Homily for 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

July 19, 2026
Ps 86: 5-6, 9-10, 15-16                             
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“You, O Lord, are good and forgiving” (Ps 86: 5).

We come to Mass every week or more often because God has touched us with his mercy, and we’re grateful for that.  We depend upon it!

When we profess the Creed, we acknowledge that our Lord Jesus will come again to judge us.  Judgment comes at the end of our lives, and our individual judgment will be confirmed before the entire world on the Last Day.  “At harvest time, I’ll say to the harvesters, ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn’” (Matt 13:30).

That’s a daunting consideration.  Toward the end of Handel’s Messiah, the oratorio asks, “But who may abide the day of his coming?”, citing the prophet Malachi.  It will be a frightful day for sinners, a day of wrath, dies irae, as we used to chant at funeral Masses:

Dies irae, dies illa, solvet saeclum in favilla

(“Day of wrath and doom impending!  Heaven and earth in ashes ending!”) 

Quantus tremor est futurus, quando iudex est venturus

(“Oh, what fear man’s bosom rendeth, when from heaven the Judge descendeth”).

But thru our Lord Jesus, our merciful Savior, God gives us the Holy Spirit:  “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness” (Rom 8:26).  God knows we’re weak, not sure how to pray, not sure how to seek his mercy.  In spite of his power, his goodness, his unapproachable holiness, he’s eager to forgive:  “Your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all.  Tho you are master of might, you judge with clemency” (Wis 12:16,18).  How often Pope Francis reminded us that “the name of God is mercy”!

Clemency, mercy, pardon—we all need it, and thru Jesus God grants it when we turn to him.  “O Lord, I am not worthy, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed” (Communion rite).  We acclaim gratefully, “You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you” (Ps 86:5).

So we don’t hesitate to bring to our Lord Jesus our weakness and our sins:  our pride, greed, lust, laziness, harshness, judgment of others, gossip, selfishness, and whatever else haunts our consciences, whatever weeds are growing within our hearts along with the wheat of goodness that God has planted there.  We turn all that bad stuff over to Jesus, here at Mass and in the sacrament of Reconciliation.  For he is “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity” (Ps 86:15) toward every one of us who seeks him from our hearts.

Rest in Peace, Brother Hubert!

Rest in Peace, Brother Hubert!

Bro. Hubert, just graduated from Iona University,
with Fr. Gabe Stawowy (left) and Fr. Dave Moreno.

Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu, SDB, lived with us in New Rochelle for 2 years while working on a degree in business management at Iona University; he graduated in May 2024.

Fr. Gabriel Stawowy, the Salesian Society’s general treasurer, who also is a former member of the New Rochelle community, informed us at 6:26 a.m. Friday that Bro. Hubert Twagirayezu had been killed in a traffic accident while on his way to Rwanda, his home country, from the Palabek refugee camp in Uganda, where he directed the camp’s Vocational Training Center.  Fr. Gabe didn’t say when, where, or how the accident occurred.

Bro. Hubert, 44, belonged to the Africa Great Lakes Salesian Province, which includes Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.

Fr. Dave Moreno, our province secretary, describes Bro. Hubert as a prayerful and cheerful confrere who was very grateful for the hospitality accorded to him by our SUE province. Julia St. Clair of the province communications office says he was a kind man and a wonderful Salesian.  She had interviewed him at least once and reported on him for various province media.

Bro. Bernie Dube', Fr. Mike Conway, and Fr. Tim Ploch
bid farewell to Bro. Hubert in May 2024.

On Sunday morning, the 19th, we received a little bit more information from Fr. Jean-Paul Lebel, originally from the Canada part of our province but for many decades now a "missionary" in Rwanda. He was responding to a query from Fr. Dave Moreno:

I have received your message and we also are shocked with this accident. He was not the driver. This bit of sad news occurs at the same time we are celebrating several priestly ordinations, one yesterday here in Kigali and another one in Burundi today. It Is very sad news because he was a good and well accepted confrere.

   It would seem that the truck which hit them did not stop and kept on going. May God receive him in His home. Fr. Jean-Paul   

Homily for Thursday, Week 15 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 15 of Ordinary Time

Year II
July 16, 2026
Is 26: 7-9, 12, 16-19
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Isaiah meets King Ahaz
(Benn Matthew)

“When your judgment dawns upon the earth, the world’s inhabitants learn justice” (Is 16: 9).

