Posted April 23, 2008
United States – The Pope at the General Assembly of the United Nations
(New York) - On April 18, 2008, during his visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the General Assembly of the UN as his two predecessors Paul VI and John Paul II had done.
As Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon pointed out, this date was exactly one year after he invited the Pope to come to speak to the members of the General Assembly. In his address, without making specific references to the nations at war or inviting them to end the conflicts as Paul VI and John Paul II had done, the Pope did speak boldly and eloquently of human rights and justice. Benedict XVI did say how much he wanted to take part in the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. He pointed out how this guiding document of the UN is deeply in harmony with Catholic Theology and teachings.
Benedict XVI expressed his deep respect for the UN, acknowledging its important place in the human community and stressing the collaborative role the Catholic Church wants to play in this body. Included in his remarks was the following: “My presence at this Assembly is a sign of esteem for the United Nations, and it is intended to express the hope that the Organization will increasingly serve as a sign of unity between States and an instrument of service to the entire human family. It also demonstrates the willingness of the Catholic Church to offer her proper contribution to building international relations in a way that allows every person and every people to feel they can make a difference.”
Nigeria – Seminar on the Preventive System
(Onitsha) – A group of over 250 lay teachers, students and Religious, attended a seminar on the Preventive System of Don Bosco and the Educative System in Nigeria, April 15-17.
The focus of the first day was Education in Nigeria and the needs and expectations of Nigerian youth. The results of a survey of students, teachers and parents that had been carried out among students, parents and teachers during the past year were presented and were the starting points for discussion.
The second day explored the Preventive System of Don Bosco and its impact on the learning environment and culture of the school. A lively disucssion on family spirit was instructive to all.
On the final day, the theme was evangelizing through education. The Strenna of the Rector Major was presented and discussed.
The seminar was sponsored by the Archbishop of Onitsha, Valerian M. Okeke, who had collaborated with the Ministry of Education of Anambra State in setting up the event During his intervention at the seminar he indicated that he was pleased to have his diocese promote an awareness of Don Bosco`s particular style of education. The Seminar was organized by the Salesian Community of Don Bosco Center as was the final event in the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Salesian presence in Nigeria. Many requested that the seminar become an annual event.
Spain – A new award for Jóvenes del Tercer Mundo
(Córdoba) – Instituto Andaluz de la Juventud (IAJ) presented its Córdoba Joven 2007 award to the Salesian NGO Jóvenes del Tercer Mundo (JTM) in a ceremony held on April 10, 2008. The annual award is presented to young people or youth organizations that have made a significant contribution to the welfare of young people in Andalusia. The Salesian NGO was recognized in the solidarity category.
The Jóvenes del Tercer Mundo Foundation has been recognized as an official NGO specializing in education, development and cooperation projects in over 25 countries since 2006. In Spain, it undertakes program of development education, especially in schools. In 2007, JTM, through its development representative Esther Rubio, conducted the campaign Every Promise is a Debt, based on the UN’s Millenium Development Goals, eight development goals agreed upon by the member states at the beginning of the third millenium. This program is in effect until 2015 and seeks to increase world-wide cooperation. Every Promise is a Debt has involved about 9,000 young people in various initiatives.
Argentina – Knowing Don Bosco better to become better leaders
(Resistencia) – The annual Encuentro Masivo, a gathering of oratory leaders in the Province of Rosario (ARO) was held at Nú Porá di Resistencia, Argentina, April 4-6, 2008. During the Encuentro Masivo the leaders establish guidelines for the pastoral work in the different oratories. At the end of the year the leaders gather once again to evaluate the year’s work.
The hundred leaders who took part in the Encuentro studied the life and work of Don Bosco through a variety of workshops: Don Bosco’s Experience of Family; Guidance; Don Bosco and his Fatherly Heart; Designing a Personal Plan of Life. The topics were developed by Bro. Germán Díaz, S.D.B., Bro. Ubaldo Soraire, S.D.B., and Sr. Ángela Gonzálvez, F.M.A.
The young people were able to reflect on their own experience as leaders and share their experiences with one another. The atmosphere created during the days facilitated personal prayer and a meeting with God, especially through the sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation.
Chile – The Día signo of the Salesian Family
(Santiago) – On Saturday April 12, 2008, over 200 members of various groups of the Salesian Family in Santiago Chile gathered in the José Miguel Infante Sixth Form College to celebrate the Día signo, a day of recollection on the theme of the Strenna of the Rector Major for 2008.
