Homily for 1st Sunday of Lent

Homily for the
1st Sunday of Lent

Feb. 26, 2023
Rom 5: 12, 17-19
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“By the transgression of the one man, death came to reign….  The abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life thru Jesus Christ” (Rom 5: 17).

St. Paul probably read Genesis literally.  One man named Adam sinned by disobedience and brought sin, and sin’s consequence, death, into the world.  Scripture scholars today aren’t so literal, but they agree that the sacred writer, the inspired author of Genesis, teaches that God didn’t create sin, God didn’t will sin, nor did God create death.  Rather, sin is the result of human choice, and sin separates us from the Creator who gives us life.  So Paul is right when he blames human transgression for death coming to rule over humanity—indeed, over all living creatures.

Death brought into the world by sin stands in contrast to immortality brought into the world by another human being, viz., Jesus Christ.  Thru Christ every man and woman may attain the gift of justification—a gift that God freely gives, the gift of coming into good standing, not sinful standing, before him.  By his humanity, by his suffering and cross, Jesus Christ invites us to come with him into God’s grace and be judged worthy of eternal life.  “Thru the obedience of one man, the many will be made righteous” (5:19).

“The many” is a biblical way of saying that this gift of Jesus Christ is open to everyone—not just a chosen, lucky few, not just the Jewish people—but everyone who chooses to come to Jesus for redemption.

That’s what Lent’s about, brothers and sisters:  reaffirming our choice to belong to Jesus.  At the Easter vigil, some believers will make that radical choice and enter the Church of Jesus Christ thru Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.  Those of us who were baptized and confirmed many years ago and who’ve received the Eucharist more times than we can count, on Easter we’ll reaffirm our commitment to Jesus Christ; we’ll reaffirm our conversion from sin, our rejection of Satan’s deceptions, and our determination to follow Jesus.  Like Jesus, we’ll all pass thru death at some point.  With him we hope to be raised up on the Last Day.

Homily for Friday after Ash Wednesday

Homily for Friday after Ash Wednesday

Feb. 24, 2023

Collect

Provincial House, New Rochelle

Today’s collect asks for the Lord’s “gracious favor.”  Our penances aim to please him but need his assistance to be carried out and to be fruitful, for we are weak and prone to distractions.

We ask that we may be sincere in what we do—our fasting (whatever it is we fast from), our alms (whatever form that takes), and our prayer.  The collect speaks specifically of “bodily observances,” which may take many forms, not only concerning food.  I suppose none of us is undertaking what they used to call “the discipline.”  But there is the discipline of controlling what we say to and about one another, and the discipline of attending to our responsibilities.

But whatever we undertake will be sincere if it’s directed toward God as humble service or praise, or toward the welfare of our neighbor (as Isaiah insists upon today)—our neighbor confrere, student, house or office staff, or anyone else.  We pray we may sincerely do whatever we undertake for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

New STEM Education Project Launches in Philippines

New STEM Education Project Launches in Philippines

Funding secured by Salesian Missions from USAID/ASHA

 

Photo ©: Salesian Missions

(ANS – Cebu City, Philippines – February 22, 2023) – Don Bosco Technical College (known as Don Bosco Cebu), located in Cebu City, Philippines, will be empowering the next generation of STEM students thanks to the new "Realizing 21st Century Learning in Don Bosco Cebu" project. This project was made possible thanks to a grant from the United States Agency for International Development’s American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (USAID/ASHA) program secured by Salesian Missions of New Rochelle.

The project, which will run until October 2026, will construct and equip a new science and technology building on the Don Bosco Cebu campus. The first 2 years of the project will be focused primarily on construction and the last 2 years will create educational programming, integrating science, technology, engineering, and math across the curriculum, as well as encourage young women to engage in STEM education.

The new Science Technology (SciTech) Center will be equipped with advanced U.S.-influenced science, technology, and innovation resources. It will provide technical and vocational workshops to promote opportunities for youths to design, prototype, and experiment with STEM applications to solve local, regional, and international problems.

The project will also create a youth-focused learning hub at the SciTech Center to support marginalized students in fostering creative scientific ideas. The center will feature learning laboratories to promote creative applications, and a multipurpose hall will be used for science fairs, remote discussions with U.S. scientists, and other idea-sharing initiatives. Students will learn analytical and critical thinking skills to develop impact-driven innovations. It will empower them to be the next generation’s leaders.

Once the SciTech Center is built, there will be a focus on encouraging more young women into the STEM education and employment field. Despite a high national gender development index score, women in the Philippines still face significant gender gaps in financial earnings linked to labor force participation rates and traditional gender roles. Women are in the labor force at a rate of only 65 percent that of men.

This project will work to close the gender gap by using best practices to empower young women to be leaders in their communities and in the STEM fields. It will also transform the perception of gender roles and expectations of the wider public, starting with the academic culture at Don Bosco Cebu.

“We are grateful and appreciate the support of ASHA in funding this important initiative,” said Fr. Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions. “This new SciTech Center will enable students to learn advanced STEM skills and become leaders in the industry. It will also work to empower more young women to see STEM as a viable academic and career option.”

