Diocesan Inquiry into Cause of Canonization of Akash Bashir

Diocesan Inquiry into the Cause of Canonization of Akash Bashir Closes

(ANS – Lahore, Pakistan – March 15, 2024) – At Sacred Heart Cathedral in Lahore, Pakistan, on Friday, March 15, Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, OFM, officially closed the diocesan inquiry into the life, martyrdom, and reputation of the Servant of God Akash Bashir (June 22, 1994 - March 15, 2015), a cause that had been opened two years ago, on 15 March 2022.

Exactly nine years have passed since the day Akash Bashir sacrificed his life to prevent a suicide bomber from causing a massacre in St. John’s Church in Youhannabad, a Christian neighborhood in Lahore. Akash was 20 years old, had studied at the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Lahore, and had become a security volunteer.

Abp. Shaw presided over the closing session of the diocesan Inquest, in the presence of Fr. Amjad Yousaf, episcopal delegate, Fr. Rafhan Fayyaz, promoter of justice, and Fr. Patrick Samuel OFM Cap., notary. The original Acts, the transcript, and the public copy were presented, declared authentic, and entrusted to Bishop Germano Penemote, apostolic nuncio, who is to transmit the Acts to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Rome, where they will be studied intensely.

The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by the archbishop, with Bishop Penemote, Bishop Joseph Indrias Rehmat of Faisalabad, and Bishop Yousaf Sohan of Multan as concelebrants. The parents and siblings of Akash Bashir were present. Priests from all parishes in the diocese, representatives of all religious congregations in the country, as well as seminarians, Salesian alumni, and students of the Salesian Institute devoutly participated in the solemn Eucharist.

In their remarks, Abp. Shaw and the other bishops praised Akash’s courage and unwavering faith, expressed gratitude for the completion of the diocesan phase, and assured prayers for the future.

The Catholic Church of Pakistan experienced this event with great participation; it is the first cause of beatification and canonization for a Pakistani Christian. The main promoter of the cause is the Salesian Congregation, led by its postulator general, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, and the vice postulator Fr. Gabriel de Jesus Cruz Trejo, SDB.

It is significant that in the intentions for the month of March, in which the Day of Prayer and Fasting for Missionary Martyrs is celebrated, the Pope dedicated the video released by the World Prayer Network to those who live the faith despite persecution and lack of freedom: their testimony “is a sign that we are on the right path.” In the video, in which the Pope tells the poignant story of a woman martyr in our times, there is also a reference to Akash Bashir. The Pope invites people to pray “that those in various parts of the world who risk their lives for the Gospel may infect the Church with their courage and missionary drive.”

Like the Servant of God Akash Bashir, today there are many hidden martyrs who lead ordinary lives with consistency and the courage to accept the grace of witnessing to the end, even unto death. They have not denied or forgotten their faith but have held it firm and demonstrated their fidelity to Jesus Christ. That is why they indicate the just path of the Church.

Salesians Bemoan Hellish Violence in Haiti

Salesians Bemoan Hellish Violence and Chaos in Haiti 

(ANS – Port-au-Prince, Haiti – March 14, 2024) – Armed gang violence dominates Haiti. The situation of instability that the country has experienced since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021 has degenerated in recent days, when Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his commitment to hold elections before August 2025. Since then the situation has worsened, with assaults on prisons, mass escapes of dangerous criminals, shootings at and attempted assaults on the National Palace, damage to the port and airport, and finally, under pressure from criminal gangs, also the resignation of the Prime Minister.

The country was plunged into extreme poverty by the earthquake of 2010, from which it has never recovered. Then came the economic crisis, the impossibility of controlling violence in the streets, the assassination of the President, and another earthquake in 2021, together with tropical storms and the pandemic. All these disasters have thrown the population into a situation of continuous humanitarian emergency.

Almost two weeks ago, the announcement by Prime Minister Henry that elections would take place by August 2025 (while his term had already expired on February 7) threw the country into utter chaos. The criminal gangs, which dominate every neighborhood of the capital and the country’s communications, have raised the level of violence with threats of civil war and genocide if the Prime Minister, who was in Puerto Rico at the time, had not resigned. The leaders of the criminal groups launched assaults on the country’s main prisons, freeing more than 3,500 inmates, and concentrated their attacks in the area around the National Palace and the airport.

“The situation in Haiti is chaotic. There are no words to describe it. We are living in hell,” said the Salesians, who are still trying to make themselves useful in a country in disarray, and to assist the population subjected to an unprecedented wave of violence.

Haiti is awaiting the deployment of an international security support mission led by Kenya and approved by the United Nations last October. Meanwhile, the country survives amid institutional collapse, the inability of the police and army to deal with criminal gangs, and a population that has nothing to eat.

