The Salesian Mission in the Americas

The Salesian Mission in the Americas
A network that beats with the heart of Don Bosco

(ANS – Medellin, Colombia – October 26, 2026) – The final day of the continental meeting of provincial superiors and youth ministry delegates from the Americas, held in Medellin October 19-23, was devoted to reflection on Salesian formation and its relationship with the educational and pastoral mission. Fr. Dominic Tran and Bro. Travis Gunther represented the New Rochelle Province.

Fr. Silvio Roggia, general councilor for formation, led the discussion on the 5th edition of the Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis et Studiorum, promulgated on January 26, 2026. His address provided an opportunity to explore the theme of Salesian formation as an ongoing process, which unfolds thruout one’s entire life and is oriented toward the mission of being educators and pastors of young people.

Under the theme “Networking, the dream continues,” for 5 days provincials, delegates, and representatives from various Salesian networks across the 2 American continents shared experiences and reflected on the current challenges facing Salesian youth ministry, on strengthening networking, and on collaboration between Salesian organizations.

The meeting was also attended by Fr. Rafael Bejarano, general councilor for youth ministry; Fr. Gabriel Romero, councilor for the America South Cone Region; and Fr. Hugo Orozco, councilor for the Interamerica Region.

One of the central themes was networking, understood as a way of living out Don Bosco’s mission together. Building on the Rector Major’s message and a reflection on the journey undertaken by the Congregation, the participants explored the relationship with the Don Bosco Network, mission offices, and Salesian NGOs, emphasizing the importance of sharing expertise, collaborating, and building sustainable networks in the service of young people.

The Salesian province of Medellin, Colombia, hosted the meeting, welcoming participants in an atmosphere of fraternity and shared Salesian charism. As part of the experience, the participants also visited Ciudad Don Bosco, where they were able to learn about the educational programs and holistic support services aimed at vulnerable young people.

At the end of the meeting, a renewed commitment was made to strengthen ties between the provinces and Salesian networks, to promote shared discernment, and to consolidate avenues of collaboration across the continents. The event also reaffirmed the close link between formation and youth ministry, areas that are fundamental for preparing Salesians capable of understanding new contexts and responding to the challenges facing young people.

“Networking, the dream continues” – this phrase sums up the desire to keep Don Bosco’s dream alive in the Americas, by uniting efforts and pooling gifts and resources to continue accompanying, educating, and evangelizing young people, especially those most in need.

25 Years of Miracles in Mongolia

25 Years of Miracles in the Land of the Nomads
Silver jubilee of the Salesian presence in Mongolia

(ANS – Ulan Bator, Mongolia – October 27, 2026) – “The past with gratitude, the present with optimism, the future with courage.” Inspired by this motto, the Salesian delegation of Mongolia celebrated its silver jubilee on October 23-24.

Taking into account the country’s historical heritage and social context, the celebration was organized in 2 distinct parts: a non-religious ceremony held on October 23, followed by the religious celebration, which included Mass, on  October 24.

The silver jubilee was marked by the presence of guests from every corner of the world, including Fr. William Matthews, SDB regional councilor for East Asia–Oceania; Fr. Marcello Baek, provincial of the Holy Korean Martyrs Province in South Korea; Fr. Joseph Kim Khanh, vice provincial of the Vietnam Province, who laid the foundations for the Mongolian mission prior to its integration into the South Korea Province; and Fr. Joseph Toth, a missionary from Slovakia, who first arrived 25 years ago and is currently serving in Yakutsk, Siberia. Together they shared their joy and gratitude for 2½ decades of grace.

October 23: gratitude and unity shared with Mongolian society

The celebrations began on October 23 at the Don Bosco Erdem Technical School in Ulan Bator. The program featured a wealth of traditional artistic performances, including the Morin Khuur (horse-head fiddle) and Urtyn Duu (traditional Mongolian singing), as well as testimonies from representatives of various Salesian centers, who presented 25 years of Salesian history and work in Mongolia.

A moving moment of the day was the testimony of Mark, a former pupil of the school, who offered an example of what Salesian preventive education means. He is now a respected and much-loved teacher who expressed his deep gratitude to the Salesians for having shaped not only his professional career, but also his life and his faith.

