Homily for Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

Homily for the Feast of
Sts. Michael, Gabriel, & Raphael

Sept. 29, 2026
Rev 12: 7-12
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

St. Michael at Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome

“Michael and his angels battled against the dragon” (Rev 12: 7).

The Scriptures refer many times to angels, God’s messengers and protectors of his people.  As messengers, they help us receive and understand God’s word and his will.  As protectors, they defend us against powerful forces that oppose God and his will that everyone should be saved (1 Tim 2:4).

We need the help of the angels to know what God expects of us and then to do it, like our Mother Mary listening to Gabriel or St. Joseph heeding the unnamed angel who came to him 3 times.

St. John Paul understood the “ordinary evil” that lies within the human heart and too easily leads us astray; and the “extraordinary,” incomprehensible evil that so often bursts upon humanity.  Permit me a quotation from George Weigel’s biography of the Pope:

John Paul II knew that “evil” was no abstraction and that the world was an arena of spiritual and moral combat between light and darkness; for him, these were not biblical metaphors, but realities of everyday life.  Modern psychiatry and psychology—in which he had long been interested—might explain some facets of the human propensity for wickedness; it could not explain the kind of evil he had encountered in Nazism and communism, or the kind of evil that had produced 9/11.  Every Tuesday night, … John Paul read a brief biblical passage during Compline, the day’s last prayer:  “Be sober, be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5.8-9a).  The presence of the ancient adversary had been all too real to Karol Wojtyła for decades.[1]

We need “Michael and his angels” to defend us against the malice of Satan and his fiendish assistants, in hell and on earth, coming at us in unspeakable forms.  We need their help to stand fast in Jesus’ way of acting and speaking, to resist our own frailties and passions as well as the demonic falsehoods and violence that abound on this earth.

Join me if you wish:  St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.  Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

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[1] The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II—The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy (NY: Doubleday, 2010), p. 343.

Frs. Comini, Capelli, and Marchioni Beatified

The Mass of Beatification for Frs. Elijah Comini, Martin Capelli, and Ubald Marchioni

(ANS – Bologna, Italy – September 28, 2026) – On Sunday, September 27, in the basilica of St. Petronius in Bologna, Frs. Elijah Comini, a Salesian, Ubald Marchioni, a diocesan priest, slain by Nazi soldiers in the Monte Sole massacres, were beatified. The beatification ceremony took place during a solemn Mass presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, in the presence of around 350 concelebrants. Among them were Cardinal Archbishop Matteo Zuppi of Bologna, Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime, SDB, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life, Fr. Fabio Attard, SDB, rector major, and Fr. Carlos Luis Suarez Codorniu, superior general of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians).

It was with great emotion and a sense of profound excitement that representatives of the archdiocese of Bologna and of the 2 religious families concerned witnessed the rite of beatification, which took place at the beginning of Mass.

Profiles of the 3 priests: shepherds who did not abandon their flock

Following Cardinal Zuppi’s request for the beatification of these venerable servants of God, the postulators profiled the 3 priests: Fr. Simone Nannetti for Fr. Ubald Marchioni; Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni for Fr. Elijah Comini; and Fr. Ramon Dominguez Fraile for Fr. Martin Capelli. Cardinal Semeraro then read, on behalf of the Pope, the apostolic letter enrolling the 3 in the register of the blessed and establishing their liturgical memorial for October 13. At the foot of the altar lay the relics of the 3 priests: a Bible and a pen for Fr. Marchioni; a personal diary for Fr. Comini; and a personal writing entrusting himself to the Mother of God for Fr. Capelli.

The 3 new blesseds were presented as shepherds who, out of love for Christ and their community, chose not to abandon their flock, even when they could have saved themselves. They were not heroes, but defenseless men, deeply in love with God and their neighbor, capable of giving themselves completely to the very end.

Cardinal Semeraro then emphasized that their martyrdom sprang from a love that empties itself. It was precisely that emptiness that became the place where charity blossomed. Their witness remains an example for a wounded world yet thirsting for hope, and calls upon us to build a civilization of love and communities founded on fraternity.

Lives brought to fulfilment by love

In outlining the profiles of the new blesseds, the cardinal went on to recall that “their lives were not cut short by evil, but brought to fulfillment by love. For this reason, their blood does not cry out for vengeance but proclaims Christ.”

