Homily for 33d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
33d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Nov. 16, 2025
Luke 21: 5-19
Villa Maria, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“It will lead to your giving testimony” (Luke 21: 13).

A model of Herod's Temple

By Ariely - Own work, CC BY 3.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4533576

The great Temple in Jerusalem, a most magnificent building, was still being rebuilt in Jesus’ time, 46 years after King Herod started the project.  For the Jews it was the home of the God whom they worshiped, the one God, creator of the universe, their friend and protector.

So Jesus’ prediction that it would be utterly destroyed, “not one stone left upon another” (21:6) was a shock.

St. Luke wrote his gospel after Jesus’ prophecy had been fulfilled.  A Roman army had crushed a Jewish rebellion and destroyed not only the Temple but the entire city after a long siege—war waged to suppress an insurrection foretold by Jesus (21:9).  If you go to Jerusalem today, the only remnant of the Temple that you’ll find is the famous “wailing wall,” the western retaining wall of the hill on which the Temple once stood.  In the Temple’s place stands the Muslim al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

The Romans celebrated their victory over the Jewish rebels by granting their general Titus a triumphant parade thru the Forum.  They didn’t have ticker tape, but they did build an arch in Titus’s honor.  You still can enter the Forum by walking under that arch, which bears carvings celebrating his conquest of Jerusalem.

   

 

Jesus links his people’s defeat and destruction to other cataclysmic events:  “powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place” (21:10), events not hard to forecast because they’re endemic to our lives on earth.  Such things, besides constant wars—Pope Francis counted about 30 conflicts going on now—and false prophets who claim, “I am he” (21:8), Christ returning or bearers of a new divine revelation or a new salvation, never end.  False messiahs—do you remember Jonestown and the Branch Davidians, not to mention monsters like Hitler and Mao—have appeared over and over, and Jesus’ advice, “Do not follow them!” (21:8), remains ever valid.

Likewise, constant war, even the danger of a nuclear war that could incinerate the earth, and constant natural disasters and plagues are not to shake our faith.

Nor are persecutions.  “They will hand you over” to the authorities “because of my name” (21:12), and you will be hated by all because of my name” (21:17).  The Roman authorities sporadically and viciously persecuted the Church.  As a companion of St. Paul, Luke witnessed that firsthand.  Persecution has been a constant of Christian history.  The 20th and 21st centuries have seen millions of Jesus’ followers sent to prisons, gulags, and firing squads.  Under the Nazis, the Dachau concentration camp was called the largest monastery in the world because of the thousands of priests there put to hard labor and medical experiments—including numerous Salesians; I lived with one survivor at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey.  In our time, Catholics and other believers are kidnapped and tortured, slaughtered in raids, blown up by jihadists, and gunned down by death squads like St. Oscar Romero and other Central American martyrs.

From the USCCB

In such a context, Jesus tells us, “It will lead to your giving testimony,” to being witnesses; that, in fact, is what the word martyr means.  Whether under persecution or just the “ordinary” pressure of living as Christians, we testify to our faith in Jesus.  Pope Leo and our bishops have reminded us that our faith in Jesus requires giving witness to the dignity of every person, including migrants and refugees seeking personal safety and a livelihood.

Christ’s kingdom alone will stand forever.  He alone is the way, the truth, and the life.  He alone is worthy of our discipleship.  He alone satisfies the deepest desires of our hearts.  He is our “sun of justice with healing rays” (Mal 3:20), and “it is full and lasting happiness to serve with constancy the author of all that is good” (Collect).

Salesians Send Out 156th Missionary Expedition

Salesians Send Out the 156th Missionary Expedition
Ceremony in Turin Marks 150 Years of Salesian Missionary Work

(ANS – Turin – November 12, 2025) – O  the afternoon of Tuesday, November 11, in the basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Valdocco (Turin), the beating heart of Don Bosco’s charism, the celebration of the missionary commissioning of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMAs) took place on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the 1st Salesian missionary expedition.

The Eucharistic celebration, presided over by Fr. Fabio Attard, rector major, and concelebrated by several general councilors, numerous missionaries, provincials and provincial delegates for mission animation, also saw the presence of the superior general of the FMAs, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, accompanied by some of her councilors and a representation of FMA sisters, a sign of a living and missionary communion between the two religious families.

A memory that becomes mission

In his introduction to the celebration, Fr. Michele Viviano, rector of the basilica, recalled with emotion the evening of November 11, 1875, when Don Bosco bid farewell to the first 10 missionaries leaving for Argentina: “Who knows that this departure and this little are not like a seed from which a great plant will arise?” said Don Bosco between tears and hope.

“Today, after 150 years,” continued Fr. Viviano, “we want to give thanks, rethink, and relaunch:

• Give thanks for the 10,700 missionaries who, in this century and a half, have brought the Salesian charism to 137 countries around the world;
• Rethink mission in multi-religious and secularized contexts;
• Relaunch a renewed missionary zeal, close to the young poor and to those who have lost the meaning of life.

