Posted October 21, 2008
| South Africa – Attack on the Salesian community |
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(Johannesburg) - On Sunday evening, October 26, 2008, as the Salesian Community and lay volunteers were at supper, three armed men burst into the dining room demanding money and threatening them with violence. The Vice Rector, Fr. John Coleman, and the economer, Fr. Dino Miotto, handed over the money they had. The attack took place in, Daleside, Walkerville, Johannesburg.
Some of the Salesians and the young people were locked up in a room near the dining room while others were beaten, kicked and threatened. Fr. Ivo Pisacane was kicked in the ribs, Guns were pointed at each of the girl volunteers and the intruders threatened them and the Salesians with death.
A young Salesian in formation, Tlaile Lingoane Alphonce, was stabbed in the head, a volunteer was stabbed in the back, Fr. Miotto was stabbed once in the chest and several times on his back. Fr. Coleman was dragged into the economer’s office and after another demand for money was stabbed in the chest.
One of those locked up, having made sure that the attackers had left, managed to break a window and climb out of the room. He got the key and let the others out. The Police and an ambulance were called.
Fr. Stan Jagodzinski and Fr. Chester, who had been away from the house returned about ten minutes after the attack. Fr. Jagodzinski telephoned the Rokebrand health center where a number of the injured were taken. Fr. Coleman, who was losing a lot of blood from the wound in his chest was taken to the Mulbarton Hospital. Here the doctors saw that the knife had not penetrated the chest cavity and lungs. Some of the wounded were able to return home and others had to remain for further observation. |
Germany – For Love of Life
(Vilsbiburg) – Four hundred members of the Salesian Family in Germany went on pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians at Vilsbiburg in Bavaria, September 20-21, 2008 as a celebration of faith. They spent two full days participating in activities, reflection, prayer, art and sharing. A unique contribution was made by the Birikino Young Circus from the Salesian Center in Chemnitz. The theme of the days was For Love of Life.
The meeting opened with Fr. Josef Grünner, Provincial of the Salesians in Germany, welcoming all those taking part and encouraging them to be always well rooted in God and to know how to thank Mary Help of Christians asking her protection. He encouraged the young to heed this message in a special way.
Bishop Luc van Looy, S.D.B., of Ghent, in Belgium, presided at the concluding Mass. In his homily he reminded everyone that “while our world needs priests and religious, it also needs lay people who are inspired by God’s message and proclaim it to the world.
India - National Consultation on Juvenile Justice
(Hyderabad) - The Juvenile Justice National Network (JJNN), headed by Fr. Koshy Thomas, S.D.B. and located at the Don Bosco Rehabilitation Center, Navajeevan, in Hyderabad, held a two day Consultation, September 20-21, 2008. The event was a follow-up to a similar consultation held in February when it was decided by the participants that the Juvenile Justice National Network needed to be a group that shared knowledge and information so that the young could be better served by their interventions.
The consultation involved 110 government officials and NGOs working in the area of youth at risk. One goal of the gathering was to consolidate an open and progressive platform to review the Juvenile Justice Act of the country, and develop new strategies for dealing with young people. Justice Rohini, a High Court Judge from Andhra Pradesh was the keynote speaker. She reminded the participants that "Children are the most important national asset. The nation depends on their proper physical and mental development". The Salesians added that spiritual development is also an essential aspect of youth development.
JJNW has begun a website (www.jjindia.net), and proposed a wide range of specific action plans. One of the more thought provoking moments of the consultation came when one member called for a ban on the word juvenile. He said that this took away from the true focus of our efforts: the child. All else is secondary.
Japan – Vocations Celebrated on a National Holiday
(Chofu) - The Autumn Equinox in Japan, celebrated on September 23rd, is a national feast that was established in 1948 to commemorate one’s ancestors in a nod to the emperor worship of old. This year, the Salesians used the day to have the Salesian Seminarians celebrate with their provincial and those in charge of their formation.
The Japan Province has three aspirants: one at Yokohama, a second at Yokkaichi and a third at Chofu . The first two are for middle and upper secondary school and have nearly forty students between them. At Chofu, there are seven seminarians pursuing degrees at the university. This is a respectable number for a nation where Christians are few in number comparatively speaking.