Greeting those present, the Vice Provincial Fr. Leonardo Santibáñez read a message from Fr. Natale Vitali, the former provincial who was elected Councillor for the America South Cone Region at the 26th General Chapter. “It is an important day,” Fr. Vitali said, “to discover that we need to be more united in prayer and in mission, that we need to work together, and that one day we will be able to manage a work together as the Salesian Family.” The Provincial of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sr. Graciela Pinto, encouraged everyone present to see the day as an opportunity to think deeply about the Strenna of the Rector Major.
Educating with the Heart of Don Bosco, the Strenna for 2008, was introduced through the viewing of the Rector Major’s video-commentary on the Strenna. Working groups then studied the theme together and identified some ways of involving the various Salesian works in its implementation during the new pastoral year.
Dominican Republic - A suitcase full of human rights
(Santo Domingo) – The twelfth formation seminar for people working in the Salesian network ‘Muchachos y Muchachas con Don Bosco’ (MDB) was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 28-30, 2008. More than 350 educators from all over the country took part.
‘Creemos en la adolescencia’ (We believe in youth) was the slogan for this series of meetings, aimed at analyzing and sharing methods and educational resources for street children and families.
March 30th, Elena Scotti, of International Development Volunteers (VIS), presented the ‘maleta de los derechos’, a suitcase containing teaching and training materials for the promotion and protection of human rights. This has been adopted by MDB’s ‘Centro di Documentación y Encuentros en Derechos Humanos’.
The ‘maleta’ contains: ‘Vive la vida’, a handbook on human rights from the experts Carola Carazzone and Francesca Lange’; two films; a CD with songs and texts on human rights; nine posters (one for each center in the network) on the rights and duties of children and young people; the text of the national legislation ‘Code for the Protection and Fundamental Rights of Children and Young People’; the Universal Declaration on Human Rights; the Convention of Rights of Children and Young People; the Convention for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against Women; booklets for teaching about Human Rights; and leaflets for promoting campaigns about human rights.
The suitcase has just begun its journey, which will last for nine months, pausing for a month in each of the nine centers belonging to the MDB network. During its stay, educators in the centers will be able to use its contents to put on activities raising awareness and promoting human rights for the people in the area. They will be able to organize film showings followed by discussion, question sessions with a panel of experts, meetings, conferences, workshops, games, reflection groups and whatever their imagination suggests. Each center will add to the suitcase with reports of its own experience, and include materials produced during the month. The weight of knowledge about human rights will increase until the ‘maleta’ returns to the ‘Centro di Documentación y Encuentros en Derechos Humanos’, where it will remain for the use of all who are interested.
Venezuela – 100 years for the Association of Mary Help of Christians in Sarría
(Caracas) – On Sunday April 6, 2008, the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) sponosored by the Salesian community of Sarría in the Venezuelan capital, celebrated the first hundred years of its activities.
The celebration began with Mass celebrated by Bishop Jacinto Berlocco, Apostolic Nuncio in Venezuela. In his homily he gave a brief outline of the history of devotion to Mary Help of Christians and described her role in the life of Don Bosco.
At the end of the celebration the seventy members of ADMA of Sarría organized a party for 150 people. During the party, the guests were told of the lives of several prominent persons in the history of the Association. This included Fr. Enrique Riva, the founder of the first group of devotees of Mary Help of Christians in the city of Caracas in 1908, and Fr. Arcángel Maturani, who directed the Association for many years.
Representatives of the 22 Venezuelan groups of ADMA also joined the celebrations, together with Miss Ingrid González, the National President.
Rwanda – Communications Formation
(Kabgayi, Rwanda) Pictured here are the participants in a Social Communications training course, April 3-4, 2008, led by Fr. Tom Kunnel, S.D.B., coordinator for Social Communications in the Africa region.
Slovenia – The Second Don Bosko Fest
(Ljubljana) – On Saturday, April 5, 2008 the second Don Bosko Fest took place in Ljubljana. The Salesians of Slovenia, in collaboration with the Salesian Sisters and the Interdiocesan Youth Office in Slovenia, organized the event for groups of youth workers to clarify the role of the youth worker and make an initial contribution to training for the Oratorij summer program.
Oratorij is a summer long program conducted in most of the parishes and youth centers in Slovenia for the past twenty years. There are about 2,500 youth workers and 15,000 youngsters involved. After this national day, further training activities are planned at regional and local level.
Don Bosko Fest has two objectives: an opportunity for the participants to get to know each other and share experiences, and a first presentation of the content, approaches and resources for the coming summer Oratorij.
