On December 24, 2024, on Christmas Eve, the Pope opened the Bronze Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, thus marking the beginning of the Jubilee of 2025. This gesture was subsequently repeated in other basilicas: on December 27, on the Feast of St. John Apostle and Evangelist, in the Lateran Basilica (of which he is co-patron); on January 1, 2025, the solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God, in the Basilica of St. Mary Major; and finally on January 5, the Vigil of the Epiphany, in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Below, we briefly explain what the Jubilee is and the Jubilee basilicas where it is possible to obtain plenary indulgence.

Origins
Sometimes there is confusion between the first Jubilee and the first Bull that established their frequency, however the Jubilee finds its roots in biblical legislation. It was God Himself who commanded Moses to celebrate a “Jubilee” year every fifty years (Leviticus 25). Over the centuries, this practice passed on to the Christian community, gradually adapting to the needs and traditions of the Church.

In 1300, in response to the great influx of pilgrims to Rome, Pope Boniface VIII published the bull Antiquorum Habet Fida Relatio, which did not establish the Jubilee ex novo, rather it recognised the already existing secular tradition. He conducted various inquiries, even questioning very elderly people, such as a 107-year-old Savoyard, who remembered being brought to Rome by his father a hundred years earlier to gain “great indulgences”. This widespread belief prompted Boniface VIII to solemnly establish what was being transmitted orally, namely the possibility of obtaining the plenary indulgence by visiting St. Peter’s Basilica during the “secular” year.

Originally, according to the bull of Boniface VIII, the Jubilee was to be celebrated every hundred years. However, the periods between Jubilees changed over time:
– Pope Clement VI reduced it to every fifty years (thus resuming the frequency of the Old Testament);
– Pope Gregory XI set it every thirty-three years, in memory of the years of Jesus’ life;
– Pope Paul II finally established the frequency of twenty-five years, so that more faithful, including young people, could enjoy this grace at least once in their lifetime (considering the low life expectancy of those times).

In addition to “ordinary” Jubilees (every 25 years), “extraordinary” Jubilees are sometimes proclaimed for particular circumstances or needs of the Church. The last three extraordinary Jubilees have been:
– 1933-1934: Extraordinary Jubilee of Redemption (1900th anniversary of the Redemption of Christ, traditionally dated to the year 33 AD);
– 1983-1984: Extraordinary Jubilee of Redemption (1950th anniversary of the Redemption of Christ);
– 2015-2016: Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (to centre upon the theme of Mercy).
Since not everyone could travel to Rome, the Popes granted the possibility of obtaining the plenary indulgence also to those who, for economic reasons or other nature, could not travel. Instead of the pilgrimage, other works of piety, penance, and charity could be performed, as is still the case today.

Meaning and spirit of the Jubilee
The Jubilee is a strong time of penance and conversion, aimed at the remission of sins and growth in God’s grace. In particular, the Church invites us to:

1. Renew the memory of our Redemption and evoke a lively gratitude towards the Divine Saviour.
2. Revive in us faith, hope, and charity.
3. Arm ourselves, thanks to the Lord’s particular enlightenment in this period of grace, against errors, impiety, corruption, and scandals that surround us.
4. Awaken and increase the spirit of prayer, a Christian’s fundamental weapon.
5. Cultivate penance of the heart, correct behaviours, and repair with good works those sins that draw God’s wrath.
6. Obtain, through the conversion of sinners and the perfection of the righteous, that God anticipates in His mercy the triumph of the truth taught by the Church.

One of the culminating moments for the faithful during the Jubilee is the passage through the Holy Door, a gesture that must be preceded by a remote preparation path (prayer, penance, and charity) and by a proximate preparation (fulfilling the conditions to receive the plenary indulgence). It is important to remember that one cannot receive the plenary indulgence if one is in a state of grave sin.

The conditions for receiving plenary indulgence are:
1. Sacramental confession.
2. Eucharistic communion.
3. Prayer according to the intentions of the Holy Father (an Our Father and a Hail Mary).
4. Inner disposition of total detachment from sin, even venial (that is, the strong will to longer want to offend God).
If full disposition is lacking or if all conditions are not met, the indulgence is only partial.

Information on the Jubilee of 2025
As usual, this Jubilee was proclaimed by a Bull of Indiction, entitled Spes Non Confundit, which can be consulted HERE. Additionally, the Norms on the Granting of the Indulgence During the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 are available, and can be read HERE. The official website of the Jubilee of 2025, with information on the organization, events, calendar, and more, can be found HERE.

In the jubilee tradition of the Catholic Church, pilgrims arriving in Rome make a “devout pilgrimage” to the churches enriched with indulgence. This custom dates back to the time of the first Christians, who loved to pray at the tombs of the apostles and martyrs, certain of receiving particular graces through the intercession of St. Peter, St. Paul, and the many martyrs who soaked the land of Rome with their blood.

In 2025, several pilgrimage routes have been proposed, and in each of the indicated churches, it is possible to obtain the plenary indulgence. All the basilicas and churches mentioned below have been enriched with this jubilee gift.

1. Itinerary of the four Papal Basilicas
The four Papal Basilicas of Rome are:
1.1 St. Peter in Vatican City
1.2 St. John Lateran
1.3 St. Mary Major
1.4 St. Paul Outside the Walls

2. Pilgrimage of the 7 churches
The pilgrimage of the Seven Churches, initiated by St. Philip Neri in the 16th century, is one of the oldest Roman traditions. The itinerary, about 25 km long, winds through the entire city, also touching the Roman countryside and the catacombs.
In addition to the four Papal Basilicas, it includes:
2.5 Basilica of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls
2.6 Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem
2.7 Basilica of St. Sebastian Outside the Walls

3. “Iter Europaeum”
The Iter Europaeum is a pilgrimage through 28 churches and basilicas in Rome, each associated with one of the member states of the European Union for its artistic, cultural value, or for the tradition of hosting pilgrims from that specific country.

4. Female Patrons of Europe and Doctors of the Church
This route offers the opportunity to get to know European saints more closely, particularly those recognised as Female Patrons of Europe or Doctors of the Church. The itinerary leads pilgrims through the alleys of the Monti district, Piazza della Minerva, and other iconic places in Rome, to discover female figures of great importance in the history of Catholicism.

5. Christian Catacombs
Places that are both historical and sacred, where the mortal remains of numerous saints and martyrs are preserved.

6. Other Jubilee Churches
In these churches, catechesis will be held in various languages to rediscover the meaning of the Holy Year. It will also be possible to approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation and enrich one’s experience of faith through prayer.

Basilicas or churches enriched with plenary indulgence
To facilitate visits and devotion, here we are presenting the list of all the basilicas and churches enriched with plenary indulgence for the Jubilee of 2025, accompanied by links to the Jubilee sites, Google Maps, the official web pages of the individual places of worship, and other useful information. Three of them have been repeated because they are included in a double category (Basilica of St. Mary of Minerva, St. Paul at the Rule, and St. Bridget at Campo de’ Fiori).

