Syria – Country increasingly in difficulty. New initiatives to support young people and families

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(ANS – Damascus) – The Syrian civil war represents one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time. The population has shrunk from 21 million to 17 and today 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian support, including the more than 6 million internally displaced people – 28% of whom in the capital Damascus alone – in addition to the 3 million who live in hard-to-reach areas. Furthermore, since mid-March, the Syrian government has begun to apply severe restriction measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Activities across the country are now profoundly impacted by curfews, movement restrictions, market closures and commercial freezes. The costs of primary goods continue to exceed purchasing power and Syrian families are experiencing a moment of unimaginable economic stress.

To the direct effects of the economic crisis are added school-related problems: schools work in fits and starts, and students (from primary school children to university students) are not equipped to follow lessons from home, and are falling further behind in their studies.

Faced with this situation, the spiritual Sons of Don Bosco in Syria, active in Damascus, Kafroun and Aleppo, are by now used to working in emergency conditions, and have taken action to help families who, already tried by years of war, are now facing the effects of the pandemic.

For this reason they have set up two different support programs for those in academic difficulty: one that will benefit 200 children, and another aimed at 180 students in the last years of high school and university.

Along with these school reinforcement projects, a third has been added: economic support to 200 vulnerable families.

Each initiative is carried out with the objective, proper to the Salesian charism, of taking care of the most disadvantaged minors and offering them those opportunities for development that otherwise they could not achieve

Because, as the Syrian Salesian Fr Pier Jabloyan said during a testimony, “whoever sows terror and pain through war is destined to end up in the garbage heap of history. But whoever stays with those who suffer will be remembered forever.”

For more information, visit the website: www.missionidonbosco.org 

Agency of salesian news

The most beautiful photo: “Don Bosco, priest, father and pastor”

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It has been written, and it is absolute truth, that Don Bosco never stopped confessing, even when he was sick, and still a few months before he died he continued to do so. His great joy was that his children were “in the grace of God”. All the boys wanted to confess to Don Bosco and the reason is visible in this, the most beautiful photo for Don Bosco, the one where he shows his identity as a priest. He has a serene face, an attentive gaze, a paternal attitude. In this circumstance, he was confessing the one who will be his second successor at the head of the Congregation: Paolo Albera. The photo was taken by Francesco Serra, with the title “Don Bosco who confesses”, in Turin, in 1861.

 

Written by: ANS – Agency of Salesian News

Salesian Family

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The Salesian family is an ecclesial reality spread throughout the world, based on the charism of its founder Don Bosco. Currently it comprises 31 officially recognized groups with a total of 402,500 members living in mutual communion and continuing their mission. A vast movement of people who, in diverse ways, work for the benefit of youth that started with the Society of St. Francis of Sales (Salesians of Don Bosco), the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) and the Association of Salesian Co-operators. Spiritual father of the community, according to Don Bosco himself, is the Rector Major, his successor. The unity of the congregation is supported and enhanced by the Council of the Salesian Family which meets every year. The “Identity card of the Salesian Family” – a document that contains the identifying traits of the groups – states that one of the essential criteria for recognizing a new group is “the sharing of the spirit, of the educative method and of the missionary style, that is, of the spiritual and pedagogical patrimony of Don Bosco”.

Don Francesco Cereda, Sdb, Vicar of the Rector Major

Salsians in Egypt and Holy Land are sharing unique spiritual times!

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21 Salesians has met at the Monastery of St. Macarius in Egypt, who came from all the Salesian houses in Egypt and the Holy Land, with the presence ofr Father Jean Antonio Bonato, and the provencial Father Alejandro Leon.

To carry out the annual spiritual meditations of the, in an atmosphere of prayers, contemplation and distinctive salesian spiritual participation.

Youth people on Cairo

Higher Education in the Salesian School in Cairo

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Over the years the Don Bosco Industrial Technical Institute in Cairo has been a centre of excellence.

Every year it trains many young people as industrial experts, prepares them to enter the world of work and in this way helps Egypt to a high level of industrial development. In recent months, a number of innovative projects have been developed in the field of renewable energy. We listen to what the people involved have to say:

“In the past three months, the students of Don Bosco have been working on the development of two innovative prototypes to implement solar power. This project was carried out here at Don Bosco in cooperation with AFD, IECD, and Schneider Egypt in order to provide students with the tools and skills needed in the target market,” said the manager of the French Agency for Development.

An Egyptian manager of Schneider says: “The idea of the project is to teach students, the next generation of engineers, to be familiar with new technologies for the use of solar energy. Of course, we know well the shortcomings and difficulties of our country from an economic point of view and rising costs. This is why we are concerned about the next generation of engineers.”

One of the teachers in the school says: “I’m working on a project for a pump which will use the energy generated by the sun through panels, without the use of batteries. We will use it for soil or water or to fill a tank depending on the energy generated in such a way that when the pump has more energy it will produce more water.”

According to another teacher: “The second project is about how to provide a small house with solar energy, in addition to using the national power grid, depending on the availability of the sun.”

Finally, the students: Michael comments: “what is unique about this project is that for the first time we are using solar energy.” Mohammed added: “the use of solar energy will increase in the future and in addition it is a clean energy that does not pollute.” And Joseph concludes: “This project will help me to work better and faster with solar energy, because I had to deal with problem resolution, and this helped me to become a better technician.”

Who are SDB ?

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What is the meaning of ‘SDB’?

 ‘SDB’ is the acronym for ‘Salesians of Don Bosco’.

What does it mean to be a ‘Salesian of Don Bosco’?

To be a ‘Salesian of Don Bosco’ means to belong to a Catholic organization of men who dedicate their entire lives to God through a generous service to young people, especially those who are poorer and disadvantaged. This way of life entails professing the three vows, living in communities, educating and evangelising young people after the example of Don Bosco.   

Why the name ‘Salesians of Don Bosco’?

 St. John Bosco, an Italian saint of the nineteenth century was called ‘Don’Bosco by his boys because ‘Don’ in Italian means ‘Father’. Today he continues to be fondly remembered by the same name. He founded an organization that would take care of poor youth. He called his followers ‘Salesians’, a name he took from St. Francis de Sales, a popular saint of his native place in northern Italy. He chose St. Francis de Sales as the patron of his society and encouraged his followers to imitate the saint’s gentle humanism.

Are there other groups that are called ‘Salesians’ besides the ‘Salesians of Don Bosco’?

 Yes there are other groups that use the name ‘Salesian’. St. Francis de Sales, a Doctor of the Catholic Church, gave birth to a unique school of spirituality which is generally referred to as ‘Salesian Spirituality’. Other groups that live this spirituality as their own also refer to themselves as Salesians. The title ‘Salesians of Don Bosco’ aims to clarify that its members live the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales according to the style and charism of Don Bosco.

 

 Where are the SDBs in the world and how many are they?

 The Salesians of Don Bosco are scattered in 131 countries across the globe. They number approximately 15,500. They serve young people in more than 2000 institutions. 

 

What is the aim of the Salesians of Don Bosco?

 Very briefly, the aim of the SDBs can be stated as follows: ‘to be signs and bearers of the love of God for young people, especially those who are poor.