During the day, the local Mongolian community paid a moving tribute to the Salesians. Residents and young people, who are traditionally reserved in expressing their emotions, invited the foreign Salesian missionaries onto the stage. Wearing colorful traditional Mongolian deels as a sign of respect for the local culture, the Salesians were welcomed with sincere gratitude by the people they have served for 25 years.

October 24: the Salesian Family united in praise at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral

On October 24, over 300 members of the Salesian Family, including the Salesians, the Polish ambassador to Mongolia, priests and religious from the prefecture apostolic of Ulan Bator, lay faithful, the Salesian Sisters, the Salesian Cooperators, and members of the Association of Mary Help of Christians, filled Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, where Fr. Matthews presided over Mass.

The 2d day began with an account by Fr. Timothy Choi, the delegate for Mongolia, on the life of Fr. Carlo Maria Savio De Ocampo Villegas, the first Salesian missionary to arrive in Mongolia (2001). After 17 years of devoted service, Fr. Carlo suffered a stroke while celebrating Easter Mass in Darkhan, leaving him paralyzed on one side of his body. He subsequently returned to the Philippines. To mark the 25th anniversary, Fr. Carlo entrusted his beloved medal of Mary Help of Christians to Fr. Timothy.

Another deeply moving moment of the event was when the Salesian confreres sang the famous Mongolian song “Nutgiin Shuvuud” together with the audience. The song expresses the deeply rooted spirit of the nomadic life of the Mongolian people, mirroring the path of self-giving taken by the Salesian missionaries, who left their homeland to live as loving strangers in a distant land.

The mission in Mongolia is facing real challenges due to staff shortages, the financial crisis, and various other social and cultural issues. Despite this, the Salesian Family in Mongolia remains steadfast. Faced with a difficult reality, it entrusts itself to its vocation with “hope against all hope” (Rom 4:18), following the words of Pope Francis from his apostolic journey to Mongolia: “God loves smallness and thru it accomplishes great things.”

As Fr. Carlo Maria Savio testified, the history of the Mongolian mission has been a continuous journey of grace under the maternal care of Mary Help of Christians. The Salesians in Mongolia look to the future with optimism, carrying in their hearts the miracles of the past 25 years.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 30 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 30 of Ordinary Time

Oct. 27, 2026
Eph 5: 21-33
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Matrimony
(St. Catharine's Church, Spring Lake, N.J.)

“Brothers and sisters:  Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph 5: 21).

Today’s passage from St. Paul has become controversial after the women’s liberation era.  If we understand that Paul’s applying the Gospel to the Greek and Jewish culture of his time, as we need to apply it to our time, then the passage makes sense.  It doesn’t make sense to apply the rules of 1st-century culture to our time, as distinguished from the timeless standards of human nature.

Paul’s essential message is reverence for Christ, displayed by mutual respect and concern.  That doesn’t change with the culture.  All the baptized “are members of his Body” (5:30).  Christ loves the Church “and handed himself over to sanctify her” (5:25-26).  The Church loves him and obeys him, that his self-sacrifice for her might be effective, “that she might be holy and without blemish” (5:27).

In today’s culture, both husbands and wives, and all Jesus’ disciples, therefore, ought to “be subordinate to one another,” to sacrifice themselves for one another, to respect and serve one another.  For “the two shall become one flesh” (5:31)—not only husbands and wives but all the baptized one Body with Christ, whether male or female, married or single.  We religious, too, members of the one Body, must serve “one another out of reverence for Christ.”

“Blessed are you who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways!” (Ps 128:1)—in the ways of our Lord Jesus, who gave himself up for us.

Homily for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily for the
30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Oct. 25, 2026
Matt 22: 34-40
The Fountains, Tuckahoe, N.Y.[1]
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

The Pharisees question Jesus
(James Tissot)

“Teacher, which commandment in the Law is the greatest?” (Matt 22: 36).

The rabbis in Jesus’ time discussed that question a lot, and Jesus’ answer, at least regarding “the greatest and the first commandment” was widely accepted.  To this day, pious Jews recite that 1st commandment as part of their daily prayer.

Jesus takes the question a step further by proposing a 2d part to his answer:  one must love not only God but also one’s neighbor (22:39).

The Pharisees and scribes in Jesus’ time counted 613 individual precepts in the Law of Moses.  Most of them depended on one or the other of these 2 great commandments, love of God and neighbor.