“Fr. Ubald chose to remain with his people,” said Cardinal Semeraro, “and fell on the steps of the altar, almost as if offering his own life together with the Eucharistic sacrifice.” As a lasting memorial to his martyrdom, the monastic community of Dossetti preserves a ciborium riddled with bullet holes, found amid the rubble of the church in Casaglia. Fr. Ubald’s father was among the few who did not oppose the plea for clemency put forward by Walter Reder, the SS major who had coordinated the Monte Sole massacre.

Fr. Elijah Comini, explained the cardinal prefect, “after celebrating what would be the last Mass of his life, truly allowed himself to be broken, like the Eucharistic bread, for the salvation of his people.” A Salesian, he was killed on October 1, 1944, at the Canapiera reservoir in Pioppe di Salvaro, after being captured while accompanying Fr. Martin Capelli to administer the last rites to the dying victims of the Creda massacre.

The latter, a Dehonian, “remained present as a shepherd,” explained the cardinal, “as a brother and as a man of God.” “His priestly fidelity became a testimony to the Open Heart of Christ.” Before becoming a priest, Fr. Martin asked the Virgin of Guadalupe for the grace to be a martyr. He died, imploring forgiveness, alongside Fr. Elijah after their arrest by the German SS and their execution by firing squad. Subsequently, their bodies were desecrated by hand grenades thrown by the soldiers. Their blood, Cardinal Semeraro concluded, is “the fragrance of a Church that does not flee, that does not abandon, that stands in solidarity alongside those who suffer.”

Homily for 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sept. 27, 2026
Matt 21: 28-32
Ezek 18: 25-28
Ps 25: 4-9
The Fountains, Tuckahoe
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“Which of the two did his father’s will?” (Matt 21: 31).

I suppose most parents have had to deal with a willful child at one time or another.  Probably most of us have at one time or another been that willful child.  In Jesus’ short parable, one son turns from his willfulness to obedience, and one pays lip service to obedience but practices willfulness.

Jesus was a willful child for one instance, the time when he stayed behind in the Temple in Jerusalem while Mary and Joseph started for home.  When they finally found him, he seemed a startled that they were upset, asking, “Why were you looking for me?  Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Nevertheless, he turned from his own desire and, St. Luke tells us, “went down with them to Nazareth and was obedient to them” (2:43-51).

Thruout his public ministry, Jesus met all kinds of people.  By his preaching, his kindness, and his miracles, he invited everyone into his Father’s vineyard.  We heard a parable about that last Sunday (Matt 20:1-16), altho that parable raised a different issue than today’s tale of the two sons.  Today one son chooses to go to the vineyard and work as his father asked, and one son doesn’t.

Similarly, Jesus’ invitations to all kinds of people met with different responses.  Many weren’t leading good lives.  Jesus references “tax collectors and prostitutes” (21:31) because the chief priests and elders often objected to his speaking with them and eating with them.  But he welcomed those, like Matthew the tax collector, who wanted to be his disciples.  They accepted John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ own calls to repentance—to change their minds and their behavior, like the 1st son in the parable.  So the “kingdom of God” was opened to them.

Jesus doesn’t tell the chief priests, the elders, and others who refused to believe John or himself that they’re doomed.  He says only, “tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you” (21:31).  There’s still a chance for them to change their minds (21:32).

When sinners change their minds and begin to believe and follow Jesus in obedience to God, then the kingdom of God opens up for them.  Six centuries earlier, the prophet Ezekiel had preached the same thing:  “If someone turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life, since he has turned away from all the sins he has committed” (18:27).  The door to God’s kingdom remains open to all who decides to enter by repenting their sins and trying to live virtuously.

For Jesus, that includes chief priests and elders, scribes and Pharisees.  It included the criminal crucified next to him on Calvary (Luke 23:39-43).  Now it includes you and me; Jesus risen and alive stands ready to forgive, to wipe our slates clean of anything we’ve done, said, or failed to do.  The responsorial psalm reminded us:  “Your compassion, O Lord, and your love are from of old.  The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not; in your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord” (Ps 25:6-7).

“Remember me” is exactly what that crucified criminal pleaded to Jesus.  And Jesus promised him paradise that very day.