“And as then,” he concluded, “today too the “inde gloria mea”[1] resounds: my glory goes hence! - the glory of Mary Help of Christians, the glory of God, the glory of Don Bosco and his Congregations.”

“We are useless servants”: the Gospel’s invitation to be rooted in Christ

In his homily, inspired by the Gospel of Luke 17:7-10 (“We are useless servants; we have done what we had to do”), Fr. Attard linked that moment 150 years ago to today’s mandate, offering 3 keys to spiritual interpretation:

1. The centrality of Christ - “Don Bosco did not send officials or administrators, but apostles. Everything is born and finds meaning only in Christ: without him we can do nothing, but with him we can do everything.”
2. Fidelity to the charism - “Knowing Don Bosco and living his spirit means letting oneself be shaped by the educational love, fraternity, and evangelical joy that make the mission credible.”
3. Service to the poor - “Serving the poor means choosing evangelical poverty as the way to freedom and authenticity; only a poor and moderate community becomes a living Gospel.”

He concluded, “May the Lord give us the strength of his Spirit so that, like Don Bosco, we may live and transmit the beauty of the Gospel, rooted in Christ, faithful to the charism and servants of the poor.”

Handing over the missionary crosses

After the homily, the general councilor for the missions, Fr. Jorge Crisafulli, approached the ambo to proclaim the names of the new SDB missionaries of the 156th SDB Expedition. One by one, each missionary stood up, emotionally pronounced his “Here I am!”, and approached the altar.

Immediately afterward, the general councilor for the missions of the FMAs, Sr. Ruth del Pilar Mora Velazco, read out the names of the new FMA missionaries of the 148th FMA expedition, who also were greeted by “Here I am!” together, a proclamation of confidence and availability.

The most touching moment was the handing over of the missionary crosses:

the rector major placed the missionary cross around the necks of the departing Salesians, while Mother General Cazzuola placed the missionary cross around the necks of the FMAs, a sign of unity in the same missionary call and in their consecration for life.

The SDB missionaries of the 156th expedition

The new destinations include Bangladesh, Mozambique, Brazil, Mongolia, Greece, Turkey, Romania, Thailand, and other countries.

Alongside them, some missionaries from previous expeditions, already working in different regions of the world, have renewed their mandate.

The FMA missionaries of the 148th expedition

Coming from Vietnam, India, South Korea, and Italy, the new FMA missionaries are leaving for the communities that await them in various continents, to be a sign of consolation, trust, and evangelical hope among the young.

A mandate in the sign of gratitude

The celebration ended with a heartfelt thanksgiving pronounced by one of the missionaries on behalf of all those leaving, who expressed gratitude to the Lord, to the Salesian Family, and to those who accompany and support the mission with prayer.

At the end of Mass, the new SDB and FMA missionaries, together with their superiors, went in silence and prayer to Don Bosco’s tomb, to entrust their mission to him and ask for his paternal blessing. There, amidst recollection and songs, they raised a short prayer for the young people who await them in every part of the world and for all the Salesian missionaries who have gone before them. The gesture ended with a group photo, a sign of communion and continuity in the missionary history that began 150 years ago from that very same house.

In front of the altar of Mary Help of Christians and Don Bosco’s tomb, Valdocco once again renewed its “yes” to the mission: a mandate that, for 150 years, has continued to make evangelical hope and the Salesian dream of being “signs and bearers of God’s love to the young” flourish in the world.

You can read and download, in several languages, the full text of the homily of the Mass.

Download attachments: 

• 20251111_Omelia_-_SPEDIZIONE_MISSIONARIA_-_ITA.pdf 
• 20251111_Omelia_-_SPEDIZIONE_MISSIONARIA_-_ENG.pdf 
• 20251111_Omelia_-_SPEDIZIONE_MISSIONARIA_-_SPA.pdf 
• 20251111_Omelia_-_SPEDIZIONE_MISSIONARIA_-_FRA.pdf  
• 20251111_Omelia_-_SPEDIZIONE_MISSIONARIA_-_POR.pdf 

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[1] A phrase that our Blessed Mother spoke to DB in a dream with reference to the future basilica that he would build.

Homily for Thursday, Week 32 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
32d Week of Ordinary Time

Nov. 13, 2025
Luke 17: 20-25
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“The coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed” (Luke 17: 20).

It seems there are always people who predict the 2d Coming or the end time, people who think they’re the messiah, and people who “run in pursuit” (17:23) of the charlatans.  The 7th Day Adventists grew out of William Miller’s prediction the world was about to end in the 1840s and everyone should be ready.  We remember Jonestown, the Branch Davidians, and other frauds, and we smile at cartoons offering a tunic-clad fella carrying a “the end is near” sign.

It's true everyone should be ready, but not for a new messiah or an imminent parousia.  “The kingdom of God is among you” (17:21).  The Messiah has come and walked among us, and he remains present thru his Holy Spirit.  The kingdom can’t be observed in the usual manner of regal display and power, neither in Westminster Abbey nor Red Square nor the White House.

