Homily for 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sept. 20, 2026
Is 55: 6-9
Matt 20: 1-16
Villa Maria, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

A medieval depiction of vineyard workers

“So high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts” (Is 55: 9).

The prophet Isaiah announces redemption to Israel.  Israel had been devastated by war, defeat, exile, and the destruction of Jerusalem because they had abandoned the Lord.

Thru the prophet, the Lord calls them back; he “is generous in forgiving.”  Most people are not.  But the Lord is:  “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (55:8).  If a wicked person will forsake his wickedness, the Lord is near, ready to redeem, ready to save (55:7).

Jesus tells us a parable today about God’s generosity, his unimaginable mercy, his thinking very differently than we do.

The owner of a vineyard needs some day laborers, probably because it’s vintage time.  At dawn he goes to the village market, hires those he expects to need, and agrees with them for what our text calls “the usual daily wage” (Matt 20:2) for a laborer—a Roman denarius.  By our 21st-century American standards, that’s a pittance.  By a 3d-world standard, even today, it would suffice for a man to get his day’s bread and wine, maybe something also for his family.

The landowner goes out several times more.  Either his foreman has miscalculated the number of workers needed for the day, or the owner is prepared to hire more men than he needs because he knows they are in need.  He promises them only “what is just” (20:4).  He does this even at the last hour of the day, when the fellows in the marketplace must have despaired of getting a few cents for a bite to eat that day.

If the landowner is taking on men he doesn’t really need, he’s being generous and gracious.  He’s offering a little saving grace to the dignity of these men who are so dependent on day-to-day work, like those you’d have found at Home Depot before ICE made that a perilous gathering point.

But there’s more, as we hear when the foreman begins to pay everyone at the end of the day.  Altho the owner had promised to pay “what is just,” he doesn’t.  He gives all the laborers a full day’s pay, even tho only the 1st crew has earned it.  He surpasses justice by a wide margin.  Naturally, the earliest hires squawk, as most of us would.

But who can argue with the owner’s freedom to do as he wishes with his money?  Who of us can argue with the Lord’s ways not being like our ways, with his dispensing undeserved grace and mercy?  The 1st workers grumble, “You’ve made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat” (20:12).

Yes, he has.  Jesus introduced the parable, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers” (20:1).  God our Father is ready to pay the same heavenly reward to everyone who comes to his vineyard, to everyone who strives to live the Gospel.  Whether one has been a faithful Christian his or her entire life or has led a horrible life until a late-in-the-day conversion, our Father has a rich reward at hand and is generous in dispensing it.  “Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy, to our God, who is generous in forgiving” (Is 55:7).

The Laborers in the Vineyard
(Jacob Willemsz de Wet)

Let not anyone else grumble about it; if the Lord paid us what is just, what our sins deserve, we’d be lost—“bearing the day’s heat” for eternity.  Rather, let’s rejoice that our Father “did not abandon [us] to the domain of death” but “came in mercy to the aid of all” (EP IV) thru his Son, who rose from the dead and thereby “destroyed death and restored life” (ibid.).  Therefore, “Every day will I bless [him], and I will praise [his] name forever and ever” (Ps 145:2).

Almost 90, Abp. Menamparampil Gives Pope Two New Books

Almost 90, Abp. Menamparampil Gives Pope Two New Books

by Fr. C. M. Paul, SDB

(ANS – Vatican City – September 17, 2026) – Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, emeritus of Guwahati, recently met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, presenting him with his latest books, I Came To Set Fire Upon The Earth and Exaggeration Invites Exaggeration.

As he approaches his 90th birthday on October 22, Archbishop Menamparampil remains a towering figure in the Indian Church and beyond. His writings and peace initiatives have earned him global recognition, particularly for his tireless efforts in Northeast India. 

Founder of the Joint Peace Mission, he played a decisive role in diffusing ethnic conflicts and mediating dialog between warring communities. In 2011, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his peace work in collaboration with the Northeast India Peace Forum.

A Prolific Author

Salesian Abp. Menamparampil’s literary journey began with his early pastoral work Jesus in the Villages, which established his grassroots approach to ministry in rural and tribal contexts. 

