Homily for 4th Sunday of Easter

Homily for the
4th Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2026
John 10: 1-10
The Fountains, Tuckahoe
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

Good Shepherd mosaic
(Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna)

“The shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10: 3).

From all the Scripture readings today, you may have figured out that today’s Good Shepherd Sunday.  It’s also World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

God gives everyone a vocation, a particular, personal path by which we are to come to the “verdant pastures” and “restful waters” where we shall be secure for eternity, “dwelling in the house of the Lord” forever.

For most of you, that vocation is marriage and family life.  For some, it may be a single life devoted to serving Christ as a teacher, medical professional, or some other form of contributing to the welfare of society, however glorious or humble that service may be, so long as it’s done in Christ.

But our prayer today is especially for those vocations that directly serve the Church, vocations that take up Christ’s role of shepherding his sheep and leading them to those green pastures and pure waters.  We pray for priests, sisters, deacons, brothers, and other men and women who are consecrated to God’s service.

God chooses such people; they don’t decide it on their own.  Our prayer is that they may recognize his choice and respond “yes” to it; and that after responding they may follow his path faithfully.  We pray, then, for the men who are already bishops, priests, and deacons, the women and men who already belong to religious orders and other forms of consecrated life.  And we are grateful to them for their commitment to the Lord.

And we pray that more young women and men will hear God’s call and answer it, to become shepherds like Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who thru them will care for God’s flock, keep it safe from thieves and wolves and the enemy of our souls, and lead the sheep to heaven.

You know every well how much Jesus needs priests, nuns, deacons, and religious brothers to lead parishes, teach the faith, care for the sick, counsel the troubled, preach the Gospel in places where Jesus is unknown.  You see how parishes are being closed or consolidated because there aren’t enuf priests to serve them all.  It’s far, far worse in many parts of the world, where priests travel over huge territories to bring the sacraments to the faithful perhaps once a month.  You see how Catholic schools have to close because there aren’t enuf sisters and brothers to staff them at a cost working families can afford.  (When I was in Catholic elementary school in Tampa ca. 1960, I think my parents paid $5 or $10 a month for tuition; the internet tells me that’s equivalent to about $55 or $110 today—which won’t get you even a week in Catholic school now.  We have to admit that one reason tuition was so affordable is that nuns were grossly underpaid back then.)

Is God not calling young people to his service now?  Or are we not listening?

Church vocations arise out of Catholic families, for the most part.  That means that Catholic families have to foster them, encourage them.  If you want priests and nuns, do more than pray that someone else’s children will answer the call.  Plant the thought in your own children or grandchildren.  Bring them to church, teach them to pray, and explain our faith to them.  Hold up the noble example of priests, sisters, and deacons you know or know about.  Encourage, but don’t pressure—in any direction, whatever their inclinations or talents might be.

Of course, priests, deacons, and sisters, for their part, have to try to be noble examples—in spite of being sinners, as we all are.  And that’s why it’s important that you pray for us, as we pray for you.

God doesn’t call men to be priests or women to be sisters because they deserve it or because they’re talented or because they’re good-looking or for any such reason.  He calls for his own reasons, which we can’t fathom.  And then he supplies the grace the individual needs so that he or she may be ready and able to call the Lord’s sheep by name and lead them out, walking ahead of them (John 10:4), guiding and protecting them.

Homily for Thursday, Week 3 of Easter

Homily for Thursday
Week 3 of Easter

April 23, 2026
Acts 8: 26-40
John 6: 44-51
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Yesterday’s reading from Acts narrated Deacon Philip’s happy experience in Samaria.  That came about because of the violent persecution that broke out after Stephen’s martyrdom and the scattering of some of Jesus’ followers (Acts 8: 4-8).  God was bringing it about that faith in Jesus would grow on account of adversity.

The passage ended, “There was great joy in that city” (8:8), Samaria.  We can imagine also the joy in Philip’s heart as he saw the fruit of his preaching—and satisfaction and comfort, such was we’ve all experienced at various points in our teaching or other ministries.

But the Holy Spirit didn’t allow Philip to rest on his diaconal laurels.  He was ordered to move on, as we all have been ordered more than once.  The word of God doesn’t allow us to sit still.  It wants to spread, for which it needs preachers, teachers, and doers.  It demands our availability and readiness.  I’ve heard it said that obedience means availability.