Isaiah speaks of Israel’s longing to be close to the Lord, and for that closeness to bring his protection.  Deliverance from their oppressors can come only from him.  “Salvation we haven’t achieved for the earth; the inhabitants of the world can’t bring it forth” (26:18).

Our readings earlier in the week concerned Israel’s place amid the power politics of the Middle East.  Isaiah advised Ahaz to rely on the Lord rather than on Assyria (7:1-9).  Assyria’s oppressions were lamented (10:5-7,13-16).  Israel has felt punished (26:16).

But the prophet offers hope:  “My spirit keeps vigil for you,” the Lord says (26:9).  Israel pleads, “For your name and your judgments, O Lord, we look to you” (26:8).  When God acts, Israel will be saved.

That’s the hope of the new Israel, too.  God has acted in Jesus Christ to do what we can’t.  “Salvation we haven’t achieved on the earth.”  Politics, diplomacy, and economic planning aren’t able to convert the human heart and establish justice.  They can’t save us from our sins nor what our sins do to one another.  Taking up the yoke of Jesus (Matt 11:29-30) is salvation for us as individuals and for humanity as a whole.

The judgment of Christ dawning upon the earth teaches us justice—i.e., closeness to the Lord and salvation from our sins and the harm sin does.  When the dawn from on high breaks upon us, those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow (Luke 1:78-79) will be set free; “the land of shades,” the underworld, hades, shall give birth and the “dead shall live” (Is 26:19).

“For your way and your judgments, O Lord, we look to you.”

Card. Reina Leads Generalate Community's Recollection

Cardinal Reina Leads Generalate Community’s Recollection
Theme: “Take up your cross and carry it to Jesus”

(ANS – Rome – July 16, 2026) - On the afternoon of July 15, the Salesians at the Sacred Heart Community – the Generalate – took part in their monthly recollection, led by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, vicar general for the diocese of Rome and archpriest of the papal basilica of St. John Lateran.

Attendance

The recollection was attended by Fr. Fabio Attard, the members of the general council, and the other SDBs at headquarters.

The theme of the meditation

Card. Reina based his reflection on the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman recounted in the Gospel of John, ch. 4, proposing human needs as the key to understanding it. He invited his listeners to “come down from their pedestals” to look truthfully and without judgment at their own wounded humanity, recalling that Jesus himself takes the initiative in his dialog with the woman, making her need his own even before it’s expressed.

From human need to the longing for God

In the 2d part of his meditation, the cardinal explained how Jesus never disregards human needs, but elevates them to a higher level, transforming material water into “living water.” He urged the priests not to separate the emotional dimension from the spiritual one, emphasizing that within the need for love and recognition there is already “a seed of divinity.” Card. Reina recalled that the priestly life is called to be generative and fruitful at all times, not only in liturgical acts, citing the example of priests who, tho not remembered in the history books, have edified others with a glance or an authentic word.

The demand for truth

The 3d point of the homily concerned the need to live the truth in one’s own life, beginning with the Gospel passage in which Jesus asks the Samaritan woman about her marital status. The cardinal offered an original interpretation of the invitation to “take up one’s cross,” identifying it not with external difficulties, but with that part of oneself which one struggles to accept and of which one is ashamed. He invited the Salesians to ask themselves who their “5 husbands” might be – that is, the parts of their lives not yet reconciled – reminding them that only by bringing this truth before God can one experience authentic worship “in spirit and truth.”

The missionary dimension

In his concluding remarks, the cardinal emphasized how the Samaritan woman, freed from shame, became a credible witness among her fellow citizens, precisely because her words sprang from lived experience and not from theoretical discourse. Card. Reina extended this reflection to the priestly ministry, inviting the SDBs not to fear acknowledging themselves as sinners before others, since an authentic proclamation always springs from a life truly touched by grace.

He also highlighted the common difficulty among priests in sharing their own frailties within the community, as they are often more inclined to judge others than to confide their struggles in prayer and fraternal life.

50th Anniversary of Martyrdom of Fr. Rudolph Lunkenbein and Simon Bororo

July 15, 2026: 50th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Fr. Rudolph Lunkenbein and Simon Bororo

(ANS – Meruri, Brazil – July 14, 2026) – July 15 marked the 50th anniversary of the death of the Servants of God Fr. Rudolph Lunkenbein, SDB, and Simon Bororo, who were killed at the Salesian mission in Meruri, Mato Grosso (Brazil).

