(ANS – Rome) – As has been the case for the past a few years, 31 January is being celebrated not only in communities, in schools and in cities, but also in the media which remember and publicize the figure of Don Bosco. Among the many celebrations of this kind we mention only some that have come to our notice, and in particular that of Osservatore Romano, which yesterday reported a 1990 letter of Fr Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, where the then Jesuit priest talks about the education he received from the Salesians.

In Italy , the broadcaster TV2000 dedicated the morning programme Nel cuore dei Giorni  (In the heart of the Days) to Don Bosco and to the Salesians and Salesian Family members who still keep his charism alive.

In Uruguay, Radio Líder FM – 89.1 broadcast an interview in honour of Don Bosco with Fr Hugo Espinosa in which he spoke about the Salesian presence in La Charqueada, recently rejuvenated by a youth mission.

The Province of Mexico-Guadalajara, through its Communications Office,  started the "Don Bosco is for me ..." series in which anyone who wanted to could talk about his personal relationship with the Father, Teacher and Friend of the young. Some Salesians and members of staff of the Generalate in Rome also took part in this initiative. It is available on video on ANSChannel.

Yesterday, 30 January, the Osservatore Romano published the memories of  none other than the Salesian past pupil, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, talking about what he had received from his Salesian education. In a long unedited text the future Pope speaks with his usual frankness about his admiration for the  practical and joyful way of living the faith he had learnt. Among other things he said: "I learned there to search for the meaning of things ... The men I knew there did not teach a Catholic culture that was in any way bigoted or disoriented ... In 1976, when I was assigned to take care of the San Miguel  formation community, they accused me of “Salesianizing” the Jesuits!  The full text of the letter is available here.

Inevitably, in the year 2014, the digital continent also played its part: the initiative Salesianizzando Facebook 2014 (making Facebook Salesian) continues to increase in the number of members and by midday (Italian time) it had about 6,500 participants. On Twitter there were thousands of references, quotes and good wishes dedicated to Don Bosco, so much so that the topic # Don Bosco has become a national trend in Spain since this morning.

Published 31/01/2014