We must be mindful of our sins.  But the moment we hand them over to our Lord Jesus with a repentant heart, with an intention of changing our minds and our behavior like the first son in the parable—in our case, by making a sacramental confession—then Jesus wipes out those sins, ceases to remember them, and rejoices to have us in his company.  “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need to repent,” (Luke 15:7) Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes when they complained that “tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him” (15:1).  That’s when he told the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son—“the prodigal son.”  That last story ends, “We must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (15:32).

The Reliquary of Fr. Elijah Comini

The Reliquary of Fr. Elijah Comini

(ANS – Bologna, Italy – September 25, 2026) – The small notebook belonging to the Salesian priest who was killed in Pioppe di Salvaro during the Monte Sole massacre is kept in a reliquary that combines the palm of martyrdom with the face of Don Bosco.

There are relics that speak thru the silence of the bones, and others that speak with the very voice of those who left them behind. The new reliquary dedicated to Blessed Elijah Comini, who is to be beatified on Sunday, September 27, in Bologna alongside Fr. Ubald Marchioni and Fr. Martin Capelli, belongs to this second category. It holds his diary, a small notebook filled, page after page, with dense, minute handwriting from December 31, 1927, to July 22, 1944. Seventeen years of inner life condensed into a few dozen sheets of paper are presented for the veneration of the faithful on the occasion of the beatification.

A diary in place of a body

Because the priest martyr’s body was never recovered, the diary takes on a unique significance. It is the most intimate thing Fr. Elijah left us: not an object touched by chance, but the daily record of his faith, his resolutions, his struggles, and his fidelity. The first page is dated December 31, 1927, the last day of the year, the day on which the Church sings the Te Deum in thanksgiving. Young Elijah, 17, a Salesian professed for just over a year, began writing right on the threshold of a new year, at a time for taking stock and making resolutions: as if he had wanted to place his life, right from the start, under the sign of gratitude and surrender to God. The last page, July 22, 1944, falls in the midst of the wartime summer in Salvaro, just over 2 months before his martyrdom.

The language of the reliquary

On the glass protecting the notebook is an image of the palm of martyrdom, an ancient Christian symbol of victory over death. In the Book of Revelation, the saved stand before the Lamb holding palms in their hands. Placed above the written pages, the palm seems almost to seal them, as if to say that this life, recorded day by day, found its fulfillment in the blood shed at Pioppe. Set within the glass is a medal bearing the face of St. John Bosco and the coat of arms of the Salesian Congregation, featuring the anchor, the burning heart, the star, the figure of St. Francis de Sales, and the motto Da mihi animas, cetera tolle: “Give me souls; take all the rest.” It would be hard to find a more faithful summary of Fr. Elijah’s life, for he truly allowed everything to be taken from him, even his life, so as not to abandon the souls entrusted to him.

The image of Don Bosco, alongside the diary of his martyred son, reminds us that Salesian holiness is a family story, passed down from master to disciple. This charismatic sonship is lived out in the docility that Don Bosco demanded of his Salesians, exemplified by the handkerchief held in his hands – symbolized in the reliquary by a red cloth – a sign of obedience even unto martyrdom. Just as a handkerchief allows itself to be folded, put away, or moved by the hands of the one who holds it without offering any resistance, so Fr. Elijah showed total and trusting docility in the hands of God. Standing before this reliquary, pilgrims will find more than just a memento. They will find a voice: that of a young man who, in 1927, began to write about God and his own vocation, and who, in 1944, wrote that vocation with his very life.

The display case was designed by Corrado Bianchi and crafted by Massimo Rossi.

Homily for Friday, Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Friday
Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Sept. 25, 2026
Eccl 3: 1-11
Salesian HS, New Rochelle

“There’s an appointed time for everything” (Eccl 3: 1).

The sacred reading from Ecclesiastes catalogs a lot of ordinary and extraordinary activities of human life.  Circumstances and one’s place in life determine what’s the right time, e.g., for joy or sorrow, for work or rest.

The reading tells us, “I have considered the task that God has appointed for people to be busied about” (3:10).  At any point in our lives, at any point in our day, what does God expect of us?  Knowing that and doing that is holiness.

We speak of Salesian as a home, school, parish, and playground.  There’s a time for each of those.  We act as brothers, as family when it’s time for that; sometimes in combination.  This Sunday there will be a family Mass; that’s a time for us to be both family and parish, to come together to praise God, to thank him, to ask for blessings.  At other times, we’re in school, in a classroom; it’s time to listen to a teacher, to discuss or solve problems, to take notes, to study.  There’s also a time for homework.  We have plenty of time for play:  recess after lunch, the end of the school day, sports, hanging out with friends.