1. Stories of wounded families
            We are used to imagining the family as a harmonious reality, characterized by the coexistence of multiple generations and the guiding role of parents who set the norm, and of children who – in learning it – are guided by them in the experience of reality. However, families are often affected by dramas and misunderstandings or marked by wounds that undermine their ideal structure, leaving a distorted, misleading, and deceptive image of them.
            The history of Salesian holiness is also marked by stories of wounded families: families where at least one parental figure is absent, or where the presence of the mother and father becomes, for various reasons (physical, psychological, moral, and spiritual), detrimental to their children, who are now on the path towards sainthood. Don Bosco himself, who experienced the premature death of his father and the separation from his family due to the prudent plan of Mama Margaret, desired – it is no coincidence – that the Salesian work be particularly dedicated to the “poor and abandoned youth” and did not hesitate to reach out to the young people who were formed in his Oratory with an intense vocational pastoral care (demonstrating that no wound from the past is an obstacle to a full human and Christian life). It is therefore natural that Salesian holiness, which draws from the lives of many of Don Bosco’s young people who were later consecrated through him to the cause of the Gospel, bears within itself traces of wounded families. This is a logical consequence of its origins.
            Of these boys and girls who grew up in contact with Salesian works, three will be presented, whose story is to be “grafted” into the biographical legacy of Don Bosco. The main characters are:
            – Blessed Laura Vicuña, born in Chile in 1891, orphaned of her father and whose mother began a cohabitation in Argentina with the wealthy landowner Manuel Mora; Laura, therefore, wounded by her mother’s morally irregular situation, was ready to offer her life for her;
            – The Servant of God Carlo Braga, from Valtellina, born in 1889, abandoned as a very young child by his father, while his mother was sent away due to a mix of ignorance and malicious gossip, being deemed mentally unstable. Carlo, therefore, had to face great humiliations and saw his Salesian vocation called into question multiple times by those who feared in him a compromising resurgence of the mental distress falsely attributed to his mother;
            – Finally, the Servant of God Ana María Lozano, born in 1883 in Colombia, who followed her father to the leper colony, where he was forced to move due to the appearance of dreaded leprosy. She was hindered in her religious vocation, but was finally able to realise it thanks to her providential encounter with Blessed Luigi Variara, sdb.

2. Don Bosco and the search for the father
            Like Laura, Carlo, and Ana María – marked by the absence of or the “wounds” by one or more parental figures – before them, and in a certain sense “on their behalf”, Don Bosco also experienced the absence of a strong family unit.
            The Memoirs of the Oratory soon dwelt on the early loss of the father: Francesco died at 34, and Don Bosco – not without resorting to an expression that is, in some respects, disconcerting – acknowledged that, “God, merciful as He is, struck them all with a great misfortune”. Thus, among the very first memories of the future saint of the young, a lacerating experience emerged: that of his father’s lifeless body, from which his mother tried to take him away, but encountered Johnny’s resistance, “I absolutely wanted to stay”, explains Don Bosco, and then added, “If Dad doesn’t come, I don’t want to go [away]”. Margaret then responded, “Poor son, come with me, you no longer have a father”. She cried, and Johnny, who lacked a rational understanding of the situation, intuitively grasped the full extent of the drama. With an emotional intuition, he empathised and shared in his mother’s sadness, “I cried because she cried, since at that age I certainly could not understand how great a misfortune the loss of a father was”.
            In front of his dead father, Johnny shows that he still considered him the centre of his life. He indeed said, “I don’t want to go [with you, Mom]” and not, as we would expect, “I don’t want to come”. His point of reference is his father – the starting point and the hoped-for point of return – in relation to whom every distancing appears destabilising. In the tragedy of those moments, moreover, Johnny had not yet understood what the death of a parent means. He indeed hoped (“if Dad doesn’t come…”) that his father could still remain close to him: yet he already sensed the immobility, the silence, the inability to protect and defend him, and the impossibility of being taken by the hand to become a man in his turn. The immediately subsequent events then confirm John in the certainty that the father lovingly protects, directs, and guides, and that, when he is missing, even the best of mothers, like Margaret, can only provide partial support. On his path as an exuberant boy, the future Don Bosco, however, encounters other “fathers”: his near peers Luigi Comollo, who awakened in him the emulation of virtues, and Saint Joseph Cafasso, who called him “my dear friend”, gave him a “gracious gesture to come closer”, and, in doing so, confirmed him in the persuasion that fatherhood is closeness, confidence, and concrete interest. But there is above all Fr Calosso, the priest who “bumped into” the curly-haired Johnny during a “popular mission” and became decisive for his human and spiritual growth. The gestures of Fr Calosso operated a true revolution in the pre-adolescent John. Fr Calosso first of all spoke to him. Then he allowed him to speak. Then he encouraged him. Still: he took an interest in the story of the Bosco family, showing that he knew how to contextualize the “moment” of that boy within the “whole” of his story. Moreover, he revealed the world to him, or rather, in some way, he brought him back to life, introducing him to new things, gifting him new words, and showing him that he had the abilities to do much and well. Finally, he watched over him with his gestures and gaze, and provided for his most urgent and real needs, “While I spoke, he never took his gaze off me. ‘Be of good cheer, my friend, I will take care of you and of your studies’”.
            In Fr Calosso, John Bosco thus experienced that true fatherhood deserves a total and all-encompassing entrustment; it leads to self-awareness; it opens up an “ordered world” where rules provide security and educate to freedom:
            “I immediately placed myself in the hands of Fr Calosso. It was then that I learned what it means to have a stable guide […], a faithful friend of the soul. He encouraged me; all the time I could, I spent with him. From that time on, I began to taste what spiritual life truly is, since before I acted more materially, like a machine doing something without knowing the reason behind it.”

            The earthly father, however, is also the one who would always like to be with his son, but at a certain point can no longer do so. Fr Calosso also died; even the best father, at a certain point, steps aside, to give his son the strength of that detachment and autonomy which are typical of adulthood.
            What then is, for Don Bosco, the difference between successful and failed families? One would be tempted to say that it all lies here: a “successful” family is characterised by parents who educate their children to be free, and if they let them go, it is only due to an unforeseen impossibility or for their own good. A “wounded” family, on the other hand, is one where the parent/s no longer give life, but carry within themselves problems of various kinds that hinder the child’s growth: a parent who is indifferent to them and, in the face of difficulties, even abandons them, with an attitude so different from that of the Good Shepherd.
            The biographical events of Laura, Carlo, and Ana María confirm this.