Over the decades, he went on to publish a wide range of influential works on missiology, culture, peace building, and spirituality. Among his most notable titles are A Path to Prayer (1992), The Challenge of Cultures: Cross-Cultural Relationships, Conflicts, Inculturation (1996), Thoughts on Evangelization (1997), and Cultures in the Context of Sharing the Gospel (2003), each exploring the intersection of Christian faith with cultural dynamics and Asian missiology.

Later works such as Towards a Sense of Responsibility (2010) and the widely translated Way of the Cross/Via Crucis with Pope Benedict XVI (2010), prepared for the Good Friday meditations at the Colosseum in Rome, further cemented his reputation as a global voice of reflection.

His most recent comprehensive contribution, Attempt the Impossible (2021), gathers decades of his thought on peace, culture, and spirituality, offering a lasting testament to his vision. His authentic works consistently reflect his commitment to intercultural dialog, peace building, and pastoral sensitivity, making them central to his profile as a missionary and intellectual.

Voices from Northeast India

Lay leaders and colleagues testify to his enduring impact. Allen Brooks, a senior lay leader from Guwahati, recalls: “In moments of deep ethnic tension, Abp. Menamparampil was the one who could bring people to the table. His calm presence and ability to listen gave communities the courage to trust again.”

A youth leader from Nagaland described him as “a shepherd who walked with us when no one else dared to enter the conflict zones.” 

A Khasi elder from Meghalaya added: “He taught us that peace is not imposed but nurtured through patience and respect.”

Legacy of Compassion

Abp. Menamparampil’s writings continue to inspire, advocating for cultural harmony and deep listening. His books, widely read across India and abroad, challenge readers to embrace compassion as a leadership style.

“Abp. Menamparampil has always believed that dialog is stronger than division, and listening is more powerful than confrontation,” noted a Vatican observer after his meeting with the Pope.

As he turns 90, Abp. Menamparampil’s legacy remains a living testimony: a man who has consistently placed dialog, compassion, and cultural sensitivity at the heart of his mission.

Homily for Thursday, Week 24 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 24 of Ordinary Time

Sept. 17, 2026
1 Cor 15: 1-11
Luke 7: 1-10
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

After responding to the Corinthian Church’s questions on various topics and responding to some contention in the Church, Paul reminds his disciples of the most fundamental article of faith.  “Christ died for our sins; he was buried; he was raised on the 3d day….  His grace to me hasn’t been ineffective” (1 Cor 1: 3-4, 10).

Paul’s own life is evidence of the power of Christ’s resurrection and of our sins being forgiven, however grave those may be.

Luke narrates a specific story of the forgiveness of sins, the story of a woman well known as a sinner and of a judgmental Pharisee.  It’s likely the woman has already encountered Jesus’ mercy, and her response is what Luke tells us here. 

Simon the Pharisee reveals his own sinfulness without any awareness of it.  He’s been a rude host, omitting ordinary courtesies; then he condemns this woman in his thoughts.  He’s very much like 2 characters in Jesus’ parables, the Pharisee who went up to the Temple to pray—really, to boast of his ritual purity; and the elder brother of the wayward son.

Both Paul and this anonymous woman know they’re sinners, and thru their faith in Christ they receive an abundance of undeserved mercy and peace of soul.

Salesian Missions Funds New Chapel for Nigerian Catholics

Salesian Missions Funds New Chapel for Nigerian Catholics

(ANS – Imaweje, Nigeria – September 16, 2026) – The Salesians have been able to build a new Catholic chapel, dedicated to St. Joseph, in Imaweje, a rural community in Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, Nigeria, thanks to funds donated by Salesian Missions of New Rochelle.

The new chapel will provide the growing Catholic community with a permanent place for worship, religious education, and other pastoral activities. The main structure of the chapel has already been completed, as have the roof and the plasterwork. Security doors and windows have been fitted, and electrical conduits and plumbing pipes have been laid in preparation for the installation of electrical systems, lighting, and sanitary facilities.

It is expected that the chapel will facilitate preparation for the sacraments and youth ministry, while also providing pastoral support to young people and Catholic students living in the area, including those attending the Tai Solarin University of Education. Imaweje is a small community where Christians and Muslims live peacefully side by side, and where most people make a living from subsistence farming.

For some time, Catholics in the area had been hoping to have a suitable place of worship. Therefore, parishioners say this new building “means so much to us, as the Catholic family of Imaweje.”

