The word Advent comes from the Latin word ‘adventus’, which means ‘to come’. Advent has two purposes: it is a time for Christians to prepare for Christmas and a time to focus our attention on the expectation of the Lord's second coming in the last days. The date on which Advent begins varies from year to year. It is divided into four weeks and generally begins between 27 November and 3 December. At the beginning of Advent, last week was the new year of the Church, and now we are entering the new liturgical year, the D year.

 Each of the four Sundays before Christmas has its own meaning, and four candles are lit each Sunday. The first week's candle was purple, representing hope, and the second Sunday is also purple, but again represents peace. It's called the Bethlehem candle because it reminds us of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem.In general, Advent is a time of joy and hope, not penitence like Lent, but Christmas requires a daily spiritual effort to bring strength and grace. In Sunday's Gospel, John the Baptist conveyed God's message when he said: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path: we need to look at what needs to be improved in our lives; look also at the plains: what is lacking needs to be filled in; the hill: the bad qualities that need to be improved. It's time to return to God, to be more reconciled and to increase the faith we already have...

Message from the Bishops at the end of the Pilgrimage

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, You who have come in such large numbers to take part in this national pilgrimage, as well as all of you who are following it from home through the media. We, the bishops of Madagascar, would like to express our deep gratitude to you for having responded to our invitation and for having brought this jubilee initiated by Pope Francis to life spiritually. With you, we take up Mary's song: ‘My soul exalts the Lord’ and we repeat with her: ‘What shall I repay the Lord for all the good he has done me?’....

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Love and Salvation

Christmas is a great joy, because it is the love of God that has come to us, proclaims Fr. Bizimana Innocent, Provincial Superior of the Salesians Don Bosco of Madagascar and Mauritius, presenting his Christmas greetings. Salvation is accomplished, so life is not in danger of disappearing. It is this love and this salvation that we wish to fill our life so that we have peace.

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Zatti, our brother

The short film "Zatti, our brother" (Argentina, 2020) focuses on one of the most difficult episodes of his life. We are in Viedma, in 1941: at the age of 60, Zatti is forced to leave the hospital he has attended for decades. His faith and strength are tested.

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