The Salesian province of Campo Grande has organized a day of thanksgiving and remembrance at the graves of these brothers to thank God for all the blessings received since the day Fr. Lunkenbein and Simon sealed and bore witness with their own blood to the covenant made with the Boe Bororo people and with this blessed land of Meruri. Thanks will also be given for the journey undertaken over the years toward the recognition of their martyrdom: the diocesan process initiated on January 31, 2018, concluded and approved by the Holy See in 2020; the preparation and submission of the Positio super Martyrio to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican on November 28, 2024; the favorable assessment of the Positio by the theological censors on November 20, 2025. All that remains now is the ordinary session of the cardinals and bishops of the dicastery.

July 15 therefore was a day of thanksgiving: for the demarcated land, for the growth and strengthening of the people, for the enduring memory, witness, and prophecy that have indelibly marked the history and life of the Bororo people, the Salesian Congregation ,and the Church in this part of Brazil.

On this day, together with Jesus, the Faithful Witness (Rev 1:5), we celebrated the victory of forgiveness and peace over evil and arrogance, as Pope Francis said during the general audience on June 28, 2017: “For there is indeed Someone among us who is stronger than evil, stronger than the mafias, than dark conspiracies, than those who profit at the expense of the desperate, than those who crush others with tyranny…. Someone who has always heeded the voice of Abel’s blood crying out from the earth. Christians must therefore always be found on the ‘other side’ of the world, the side chosen by God: not persecutors, but the persecuted; not arrogant, but meek; not peddlers of empty promises, but submissive to the truth; not impostors, but honest.”

Rudolph and Simon shine out among these witnesses to the Gospel as signs of hope and seeds of peace.

Rudolph Lunkenbein was born on April 1, 1939, in Döringstadt, Germany. From his teenage years, reading Salesian publications awakened in him a desire to become a missionary. He was sent to Brazil as a missionary and undertook his practical training period at the Meruri mission in Mato Grosso, where he remained until 1965. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1969, in Germany, choosing as his motto: “I have come to serve and to lay down my life.” He returned to Meruri, where he was welcomed with great affection by the Bororo people, who gave him the name “Koge Ekureu” (Golden Fish). In 1972, he helped found the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) and fought to defend indigenous reserves. On July 15, 1976, he was murdered in the courtyard of the Salesian mission.

Simon Bororo, a friend of Fr. Lunkenbein, was born in Meruri on October 27, 1937, and was baptized on November 7 of the same year. He was a member of the group of Bororo who accompanied Salesian missionaries Fr. Pedro Sbardellotto and Bro. Jorge Wörz to the first mission station among the Xavantes at the Santa Teresina mission in 1957–1958. Between 1962 and 1964, he helped build the first brick houses for the Bororo families of Meruri, becoming a skilled bricklayer and devoting the rest of his life to this trade. He was fatally wounded while trying to defend Fr. Lunkenbein’s life on July 15, 1976. Before he died, he forgave his attackers.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 15 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 15 of Ordinary Time
Memorial of St. Katherine Tekakwitha

July 14, 2026
Matt 11: 20-24
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.       

Jesus preaches at the Sea of Galilee
(Gerbrand van den Eeckhout)

“Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!” (Matt 11: 21).

In spite of all his teachings and miraculous healings, the majority of Jewish people didn’t follow Jesus, not even in those towns along the Sea of Galilee where he spent so much of his time, including Capernaum, where he made his home during his public ministry.

If we hear what the Lord says today, it sounds like those towns and their inhabitants were willfully unrepentant.  Seeing and hearing Jesus in action wasn’t enuf to save them from their sins; only repentance and turning to him for deliverance from sin can do that.  “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Resp. Psalm).

It’s an old story in Israel.  Jeremiah warned the citizens of Jerusalem not to place their confidence in the temple, where God dwelt among them.  They needed to reform their ways and their deeds, deal justly with their neighbors, cease oppressing the resident aliens, widows, and orphans, stop shedding innocent blood (Jer 7:4-6).

Sculpture of St. Katherine Tekakwitha
on the central door of St. Patrick's Cathedral, NYC

For Katherine Tekakwitha, it wasn’t enuf that heroic Jesuits had preached Jesus in Ossernenon and saints had been martyred there.  She had to reject the superstitions and wanton life of her town and flee to a foreign land where she could practice her faith and live for Jesus.