“We Salesians are currently well, but we cannot carry out any activity since February 29, when this situation began,” said the Salesians. Since then, armed gang violence has erupted. “The gangs ransacked police stations and everything they encountered, businesses, shops,” they continue.

In the capital, Port-au-Prince, there have been shootings between the gangs and with the police, and kidnappings are the order of the day. Since January, according to the United Nations, more than 1,200 people have been killed. The country is on the verge of collapse and paralysis, international agencies explain. This instability has already displaced about 300,000 people.

Criminal gangs control about 80% of the capital, hospitals are unable to treat the wounded, many shops have been looted in recent days, and the corpses of the victims remain unburied along the streets around the prisons, where last Saturday the mass escape took place, so much so that there have already been several cases of cholera.

Salesians have been working in Haiti since 1935. Their educational works are distributed throughout the country, and each year they take care of over 22,000 children and youths through schools, vocational training centers, youth centers, and family homes.

Haiti’s future is complex. “We live in fear, because we don’t know what could happen from one minute to the next. This is our life in the last days: we ask you to pray and not to forget us,” conclude the Salesians of Haiti.

Source: Misiones Salesianas 

Homily for Wednesday, Week 4 of Lent

Homily for Wednesday
4th Week of Lent

March 13, 2024
John 5: 17-30
Salesian HS, New Rochelle

“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work” (John 5: 17).

The Pharisees Question Jesus (James Tissot)

Jesus opponents have just accused him of violating the law of sabbath rest because he healed a sick man.  They’re further upset because he calls God his Father.

Jesus responds to them by telling them that God continues to work on the sabbath.  When he created the world, it was perfect, and so he could rest on the 7th day.  Everything was done.  But after sin began to wreck that perfect creation, God has to resume his work of healing and restoration.  He does that thru Jesus, who says, “So I am at work.”

Jesus’ main work is to give life:  “The Son gives life to whomever he wishes” (5:21).  He does that in part by healing the sick.  He does it more fully by restoring dead people to life, as he did at least 3 times during his ministry.  By his own resurrection—which we celebrate at Easter—he offers to give real life, eternal life, to anyone who believes in him and follows him.  He can make that offer, that promise, because he is the Son of the God who creates and gives life:  “Whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life” (5:24).

To receive that gift of eternal life—not the life we experience now, with all its sufferings and afflictions—but real, joyful, never-ending life, we attach ourselves to Jesus and try to live as he did, loving and respecting everyone and honoring God in our words and actions.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 4 of Lent

Homily for Tuesday
4th Week of Lent

March 12, 2023
John 5: 1-16
Ezek 47: 1-9, 12
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Christ Healing the Paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda
(Murillo)

Today, tomorrow, and Thursday we read thru John 5, which is about who Jesus is.  In today’s passage, Jesus heals a man who’s been sick for 38 years—on the Sabbath.  That riles up “the Jews,” which is John’s Gospel usually means those who don’t accept Jesus as the Messiah.  (“He came to his own people, and they didn’t receive him” – John 1:11.)  This chapter is about Jesus’ identity.  He’s more than a mere healer of bodies, a wonder-worker.  He works even on the Sabbath, and his works are works of salvation.  So he can speak to the man he’s just healed about avoiding sin in the future (John 5:14).  Sin’s penalty is far worse than bodily sickness.

The healing that Jesus offers is like the water in Ezekiel’s prophecy.  That water begins as a trickle flowing out of the Temple until it becomes a massive, life-giving flood that transforms even the Dead Sea.  The water that trickles from the temple of Jesus’ body on the cross, along with a trickle of his blood, becomes a massive, life-giving flood of sacramental grace that transforms and saves believers.  “There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God” (Ps 46:5), the heavenly Jerusalem, born from the side of Christ, in fact from his heart.

Christ's Side Pierced
(source unknown)

Homily for 4th Sunday of Lent

Homily for the
4th Sunday of Lent

Mar. 10, 2024
Eph 2: 4-10
John 3: 14-21
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx        
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx              

“God is rich in mercy.  Because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our sins, he brought us to life with Christ.  By this grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2: 4-5)

In America and most of the Western world, we like to think we can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.  (I’m not sure anyone these days knows what bootstraps are.  But you’ve heard the saying.)  We think that if we work hard we can succeed in business, perhaps become rich, perhaps famous, perhaps highly respected.

There’s a variety of Christianity that preaches something like that:  that wealth and security will be the blessings awarded to us for sincerely and faithfully following Christ.  That’s called the “prosperity Gospel.”

Both of these beliefs—that hard work and solid faith lead to a kind of salvation—suggest that we can attain earthly or heavenly success by our own efforts.