Beatification of Fr. Elijah Comini

Beatification of Fr. Elijah Comini

The Rule of Priestly Life: “Everything for the Sacred Heart”

(ANS – Rome – September 16, 2026) – The path to holiness of Fr. Elijah Comini (1910–1944), a Salesian and martyr of Monte Sole, who is to be beatified in Bologna on Sunday, September 27, is rooted in rigorous daily asceticism and an intimate striving toward God.

Fr. Ubald Marchioni, a diocesan priest, and Fr. Martin Capelli, a Dehonian, will be beatified alongside Fr. Comini.

One of the most significant milestones on Fr. Comini’s journey is the Rule of Priestly Life, drawn up on March 13, 1935, in Montodine (Cremona), at the conclusion of the retreat undertaken in preparation for his ordination to the priesthood, which he was to receive on March 16 in the cathedral of Brescia. This text served as a true spiritual compass for his priestly and educational ministry.

At the forefront of his intentions, Fr. Comini placed the constant pursuit of holiness and perfection. To nourish his drive toward his own sanctification, he committed himself to meditating frequently on his own insignificance in the face of the infinite grace of the priesthood. The regulations identify 3 key virtues to be practiced consistently and sought for daily in prayer: humility, purity, and charity.

In Fr. Comini’s spiritual program, the Holy Mass forms the absolute center of the day. Following Don Bosco’s example, the rules set out precise times and procedures: care taken in preparation and in giving thanks; putting on and taking off liturgical vestments while accompanying the gesture with the appropriate pious, attentive, and devout prayers; a well-ordered style of celebration, devoid of any affectation, with a brisk pace that allows for intimate moments to spend time with Jesus.

Alongside the Eucharist, the Breviary is described as the “most beautiful, the most important” prayer, to be said, if possible, before the Blessed Sacrament. During the dramatic days of his captivity and right up to the final moments before his execution by firing squad, Fr. Comini would hold his Breviary close to him, using it to guide prayer and offer spiritual comfort to the other hostages condemned to death. As the prisoners were being led toward the Canapiera reservoir at Pioppe di Salvaro to be killed, a German soldier struck Father Comini’s hands with extreme violence to force him to let go of the Breviary, which then fell into the water of the reservoir.

Fr. Elijah’s priestly identity is inseparable from the Salesian charism

 In his rule of life, souls represent his primary concern, care, and responsibility: whoever approaches him must encounter not the man, but the priest, the minister, and the servant of Jesus; young people are regarded as the “beloved portion” of his heart; prayer, the good word, and good example constitute his commitment to the good of all souls.

His program of life: “Per Ipsum et cum Ipso et in Ipso”

All of Fr. Comini’s work must be carried out “in the shadow of Jesus” and for his most lovable Heart. This total Christ-centered orientation is reflected in an outward composure and seriousness befitting one who lives united to the Lord, summarizing his commitment with the invocation: “Everything and always for the Sacred Heart and in the Sacred Heart.”

The Rule also summarizes the intellectual commitment and spiritual references of the candidate for ordination: the commitment to return to sacred studies, devoting himself in particular to sacred Scripture, the catechism, and moral theology; devotion to the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus and to Mary Immaculate, Help of Christians; and St. John Bosco, guide and model for his entire Salesian priesthood.

Drawn up when Fr. Comini was 25, the Rule of Priestly Life did not remain a theoretical declaration of intent, but became the conceptual and existential blueprint by which he lived out his mission among young people and faced the ordeal of the war in Salvaro, right up to the fulfilment of his own sacrifice in October 1944.

Part of Fr. Comini's Rule of Life

Formation Is Always Ongoing

“Formation is always ongoing”
Interamerica Salesians reflect on the new Ratio Fundamentalis

(ANS – Lima, Peru – September 16, 2026) – From September 15 to 18, members of the Interamerica Regional Formation Commission (RFC) are meeting at the Laura Vicuña Retreat Centre in Chaclacayo, Lima, to explore the new Ratio Fundamentalis and, in particular, the spirit of renewal it proposes for the formation of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

“Formation is always and only ongoing formation. If we can already grasp this, we have already taken a great step forward.” With these words, Fr. Silvio Roggia, the Salesian Congregation’s general councilor for formation, outlined the scope of the RFC meeting.