We sons of holy founders can’t rely on our noble heritage.  You must listen to Edmund and imitate his closeness to the Lord, as I must do with Don Bosco.  At her young life’s end, Katherine’s visage was wondrously transformed, the scars of smallpox giving way to a luminous beauty, symbolic of her transition to the glory of her Lord.  At life’s end, we hope to hear from Jesus not, “Woe to you!” but “Come, blessed by my Father, and take possession of the inheritance he’s prepared for you” (cf. Matt 25:34).

17 Salesians Make Perpetual Profession in DRC

17 Salesians Make Perpetual Profession in the D.R.C.

(ANS – Lubumbashi, DRC – July 13, 2026) – The Salesian Province of Central Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, celebrated the perpetual profession of 17 Salesians of Don Bosco during a solemn Eucharist at St. Amand Parish in Lubumbashi. The Mass was presided over by the provincial, Fr. Guillermo Basañes. The joyful celebration brought together Salesian confreres, religious from various congregations, parents, relatives, friends, and numerous young people of the Salesian Youth Movement, who accompanied the new perpetually professed Salesians with prayer. The day concluded with a fraternal gathering at the community of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Hodari, marking a memorable moment of thanksgiving and communion for the province.

Fr. Aldo Giraudo Appointed Director of Salesian Historical Institute

Fr. Aldo Giraudo Appointed Director of the Salesian Historical Institute

ANS – Rome – July 13, 2026) – On July 7, with the consent of the members of the general council, Fr. Fabio Attard appointed Fr. Aldo Giraudo as the new director of the Salesian Historical Institute (ISS), with an indefinite term of office (ad nutum superioris), as provided for in the ISS Regulations (Art. 30). Fr. Giraudo succeeds Fr. Thomas Anchukandam, who has led the ISS since 2015.

Aldo Giraudo was born in Cuneo, Piedmont, on April 13, 1950, and entered the Salesians at the novitiate in Bagnolo Piemonte on August 15, 1967. A professed Salesian since 1968, he took his perpetual vows on September 14, 1974, and was ordained on September 9, 1978.

After obtaining a licentiate in spiritual theology, specializing in Salesian studies (June 1982), he was assigned to the Turin Section of the School of Theology at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS), where he served as a lecturer in Salesian history and spirituality, a pastoral animator for theology students, and a formator for young people at the local oratory and university residence hall.

On October 30, 1991, he was awarded a PhD, under the supervision of Fr. Pietro Stella, with a thesis entitled The Church and the Turin clergy during the Restoration period: The case of the Chieri seminary (1829–1848).

In 1992, he was appointed an associate member of the ISS. In January 2001, he was transferred from Crocetta in Turin to the UPS Rome campus as professor of the history of modern and contemporary spirituality and the history and spirituality of St. John Bosco. He continued his teaching and research there until 2025.

Over the last 5 years, he also served as director of the University’s historical archives.

From 2002 until 2020, he was a visiting lecturer at the Institute of Spirituality of the Auxilium School of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, teaching a course on the history and spirituality of Don Bosco.

He was the first secretary general of ACSSA, from its foundation until 2000. Since 2012, he has been a member of the executive council of the ISS. For several years now, he has been working on the critical edition of Don Bosco’s manuscripts and works.

(ANS – Rome) – On Tuesday 7 July 2026, with the consent of the members of the general Council, the Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, appointed Fr. Aldo Giraudo as the new Director of the Salesian Historical Institute (ISS), with a term of office of indefinite duration (ad nutum superioris), as provided for in the ISS Regulations (Art. 30). Fr. Giraudo succeeds Fr. Thomas Anchukandam, who has led the ISS since 2015.

Aldo Giraudo was born in Cuneo, Piedmont, on 13 April 1950 and entered the Salesians at the novitiate in Bagnolo Piemonte on 15 August 1967. A professed Salesian since 1968, he took his perpetual vows on 14 September 1974 and was ordained a priest on 9 September 1978.

After obtaining a licentiate in spiritual theology, specialising in Salesian Studies (June 1982), he was assigned to the Turin Section of the Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS), where he served as a lecturer in Salesian History and Spirituality, a pastoral animator for theology students, and a formator for young people at the local oratory and university hall of residence.