St. Dominic Savio, one of St. John Bosco’s best pupils, knew and did all that:  making friends with his schoolmates, helping them with schoolwork and chores, praying at Mass and other times of the day, receiving Communion, taking part in games at recreation time, studying his school lessons.

Whenever we do what’s right for the moment, what we’re supposed to be doing, then we’re doing the task God has appointed for us, and we’re on a path of holiness.

Homily for Thursday, Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Sept. 25, 2026
Ps 90: 3-6, 12-14, 17
Eccl 1: 2-11
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“You turn man back to dust” (Ps 90: 3).

Psalm 90 reminds us, if we need the reminder, that our days are limited, and their meaning depends on our “wisdom of heart” (90:12) and the kindness of the Lord (90:14).

Wisdom of heart helps us to see the world around us in perspective.  It seems unchanging and permanent, and our labor has little impact on it, dust that we are.  What we do and what we say vanishes quickly.  Even the great—or those who think they’re great, like Herod Antipas—are perplexed (Luke 9:7-9) if they ground themselves on the world around us.  All of it is vanity; our lives are short.

The kindness of the Lord, however, enables us to “number our days aright” (Ps 90:12), to number them not by counting them out but by using them profitably.  Qoheleth asks skeptically, “What profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun?” (Eccl 1:3).  That depends on what we labor at, for whom we labor.  If for ourselves, if aiming at being remembered (1:11) as great in fame or fortune, then yes, “All things are vanity!” (1:2).

If, however, our aim is to be remembered by the Lord, then “the work of our hands” prospers because we work for him; human labor, toiling under the sun, draws a profit (1:3).  The Lord advises us, “Store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroy, nor thieves break in and steal” (Matt 6:20).  In heaven our eyes will be fully satisfied, with seeing, our ears with hearing (cf. Eccl 1:8) because we’ll see and hear him who made us to be happy with him, with him who is “the way, the truth, and the life” of the human race (Gospel verse).

Homily for Tuesday, Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 25 of Ordinary Time

Sept. 22, 2025
Prov 21: 1-6, 10-13
Luke 8: 19-21
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Jesus teaching (Rembrandt)

After a long series of readings from 1 Corinthians, this week we take up some of the Bible’s wisdom literature, moving rapidly thru Proverbs and Ecclesiastes before jumping into Job next week.

Much of Proverbs is ordinary wisdom about good, prudent behavior, such as you can find in Aesop or Poor Richard’s Almanac.  But there’s divine wisdom in the mix, like the verse, “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice” (Prov 21:3).

That resembles some of Jesus’ teaching.  Just yesterday, on the feast of St. Matthew, he told the Pharisees, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matt 9:13).  Today he teaches that those closest to him, those who belong to his family, are those who act on God’s word (Luke 8:21), those who do what is right and just.  That’s wisdom in action, wisdom inspired by God, wisdom that keeps us close to our Lord.

Thinking of New Paths in Formation

“Thinking of new paths that until now may have seemed impossible”

Interamerica Region Salesian Formation Meeting Concludes

(ANS – Lima, Peru – September 21, 2026) – With the participation of 18 Salesians involved in formation in the Interamerica Region, a meeting held at the Salesian Sisters’ Laura Vicuña Retreat House in Chaclacayo, Lima, concluded on September 18. Over the course of 4 days, the participants explored the challenges of Salesian formation and, in particular, the implementation of the new Ratio Fundamentalis.

The meeting was coordinated by Fr. Jorge Arley Escobar Arias, regional representative for formation, and was attended by Fr. Silvio Roggia, general councilor for formation, who led the reflection on the new Ratio, presented as “the voice and path of the Congregation.”

One of the key points was understanding that the new Ratio is not merely a regulatory document. Its development was the result of a long process within the Congregation involving listening, consultation, study, and discernment. The process gathered thousands of contributions from communities, groups, and individuals from different parts of the world, culminating in its final draft.

At the end of the meeting, Fr. Roggia encouraged everyone to tackle the new formation challenges creatively: “Anything is possible. Trying something new is positive, provided you use a bit of common sense,” he emphasized, while also inviting everyone “to consider new paths that might previously have seemed impossible, given the profound changes that young people, society, and the Congregation itself are currently experiencing.”