Don Bosco Cebu has educated poor and marginalized youths since 1954. The school offers kindergarten, primary school, junior and senior high schools, technical and vocational education, and a college, which offers three accredited bachelor of science degrees.

Although originally founded as an all-boys school, Don Bosco Cebu integrated its student body and began accepting young women in senior high school and technical and vocational school in 2016. The school has plans to integrate the junior high school in the near future. The college has been co-ed since its founding in 1995.

Throughout the Philippines, the Salesians of Don Bosco offer a variety of educational and social development programs for youth. The goal is to provide the opportunities necessary to gain an education and skills training to break the cycle of poverty and retain long-term employment.

Source: MissionNewswire

Salesians in Aleppo Are Struggling after Latest Tremor

A new earthquake tremor, a fresh start

Salesian house in Aleppo is struggling

(ANS – Aleppo, Syria – February 21, 2023) – Last night, two weeks after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, killing more than 47,000 people, another powerful quake of 6.4-magnitude again triggered panic in the areas already affected by that first tragedy. Thousands of people again took to the streets and sought a safe place to take refuge.

More than 750 people came to the Don Bosco house in Aleppo to spend the night there. Salesians do not close their doors in front of anyone, but helping so many in need under those conditions is a real challenge.

The new quake also occurred in Turkey, around 7:00 p.m. local time, in the Antioch area, with the epicenter in Hatay. So far, there are 6 more deaths and about 700 injured, people caught in the buildings that were already unsafe or crushed in the ensuing panic. “In Aleppo, where there is a Salesian presence, we felt the earthquake very strongly. All the people took to the streets with so many nightmares still in their heads and so much fear,” says Fr. Pier Jabloyan, communications delegate of the Salesian Middle East Province.

The Salesian community has again done what it is used to doing in any circumstance of need for the past 12 years, whether due to war or cataclysms: it has taken in displaced and needy people. But “the difficulty is that the Salesian house is overloaded now with people; we have difficulty getting mattresses, blankets, food, etc. We were not prepared for so many people; we were only equipped for 400,” Fr. Jabloyan continues.

That it is not just a matter of numbers is also explained by Fr. Alejandro Leon, provincial. “When the first earthquake happened, the one in the early morning hours of February 6, the families were together and sleeping, but with this aftershock, the fear and uncertainty were compounded by not knowing where the children, parents, or the rest of the family were.”

“In this phase, the psychological drama and great fear that we see in the eyes of our children, youths, and their families is felt even more strongly,” agrees Fr. Jabloyan.

The Don Bosco house in Aleppo, which from the first moment had opened its doors to accommodate more than 500 people, giving them everything they needed to cope with the first emergency, was beginning a new phase of trying to help the affected people overcome the trauma and also to begin, thru the aid received, to repair the damage to their homes. “With this new powerful quake, it was like having to start all over again,” says Fr. Leon.

“We ask for your prayers. We hope the next few days will be calmer,” concludes Fr. Jabloyan.

Fr. Leon, highlights “the concrete solidarity of the people we serve. Amid pain, panic and uncertainty, everyone wants to help those who are worse off, everyone asks what they can do, they have incredible patience and faith, and many recognize that they come to Don Bosco because they feel safer in church.”

Salesian Missions of New Rochelle is accepting aid donations: 2023 Turkey and Syria Earthquake - Salesian Missions

Homily for 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
7th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Feb. 19, 2023
Matt 5: 38-48
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5: 48).

The Sermon on the Mount (Heinrich Hofmann)

We continue listening to the Sermon on the Mount, that radical core of the Gospel.  Today’s the 4th Sunday in a row in which Matthew and Holy Mother Church lay the Sermon before us.  We’re challenged to decide whether Jesus’ words feast our souls or make them uneasy.  Next Sunday we’ll be in Lent, which will present its own challenges to us.

“Be perfect like your heavenly Father” sounds like an impossible command.  Who can be as perfect as God is?  Aren’t we all weak, fallible, and sinful?

Yes, we are.  So Christ challenges us to strive to be more like God—not in our power to work miracles, never to make mistakes or be forgetful, but in our striving for holiness.  One of the beatitudes, you remember, is “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” to be right with God, to be in his grace.  In the reading from Leviticus, God commanded, “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (19:2).  In our gathering prayer, the Collect, we prayed that we might “carry out in both word and deed what is pleasing to” God.

What pleases God, what makes us more like God, what reflects the holiness of God, both Leviticus and Jesus advise us:  love your neighbor; don’t cherish a grudge; be generous; forgive.

Christianity is distinctive among the religions of the world in commanding us to love our enemies, to forgive injuries, to pray for our persecutors.  One may have personal persecutors—there are people who don’t like us for some reason; as Charlie Brown once said, even paranoids have enemies.  And there are classes of people who are persecuted because of their religion, their politics, their skin color, their sex, or some other characteristic.  Jesus makes no distinctions.  God makes no distinctions:  “Your heavenly Father makes his sun rise on the bad and the good…” (5:45).

It is really hard to love an enemy or to forgive an unjust injury to our person, our reputation, or our sense of self-worth.  Bp. Robert Barron comments:

     “We want God to behave as we would—that is to say, to withdraw his love from those who don’t deserve it and to give his love to those who do deserve it.  But that is just not the way God operates.