The meeting brings together 18 participants from various countries in the Interamerica Region, coordinated by Fr. Jorge Escobar, regional director and liaison for formation, and prepared and organized by Fr. José Kamza, delegate for formation of the province of Peru. The participants have been brought together to reflect on the challenges posed by the revised Ratio Fundamentalis, the document that guides Salesian formation.

The challenge goes far beyond the study of a text. “We want this group of Salesians of Don Bosco to generate an energy that helps to spread not only the text of the Ratio, but what lies behind it: the spirit of renewal,” said Fr. Roggia.

His words place a crucial issue at the heart of the reflection for the future of the Congregation: formation cannot, in fact, be reduced solely to the initial stages of Salesian life. It is an ongoing process that accompanies one’s entire life and involves every Salesian, the communities, and the provinces.

The new Ratio is not merely a document to be known and disseminated, but an opportunity to renew the way we understand and live the Salesian vocation in today’s world.

“We hope that with the enthusiasm, desire, and positive reception we have encountered in the provinces too, this may become a reality,” Fr. Roggia concluded.

Over these 4 days of work, the members of the RFC are sharing experiences, exploring the guidelines of the Ratio in greater depth, and seeking practical ways to ensure that its spirit can then reach all the Salesian communities in the region.

Bro. Travis Gunther, formation delegate for the New Rochelle Province, is taking part in the meeting.

Homily for Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Homily for the Memorial of
Our Lady of Sorrows

Sept. 15, 2026
Collect
Heb 5: 7-9
John 19: 25-27
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

The Virgin of Seven Sorrows
(Absolon Stumme)

When Christ our Lord “was lifted high on the cross … his mother [stood] close by and shared his suffering.”  We pray that our sorrows and sufferings may participate in the Lord’s passion alongside her, and thus we “share in his resurrection” (Collect).

According to the Letter to the Hebrews, Christ wished ardently—“with loud cries and tears”—to be spared from his passion.  But Hebrews affirms that he was “saved from death” because of his reverence and his obedience to his Father (5:7-8).

Being “saved from death” refers to his resurrection.  Passing from bodily death into eternal life, “he was made perfect” (5:9); his human nature was perfected, defeating death.  His perfected humanity “became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (5:9).

“All” includes his mother, who first appears in the Gospels as a model of obedient discipleship (Luke 1:26-38) and perfects her obedience by accompanying him to Calvary.  There she stands close by and suffers with him as only a mother can (Collect).

When we hear Jesus entrust his bereaved mother to the beloved disciple, we find it tender that, as he’s dying, he sees to her care, entrusting her to his most cherished follower.  St. Bernard has a different take, finding this entrustment another source of pain for her.  He addresses her in a sermon:

        Were not those words: Woman, behold your Son, not more than a sword to you, truly piercing your heart, cutting through to the division between soul and spirit? What an exchange! John is given to you in place of Jesus, the servant in place of the Lord, the disciple in place of the master; the son of Zebedee replaces the Son of God, a mere man replaces God himself. How could these words not pierce your most loving heart, when the mere remembrance of them breaks ours, hearts of stone and iron though they are![1]

Mary & St. John's Journey to Ephesus
(German Hernandez Amores)

But how fortunate for us that we, also Christ’s beloved disciples, have been given his mother, a mother who knows our sufferings as intimately as she knew his and is prepared to stand with us, to lend us courage and patience that we may join our sorrows and pain to hers and to his, and to guide us thru her Son’s passion toward his resurrection—a resurrection she already shares because of her lifelong and complete reverence and obedience.

---

[1] Sermo in dom. infra oct. Assumptionis, 14-15 (LOH 4:1402).

Evangelical Rest Interpreted by the Rector Major

Evangelical Rest as Interpreted by the Rector Major

(ANS – Turin – Sept. 14, 2026) – To set all the work on the right track, during the morning meditation on the first day of a meeting with 15 provincials, the Rector Major drew the attention of his confreres to the theme of gospel rest, in the light of the gospel passage in which Jesus invites his disciples, having returned from their mission, to withdraw to a quiet place with him to rest (Mark 6:30–32).

