Fatima (Portugal). From 29 August to 1 September 2024, the 9th International Congress of Mary Help of Christians will be held in Fatima, Portugal, organized by the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA), with the theme, “I will give you the Teacher”, referring to the bicentenary of the Dream at Nine Years of Johnny Bosco, which the Salesian Family is celebrating.
Intended for all the Salesian Family Groups, the event is usually held every four years, with the aim of knowing, deepening, and spreading devotion to Mary Help of Christians.
The first Congress was thought of by Fr. Egidio Viganò, seventh successor of Don Bosco, and took place in Turin in 1988, on the centenary of the death of the saint. In 1995, the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia hosted the 2nd. The 3rd was held in Seville, Spain in 1999. In 2003, Turin-Valdocco (Italy) hosted the 4th, on the occasion of the centenary of the coronation of Mary Help of Christians. The 5th was held in 2007, in Mexico City, while the 6th was hosted by the city of Czestochowa, Poland, in 2011. The 7th Congress took place in Turin-Valdocco/Colle Don Bosco in 2015, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco. In 2019, the 8th Congress was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the theme “With Mary, a Woman of Faith,” on the 150th anniversary of the founding of ADMA.
At Fatima, a place of strong Marian devotion for the apparitions of Our Lady to the three little shepherds, more than 1,200 participants from a wide variety of Countries are expected.
The Congress will be attended by Fr. Stefano Martoglio, Vicar of the Rector Major; Mother Chiara Cazzuola, Superior General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, who on August 30 will give the Good Night; Sister Leslie Sándigo, General Counselor for the Salesian Family; and Sister Lucrecia Uribe, collaborator of the Sector and World Animator of ADMA.
The event has a varied program, with lectures, testimonies, prayer moments, liturgical celebrations, guided tours to the holy places of the Marian Shrine, participation in the Way of the Cross, and the Rosary with a candle-light procession. These activities will be organized by language groups in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, English, and French.
There are also cultural events such as the Marian Recital “Filhos do SIM” and a concert by Fr. Maurizio Palazzo, SDB, master of the chapel and organist at the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Turin.
Among the speakers there are theologians, priests, and lay people engaged in Marian spirituality and the Salesian mission. Expected are: Fr. Andrea Bozzolo, SDB, Rector Magnifico of the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) of Rome; the Spanish biblist Fr. Juan José Bartolomé, SDB; Sister Adriana Silva Castillo, FMA, Doctor in Dogmatic Theology with a thesis in Pneumatological Mariology; the psychologist and psychotherapist Maria Rita Scrimieri, Salesian Cooperator, Founder and Coordinator of the Study Center “Opera dei Tabernacoli Viventi;” Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, Postulator General of the Causes of the Saints of the Salesian Family.
Also participating is the Auxiliary Bishop of Donetsk, in Ukraine, Msgr. Maksym Ryabukha, SDB, who will give his testimony to the participants about what it means to live Don Bosco’s dream in a community in the middle of a war and who, on the last evening, will preside over the Rosary and procession at the Shrine of Fatima.
For the coverage and television transmission of some moments of the Congress, TV Canção Nova and the Salesians of Don Bosco have established a partnership. In particular, the opening Eucharist on 29 August at 7:00 pm, the closing Eucharist on 1 September at 10:30 am, and some daily services will be broadcast on Canção Nova will be broadcast.
More information and full program: https://mariaauxiliadora2024.pt/en/
Source: infoANS