On 30 October 1991, he was awarded a PhD, under the supervision of Prof. Fr. Pietro Stella, with a thesis entitled The Church and the Turin clergy during the Restoration period. The case of the Chieri seminary (1829–1848).

In 1992, he was appointed an associate member of the Salesian Historical Institute.

In January 2001, he was transferred from Crocetta in Turin to the UPS’ Rome campus as professor of the History of Modern and Contemporary Spirituality and the History and Spirituality of St John Bosco. He continued his teaching and research there until 2025.

Over the last five years, he also served as Director of the University’s Historical Archives.

From 2002 until 2020, he was a visiting lecturer at the Institute of Spirituality of the Auxilium Faculty of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, teaching a course on the history and spirituality of Don Bosco.

He was the first Secretary-general of ACSSA, from its foundation until the year 2000.

Since 2012, he has been a member of the Executive Council of the Salesian Historical Institute (ISS). For several years now, he has been working on the critical edition of Don Bosco’s manuscripts and works.

Homily for 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

July 12, 2026
Is 55: 10-11
Ps 65: 10-14
Rom 8: 18-23
Matt 13: 1-9
Collect
The Fountains, Tuckahoe
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

The Sower
(taken from InTouch newsletter, 9-30-25)

“My word shall … achieve the end for which I sent it” (Is 55: 11).

2 words stand out in today’s readings:  word and seed.  They’re linked when Jesus compares the seed strewn about by a farmer with God’s word offered to our ears.

In 1st-century Palestine, farmers trudged thru their fields with bags of seed—wheat, barley, rye, or millet—and scattered it by hand.  As Jesus’ parable suggests, the seeds might land anywhere.  Some wouldn’t produce much.  Some would produce prolifically.

The “word of God” carries 2 meanings to us:  the words spoken by prophets like Moses and Isaiah, and the living Word of God, Jesus of Nazareth.  Isaiah reminds us that God’s prophetic word is always fulfilled—both words of disaster when Israel is unfaithful, and words of promise and deliverance: “my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it” (55:11).

The psalmist and Jesus both speak of seed falling on good, fertile ground that yields a fruitful harvest.  Without speaking of seeds, St. Paul presents a similar thought:  when the Spirit of God is at work, creation brings forth a rich harvest of life and freedom, “the redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23) that were laid in the earth, springing up alive and reborn as God’s children for eternal life, risen with Christ.  Creation will “be set free from slavery to corruption”—being dead and buried—“and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God” (8:21).  That’s the end for which God has sent his Word into the world, and his Word will be effective, like the farmer’s seeds, in receptive soil.

So we need to ask ourselves what kind of soil are we?  When the seed of God’s saving word—the teachings of Jesus, and Jesus himself—lands in our hearts, does that seed find ready soil to bear fruit?  Are we receptive, “eager with expectation [for] God’s revelation” (Rom 8:19)?  Or is our soil hard and rocky or filled with weeds and thorns, so that God’s word hasn’t got a chance?

God has been preparing his holy ground:  “drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, softening it with showers” (Ps 65:11).  We hear the word of God every Sunday.  Perhaps we read the Scriptures during the week.  We’ve been catechized, maybe gone to Catholic school, maybe listen to some Catholic teaching on TV or the internet.  Do we let God’s word sink into our hearts and plant deep roots (cf. Matt 13:5-6)?  Do we water it with prayer?  Do we resolve to act on what God tells us in Christ?

In the collect we prayed that “all who profess the Christian faith”—that’s us who are baptized, come to church, recite the Creed—may by God’s grace “reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and strive after all that does [his name] honor.”  Do we try to live as Jesus teaches us:  giving God 1st place in our lives, loving our neighbor, speaking well of others and being patient with them, forgiving injuries, sharing our goods with the needy, voting for candidates who will treat everyone with the human dignity that belongs to them because everyone’s created in God’s image?  Do we confess our sins and resolve to do better, to “return to the right path,” as we prayed in the collect?

God has given us his Word so that it might bear fruit for eternity.  “Whoever has ears ought to hear” (Matt 13:9)—and after hearing, to act.

Homily for Thursday, Week 14 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 14 of Ordinary Time
Chinese Martyrs

July 9, 2026
Matt 10: 7-15
Hos 11: 1-4, 8-9
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“As you go, make this proclamation:  ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand’” (Matt 10: 7).