A little observation of life tells us hard work doesn’t always lead to success.  The belief that our own efforts produce eternal salvation is a heresy, condemned at least since the days of St. Augustine.

The sacred Scriptures tell us we can’t save ourselves.  Salvation comes as an act of grace, as a favor from God.  God owes us nothing.

In the first days of his pontificate, Pope Francis was asked who he was; how would be describe himself.  He told his interviewer, “I’m a sinner.”  He continues to say so, and he goes to confession every 2 weeks seeking God’s grace.  I echo the Holy Father:  I’m a sinner, and I need the sacrament of Reconciliation regularly.  You, too, are sinners and need God’s forgiveness.

God loves us.  He created us out of love, and he redeems us in Christ out of love.  “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him … might have eternal life” (John 3:16).

In our 1st reading (2 Chr 36:14-23), the author we call the Chronicler summarized Israel’s history as one of repeated infidelity and disobedience to God, which led to the destruction of the kingdom of Judah and exile in Babylon.  Then God had mercy on Israel and sent them a secular savior, Cyrus the king of Persia, who set them free, allowed them to return home, and helped them rebuild the temple for sacred worship.  God forgave, and God restored them.

Confession (Giuseppe Molteni)

Jesus Christ does that for us on the spiritual level.  He doesn’t condemn those who come to him confessing their sins.  “Whoever believes in him will not be condemned” (3:18).  Moses held up a bronze serpent for the healing of sinful Israelites on their way toward the Promised Land.  Speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus compares himself to that bronze image.  Looking to him “lifted up” on the cross brings us healing for our sins and the promise of eternal life (3:14).  When we come repentant to the sacrament of Reconciliation—confession—we’re looking at Christ lifted up for our redemption, and he pours upon us the grace of his mercy.  As St. Paul says today, God raises us up with Christ and seats us alongside him in heaven (Eph 2:6).

Jesus also speaks to Nicodemus about the possibility of preferring darkness to light (John 3:19).  Have you ever gone into a kitchen or pantry, turned on the light, and seen cockroaches scurrying away, back into some dark corners?  The light of Christ exposes our sinfulness—our lies, our slander, our greed, our offenses against human life and human dignity, our offenses against chastity.  We have the option of running away from his light, condemning ourselves to darkness because our works are evil. (3:20).  When we do that, it’s not Christ who condemns us; we do it ourselves.

On the other hand, “Whoever lives the truth comes to the light,” comes to God with our Lord Jesus.  “Because of the great love God has for us even … in our sins, he brings us to life with Christ.  By grace we’ve been saved.” (cf. Eph 2:4-5).  Thanks be to God!

Meeting to Study Salesian Missionary Volunteer Programs

Meeting to Study Salesian Missionary Volunteer Programs

(ANS – Rome – March 8, 2024) – A meeting of Salesian Missionary Volunteer programs, a collaborative effort between the Missions and Youth Ministry Departments, began with 2 days of profound engagement and learning. Participants from around the world gathered to deliberate on the Salesian Congregation’s volunteer programs, with more updates anticipated as the meeting unfolds.

Day One: Delving into the Salesian Volunteer Identity

The 1st day was dedicated to exploring the identity of the Salesian missionary volunteer. Anchored in the Congregation’s core documents and enhanced by insights from a doctoral thesis encompassing feedback from 428 Salesian volunteers, the attendees engaged with the “Volunteering in the Salesian Mission Manual.” This segment fostered a deeper understanding of what it means to embody the spirit and values of a Salesian missionary volunteer.

Day Two: Formative Experience and Synergistic Partnerships

On the 2d day, the focus shifted to the formation of all stakeholders involved in the volunteer program. The session spotlighted the long-standing success of Ecuador’s volunteer program, which has been active since 1972 and sends about 80 volunteers annually. This discussion inspired a rich exchange of best practices and reflections on the formative aspects of the program.

Later in the day, the interaction between laypeople and Salesians was examined. A panel of lay members and SDBs shared their partnership experiences, which led to an open forum in which participants discussed their concerns, successes, and commitments related to their collaborative efforts in missionary work.

The Symbolic Salesian Missionary Volunteer Cross

The 2 days of dialogue concluded with the presentation of the Salesian missionary volunteer cross. This emblem serves as a symbol of unity and commitment, encapsulating the shared dedication of the young volunteers who are central to the missionary volunteer experience.

As the meeting called forth by the Mission and Youth Ministry Departments continues, further insights and developments are expected to emerge. These initial days have set a strong foundation for continued exploration and growth in the Salesian missionary volunteer initiatives. Additional information will be shared upon the conclusion of the meeting, highlighting the collective wisdom and future directions gleaned from this remarkable gathering.