3. Laura: a daughter who “gives life” to her own mother
            Born in Santiago, Chile, on April 5^th, 1891, and baptized on May 24^th of the same year, Laura was the eldest daughter of José D. Vicuña, a disgraced nobleman who married Mercedes Pino, daughter of modest farmers. Three years later, a little sister, Julia Amanda, arrived, but soon after, their father died, having suffered a political defeat that undermined his health and compromised also their honour, along with the family’s economic support. Devoid of any “protection and future perspective”, Laura’s mother landed in Argentina, where she sought the protection of the landowner Manuel Mora: a man “of proud and haughty character”, who “did not hide hatred and contempt for anyone who opposed his plans”. A man, in short, who only seemingly offered protection, but was actually accustomed to taking, if necessary, by force, whatever he wanted, manipulating people. Meanwhile, he paid for Laura and her sister’s studies at the boarding school of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Their mother – who was under the psychological influence of Mora – lived with him without finding the strength to break the bond. However, when Mora began to show signs of improper interest towards Laura herself, and especially when she embarked on the path of preparation for her First Holy Communion, she suddenly understood the gravity of the situation. Unlike her mother – who justified an evil (cohabitation) in view of a good (her daughters’ education at the boarding school) – Laura understood that this was a morally illegitimate argument, which put her mother’s soul in grave danger. Around this time, Laura also expressed the desire to become a Daughter of Mary Help of Christians herself; but her request was rejected, because she was the daughter of a ‘public concubine’. And it is at this point that a change took place in Laura – received into the boarding school when ‘impulsiveness, ease of resentment, irritability, impatience and propensity to appear’ still dominated in her – that only Grace, combined with the person’s commitment, can bring about: she asked God for her mother’s conversion, offering herself for her. At that moment, Laura could move neither ‘forwards’ (entering the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians) nor ‘backwards’ (returning to her mother and Mora). With a gesture imbued with the creativity typical of saints, Laura embarks on the only path still available to her: one that reached towards the heights of transcendence and the depths of inner transformation. In her First Holy Communion resolutions she had written down:
            I propose to do all that I know and can to […] repair the offenses that you, Lord, receive every day from people, especially from those of my family; my God, grant me a life of love, mortification, and sacrifice.

            Then she finalised her intention in an “Act of Offering”, which included the sacrifice of her very life. Her confessor, recognising that the inspiration came from God but ignoring its consequences, consented, and confirmed that Laura was “aware of the offering she had just made”. She lived her last two years in silence, joy, and with a smile, and a disposition that was rich in human warmth. Yet the gaze she directed at the world – as confirmed by a photographic portrait quite different from the well-known hagiographic stylisation – revealed all the deep awareness and pain that dwelt within her. In a situation where she lacked both the “freedom from” (conditioning, obstacles, struggles) and the “freedom to” do many things, this pre-adolescent testified to “freedom for”: that of the total gift of self.
            Laura did not despise but loved life: her own and that of her mother. For this reason, she offered herself. On April 13^th, 1902, Good Shepherd Sunday, she asked: “If He gives his life… what prevents me from doing so for my mother?” Dying, she added: “Mom, I am dying, I myself asked Jesus for this… I have been offering my life for you for almost two years, to obtain the grace of your return!”
            These are words free of regret and reproach, but full of great strength, great hope, and great faith. Laura had learned to accept her mother for who she was. She even offered herself to give her what she could not achieve by herself. When Laura died, her mother converted. Laurita de los Andes, the daughter, thus contributed to giving life to her mother in faith and grace.

4. Carlo Braga and his mother’s shadow
            Carlo Braga, who was born two years before Laura, in 1889, was also marked by his mother’s fragility: when her husband abandoned her and the children, Matilde “almost stopped eating and was visibly declining”. She was then taken to Como, where she died four years later of tuberculosis, although everyone was convinced that her depression had turned into a real madness. Carlo then began to be “pitied as the son of an irresponsible [father] and an unhappy mother”. However, three providential events helped him.
            He later rediscovered the meaning of the first event, which occurred when he was very small: he had fallen into the hearth and his mother Matilde, in rescuing him, had consecrated him to the Virgin Mary at that very instant. Thus, the thought of his absent mother became for Carlo as a child ‘a painful and consoling memory at the same time’: sorrow for her absence; but also, the certainty that she had entrusted him to the Mother of all mothers, Mary Most Holy. Years later, Fr Braga wrote to a Salesian confrere struck by the loss of his own mother:
            “Now your mother belongs to you much more than when she was alive. Let me tell you about my personal experience. My mother left me when I was six years old […]. But I must confess that she followed me step by step, and when I cried desolately at the murmur of the Adda [river], while, as a little shepherd, I felt called to a higher vocation, it seemed to me that Mom was smiling at me and drying my tears”.

            Carlo then met Sister Giuditta Torelli, a Daughter of Mary Help of Christians who “saved little Carlo from the disintegration of his personality when at nine he realised he was just tolerated and sometimes heard people say about him, ‘Poor child, why is he even in the world?’” There were indeed those who claimed that his father deserved to be shot for the betrayal of abandonment, and regarding his mother, many schoolmates replied to him, “Shut up, your mother was crazy, anyway”. But Sr Giuditta loved him and helped him in a special way; she looked at him with a “new” gaze; moreover, she believed in his vocation and encouraged it.
            After entering the Salesian boarding school in Sondrio, Carlo experienced the third and decisive event: he met Fr Rua, of whom he had the honour of being the little secretary for a day. Fr Rua smiled at Carlo and, repeating the gesture that Don Bosco had once performed with him (“Little Michael, you and I will always go halves”), he “put his hand inside his own and said to him, ‘we will always be friends’”. If Sr Giuditta had believed in Carlo’s vocation, Fr Rua allowed him to realise it, “helping him overcome all obstacles”. Certainly, Carlo Braga would not lack difficulties at every stage of life – as a novice, young Salesian, and even as Provincial – manifested as prudent delays and sometimes taking the form of slander; but he had learned to face them. Meanwhile, he became a man capable of radiating extraordinary joy, humble, active, and marked by a gentle sense of irony—all traits that reflect his personal balance and sense of reality. Under the action of the Holy Spirit, Fr Braga himself developed a radiant fatherhood, joined by a great tenderness for the young entrusted to him. Fr Braga rediscovered love for his father, forgave him, and embarked on a journey to reconcile with him. He underwent countless hardships just to be always among his Salesians and boys. He defined himself as one who had been “put in the vineyard to act as a pole”, that is, without seeking recognition but for the good of others. A father, in entrusting his son to him as a Salesian aspirant, said, “With a man like you, I would let him go even to the North Pole!” Fr Carlo was not scandalised by the needs of the children; rather, he educated them to express them, to increase their desire, “Do you need some books? Don’t be afraid, write a longer list”. Above all, Fr Carlo learned to look at others with that gaze of love from which he himself had once felt reached thanks to Sr Giuditta and Fr Rua. Fr Joseph Zen, now a cardinal, testified in a long passage that deserves to be read in full and begins with his mother’s words to Fr Braga:
            “Look, Father, this boy is not so good anymore. Perhaps he is not suitable to be accepted in this institution. I wouldn’t want you to be deceived. Ah, if you only knew how he troubled me this last year! I really didn’t know what to do anymore. And if he gives you trouble here too, just let me know, and I’ll come to pick him up right away”. Fr Braga, instead of responding, looked me in the eyes; I too looked at him, but with my head down. I felt like a defendant accused by the prosecutor, rather than defended by my own lawyer. But the judge was on my side. With his gaze, he understood me deeply, immediately and better than all my mother’s explanations. He himself, writing to me many years later, applied to himself the words of the Gospel: “Intuitus dilexit eum (‘looking at him, he loved him’)”. And, from that day on, I had no more doubts about my vocation.