What does it mean for us to love the Lord our God will all our heart, soul, and mind?

It means to give God 1st place in our lives.  No person and no thing is more important or can command our attention and devotion more than God.  It means worshiping God on Sunday (in its pastoral care for us, the Church includes Saturday evening as part of Sunday); that’s more important than sleeping in, going to work, going to the beach, shopping, or team practice.

It means connecting with God daily thru Scripture reading and prayer.  It means listening to the Church’s moral teachings, e.g., about human life and death and about care for the environment, which is God’s created world.

Human life is to be brought forth only by the natural union of husband and wife, not in a laboratory or with a surrogate.  That natural union is always to be open to the possibility of life, and not intentionally impeded.  Human life belongs to God from beginning to end, from conception to natural death.  God has made humans in his image, male and female, and that’s unchangeable; Pope Francis called transgenderism “demonic.”

God cares for every person; made in his image, we’re all his children.  That’s why Jesus teaches that love of neighbor is the 2d great commandment.  We can’t be so focused on God that we’re blind to our neighbor.  Ethel Waters, an American singer and actress, once said, “Some folks are so heavenly-minded they ain’t any earthy good.”  We can’t commend someone who, for example, gives so much time and attention to his parish that his spouse and children are neglected.

On the contrary, a saint has been described as someone with her eyes on heaven and her feet on the ground, someone who gives due attention to both God and the world around her.  St. John Bosco insisted that his mission for young people is to make them honest citizens and good Christians—citizens here on earth who are heading toward heaven.

That resembles what Jesus said last week, doesn’t it?  Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

And that means that all of us who are citizens are obliged to vote.  Our love for our neighbor is expressed in part by whom we vote for and what public policies we favor, e.g., about war and peace, life and death, care for the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the refugee.  In fact, the Lord commands us, as we heard in the 1st reading, not to wrong an alien among us—a foreigner—or a widow or orphan, and to care for our poor neighbors (Ex 22:20-26).  That divine command directly contradicts what our government is doing.

In Jesus’ time, the rabbis and scribes generally restricted the meaning of “neighbor” to mean one’s fellow Jew.  Jesus broadened that meaning to be all-inclusive, particularly in his parable of the Good Samaritan, but also in his healings of Gentiles and his sitting with and instructing a Samaritan woman when she came to draw water from the village well.

Jesus speaks with the Samaritan
woman at the well

All of God’s children are our neighbors, and we’re obliged to love all of them.  I was surprised by the results of a recent national survey which found that 39% of adult Catholics have experienced racial or ethnic discrimination, including 10% within their parish and 11% within Catholic education.  Love for God’s children has no room for discrimination based on race, sex, language, national origin, age, religion, or state of health.  The Rev. Martin Luther King was 100% right when he preached that people should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

“If ever you wrong them,” the Lord says in our Exodus reading, “and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry.  My wrath will flare up” (22:22-23).  I’m sure we don’t want to be under God’s wrath.  We’d rather hear his voice and be blessed.  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … [and] your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:37,39).

 

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[1] Several chunks of text omitted at The Fountains assisted living home.

Salesian Missions Funds New Chapel in Assamese Village

Salesian Missions Funds the Building of St. Anthony’s Chapel in the village of Paneery New Line in Assam

(ANS – Paneery New Line, India – October 21, 2026) – Salesian Missions in New Rochelle has funded the construction of the chapel of St. Anthony in the village of Paneery New Line in the Udalguri district of the Indian state of Assam. The new building is already being used by the faithful of the local community for celebrations and prayer.

The project involved the complete construction of the building, which is equipped with electricity and fans, while the landscaping of the area outside the chapel has helped to enhance the entire site. The community belongs to the Adivasi tribe, who are mostly workers on the tea plantations of the Paneery Tea Estate. The families live in difficult economic circumstances and depend on day labor for their livelihood. The residents played an active part in the construction, working alongside the builders and also helping to decorate the chapel.

“We are fortunate finally to have a place to pray,” said local leader Lazarus Toppo, recalling that previously the community had only a simple mud-brick structure.