In yesterday’s gospel, Jesus selected his 12 apostles and sent them out to do his work.  Today he instructs them for their mission.  They’re to do the same works of mercy that he does, providing signs of God’s personal care and his power to make people whole—to offer health and well-being not only in a spiritual sense but in their whole person.  Human beings are not only souls; we’re corporal creations of God.

The apostles are to go forth with total trust in God’s care, not calculating their means and toting along their own resources.  They’re to trust that God will provide for them so that, single-minded and focused, they’ll be free to do Christ’s work, to make known to people “the Holy One present among you” (Hos 11:9) and to “draw them with bands of love” (11:4) to their maker, their Father, their redeemer.

This is what Christian missionaries do:  bringing education, health care, economic improvements, etc., as well as the Good News of God’s love in Christ.  Missionary priests and sisters were doing that in China as much as anywhere.  Sometimes it was dangerous to preach the kingdom of heaven in the Celestial Kingdom, one of China’s names for itself.  Missionaries weren’t always received or listened to; those who did listen and were converted were often stigmatized as enemies of Chinese wisdom and culture, or as “foreign devils,” tools of the colonial powers.

Today we celebrate the fidelity of 120 particular martyrs whose witness to the kingdom of heaven was spread over nearly 300 years—1648 to 1930.  But thousands of Chinese faithful, as well as missionaries, lost their lives in various persecutions, especially the one associated with the Boxer Rebellion.  Such persecution continues in China and numerous other places.

Obviously, St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions were companions only in a general sense.  Few of them knew each other.  But they are companions in the communion of saints, as we too are their companions.  We join them in “witnessing to the truth before the world” (Collect) by our vows, our life as brothers, our ministries of education in past years and of prayer now—witnessing to God’s goodness and care for all people.

Sts. Callistus Caravario and Louis Versiglia, Salesians
The last 2 of the canonized Chinese martyrs, 1930

Salesian Mission Supports Millions of Displaced People

Salesian Mission Supports Millions of Displaced People

South Sudan’s 15 years of independence haven’t gone well

(ANS – Juba, South Sudan – July 9, 2026) – The anniversary of South Sudan’s independence isn’t cause for celebration; it’s a wake-up call. South Sudan became an independent state on July 9, 2011, but the long-awaited peace hasn’t materialized for the majority of the population. Violence, internal conflicts, food insecurity, floods, and a lack of essential services have forced millions of people to flee their homes.

Salesian missionaries are supporting displaced and vulnerable communities in places such as Tonj, Maridi, Kuajok, Wau, and Don Bosco Gumbo in Juba, as well as in neighboring Uganda at the Palabek refugee settlement, providing education, shelter, vocational formation, child and youth protection, humanitarian aid, and peace-building activities.

Ara Tena, a volunteer with Misiones Salesianas, the Salesian mission office in Madrid, sums up the Salesians’ work in the country as a presence that combines emergency relief with development. Misiones Salesianas is currently active in South Sudan, both in the field of development and in the humanitarian sphere, she explains.

At Don Bosco Gumbo, the Salesians have for years been supporting people displaced by the conflict, providing shelter, food, basic services, and assistance to particularly vulnerable individuals, such as single mothers, orphans, and the elderly. In recent months, they’ve also stepped up emergency aid in the refugee camp. “We have just completed an emergency operation in the Gumbo refugee camp, where we distributed plastic sheeting to cover tents and food supplies, as part of the ongoing support we have been providing for years,” adds Tena.

Alongside this humanitarian response, development projects aim to reduce dependence on aid and create opportunities for the future. In the Tonj area, Misiones Salesianas works with particularly vulnerable rural communities to improve their nutrition thru sustainable agriculture. The initiative also includes awareness-raising activities on Hansen’s disease (leprosy) and a peace-building component integrated into all Salesian projects in the country.

In Tonj and Maridi, the Salesian presence is focused on providing technical formation for young women. A similar facility already exists in Tonj, while in Maridi there are plans to build and equip a technical formation center specializing in cooking, food preservation, sewing, and dressmaking.

For Ara Tena, this type of work addresses a clear priority. “We believe it’s necessary to empower women, especially economically, so that they can generate their own income and improve their social status,” she says. In a country where gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched, vocational formation can pave the way to self-reliance for women and families living in situations of extreme vulnerability.

In Kuajok, too, the Madrid mission office, together with the Salesians of Don Bosco-BOSCOAID, has developed inclusive, equitable, and high-quality educational projects as a driving force for development and peace-building. Furthermore, the Salesian projects include a scholarship program for children that will support a thousand pupils from 10 selected Salesian schools in the country’s most deprived areas.