During the closing Mass, the general councilor highlighted one of the cornerstones of the new edition: recognizing and firmly upholding the Preventive System as the guiding principle of all Salesian formation.

“Principle” means a starting point. From this perspective, the Preventive System is not merely a method for educating young people, but also the Salesian way of relating to one another, accompanying one another, and forming one another. Reason, religion, and loving kindness thus permeate the formative experience and help to build communities capable of living with “one heart and one soul.”

The reflections over these days also served as a reminder that formation is lifelong: it doesn’t end with the novitiate, postnovitiate, practical training, or theological studies, but accompanies the entire life of a Salesian of Don Bosco.

A significant part of the meeting took place through group work, bringing the guidelines of the Ratio into dialog with the reality of the provinces of Interamerica. The regional assessment highlighted that there is extensive experience of interprovincial collaboration, particularly in novitiates, postnovitiates, and theological colleges, but that this wealth of experience requires greater coordination, continuity, and shared criteria.

Among the challenges identified as priorities were the preparation of formators, directors, and mentors; the structure and unity of formation processes; psychological fragility and human, emotional, and sexual maturity; and formation in the digital and virtual world, social media, and artificial intelligence, among others.

The work was not limited to diagnosis alone. The groups began to define objectives, processes, and concrete measures, including regional programs for formators and directors, a culture of accompaniment and discernment, meaningful pastoral experiences with poor and vulnerable young people, greater intercultural integration, and systematic proposals for ongoing formation.

At the conclusion of the proceedings, a fundamental task was set: to know the Ratio, to make it one’s own, to disseminate it and, above all, to live it out. As Fr. Roggia emphasized, the real challenge begins now, and he reiterated: “It’s important to ensure that the Ratio ceases to be merely a book and becomes a way of life and a formation journey for every Salesian and every community.”

The meeting proved to be a valuable experience of unity and cross-cutting collaboration. On the final day, alongside in-depth discussions on the topics presented by Fr. Jorge Escobar, regional formation coordinator, and the general councilor for formation, the proposals from the formation centers in Berkeley and Quito were also outlined.

Fr. Alejandro Rodriguez from Berkeley presented the various formation initiatives they’re developing, the results achieved in recent years, and the services they offer to both Salesians and lay people, thereby contributing to ongoing formation processes.

Fr. Walter Jara from the Salesian center in Quito, presented the initiatives and programs developed in recent years, as well as the guiding principles and working criteria that underpin his formation program. Both presentations provided a better understanding of the resources available to the region and the opportunities for collaboration to support Salesian formation.

Bro. Travis Gunther (3d from left in photo), delegate for formation of the New Rochelle Province, took part in the meeting.

International Day of Peace and the Salesians

On International Day of Peace, Salesian Missions Highlights Educational and Sports Programs for Youngsters

Photo ©: Salesian Missions

(ANS – New Rochelle – September 21, 2026) – Salesian Missions in New Rochelle joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in recognizing the International Day of Peace, observed on Sept. 21 each year. The United Nations General Assembly declared the International Day of Peace as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. 

This year’s theme “Invest in Peace – For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day” honors the everyday architects of peace who drive local action, lay the groundwork for stability, and build a lasting peace from the ground up. The U.N. has noted, “Peace is more than the absence of war; it is the foundation necessary to collectively tackle humanity’s challenges. It is the lived experience of safety, dignity, opportunities, and cooperation in our daily lives.” 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement about the day: “Peace is not just made at conference tables, but in classrooms, neighborhoods, and everywhere people meet with open minds and open hearts. Together, day by day, we can build a more just world, with compassion, equality, and dignity for all.” 

The Salesians of Don Bosco (and the Salesian Sisters) provide social development and educational programs to youths and families in poverty regardless of gender, race, or religion. They work to level the playing field for youths so that they have the support needed to gain an education and the skills for future employment. Programs teach life skills like collaboration and communication to help youths develop confidence and contribute to peaceful environments. 

“Salesians are on the front lines working to ensure that youths have access to education and social development programs that help bring stable and peaceful environments,” said Fr. Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions. “We are working to change the lives of youths who are poor and disenfranchised and put them on a path to becoming full members of their communities while encouraging a life filled with peace and meaningful contribution.”