The New Rochelle Province was represented by Adam Rudin (in photo, top row, 4th from left), and the San Francisco Province by J.C. Montenegro, both well-seasoned veterans of lay missionary programs.

Provincial Chapter Moderators Meet Online

Provincial Chapter Moderators from Around the World Meet Online

Some of the chapter moderators
from the English-speaking provinces

(ANS – Rome – March 8, 2024) - Moderators of provincial chapters from around the Salesian world met online on Wednesday and Thursday, March 6-7. The meetings, convened by the moderator of the 29th General Chapter, Fr. Alphonse Owoudou, were led by the members of the GC29 technical commission, Fr. Patrick Antonyraj and Fr. Francesco Marcoccio, assisted by computer technician Sandro D’ambrosio and for Spanish by Fr. Francisco Cervantes.

Some numbers: 72 moderators of provincial chapters participated, 13 taking part in Italian, 29 in English, 22 in Spanish, and 8 in French; the average age of the moderators is 43.7 years; all circumscriptions will hold their chapters by June 30, 2024.

The meetings were intended to enable participants to use the GC29 platform. The portal enables the exchange of reflection between the different provinces. It serves to ask questions and receive answers through a quick communication between the GC29 moderator and the provincial moderators and allows the uploading of documents from provincial chapters and updating of records of chapter members elected to GC29.

It will also be a useful tool for the precapitular commission to extract by topic and summarize the contributions of the individual provinces and vice provinces Many questions were asked by the participants to understand better the task entrusted to each moderator.

“It was nice to see a single body with many members in relation to each other who try to coordinate and have the same goal. It was an experience of common work and synodality, an evident sign of a common willingness to journey together, and of love for the spirit of the group,” commented Fr. Marcoccio on the occasion.

The provincial chapter moderator for the New Rochelle Province is Fr. Lou Konopelski. He’s assisted by a precapitular commission of 6 confreres, who at present are engaged in summarizing the contributions of the 15 houses of the province on the general chapters 2 main themes.

Homily for Friday, Week 3 of Lent

Homily for Friday
3d Week of Lent

March 8, 2024
Collect
Provincial House, New Rochelle

This is a slightly adapted homily originally written for Mar. 20, 2020, and never delivered because Masses were shut down on account of the Corona virus pandemic.  I did blog it at the time.

We prayed in the Collect that we would “be constantly drawn away from unruly desires.”  When the Bible and the liturgy use the passive voice like that—“may we be drawn away,” with no actor specifically identified, it’s understood that God is the actor.  May you, O Lord, constantly draw us “away from unruly desires.”

The Garden of Earthly Delights
(Hieronymus Bosch)

We could be more specific:  “from our unruly desires.”  In this Collect we’re not talking about the unruly desires of the jihadists in Nigeria or of the Kremlin or of Xi Jinping.  As Pogo said a long time ago, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

What do we mean by “unruly desires”?  Unruly could mean just rowdy or rambunctious, like students at 2:00 p.m. on Friday.

We mean something more disordered and disorienting.  We mean those passions and desires that would lead us astray, what we’ve traditionally called “concupiscence.”  Our tendency to pass judgment on others and find fault with them—sometimes rashly and falsely—is an unruly desire.  Our desire to possess more material objects and to consume more food and drink than we need is an unruly desire.  Our lust to possess and use another person for our own gratification is an unruly desire.  Our reluctance to fulfill some responsibility and to indulge in distraction or loafing is an unruly desire.

Instead, we pray that by God’s “grace poured into our hearts” as his good gift, we may obey “the heavenly teaching” he gives us.  We know well from our own experience how hard it is to fight against our own unruly desires.  We need the power that comes from God thru our Lord Jesus Christ, who has already crushed the supposed power of Satan.  Even when we fail, Christ’s power is still at hand with the gift of forgiveness and the encouragement to keep on trying to be faithful to his “heavenly teaching.”

Homily for Thursday, Week 3 of Lent

Homily for Thursday
of the 3d Week of Lent

March 7, 2024
Luke 11: 14-23
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“By the power of Beelzebul … he drives out demons” (Luke 11: 15).

Christ Heals a Deaf Mute
(Francesco Maggiotto)

Who hasn’t at some time made a rash judgment about someone else?  Or worse, attributed a bad motive to someone else’s good actions?  I’m afraid we’ve all done that in the past, maybe thinking about a politician or an administrator or a confrere.  It remains a temptation in the present.

When we do that, we’re thinking, speaking, or acting out of pride—not wanting someone else to be better than we are, or more respected, or more popular.  In his weekly audience yesterday, Pope Francis stated, “Of all vices, pride is the great queen.”  He commented, “In everyday life … it ruins human relationships; … this evil poisons that feeling of fraternity that should instead unite people.”