For displaced or vulnerable young people, returning to school means regaining a sense of routine, protection, trust, and a future. And for communities scarred by years of violence, education represents an investment in peace.

“We understand that everything we do for peace and peaceful coexistence is fundamental, because South Sudan is a country that has never known peace,” Ara Tena emphasizes.

The crisis in South Sudan is also having repercussions beyond its borders. In Uganda, the Palabek refugee settlement is home to nearly 100,000 people, most of whom come from neighboring South Sudan. Many arrived after fleeing with nothing but the clothes on their backs, having lost family members, homes, schools, and livelihoods.

In Palabek, the Salesians don’t just run projects: they live in close contact with the refugee population, and their work focuses on education, pastoral care, vocational formation, the protection of young people, and community support.

Salesian missionary Ubaldino “Uba” Andrade, who has been supporting the refugees in Palabek for years, points out that war leaves behind not only material destruction but also deep wounds in people’s hearts. “War is a destructive experience. It destroys not only homes but also hearts. Everything’s left behind; everything vanishes from one day to the next,” he explains.

15 years after independence, therefore, this young country needs stability, protection, and a future for its people. In Tonj, Maridi, Kuajok, Wau, Don Bosco Gumbo, and Palabek, supporting, educating, and standing alongside those who have lost almost everything is also a practical way of building peace.

Source: Misiones Salesianas

Editor's note: Between 2008 and 2021, some 2 dozen Salesian Missioners from New Rochelle have served the youngsters and families of Gumbo (Juba), Maridi, and Wau.

Castel Gandolfo's Pastor Hopes Pope Will Enjoy a Rest

Castel Gandolfo's Pastor: “We hope Pope Leo will enjoy true rest here”

(ANS – Castel Gandolfo, Italy – July 7, 2026) In an interview with Vatican News, the pastor of Castel Gandolfo, Polish Salesian Fr. Tadeusz Rozmus, expressed his hope that Pope Leo XIV will be able to enjoy a good summer holiday in the lakeside town. ”Our hope is that the Holy Father will be well here in Castel Gandolfo, that he may rest and accomplish what he has said is the purpose of his stay: prayer, rest, reading, and sports,” the Salesian pastor said. The Polish Salesian spoke about the first days of the Pope’s summer stay, recalled last year’s visit, and described the excitement of local residents at the Pope’s return to the apostolic palace.

The surprise of the Pope’s greeting

Fr. Tadeusz first expressed his gratitude because, in his first greeting from the balcony of the apostolic palace, Leo XIV addressed a personal greeting to the pastor and the parish community. It came as a complete surprise to him. “For me it was an enormous surprise. I saw it as a recognition of the importance of our pontifical parish. Although the Vatican institutions located here operate independently, under canon law the parish and its pastor have an important role. It was a very beautiful gesture by the Holy Father toward our entire community.”

A time for rest

The pastor suggested that Pope Leo’s stay this year has a different character from last year’s. The Pope had already announced that he wanted to spend this period in Castel Gandolfo as a genuine time of rest. “The Holy Father said clearly,” Fr. Rozmus recalled, “that he came here to pray, to rest, to devote himself to reading and to sports. We have no particular expectations; we simply want him to feel at home here and spend this time peacefully, according to his own wishes.”

That’s also true of the faithful, he remarked, who are especially looking forward with joy to the Angelus and to any other possible encounters that Pope Leo himself has indicated may take place.

Meetings that strengthened the bond

Fr. Tadeusz also spoke about the many occasions he has had to meet the Pope during his frequent visits to Castel Gandolfo over the past year. Almost every week, Pope Leo would travel to Villa Barberini on Monday afternoon and remain there until Tuesday evening.

As he left the residence, he would stop to greet the pilgrims gathered outside or speak with journalists.

As a pastor he remembered having the opportunity to exchange a few words with the Holy Father, pass on some information, or simply greet him. “They were very beautiful moments, during which one could truly sense his fatherly closeness,” he said, adding, “I hope this tradition will continue even after the summer holiday has ended.”

An unforgettable Mass and a gift from the Pope

Looking back to last year, to Pope Leo’s first summer as Pope, Fr. Rozmus recalled with deep emotion the first Mass the Holy Father celebrated at the Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova, on July 13. The small church was unable to accommodate all the faithful who wished to take part in the celebration.