     “Why should you pray for someone who is persecuting you?  Why shouldn’t you be allowed at least to answer him in kind—an eye for an eye?  Because God doesn’t operate that way, and you are being drawn into the divine life.”[1]

Pope Francis has insisted that “the name of God is mercy.”  If we want to be holy as the Lord our God is holy; if we want to be drawn into the divine life—into eternal life—then we must practice mercy.

Practicing mercy may mean having compassion on the poor, the needy, the homeless, the sick, the refugee, the victim of a natural disaster.  It also means forgiving those who trespass against us, as we say in the prayer that Jesus taught us.

What if our hearts are unwilling or unable to forgive?  What if we can’t get over the guy who blew a red light and almost crashed into us?  What about the person at the office who backstabs everyone?  What about the relative we just can’t get along with?  What about someone who’s cheated us financially?  What about someone who’s killed a friend or a family member?  What about the Taliban, drug dealers, abortionists, and war criminals?

Jesus commands us to pray for all of them.  We can pray their hearts change, they change their ways, they undergo a conversion.  They need God’s grace.

We even need to pray that our own hearts change for the better.  Hatred and bitterness don’t do us any good, do they?  You know that after a wound or surgery, you can be left with a physical scar that takes years to heal or maybe never disappears.  (Back in the early ’90s, I had carpal tunnel surgeries, and I still have beautiful scars.)  Some wounds scar our hearts for a very long time, take a long time to heal.  If we keep rubbing them, scratching them, they’ll never heal.  If we ask God to help us heal, to soften our hard hearts, progress is possible.  It’s not only our enemies who need grace.  All of us need it.

In the 2d reading, St. Paul contrasts the wisdom of this world with divine foolishness.  The world tells us to get even, to get the other guy before he gets you.  Divine foolishness tells us to let the Spirit of God work within us.  (1 Cor 3:16-20).  The Spirit of God that dwells in us works to heal us if we allow him to, if we call upon him.  The Spirit of God that dwells in us works to make us more like God in our thoughts, words, and actions.  When we’re made whole, we’ll be ready for the divine life.

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[1] The Word on Fire Bible:  The Gospels (Park Ridge, Ill., 2020), p. 53.

Fear, Solidarity, Commitment

Fear, Solidarity, Commitment

The earthquake as lived by young people in Aleppo

(ANS – Aleppo – February 14, 2023) – The humanity surviving and taking refuge in the Salesian house in Aleppo, still in shock, is a microcosm of the earthquake zone of northern Syria.

“We’ve lived through more than 10 years of war, but perhaps these moments are the most terrible because of the terror we’ve experienced.... We can’t describe what we’ve gone thru,” says Joelle Klzi, animator of the Salesian youth center.

Yet these are also people with great resilience, who manage to find even in this situation the ability to thank those who have done so much for them, such as Don Bosco’s sons. “We were in bed when it happened, and within seconds we were down on the street,” shares young Judy Elia, a young dentist. “We didn’t take anything with us. Our only concern was getting away, far from home. We looked for an open place, away from the buildings, in a very difficult situation, because it was also raining.... And since the day of the earthquake, we’ve been here. The Salesians have opened their doors; we haven’t lacked anything. They’ve given us blankets, mattresses, three meals a day. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts because in addition to material support, there has been moral support.”

Since Feb. 6, and continuing in the following days, the communication delegation of the Salesian Middle East Province has collected several testimonies from the young survivors welcomed to the Don Bosco center in Aleppo. From their words emerge both the fear of the very first moments, but also the solidarity experienced and the sense of relief of being together under the Salesian embrace.

For example, little Micho narrates: “It was a terrible earthquake: we woke up gripped with fear and waited for the tremors to end because the walls were falling. We went down; there was a lot of rain, and we slept outside the house. But now I’m not afraid, because I’m at Don Bosco playing with my friends.”

“What we experienced was too much! We went down the street barefoot, we were running, we were in the rain, we didn’t have adequate clothing.... We stayed like that from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. We were so afraid,” Nadia Ebed, a housewife, still recalls with anguish. Relief, however, came from Don Bosco Aleppo, where, the woman concludes, “we were welcomed along with a lot of people.”

On the efforts of the Salesians and their collaborators, Stephanie Sultanem, a medical student, these days working at the Salesian youth center, spoke. “After the earthquake, we set up a medicine collection point for the large number of people who are among us. It’s to serve people because so many people have run away from home without being able to get medicine and can no longer return because of the insecurity of the facilities.”

The trials that thousands of people in Syria today are facing are indeed extreme: “I don’t know to what extent people can look to the future with hope, especially after long years of war,” reports Joelle Klzi at the end of her talk.

But she concludes, “I only know that the Lord has saved us from certain death.”

These and other testimonies are available in the special playlist on “ANSChannel.”

Fr. Mantovani Appointed Vatican Librarian

Fr. Mauro Mantovani Appointed Prefect of Vatican Apostolic Library

(ANS – Vatican City – February 14, 2023) – On February 14 the Holy See Press Office announced that the Holy Father has appointed Fr. Mauro Mantovani, SDB, hitherto dean of the School of Philosophy at the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) in Rome and former rector magnificus at UPS, as prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library.

