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EAO, 01 January 2021 -- Happy New Year! Today on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God we celebrate with the whole Catholic Church the World Day of Peace and the start of this new year, filled with a lot of Hope!

While we celebrate the Anno Domini (AD – The Year of the Lord) 2021, the Buddhist Calendar writes year 2564, the Islamic Calendar year 1441, the Chinese calendar 4717, the Korean calendar 4353, the Javanese calendar 1953 and in the East Asia region this year the ‘’Year of the (metal) Ox” – Lunar New Year falls on 12 February 2020.

The United Nations has declared 2021 as the ‘International Year of Peace and Trust, International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development, International Year of Fruits and Vegetables and International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour’.

Within the Catholic community we are amidst the ‘Laudato Sí Year (2020, May 24 – 2021, May 24) and the Year of Saint Joseph (2020, Dec 8 – 2021, Dec 8). And in the EAO region the Catholic Church in the Philippines is finally entering the immediate preparations for the 500th anniversary of evangelization (1521-2021) with this year's focus on ‘Mission Ad Gentes’.

As with every New Year the timetable for 2021 offers the Salesian Congregation and Salesian Family many occasions for common growth of the Salesian Charism: especially with the Centenary Year of the third successor of Don Bosco Fr Paul Albera (1921-2021), while the Don Bosco Past Pupils are still amidst their 150th Jubilee Year (2020-2021, June 24).

But the pandemic is not yet over and the whole global community really needs a lot of deep hope to go forward. In this context the Rector Major’s Strenna for 2021 ‘Moved by Hope: ‘See, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5) is really very apposite. With the incoming 39th ‘Salesian Family Spirituality Days', the first ever online, we have a great opportunity to be motivated and inspired by the Spirit at the beginning of this year.