5. Ana María Lozano Díaz and the fruitful illness of her father
            The parents of Laura and Carlo had – in various ways – revealed themselves to be “distant” and “absent”. One final figure, that of Ana María, instead attests to the opposite dynamism: that of a father too present, who, with his presence, opened up a new path to sanctification for his daughter. Ana was born on September 24^th, 1883, in Oicatà, Colombia, into a large family, characterised by the exemplary Christian life of her parents. When Ana was very young, her father – one day, while washing – discovered a concerning mark on his leg. It was leprosy, which he managed to hide for some time, but was ultimately forced to acknowledge, first accepting to separate from his family, then reuniting with them at the leper colony of Agua de Dios. His wife heroically told him, “Your fate is our fate”. Thus, the healthy accepted the conditions imposed on them by adopting the rhythm of life of the sick. In this context, her father’s illness conditioned Ana María’s freedom of choice, forcing her to plan her life within the leper colony. Like Laura before her, she was unable to pursue her religious vocation due to her father’s illness. She then experienced, inwardly, the profound rift that leprosy causes in the lives of the sick. However, Ana María was not alone. Just as Don Bosco found help through Fr Calosso, Laura in her confessor, and Carlo in Fr Rua, so she found a friend of the soul in Blessed Luigi Variara, sdb, who assured her, “If you have a religious vocation, it will be realized”, and involved her in the founding of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1905. It was the first Institute to welcome leprous women or daughters of lepers. When Lozano died on March 5^th, 1982, at almost 99 years old, after more than fifty years as Mother General, Fr Variara’s insight had fully manifested in an experience that confirmed and reinforced the Salesian charism’s victim and reparative dimension.

6. The saints teach
            In their inescapable difference, the stories of Laura Vicuña (blessed), Carlo Braga, and Ana María Lozano (servants of God) are united by several noteworthy aspects:
            a) Laura, Ana, and Carlo, like Don Bosco, suffered situations of discomfort and difficulty, variously related to their parents. One cannot forget Mama Margaret, who was forced to send Johnny away from home when the absence of paternal authority facilitated the clash with his brother Anthony; nor forget that Laura was threatened by Mora and rejected by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians as their aspirant; and that Carlo Braga suffered misunderstandings and slanders; or that her father’s leprosy seemed at one point to rob Ana María of all hope for the future.
            A family, wounded in various ways, therefore caused an objective harm to those who were part of it: to fail to acknowledge or attempt to downplay the extent of this damage would be as illusory as it is unjust. Indeed, every suffering is associated with an element of loss that the “saints”, with their realism, capture and learn to name.
            b) Johnny, Laura, Ana María, and Carlo then took a second, more arduous step: instead of passively enduring the situation or lamenting it, they moved with increased awareness to address the problem. In addition to a lively realism, they demonstrated the ability, which is typical of saints, to react promptly, avoiding any self-centred withdrawal. They expanded through the gift and integrated it into the concrete conditions of life. In doing so, they bound the ‘da mihi animas’ to the ‘cetera tolle’.
            c) The limits and wounds are never erased: they are always recognised and named; in fact, they are ‘lived with’.  Even Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa and Servant of God Nino Baglieri, Venerable Andrea Beltrami and Blessed Augusto Czartoryski, were “reached” by the Lord in the debilitating conditions of their illness. Blessed Titus Zeman, Venerable José Vandor, and Servant of God Ignatius Stuchlý – part of larger historical events that seemed to overwhelm them – taught the difficult art of persevering through hardships and allowing the Lord to make the person flourish within them. Here, the freedom of choice takes on the highest form of a freedom of adherence, in the ‘fiat’!

Bibliographic Note:
            To preserve the character of “witness” rather than “report” of this writing, a critical apparatus of notes has been avoided. However, it should be noted that the quotes present in the text are taken from the Memoirs of the Oratory of St John Bosco; from Maria Dosio, Laura Vicuña. A Path of Salesian Youth Holiness, LAS, Rome 2004; from Fr Carlo Braga Recounts His Missionary and Educative Experience (autobiographical testimony of the Servant of God) and from the Life of Fr Carlo Braga, “The Don Bosco of China”, written by Fr Mario Rassiga, sdb and now available in stencilled form. To these sources are added the materials from the beatification and canonisation causes, which are accessible for Don Bosco and Laura, while still reserved for the Servants of God.

We wish all our readers a Holy Christmas, enriched by the Lord’s blessings, and a Happy New Year with peace and serenity!

From the very beginning, the Salesian Society had, like many other religious orders, a cardinal protector. Over time, up to the Second Vatican Council, there were nine cardinal protectors, a role of great importance for the growth of the Salesian Society.

The institution of cardinal protectors for religious congregations is an ancient tradition dating back to the early centuries of the Church, when the Pope appointed defenders and representatives of the faith. With the passage of time, this practice extended to religious orders, to which a cardinal was assigned with the task of protecting their rights and prerogatives at the Holy See. The Salesian Society of St John Bosco also enjoyed such favour, having several cardinals to represent and protect it in ecclesiastical offices.

Origin of the role of Cardinal Protector
The custom of having a protector dates back to the first centuries of the Roman Empire, when Romulus, the founder of Rome, created two social orders: patricians and plebeians. Each plebeian could elect a patrician as protector, establishing a system of mutual benefit between the two social classes. This practice was later adopted by the Church as well. One of the earliest examples of an ecclesiastical protector is St Sebastian, appointed by Pope Caius in 283 A.D. as defender of the Church of Rome.

In the 13th century, the assignment of cardinal protectors to religious orders became an established practice. St Francis of Assisi was one of the first to request a cardinal protector for his order. Following a vision in which his friars were being attacked by birds of prey, Francis asked the Pope to assign a cardinal as their protector. Innocent III agreed and appointed Cardinal Ugolino Conti, the Pope’s nephew. From then on, religious orders followed this tradition to obtain protection and support in their dealings with the Church.

This practice spread almost as a necessity, since the new mendicant and itinerant orders had a different lifestyle from that of the monks with fixed abode, well known to the local bishops. The geographic distances, the different political systems of the places where the new religious orders operated and the difficulties in communication at the time required an authoritative figure who was thoroughly familiar with their problems and needs. This figure could represent them at the Roman Curia, defend their rights and interests and intercede with the Holy See in case of need. The cardinal protector had no ordinary jurisdiction over religious orders; his role was that of a benevolent protector, although in particular circumstances he could receive delegated powers.

This practice also extended to other religious orders and, in the case of the Salesian Society, the cardinal protectors played a crucial role in ensuring the recognition and protection of the young congregation, especially in its early years when it was trying to consolidate itself within the structure of the Catholic Church.

The choice of the Cardinal Protector
The relationship between Don Bosco and the ecclesiastical hierarchy was complex, especially in the early years of the congregation’s foundation. Not all the cardinals and bishops viewed favourably the educational and pastoral model proposed by Don Bosco, partly because of his innovative approach and partly because of his insistence on addressing the poorer and disadvantaged classes.

The choice of a cardinal protector was not random, but was made with great care. Usually, a cardinal was sought who was familiar with the order or who had shown an interest in the type of work carried out by the Congregation. In the case of the Salesians, this meant looking for cardinals who had a particular focus on youth, education or missions, since these were the Society’s main areas of activity. Of course, the final appointment depended on the Pope and the Secretariat of State.