The antidote to pride, we all know, is humility:  to know who we really are before God.  We’re sinners who need to be forgiven and saved by Christ.  Francis stated, “Salvation comes through humility, the true remedy for every act of pride.”

So we’ll pray over our offerings in a few minutes:  “Cleanse your people, Lord, from every taint of wickedness.”  Cleanse not only “your people” as a group, Lord; but cleanse me in particular, and make me your humble servant, following you with undivided heart; let not my heart be a divided kingdom that Satan can lay waste (cf. Luke 11:17).

Card. Angel Fernandez Artime Named Bishop

Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime Named Bishop 
and Assigned a Titular See

(ANS – Rome – March 5, 2024) – On Tuesday, March 5, the Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis has assigned to Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime, SDB, the titular See of Ursona, with archiepiscopal dignity, in view of his episcopal ordination scheduled for April 20.

• Type of Jurisdiction: Titular See
• Established: 1969
• Titular See (Diocese)
• Description: Spain; m. Sevilla

Fr. Fernandez Artime, Don Bosco’s 10th successor at the head of the Salesian Family, was first elected in 2014 and then reelected in 2020. He was announced a cardinal by Pope Francis after the Angelus on Sunday, July 9, 2023, and subsequently received the cardinal’s biretta and ring in the consistory on September 30, 2023.

On October 4, 2023, he received his first assignment in the Roman Curia, being appointed a member of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

On December 17, Card. Fernandez took possession of his titular parish, the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Via Tuscolana, Rome, which was assigned to him by the Pope.

According to the provisions for the Salesian Congregation established by the Holy Father, Card. Fernandez has already convoked the 29th General Chapter of the Congregation, which will take place from February 16 to April 12, 2025, at which his successor at the head of the Salesian Society will be elected. He will conclude his service as Rector Major in a few more months, making himself available to the Holy Father for the mission that will be entrusted to him.

Rector Major's Message for March

THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR

Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime, SDB

DREAMS

THAT KEEP COMING TRUE!

When reflecting on all this, I feel I have a little authority to say: “Dear Don Bosco, your dream is still VERY ALIVE.”

Dear readers of Salesian media,

I’m sending you my personal greeting, as I do every month. These come from my heart. My reflections are motivated by what I’m experiencing at the moment because I believe that it does us good to share what’s good as life happens.

I’m writing to you now from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Prior to this stop, I made a beautiful and very significant visit to Juazeiro do Norte in northeastern Brazil near Recife). These last few days have been “Dominican.” In just a few hours I will continue my journey – to Vietnam. In the midst of all this “hustle and bustle” – which can nonetheless be lived with much peace – I’ve been nourishing my Salesian heart with beautiful experiences.

I’m going to tell you about them because they speak about the Salesian mission, but permit me to begin with an anecdote that a Salesian told me yesterday and that made me laugh, moved me, and spoke to me about “the Salesian heart.”

A little “stone-thrower”

A confrere told me that, on one occasion, while traveling along one of the roads in the interior of this country, he passed by a place where some children had become accustomed to throwing stones at cars to cause some small incident – such as breaking glass – and in the confusion steal from the traveler.

Well, that’s what happened to him. He was passing through a certain village, and a boy threw a stone to break the glass. He succeeded. The confrere got out of the car, restrained the boy, and made him take him to his parents. The scenario in that family was such that there was no father around – because he had abandoned them There was only a long-suffering mother who had been left with this son and a little daughter. When the Salesian told the mother that her son had broken the glass (which the boy admitted), that it cost a lot of money, and that the boy had to pay for it, the mother apologized, begging for forgiveness, and made our confrere understand that she had no way to pay him, for she was poor. But she would reprimand her son, etc. This is how the dialog went when the little girl, the little sister of “this little Magone of Don Bosco,” who had her hand closed, opened it and gave him her only coin, almost worthless. It was her whole treasure. Then she said, “Take it, sir, to help pay for the glass.” This Salesian confrere of mine told me that he was so moved that he could not speak anymore and ended up giving some money to the lady to help her family.

I didn’t know how to interpret this story, but it has so much of life, pain, need, and humanity in it that I promised myself I would share it with you.

A few hours later, very close to the Salesian house where I was staying, they showed me another Salesian house, a little one, where we welcome and take in street children, most of whom are Haitian, and who have no one. We are well aware of the tragedy that is taking place in Haiti, where there is no order, government, or law, and only the gangs control everything. To know that these boys, minors, who arrived here – how, we don’t know, and with nowhere to go – are welcomed into our house makes my heart overflow. There are a total of 20 living there at the moment. Once they’ve stabilized, they’ll move on to other homes with other educational objectives.