In the gospels we’ve been listening to Jesus’ bread of life discourse, which up to today’s last half verse concerns Jesus’ word as food for eternal life.  Today’s passage began, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” (John 6:44).  There, again, we meet availability:  Jesus is at the Father’s disposal, ready to be sent—sent from on high thru his incarnation, sent about Galilee and Judea to preach the Good News, eventually sent to Calvary.  And we meet in that verse also God’s action on us:  he draws us to Jesus; he leads us to Jesus—if we allow him, if we’re ready, if we’re available to the Word.

In sum, Philip, Jesus, and we all move on at the Father’s direction.  Even here—you’ve been sent here for some purpose of God, I’ve been sent to you by my superior (quite willingly), and Greg and Jim will be told soon enuf, “Get up and head south (or north or east or west) on the road that goes down” (Acts 8:26) from New Rochelle to somewhere God has planned.  Philip found himself on a desert road.  Perhaps for some of you St. Joseph’s Residence seems like a desert.  Philip found an opportunity to bring someone to Jesus.  It may be so also for you.

When we let the Holy Spirit direct us, blessing follows.

Homily for the Memorial of St. Anselm

Homily for the Memorial of St. Anselm

April 21, 2026
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Fides quaerens intellectum is St. Anselm’s famous description of theology:  faith seeking understanding.  That’s echoed in the collect, in which we prayed “that our faith in you may so aid our understanding”—our understanding of God, which of course can never be complete until we come into God’s very presence.  It’s not faith we seek but God himself.

That seeking was the object of Anselm’s life, leading him to one of the most prominent monasteries in Europe in the latter part of the 11th century, Bec in Normandy, where he aspired “to seek out and teach the depths of your wisdom.”  As a teacher, Anselm founded that school of theology which became known as Scholasticism, the method of the schools.  It relied on the use of reason rather than directly on Scripture—the method of the Fathers of the Church—to ponder and better understand God and his wonders.  The monastic schools eventually evolved into the universities, where men like Albert, Thomas, and Bonaventure further developed Anselm’s method.

In theology, liturgy, and prayer, we better understand God and his wonders so as to find our heart’s delight, as the collect says, to delight in God’s love revealed in the Scriptures, in the life of Christ, in the natural world, in the human mind, and in the bonds of friendship.  Anselm fostered all that in popular devotional writings as well as in theological treatises—and so has been ranked a doctor of the Church.

He also became a great churchman after he was compelled to become archbishop of Canterbury and to defend the rights of the Church against royal impositions.  Part of the responsory in today’s Office of Readings says, “He steadfastly asserted that the Church, the bride of Christ, was not a slave but free.”  For that, he was exiled twice.  Thus he set a precedent for one of his successors, Thomas Becket, and foreshadowed what would come more radically in Thomas More’s time.  The conflict lives on in China and elsewhere, even in the Pope Leo-Donald Trump contretemps.  “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

But Jesus doesn’t change; he continues seeking to grasp us with his love.

Salesian Family Day Celebrated in Sherbrooke

Salesian Family Day Celebrated in Sherbrooke

(ANS – Sherbrooke, Que. – April 21, 2026) – On Saturday, April 11, members of the Salesian Family in Quebec Province gathered to celebrate Salesian Family Day, with representatives from Montreal and Sherbrooke in attendance. The gathering took place at the Don Bosco Youth Centre and was inspired by the Rector Major’s 2026 strenna: “Do whatever he tells you: Believers free to serve.” The day began with a moment of prayer led by Fairouz Hanna, provincial coordinator of the Salesian Cooperators in Canada, followed by the screening of the official video for the 2026 Strenna. Following this reflection, the participants split into small groups to explore the 4 key verbs of the message: look, listen, choose, and act, guided by various facilitators. This was followed by the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Association of Salesian Cooperators, with a presentation on the history and current activities of the Association. The day concluded with the Eucharist, presided over by Fr. Richard Authier. Present were Sr. Alphonsine Roy and Fr. John Puntino, delegates of the Salesian Family and the ASC in Canada, together with other Salesians, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians from Montreal and Toronto, members of ADMA Montreal, past pupils, ASC members from the 3 centers, and numerous supporters.