The role of the Cardinal Protector for the Salesians
For the Salesian Society, the Cardinal Protector was a key figure in its interaction with the Holy See, helping to mediate any disputes, ensuring the correct interpretation of canonical rules and ensuring that the needs of the Order were understood and respected. Unlike some older Congregations, which had already established a strong relationship with the ecclesiastical authorities, the Salesians, born in an era of rapid social and religious change, needed significant support to face the initial challenges, both internally and externally.

One of the most important aspects of the Cardinal Protector’s role was his ability to support the Salesians in their relations with the Pope and the Curia. This role of mediator and protector provided the congregation with a direct channel to the higher echelons of the Church, allowing them to express concerns and requests that might otherwise have been ignored or postponed. The cardinal protector was also responsible for ensuring that the Salesian Society complied with the directives of the Pope and the Church, ensuring that their mission remained in line with Catholic teaching.

On one of his visits to Rome in February 1875, Don Bosco asked the Holy Father Pius IX for the grace of having a cardinal protector:

“During the same audience he asked the Pope if the Salesians should request a Cardinal Protector as was customary with religious Congregations. The Pope replied, ‘As long as I live, I myself shall be Protector both to you and to your Congregation.’”(BM XI, 102).

However, realising the need for a reference person who had the authority to carry out various tasks for the Salesian Society, in 1876 Don Bosco returned to ask the Pope for a Cardinal Protector:

‘Then, when I asked him to appoint a cardinal protector for our Congregation to expedite communication with the Holy See – as other congregations have – he smilingly answered, “How many protectors do you want? Aren’t you satisfied with one?” meaning: I want to be your cardinal protector. Isn’t that enough? Before such graciousness, I thanked him with all my heart and said, “Holy Father, I need no other protector.”’ (BM XII, 161).

After this satisfying reply, Don Bosco still obtained a Cardinal Protector in the same year, 1876:

‘3. I asked that a cardinal protector be appointed to act as our spokesman to the Holy Father. At first it seemed as if he himself wished to be our protector, but I pointed out that this cardinal would act as our representative with the Pope on matters which we could not personally discuss with the Holy See’s congregations because of distance. Actually, the Holy Father himself would be our real protector, while the cardinal would manage our affairs with the Holy See.  Hearing this explanation, he concluded, “Then it’s all right. I shall so inform the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars.” And so, His Eminence Cardinal Oreglia will become the protector of our missions, the Salesian cooperators, the Sons of Mary, the archconfraternity of Mary, Help of Christians, and the whole Salesian Congregation in all matters which have to be cleared through the Holy See.’ (BM XIII, 386)

Don Bosco mentioned this cardinal in his writing ‘The loveliest flower of the apostolic college’ or rather the election of Leo XIII (pp. 193-194):

“XXVIII. Card. Luigi Oreglia Luigi Oreglia dei Baroni di S. Stefano honours Piedmont as does Cardinal Bilio, as he was born in Benevagienna in the diocese of Mondovì on 9 July 1828. He did his theological studies in Turin under the teaching of our valiant professors, who admired his discerning mind and indefatigable love for work. He then went to Rome to the Ecclesiastical Academy, where he commendably completed his religious education, and devoted himself to the study of languages, especially German, in which he is very good. Having entered the prelature, he was appointed on 15 April 1858 as the reference point for the Signatura, then was sent as internuncio to The Hague in Holland, from whence he went to Portugal, after having been proclaimed Archbishop of Damiata, succeeding the most eminent Cardinal Perrieri in that important diplomatic office. He found certain traditions of Pombal still alive in Portugal, which he fought against with great intelligence and courage. For which he was not too pleasing to those who then ruled. And he returned to Rome and the Holy Father, to show that if he ceased to represent the Holy See in Portugal it was not for any fault of his, created and made him a Cardinal in the Consistory of 22 December 1873, as titular of Saint Anastasia and appointing him Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences and Sacred Relics. Cardinal Oreglia added the virtues of the exemplary priest to his noble manners of the gentleman. Pius IX always held him dear and loved his conversation full of reserve and grace. He sets about matters slowly, but when he puts in a word, he does not care about labours and troubles as long as it succeeds. He is very frugal. The new Pontiff holds him in high regard and has confirmed him in the office of prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences and Sacred Relics.”

Cardinal Luigi Oreglia remained protector of the Salesians from 1876 to 1878, although he had already performed this task informally before 1876.

However, officially, the first Cardinal Protector of the Salesians was Lorenzo Nina, who held this office from 1879 to 1885. Leo XIII agreed to Don Bosco’s request to have a cardinal protector for the Society, and the official notification came after an audience on 29 March 1879:

“Six days after his audience with the Pope, Don Bosco was officially informed that his cardinal protector had been appointed in a communication from the secretariat of state, signed by Monsignor Seraphim Cretoni, and couched in words of praise: ‘The Salesian Congregation daily merits greater thoughtful consideration from the
Holy See because of its works of mercy and its accomplishments in evangelizing various areas of the world. It is the Holy Father’s wish that it be granted a special protector, and he has graciously appointed Cardinal Lawrence Nina, his secretary of state.’ At the time of Pius IX, Cardinal [Louis] Oreglia had been the nominal
protector of the Salesians since that Pope had taken the Salesian Congregation under his personal protection because at its origins it needed his special fatherly assistance. Now it had a true cardinal protector as did the other religious congregations. Nor could his choice have fallen on a more benevolent prelate, for, having known Don Bosco before he became cardinal, the secretary of state had a
lofty admiration and a warm love for him, having declared himself more than willing when Don Bosco had first asked him to be the Salesians’ protector.  “I could not volunteer for this to the Holy Father on my own,” he told Don Bosco, “but if he asks, I shall accept immediately.”  He gave eloquent proof of his good intentions when Don Bosco proposed that, in view of His Eminence’s responsibilities, he might appoint an official of his with whom Don Bosco could deal in matters concerning the foreign missions. ‘No,’ the cardinal replied, ‘I want to handle this myself. Come tomorrow at half past four so we can discuss this at greater ease. It is a wonder
that your Congregation can thrive in such times as these others fall to pieces and everything is threatened.’ Don Bosco frequently experienced the benefits of such a loving patronage. After he returned to Turin and told the superior chapter that the Pope had appointed a protector, he wrote a letter of thanks to the cardinal on behalf of the entire Congregation, paying him a most cordial tribute and soliciting his help for the Salesian missions and perhaps also for the granting of privileges. This seems
to be brought out by His Eminence’s reply. (BM XIV, 56-57)

From then on, the Salesian Congregation would always have a cardinal protector with great influence in the Roman Curia.

In addition to this official figure, there were always other cardinals and high prelates who understand the importance of education, and supported the Salesians. These include Cardinals Alessandro Barnabò (1801-1874), Giuseppe Berardi (1810-1878), Gaetano Alimonda (1818-1891), Luigi Maria Bilio (1826-1884), Luigi Galimberti (1836-1896), Augusto Silj (1846-1926) and many others.

List of the Protectors of the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco:

The last protector of the Salesians was Cardinal Benedetto Aloisi Masella, as the role of the protectors was annulled by the Secretariat of State at the time of the Second Vatican Council in 1964. The incumbent protectors remained until their death, and with them the office they received also died.