The vocations festive celebration saw all the aspirants come together for a Mass and some important time for prayer. Additionally, a soccer tournament and a fraternal meal helped forge bonds of unity among the seminarians.
Germany – The Future of Vocational Training in Europe
(Frankfurt) – “The Future of Vocational Training in Europe: the Situation and its Challenges” was the theme of a round table discussion organized by the Salesians and held on September 19, 2008 during Automechanika, the largest International Car Show in Europe, held in Frankfurt, September 15-21. There were 4,600 contributors and tens of thousands of visitors.
The Salesians had a booth at the show that was organized by Cnos Fap, with Headquarters in Rome, and also with the involvement of Don Bosco International from Brussels and the Spanish Federation of Vocational Training.
Fr. Pier Fausto Frisoli, Councilor for the Italy-Middle East Region, presented the situation in Italy and the role of the Salesians in the area of vocational training. He also spoke about Don Bosco’s life, and his experience in the work place as a boy, and the way this influenced how he introduced his boys to the world of work. “He was a saint,” Fr. Frisoli concluded, “who made work an opportunity for holiness with a modern spirituality and ascesis appropriate for the role of modern man and modern society.”
Fr. Michael Pellerey, lecturer emeritus at the Salesian Pontifical University; Fr. Angel Miranda, from the Spanish Federation; Dr. Assmuth representing Dr. Mauro Veglia, Vice President of Fiat, responsible for the Fiat-Salesians Project, and Fr. Meinolf von Spee, President of Don Bosco International also presented papers. Also present at the discussion, chaired by Fr. Mario Tonini, President of Cnos Fap, were Salesians in charge of Vocational Training in Spain and in Slovakia; those involved in the Fiat-Salesians Project in Europe; and 40 youngsters from the Auto Mechanic Department of the Training Center in Fossano.
The Salesians at the Automechanika also launched a coordination process of Vocational Training in Europe, and expanded their collaboration with some Automobile Companies and Agencies, some of whom are already linked with Cnos. A DVD about Vocational Training in the Salesian world, prepared by Missioni Don Bosco Media Center in Turin, was shown during the Days of the Show and generated considerable interest in the work of the Salesians.
Brazil - Social Educators together in San Paolo
(San Paolo) – Over nine hundred educators from 18 social works in the Salesian province of Brazil San Paolo, gathered together on September 5, 2008 to celebrate and reflect at the Sacred Heart Sixth Form College in the city.
Bishop Tarcisio Scaramussa, S.D.B., auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of San Paolo, gave a talk and spoke about the social work which the Salesians have been doing in Brazil since they arrived 125 years ago. Additionally, he highlighted the contribution that the Salesian Preventive System has made in the field of education.
Other speakers highlighted the contribution the Salesians have made in society through social work in society. Mr. Rogério Pinto Coelho Amato, Secretary of the State of San Paolo for Social Assistance and Development; Mr. Paulo Sérgio de Oliveira de Costa, Secretary of the City of San Paolo for Social Assistance; Mr. José Ricardo Franco Montoro, Secretary of the City of San Paolo for Participation and Partnership, and Mr. Paulo Fiorilo, Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for the Defense of the Rights of Children, Adolescents, and the Young.
Other speakers included the President of the City Commission for the Defense of Children and Adolescents, Elaine Macena Ramos, Prof. José Roberto Companer representing the National Industrial Committee and Prof. Katia Regina Seixas, representing the National Committee for Commerce.
The most developed area of the social work of the Salesians in San Paolo is that of Vocational Training Schools. This is followed by care for minors who after having problems with the law, are placed in two different programs of Assisted Freedom and Service to the Community. Nearly 640 boys and girls are in residential care in five centers. There are also various kinds of after school social work programs and nursery care.
The most significant social work in the Mary Help of Christians Province is located on the outskirts of the city of San Paolo, in the Itaquera district which each day provides food and assistance to more than 6,000 people.
Italy – The contribution of a Salesian NGO to literacy
(Rome) UNESCO celebrates International Literacy Day September 8, 2008. The theme for the day: Literacy and Health. Literacy the Best Cure stressed how the development of literacy has a direct impact on behavior that contributes to the health of individuals, families, and the communities involved. UNESCO stressed that the Millennium Development Goals have shown that education and schooling are vital for social development.
