St. Francis HS Students Honored for Tijuana Mission Service

St. Francis HS Students Honored for Tijuana Mission Service

(ANS – Watsonville – March 20, 2026) – During the solemn celebration of the Mass of St. Joseph on March 19 at Mary Help of Christians Church, the community of St. Francis High School recognized students for their generous service during the recent Tijuana mission trip.

In the presence of the entire student body, representatives of the Salesian mission – Juan Carlos Montenegro, delegate for mission animation; Fr. Fabian Cardenas, delegate for youth ministry; and Luis Chacon, coordinator of the Salesian Missionary Volunteer Program – presented the recognitions.

The Tijuana Short Mission Trip, active since 2018, continues to offer young people a profound experience of faith, service, and encounter. This year, 20 students participated, including 10 returning missionaries, highlighting the lasting impact of the initiative. Kristie and Kyran were especially recognized for their 4 consecutive years of participation and received a missionary cross as a sign of leadership and commitment. The community also expressed gratitude to Chris Croghan for his dedicated coordination of the program. The celebration concluded with a moment of fraternity, reaffirming the Salesian commitment to forming young people as protagonists of faith, service, and responsible leadership.

[The Salesian educational presence in Watsonville dates to 1921.]

Fr. Joseph Nguyen Appointed San Francisco's Next Provincial

Fr. Joseph Thinh Nguyen Appointed New Provincial of the San Francisco Province

(ANS – Rome – March 19, 2026) – The Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, with the consent of the other members of the general council, has appointed Fr. Joseph Thinh Nguyen, SDB, currently master of novices and director of the Salesian mission in Richmond, Calif., as next superior of the San Francisco Salesian Province (SUO), whose patron is St. Andrew, for the six-year term 2026–2032.

“Let us keep him in our prayers and support him in this work of leadership service,” said the current provincial, Fr. Mel Trinidad, announcing Fr. Nguyen’s appointment. “Fr. Joe, thank you for saying ‘YES’ to the call of the Holy Spirit to be Don Bosco among us. May God bless you, the SUO Province, the young people and their families we serve, the Salesian Family, and all those who partner with us in the mission.”

A Salesian with extensive international preparation, Joseph Thinh Nguyen was born in Dalat, Vietnam, on June 17, 1970, but after completing his novitiate in Rome at the Marchesa Teresa Gerini house, he undertook the rest of his formation in the United States. He has been a professed Salesian since August 15, 1994, made perpetual vows on August 15, 2000, in Bellflower, Calif., and was ordained in the same city on May 30, 2003.

Within the province’s communities, he was first in Watsonville, serving as councilor (2005–2009), then at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, serving as director from 2009 to 2016. Since 2018, he has been serving the U.S. novices (and 2 Irish novices this year) in the Richmond community.

As for his roles at provincial level, he served as councilor from 2013 to 2016 and as delegate for formation in 2022-2023.

Homily for the Solemnity of St. Joseph

Homily for the Solemnity of
St. Joseph

March 19, 2026
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.
Blessed Sacrament, N.R. (Italian Mass)

A Salesian feast of St. Joseph in Rome, 2014

In the collect, we prayed that God’s Church might “constantly watch over” the mysteries of our salvation; or more specifically, “the unfolding of the mysteries,” i.e., how the mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection touch our lives and our redemption day by day.

We prayed for St. Joseph’s intercession on behalf of God’s Church because Joseph is the Church’s great patron, its foster father, we might say.  The collect makes that connection.  As St. Joseph faithfully cared for the mystery of redemption from its beginning, so we pray that he continue to care for it faithfully now.

That mystery is embodied in Jesus Christ, whom St. Joseph first accepted while Jesus was still in Mary’s womb, and whom Joseph kept safe and guided as Jesus began his earthly journey from Bethlehem to Nazareth to the boy’s first trip to Jerusalem.  Joseph protected the life and health of the Son of God, and now as patron of the Church he continues to protect and guide Christ’s whole Body—all the men and women who are part of the Lord Jesus.