But it can be displayed by the followers of Jesus Messiah who make his presence felt by their words and actions—followers like Mother Cabrini, Edmund Rice, John Bosco, and Mother Teresa.  In the saints the kingdom of God was present.  The kingdom remains manifest and observable in all who imitate Jesus.

Artificial Intelligence and the Salesian Mission in Interamerica

Artificial Intelligence and the Salesian Mission in Interamerica

By JC Montenegro

(ANS – Los Angeles – November 5, 2025) – A regional study on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how the Salesians of Don Bosco in the Americas perceive their mission in an increasingly digital world. Commissioned by Fr. Hugo Orozco, regional councilor of Interamerica, and supported by provincial leaders across 10 provinces, the initiative was launched to prepare for the 2025 Interamerican provincial gathering in Berkeley, Calif.

Coordinated by the Youth Ministry Office of the San Francisco Province, the research did not aim merely to analyze technology but to listen—to understand how AI is being encountered, questioned, and lived within Salesian communities, schools, and youth ministries thruout the region.

Listening to the Region

The study gathered the voices of 140 Salesians of Don Bosco and 1,375 lay collaborators from across the Americas—from Mexico to Bolivia, from Ecuador to the Caribbean, and from the United States to Peru. Together, they offered a panoramic view of curiosity, discernment, and deep pastoral concern.

While many participants describe AI as both a useful resource and a source of uncertainty, their reflections reveal one shared conviction: technology must always remain at the service of humanity. It can assist with homilies, translations, catechesis, and administration, yet it must never replace the heart of the Salesian mission—personal presence, listening, and relationship. “AI should help us be more human, not less,” summarized one respondent, echoing the central theme of the study.

Hope and Caution Intertwined

Thruout the region, there is growing enthusiasm for the potential of AI in education, evangelization, and pastoral communication. Salesians see how these tools can free time for mission, simplifying routine tasks and enabling greater focus on the young. At the same time, the study records strong reservations. More than half the respondents fear AI could diminish personal contact, spiritual discernment, or create dependency and superficiality. Others express concern about ethical risks, misinformation, and data misuse. The emerging consensus is that AI is neither to be rejected nor blindly embraced—it must be discerned. AI, they insist, should remain a servant of communion, helping form thoughtful, compassionate, and critically aware human beings.

Formation: The Pastoral Priority

The most consistent recommendation from respondents is the urgent need for formation—technical, ethical, and spiritual. Salesians across the 2 continents emphasize that any serious approach to AI must integrate moral reflection and pastoral discernment. They call for regular formation programs, beginning with initial religious training and continuing thruout their apostolic life. Practical suggestions include short workshops, peer-learning networks, bilingual materials, and local “AI champions” capable of mentoring others.

Such training, they argue, will ensure that educators and pastoral workers remain faithful to Don Bosco’s vision of integral education—one that unites reason, faith, and affection, even in digital contexts.

Encountering the Young in Digital Courtyards

A central insight of the study is the recognition that AI already shapes how young people learn, communicate, and make decisions. Many youths turn to digital tools—even for moral or spiritual guidance—before approaching a mentor. This finding challenges Salesians to renew their presence in what Don Bosco would call today’s “digital courtyards.” The task is not to compete with technology but to guide its use, helping young people develop conscience and critical thinking. Participants stress that while AI can assist with preparation and organization, it can never replace the face-to-face encounter essential to accompaniment, confession, or spiritual direction. The goal is clear: technology should open paths to dialog, not close hearts to human contact.

Practical and Creative Uses

At present, AI serves mostly practical functions in Salesian ministry—drafting lessons, generating catechetical materials, preparing talks, translating documents, or handling communication tasks. A smaller group is experimenting with more creative applications such as digital storytelling, design, or social media engagement aimed at youth. Looking ahead, many dream of developing a “Salesian Copilot”—a digital platform rooted in the Salesian spirit. It would support prayer, preaching, pastoral planning, and content creation while upholding ethics, authenticity, and privacy. The goal is not to replace pastoral discernment, but to simplify work and strengthen collaboration across the Americas.

Elder Confreres and Accessibility

The study reveals enthusiasm about the possibility of AI helping elder confreres remain engaged and connected. Respondents suggest that simple, user-friendly tools could support communication, prayer, and ongoing learning—provided they complement, never substitute, human presence and fraternity. Proposals include accessible formats with voice dictation, large-type text, and easy tutorials, helping bridge the digital divide within communities and promoting inclusion for all members.

A Mature but Hopeful Community

Demographic data show that over half of the Salesians who participated are aged 51 or older, with an average of 31 years in religious profession. Despite limited technical background, their responses convey openness, curiosity, and pastoral creativity. For this mature community, the challenge is not to master algorithms, but to ensure that technology deepens authenticity, presence, and faith. AI becomes valuable only when it supports human encounter and the mission of evangelizing the young.