Homily for 3d Sunday of Easter

Homily for the
3d Sunday Of Easter

April 19, 2026
Luke 24: 13-35
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

Disciples and Jesus on the way to Emmaus
(Fraternita di Emmaus)

“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter his glory” (Luke 24: 26).

No one of sound mind likes suffering, either his own or someone else’s.  Nor, if our theology is sound, do we believe that God the Father wanted his Son to suffer.  There is a misguided theology of the atonement that maintains God demanded the blood of Christ to atone for all the sins of humanity.

Yes, Jesus’ blood—his passion and death—has atoned for our sins; not because God required it, but because we sinners inflicted all that pain and suffering on God’s Son, which he didn’t run away from in spite of his fear—remember his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane to be delivered from it.  Instead, he accepted what evil men imposed upon him, rather than abandon his mission of bringing God’s love and mercy to everyone—to everyone!  That universal love outraged a lot of people, somewhat like people being outraged today that God loves people of all races, all nations, all languages, even all faiths.

Was it not necessary for Christ to suffer?  Yes, inasmuch as suffering comes without fail to every woman and man, even very good women and men, even the saints.  God’s Son assumed our full humanity so that he might elevate us with a share of his divinity, with a share of his glory.  So as a human being he had to suffer.  He had to be one of us, like us in all things except sin.  The sinless One had to suffer and die as we do so that, like him and thru him, we may be raised up to be with God.

Bp. Robert Barron makes the keen observation that “his willingness to go to the limits of godforsakenness … [saves] those who had wandered from the divine love.”[1]  You remember that Jesus cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46).

So Jesus suffered injustice, pain, abandonment, and death—like victims of the Holocaust, persecuted Christians in Nigeria, the people of Ukraine, the victims of genocide in Gaza, the millions of unborn humans aborted every year, women and children abandoned by their men, women and children trafficked by merchants of human misery.  Jesus suffered pain as we do from illness, accidents, allergies, loss, heartbreak, and unfair treatment.  It was necessary that the Christ should suffer so that we weak and afflicted men and women can look to him with hope:  “Your faith and hope are in God,” St. Peter reminds us today (1 Pet 1:21).  He cares for us, having shared our experience, and he will redeem us from our sins and our sorrows, even from death, so that we might “enter his glory” and live with him in God’s kingdom.

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[1] The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels (Park Ridge, Ill., 2020), p. 446.

General Council Session Ends

General Council Session Ends
Rector Major Focuses on Call to Hope and Authenticity

(ANS – Rome – April 17, 2026) – The spring plenary session of the Salesian general council, which began on March 9, concluded on April 16 at the Salesian headquarters. As is customary at the end of each session, the rector major delivered his Good Nite to the community members of the Generalate, sharing a summary of the council’s experience and offering several spiritual and pastoral reflections for the journey of the Congregation. The session lasted 6 weeks, one week longer than usual. It also included the annual spiritual retreat, held in Nemi.

In his address, Fr. Fabio Attard first expressed his gratitude to the members of the general council, together with the collaborators who accompanied the work during this intense and fruitful period.

A Week Marked by the “Will to Conversion”

The rector major devoted his 1st reflection to the retreat, describing it as “a very significant week,” lived in the spirit of Art. 91 of the Constitutions: the “will to conversion.”

Accompanied by Fr. Pascual Chavez, rector major emeritus, the participants reflected on the theme “Rediscovering Ourselves,” accepting the invitation to listen attentively to our times. Such listening – he underlined – requires a heart ready to go out of itself, without fear or hesitation: “Dilexit nos. The heart beyond the obstacle.”

In a historical context marked by deep tensions and rapid change, the Salesian pastoral journey often appears countercultural. For this reason, the rector major affirmed, the challenge of hope is decisive – not an ingenuous optimism, but a theological virtue that shapes the heart and gives meaning and joy to the mission.

At the center of this perspective lies the inseparable bond between Religious Life and the Word of God. Without the Logos with a capital “L” – the Word of Jesus – only our own limited human word remains. For the Salesians of Don Bosco, intimacy with the Word is indispensable nourishment and the guarantee of a balance that is both delicate and urgently needed.