In the Church, in the Body of Christ, the mysteries of our salvation continue to be revealed and worked out, believer by believer, and the whole Body continues to thrive because Christ lives.  And St. Joseph is forever invested in Christ living.  May he help us to thrive, to flourish, as his children in Christ.

Homily for Solemnity of St. Patrick

Homily for 
the Solemnity of St. Patrick

March 17, 2026
Collect
Matt 28: 16-20
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

(at OL of the Valley
Orange, N.J.)

God chose St. Patrick to preach his glory to the Irish.  We give God glory for that as we pray to share in the divine glory because we’re Christians and, by God’s gift, continue Patrick’s mission of proclaiming God’s wondrous deeds to all (Collect).

Patrick’s story itself is wondrous—how God brought him to Ireland, guided his escape, and brought him back to the Irish; how God used him to win them, bringing more than a year of favor from the Lord (Is 61:2); how God enabled him to forgive both those who’d enslaved him and a false friend who later grievously betrayed him; and how God planted the faith so deeply in Ireland that Patrick’s spiritual offspring have fulfilled Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19).

All of us are directly or indirectly Patrick’s offspring—some by national heritage, others in virtue of the labors and the wisdom of Irish missionaries, missionaries to Europe in the so-called Dark Ages and missionaries to the farthest reaches of the world in recent centuries—not least to this part of that world, as the necrologies of every diocese in the Northeast bear witness.  In my home diocese of St. Augustine (which covered 90% of Florida at the time), the FBI clergy, foreign-born Irish, outnumbered all others.  My early parish priests were Frs. McLaughlin and Casey, and the bishop was Joseph Patrick Hurley.[1]

Jesus promised his apostles to be with them always (28:20).  The world needs his presence as much now as it did in the Dark Ages or the age of exploration and conquest.  May St. Patrick’s “merits and intercession” recall our troubled world to God’s glory, rather than to MAGA, and the hope for glory that Jesus offers to all who bear his name and observe his commands (28:20).

---

[1] Who was the son of Irish immigrants.

Berkeley Meeting Prepares Missionaries for Salesian Mission Day 2026

Berkeley Meeting Prepares Missionaries for Salesian Mission Day 2026

(ANS – Berkeley, Calif. – March 16, 2026) – On March 11, Salesian missionaries serving across the Western United States gathered in Berkeley, Calif., for a day of reflection, formation, and fraternity in preparation for Salesian Mission Day 2026. Coordinated by JC Montenegro, delegate for mission animation, Fr. Fabian Cardenas, delegate for youth ministry, and Luis Chacon, coordinator of the Salesian Missionary Volunteers, the meeting brought together missionaries from various countries serving young people thruout the province. Fr. Alejandro Rodriguez opened the day with a spiritual reflection on missionary identity within the Salesian charism, recalling the early expeditions of St. John Bosco and the first Salesians who arrived in the United States. Participants reviewed the “Welcome Manual for Salesians” arriving from abroad, a resource designed to support their integration and accompaniment. A shared breakfast preparation reflected the spirit of fraternity, while a Zoom session with Marco Fulgaro from the Congregation’s Mission Dept. in Rome offered insights into discernment and missionary formation. The day concluded with fellowship, a walk among the redwoods, and the presence of Fr. Mel Trinidad, provincial, reaffirming that the missionary spirit remains central to the Salesian vocation.

Homily for 4th Sunday of Lent

Homily for the
4th Sunday of Lent

March 15, 2026
Eph 5: 8-14
John 9: 1-41
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

(by James Tissot)

“Live as children of light” (Eph 5: 8).

Today’s the 2d of 3 Sundays when we break from St. Matthew’s Gospel and take up 3 important (and long) stories from St. John which have to do with water, light, and life.  They’re preparing the Church’s catechumens for Baptism and preparing the rest of us to renew our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus.