A Synodal Process in Action

Under the leadership of Fr. Fabian Cardenas and Luis Chacon from the San Francisco Province, the research was a model of synodality—walking, listening, and discerning together across languages and cultures. The final report concludes with a clear direction: AI must become a pastoral ally, helping people pray, think, and love more deeply. The call is not only to use technology wisely but to return to the founding intuition of Don Bosco—to be present, always and everywhere, with the heart of a father, teacher, and friend.

Looking Forward

The research team plans to release a 2d phase focused on the voices of young people themselves—their hopes, questions, and challenges regarding AI, faith, and vocation. This next step seeks to continue the dialog begun in this 1st study: a process of discernment that unites experience, ethics, and spiritual depth. Across the Americas, this call resounds with renewed conviction: every innovation, every new digital tool, is another courtyard in which the Salesian spirit is invited to dwell—accompanying, educating, and evangelizing with wisdom, creativity, and joy.

COP30, Salesians, and Salesian Youth

COP30, Salesians, and Salesian Youth

(ANS – Belem, Brazil – November 11, 2025) - The world has gathered in Belem, Pará, Brazil, for COP30 — the United Nations’ yearly meeting where countries decide how to act on climate change. With the Amazon at center stage and the Church’s call from Laudato Si’ to care for our common home, this is a moment that invites a Salesian response.  The Salesian team, under Fr. Mathew Thomas Panamkattu, based in New York at the U.N., Fr. Silvio Torres from Argentina, and a representative from Brazil, part of the Don Bosco Green Team representing Don Bosco Green Alliance, are there to be part of COP30, which is being held November 10-21.  The journey of COP 30 began on the morning of  November 10 with representatives from all over the world.

Here is an interview from Fr. Mathew Thomas.

What is COP30?

COP30 is the 30th “Conference of the Parties” to the U.N. climate agreement. Almost every nation takes part. They negotiate how to cut pollution, prepare for climate impacts, and fund solutions—especially in places most at risk. COP30 is being held in Belem November 10-21, 2025. Members of the Salesian Family are present there, and this presence matters. It is also the right time for Salesian youth to show up—at COP venues and at other environment-related platforms around the world.

Why does COP30 matter so much now?

We are at a turning point. Global warming is pushing past safe limits, and the world must act faster. Hosting COP30 in Brazil places a focus on the Amazon—a region vital for climate balance, biodiversity, and the lives of indigenous and local communities. Leaders will be pressed to strengthen their national climate plans, support communities to adapt, protect those most affected, and ensure that financing reaches the countries that need it most.

What are the main issues at COP30?

First, the goal remains to keep global warming below 1.5°C. This is the benchmark against which progress is measured because every fraction of a degree matters for human lives and ecosystems.

Second, countries must both reduce emissions (mitigation) and prepare for impacts already happening (adaptation). This means moving away from fossil fuels, improving energy use, and making communities more resilient to heat, storms, and floods.

Third, finance is crucial. Resources and technology must reach developing countries so that solutions are fair and effective.

Fourth, inclusion and justice are essential. Climate change hits hardest those with the least resources—especially indigenous peoples, local communities, and nations in the Global South. Their voices and leadership must shape decisions.

Finally, forests and nature-based solutions are key parts of the answer. Protecting and restoring the Amazon and other ecosystems helps store carbon, safeguard water, and support livelihoods.

Why should you(th) care?

The choices made now will shape your future, your jobs, health, safety, and the places you call home. Youth voices already influence leaders and policies, and participation from civil society is growing at COPs. The shift to cleaner, fairer economies is opening new opportunities in technology, agriculture, planning, education, and community work. And because we share one common home, what happens in one region affects all of us; your actions can help others, and theirs can help you.

How can you get involved—even if you’re not a negotiator?

Stay informed about what happens at COP30 and learn what your country has promised. Take local action in your school, parish, university, or community: reduce waste and energy use, care for trees and water, and support greener transport. Lift up the voices of indigenous and local groups, giving credit and seeking consent when sharing their stories. Ask your political leaders about your country’s climate plan (its “NDC”) and what more they will do. Align your daily choices with your values to speak with credibility. Use art, music, video, and events to explain climate issues in simple, human terms and to inspire others.

What do you think is the Salesian role in this COP30?

The Salesian mission to form and accompany our young people to become hopeful, skilled, and faith-filled protectors of creation is definitely our prime objective. This is a providential time for the Salesian Family. With reason, faith, and loving-kindness, we can help young people become guardians of creation, practical, joyful, and courageous. We need to stand with the Amazon, listen to those most affected, and act together for our common home. Small steps taken today can light the way for a more just and hopeful tomorrow.

Fr. Mathew Thomas SDB
Salesian Representative to the United Nations
 COP 30, Belem, November 10, 2025

Fr. Silvio Torres and Fr. Mathew Thomas

Homily for Memorial of St. Martin of Tours

Homily for the Memorial of
St. Martin of Tours
Tuesday, Week 32 of Ordinary Time

Nov. 11, 2025
Wis 2: 23—3: 9
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“God formed man to be imperishable” (Wis 2: 23).