We have several such houses where there are always Salesians and lay educators, and another 90 minors right now.  My heart swelled as I thought that Valdocco in Turin was born like this, with Don Bosco, and that this is how we Salesians were born – from a small group of those boys from Valdocco, together with Don Bosco, who gave rise de facto to the Salesian Congregation on that December 18 in 1859.

How can we not see “the hand of God” in all this? How can we fail to perceive that all this work responds to much more than some human stratagem? How can we not perceive that here and in thousands of other Salesian places in the world good continues to be done – always with the help of so many generous people and many others who share a passion for education?

This year, in Madrid, Spain, and in other places (including Latin America), the magnificent short film entitled Canillitas was shown. It captures the lives of so many of these boys. I was happy to touch this reality up close with my own eyes and hands. And it is very true, my friends, that Don Bosco’s dream is still coming true today, 200 years later.

As though something was still lacking, yesterday I spent the whole day with young people from the Salesian world who call themselves and know themselves to be leaders throughout Salesian Latin America. They are part of a movement that tries to get at least the Salesian educational world to take the care of creation, and ecology itself, very seriously, with the sensitivity that Pope Francis displayed in Laudato Si’. Young people from their “Sustainable Latin America” movement were present (in person or online) from 12 Latin American nations. I thought it was beautiful for young people to dream and commit to something good for them, for the world, and for all of us.

When reflecting on all this, I feel I have a little authority to say: “Dear Don Bosco, your dream is still VERY ALIVE.”

Keep well and be happy.

Fr. Angel

Homily for 3d Sunday of Lent

Homily for the
3d Sunday of Lent

Mar. 3, 2024
John 2: 13-25
The Fountains, Tuckahoe, N.Y.
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“He was speaking about the temple of his body” (John 2: 21).

Christ Driving the Traders out of the Temple
(El Greco)

With Jesus Christ, the living presence of God has moved from a sacred building in Jerusalem to Jesus himself.  He is God’s temple in our midst.

The 2d Vatican Council teaches us that Christ is present to us in 4 ways (LG 7).  He’s verbally present in the words of Scripture.  He’s mystically present in his people gathered for worship, as we are here; he lives within his Church.  He’s sacramentally present in his minister, the priest, who acts, we say, in persona Christi, “in the person of Christ”; it’s Christ who baptizes, Christ who forgives sins, Christ who witnesses the commitment of spouses, Christ who says, “This is my Body; this is my Blood.”  And yes, he’s bodily, physically present in the Holy Eucharist.

The Eucharist is the high point of our faith.  Vatican II tells us it’s “the source and summit of the whole Christian life” (LG 11).  We’re baptized and confirmed in order that we might gain access to the Eucharist.  Priests are ordained in order to celebrate the Eucharist.  We confess our sins and are restored to God’s grace that we might be worthy to come to the Eucharist.  “The Eucharist contains the Church’s entire spiritual wealth, that is, Christ himself, our Passover and living bread.  Thru his very flesh …, he offers life to human beings” (PO 5).  That, again, is from the Vatican Council.

In the Eucharist we receive the living Body and Blood of Christ.  The only thing you may remember from your biology class is that we are what we eat.  Thru the Eucharist we become the Body and Blood of Christ.  We become the temple of God.  If every person is already sacred because God has created us in his own image and likeness, as the book of Genesis teaches (1:26-27), how much more sacred is every Christian who eats the Body of Christ and becomes a temple of Christ.  With what respect, what reverence, then, must we treat one another, brothers and sisters! – speak to one another, speak about one another, defer to one another, serve one another.

Jesus was angry because the Jerusalem temple, his Father’s house, had become a marketplace (John 2:16).  What would he feel and what would he say about how we treat one another:  family members, fellow parishioners, neighbors, co-workers?

In a few minutes we’ll pray in the prayer over the offerings, “Grant that we who beseech pardon for our own sins, may take care to forgive our neighbor.”  Our neighbor is an image of God, at least; and many of our neighbors, certainly everyone here, are also our fellow members of the Body of Christ, temples in whom Jesus dwells.

Visit to Grandfather's Grave

Visit to Grandfather's Grave

This afternoon I had the chance to visit the grave of my maternal grandfather.

I never knew my grandfather Ferdinand "Fred" Hirsch. In fact, my mother hardly got to know him because he was slain in the line of duty before she was 6 years old.

But Grandpa Fred Hirsch was always a source of pride in our family. His elder son, my Uncle Fred, followed in his police footsteps and wore his badge, no. 207. So did Fred's son, my cousin Joe.

Grandpa Fred was gunned down on May 6, 1931, by a teen thug (whose name I don't care to put here). He was just 31 years old and had been on the Nassau County Police force since April 4, 1927.