Mauro Mantovani was born on January 3, 1966, in Moncalieri, Italy, carried out his novitiate at the Salesian house Monteoliveto in Pinerolo, and made his first vows in the Salesian Society on September 8, 1986; he professed his perpetual vows in Castelnuovo Don Bosco on September 27, 1992, and was ordained a priest on September 12, 1994 in Turin.

He completed studies in philosophy and theology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata (degree in Philosophy, 1995); at the Salesian Pontifical University, baccalaureate and licentiate in philosophy; baccalaureate in theology at the Turin section, and licentiate in dogmatic theology; at the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Spain, a doctorate in philosophy and letters, 2006; and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, a doctorate in Thomistic theology, 2011.

Since 2007, he has been a full professor at the UPS in Rome, with research and publications concerning philosophical theology, philosophy of history, philosophical propaedeutics, and various border/crossover topics between theology, philosophy, and science. He is especially concerned with Thomism and the commentarial tradition on the Summa Theologiae (especially q. 2 of Pars I) of Thomas Aquinas in the authors of the "Second Scholasticism" and the so-called School of Salamanca.

For UPS he has held the following positions: dean of the School of Philosophy; dean of the School of Communications; vice rector; and rector magnificus for two terms (2015-2021).

In 2016 he was appointed president of the Conference of Rectors of the Roman Pontifical Universities and is currently a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas and of the Scientific Committee of the Holy See Agency for the Evaluation and Promotion of Quality on Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties.

Homily for Monday, Week 6 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Monday
Week 6 of Ordinary Time

Feb.13, 2023
Gen 4: 1-15, 25
Provincial House, New Rochelle, N.Y.

The 3d chapter of Genesis presented mankind’s alienation from God by an act of disobedience.  The 4th chapter presents humans’ alienation from each other by envy.

The passage doesn’t tell us why God looked favorably on Abel’s sacrifice but not on Cain’s (4:4-5).  Perhaps there’s a hint here of tensions within Israel between the nomadic way of life in the heroic age of their ancestors like Abraham, and the settled way of life of cities and farms.  That tension is something of a constant in human history, even in our own American history, as we see in the disagreements between Jefferson and his party, preferring a society of agriculture and small craftsmen, and Hamilton, advocate of big cities and industry; and in the perennial range wars of the West between ranchers and farmers.  Even today a large part of the civil strife in Nigeria and other countries is over land use—grazing flocks vs. cultivation.

God advises resentful Cain that he can do well and can resist sinful envy (4:6-7).  He can live at peace with his brother, as can people of varied ways of life.  As they sing in Oklahoma, “The farmer and the cowman can be friends.”

But Cain chooses not to, as we’re all tempted to put our own concerns in 1st place:  “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (4:9).

God, however, identifies himself as the champion of the offended and oppressed.  Abel’s blood cries out from the soil (4:10).  God has a preferential option for the poor and the marginalized.  We are meant to be mutually supportive.

God also shows compassion for the offender, offering Cain a measure of protection (4:15).  God doesn’t demand vengeance but offers mercy and opportunity to repent.

One more theme to discern:  as noted, it’s not evident why Abel’s sacrifice pleased God but Cain’s didn’t.  God’s choices are his own, unknowable to us.  He preferred the younger son Jacob over Esau, the youngest son David over his brothers, even Israel, so tiny among all the nations of the earth.  God choices—his elections—are acts of grace calling for our gratitude and faithfulness.

Tampa Salesians Celebrate Don Bosco

Tampa Salesians Celebrate Don Bosco

(ANS – Tampa – February 10, 2023) – On Don Bosco’s feast day, January 31, the Salesian community of Tampa gathered to celebrate the Saint of Youth, reflecting on the 2023 Strenna of the Rector Major. In this year’s call to focus on collaboration between religious and laity, the Tampa Salesians reflected on the Salesian mission and asked how to “be leaven in today’s human family.” The festivities also included the annual Don Bosco Festival, hosted by Mary Help of Christians Parish, during which numerous activities, carnival games, and group dances were organized. Also, Cristo Rey Salesian High School hosted “Don Bosco Day,” a celebration time consisting of games, obstacle courses, tournaments, and a spectacular talent show. Finally, at the Mary Help of Christians Center, the Don Bosco Gala was held, with a closing dinner, games, and dancing. Each event was planned and led by lay members of the Salesian Family with the collaboration of the Salesians.

Homily for 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Feb. 12, 2023
Matt 5: 17-37
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors….  But I say to you…” (Matt 5 passim).

Sermon on the Mount by Rosselli

We continue listening to the Sermon on the Mount, that radical core of the Gospel.  For 3 Sundays now, and 1 more before Lent, Matthew and Holy Mother Church lay it before us.  We’re challenged to decide whether Jesus’ words feast our souls or make them uneasy.

Obviously, it’s no easy thing to live out the beatitudes, to be the light of the world, or to fulfill the commandments.  The disciples of Jesus find these things hard, including and consecrated religious.