The Salesians have been joined by the International Voluntary Movement for Development (VIS), an International Educational Agency with Salesian Inspiration, in promoting literacy and education. This collaboration has allowed much good to be done over the past twenty years.
“In these two decades we have not only built schools and supported literacy courses, technical training, secondary and university education, we have ensured that the inalienable right to build a better world for many thousands of children, teenagers and young people in the South and the North of the world, ” Massimo Zortea, President of VIS said. “We have contributed to the social development of many people helping each one of them to acquire their rights and to undertake their duties, recognizing in them their full human dignity.”
France - 61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference
(Paris) - The Salesians of Don Bosco were well represented at the 61st Annual DPI/NGO Conference held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, September 3-5, 2008 by confreres and a youth representative from Sudan. The Conference was dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and challenged the world community to reaffirm human rights for all.
Keynote addresses by leading human rights advocates and government leaders, as well as panels of experts and workshops planned by NGOs gave a broad overview of the challenges we face as a world community in confronting human rights abuses and presented some approaches being used to overcoming the abuses.
Bro. Charles Taban and Emmanuel Joseph were speakers at workshops and panels dealing with human rights issues in conflict areas. Bro. Charles was a panelist at a workshop sponsored by Salesian Missions and organized by Fr. Tom Brennan on Protecting the Human Rights of Migrants and Their Families, as well as on a panel addressing gross human rights violations: prevention and accountability. Emmanuel spoke at a session entitled From Vulnerability toward Empowerment. Both of our speakers were supported and assisted by Fr. George Kainikunnel from Sudan.
In addition to the formal meetings and discussions, the members of the Salesian Delegation were also interviewed by some journalists and a documentary film producer who hope to share the good news of the work done by the Salesians in empowering young people and families who deal with war, poverty, and isolation.
Many were impressed by the outreach of the Salesians in providing technical training to provide skills for rebuilding the nation, offering trauma counseling, and engendering a sense of hope in the young.
Mexico – A school expands
(Chihuahua) – The opening of the new school year at Escuela San Felipe el Real (ESFER), a Salesian school in Chihuahua, Northern Mexico, was marked by two significant events: the opening of a new site and the dedication of a Chapel on another.
Founded in 1965 by a group of local businessmen who wanted to have a Catholic school in their city, ESFER was entrusted to the Salesians in 2006. It has now grown to three sites.
The new site was opened August 27, 2008. Among those present were Fr. Salvador C. Murguía, Provincial of the Salesians of Mexico-Guadalajara (MEG), members of the Governing Body, parents of the pupils, teachers and some representatives of the other two sites of ESFER: Kennedy and Glandorff. The new site is in the Cordilleras district of Chihuahua, has about 180 pupils in pre-school and primary grades.
A new Chapel dedicated to Don Bosco was opened on September 4, 2008 at the Kennedy site of ESFER. The building was constructed thanks to the contributions of members of the school community and friends of the school.
Brazil – 10 years of Passion for Life
(Cachoeira do Campo) – The Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) in Brazil celebrated its 10th anniversary with a meeting held at Cachoeira do Campo, in the State of Minas Gerais, September 5-7.
350 young men and women took part in this meeting that focused on 10 Years of Passion for Life. An expression of Archbishop Helder Camara, former archbishop of Recife, (+August 29, 1999) also inspired lively exchanges: “We have thousands of reasons to live.”
The very full program for the days included times for prayer, meetings on various subjects, exhibitions illustrating the history and the charismatic identity of the SYM and opportunities to share experiences.
The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Eduardo Pinheiro, S.D.B., auxiliary bishop of Campo Grande and responsible for the Youth sector in the Bishops’ Conference of Brazil. The young people also had a meeting with Fr. Natale Vitali, Councilor for the America South Cone Region who was visiting the St John Bosco Province of Belo Horizonte. In his talk, Fr. Vitali invited the young people of the SYM to make seeking Christ their reason for living.