In analyzing this passage, Fr. Fabio Attard saw, first and foremost, an invitation to pause and recognize “a liberating truth: the work is His, not ours.” Faced with the suspicion, “never admitted, that if we stop everything will collapse,” rest is first and foremost an act of faith, which also reminds those in leadership roles within the Church that “the Lord is the true protagonist of the mission, and that we are servants, not masters, of the vineyard.”

Subsequently, the Rector Major emphasized Jesus’ invitation to withdraw “to a quiet place.” This movement, which is not so much physical as mental, serves to find that solitude which means having “the courage to be alone with oneself and with God, without the adrenaline of ministry, without the constant feedback from others which, more often than not, confirms us in our role and spares us from coming face to face with ourselves.”

Such solitude also entails risks, because in that silence, so often “hidden struggles, unhealed wounds, and the questions that our busyness allowed us to put off” emerge; but the danger of not having it is worse still: failing to hear God’s voice.

Continuing his reflection, Fr. Attard also noted the context of the gospel passage: the disciples were returning from their mission. This, too, is not merely a chronological detail, but an indication of a further point: “success, no less than hardship, can lead us away from what is essential.”

Jesus, therefore, invites the disciples to pause at the height of their human success: “not to dampen their enthusiasm, but to rediscover their center,” because the one thing that is necessary “is not one’s role, nor one’s projects, however good they may be: it is a living relationship with the Lord.”

Gospel-inspired rest is, then, that time in life when the seeds sown by man grow through the Lord’s work; it is the act by which one simultaneously challenges “the idol of productivity” and fulfills the prophetic surrender of those who know that “some fruits ripen only in silence and precisely when one has the courage to let God take over.”

The Rector Major’s analysis did not end with an examination of the characteristics and values of evangelical rest, but also looked at its effects: it “nourishes contemplation and strengthens discernment,” because it allows for the right detachment from worldly things and gives the courage for self-criticism, helping to recalibrate the compass of one’s actions, which at this point “knows where it comes from and toward Whom it is heading.”

The Rector Major concluded with a final remark delivered with clarifying certainty: “Gospel rest is not an escape from the mission, but a preparation for it.” The days at Valdocco will therefore not be an escape for the provincials, but a fruitful time of reflection, enabling them to return to their mission with greater heart and zeal, by virtue of “a purified gaze” – the fruit of the awareness that every human being, in God’s eyes, “before any role or title,” is His beloved child, “not because of their abilities, but by pure grace.”

Homily for 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
24th Sunday of Ordinary Time  

Sept. 13, 2026
Matt 18: 21-35
Sir 27: 30—28: 7
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

The Unmerciful Servant
(Willem van Aelst)

How often must I forgive?” (Matt 18: 21).

2 themes stand out in today’s readings and the collect (opening prayer):  God’s great mercy and forgiveness.

When Peter asks Jesus how many times he must forgive someone who offends him, he proposes 7 times.  In the Bible, 7 is regarded as a perfect number.  Peter’s making a generous suggestion.

Not generous enuf, however, in Jesus’ estimation.  “The Lord is kind and merciful, rich in compassion.  He pardons all your iniquities” (Responsory; Ps 103:3).

If we tallied all our iniquities, all our wicked deeds, they’d be far more than 7.  The Lord doesn’t keep count and say to us, “Enuf already!  Get your act together before I ‘hand you over to the torturers’” (18:34).

Instead, our Savior commands us, “Unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart,” you’ll be held fully to account for your debt, for all your wicked deeds.  It’s not a suggestion; it’s a command.  Mere words of forgiveness aren’t enuf; it must come from our hearts.

Forgiveness is hard.  We have a natural tendency to sulk and rub our wounds and look for revenge.

But Jesus himself gives us the example of mercy, not only in the parable we just heard in which a king freely pardons a servant who owes him, literally in the Gospel text, 10,000 talents (18:24), an impossible, incomprehensible debt—think the U.S. national debt; but also in his personal example.  From his cross, he prays to his Father, “Forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34).  He even makes an excuse for those who condemned him, tortured him, and executed him:  “They don’t know what they’re doing.”

The world is full of the misery caused by vengeance.  One nation or clan or drug gang offends another, and they engage in a non-stop cycle of retaliation.  Politicians wield their power to pursue their opponents rather than to dispense justice.  Families are torn apart by grudges.