Last week’s gospel of the Samaritan woman at the well focused on the living water that Jesus offers to believers—the living water of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to worship God in spirit and truth.

This week’s story features an anointing, washing, and light.  “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’  So I went there and washed and was able to see” (John 9:11).  How baptismal is that?

The reading from 1 Samuel also involved an anointing, “and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David” (16:13), which I think is one of the most magnificent lines in the entire Bible.

The 1st and essential part of Baptism is being washed with water and the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:5).  But almost as important is the anointing with sacred chrism, an anointing repeated in Confirmation—another sacrament of our initiation into Christ.  As the name suggests, chrism conforms us to Christ, the Anointed One of God; it indicates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Christian—one who bears the name and sacramental seal of Christ—just as the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism.  That was his anointing for his sacred ministry as the Father’s beloved Son.  When he pours that Holy Spirit onto us, we become the Father’s beloved children.

The blind man who was anointed and then washed had his eyes open to the light.  His perception gradually enabled him to see who Jesus is:  the man called Jesus, a prophet (9:17), a man from God (9:33), and the Son of Man who is to be worshiped (9:35-38).

The Eastern Catholic Churches, and the Orthodox also, have a 2d name for Baptism:  enlightenment or illumination.  The Holy Spirit gives light to our eyes to recognize and follow Christ.

That recognition is only the beginning.  It has to lead us to worship the Father and Jesus in Spirit and truth, as it did the man born blind.  St. Paul tells us that we “were once darkness,” i.e., dead in sin, “but now you are light in the Lord.”  Consequently, we must “live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth” (Eph 5:8-9).  Darkness no longer belongs in our lives:  “take no part in the fruitless works of darkness” (5:11):  in lies, theft, impurity, greed, rash judgment, slander, and gossip.  “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead” (5:14), and walk in Christ’s light.  Speak truth, be honest, pray, treat everyone with respect, offer your bodily and spiritual sufferings to God as sacrificial offerings, imitating Christ our life.  Cling to him as the man born blind did, even at the cost of a social penalty:  “they threw him out” (John 9:34).  People who adhere to Jesus’ teachings—and the Church’s—don’t ordinarily walk in elite circles, as for example, the powers-that-be ignore the Pope and bishops when they teach about war and peace and human dignity.

But “Christ will give you light” (Eph 5:14)—eternal light, eternal peace, eternal life.

 

 

Appeal for Prayer from Salesian Middle East Provincial

Appeal for Prayer from the Salesian Middle East Provincial

(ANS – Beirut – March 13, 2026) – With a brief and direct message, yet one filled with emotion, the Salesian superior of the Middle East Province (MOR), Fr. Simon Zakerian, invites the entire Salesian Family worldwide to support with their prayers the peoples who live in the tormented lands of the Middle East.

Fr. Zakerian weighs his words carefully in the video he has released. Certainly, because he speaks in Italian, a language that is not his mother tongue, being originally from Syria; but above all, because he tries to convey fully the suffering, fears and, at the same time, the hopes and desire for normality of entire populations tried not only by the latest war events but, above all, by years and years of almost uninterrupted conflict.

“Our young people in the Middle East have been dreaming of days of peace and stability for many years, just so they can live their lives normally. Alas, this does not happen: one war ends in a Middle Eastern country, and another war begins!” says Fr. Zakerian.

His message is a simple one, aimed solely at expressing gratitude for the prayers already offered to God to implore peace for the Middle East; and at the same time, encouraging people not to stop doing so, so that those who live “in anxiety, worry ... and fear” do not feel alone, forgotten and abandoned.

The complete video with the message from the provincial is available in the original Italian version on ANSChannel, the YouTube channel of the Salesian Info Agency.

