Ancient History

Ancient History

"As old as Methuselah" is pretty old, right? According to Gen 5:27, he lived to be 969.

Last Sunday, Sept. 27, the Eastern Province of the Salesians celebrated 970 years of vowed religious life--spread out among 20 priests and brothers who during 2009 had reached 25, 40, 50, 60, 65, 70, and even 75 years as SDBs.

Brothers Bruno Busatto, Richard Pasaik, and Gerald Warner celebrated 160 years of religious life--among them.

Also honored in the celebration were 7 priests with anniversaries (25, 40, 60, 65) totaling 300 years.

Fr. Tom Dunne preaching, with concelebrating Salesian priests in the foreground

Here's the full story:

On Sunday, September 27, the New Rochelle Province celebrated the profession and ordination jubilees of 25 confreres, 5 from Canada and 20 from the Eastern U.S. These were for major anniversaries that occurred in 2009.

Although most of the anniversaries of profession fall in August and September, and most of the ordination anniversaries occur in the spring, the province customarily holds one large celebration for everyone in the fall at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw-Stony Point. The celebration is timed with fall pastoral meetings to encourage broad participation.

This was the first year when the weekend for all of that was scheduled in September. In years past it has been placed on the Columbus Day weekend; but that’s Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, which would cause problems for our Canadian confreres, who have been part of our province since July 1, to attend either the meetings for the jubilee festivities.

The jubilarians included 5 brothers and 20 priests who come originally from Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Wisconsin, Italy, Korea, Poland, Scotland, and Slovenia. They have served in schools, parishes, youth centers, formation communities, and provincial administration.

Two of the jubilarians were celebrating anniversaries of both profession and ordination. The senior member of the group, Fr. Emil Fardellone, age 92, has been professed 75 years and ordained 65 years. He traveled unaccompanied (apart from dozens of fellow air travelers) from Louisiana to New York for the festivities. In his homily, Fr. Tom Dunne noted that Fr. Emil has been a Salesian for more than half of the Congregation’s almost 150 years.

Fifteen of the jubilarians were present for the celebration, the others being prevented by distance, illness, or pastoral responsibilities.

Fr. Dunne presided over the four o’clock Mass at the shrine chapel, in which about 200 members of the Salesian Family and of the jubilarians’ families took part. Preaching on the gospel reading of the day (Mark 9:38-48), Fr. Dunne contrasted the attitude of the apostles, who “were accustomed to thinking of life in terms of advancement, influence, and power,” with the attitude of the jubilarians, who have experienced their own helplessness apart from Jesus and have come instead “to trust in the divine presence,” who therefore have understood the importance of serving “the most needy among their brothers and sisters.”

Fr. Dunne said that he thought the lesson of Jesus in the day’s gospel “would strike a chord with most of our jubilarians today. In our Constitutions, we are called ‘to be signs and bearers of the love of God for young people, especially those who are poor’ (art. 2). In this article we are called to be what Jesus directed the apostles to be in today’s gospel: animators rather than those who do it all their own.”

Unlike John, who was upset about someone from outside the group driving out demons in Jesus’ name, said Fr. Dunne, we “share our ministry more completely with lay colleagues and members of the Salesian Family. We appreciate those who do good for the young in Christ’s name but who are not among our [SDB] members. We have begun to look at the Church and society around us with an eye to calling together a vast movement of people interested in carrying on Don Bosco’s care for the young and the poor. This expanded vision of ‘give me souls’ sums up our passion for serving the young most at risk today.”

After Mass, the jubilarians present pose with Fr. Dunne (provincial), Fr. Steve Dumais (vice provincial), and Fr. John Puntino (director of the Marian Shrine).