With wisdom, someone once said that the best way to destroy an enemy is to make him your friend.  Abraham Lincoln proposed to do that, saying in his 2d inaugural address as the Civil War was coming to its end: “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”  Perhaps our post-Civil War history would have been happier if Lincoln had lived and been able to bind up and heal those wounds.

More recently, after 27 years of harsh imprisonment, Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa and worked to bind the wounds of racial injustice rather than to avenge the wrongs done to millions of black and bi-racial South Africans.

We don’t have to be presidents or otherwise important people to forgive someone who’s offended us.  We only have to be ourselves; because all of us get offended—by someone at work, by a family member, by some crazy driver on the road.  The offense may be real, or it may be only in our own perception.  Either way, we can choose to be calm, to extend mercy; or to seethe with anger and give the perpetrator what he (or she) deserves—in our opinion.

Imagine if God treated us as we deserve.  We read in Sirach this morning:  “Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?  Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, yet seek pardon for his own sins?  If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?” (28:3-5).  In a little while, we’ll pray as Jesus taught us, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  If we’re unwilling to forgive, then how will God treat us?

Yes, forgiveness is hard.  The 1st step, tho, is to recognize whatever hurt we’re feeling, then to ask the Lord to help us move toward forgiveness rather than resentment or retaliation.  We need the power of the Holy Spirit to act and speak as Jesus would have us do.  And then we need to pray for whoever has offended us.  Yes, turn them over to God!  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us; doing so makes us children of God, he says (Matt 5:44-45), and not children of the devil.

Children of the devil will meet the fate of the wicked servant in Jesus’ parable:  “In anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt” (Matt 18:34).  Better that we should “serve God with all our hearts,” as the Collect prayed, and then “we may feel the working of his mercy.”  “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice,” Sirach advised; “then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven” (Sir 28:2).

Fr. John Nazzaro Reflects on 9/11

Fr. John Nazzaro Reflects on 9/11

From Salesian News, weekly newsletter of the New Rochelle Province

Fr. John Nazzaro (left) and Fr. Jim Marra
when they were young Salesians at Camp Don Bosco, Newton, N.J.

(New Rochelle, N.Y. – September 10, 2026) – Twenty-five years have passed since  September 11, 2001, when a series of terrorist attacks shook America and the whole world, and which are still regarded as a watershed moment in human history. In the aftermath of that tragedy, Salesian Fr. John Nazzaro, now treasurer of the Eastern United States and Canada  Province (SUE), was called upon to assist and offer comfort to those affected: an experience that remains as vivid as ever in his mind and heart.

Even though 25 years have passed since 9/11, the days that followed that dreadful day still linger in my mind, heart, and soul. As time passes, we sometimes forget the loss of innocent lives and the courageous first responders who sacrificed so much with pride, dignity, and patriotism.

It is special to me because I shared being a chaplain at Ground Zero with my classmate, my best friend, and my brother, Fr. Jim Marra.

Fr. Jim called me the day after 9/11 and told me that Cardinal Egan of New York needed priests to volunteer at Ground Zero around the clock. Fr. Jim and I signed up for three 12-hour shifts, from 3:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. It was mandatory that two priests accompany each other as a source of support for what the ministry entailed. At that time, Fr. Jim was pastor at Corpus Christi Church in Port Chester, and I was director of Salesian High in New Rochelle.

Traveling to New York was difficult, and Mr. Louis Ruiz was able to drive us to Manhattan, where we were escorted to a hotel that housed the home base of FEMA.

At FEMA we were briefed about what we would encounter. We were taken by van through Battery Park, which was filled with people waving flags with patriotic signs and signs of gratitude for first responders. Once on site, we passed two priests who were leaving the site. One of them cried, and the other looked as though he were in shock.

We were fitted with oxygen masks and proceeded to the temporary morgue, which was a tent right in the middle of Ground Zero. The heat radiating as our feet was enough to melt your shoes, and the smell of sulfur was enough to gag you so if you didn’t have a mask on.

Our task was to bless the remains that were found and help the coroner ID the body part(s) and notify the Javits Center, which was used as a morgue since more remains were coming.

We blessed remains during those long hours, which seemed like an eternity. We consoled first responders who had lost brothers and sisters in law enforcement and the fire department.

We consoled each other, seeing, as Fr. Jim put it, “pure evil.” This was Fr. Jim’s hometown, and he was a proud New Yorker.