We often hear today’s 1st reading at funerals as well as as an option for All Souls Day.  It’s a good reminder that God’s intention for us is life, not death.  Death belongs to the realm of the Devil.

Young Martin shares his cloak 
with a beggar
(Louis Galloche)

Realizing that, Martin of Tours resigned from the Roman army, in which he’d been raised; his father was a soldier on the Empire’s frontier.  Martin found the army’s purpose incompatible with the affirmation of God-given life.  He probably also found the army’s formal religious rituals in service of gods and emperor incompatible with service of Christ.

The follower of Christ has a “hope full of immortality” (3:4), a hope based on the resurrection of Christ and Christ’s gift of life to the just who place themselves in God’s hands (3:1).

That’s what Martin did, pursuing a monastic vocation rather than a military one and then accepting, reluctantly, the office of bishop so as to further service to Christ.  He changed his way of life twice, as one who put his trust in God and desired to “abide with him in love” (3:9).  That is, he left military service to serve Christ as a monk, then left the monastery to serve Christ’s faithful as their bishop and be Christ’s instrument of “care [for] his elect” (3:9).

Martin, then, models for us an openness to God’s call, to conversion, to a willingness to change our manner of service in the Church.  You here at St. Joseph have reversed Martin’s course of service, laying aside—probably reluctantly—a life of public ministry and assuming a more monastic way of discipleship, a way of prayer for God’s people.

“Neither death nor life may separate us from [God’s] love” (Collect).  “The souls of the just are in the hand of God,” your souls and the souls you place before God’s “grace and mercy” (3:9).

Farewell to Fr. Frank Moloney

Farewell to Fr. Frank Moloney, Salesian Scripture Scholar

(ANS – Melbourne, Australia – November 10, 2025) — Renowned Australian biblical scholar and Salesian priest, Prof. Francis J. Moloney, died peacefully in his hometown of Melbourne on November 8 at the age of 85, concluding a life of extraordinary fidelity, study and pastoral love.

Born in 1940, Fr. Moloney joined the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1960 and was ordained a priest in 1970. His academic career was distinguished and international. He studied theology and Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome and the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and later obtained his doctorate at the University of Oxford. His teaching ministry extended to Europe, Israel, the United States, Southeast Asia, and Australia, always animated by the deep conviction that “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3).

In 1984, Pope John Paul II appointed Fr. Moloney a member of the International Theological Commission, where he served for 18 years, contributing to the Church’s theological engagement with Scripture. In 1992, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to religion, and in 1994, he became Founding Professor of Theology at the Australian Catholic University. He was professor of Sacred Scripture at the Catholic University of America (Washington) for 7 years (1999-2006), his tenure ended when he was appointed superior of the Salesian province of Australia (2006-2012).  He led the province with pastoral warmth, intellectual depth, and a renewed commitment to youth ministry and biblical formation.

A world-renowned scholar of the Gospel of John, Fr. Moloney is the author of over 50 books and countless articles on the Gospels of John and Mark and the Book of Revelation. His commentaries – such as The Gospel of John: Text and Context, Belief in the Word, and The Living Voice of the Gospel – are considered fundamental texts in contemporary biblical studies. His last academic position was as senior research fellow at the Catholic Theological College in Melbourne, which is part of the University of Divinity.

In recent years, Fr. Moloney reached thousands of people through his weekly podcast, Audio Divina, which offered Sunday reflections on the Scriptures. The podcast became a valuable resource for priests, catechists, and lay faithful around the world, embodying his lifelong mission: to make the Word of God accessible, alive, and transformative.

Archbishop Timothy J. Costelloe, SDB, of Perth, Australia, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, paid tribute to Fr. Moloney’s gift of friendship and his enduring love for young people: “He loved sincerely and generously and was deeply loved and admired in return. Having spent his life making known the Christ of the Gospels, may Fr. Moloney now enter the fullness of eternal life and contemplate the Lord whom he served so faithfully.”

Cause of Bishop Orestes Marengo Advances

The Cause of the Servant of God
Orestes Marengo Advances

(ANS – Vatican City- November 7, 2025) – On November 6, during the special congress of theological consultors at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, a unanimous positive opinion was given regarding the heroic exercise of virtues, the reputation for holiness, and the signs of the Servant of God Orestes Marengo, SDB (1906-1998), bishop of Tura and missionary in India.

The Positio super virtutibus, delivered on May 31, 2024, had as its rapporteur Fr. Szczepan Tadeusz Praskiewicz, OCD, as postulator Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, and as editor Dr. Matteo Penati, collaborator of the General Postulation Office. The 9 consultors were called upon to respond to the question concerning the heroic exercise of Christian virtues practiced by the Servant of God, together with his reputation for holiness and signs. Based on this judgement, the cardinals and bishops who are members of the dicastery will subsequently be able to express their judgment.

This news has given rise to great joy both in Diano d’Alba (Cuneo), Bp. Marengo’s birthplace, and in the diocese of Alba, where for some years a group of people has been dedicated to promoting the cause of the Servant of God; and in Northeast India, especially in the diocese of Tura and the Salesian province of Guwahati.