Interior Freedom, an Evangelical Gaze and Active Hope

Sharing some of the guidance offered to the members of the general council, the rector major highlighted 4 fundamental attitudes:

• to ask the Lord Jesus for the grace of interior freedom, dwelling in silence in His presence;
• to look at history with the eyes of Jesus, allowing our hearts to be touched by His Sacred Heart;
• to live conversion as a journey marked by hope rooted in history, translated concretely through the lived experience of the Preventive System as a critical force capable of generating a civilization of love;
• to ensure that the Word of God becomes the source, nourishment, light, and strength of personal life and mission, to be “broken” and shared with the young.

Only from intimacy with the Word made flesh, he reaffirmed, can the Salesian vocation mature authentically.

In a “Change of Epoch”: Being Informed and Credible

In the final part of his message, the rector major broadened his reflection to the global context, describing it as a true “change of epoch,” marked by conflicts and tensions that profoundly challenge Christian conscience.

Faced with this reality, the Salesian headquarters – he stated – cannot limit itself to commenting on events. He therefore invited the confreres to adopt 2 defining attitudes:

1. To be well informed, studying and understanding in depth what is happening in the world, so as to help the provinces develop a global vision and incarnate the charism within increasingly complex cultural contexts.
2. To live consistently in humility and poverty, together with serious study and attentive accompaniment of the provinces, as choices that make the service of the central government credible.

“How we live is what we communicate,” he reminded them. “And how we live speaks louder than what we say.” Hence the invitation to safeguard and promote at the Salesian headquarters a simple and sober lifestyle, without compromise.

“Martyrs of Otherness” and Salesians in Places of Risk

In conclusion, the rector major recalled the witness of the 19 martyrs of Algeria, including the monks of Tibhirine, described as “martyrs of otherness” for having chosen to remain with the Algerian people until the end.

Referring to the powerful image from the dialog between a monk and a village girl – “We are the birds, you are the tree” – he emphasized the value of faithful presence, capable of offering shelter, protection, future, and hope.

Today, he noted, the Congregation is present in 10 particularly challenging contexts marked by conflict and danger, where Salesians are true “martyrs of education and evangelization.” To them goes the human and spiritual closeness of the entire Congregation.

Their witness, he concluded, calls everyone to live the Salesian vocation authentically and without compromise, like “trees” that safeguard and nurture the hope of the young.

With this invitation to conversion, hope, and coherence of life, the rector major entrusted to the community of the Salesian headquarters and to the whole Congregation the task of continuing the journey with renewed fidelity to the Gospel and to the charism of Don Bosco.

The First Salesian House in China

The First Salesian House in China

(ANS – Macao – April 15, 2026) – The longest-running mission of the Salesians of Portugal, which marked the beginning of Don Bosco’s work in China, was the work in Macao. Portuguese Salesians were present in Macao for 92 years: beginning on February 13, 1906, with an interruption between 1910 and 1912, it ended only on December 31, 1999, when the territory was returned to China. On the 150th anniversary of the expedition that marked the expansion of the Salesian presence into the missions, the Salesians of Portugal recall their first missionary outposts and their first missionaries.

Despite the jurisdiction of the Portugal as the colonial ruler, the first Salesians in the territory were Italian. The first director of the Immaculate Conception Orphanage – today the Salesian Institute, still in operation – was St. Louis Versiglia (1873–1930). It was not until 1912 that the first Portuguese Salesian, Fr. José da Silva Lucas, arrived in Macao, where he remained until 1927, having served as director of the orphanage. After him, many Portuguese Salesians passed thru over the years.

From the modest initial premises and its role as an orphanage, it went on to include a primary school, workshops, teaching in Portuguese, English, and Chinese, and new buildings equipped with modern facilities and machinery. In 1950, Colegio Dom Bosco opened for Portuguese students. Over the years, both institutions adapted their curricula and facilities to the evolving education system. Both the Salesian Institute and Colegio Dom Bosco were honored by the Macao Government with the Medal of Cultural Merit. Colegio Dom Bosco was the only one to remain under the jurisdiction of the Portuguese Province until 1999.

Upon the handover of the territory to China, the works in Macao were integrated into the Salesian Province of China, based in Hong Kong. The Portuguese section of the school was closed. In 2000, following the departure of the Portuguese Salesians, a further restructuring took place: Dom Bosco College merged with Yuet-Wah College (founded by Chinese and under the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong Province), with the former focusing on primary education and the latter on secondary education.