More than 400 young organizers took part in the day on Saturday. After the welcome and initial presentation, the young people prepared and took part in a Mass led by Fr. Tone Ciglar, S.D.B., lecturer in education and Provincial Delegate for the Missions. Following the Mass, he presented the content of the material for summer 2008, w hich has the theme: Open your eyes! inspired by St . Paul, apostle of the nations. In the afternoon there were thirty workshops for the youth workers to learn and try out the dynamics, techniques and games which they could use this summer with the youngsters.
The day ended with youthful prayer and a some time for music, games, and sport.
Salesian missionary dies in accident
( Bamako) – On March 29, 2008, Fr. Josep Maria Timoneda Perarnau, a Salesian missionary, lost his life in a car accident while returning to Bamako with other missionaries. Fr. Timoneda was sleeping in the back of the car and was thrown from the vehicle when a tire exploded. He died on impact, while the other Salesians suffered only a few wounds even though the car rolled over many times.
Fr. Timoneda, 44, affectionately called “Tim”, was born at Bellpuig, in Catalonia, Spain, in 1963. He was professed as a Salesian in 1982 at Terrassa and was ordained a priest in 1994. In 1998 he left Barcelona (SMA), his Province of origin, to go as a missionary to the Ivory Coast where he worked for 8 years before taking on the Provincial office for Development. From 2007 he was Economer of the Salesian House of Bamako.
The funeral was held on April 4, 2008 in the Parish of San Nicolás in his city of birth, Bellpuig, and was presided over by Bishop Jaume Traserra, Bishop of Solsona.
Italy – Eusarf2008: Assessing the Evidence-base of Intervention for Vulnerable Children and Their Families
(Padua) – March 26-29, 2008, the Tenth International Eusarf Conference was held in Padua. Organized by the Zancan Foundation in collaboration with the European Association Eusarf, the International Association iaOBERfcs, the University of Studies in Padua and the Commune in Padua, the theme of the convention was: To become aware of the needs and evaluate the efficacy of presence for children and families in difficulty. The Italian Ministry of Politics for the Family sponsored the event.
The conference was attended by about 450 workers and directors of services, both public and private, politicians, researchers, and students from 30 different nations. The goal was to begin an analysis and a critique of the national and international experiences and research on childhood and the family. The different economies and cultures of the countries often create conditions which threaten the security and promotion of babies, do not protect victims of abuse and maltreatment, and the diverse needs of the young.
The conference had a number of plenary sessions and symposiums on parallel themes. Fr. Barnabe D`Souza, a Salesian from Shelter Don Bosco in the Mumbai (India) Province, presented a symposium: Research into the Effective Presence of the Community. He also delivered a brief report: Children`s Vulnerablitiy, Institutional Dependency and Reintegration: A Dialectical Cultural Response. He demomstrated the risks and difficulties which come from institutionalization of structures and their high costs. As an alternative, he presented the work at Shelter Don Bosco that involves the children, their families and whole community. He holds that this model is much more sustainable and enhances prevention.
Argentina – Gathering of the Secretariate of Salesian Schools
(La Plata) – The Argentinian Secretariate of Salesian Schools Youth Work met at the Retreat House Zeferino Namuncurá Retreat House at La Plata, March 27-28,2008.
The Secretariate is composed of the Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help from the Provinces in Argentina and was formed in response to the Second Continental Meeting of Salesian Schools at Cumbayá in 2001.
The group, coordinated by Salesian Brother Iván Ariel Fresia from the Province of Córdoba, reflected on the Salesian School in Argentina. Outcome docments included: The Educative System of the Salesian Schools; The Administration and the School Report According to the Salesian Educative Model; and Professional Technical Education and Work According to the Salesian Educative System.
Paraguay – Meeting of Past Pupils from the Southern Cone
(Ypacaraí) – During Holy Week, March 20-23, 2008, young past pupils from Argentina, Brasil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, Italy and Paraguay met at the Salesian Family House (CAFASA) in Ypacaraí, Paraguay, for the third Leadership Workshop for Salesian Past Pupils.
Reflecting on the theme Good Christians and Honest Citizens, the 73 young participants spent four days together in intense prayer and study on the duty of giving witness in society to gospel values through the lens of the charism of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello.
The World Delegate of the Federation of F.M.A. Past Pupils, Sr. Maritza Ortiz, the Delegate of the Chilean Federation of Salesian Past Pupils , Fr. José Carrazo, and heads of the various federations were present at the meetings.
The highpoint of the meeting was the celebration of the Easter Vigil, followed by a gathering in which the participants dressed in their national costumes and performed traditional dances from each of their countries of origin.
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