“In this Holy Year dedicated to Christian hope and in the 150th anniversary of the first missionary expedition desired by Don Bosco, the testimony of Bp. Orestes Marengo is that of a true pilgrim of hope who, animated by the apostolic zeal of the missionaries of the Gospel, proclaimed the Word of salvation. He was a bishop who brought hope, who taught people to trust in God, convinced that ‘all things work together for good for those who love God,’” Fr. Cameroni said.

Emilio Orestes Marengo was born on August 29, 1906, in Diano d’Alba. He lived in the hamlet of Le Cecche with his family, consisting of his father Lorenzo, his mother Agostina, and 3 siblings, one of whom, Giuseppe, would become a diocesan priest, while his sister Agnese would become a nun. They were a farming family, hard-working and deeply faithful. It was in Diano d’Alba that Orestes came into contact with some significant figures in the Salesian world, who led him, at the age of 13, to move to Turin to begin his Salesian life and meet the first generation of Salesians.

In 1923, he left Italy for India, more precisely the northeast, the region where he would live his entire missionary life. He was part of the first group of novices – 8 from all over Europe – formed locally by the Salesians. His teacher was the Venerable Fr. Stephen Ferrando. Already during their novitiate, and later during their philosophy studies, the young students went to the villages for the celebration of the Eucharist and to train catechumens and young local Catholic communities. This was followed by three years of theology, during which he met the Servant of God Fr. Constantine Vendrame, a great teacher of apostolic life.

On April 2, 1932, Orestes Marengo was ordained a priest. He was then assigned to his first mission. Fr. Orestes spared no effort, and so, in 1936, only 4 years after his ordination, his superiors decided to protect him by appointing him master of novices in Woodcot and Bandel and, later, director of the philosophy studentate in Sonada. At the end of World War II, during which he was one of the few Italians not to be interned, he returned to a missionary center.

In 1951, the Holy See decided to divide the territory of the diocese of Shillong and establish Dibrugarh as a bishopric. Fr. Orestes Marengo was chosen as the first bishop and received his episcopal consecration in the basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin on December 27, 1951. He was bishop of Dibrugarh until 1964, when he was appointed to establish the new diocese of Tezpur, which he led from 1964 to 1969.

Despite considerable difficulties, the years in Dibrugarh and Tezpur saw the flourishing of new Catholic communities and the conversion of many pagans. He was then sent to Tura, first as episcopal vicar of the bishop of Shillong, then as apostolic administrator, to start up the new diocese. Within a few years, the number of missionary centers increased from 7 to 13. In 1978, he resigned as apostolic administrator when the first Indian bishop of the diocese was appointed.

Bp. Marengo made himself available to the priests of the diocese, helping them in their missions as assistant parish priest. After turning 70, he returned to being a simple missionary priest, continuing in this role as long as his strength allowed. He then retired to Bosco Mount, the Salesian prenovitiate in Tura, becoming an example and a point of reference for the new Salesians. He died in Tura on July 30, 1998.

The only desire of his paternal heart was to be with people and bring them closer to God. He was truly a seeker of souls and a universal brother, especially for the youngest and poorest brothers and sisters: following Jesus and Don Bosco, Bp. Marengo was able to love his neighbor and make him understand that he was loved in a unique way. And precisely because he wanted to be a brother to everyone, he learned numerous languages throughout his life so that everyone could receive the Good News in the best possible way. For him, the proclamation of the Gospel had to be addressed to everyone, and there should be no cultural or linguistic barriers to this proclamation.

Homily for Feast of St. John Lateran Basilica

Homily for the Feast of the
Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Nov. 9, 2025
1 Cor 3: 9-11, 16-17
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

A variation of this homily was given to Scouts at the Michael Boccardi Trek-o-ree at Durland Scout Reservation, Putnam Valley, N.Y., on Saturday evening, Nov. 8.

Basilica of St. John Lateran

“The temple of God, which you are, is holy” (1 Cor 3: 17).

Every diocese has a leader who’s the main teacher, governor, and sanctifier of God’s people in that territory, its high priest.  That’s the bishop.  He teaches, rules, and sanctifies God’s people from the principal church of the diocese, which is called the cathedral.  It’s called “cathedral” because that’s where the bishop’s cathedra, his chair of authority, is located.

Thus St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the principal church of the archdiocese of New York.  (More important dioceses are called archdioceses.)  On the left side of the altar in St. Patrick’s, you’ll see the archbishop’s cathedra or seat of authority, with his coat of arms upon it.  Only the archbishop may use that chair, and that’s true in every diocese.

Archbishop's cathedra, St. Patrick's Cathedral
with Card. Dolan's coat of arms

The entire Catholic Church also has a principal church, the cathedral of the bishop of Rome, the Pope, the Holy Father, the successor of St. Peter.  That church is called the “Mother and dead of all the churches in the city and in the world,” because the Pope, St. Peter’s successor, is the supreme bishop of the entire Church as St. Peter was the leader of the apostles.