Currently, Macao is celebrating the jubilee year marking the 450th anniversary of the diocese (1576–2026). The Salesian Congregation has just commemorated the 120th anniversary of its arrival in the East. The Salesians are currently present in China with 5 establishments in Hong Kong and 2 in Macao: the Salesian Institute and Colegio Dom Bosco/Yuet Wah College. They also have 3 works in Taiwan. Today, in the Macao Special Administrative Region, 14 Salesians are working: 10 priests, 2 deacons, and 2 coadjutor brothers. The Salesian Institute, which has existed for over a century, and Dom Bosco College/Yuet Wah College are 2 of the largest schools in the territory.

Homily for Thursday, Week 2 of Easter

Homily for Thursday
2d Week of Easter

April 16, 2026
Acts 5: 27-33
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

The apostles before the Sanhedrin
(John T. Squires website)

“You want to bring this man’s blood upon us” (Acts 5: 28).

Precisely! tho not in the sense meant by the high priest.  The apostles want the leaders of their people, and the entire nation, to be washed by the blood of Christ.  That’s why they’re defying the Sanhedrin’s prohibition of preaching about Jesus (Acts 4:17,21).  That’s why they continue to announce his resurrection and his place at God the Father’s side, “granting Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins” (5:31).

To bring repentance and forgiveness to the whole human race thru Christ’s blood remains the mission of his Church, which “must obey God rather than men” (5:29).  In defiance of the powers of the earth, we will preach peace, human dignity, and the rights to life and liberty that God gives to every one of his children.  “We are witnesses” (5:32) to God’s universal love expressed in Jesus our Lord, risen and pouring forth from his pierced heart his sacrificial blood.

Salesian Missions Funds Education and Health of Impoverished Students

Salesian Missions Funds Education and Health of Impoverished Students

(ANS – Quito, Ecuador – April 15, 2026) – Salesians in Quito, Ecuador, had the funding to help support education and health for students living in poverty thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions of New Rochelle. The families of these students work mainly in informal, low-paid jobs and in precarious conditions. Students are at risk of dropping out of school or face academic challenges. Many require educational reinforcement and psychosocial support to ensure that they remain in and do well in school.

With the funding, Salesians were able to continue and strengthen the comprehensive care program for these youngsters. From January to June 2025, academic and psychosocial support was provided to 191 youths. In the 2nd half of the year, 181 students received support. In addition, Salesians provided school kits with supplies students needed.

Salesians also held 4 specialized health campaigns including dentistry, optometry, general medicine, and nutrition. These activities were carried out in coordination with the Prefecture of Pichincha and the Vista para Todos Foundation. These interventions covered not only basic health needs, but also guaranteed the delivery of corrective lenses and health-related procedures for 183 students. 

Further, 76 parents and caregivers attended workshops on parental responsibility and emotional management. Youths went to workshops on rights, inclusive communication, and safe environments. At the same time, Salesians helped youths maximize free time with sports and cultural activities, which improved the perception of well-being and quality of life.

Casandra Rey Sancho, aged 13, has been attending the Salesian Mi Patio Reference Center since she was 8 years old. She is one of the beneficiaries of the project. She said: “Before entering the program, I was a very withdrawn child. I had a hard time trusting others, and I didn’t have a safe space where I could play, learn, or just feel supported. I felt small in front of the world. Today I can say that I am different.”

She added: “Thanks to Salesian support, I have strengthened my security and confidence. Not only do I get support with my homework and school supplies, like backpacks and notebooks, but I also have people who believe in me. Teacher Susana visits my house, talks with me and my mother, and also comes to my school to follow up on my progress. That close support has motivated me to try harder. My grades have improved, and I now have good grades.”

Sancho also receives psychological support and participates in health campaigns. She loves to play soccer and dance. She noted: “Not only have I improved in school, I believe in myself, have been opened up to the world and now imagine a different future. I am deeply grateful, because thanks to this project, today I am more confident, happy, and hopeful.”

Salesians provide social development and educational programs across Ecuador to help youths who are poor gain an education and the skills for later employment. The skills they learn ensure they are able to care for themselves and their families while being contributing members of their communities.