When the Founding Fathers of our nation gathered in Philadelphia 236 years ago to amend the Articles of the Confederation, which was our 1st national constitution, they quickly realized that that project was more hopeless than getting teenagers to Sunday Mass.  They scrapped the Articles, started from scratch, and produced a new and marvelous instrument of government.

To it they prefixed a little introduction or preamble: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union [etc.], do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.”

Was Jesus doing what the Founding Fathers did?  Yes and no.  He was not throwing out the old constitution and giving out a new one.  He was calling his listeners to a more perfect way of living out who they are, of living as children of God’s kingdom.

Really, Jesus cannot be any clearer that the law and the prophets still stand:  “Do not think that I have come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (5:17).  To fulfill the law and the prophets means, in part, to fulfill the messianic promises, a major theme in Matthew.  It also means to go beyond the letter of the law and the prophets to their heart, to live out what they intend, to fulfill their deepest meaning.

We all know that legal observance can be completely empty.  It can be a public relations show.  It can be social conformity.  It can be a way of showing oneself to be superior to others.  It can be an escape from an unwritten responsibility.  Legal observance alone is damnable:  “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20).

In essence, Jesus is saying that the law and the prophets must be written on our hearts, as Jeremiah prophesied (31:33).  Indirectly, Jesus turns the negative commands of the law into something positive as we sometimes do when trying to teach youngsters.

For example, “You shall not kill” means that we have to respect everyone’s life and health, as well as our own.  “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’  But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment….  First be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt 5:21-22,24).  Not only our external actions must be controlled, but our interior dispositions too, if we are to fulfill the law and the prophets, be disciples of Jesus, and enter the kingdom.  Reconciliation begins as an interior disposition, a desire for the well-being of our sister and brother.

Likewise, we all struggle to keep our heart free of lust and “unadulterated.”  On this point, we’ve been catechized according to the Gospel about serious sin.  Not many, tho, accept that we can sin in our thoughts—lustful desires or desires for revenge or envious thoughts.  Fortunately, we haven’t taken the part about our right eyes and right hands literally.  But the point is, our hearts and souls must belong to our spouses—husband, wife, Jesus Christ (spouse of the Church)—and not just our bodies, if we are to fulfill the law and the prophets, be disciples of Jesus, and enter the kingdom.  In the beatitudes Jesus blessed the clean of heart (5:8).  He also teaches that where our heart is, there is our treasure (6:21).  So we perfect the Law of Moses by giving ourselves wholeheartedly to God.

“But I say to you, Do not swear at all” (5:34).  When people speak of swearing, they may mean such expressions as “O my God,” which is a violation of the 2d commandment (“You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain”).  More often, they mean common vulgarity, using 4-letter words, which generally aren’t sinful, just bad manners (of which I’m guilty now and then).  But that’s not Jesus’ point.  “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’  Anything more is from the evil one” (5:37).  If our hearts are truthful, if we are men and women of integrity and honor, our words will be truthful, and we don’t need oaths or elaborate emphases.  If our hearts are evil, does an oath make any difference?  To be a seeker and a speaker of the truth is the way to fulfill the law and the prophets, be a disciple of Jesus, and enter the kingdom.

God’s Word judges our motives and not just our actions.  We give our hearts to God, or we give him nothing at all.

Prep's Ironmen Called to Serve Like Don Bosco

Prep’s Ironmen Are Called to Serve Like Don Bosco 

Photo by Jennifer Passerino

(ANS – Ramsey, N.J. – February 6, 2023) – Don Bosco Prep HS celebrated the feast of its patron, St. John Bosco, at a school Mass on Tuesday, January 31. Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the neighboring Paterson Diocese celebrated the Mass and reminded Don Bosco’s Ironmen that they are called to serve as Don Bosco always did. The priests of the SDB community concelebrated with the bishop, who was presented with a commemorative statue of Don Bosco in honor of his visit.

Celebrating Missionary Fr. Luis Bolla

10 years after Fr. Bolla’s death, Salesians gather around his presence and mission

(ANS – Lima – February 9, 2023) – Ten years have passed since the death of Fr. Luis (Luigi) Bolla, an Italian Salesian, missionary among the indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru, now a Servant of God. Those who knew him still remain fascinated by his figure, bewitched by his style, his presence, his words, his narratives, his songs, and even more, captivated by his way of being with God.

On Feb. 6, on the 10th anniversary of his birth to Heaven, Fr. Manuelo Cayo, current provincial of Peru, Fr. Juan Pablo Alcas, appointed next provincial, and many concelebrants, members of the Salesian Family, and many faithful celebrated the anniversary in the basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Lima and in various places throughout Peru.

In the basilica of Mary Help of Christians, during his homily, Fr. Cayo referred to Fr. Bolla’s missionary work. He recalled his personal journey of conversion and his total dedication to missionary work, seeking to respond to God’s call in the oratory formed by his people.

During the Mass, some of Fr. Bolla’s most cherished objects were also presented, such as his tabernacle, the Chankín – the feather crown he wore on his head for celebrations – one of his journals, and boots still soiled with mud.