On the last day of the conference, the young people moved to Belo Horizonte where they took part in the celebration of the 14th National Day of the “Cry of the Excluded.” Promoted by the Brazilian Church, the Day coincides with the National Celebration of Independence, concluded a week of demonstrations involving communities, schools and social organizations. It was aimed at opposing social exclusion and its causes which lead people to live in precarious conditions often without any prospects for the future.
At the end of the gathering the young people of the SYM received a crucifix the sign of their mission to return to their homes as disciples and missionaries of Christ.
RMG - Solidarity with Christians in Orissa
(Rome) - The Rector Major of the Salesians, Fr. Pascual Chávez Villanueva, and the members of his Council, expressed their solidarity with those who have suffered and continue to suffer due to religious intolerance that has broken out against the Christian community in some parts of the Indian State of Orissa.
Associating himself with the initiatives that are being promoted in every part of the world Fr. Chavez, with the Salesians, expressed his disapproval of the violence committed, and hoped that common sense and above all mutual respect will prevail. Freedom of thought, of religion, of expression are fundamental human rights; universal rights, inviolable and inalienable.
As he already noted in his commentary on the 2008 Strenna – an annual key-note message to the various religious and lay groups that make up the Salesian Family – Fr. Chávez reasserted the commitment of the Sons of Don Bosco to education “to human rights which is the best way to put into practice in different circumstances our commitment to prevention, to all around human development, to the building of a world that is more equitable, more just, more healthy.”
The ninth successor of Don Bosco recalls that respect for and the safeguarding of human rights is the best way to foster a meeting of and a dialogue between the different cultures and religions in the world.
Ghana - West Africa Youth Leadership Program
(Sunyani) - September 1-8, 2008, 84 young people from different parts of West Africa gathered together in Sunyani–Odumase in Ghana to explore what leadership is in the context of their own youth reality.
The young people represented their peers from Salesian houses in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Nigeria, as well as from the Diocese of Sunyani. Their respective Salesian Youth Directors were with them and participated fully in the program.
The Youth Leadership program was organized by Fr. George Crisafulli, S.D.B. and facilitated by Fr. Martin McCormack, S.D.B., an Irish Salesian who has worked in Africa for many years. They were assisted by two Maltese volunteers, Ryan Bugeja and Keith Cassar from Salesian Pastoral Youth Service (SPYS).
Supported by the Rector Major’s Office, the training program challenged participants with new ways and methods of thinking and leading groups. Through the use of multimedia presentations, role play and simulation games, ice breaking exercises and energizers, participants were able to learn leadership skills with non formal methods which can in turn be used with other young people they work with. During the various sessions, the participants were also given space to reflect and discuss about their roles and responsibilities as leaders.
The Youth Gathering was visited by the Bishop of Sunyani, Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi who presided at an opening Mass. Fr. Guillermo Basañes, S.D.B., Regional Counselor for Africa and Madagascar,following a creative Marian evening, answered questions from the young people.
Sudan – A Long Awaited Day
(Tonj) – On September 7, 2008, the young people from the Salesian center in Tonj, Sudan formally presented themselves to the people of the parish as an organized Catholic, Salesian group.
The event was the culmination of an eight month process of formation and accompaniment of the young by the Salesian community. After the latest peace agreement to bring the fighting to an end, the Salesians began to meet and gather together the youngsters of Tonj daily. They provided them with various recreational and spiritual activities including the recitation of the rosary and a day of recollection in preparation for the Feast of Pentecost. To help the young to more actively participate in the youth group, smaller groups were formed and named after a saintly patron: Saint Bakhita, Saint Dominic Savio and Saint Joseph.
The efforts of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in the Tonj area have also led to the establishment of a special formation program for the children and young people of this region in the south of Sudan, as well as a primary school, a nursery, and a secondary school. These efforts ensure that more young people will have the chance of beginning and completing a good basic education.
At the end of August 2008, 400 new pupils were added to the 800 of the previous year. The Salesians have initiated split sessions for the school day to accommodate the large number of students wishing to enter our schools. With more classroom space and the ability to hire more teachers, the Salesians could educate even more young people.
Additional efforts are being made to train the teachers and the catechists who are working in the parish and in the villages.