Below is the full transcript:

Dearest members of the Salesian Family,

Many of you have written to me and sent me messages to find out a little about the situation we are experiencing in the Middle East at this delicate and difficult time. I am speaking to you from Don Bosco House here in Lebanon, where the situation is very serious, very difficult, and very delicate, as it is throughout the Middle East. People are still frightened: there is a lot of fear about this cruel war, this war that is causing suffering to young and old alike. Here in Lebanon, there have been no classes for days, neither in schools nor in universities, but there are many dead and many wounded. Throughout the Middle East, bubbles of revenge, war and hatred are growing. It is something that makes the heart weep; unfortunately, it is something very difficult. For many years, our young people in the Middle East have been dreaming of days of peace and stability, just so they can live their lives normally. Alas, this does not happen: one war ends in a Middle Eastern country, and another war begins.

For this reason, I ask you for a special prayer, dear friends, on behalf of all the Salesians in the Middle East and the entire Salesian Family: young people, children and teenagers. Pray! The most beautiful thing you are doing and continue to do is pray: let us pray for peace, as Pope Leo XIV asked us to do and as the Catholic patriarchs and bishops of the Middle East have asked us to do. Let us pray for peace, because in the Holy Land, our situation is very difficult: frightened by so many missiles, all our homes and all the simple people live in anxiety and worry. And then, in Lebanon, in Iran, throughout the region, so....

This message has only one purpose: to thank you for all the affection, closeness, and prayers of the entire Salesian Family, and beyond; and second, please continue to pray with us for peace, asking and saying: “Lord, give us your peace, you who are the King, the Prince of Peace,” asking for the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Help of Christians, Queen of Peace, Mary our Mother.

General Council 2026 Work Begins at Salesian GHQ

General Council 2026 Work Begins at Salesian GHQ

(ANS – Rome – March 11, 2026) – The first plenary session of the general council for 2026 opened on the morning of Monday, March 9, at Salesian Headquarters in Rome and will continue until April 17. With this meeting, the members of the general council, led by the rector major, Fr. Fabio Attard, are embarking for the first time on a new cycle of assembly meetings, no longer on a half-yearly basis (summer-winter), but on a 4-monthly basis (March-April; July-August; November-December), with shorter but more frequent meetings, aimed at giving a renewed and more agile rhythm to the most important decisions of animation and government, which require the presence of the entire general council.

The general daily program

The session includes almost 30 days of work, divided between council meetings, community moments, and institutional visits, and the presence of all the councilors at the Generalate for over 5 weeks guarantees the continuity of discussion and community discernment that characterizes the working method of the rector major and his council.

The specific program runs over 6 weeks, with daily morning and afternoon council meetings, interrupted only by the liturgical solemnities of Lent and Easter. There will also be opportunities for fellowship and fraternity with other communities in Rome, both Salesian and non-Salesian, and in the week after Easter, starting on Easter Monday, there will also be community retreat, led by the rector major emeritus, Fr. Pascual Chavez.

Ordinary activities

As usual, the plenary session will focus on 3 fundamental areas: the appointment of new provincials; the study of the reports of the extraordinary visitations; and issues of particular relevance and importance for the institutional life of the Congregation.

On the first point, the agenda concerns the appointments of superiors of: Argentina North, United States West, Central Africa, Piedmont-Valle d'Aosta, and Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

As for the extraordinary visitations carried out by the councilors in the previous months to be evaluated, there are 8, concerning: Portugal, Warsaw, Ireland, Recife, Peru, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, Equatorial Tropical Africa, Ethiopia-Eritrea, and Sri Lanka.

Through the study of these reports, the general council has at its disposal a fundamental tool for gaining direct knowledge of, and thus accompanying, the local realities of the various provinces and visitations.

As for other strategic issues for the journey of the Congregation, topics of study include consultation on the canonical form of the UPS vice province and related discernment, the pastoral projects of the council, updating the Colle Don Bosco and Salesian Places project, the Statute and Regulations of the Central Archives, the sdb.org website, and the final balance sheet.

The council's upcoming commitments

At the end of this plenary session, the general council will meet again for the summer plenary session scheduled for August 6-7.