I share this with everyone after all these years because it was difficult to talk about it previously. But one thing I do remember is that my classmate, my best friend in the whole world, and my brother, Fr. Jim, shared this experience with me. It has been a bond through life and death since Fr. Jim passed away nine years ago.

To our young men in formation and young Salesians, I pray you will have a similar kind of friendship of trust, concern, and bond of love that can come only from Jesus and his Mother. I miss Jimmy terribly.

After a year, Fr. Jim and I received a letter from the government thanking us for our service. I was asked to write a chapter about our experiences for a book which became a best seller, but I refused the offer. Memories for me were for those who are not with us are in my heart; they are at peace. Lord, may they rest in your peace.

The Pit and signs with some of the names of the terrorists' victims
(February 24, 2005)

Sustainability, Partnerships, and New Challenges

Sustainability, Partnerships, and New Challenges

RASS looks ahead to 2030

(ANS – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – September 10, 2026) – Sustainability, collaboration, and the ability to forge new partnerships were the key themes of the 2d day of the 17th meeting of Salesian Social Works and Services of the Salesian Social Network of the Americas (RASS), dedicated to sustainability, partnerships, and the future—looking ahead to 2030. It was a day of discussion and formation that brought together representatives of Salesian social works and services from the Americas, with the aim of strengthening a network called upon to respond to new social challenges.

The day began with a time of prayer and spirituality led by the Ecuador Province, in memory of FMA St. Maria Troncatti. Following a review of the key moments from the previous day (which ANS didn’t report on), the discussions also touched upon the themes of migration and the integration of young people in vulnerable situations into the labor market, with a particular contribution from the delegation from Haiti.

The formation session was led by Angel Gudiña, coordinator of the Don Bosco Network, exploring the theme of sustainability in Salesian social works and collaboration with non-Salesian organizations. Sustainability was presented not merely as an economic issue, but also as the ability to build lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with a wide range of stakeholders: public institutions, businesses, 3d-sector organizations, the Church, the Salesian Family, and local communities.

Sustainability was addressed from a broad perspective, examining the relationship between feasibility, equity and sustainability. Models drawn from the business world and corporate social responsibility were presented, as were the 7 fundamental themes of social responsibility outlined in the ISO 26000 standard. Economic sustainability was described as a challenge that is simple to understand but complex to achieve, particularly for initiatives aimed at vulnerable populations.

The discussion continued with a round-table session attended by representatives from the business world, non-governmental organizations, and public institutions. Among the elements considered crucial for building lasting partnerships, trust, transparency, the ability to account for resources and, above all, the ability to demonstrate the impact of interventions in concrete terms emerged as key. The Salesians’ long experience working alongside vulnerable children and young people was also recognized, along with their ability to create safe environments and prevent situations of greater hardship.

There were also key challenges to address: reaching new territories and communities, strengthening work with migrants and young people experiencing homelessness, developing new programs, and raising the profile of the results of social initiatives, while remaining true to the Salesian mission and remaining open to changes in society.

In the afternoon, a participatory workshop looked directly toward 2030. RASS was described as a “well-structured,” “participatory,” “dynamic,” and “growing” network, capable of uniting organizations from different countries around a common mission. Future priorities identified included strengthening the network’s structure, securing its own resources, forging new alliances, and developing international volunteering.

Fr. Francesco Preite and Dr. Micaela Valentino also spoke during the day, addressing the work of the Salesians for Social [sic]. In particular, they discussed the Universal Civil Service program abroad as a potential area for collaboration with RASS. The initiative was presented as a formative experience in which young people take the lead in a mission open to the world. The proposal highlighted new prospects for international coordination, formation, and volunteer work.

The day concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist, led by the Uruguayan Province and presided over by Fr. Federico Salmeron (of the North Argentina Province). He emphasized that the Salesian mission can’t be lived out or carried out in isolation, as it springs from a Church called to walk in communion and to be a sign of God’s love among young people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Therefore, building alliances, collaborating, coordinating efforts between provinces, and remaining open to engaging with new social actors are essential ways of strengthening the mission of evangelization and education.

Fr. Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions in New Rochelle, is one of the participants in the meeting.