India - The Salesian Director’s films Promote Local Culture
(Agartala) - On September 4, 2008, a large gathering of people who had migrated to the city from their tribal lands gathered for the premiere of the 95-minute film Yarwng (Roots), produced by Fr. K. J. Joseph, S.D.B. and directed by Fr. Joseph Pulinthanath, S.D.B.
SIGNIS, the official Communication body of the Catholic Church, MISSIO and the Salesian Society financed the making of the film, an absorbing treatment of the large-scale displacement of peoples caused by the Gumti Hydel project in Tripura decades ago. The film is a study of love, loss, and never-ending hope.
Two Cabinet Ministers of Tripura’s Marxist Government praised the commitment of the Catholic church to the preservation and promotion of local cultures and languages in the Northeast Indian state of Tripura. Mr. Sarkar, the Minister for Information, Culture, and Tourism addressed the gathering and referred to an earlier film produced by the Salesians, Mathia. "Thanks to Mathia, the Kokborok language is known today beyond the confines of the state and the country."
Quoting the example of some South American tribes that “cannot even cry in their own language” (according to him), Mr. Sarkar, a renowned poet, said it is a national shame when any tribe, however small, loses its language. Recalling how Christian missionaries have always been committed to the promotion of Culture and language in the past, Mr. Sarkar praised the use of film by the Church as it will “directly strengthen culture and language of the peoples.”
Bishop Lumen Monteiro of Agartala, a guest of honor at the function, reiterated the resolve of the Church to stand with the weak, the poor and the marginalized. “Making films like Mathia and Yarwng, are hugely meaningful and relevant activities for the Church,” said the Bishop.
India – Seminar on Human Rights
(Divyadaan) - Heeding the call of the Rector Major in his Strenna for 2008, in which he invites to the Salesian World to be involved in promoting human rights, the province of Mumbai organized an interactive seminar on Human Rights in the Indian Context for the Salesians of Mumbai province, September 9-10, 2008 at Divyadaan. The participants included all the students and novices of the campus, the Salesian Sisters around the campus and diocesan youth directors from the Madhya Pradesh region.
Fr. Savio Silveira welcomed the participants and speakers and explained that the seminar was a response to the call of the Rector Major, Fr. Pascual Chavez, to be “a defender, promoter and activist for human rights” in the Strenna 2008. Speakers on the first day included Mr. Mathews Phillip, Executive Director of South India Cell for Human Rights, Bangalore. He defined human rights as “the basic rights which everyone inherits the moment a person is conceived in his or her mother’s womb.” Ms. Alpa Vora, UNICEF consultant for Child Rights and Child Labor, spoke on Child Rights in view of the situation of children in India. Mr. Martin Macwan, Director of Navsarjan Trust, Gujarat, shed light on the concept of Dalit Rights, and Fr. James, S. J., a Social Policy Activist, addressed the issue of tribal identity in India.
On the second day, two Salesians addressed the assembly. Fr. Thomas Pallithanam, S.D.B., Director of PARA, presented the development of PARA (People’s Action for Rural Awakening) the social action initiative of Don Bosco Ravulapalem, Province of Hyderabad. This group empowers the Dalits to fight for their rights. Fr. Godfrey D`Sa, presented his initiative, Balprafulta, a Don Bosco Project promoting Child Rights and Development.
“A seminar is sterile if it does not have practical implications for our lives,” said Fr. Micheal Fernandes, Provincial, during the opening Eucharist. Following up on this idea, the panelists in the final session of the seminar made numerous suggestions for future action steps that were generated from the discussions during the days of study. The immediate and most practical was to include human rights as a subject in all the educational institutions of Mumbai Province and to make every house a center for the promotion of human rights.
Perù – A life at the service of the Achuar
(Lima) – Fr. Luis Bolla, a Salesian missionary, has ministered to the Achuar people for 37 years and has become an expert on the culture and traditions of this tribe from the Amazon forest of Peru. Their distinctive features are now better known with the publication of the second edition of his book: “The Forest in the World of the Achuar: animals, plants and fish.”
The book was presented on September 11, 2008 in the Antonio Ruiz de Montoya auditorium of the Jesuit University. The work, part of a series of 4 publications, introduces the reader to the history, the traditions, the language, the customs and the songs of the Achuar people who today number about 15,000. They are located in the north east of Perù, in the valleys of the rivers Pastaza, Morona, and Tigre, in the Region of Loreto, and in a part of the forest in Ecuador.
