Dear Friend,

Approaching the end of 2023 may we reflect on those values of love
togetherness and the opportunity for our families to strengthen our ties.
It is also a time to reflect and pray for those who are less privileged than us.
Children living in war-torn areas face numerous challenges and hardships. In
2022, it was estimated that 468 million children worldwide lived in areas
affected by armed conflict. Nearly 200 million children were living in the
world’s most lethal war zones, the highest number in over a decade.
These children live in constant fear, experiencing grave violations of their
rights, which can have serious impacts on their mental health. Many of these
children are already at risk due to climate change and face unprecedented levels
of hunger.
Christmas has become a time of the year that is strongly associated with ‘home’,
a time when most of us want to be at home with family or loved ones. However,
when we look back to the first Christmas, we see that instead of staying at home
for the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem because of
the census. The messy reality of childbirth in a stable is quite different to the
cozy images we associate with Christmas today: a crackling fire, stockings on
the mantelpiece, and presents under a Christmas tree.
This year as we prepare for Christmas, we remember those who do not have
homes, especially those with whom we work. In Makululu, Zambia, Salesians
are supporting vulnerable children who are left to live on the streets, and they
work to reintegrate them with their families where possible. In Sudan and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), conflict has displaced many thousands
of families.
In Ukraine families have been displaced with over 100,000 people, this
Christmas located all over Ireland. In Gaza the United Nations have stated over
1 million young people and their families have been displaced. Let us not forget
our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who have suffered in recent years.
The task ahead is enormous.

We can make a positive contribution.
May we, through prayer, use our preparation for the Holy Year to be inspired in
this season of Hope to make a difference in young lives.
Our Saviour is reason to hope; we are assured in a most overwhelming way that
God always keeps his promises; for on that first Christmas, He sent his only Son
Jesus, the long-awaited fulfilment of God’s promise of salvation. Jesus was not
born into comfort and security. He chose by becoming one of us to share in our
trials and tribulations.

May we challenge ourselves to make a difference this Christmas Season.

Seamus Mc Donald KSG
President Unum Omnes