Another Overnite Camp at Green Pond

Another Overnite Camp at Green Pond

The Lord gave us a terrific Labor Day weekend, and I took advantage of it to go camping in Harriman State Park on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 6 (after my noon Mass), into Monday morning.  I returned to one of Fr. Jim Mulloy’s and my favorite spots, a campsite high above Green Pond.  The elevation there is 1,110 feet.  I neglected to check the elevation at pond level—or at the parking lot on Kanawauke Road, by which I might have gauged the net gain in elevation on the hike in.

I reached the parking lot around 3:15 p.m.  It was just about full, and a day hiker pulled in right after me.  I think we got the last 2 convenient spaces.  Despite that, that chap and 2 women returning to the lot were the only people I saw that afternoon.

Ascending Island Pond Road

It’s a pretty easy hike, 45 minutes, from the lot to Green Pond by way of the White Bar Trail, Island Pond Rd., and either the Nurian or the Dunning trail.  However easy, since I hadn’t hiked in a while, my legs were ready to stop by the time I ascended the hill above the pond.

I was last in that area over a year ago when I passed by it to a site farther into the woods, off trail.  The site where Fr. Jim and I have camped multiple times (most recently in April 2023) looked like it hadn’t been used in weeks.  There was a bit of litter away from the main area (the fire pit and logs, above).  One bit was a large towel that was left on the grounds weeks or even months ago.  On Monday morning, I set it on the large rock at the fire pit to dry in the sun, then an hour later made a fire, put it by the fire, and eventually burned it.

Meanwhile—on reaching the site, first thing I did was pray Evening Prayer.  Then I put up my tent in the same spot I usually do (a nice mossy cushion beneath it).  To my chagrin, I found that after my last campout (with Bro. Lorenzo), I’d mixed up the tent flies.  I got the incorrect fly to do the job, however. 

Then it was time to prepare supper, already a little later than my confreres would have been eating at home.  I had freeze-dried mac and cheese, Crystal Lite, dried apricots, and a granola bar.  I gathered firewood, which was abundant, the site not having been used lately.  Most of it was small enuf that I didn’t have to cut it, but I did use my saw on a couple of larger pieces.

Red bear bag (left), tent (near center), backpack, fire pit

I hung the bear bag with the rest of my chow and the little bit of trash I’d generated.  I roamed a bit to take some photos, then laid the fire and lit it—not so much for warmth as for atmosphere.  I sat and read an issue of America for over an hour while also feeding the fire.  The insects were slightly pesky.

I retired after 9:00 p.m. and slept fitfully.  The only sounds were acorns falling from the trees prolifically and distant traffic (from the Thruway and possibly one of the roads cutting thru Harriman, Arden Valley and Kanawauke roads).

When I got up at 6:30 a.m., it was 53°--cool enuf for another layer of clothing.  I found a rock more or less flat and celebrated Mass.  After retrieving my food, I made breakfast:  oatmeal with freeze dried apples added, coffee, apricots, and mixed nuts.  Then Readings, Morning Prayer, some meditation, some more reading.  The sky was cloudless and the sun warm, but the area is well shaded.  I laid another fire in order to burn the ratty towel I mentioned above, and alternated between feeding the fire, reading America, and gradually breaking camp—all very relaxing and leisurely.

Green Pond from campsite

At 11:30 I brought out lunch (ham and cheese sandwich, Crystal Lite, apricots, granola bar), then finished packing up.  I doused the fire with a liter of water—and then didn’t have to carry any water in my pack; that’s always the heaviest item.  Even so, the pack must have weighd nearly 30 pounds (tent, sleeping bag, pad, hatchet, saw, cookware, rope, clothes, etc.).

Leaving Green Pond area on the Dunning Trail

At noon I departed, and 40 minutes later I was back at the parking lot.  I met one chap coming up Island Pond Road and saw 3 people way ahead of me returning to the lot.  But the lot was full, so evidently there were a lot of day hikers out on the various trails accessed from that lot.

I made a stop at the Marian Shrine on my way home; got home at 2:45 p.m.

On Tuesday I had an appointment with my dermatologist (happy to know that I use sunscreen and a hat); she found a tick in a spot not readily visible to me, removed it, and prescribed a dose of antibiotic as a preventive.

Photos: https://linkit.shutterfly.com/tx4-BZ