This happened because, in the contemporary context, the role of the cardinal protector lost some of its formal relevance. The Catholic Church underwent numerous reforms during the 20th century, and many of the functions that were once delegated to the cardinal protectors were incorporated into the official structures of the Roman Curia or were made obsolete by changes in ecclesiastical governance. However, even if the figure of the cardinal protector no longer exists with the same prerogatives as in the past, the concept of ecclesiastical protection remains important.

Today, the Salesians, like many other Congregations, maintain a close relationship with the Holy See through various dicasteries and curial offices, in particular the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. In addition, many cardinals continue to personally support the mission of the Salesians, even without the formal title of protector. This closeness and support remain essential to ensure that the Salesian mission continues to respond to the challenges of the contemporary world, particularly in youth education and missions.

The institution of cardinal protectors for the Salesian Society was a crucial element in its growth and consolidation. Thanks to the protection offered by these eminent ecclesiastical figures, Don Bosco and his successors were able to carry out the Salesian mission with greater serenity and security, knowing they could count on the support of the Holy See. The work of the cardinal protectors proved to be essential not only in defending the rights of the congregation, but also in favouring its expansion throughout the world, helping to spread Don Bosco’s charism and his educational system.

The devil’s temptation does not produce its devastating consequences if our human will, with God’s help, strives to resist it.We, in fact, are free to accept or reject the devil’s suggestions.And God, for his part, among the various aids, gives us the possibility of knowing how to distinguish between what he suggests to us and what the devil suggests to us.

Pope Francis’ catechesis offers us the opportunity to reflect on the ordinary activity of the devil. It corresponds to temptation and involves everyone, no one excluded. His extraordinary activity, such as vexation or possession, certainly impresses with its manifestations, but it is the ordinary type that is the most dangerous diabolic activity because it seeks to lead us to the definitive and absolute prospect of eternal suffering. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church at No. 74 is clear: ‘They try to associate human beings with their revolt against God.’

To this end, Satan and the demons study in depth the weaknesses of each of us by acting through temptation on our psychic sphere with the intention of altering the judgement of our intellect and obtaining the consent of our will.To tempt us, they use two powerful allies: the ‘flesh’ and the ‘world’.

The flesh is our human nature that was wounded by original sin and remains vulnerable even after baptism, because it is inclined to evil by what traditional language refers to as concupiscence. The world is not simply the environment in which we live or the human race in general, but, as the evangelist John writes, those who, with varying degrees of consciousness, live separated from God, forming the group of those who, in effect, serve the ‘prince of this world’, that is, Satan, spreading sin in society.
As the Pope reminded us, the world, including the technological means created and managed by man, continually presents us with opportunities for sin, instigating us to do the opposite of what Jesus taught us.

So it is that the devil, through the world, suggests scandals and bad example, corrupt shows, refined and immoral pleasures and amusements to us as lovable and imitable.

And at the same time he sows discord, stirs up wars, creates divisions, confuses minds even through ideologies clothed in false humanitarianism. Today, he uses the powerful means of social communication, media and social media, to orient and condition humanity’s thinking against God, separating it from his Love.
A temptation with which Satan has always undermined human beings, and which Pope Francis pointed out in his catechesis, is that of esotericism, occultism, witchcraft and Satanism. Satan strives to make people believe that through these practices one can obtain spiritual elevation, extraordinary powers, self-realisation and the fulfilment of one’s desires and happiness. In reality, it is exactly the opposite.
By adhering to magic and occult practices human beings treads the path indicated by Satan, as they grow more and more in their desire to want to become like God, taking up the ancient challenge of the rebellious angels, and deceptively putting themselves in the place of God. Their downfall at that point is inevitable.
In conclusion, it must never be forgotten that the devilish temptation does not produce its devastating consequences if our human will, with God’s help, strives to resist it.

We, in fact, are free to accept or reject the devil’s suggestions.

And God, for his part, among the various aids, gives us the ability to know how to distinguish between what he suggests to us and what the devil suggests to us.
St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians teaches us how to repel the devil: ‘ Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil’ (Eph 6:11) and then adds ‘be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power’ (Eph 6:10).
We must be vigilant in prayer, assiduous in the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, frequently spending time with Jesus in Eucharistic adoration. In particular, we must cultivate a true Marian devotion, lovingly praying the Rosary and, united with Our Lady, perform our daily duties well in a spirit of faith and love for all.
If then, through lack of vigilance or otherwise, temptation should sometimes prevail and we should fall into sin, we must not lose hope. The Lord is always ready to forgive his children who, sincerely repentant, knock at the door of his mercy. To this end, he instituted the sacrament of Confession, which, let us remember, not only serves to forgive sins, but is also a means of bringing about the ongoing conversion that we need.

Father Francesco Bamonte, Servant of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.C.S.M.), exorcist and vice-president of the International Exorcist Association ( former president for two consecutive terms from 2012 to 2023), author of several books.
Source: agensir.it, with permission of the author

On 16 June 2024, Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, confirmed Fr Alessandro as National Director of the Pontifical Missionary Works (POM) in Lithuania for another five-year term (2024-2029). Fr Alessandro, a Salesian from Turin, has been working as a missionary in Lithuania since 1998. He is currently the rector of the Salesian community in Vilnius, pastor of the parish entrusted to the Salesians and editor of the Lithuanian Salesian Bulletin.
He was appointed national director of the POM in 2019 at the proposal of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference, and his post can be summarised as the Church of Lithuania’s national commissioner of missionary animation, especially with a special eye for missions directly dependent on the Pontifical Organisations.

What are the Pontifical Missionary Societies?
The Pontifical Missionary Societies (POM) are a worldwide network of prayer and solidarity in the service of the Pope to meet the spiritual and material needs of peoples and local Churches in the so-called mission territories. They are an organisation of the universal Catholic Church that promotes and supports missionary activities worldwide. Their main mission is to spread the Gospel and support Christian communities in developing countries. In each country of the world, there is a national POM directorate that, through the various diocesan directors or national appointees of religious congregations or ecclesial movements, coordinates the initiatives of that country for the growth of missionary attention.
Let us look in detail at the history, the theological and ecclesial motivation of these 4 Works and their specificity.

1. Work of the Propagation of the Faith: founded in 1822 in Lyon, France, by Blessed Pauline Jaricot. Its purpose is to provide financial and spiritual support to Catholic missions around the world. It was recognised as ‘Pontifical’ by Pope Pius XI in 1922.

2. Opera dell’Infanzia Missionaria (also known as Holy Childhood): founded in 1843 by Charles de Forbin-Janson, Bishop of Nancy, France. It aims to sensitise children in Christian countries to the missionary cause and to promote solidarity among children worldwide.  It was also recognised as ‘Pontifical’ by Pope Pius XI in 1922.

3. Opera di San Pietro Apostolo: founded in 1889 by Jeanne Bigard and her mother Stéphanie in Caen, France. Its aim is to support the training of local clergy in mission territories. It supports scholarships for clergy and priests from mission countries, both locally and abroad. Declared ‘Pontifical’ in 1922 by Pope Pius XI.

4. Missionary Union of the Clergy: founded in 1916 by Father Paolo Manna, a PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) missionary. It promotes missionary awareness among clergy and pastoral workers. It is not just for the clergy, but for the awareness of the entire people of God as possessors of the universal missionary mandate. It became a pontifical work in 1956, under the pontificate of Pope Pius XII.

