(ANS - Rome) - Faithful to the exhortation of Don Bosco 130 years ago when he recommended to the Salesians " the spreading of good books, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls," the Salesians and Salesian Publishers around the world continue to publish many books of prayer and reflection, as well as educational stories for young people, especially in this Bicentenary Year.

From South Korea comes a new book by Fr Stephen Yang, current Provincial of the Salesians in the country. It is a collection of 34 short essays, published by Biblelife, the publishing company of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus. The book has been published only in Korean, with a title which could be translated as "A good lesson in prayer."  It is composed of reflections already published in the last three years by Fr Yang in the monthly magazine "Bible & Life", accompanied by concrete guidelines and practical suggestions.

A small handy volume by Fr Miguel Angel García Morcuende, SDB, of the Department of Salesian Youth Ministry has come recently from the printing press of Narcea Editoriales in Spain. In appearance it is similar to a school exercise book. This small volume presents the main keys to understanding the life and work of Don Bosco, using Don Bosco’s own words. It is divided into four chapters corresponding to the four fundamental elements of the Salesian Oratory – a home that welcomes, a church that evangelizes, a school that prepares young people for life, and a playground where they can meet. The booklet in Spanish concludes with a prayer composed by the Rector Major, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime.

There has been massive participation by Spanish-speaking readers in an initiative of the Salesian publisher "Edebé" called "Con Francisco a mi lado” (With Francis on my side).  It is a collection of educational stories for children and educators. It is one of the more personal projects of Pope Francis, launched by Scholas, a company started by Jorge Mario Bergoglio when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires to promote social and cultural integration in schools and educational networks.

Of the fifteen stories selected from Scholas, tenhave already been published by Edebé in the collection My favourite stories of Blue Train; tales that illustrate values ​​such as joy, courage, hope, self-esteem, solidarity, simplicity, commitment. These stories have had widespread distribution across the country as the collection was distributed with the newspaper El Mundo.

Before reaching Spain in March, the project had been a great success in Argentina and Peru, and it will soon be released in Mexico, Guatemala and Uruguay.

Published 15/04/2015