What remains closest to the priest’s heart is the moment when the Pope addressed the parish directly and presented it with a special gift. “He gave us a beautiful liturgical chalice. (Photo above)  I had the honor of receiving it from his hands on behalf of the entire community, and I thanked him for this gesture. It will remain one of the most important moments of my priestly life.”

Memories of St. John Paul II

Continuing his reflections, Fr. Tadeusz explained that St. John Paul II holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Castel Gandolfo. The name of the saintly Pope constantly returns in the stories shared by parishioners. “On Sunday I saw people with tears in their eyes. Many were remembering their childhood, when the Popes came regularly to Castel Gandolfo. People spoke often about St. John Paul II. The residents simply say: ‘He was our Pope.’ And when they speak about him, you can truly sense their emotion. Leo XIV’s return brings those memories back to life and gives people the feeling that this beautiful papal tradition is continuing.”

Four centuries of the Popes’ presence

This year’s papal summer stay also coincides with an important anniversary, for 2026 marks the Church’s 400th anniversary of when the Popes began coming to the summer residence at Castel Gandolfo. The first Pope to do that was Urban VIII in 1626.

“Together with the diocese, the local authorities, and the parish, we are preparing celebrations for this anniversary,” Fr. Tadeusz concluded. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity to remember 4 centuries of the presence of Peter’s successors in Castel Gandolfo and to highlight the importance of this place in the history of the Church.”

Source: Vatican News

Salesians Begin Pastoral Work in Greece

The Salesians Begin Pastoral Work in Greece

(ANS – Syros, Greece – July 8, 2026) – In 2024 the first 3 Salesian pioneers arrived in Greece, thus marking the start of the Salesian mission in that country. In March 2026, the Rector Major, with the consent of the general council, entrusted the new Salesian presence on the Greek island of Syros, comprised of 4 missionaries, to the Salesian province of Slovenia (SLO).

On June 2, the Slovenian Province signed a cooperation agreement with the diocese of Syros, signed by the SLO provincial of, Fr. Peter Koncan, and the apostolic administrator of the diocese, Msgr. Sevastainos Rossolatos.

From July 1, therefore, the local Salesians officially took up their posts as parish priests, officially launching the pioneering Salesian mission on the Greek island of Syros.

On Sunday, July 5, the Salesian priests joyfully and publicly assumed leadership of 3 parishes: Fr. Oscar Tuscano, the director of the Greek Salesian community, became pastor of Vari; Fr. Rodil Lladones, vice director, took charge of the parish of Posidonia; while Fr. Marcin Wosiek, who is also responsible for youth ministry in the diocese, became pastor of Vissa.

The Salesians had already held their first meetings with the parish councils. “It was a wonderful opportunity to meet the local lay collaborators, the leaders of our parishes and those in charge of youth ministry,” Fr. Marcin added, also showing the Salesian logo in Greek, the meaning of which is not difficult to decipher.

In Greece, on this island in the Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, the Salesians, in addition to carrying out their parish pastoral work, have also set themselves the aim of opening up new horizons for the development of the Salesian charism, for the good of young people and the Church.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 14 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 14 of Ordinary Time

July 7, 2026
Matt 9: 32-38
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Jesus heals a mute man possessed by a demon
(James Tissot)

“His heart was moved with pity for them” (Matt 9: 36).

Last month our bishops consecrated the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  His heart feels for us.  For all our physical and intellectual gifts and achievements, nevertheless we’re often “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (9:36).  We need God’s love, shared with us by Jesus, to find peace and to be whole—like the people whom Jesus healed and even raised from death in our gospel readings yesterday (9:18-26) and today.

The Lord wants his disciples to work in his harvest (9:37-38).  That’s a shift in metaphor from looking after sheep.  But the thought’s the same:  Jesus wants our hearts to be open and tender like his, particularly to his sheep who are here around us.  He wants us, for example, to drive out the demon (9:32-33) of loneliness that a confrere may be feeling; or to dry up the anger that may be festering in someone like yesterday’s long-suffering woman who touched Jesus’ cloak (9:20-22).

In the collect we prayed God to “bestow eternal gladness” on us.  We have it in our power to bring a little gladness to our brothers and staff by letting our hearts care for them, imitating the healing power of Jesus our Lord.