Theological and ecclesial motivation
POM is rooted in the Church’s mission to evangelise, which originates from Christ’s mandate to his disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Mission is therefore seen as a response to the divine invitation to share the Good News with all nations.
The heart of mission is the proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ, the proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the witnessing of the Christian faith.
On the other hand, proclamation not supported by solidarity would not be very credible. The POMs express the solidarity of the universal Church with the young Churches, especially in the poorest countries, through spiritual and material aid.
From the ecclesial point of view, the POMs are a concrete expression of missionary cooperation within the universal Church. They provide support to local churches in mission territories, helping them to develop church structures and to train clergy and laity. They also promote missionary awareness among the faithful, stimulating prayer, missionary vocation and financial support for missions. They facilitate international cooperation within the Church, enabling an equitable distribution of resources for mission needs.
The Pontifical Mission Societies are a vital component of the Catholic Church, embodying a commitment to evangelisation and global solidarity. Their history reflects a continuous and growing attention towards missions, while their theological and ecclesial motivation highlights the importance of the missionary mandate in the context of the Christian faith.
We Salesians are also called to be part of this ecclesial missionary journey of spiritual and material closeness and solidarity.

Universal Mission Collection
Since 1926, World Mission Day has been celebrated on the penultimate Sunday of October in all the Catholic communities of the world, as a day of prayer and universal solidarity among sister Churches. It is a time when each one of us is called to face up to the responsibility that is incumbent on every baptised person and on every Christian community, whether small or large, in response to Jesus’ mandate “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). It is placed at the beginning of the pastoral year to remind us that the missionary dimension must inspire every moment of our lives and that “missionary action” Pope Francis reminds us “is the paradigm of every work of the Church” (EG 15).
The Day is associated with an annual collection of offerings with which the Pontifical Missionary Societies, an expression of the Pope’s solicitude towards all the Christian communities of the world, come to the aid of the young missionary Churches, especially those in difficult situations and of greatest need, providing for their basic pastoral needs: training of local seminarians, priests, religious, catechists; construction and maintenance of places of worship, seminaries and parish structures; support for local Catholic TV, Radio and Press; provision of means of transport for missionaries (cars, motorbikes, bicycles, boats); support for the education, upbringing and Christian formation of children and young people. For this reason, this collection of offerings differs from other purposes, as well as from other possible forms of cooperation between particular Churches.

Theme of World Mission Day 2024
Every year the Holy Father sends a message to the whole Church on the occasion of World Mission Day. This message pays special attention to the activities of the POMs in the service of the whole Church. This 2024, the theme of World Mission Day is “Go and invite everyone to the banquet”, inspired by Mt 22:9. This theme was chosen to emphasise the mission of the Church to bring the invitation to salvation to all humanity, reflecting the parable of the wedding feast in which the king invites everyone at the crossroads to participate in the banquet.
Pope Francis highlights three key aspects:
1. “Go and invite!” Mission as a tireless going out to everyone to invite them to an encounter and communion with God. This calls the Church to always be outgoing, overcoming obstacles and difficulties to bring the Gospel to all.
2. The “Banquet”. The eschatological and Eucharistic perspective of the mission. The eschatological banquet symbolises the final salvation in the Kingdom of God, and participation in the Eucharist anticipates this perfect communion with God.
3. “Everyone”. The universal mission of Christ’s disciples, who must go to the margins of society to invite all, without exclusion, to participate in the new life in Christ.

Fr Alessandro BARELLI, sdb

From 1 to 7 August 2024 a Conference on Communication, entitled “Shaping Tomorrow”, will be held at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome. The organisers are the Salesian Congregation’s Communication Sector and the Faculty of Social Communication Sciences of the Pontifical Salesian University. The aim is to point out new ways in social communication, to ‘shape tomorrow’. We present the organisers’ vision.

             “When you pray for rain, mud is to be reckoned with”. So said Denzel Washington, recalling his father’s words.  In the context of media and communication, the rain is represented by the new technological tools and opportunities of the 21st century, such as artificial intelligence, high-speed Internet, social media, computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets. The mud is represented by fake news, cyberbullying and hate speech, the disappearance of social and communication skills, filters and information bubbles, digital exclusion, among others.

            Shaping Tomorrow is the slogan of the Communication 2024 conference, which will be held in Rome from 1 to 7 August 2024. In social communication, it is not a protective umbrella against the downpour; after all, we wait for rain, just as we wish for good communication. Rather, it is about building roads, pavements, manholes and bridges, avoiding and reducing mud in the city called social communication, the Internet or social media. In the context of new forms of communication, this means developing the technological possibilities while being aware of the downsides and challenges.

            Shaping Tomorrow, as the age of communication changes, is like opening the right door without being naive about the fact that there is someone waiting behind every door. Naivety in the world of modern technology is like sharing your emotions with artificial intelligence and believing that it will show boundless empathy. A modern smartphone is not human, a laptop is not human, a server is not human. Yet we sometimes behave naively, as if hardware and software replace our mother, our father, our family, our community and the emotions we experience, the desires we want to fulfil and the needs we need to satisfy. We look for a human being where there is none. What we get instead is a caricatured substitute for humanity, interpersonal relationships and the much desired love: the need to love others and the need to be loved by others. Shaping Tomorrow, on the other hand, means building communication based on a sound Christian anthropology – without a caricature of humanity and with respect for human dignity.

            The development of communication technology in recent decades has made our society a global village, where information travels at the speed of light. Sometimes the power of a small piece of news is equal to that of a hurricane that the whole world talks about. In a world where communication is becoming not only about transmitting information, but also about building relationships and influencing society, Shaping Tomorrow is an invitation to actively participate in shaping the world yet to come. It places the human being and his dignity at the centre, in line with the personalist norm of John Paul II.

Shaping Tomorrow
            – we understand it as a call to shape the future of Salesian communication through responsible and effective communication;
            – it means putting the human being and human dignity at the centre;
            – it is to promote the Church’s teaching on social communication;
            – is about ethics in social communication based on a sound anthropology;
            – it seeks to generate and promote solutions in the field of communication, conducting research and providing analysis, especially from a Salesian perspective;
            – is to gather expertise and information to generate new ideas, results and recommendations in the field of social communication;
            – in the midst of the digital revolution this requires the formation of media professionals.
            – it is to actively participate in the public debate and seek solutions to the problems of social communication;
            – it is to act internationally and influence decision-making processes by providing recommendations and solutions.