Fr. Jesus Jurado, vice postulator of Fr. Bolla’s cause of beatification, thanked the faithful for their presence in the basilica and asked them to share and disseminate his life as a model of missionary sanctity. “We’ve asked ourselves,” Fr. Jurado began in his brief speech, “where did he draw so much strength to be in the solitude of the woods with his Shuar and Achuar sons? An entire life in the forest! We were impressed by his stories, vivid and powerful as only he could describe them. We have no doubt, but rather the certainty that it was a Voice, and a Voice with a capital ‘V,’ which he heard and listened to. In the oratory chapel, he heard the voice of God. ‘I was entering the chapel of the oratory in Schio,’ Fr. Bolla himself narrated, ‘when I heard the Lord saying to me, “You too will be a priest and a missionary.”’”

In 2019, the Church began the process of beatification and canonization of Fr. Bolla, which is why he now qualifies as a Servant of God. “Surely, if he were alive, he would be angry: ‘Saint on the altars? Please, no!” Fr. Jurado comments further. “But holiness on the altars is not the work of human beings; it is a gift of God’s love to humanity.”

Ten years after his departure for Heaven, “Yankuam’ Jintia,” (The light of twilight, as his beloved Achuar natives called him), still continues to shine.

Aleppo Salesians Welcome Everyone

Humanitarian Catastrophe after the Earthquake

Aleppo Salesians Welcome Everyone

(ANS – Aleppo – February 9, 2023) – A nightmare scenario is gradually unfolding following the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The already heavy toll in lives and destruction worsens hourly, and the needs of the survivors are innumerable. From Syria, the Middle East provincial of the Salesians, Fr. Alejandro Leon, sent a brief update on the efforts of the Salesians in Aleppo, especially to launch an appeal for prayer and solidarity with the people tried by yet another humanitarian catastrophe.

The death toll from the extremely violent earthquake, which struck the border region of Syria and Turkey, continues upward. [Ed. note: It is over 21,000 as of the morning of Feb. 10.] In addition to the dead, the earthquake has caused tens of thousands of injuries, 63,000 in Turkey alone. Rescuers meanwhile are working day and night to search for possible survivors under the rubble. The situation in Syria is complicated because many of the collapsed houses in the north of the country are out of the control of the government army and data provided by authorities do not include several northern areas.

To inform us about the situation and the efforts of the Salesians at this juncture, the Communications Department of the Middle East Province released a short video message from Fr. Leon, filmed on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 8; it can be seen in its original version on ANSChannel, the ANS YouTube channel.

It contains the touching testimony and a calm but firm appeal for prayer and solidarity. Here are Fr. Leon's words:

"Dear Salesian Family, greetings from Aleppo, an Aleppo that is going through an extremely difficult time, but that never loses hope. People are fighting for their lives; they are fighting for a better future. It's been 3 very difficult days: talking a little bit about numbers, on the first night 300 people were here to sleep; the second night it was 420; and now, as of nine o'clock in the evening, more than 500 people are seeking asylum. To everyone we are saying, 'Welcome,' this is the house of the Salesians, the Church is the house of God and it is everyone’s house.

It is certainly very difficult to manage all this movement of people, and with so many, truly many needs, that really risks being a humanitarian tragedy.

We really ask, to the extent that we can, that there be your solidarity, especially in prayer and affection for these brothers and sisters of ours of the Syrian people, who have been suffering for 12 years already: from wars, persecution, looting, the coronavirus, a devaluation of the currency to incredible levels, and now this terrible earthquake.

They are wonderful people, they are beautiful people, who carry on with a smile despite all the difficulties, and with so many gestures of internal solidarity. We truly believe in your support and help, and we ask Mary Help of Christians and Don Bosco to bless tormented Syria."

All over the world, meanwhile, the relief machine has come into full swing and is arriving from many countries. The same thing is also happening throughout the Salesian Family, where entire provinces, Salesian mission offices, Salesian planning and development offices, and Salesian NGOs are working on planning aid and fundraising campaigns.

Salesian Missions of New Rochelle is accepting aid donations: 2023 Turkey and Syria Earthquake - Salesian Missions

Salesian Students Remember Salesians Killed by Nazis

On Holocaust Remembrance Day,
Salesian Students Remember Salesians Killed by Nazis

by SDB Southern Italy Press Office

(ANS – Caserta, Italy – February 3, 2023) – On the occasion of Holocaust Victims Remembrance Day, secondary school students of the Salesian institute Sacred Heart of Mary in Caserta engaged in research activities on the Shoah. In addition, the final year students carried out specific work on the historical reconstruction of the events that led three Salesian priests and a Salesian coadjutor from Caserta, along with three other civilians, to lose their lives at the hands of Nazi soldiers on Sept. 28, 1943, at the Villa Santoro, located on Garzano Hill.

The province of Caserta at that time was prey to bombing following the armistice that led Italy to abandon its baleful alliance with the Third Reich. The Caserta work was also badly hit by bombing, and the senior priests were displaced to the hills. There, following the killing of a German soldier by a partisan, the Nazis decided to retaliate with a reprisal in which Fr. Tommaso Chiapello, Fr. Francesco Coratella, Fr. Domenico Borgiattino, Salesian coadjutor Bro. Giuseppe Di Gennaro, civilians Agostino Brandi, Donato Rucci, and young soldier Antonio Caricato lost their lives.