More at Patrolman Fred S. Hirsch, Nassau County Police Department, New York (odmp.org)

Laid to rest alongside Grandpa are his wife Freda, better known to us grandkids as "Nana Rita." Close by are my Aunt Felicia (his older daughter) and Uncle Bill Setteducati and my cousin Lynn's husband Charlie Bible.

Youths from Salesian Schools and Parishes Make Valdocco Retreat

Youths from 12 Salesian Schools and Parishes Make Valdocco Retreat

(Haverstraw, N.Y. – Feb. 18, 2024) – 101 people, including youth team members and adults accompanying them, gathered at the Don Bosco Retreat Center for the Valdocco Retreat, February 16-18.  The retreat’s aim was to provide an opportunity for young people to meet Jesus, introducing them to a deeper understanding of Salesian spirituality.  It takes its name (Valdocco) from the Turin neighborhood where Don Bosco began his ministry to at-risk youngsters.

6 young team members came from the Mary Help of Christians Center in Tampa, Our Lady of the Valley in Orange, N.J., and St. John Bosco Parish in Port Chester, N.Y.  5 junior members of the core team supported the young team.  They are former students of Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, N.J., Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon, N.J., and Christ the King Parish in Tampa.

The young people who took part in the retreat came from both the U.S. and Canada and represented 12 parishes and schools.  They were able to hear the testimonies of their peers, join small and large sharing groups with both local and other groups, participate in Mass, adoration, and Reconciliation, and meet new friends. In addition, they were able to reflect on how they live the Valdocco spirit in their local school or parish and what they’ll take home from the retreat.

Homily for Thursday, Week 2 of Lent

Homily for Thursday
2d Week of Lent

Feb. 29, 2024
Luke 16: 19-31
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

Dives & Lazarus (Gustave Dore')

In his parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus strongly contrasts the 2 characters.  The rich man, often called by the Latin term Dives, “rich,” is wealthy beyond comprehension, in his clothes and his menu.  If he were around here, we could imagine him on a 20-acre gated estate in Greenwich with a Range Rover in his garage, a BMW in the driveway, a pool, a tennis court, etc.

Of course, in that scenario, Lazarus wouldn’t get anywhere near Dives’ door, and Dives could more easily ignore him.  In Jesus’ world, tho, the poor were readily at hand and could be ignored only by deliberate choice.

Lazarus is so miserable that his only companions are street dogs, and they’re the only ones who show him any compassion, and they provide his only medical care by licking his sores.  He’s so miserable that he can only lie at Dives’ door—not sit or stand.

Lazarus is precious to God.  In all his parables, Lazarus is the only character Jesus names.  Jesus must feel a special affinity for him.

Jesus addresses the parable to the Pharisees.  He wishes they—and all of society’s rich and comfortable people—would feel some affinity for the poor, and would act on that.  The collect today prayed that we’d be not only “steadfast in faith” but also “effective in works.”  Acting begins with noticing—noticing the wretched on our border, in flimsy boats on the Mediterranean, in the rubble of Gaza and Kharkiv, in refugee camps in Bangladesh, and even on the off ramps of our highways.

After noticing, then what?  We can pray, at least.  Perhaps we can urge our confreres to give their students opportunities to take part in Midnite Run or serve in soup kitchens or go on a mission trip.  We might make family members aware of the poor at their doors.

And we can practice compassion here in our house—with our brothers and our staff.

 

Salesian Theologate Board of Trustees Meets

Salesian Theologate Board of Trustees Meets

(ANS - Tlaquepaque, Mexico – Feb. 28, 2024) – The board of trustees of the Salesian theologate in Tlaquepaque, a formation center for Salesians aspiring to the priesthood, met on Saturday, February 24. The meeting was chaired by Fr. Filiberto Gonzalez, superior of the Guadalajara Province (row 2 standing, 2d Fr.om left), accompanied by Fr. Guido Errico, from the Formation Department at Salesian Headquarters in Rome. Present were Fr. Melchor Trinidad, provincial of the San Francisco Province (row 1 standing, 3d from left); Fr. Dominic Tran, provincial of the New Rochelle Province (row 1 standing, 2d from left); Fr. Morachel Bonhomme, superior of the vice province of Haiti; Fr. Ignacio Ocampo, provincial of the Mexico City Province; and Fr. Carlos Nabel Garcia Capellan, vice provincial of the Antilles. In addition, also involved were the theologate community and the vice provincials and treasurers of the two provinces of Mexico. During the meeting, the house’s Community Life Plan, the academic report of the Salesian Higher Education Institute (ISS), and various reports on the community life were evaluated.

The New Rochelle Province has 2 confreres studying theology at Tlaquepaque: Bro. Tom Junis (top row, far right) and Bro. Dan Glass (2d row standing, 3d from right).

