Don Bosco’s Successor
Visits New Rochelle Province
From Monday, Nov. 21, until Friday, Nov. 15, Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime, 10th successor of St. John Bosco as Rector Major of the Salesians and head of the entire Salesian Family, visited the Eastern U.S. and Canada Province.
Fr. Angel’s journey was continuing from his visit to the San Francisco Province, Nov. 15-21. The entire visit to the U.S. completed a visit in 2018 to the New Rochelle Province that had to be confined to Canada because he wasn’t able to secure a visa in time.
On this occasion, Fr. Angel 1st arrived in Washington, D.C., and visited Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and Work-Study Program in Takoma Park, Md. On the evening of Nov. 21, he met school leaders and major supporters. On the morning of Nov. 22, he met the students, celebrated Mass with them, and toured the facilities. Then he took Amtrak to New Rochelle, arriving at the provincial center by 4:30 p.m. On this first day in the province, he was accompanied by Fr. Hugo Orozco, general councilor for the Interamerica Region.
In New Rochelle on the 22d, Fr. Angel greeted each confrere and gave the Good Nite after Evening Prayer.
Then he took part in the gala celebration of the 75th anniversary of Salesian Missions at the Green Tree Country Club, praising the mission office’s work on behalf of poor and endangered young people around the world and thanking the donors who make that work possible. He also honored a dozen longtime employees (25 years or more). One of the highlights of the evening was Salesian Missions’ presentation of a check for $2 million to be used for Salesian youth work in the poorest and most difficult countries.
260 Salesians, employees, vendors, and benefactors attended the celebration. He happily called Fr. Tim Ploch, director of the provincial center community, his “personal translator.” The 2 have a long, warm relationship from the 6 years when Fr. Ploch was on the general council.
On Wednesday, Nov. 23, Fr. Angel presided over a Thanksgiving prayer service in the gymnasium of Salesian High School, including words of encouragement and appreciation for both students and staff.
He visited the school chapel, which had been consecrated in 1926 by St. Louis Versiglia, Salesian martyr-bishop, and he blessed the school’s new STEM center.
Then he met in the school cafeteria with student leaders from Salesian, Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey), and Mary Help of Christians Academy (North Haledon).
Continuing, the Rector Major met briefly in the provincial house with 2 Don Bosco Volunteers, then toured Salesian Missions and spoke to the staff. He returned to the school cafeteria for lunch with about 30 young graduates of Salesian schools, dialoguing with them about their dreams, how they’ve benefited from their Salesian education, and how they can continue to serve the Church and society.
After a break, Fr. Angel met with the provincial and council for about 90 minutes. Then he proceeded to St. John Bosco Parish in Port Chester for an open-invitation Mass for the Salesian Family at 7:00 p.m.
About 400 people came, including representatives of the local groups of the Salesian Family: SDBs, FMAs, Salesian Cooperators, ADMA, and Canção Nova. He celebrated Mass in Spanish; Fr. Tim Zak, provincial, translated his homily. There was outstanding warmth and vibrancy between Fr. Angel and the congregation. He expressed his appreciation for the parish’s diversity, and indeed the diversity and openness he had seen wherever he went in the U.S.
A reception in the parish hall followed the Mass. There, as he did everywhere, the Rector Major greeted anyone who approached and posed patiently, even enthusiastically, for photos.
Wednesday was a long day. So was Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. Fr. Angel left New Rochelle for the Salesian Sisters’ provincialate in Haledon, N.J., where he greeted all the sisters, including the aged and infirm, then celebrated Mass with the 2 FMA communities (also North Haledon). He took a look at the Sisters’ new chapel and gave it a blessing.
Then it was on to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey for a Thanksgiving prayer service in the school’s main chapel with 86 SDBs from all over the U.S. part of the province and Thanksgiving dinner in the school cafeteria. There was a lot of photography on this occasion, too, including big group shots and individual takes with the RM.
Fr. Angel moved on to the formation house in Orange, from which 3 of the young confreres took him on a short tour of Manhattan. Someone later remarked, “Can you imagine the superior general of any other congregation going along as a tourist with 3 young men in formation?” He is indeed an approachable and charismatic man!
On Friday the Rector Major celebrated Mass and met more formally with the formation community, including men from Tampa, Marrero, Chicago, and Maryland who are still in formation; then with just the formators.
Thruout his visit to the province, the Rector Major noticed the evident signs of joy and fraternity among the confreres, including those in initial formation and. He encouraged all to continue to develop a deep sense of God who gives meaning and purpose to our lives and vocation.
He exhorted the province to be provocative in our vocation proposal to young people. He observed that during his visits to the 2 U.S. provinces (East and West), he had met young people who expressed their desire to be Salesian religious. He added that we also must be present to accompany young people in their vocational journey.
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