This massacre was commemorated in 1944 first with a plaque, later replaced in 1966 by a funerary stele. On March 15, 1997, the Salesian Rector Major Fr. Juan Edmundo Vecchi also went to the hill in prayer to remember his Salesian brethren. Thus, on Saturday, January 28, the students of the Salesian institute went with the teachers to Garzano and were able to see with their own eyes the site of the incident, experiencing a moment of meaningful remembrance.

Don Bosco Returns to Turin's Boys Prison

Don Bosco Returns to Turin’s Boys Prison 

Photo ©: La Voce e il Tempo

(ANS – Turin – February 3, 2023) – A historical event, a work of mercy, a powerfully evocative gesture, an act of love in the full style of Don Bosco: the visit made on the morning of Wednesday, February 1, by Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime to the Ferrante Aporti Juvenile Penitentiary Institute (IPM) in Turin, has so many connotations; it was once the Generala penitentiary so many times visited by Don Bosco, the place that inspired him to create oratories as an antidote to juvenile delinquency (and  presenting one of the more dramatic sequences in the 1935 movie on the Saint).

“When are you coming back?” One of the 34 boys detained at Ferrante Aporti has teary eyes as he greets the 10th successor of Don Bosco, who wanted to conclude the celebrations of the Saint of young people precisely at the IPM. And there is no more meaningful place than the Ferrante to understand the charism of Don Bosco, who said, “It is enough for me that you are young for me to love you very much,” as the Rector Major recalled while greeting the boys one by one and inquiring about their history and origin: “I am Romanian,” “I am Egyptian,” “I am from Tangier.”

“I have been to your beautiful countries to visit our communities and our young people. I know a few words of your languages: I am Spanish, I was born in Galicia, son of a fisherman. I studied theology and philosophy, but I know much more about fishing than my dad taught me.” This is how the Rector Major introduced himself to the boys gathered in the recreation hall, after some “bans” and a skit about Don Bosco led by the Salesian novices of Colle Don Bosco, who every Friday, accompanied by their teacher, Fr. Enrico Ponte, animate “the playground behind bars.”

“That’s why I chose to become a Salesian, 43 years ago,” the Rector Major continued, “I wanted to be a doctor, but then I understood that Don Bosco called me to care for the souls of the youngest, because there are no good and bad boys and girls, but young people who have had less, and, as our saint said, ‘In every young person, even the most wretched, there is a point accessible to good, and the first duty of the educator is to seek this point, this sensitive cord of the heart and to profit from it.’ That is why we Salesians love young people. We can all make mistakes, but if you believe in yourselves, trust your educators, you will come out better. My dream is to meet you all in Valdocco with the young people I greeted yesterday on the feast of our Saint.”

Fr. Fernandez’s visit is historic because never after Don Bosco had one of his successors entered the Ferrante. The encounter with the boys detained first at the Carceri Senatorie Prisons of Turin in 1841, then at the Generala in 1855 (that was the name of the IPM, then a reformatory for minors) was the spark that drove the Turin saint to devise “preventive” solutions to the disarray in which thousands of adolescents in the Turin peripheries found themselves in. It was during repeated visits to the Generala, invited by his spiritual father, Fr. Joseph Cafasso, that the Preventive System was born, a pillar of the educational system that would make Don Bosco the “Saint of the Oratories.”

Don Bosco sensed that if there was a solid family, a welcoming community, and a school with meaningful, caring adults, there would be no prisons. And it was from those afternoons spent with the “naughty, and dangerous youngsters” that the saint invented the oratory. Indeed, as the Rector Major recalled, Don Bosco even asked permission to take the boys with him on an outing: “The director of the Generala agreed, but on one condition: if only one young man did not return, Don Bosco would end up in jail. Yet, everyone returned to his cell.” Words that struck a chord with the boys, who listened to Fr. Fernandez without uttering a word, something not usual here, educators and officers commented at the end of the meeting.

The presence of Don Bosco’s charism at the Ferrante has never failed or faded: a plaque in the oldest wing of the Institute commemorates his visits to the Generala, and it is a tradition for chaplains to be Salesians. Among the “historic” chaplains is the beloved Fr. Domenico Ricca, who retired last year after more than 40 years of service. His baton has been taken over by his confrere Fr. Silvano Oni, who organized the visit of the Rector Major with the collaboration of Deputy Director Gabriella Picco, trainers, teachers, and educators.

“In these days we will send a letter to Pope Francis,” Fr. Silvano announced, “with photos of the Nativity scene we set up at Christmas with the boys, most of whom are non-Christians: that is why it is a nativity in which the characters have no faces. Toward the hut, a boat at sea is approaching with many young migrants like some of our boys who have left their land and here are alone and prey to lawlessness. Their life preserver, for now, is us. And the request to the Rector Major to return among them is a sign that Don Bosco still speaks to the hearts of today’s most fragile boys.”

Salesian Testimony on Syrian Earthquake

Salesian Testimony on Syrian Earthquake

(ANS – Aleppo, Syria – February 7, 2023) – As the death toll and damage caused by the terrible earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on Monday worsens, there are numerous testimonies from those who, like the Salesians, are already on the front lines providing necessary aid.