Fr. Bolla, a 76 year old Italian, convinced that a people without a history is not a people at all, some time ago began the valuable work of documentation of the life of the Achuar, in spite of difficulties and threats to his life.
India - Training on Sexual Health of Street Children - Don Bosco Anbu Illam
(Chennai) - There was a training on the Sexual Health of Street Children at MKB Nagar for 20 children of Salesian shelter homes at MKB Nagar, Royapuram, Katpadi & Villupuram, September 11-13, 2008
Mr. Prasad, from Hyderabad, coordinated the program with Salesians who are trained in child protection and stopping sexual exploitation trained staff. The central discussion of the program was the prevention of AIDS and covered the topics of Love, Friendship, and Sexuality.
With extensive use of art-based therapy, the children were helped to find their inner selves ato help them deal with their sexual trauma.
Colombia – Feast of the Divino Niño Jesús
(Bogotá) – A large number of pilgrims from all over Columbia and from abroad participated in the procession and Mass honoring the Divino Niño Jesús on September 7, 2008 in the Sanctuary of the Child Jesus in Bogota. Many of the pilgrims had prepared for the celebration through a novena. Since 1974, the feast has been celebrated on the first Sunday of September.
Fr. Mario Peresson, Provincial of the Salesians in Bogotá (COB) celebrated the mass for the feast. In his homily, he invited the congregation to imitate the way Jesus lived as a child and as he was growing up.
The Salesian oratory in Bogotà, dedicated to the Infant Jesus celebrated the feast in a solemn manner with a Mass presided over by Fr. Oscar Olano, Rector of the Salesian post novitiate.
The Salesian sanctuary of the Divino Niño Jesús, located in the 20 de julio district of Bogotá, is an important center for popular devotion and attracts large numbers of pilgrims.
RMG – Formation Course for Salesian Missionaries
(Rome) – A formation course organized by Fr. Vaclav Klement, Councilor for the Missions, and led by Fr. Joseph Puthenpurakal, Fr. Alfred Maravilla, and Fr. Dionisio Pacheco has been conducted for Salesians about to leave for the missions at the Salesian Generalate in via della Pisana, Rome. Twenty five Salesians from various countries, with eleven from Viet Nam have been meeting since September 14, 2008. These formation days will conclude with a pilgrimage to the places of special interest for Salesians in Turin, Genoa and Mornese. After that, the Rector Major, Fr. Pascual Chávez will present a missionary cross to the new missioners at a mass in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians, Turin on September 28, 2008.
The course sought to strengthen the links between the new missionaries and the Department for the Missions allowing both to become better acquainted. Additionally, the days were intended to provide the participants with a fundamental basis for missionary life with elements of theology, anthropology, missionary spirituality, and a reflection on Don Bosco the missionary. The Salesian missionaries are being invited to re-construct their own Plan of Life in missionary terms. At the same time, the members of the Department are helping the departing Salesians to plan and attend to the practical aspects such as contacts with the Provinces to which they are assigned, visas, and possible language courses.
“The missionary dimension is very important for our Congregation,” Fr. Vaclav Klement points out. “Just a few years after the founding of the Congregation, Don Bosco wanted the Salesians to go to the missions. The figure and the role of today’s missionary in some ways are the same as in the past, because the heart of the proclamation of the gospel message is always the same. At the same time it is different because there are new situations and a great variety of social, cultural, historical and anthropological contexts. The continent of Europe itself is mission territory! We are asking our missionaries to combine fidelity to Christ and to the Church with the passion for humanity according to the heart and the educational system of Don Bosco.”
Haiti – Hurricane Hanna
(Port-au-Prince) – Another hurricane has struck Haiti. Only a week after Gustave took the lives of 77 people on the island, the rains of hurricane Hanna have submerged the city of Gonaïves, in the north of the country. According to the latest reports from the authorities there, more than 500 people have perished from the flash flooding.
