2022 | a current event, Salesian News, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB
Let us keep him and all in his Vice-Province in prayer. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for constantly keeping us abreast of the publication in English of the Strenna, of the videos of the Spirituality Days, and of so much more. His dedication to growing and strengthening the Salesian Family of the East Asia and Oceania Region has borne much fruit and has helped so many of us in our efforts, as well! God bless him and all in AFM. By our own correspondent Valdocco, Turin, 23 December 2022 — On 22nd December, the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, with the consent of the General Council, appointed Fr Václav KLEMENT as Superior of the Southern Africa: South Africa-Lesotho-Eswatini (AFM) ‘Blessed Michael Rua’ Vice-province for the period of 6 years 2023-2029. The consultation for the new Superior was guided by the Africa-Madagascar Regional Councilor, Fr Alphonse Owoudou. Fr. Václav was born on October 7, 1958 in Brno, Czechoslovakia and started his Salesian consecrated life during the former totalitarian regime, made his first profession in 1982, then left his home country for Italy, crossing the Alps mountains to pursue his second vocation as a missionary ad gentes for...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Feb 1, 2022 | a current event, Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, books, FMA, On Sale, SDB
31 January 2022 (ANS – Rome) – The presentation of the volume Volti di uno stesso carisma. Salesiani e Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice nel XX secolo, or Faces of the same charism. Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in the twentieth century, edited by Fr Francesco Motto, SDB, and Sister Grazia Loparco, FMA, and published by LAS (Rome 2021) took place with extremely positive results on January 26 at the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) in Rome. Promoted by the association of Salesian historians, Associazione Cultori di Storia Salesiana (ACSSA) in collaboration with the Faculty of Education and Social Communication of the aforementioned university, various scholars shared their presentations during the event. In his greeting, prof. Fr Antonio Dellagiulia, SDB, Dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences (ESF) of the UPS, underlined the spiritual value of the individual profiles and their inclusion in the Salesian tradition; in the individual characters presented, he also identified that path of clear personal identity, great intimacy, and social generativity, of which a classic author of developmental psychology, Erik Erikson, speaks. Professor Fr Motto, President of ACSSA, then illustrated the complex phases of international preparatory work for the volume, the objectives that were intended and achieved, and the innovative...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Jan 14, 2022 | a current event, Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Rector Major, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB
10 January 2022 (ANS – Rome) – In the year dedicated to Father Paolo Albera for the centenary of his death, the Spanish Salesian Fr Jesús-Graciliano González, a member of the Association of Salesian History Scholars (ACSSA), has published the chronicles of Fr Albera’s visit to America from 1900 to 1903, taking up the texts of Fr Calogero Gusmano published in the Salesian Bulletin of the time; and the five trips that Fr Albera made to Spain between 1883 and 1913, again according to the chronicles in the Salesian Bulletin of that time. The Sector for Formation of the Salesian Congregation considers these books – published on Amazon and accessible from anywhere in the world both in paper and digital format – a wonderful contribution to get to know better the second Successor of Don Bosco at the head of the Salesian Congregation. From the pages of the era’s Salesian Bulletin, it is possible to perceive the enthusiasm that the figure of Don Bosco and his work signified during the expansion of the Congregation in America and Spain at the beginning of the 20th century. These two books are a beautiful tribute to Father Albera in the year dedicated to him for...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Dec 20, 2021 | Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, Missions, Outreach, Persecutions, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB
By Fr. Gabriel Cruz SDB Lahore, Pakistan 20 December 2021 — In the second week of December the Salesian community, Don Bosco Lahore was able to distribute humanitarian aid to Afghan immigrant-refugees and communities in Pakistan. The beneficiaries of this aid have been 200 Afghan families who are in the community of Peshawar. This activity has been carried out with the cooperation and coordination of the local authorities, the police and city administration, who have facilitated the distribution. We are infinitely grateful for the joint donations of the offices of Don Bosco Missio Aachen, Don Bosco New Rochelle, and Don Bosco Switzerland who were the main benefactors. Afghan refugee families in Pakistan are still waiting for a lot of help. Let us continue to pray for them. ...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Dec 17, 2021 | Ad maiorem Dei gloriam!, Christmas, Christmas Joy!, Christmas Season Music, Pope Francis, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB
15 December 2021 Photo ©: Vatican Media (ANS – Vatican City) – This morning, Wednesday, December 15, Pope Francis received the promoters, organizers and artists of the Christmas Concert at the Vatican in audience, a concert sponsored by the Congregation for Catholic Education, and whose proceeds will be donated to the Pontifical Foundation “Scholas Occurrentes” and the Salesian Mission Office “Missioni Don Bosco” in Turin. Participating for the Salesians were: the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, and Fr Daniel Antúnez, President of “Missioni Don Bosco”, together with Fr Simon Zakerian, Rector of the work of Al Fidar, in Lebanon, and Fr Danijel Vidović, in charge of reception at the Mother House of the Salesians in Turin. “Christmas invites us to fix our gaze on the event that brought God’s tenderness to the world – a word that I emphasize, tenderness, we miss so much – and so it aroused and continues to arouse joy and hope. Tenderness, joy, hope: sentiments and attitudes that you artists also know how to revive and spread with your talents. Thank you,” began the Pontiff, immediately creating an atmosphere of great openness with the audience. Then, after recalling the expressions of tenderness present in daily life (the...
by SrDeniseSickinger | Dec 6, 2021 | a current event, Accompaniment, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam and the salvation of souls!, books, FMA, On Sale, Salesian Spirituality, SDB
06 December 2021 Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva needs no introduction. This book is an anthology of talks and papers given on different occasions and to different assemblies or readers on the constant change that Religious Life has been going through and is still experiencing. These reflections have been now translated into English from the original Italian or Spanish and put together and made available to all persons in Religious Life, especially those who are English-speaking. Editorial decisions were not taken just for the sake of style in itself. Rather, they were taken in line with the awareness of the true “kairòs” moment that Religious Life is in according to Fr Chávez, and which he instilled in his original audience. It is hoped that such awareness is also instilled in the readers of the present book. In the Preface, Fr Chávez gives a short account of the history of Religious Life throughout the centuries so as to put his readers in context. Arriving to the present moment, he writes: “Although reaffirming this constant change within Consecrated Life, however we must also affirm that since Vatican Council II, it is being called to a profound renewal by returning to its sources –...
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