A detailed account of what is happening during these hours comes from the Middle East Province’s communications delegate, Fr. Pier Jabloyan. “The earthquake lasted a very long time, almost a minute,” he explains. “In Syria, the most serious consequences have mainly affected the city of Aleppo. From the information reaching us, we have learned that hundreds of buildings have collapsed and the number of dead continues to rise steadily.”

Also growing is the number of injured and missing people still under the rubble. The population is desperate and terrified that new, strong aftershocks may occur. Many, then, have had to leave their homes, made unsafe by the cracks and heavy damage caused by the earthquake. In Aleppo hundreds and hundreds of people have nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep.

“In this dramatic situation, we Salesians have opened our doors,” continues Fr. Jabloyan. “We have promptly taken in all those in need. Already more than 300 people have been welcomed and helped by the Salesians, collaborators, and the entire Salesian Family in Aleppo. We are trying to do what we can, despite the challenges and difficulties. This, in Syria, is a particularly cold time, and the winter is harsh. It is snowing, and there’s a lack of power and of fuel. The population is really having a difficult time.”

Syria, it should be remembered, is exhausted by a long and fierce war, and this devastating earthquake is adding to an already extremely precarious situation. For many, in fact, the earthquake has extinguished what little hope remained. “We hope that the Lord, with the help of so many people of goodwill, can lift the weight of so much destruction and so much poverty that has been in Syria for years now,” Fr. Jabloyan concludes.

The Salesians are ready to mobilize in any way they can to support the many people hard hit by the earthquake as best they can, with basic necessities.

In the meantime, it is already possible to make a bank transfer or deposit to make your contribution to helping the Salesians in Syria. The coordinates are available in the attached pdf.

Download attachments: 

• Conto_Direzione_Generale_Emergenza_Terremoto_Siria.pdf (74 Downloads) 
• Per_bonifici_e_trasferimenti_in_supporto_del_lavoro_dei_Salesiani_in_Siria_per_lYemergenza_terremoto_1.pdf (75 Downloads)

Two Province Observances

Two Province Observances

Fr. Tim Zak, provincial, and Fr. Hugo Orozco, regional councilor

On Saturday, February 4, two province observances occurred at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw, N.Y. The 1st was the annual celebration of Province Day, moved up from its customary date in May in order to accommodate the 2d occurrence, one of 4 province meetings aimed at helping the Rector Major discern the appointment of a new provincial.

Fr. Hugo Orozco, the general councilor for our Interamerica Region, presided at both Mass in the Shrine chapel and the assembly of the confreres in Fr. Tae-Seok Lee Hall. Confreres from the New York metro area and Boston took part.

The Eucharistic celebration was a votive Mass of Mary Help of Christians with the weekday readings. It began on time at 9:00 a.m. and lasted just 40 minutes. The congregation included 34 concelebrating priests, 2 deacons, 19 brothers, a prenovice, 4 candidates from Orange, and 2 other priests—a total of 52 confreres.

Fr. Hugo gave what was probably the shortest homily in the history of our provincial feastdays. The gospel reading (Mark 6:30-34) called our attention to Jesus’ compassion for the crowds who had come to him. Fr. Hugo urged the confreres to strive to be like Jesus, to have compassionate hearts.

After a coffee break, Fr. Hugo initiated the discernment process by explaining the steps to be followed. Later he also explained the process that the Rector Major and general council would follow, probably in July, in selecting the confrere who will lead the province for the next 6 years, based in large part on the consultation of the province.

After praying, the Salesians and candidates, sitting at 10 or 12 tables, discussed strengths, weaknesses, and challenges of the province; some of these were voiced for everyone to hear. Then Fr. Hugo asked the professed participants to write 3 names on slips of paper and pass these to him. Two brothers helped him compile a list of all the names put forward—about 20 of them—which were projected without any indication of the number of times they were listed.

Next, the confreres were asked to fill out an online form, partly about themselves (in order to weigh the relative value of the suggestions) and partly with 1st, 2d, and 3d choices for a provincial and their reasons for those choices. This information constitutes the heart of what Fr. Hugo will take back to Turin from this Marian Shrine assembly as well as from parallel assemblies in Tampa, Etobicoke (Ont.), and Surrey (B.C). (The general council has been meeting at the Motherhouse in Turin while Sacro Cuore in Rome undergoes renovation.)

Bro. Reegan Ledet, Fr. Dominic Tran, Fr. Tim Ploch,

Fr. Joe Vien, Fr. Miguel Suarez, Bro. Minhtu Nguyen

This consultation process took 2½ hours. By 12:30 p.m. everyone was ready to eat and did justice to the hors d’oeuvres and the buffet luncheon. Fr. Tim Zak presented a film clip about what the Salesians are doing for the suffering people in Ukraine, who will be the beneficiaries again this year of the communities’ gifts for Province Day. The confreres from Orange, under the leadership of Bro. Sal Sammarco, sang two hymns that Bro. Sal had composed. There was a surfeit of leftovers for confreres to take home; and thus closed the day’s festivities.

Photos of province day Mass and gathering: https://link.shutterfly.com/vWp9gbgW9wb

Photos of the consultation for provincial: https://link.shutterfly.com/wFTahV5V9wb