The Salesian house in the Gonaïves area has been damaged. Fr. Jean Sylvain Jeannot, Vice Superior of the Vice Province of Haiti, was able to reach the house and see the Salesians working there in spite of the difficulties created by the flooding . In a phone communication, he indicated that there has been considerable damage to the community house and to the buildings of the vocational training school. The ground floor is completely under water. There has also been damage to the generators, the computers, cars, water pump and school equipment.
In spite of this, the Salesians have opened the school to about 250 displaced people from the area. While the number in need is even greater, it has been necessary to limit those coming in due to lack of space and supplies.
In the first days of September the school was preparing to start the new school year, but the local authorities have now decided to wait until October to begin the academic year.
Rwanda - 7th Secondary Schools of East Africa Championships
(Kigali) - The 7th Secondary Schools of East Africa Championships were held in Kigali-Rwanda, August 23-31, 2008. Participants came from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, South Sudan and Rwanda. Seventy three teams competed against each other in soccer, volleyball, handball, filed hockey, basketball and rugby.
The Don Bosco Gatenga Youth Center was the venue for most of the sporting events. Fr. Innocent Gatete, S.D.B., the head of the Province Youth Ministry Office and the one responsible for the sports activities of secondary schools in Rwanda was one of the chief organizers of the events.
The girls from Don Bosco High Ngozi, in Burundi, were national champions in basketball, but lost in the final to the team from Mombasa-Kenya. Kenya was the overall champion due to its wins in volleyball, basketball, handball, hockey and rugby.
In the midst of all the struggles present in Africa at this time, the Salesians have found athletic competition to be one means to help build bridges between young people helping them to see a different kind of future that is more peaceful.
Vakantiebos 2008
(Rijswijk) - Don Bosco Youth Center at Rijswijk, Holland came alive as Vakantiebos 2008 (Holiday Camp 2008) began. The theme of the camp was Crossing Borders through Creative Play and it ran August 9-31. This three week program sought to bring together the youth volunteers aged 18 to 30 from eleven countries of Europe (Spain, Malta, Germany, Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Netherlands, and Scotland) as well as children and youth of the local area.
The summer program included many leisure time activities of entertainment and recreation in addition to values education and providing a forum for an international encounter of European Youth Volunteers (EVS). It gave the young people an opportunity to reflect on their commitment to social engagement and spiritual growth.
EVS is a Voluntary Service initiative for young Europeans promoted by the Salesian Organization: Don Bosco Youth Net. Vakantiebos 2008 was just one of several projects the EVS Volunteers have been involved with during the summer of 2008.
Ecuador - Young Volunteers
(Quito) – Sunday, August 30, 2008 eighty four young people participated in a formal ceremony commissioning them as volunteer missionaries. The ceremony took place in Don Bosco parish church of Ciudadela Kennedy Salesian Technical Institute, Quito. Fr. Marcelo Farfán, Provincial of the Salesians in Ecuador presided at the liturgy. He was joined by Fr. Vaclav Klement, Councilor for the Missions, and twenty other concelebrants. The Provincial of the Salesian Sisters in Ecuador, Sr. Jaramillo Lesvia Vicenta, also participated. The parents of those leaving for their ministry, as well as a large number of former volunteers (nearly 500) also joined the community in prayer.
Eighty volunteers are from Ecuador, 3 from Germany, and one from the United States. They will work in various communities of the Salesians, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts and other religious congregations as well as some missionary vicariates in Ecuador. Many of the young people have been invited to work in frontier missions, in the Amazon jungle, in missions in the Andes, in the Afro-American area on the coast and in works for street children in some large cities.
In his homily, Fr. Farfán pointed out that the decision of the young people to become volunteers was the result of a long process of education and formation undertaken in the oratories, parishes, schools and other groups. Fr. Robert Garcia, Delegate for Youth Ministry in Ecuador coordinated this formation. Emphasizing the vocational dimension of the experience of voluntary service, the Provincial thanked the young people who had offered to give a year of their lives to the Salesian mission.
Fr. Klement presented the missionary crosses to the young volunteers, as the destination of each one was read out.
Voluntary missionary service in Ecuador has been going on for thirty years. Each year many young people aged 19 -25 have committed themselves to an experience of service and vocational assessment.