The Pope’s cathedral is the church whose dedication anniversary we’re celebrating today.  It’s not St. Peter’s Basilica, as you might think; after all, St. Peter’s buried under its high altar, and the Pope lives next to it.  Rather, the cathedral of the bishop of Rome is the basilica of St. John Lateran.  The Popes received that property as a gift from Emperor Constantine and resided there, in the Lateran Palace, from 312 to 1309, just short of 1,000 years, and much longer than the Popes have been at the Vatican.

The church, which Constantine built, is dedicated to St. John the Baptist; hence the 1st part of its name.  The property once belonged to a noble Roman family called the Laterani; hence the 2d part of the name.

A church is more than a building, however.  In the gospel you heard Christ refer to himself as a temple (John 2:19,21), and in the reading from St. Paul you heard the followers of Christ called a temple, a temple built by God, a temple where the Holy Spirit dwells.  In the reading from Ezekiel you heard about an abundance of life-giving water flowing from God’s sanctuary.  That’s the water of Baptism, given to us by Christ, and with that gift comes the Holy Spirit.

Baptism banner
Holy Name of Jesus Church
New Rochelle, N.Y.

So we become temples of the Holy Spirit, part of God’s holy temple connected to or built upon Jesus Christ.  We celebrate today not so much a particular church building, the most important one in the world, but what that building symbolizes—Jesus Christ and all of us who belong to Jesus.  We are the living Church of God.

Therefore, all of us are holy, and we’re called to live holy lives, to live as best we can like Jesus.  If every one of us is a temple of God, then we owe the greatest respect not only toward God but also toward God’s family, everyone in whom the Holy Spirit dwells:  man or woman; black, white, brown, red, or yellow; of any nation or language.

We celebrate the Pope’s cathedral church, which is an external sign of God’s dwelling among us, of God’s love for all of us, of God’s desire that all of us may dwell with him forever in heaven, members of the temple of God raised on the 3d day when Jesus burst out of the tomb.

 

Fr. Fabio Attard on TV2000

Fr. Fabio Attard on TV2000
“Don Bosco’s charism cultivates attitudes of listening to young people and being close to them.”

(ANS – Rome - November 5, 2025) – Fr. Fabio Attard, rector major of the Salesians, was a guest on Tuesday, November 4, on the television program Chiesa Viva (Living Church) broadcast by the Italian Catholic channel TV2000. Joined by other guests, he spoke to the general public about the mission of the Salesians and the relevance of Don Bosco’s charism today.

To address the main theme—the Salesian educational and formative mission in the world—Fr. Attard began with Don Bosco himself: a boy born into a poor family who greatly desired an education, which he could obtain only as an older teenager by supporting his own studies and working in the evenings, in Chieri far from home. “His life was marked by sacrifice for the value of education,” observed the rector major.

He then highlighted another distinctive aspect: unlike many who, after escaping poverty, wish never to look back, Don Bosco chose to dedicate his life to young people who, like him, risked being left without education. For that reason, he moved to Turin, in the 19th-century undergoing rapid industrial growth.

To the many young men who, like him, had left the countryside in search of better opportunities, “Don Bosco gradually made a truly integral proposal,” one that responded to “the human need to meet others, to feel accompanied and loved, but within an experience that opened to both educational and spiritual dimensions.”

Today, however, the reality in many contexts differs from Don Bosco’s time, and the Salesians have adapted. Thus, Don Bosco’s 11th successor, clarified: “Don Bosco’s charism is not built around things to do, but on attitudes to cultivate: listening to young people and being close to them. And if there has ever been a time in history dominated by loneliness, abandonment, and the lack of meaningful adult role models, it is precisely the time we are living in today!”

“We do not make a photocopy of what Don Bosco did,” Fr. Attard continued. “Rather, we grasp his spirit of going out to meet young people and offering them human spaces of contact—different in form, but the same in the heart of the young people who are searching today.”

Commenting on the words of Pope Leo XIV about education, spoken a few days earlier during Mass with the students of the pontifical universities (October 27, opening the Jubilee of the Educational World), the rector major summarized that, in essence, the Salesian educational charism is all about “meeting persons who cannot stand up alone, standing beside them, taking interest, looking them in the face, to discover where they can and must arrive.”

The current reality of Western, technologically advanced societies is highly developed but often poor in relationships. In response to these challenges, the rector major emphasized the importance of people who make themselves “beggars for others—those who are searching and need help.”

“In a culture like ours, it may seem that young people are distant—but I don’t know who is distant from whom: young people from us, or we from them,” Fr. Attard continued. “But one thing is certain: young people are searching, and it is up to us adults to perceive that search, interpret it, and place ourselves as their servants, beginning a relationship.”

Fr. Alejandro Leon, speaking from Buenos Aires, recalled the international dimension of the Salesian mission and focused attention on both the 150th anniversary of the First Salesian Missionary Expedition and the geographic and human peripheries where Don Bosco’s sons still work today.