Homily for Memorial of St. John Paul II

Homily for the Memorial of
St. John Paul II

Oct. 22, 2026
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

(L'Osservatore Romano)

The collect for this memorial begins by addressing God as “rich in mercy.”  That was the title of St. John Paul’s 2d encyclical, Dives in misericordia.  Later, he instituted the annual observance of Divine Mercy Sunday.  He demonstrated mercy by visiting and forgiving his would-be assassin.

The collect next notes God’s will “that Pope St. John Paul II should preside over your universal Church.”  48 years after his election, we may forget how tradition-shattering his election was:  the 1st non-Italian Pope since 1523, and the youngest one since Pius IX’s election in 1846.  It evidently was God’s will that a man who had been a slave worker for the Germans, a secret seminarian, a charismatic youth minister, a pastor familiar with the oppression of totalitarianism, and a father of Vatican II should become the vicar of Christ.  Side note: as a youth he also was a Salesian parishioner.

John Paul II shrine
in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Krakow,
where he worshiped as a student
and during the German occupation

We prayed that our hearts be “open to the saving grace of Christ.”  John Paul’s 1st encyclical was Redemptor hominis; later he gave us Redemptoris missio, Evangelium vitae, and Ecclesia de Eucharistia.  His constant theme was “Do not be afraid”—not afraid, especially the young, to open wide the doors of our hearts to Christ.  All his ministry as priest, bishop, and pontiff, in writings and in travel—104 trips beyond Italy—aimed at making Jesus Christ, “the sole Redeemer of the human race,” known and drawing us into a close relationship with him.  He brought the Lord Jesus to everyone everywhere and himself lived in close communion with Christ.  He showed “the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, [filling us] with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:19).

John Paul also taught us to love Jesus’ mother.  His encyclical Redemptoris mater and his motto Totus tuus highlighted Mary, who cares for us as her children and always directs us to her divine Son.

We’ve been “instructed by his teaching”—in 14 encyclicals and numerous other writings; in Wednesday audiences, most notably those that presented “the theology of the body”; and his challenges to totalitarianism by his insistence on truth, on freedom, and on human dignity.

Not least, John Paul taught us thru his suffering.  We watched the vigorous skier, kayaker, and hiker become old and frail while continuing his zealous ministry with courage and dignity until the day came for him to pass over “to the home of the Father”—as the whole world kept vigil outside the papal apartment as if for a father.  He truly was “il Papa.”

New School Year Opens at Salesian School of Theology in Jerusalem

New School Year Opens at the Salesian School of Theology in Jerusalem

(ANS – Jerusalem – October 19, 2026) – On October 16, the Studium Theologicum Salesianum in Jerusalem (aka “The Ratisbonne”) celebrated its “Dies Academicus,” dedicated to the theme of Christian joy and the Church’s vocation in the Holy Land, inspired by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s pastoral letter “They returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”

The day began with a prayer and performances by the STS choir, followed by a presentation of the academic year just concluded and the outlook for the new academic year. The highlight of the event was the Lectio Magistralis delivered by Fr. Davide Meli, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who explored the meaning of Christian joy and the Church’s mission in a context marked by many challenges.

The gathering also included a session of theological dialog, the recognition of guests, and the presentation of a new book by Fr. Shaji Joseph. Concluding in an atmosphere of fraternity, the celebration renewed the participants’ commitment to being signs of hope, peace, and joy in Jerusalem and thruout the Holy Land.

One American Salesian, Deacon Leo Imbert, is a student at the Ratisbonne.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 29 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 29 of Ordinary Time

Oct. 20, 2026
Luke 12: 35-38
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“Be like servants who await their master’s return” (Luke 12:35).

The early disciples of Jesus expected him to return soon to complete our redemption; to come again in his glory as supreme judge, to vindicate the just and put the wicked in their place.

Then the Church had to adapt to the Lord’s delay.  Jesus’ return is certain, but its time uncertain:  “About that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32).

In his little parable today, Jesus tells his disciples—his servants—to remain vigilant for his return, i.e., to continue living as his disciples, ever ready to welcome him when he does return.

Faithful disciples will be given an unexpected reward.  The master will treat them at table, have them take places there.  He will wait on his servants at supper, just as he washed his disciples’ feet before the Last Supper.  Our master didn’t come to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45).

We look forward to the banquet of eternal life, to feasting at the supper of the Lamb.  Our master has planned that for all his vigilant, faithful servants.  “Happy are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”