Colombia – 70 years of service in Medellín
(Medellín) – As the Salesians celebrate 70 years of service and ministry in Medellín they are sponsoring a number of anniversary celebrations. In August 2008, they held an exhibition, ExpoBosco 2008, at El Sufragio Salesian Institute. ExpoBosco 2008 featured 22 scientific, artistic and photographic displays, 29 conferences and a philosophy symposium.
Another event held to mark the 70th anniversary were Copa 70 Años, a sporting event competition for Salesian Houses in Medellin: Ciudad Don Bosco, Liceo Salazar y Herrera, Pedro Justo Berrío, Instituto Educativo Gilberto Alzate Avendaño, Institución Educativa Pedregal. Among the sports on the program were indoor football, basketball, volleyball and chess.
August 15th was a special day involving the students of El Sufragio Institute in the celebrations, particularly with Mass and afterwards with some cultural and sporting events.
Chile – VI Salesian Spirituality Day
(Santiago) – On August 30, 2008, the Lo Cañas Salesian Post novitiate house located in the Chilean capital hosted the VI Salesian Spirituality Day attended by about 150 young people. The young professed Salesians were assisted in the work by the novices of the Salesian Sisters.
The theme of the event was: Our Life in the Heart of Don Bosco. The event was designed to help the participants to get to know Salesian Youth Spirituality better, familiarizing them more deeply with Don Bosco, St. Mary Mazzarello and some of their remarkable students and collaborators in the early days of the congregations.
There were times for prayer and reflection as well as an opportunity for some individuals to share their own faith story. Among those sharing their faith story was Soledad Onetto, an important journalist in Chile. She will soon be the Director of the Festival of Viña del Mar, the most important musical event in Latin America.
Ecuador – The American Seminar of ACSSA
(Cumbayá) – The Salesian Historical Association (ACSSA) conducted a Seminar September 1-5, 2008: Salesian Work in America During the Time of Don Rua as Rector Major, 1888-1910. The Seminar is the first in a planned series dedicated to Blessed Michael Rua, the first successor of Don Bosco. The organizers want to rediscover and focus on one of the greatest protagonists in Salesian work covering the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. A variety of academic research projects have been undertaken by the members of ACSSA.
There were about twenty papers presented and discussed in the Seminar in Cumbayá by scholars from ten countries in Central and South America. They identified the special and practical role that Don Rua had in the development of the Salesian Family in their respective countries. The growing presence of the Salesians and of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in this part of the world. Presenters examined and explained his impact during a sensitive period of political, social, cultural and religious transition, and the positive influence he was in the development of the Church and of society.
In the overall plans of ACSSA, this American Seminar constitutes an important prologue to the preparations for the 5th International Congress on Don Michael Rua, first successor of Don Bosco (1843-1910) to be held October 28 – November 1, 2009 in Turin.
Turkey – Salesian Summer in Istanbul
(Istanbul) – The Salesian Oratory in Istanbul hosted a five week program called Youth Summer for youngsters in the city. A Great Dream was the theme of the program. The day was divided into two separate sessions of training, education and recreation. In the morning from 9:00 until 12 noon, youngsters aged 6-15 were involved in a program of gospel based education, with outings, games, dancing and other activities. In the afternoon, those between the ages of 12 and 16 had group activities, courses in English, music, singing, theater, and various tournaments. Youth Summer ended on July 26th with a Mass celebrated in Arabic.
Helping the local community were two young Salesians in initial formation who came to Istanbul for the summer. For some of the events, they were joined by some young Irish Protestant volunteers.
After the Youth Summer Program, the Salesians conducted several school camps and training weekends for different age groups: leaders, young adults, youngsters, boys and girls. These training sessions were held at Büyücada, an island in the Marmara Sea not far from Istanbul.
In addition to the Latin Cathedral in Istanbul, the Salesians minister at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes of Géorgiens, a nursery, elementary and middle school and a youth center. In addition, they are helping Iraqi Christian refugees, who are in transit through Turkey as they head to the United States, Australia, Canada and Europe. These families have been forced to flee their homeland to escape the war and the consequences of terrorism. As often happens in these situations, it is the little ones who pay the heaviest price during war. The Salesians offer these children and youngsters a human and Christian education to prepare them to build their own future.
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