In the final part of the program, Fr. Attard spoke about the new challenges facing the Salesians. Once again, the rector major returned to the foundations of the mission to look at the present and the future. He recalled the centrality of religious consecration: “We are educators and pastors because we are consecrated. Community life is not merely functional—it is a contagious experience that continues Don Bosco’s own. Therefore, the aspect of consecration drives us further—to complete self-giving, universal fraternity, and accompanying young people in their search for meaning…. And our very witness communicates this, even before our words do.”

Finally, referring to the main challenges identified by the Salesians’ 29th General Chapter, Fr. Attard pointed to the need to deepen Salesian identity, ensuring that at the heart of pastoral processes “there is not functionalism, but always the person.”

The full episode of Chiesa Viva dedicated to the Salesians, featuring the rector major, is available here.

"Positio" of Vera Grita Delivered in Rome

Positio super virtutibus of Vera Grita Delivered

Servant of God was a Salesian Cooperator

(ANS - Vatican City – October 31, 2025) - On Friday, October 17, the volume of the Positio super Vita, Virtutibus, et Fama Sanctitatis of the Servant of God Vera Grita, laywoman, Salesian Cooperator, was delivered at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican.

The positio had as rapporteur Fr. Szczepan Tadeusz Praskiewicz, OCD, as postulator Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, and as collaborator Dr. Lodovica Maria Zanet. The structural elements of the positio – which presents in an articulate and in-depth manner all the documentary and testimonial evidence concerning the virtuous life of the Servant of God – are a brief presentation by the rapporteur; the Informatio super virtutibus, that is, the theological section in which the virtuous life of the Servant of God is demonstrated; the two Summariums with the testimonial and documentary evidence; the Biographia ex Documentis; the final sections and the iconographic apparatus.

After delivery, the positio will be examined by the theological consultors of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. It will then be studied by the cardinals and bishops of the dicastery. These articulated stages of study and evaluation will allow the Supreme Pontiff, in the event of a positive outcome, to declare Vera Grita a “Venerable Servant of God.” A miracle attributed to her intercession will then be needed to open the way for her beatification.

This news caused great joy in the Work of the Living Tabernacles Association, the Salesian Family, and the diocese of Savona, where the Servant of God lived and died.

Vera Grita, daughter of Hamlet and Maria Anna Zacco della Pirrera, was born in Rome on January 28, 1923, and was the second of four sisters. She lived and studied in Savona, where she graduated as a teacher. At the age of 21, during a sudden air raid on the city (1944), she was run over and trampled by the fleeing crowd, with serious consequences for her body that was forever marked by suffering. She went unnoticed in her brief earthly life, teaching in schools in the Ligurian hinterland (such as Rialto, Erli, Alpicella, Deserto di Varazze), where she earned the esteem and affection of all for her good and mild character.

In Savona, in the Salesian parish of Mary Help of Christians, she attended Mass and regularly received the sacrament of Penance. From 1963 her confessor was Salesian Fr. Giovanni Bocchi. A Salesian Cooperator since 1967, she realized her call in the total gift of self to the Lord, who in an extraordinary way gave himself to her, in the depths of her heart, with the “Voice,” the “Word,” to communicate to her the Work of the Living Tabernacles. She submitted all the writings to her spiritual director, Salesian Fr. Gabriello Zucconi, and kept in the silence of her heart the secret of that call, guided by the divine Master and the Virgin Mary.

Under the impulse of divine grace and accepting the mediation of spiritual guides, Vera Grita responded to God's gift by bearing witness in her life, marked by the fatigue of illness, to the encounter with the Risen One, and dedicating herself with heroic generosity to teaching and educating her students, contributing to the needs of her family, and bearing witness to a life of evangelical poverty. Focused on and steadfast in the God who loves and sustains, with great inner firmness she was made capable of bearing the trials and sufferings of life. On the basis of this inner solidity she bore witness to a Christian existence of patience and constancy in goodness.

She died on December 22, 1969, aged 46, in a small room of the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure, where she had spent the last 6 months of her life in a crescendo of suffering accepted and lived in union with Jesus Crucified. “Vera's soul,” wrote Fr. Borra, a Salesian, her first biographer, “with her messages and letters enters the ranks of those charismatic souls called to enrich the Church with flames of love for God and for Jesus in the Eucharist for the expansion of the Kingdom.”

In the message of November 12, 1967, Jesus asked Vera to live the virtues that in a certain way outline the spiritual nature that characterized her journey of holiness: “I want you humble, most humble. This virtue, dear to my Heart, you will obtain from my Mother, but do not cease to invoke it. I want you at the ‘service of all,’ ready to obey all, to serve all, for in this way you will serve me. I want you ‘merciful and prudent’ with everyone. I want you ‘good and generous.’ I want you ‘martyred’ for my Love, for my Glory. I want you ‘martyred’ for me. My Blood will purify you, and in your martyrdom, the Blood shed will still and always be mine. Then you will be consumed for me, and in me, the Sacrifice will be offered to my Father and consumed. Fear not, you have and will always have me.”