Topics that will be covered at the conference

1. Epochal change: digital culture and Artificial Intelligence – Fabio Pasqualetti, sdb
2. Epochal changes in communication – Fabio Bolzetta
3. Creators of new languages and paradigms for evangelisation, especially in the digital environment – Sr. Xiskya Valladares
4. Communication with migrants and refugees – Maurizio di Schino
5. Good practices of evangelisation on social media – Sr. Xiskya Valladares
6. The Church in the digital world and the approach to new technologies in Church communication – Fabio Bolzetta
7. Communication with the new generations, in particular with Generation Z and Alpha. How does communication with the new generations look like in the 21st century, both face-to-face and in the digital environment? – Mark McCrindle
8. Internal and external communication in the Church – the three popes – Valentina Alazraki
9. Crisis communication – Valentina Alazraki
10. Engaging young audiences – 10 tips for addressing Gen Z audiences – Laura Wagner-Meyer
11. Mobile journalism – Simone Ferretti
12. Content creators – Simone Ferretti
13. Migrants and refugees – in the context of communicating with the younger generation through social media – Laura Wagner-Meyer
14. How can the work of the Catholic Church better understand the digital transformations taking place in the modern world? – Andy Stalman
15. How can brand strategy change Salesian work in the world for the better? – Andy Stalman
16. Communication with migrants and refugees – Donatella Parisi

Details of the conference on the dedicated website, https://www.shapingtomorrowsdb.org

Dialogue between past, present and future: temporary exhibition for the 200th anniversary of Don Bosco’s dream. Don Bosco House Museum

To speak of Don Bosco’s life without mentioning the world of dreams is to suppress an important aspect of his identity. The saint’s life was marked by the supernatural, by visions and dreams that God sent him from childhood, when between the ages of nine and ten John Bosco had his first dream, which marked him deeply and accompanied him throughout his life.

The dream was considered prophetic because it shed light on his life project, both in his choice of the clerical state and in his total dedication to poor and abandoned youth. Indeed, in a certain sense it marked his path, since it began in the meadows of the Becchi, his home town, came to fruition in Turin when he settled in the Valdocco district and was commemorated in the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, at the Castro Pretorio in Rome, a year before his death. At the same time, from 1875, with the Salesian missions, he embraced several continents of the world, until today, where the Salesian presence works to keep the founder’s dream alive.

Two centuries later, aware that Don Bosco’s dream is still alive, the museum at the mother house in Valdocco, Turin, the Museo Casa Don Bosco, opened a temporary exhibition on 22 May that will remain open until 22 September 2024.

The exhibition, the result of previous research, is divided into several sections that explore the narrative, history and iconography of the dream in the arts and the resonance of the dream today, two hundred years later.

The selection of historical and artistic items on different media helps one discover different moments in Salesian history that recall this crucial event in the life of the saint. Together with the historical photographs, objects from the period between the beatification (1929) and canonisation (1934), when the representation of the Dream in the arts began: illustrations in books, postcards, commemorative coins, oil and paper paintings, etc.

The exhibition presents an important selection of original prints. Corrado Mezzana (1890-1952), Guido Grilli (1905-1967), Cosimo [Nino] Musio (1933-2017) and Alarico Gattia (1927-2022) are just some of the artists. Comics by Grilli, Musio and Gattia were commissioned by the Libreria della Dottrina Cristiana (1941), founded by Don Bosco’s fourth successor, Fr Peter Ricaldone (1870-1951). These works, which have been distributed in various publications, media, formats and languages throughout the world, are preserved by the current publishing house Elledici.

The exhibition is completed by seventeen photographs which won the international photography competition held since January 2024 and are promoted by the museum house with the aim of highlighting the artistic and creative talent of the entire Salesian world. The photos are described by their creators in the original language and come from Italy, Mexico, Panama, Slovakia, Spain and Venezuela.

These images involve the past, present and future and make us reflect on how, two centuries later, Don Bosco’s Dream has become a reality in Salesian presences around the world.

In addition, the Youth Ministry Sector of the Salesian Congregation is promoting the celebration of the Salesian Youth Synod around the world and, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the dream, has collected more than 200 dreams of young people from all over the world in a publication called Hidden Diamonds, some of which are displayed in the exhibition.

Photo: Guido Grilli (1905-1967), Giovannino’s Dream, 16.6 x 23 cm, 1952, film D15, picture no. 4. Historical Archive Editrice Elledici.

dr. Ana MARTÍN GARCÍA
Art historian, cultural heritage conservator and European PhD (Doctor Europaus) in visual arts for the University of Bologna. Former pupil of the Salesians in Estrecho (Madrid, Spain). Since 2023 she has been working as General Coordinator managing the Casa Don Bosco Museum in Valdocco, Turin.

A master was travelling with a disciple in charge of looking after the camel. One evening, having arrived at an inn, the disciple was so tired that he did not tie up the animal.
“My God,” he prayed as he lay down, “look after the camel: I entrust it to you.”
The next morning the camel was gone.
“Where is the camel?” asked the master.
“I don’t know,” replied the disciple. “You have to ask God! Last night I was so exhausted that I entrusted our camel to him. It is certainly not my fault that it ran away or was stolen. I explicitly asked God to watch over it. He is responsible. You always urge me to have the greatest trust in God, don’t you?”
“Have the greatest trust in God, but first tie up your camel,” replied the master. “For God has no hands but yours.”

God alone can give faith;
you, however, can give your testimony.
God alone can give hope;
You, however, can instil confidence in your brethren.
God alone can give love;
You, however, can teach others to love.
God alone can give peace;
You, however, can sow unity.
God alone can give strength;
You, however, can give support to the discouraged.
God alone is the way;
You, however, can show the way to others.
God alone is the light;
You, however, can make it shine in the eyes of all.
God alone is life;
You, however, can revive in others the desire to live.
God alone can do what seems impossible;
you, however, can do what is possible.
God alone is sufficient for himself;
however, he prefers to count on you.
(Brazilian song)

We sometimes here the question, what is the most powerful prayer?
The wording is certainly wrong, because it leads us to think of a magical formula which has power over God, forcing him to respond positively to our request.
The more correct question would be: what is the prayer most pleasing to God?
Surely it is the one made with our whole heart, not just with our lips.
But just as so often we do not know how to pray, just as Jesus taught the apostles the “Our Father”, the Church also suggests prayers. And they are not chosen at random but have their origin in salvation history, whether biblical or in the lives of the saints. And because of their high doctrinal value, some have been enriched with indulgences.

But what is an indulgence?
We read this explanation in the Enchiridion indulgentiarum (Handbook of Indulgences):
“An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal penalty for sins, already remitted with regard to the sin, which the faithful, duly disposed and under certain conditions, acquire through the intervention of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasure of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”
More explicitly: it is not enough to have obtained forgiveness of sin in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, since reparation must be made for the damage done (because there is damage, even if it is not immediately visible), a reparation that is not always achieved through the penance imposed by the confessor.
This also occurs in human relationships. For example, if a journalist has written falsities regarding someone, it is not enough to acknowledge the mistake, he must make reparation, i.e. retract his error. Or if someone has physically destroyed something it is not enough to acknowledge the fault, he must repair the damage. Or if a thief has acknowledged his crime and received his sentence, it is not enough for him to repair the damage, that is, to return the stolen property. It is an act of justice which we understand very well when we are the victims.

Prayers that attract an indulgence, if they are done with faith, obtain the remission due to sins partially or even fully (they free us in part or in full from temporal punishment). St John Bosco held them in high esteem, and did not miss an opportunity to propose not only prayers but also works that gained an indugence.

Below we offer a list of prayers that attract an indulgence, presenting their use, origin, where they are found in the Enchiridion indulgentiarum (Manual of Indulgences) and the source of the text. May the Lord grant that these prayers help us progress in our spiritual life.

Access the list of prayers and invocations by clicking HERE.