In honor of the International Day of Peace, Salesian Missions highlights Salesian educational and sports programs that are positively impacting youth around the globe.

BURMA (MYANMAR)

Don Bosco Youth Center in Kalay, Burma*, was able to update and expand classrooms to create more spaces for education. With donor funding from Salesian Missions, Salesians were able to add 5 classrooms, which will enable them to admit more students.

Kalay is located at the gate to the northern Chin State and is one of the business border towns adjacent to India. In 2021, the military took over the town, destroying everything. Salesians report that fighting happens on the outskirts of town, houses are burned down, roads are blocked, and youths run away from the town for their safety. Life has become more difficult with people living well below the poverty line. With the economy down, many people are engaged in smuggling goods or enter early marriages without hope for the future.

One Salesian reported: “Don Bosco Youth Center is the only boarding school for youths. Many come seek our care for education and spiritual growth. The expansion of these classrooms allows us to serve many more vulnerable and at-risk youths who have little opportunity for education.”

A resident in the community, Ko Khai No, explained: “I know many youths who are taking classes at the center. Don Bosco, with its Preventive System, brings positive changes for youths and their families. I am quite impressed and grateful for the Salesians for all they are doing in our community.” 

* The military junta that overthrew the civilian government calls the country Myanmar.

SIERRA LEONE

The Salesians operate the Don Bosco Socio-Sports School in Lungi, Sierra Leone, thanks to support from the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid and the Real Madrid Foundation.

As part of the Real Madrid Foundation’s “They Play, We Educate” program, participants receive nutrition, family and psychological support, regular health checkups, the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops, gymnastics, crafts, reading, and citizenship activities. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values, and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse are also provided. 

The Don Bosco School has 4 soccer teams, 2 basketball teams, and 3 volleyball teams, involving 70, 45, and 98 students, respectively. The school has been renovated for this season, and youth have access to all the equipment they need to learn and practice the sports. Students will also engage in competitions. 

Ansuma, one of the youths involved in the school, said, “The school taught me much more than soccer. I have learned to control my temperament, and now I also help at home and in school activities.”

UKRAINE

Salesians with the Salesian Lyceum in Lviv, Ukraine, were able to use donor funding to install a volleyball court thanks to funding from Salesian Missions. 

More than 400 students were impacted by the donation and now have been able to play volleyball during their physical education classes and afterschool activities. UNICEF reports that since the start of the conflict with Russia, more than 1,600 schools have been impacted by the bombing. Education has been interrupted for many students, and they are no longer able to access coursework or have leisure activities with their friends. 

The Salesian Lyceum has been meeting these needs for many students, many of whom have been internally displaced in the country. Some of the students are orphaned and in the care of relatives or the Salesians.

Fr. Taras Bayovskiy, headmaster of the Salesian Lyceum, said, “I am grateful that we now have a volleyball court. What we have available for students is limited, and promoting a healthy lifestyle thru sports activities without adequate sports infrastructure has always been a challenge for us. We now have a soccer field, a volleyball court, and modular locker rooms. These facilities enable us to participate in 3 student sports leagues including soccer, volleyball, and rugby.” 

WEST AFRICA

Salesians were able to provide scholarships to 325 youths thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The youths came from 18 communities in 5 countries in West Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Conakry, Mali, and the Gambia. The Antonio Cesar scholarships covered schooling, supplies, and support for transportation. 

Salesians also held awareness days to promote the importance of education for these youths, to encourage them in their studies, and to prepare them for the future. These activities supported parents and Salesian confreres as well as helped schools address challenges in getting these youths to remain in school. 

One of the youths supported thru the program was 16-year-old Nathan. He’s a student at St. Jean Bosco in Cotonou, Benin. Nathan lost his father when he was young and lives with his mother, who has few resources. 

Nathan said: “For a long time, I thought that my school journey would stop due to a lack of resources. I didn’t believe I’d be able to continue my studies, let alone be able to attend professional training. But everything changed thanks to the scholarship that I received. I was able to complete my secondary education and obtain my baccalaureate. I am now pursuing professional training with the firm desire to succeed, learn a profession, and one day be able to support my family as they have supported me.” 

He added: “This scholarship transformed my life. It gave me hope, confidence, and a real direction to follow. I would like to express my deep gratitude to the school and to all partners and benefactors who make this project possible. Thanks to you, young people like me can dream again and especially believe in a better future.”