Appeal from Ukrainian Salesians

Appeal from Ukrainian Salesians: 
“Don’t forget us!”

(ANS – Kyiv, Ukraine – Feb. 28, 2024) – Alina fled with her 3 children from Zuivka in eastern Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, 2022, when a new war had just broken out in the heart of Europe. “It took us a day and a half to get to Kyiv, and for months we lived with some relatives,” Alina recalls. Nine months ago they moved and settled in Mariapolis, the Salesian city of prefabricated modules built in Lviv. It’s a city that hosts almost a thousand people in small homes. The war is also felt in this part of western Ukraine, however. “There are frequent power blackouts to save electricity or due to anti-missile alarms,” explains the young mother.

Mariapolis is one of the projects that the Salesians have been carrying out since the beginning of the war, to provide displaced people there with daily food, fuel for their kitchens, appliances, logistical support, etc., and to instill hope in the needy population. Another of the key projects concerns support in the face of the cold of winter, together with guaranteeing children’s access to education, through the construction of safe shelters in educational centers.

In these two years of conflict, thanks to the solidarity of many people, the Salesian mission office in Madrid, Misiones Salesianas, has sent more than 1.5 million euros in all to support 30 projects from which more than 16,000 people have directly benefited.

According to the most up-to-date estimates, 2 years of war have caused more than 10,000 civilian deaths, including nearly 600 children, and more than 18,000 injuries. In addition, about 200,000 soldiers were killed and 400,000 were wounded on both sides. [President Zelensky of Ukraine stated last weekend that his side has suffered about 31,000 deaths.]

No one is safe in Ukraine. 736 days have passed since the beginning of the Russian invasion, and most of the population continues to suffer the consequences of a conflict that has so far left more than 13.3 million displaced people – most of them refugees in neighboring countries – and almost half of the population – 18 million people – in need of emergency aid to survive.

The Salesians continue to help and be at the side of the displaced population in Ukraine and refugees in neighboring countries, offering basic necessities, housing, and education in emergency situations, health and psychosocial assistance, and the transfer of the elderly to safer areas. “We will continue to be at the side of the population, trying to help and accompany them in everything they need. Thanks to the solidarity of the Salesian Family from all over the world, we have been facing the emergency for 2 years; therefore, we only hope that the people who help us don’t get tired of doing so or forget about us because we still need help and, above all, we want peace to come,” comments Fr. Mykhaylo Chaban, Salesian superior of the vice province in Ukraine.

Source: Salesianos.info

New Rectory Built with Funds from Salesian Missions

New Rectory Built with Funding from Salesian Missions

(ANS – Rundu, Namibia – Feb. 27, 2024) – Salesians in Rundu, Namibia, have a new house thanks to funding from Salesian Missions of New Rochelle.  The house will directly benefit 11 Salesians, 5 of whom will be there full-time. The house will also benefit more than 5,000 people in the community who will be accessing youth programs and the parish.

A Salesian said, “The Salesian community in Rundu is grateful to be able to have a Salesian house, where the growing number of Catholics in Rundu can find spiritual assistance and counseling as needs arise.”

The Don Bosco Parish opened in 2019. At the time, local business people and the community constructed a hall to be used as a church. Over the years, administration space was added. Priests were driving to the church daily for Masses and other pastoral activities, which was expensive for the parish. Salesians needed a local house where they could live while providing for members of the community. The house also reduces overcrowding where the Salesians had been staying.

The most recent phase of construction began in April 2023. It included finalizing internal parts of the home, including 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, a sitting area, an entertainment area, a dining room, a kitchen, a storeroom, an office, and a waiting room. Salesians also finished the roof, walls, and installation of windows in the chapel, and the sacristy. In addition, plumbing and electrical work were completed. The Salesian added, “The house that has been constructed with the funding from Salesian Missions will make the pastoral activities of the Salesians easier, especially allowing them to be near the youths who come to the parish for meetings, counseling, and sporting activities.”

According to the World Bank, Namibia is one of 9 countries in Africa considered as upper-middle income, but poverty is still prevalent with extreme wealth imbalances. Namibia’s poverty rate is 32% with an unemployment rate of 29.6%. Poverty in Namibia is acute in the northern regions of Kavango, Oshikoto, Zambezi, Kunene, and Ohangwena, where upwards of one-third of the population lives in poverty. HIV prevalence in the country is 16.9%.

Salesian programs across Namibia are primarily focused on education. Salesian primary and secondary education in the country helps youths prepare for later technical, vocational, or university study. Other programs help to support poor youths and their families by meeting the basic needs of shelter, proper nutrition, and medical care.

Source: Salesian Missions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia