Homily for Monday, 30th Week of Ordinary Time

Homily for Monday
30th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 30, 2023
Rom 8: 12-17
Provincial House, New Rochelle

Paul has been contrasting our unredeemed selves, which he calls “the flesh” (Rom 8:12) and which live in slavery to sin (8:15), with our redeemed selves, saved by the grace of Christ.  This grace is a gift of the Spirit of God, which unites us with God and makes us his children (8:15-16).  The Father has adopted us in Christ and made us heirs of the heavenly kingdom alongside Christ (8:17).  Led by the Spirit, we acknowledge God as Abba (8:15), commit ourselves to him, are freed from sin (cf. 8:13), and give him thanks in our Eucharistic celebration.  The Spirit leads us thru “the passageways of death” (Ps 68:21) to life in God’s house.

(by Bernini)

Homily for 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
30th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Oct. 29, 2023
Ex 22: 20-26
Matt 22: 34-40
Villa Maria, Bronx
Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt” (Ex 22: 20).

Panoramic view from summit of Mt. Sinai

So the Lord commands Israel as part of his covenant with them at Mt. Sinai.  He commands them further to be just to widows and orphans, and compassionate toward the poor.  In other words, he wishes his people, the people he redeemed from slavery in Egypt and made his very own favorite people, to be as compassionate toward their neighbors as he is compassionate toward his people.

That’s the heritage by which Jesus can command us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

When Pope Francis speaks up for migrants—the aliens among us—or for those afflicted by violence, poverty, or any kind of discrimination—sometimes he’s accused of being political.  It was that way also for St. John XXIII, St. Paul VI, and St. John Paul II.  But this is the politics of the God’s covenant with Israel, the politics of the Gospel, the politics of Jesus.  We are to be concerned for the welfare of everyone, not just our fellow citizens, not just people who are like us; concerned not only as individuals but as a society, by our laws and policies.

Lord knows, the wealthy and the powerful take care of themselves very well and don’t need our help.  Our prayers, yes—that’s a form of compassion we can show the wealthy and powerful, lest they go to hell like the rich man in Jesus’ parable who had ignored the beggar at his gate (Luke 16:19-31).  Their souls may need our prayers more than the poor, the homeless, the immigrant, and the refugee need us to intercede with God for them.

In today’s collect we asked God, “Increase our faith, hope, and charity and make us love what you command.”  Our faith is in Jesus Christ, who saves us; our charity leads us to be compassionate as he is toward sinners and toward the poor, the sick, the abandoned, the desperate.  We can carry out Jesus’ teaching about love of God and of neighbor by praying for those whose stories in the news of suffering strike us—victims of war, natural disaster, economic hardship, domestic violence, or crime—and by involving ourselves in our parish outreach services to the needy and by contributing to Catholic Charities according to our means.

If we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matt 22:37), we have to love all God’s children too.

Most of you remember Lucy Van Pelt, one of Charlie Brown’s friends (loosely speaking).  She’s known for proclaiming, “I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand.”  She has a hard time turning mankind in general into the particular people in her life.  It’s important that we apply our charity to particular people.  Charity begins at home.  The 1st people to know our compassion must be those in our own household and our own relatives—our patience, understanding, gentleness, assistance, and forgiveness.

Province Mission Offices Meet

“Dare to Share”

Province Mission Offices Meet

(ANS – Sacrofano, Italy – Oct. 26, 2023) – “Dare to Share” was the theme of the meeting held at the Fraterna Domus retreat center in Sacrofano, Italy, on the outskirts of Rome, from October 19 to 23. The event was attended by Salesians and lay people who are committed in their provinces to finding resources for missionary animation and evangelization programs. A total of 80 participants, from 42 provinces serving the population of 69 different countries, took part in the meeting, to discuss how to focus on mobilizing local resources on reducing dependency on foreign donations. Fr. Mike Conway (2d row from top, far right) and Fr. Gabe Stowowy (top row, far left) represented New Rochelle’s Salesian Missions.

In his opening address, Fr. Alfred Maravilla, general councilor for the missions, clarified the identity of the province mission office, its role within the provinces, and its relations with all the other bodies and structures of the province. “We work in synergy with them,” the councilor explained, “avoiding any confusion or duplication of work at the provincial level.

Fr. Eric Mairura from Kenya, who was appointed as the new general coordinator of mission offices, presented a reflection on the Salesian concept of development, which was the result of a process that had been ongoing for some years. “All our efforts must be closely aligned to the mission and charism of Don Bosco and the Congregation,” he said.

In his speech, Filip Lammens from Belgium proposed ways and means to contribute to evangelization through education. He emphasized how closer networking, learning from each other, and making the most of the specific resources of each nation and province could help mobilize resources.

Jan Resutik, from Slovakia, the first layman responsible for Salesian missions in developing countries, then spoke. Mr. Resutik explained the necessity and advantages of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and proposed to adapt this system also to the provinces that are willing to adopt it.

The participants then had the opportunity to take part in workshops, which aroused keen interest. Everyone chose a topic they wanted to learn more about, ranging from basic to advanced levels. They had a total of 6 hours, 2 hours a day for 3 days, and found the courses concrete, practical, and feasible.

Fr. Joy Nedumparampil (India) and Fr. Gunter Mayer (Austria) gave a course on how to start a mission office from the scratch and on how to build it step by step. Angel Gudiña (Spain) and Fr. Victor Mora (Chile) focused their presentation on resource mobilization through local, national, and international companies and corporations. The course held by Maria Pearson from Argentina focused on online resource mobilization and crowdfunding. Finally, Markus Burri helped participants understand the importance of measuring achievements, collecting hard data, and using it to retain donors, while Dr. Nelson Penedo emphasized how crucial it is to maintain high standards in everything one does, regardless of the size of operations.

A lecture was then held on the “best practices” of some provinces, which can be replicated, with the necessary modifications, by anyone.

The meeting also offered an opportunity to highlight the importance of empowerment of lay collaborators, thanks to the intervention of Fr. Krzysztof Nizniak from Ghana. Practical examples of how to organize a fundraising event were given. Fr. Boedirahardjo from Indonesia recounted the whole process involved in setting up a golf tournament in his province to raise funds.

From Burma, Fr. Bosco Nyi Nyi, superior of that vice province, spoke about the excellent examples “of the ways in which the poorest of the poor can and do offer us resources.” From India, Fr. Angel Kuldeep Nayak, highlighted the beautiful and fruitful collaboration with the State Bank of India Foundation.

They were, in conclusion, days of reflection, sharing, and learning. The preparation and organization of the meeting were led by Fr. George Menamparampil, under the guidance of Fr. Maravilla, with the support of the entire team of the Missions Department in Rome.

Interamerica Provincials Meet in Colombia

Interamerica Provincials Meet in Colombia

(ANS – Cartagena, Colombia – Oct. 24, 2023) – The 2023 meeting of the provincials of the Salesian region of Interamerica is taking place these days in the premises of the Salesians’ St. Peter Claver Institute in Cartagena. It aims to strengthen working together in synodality in the Interamerica Region, on the basis of the program guidelines that the Rector Major presented during the 28th General Chapter (2020).

The meeting, convened by Fr. Hugo Orozco, SDB, regional councilor for Interamerica (seated, center), was attended by 13 Salesian provincials in the region, Fr. Gildasio Mendes, SDB (general councilor for communications, seated right), and Fr. Ricardo Campoli, SDB (member of the Communications Department, seated left).

The meeting began on Sunday, October 22, with a welcome and presentation by the host province (Medellin, Colombia), by its provincial, Fr. Luis Fernando Valencia. The minutes and actions-taken report from last year’s meeting were also read.

On the 2d day, the provincials had a moment of fraternal greeting and exchange with the educational-pastoral community of the Saint Peter Claver Institute. It was followed by a day of spiritual retreat in the Claver religious house, which ended with a concelebrated Eucharist. A moment of fraternity concluded the evening.

On the 3d day, Tuesday, October 24, a conference was presented by Fr. Mendes and Fr. Campoli with the aim of reflecting on the Salesian System of Social Communication and the Salesian Communication Network of America. The afternoon was followed by moments of reflection and dialog to review the processes involving the regional level, such as: the conclusion of the visitation of the region carried out last March, the formation at the postnovitiate and novitiate houses, and the functioning of the Regional Center for the Specific Formation of the Salesian Brother (CRESCO).

The U.S. provincials are present: Fr. Dominic Tran of New Rochelle (standing 3d from left) and Fr. Mel Trinidad of San Francisco (standing 4th from right).

The Interamerica Region includes 13 provinces stretching from Canada to Peru and Bolivia.

Salesian Family Spirituality Days 2024

Salesian Family Spirituality Days 2024

Communication by Fr. Joan Lluis Playà, central delegate of the Rector Major for the Secretariat for the Salesian Family

(ANS – Rome – Oct. 25, 2023) – Registration is now open for the Salesian Family Spirituality Days 2024. The 42nd annual SFSD will take place January 18-21, 2024, on the theme of the strenna of the Rector Major: “The dream that makes us dream: A heart that turns ‘wolves’ into ‘lambs.’”

The aim of the Spirituality Days is to revive within the 32 Groups of the Salesian Family, Salesian spirituality in its fundamental dimensions, as outlined by the RM’s strenna.

Here you will find the link to the relevant communication from Fr. Playà, with all the information on the SFSD 2024, besides the link for registration and a short video invitation to the event.

Homily for Wednesday, Week 29 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Wednesday
29th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 25, 2023
Rom 6: 12-18
Salesian Missions, New Rochelle, N.Y.

“Present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness” (Rom 6: 13).

You’ve probably heard people say that they can do whatever they want with their bodies.  St. Paul teaches us otherwise.  If we belong to Christ, we’re meant for resurrection—“raised from the dead to life”—because we’re part of his body.  When we receive Holy Communion, our bodies become part of his body.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Bosch)

On the other hand, when we commit sin, Paul says, sin rules us, makes us slaves of the Devil (6:16).  We might think that sinning with our bodies—“obeying the desires of our mortal bodies” and making them “weapons for wickedness (6:12-13)—means, 1st, sexual sins.  While that’s included, that’s not all.  We sin with our bodies in countless ways.  We use our tongues to lie, be rude to people, speak ill of others, take the Lord’s name in vain.  We use our ears to listen to gossip.  We use our taste to overeat or drink too much.  We might use our hands to take something that’s not ours.  If we drive recklessly, we’re using our hands and feet to do so.  Our eyes might lead us toward envy of the possessions of others or to lustful thoughts.

Instead, St. Paul urges us to serve God with our bodies, using them “as weapons for righteousness” (6:13).  We can use our tongues to praise God or thank him, to speak kind or encouraging words to others; use our hands to help people or embrace them in welcome or comfort; use our eyes to appreciate God’s glorious creation; use our ears to listen to what others have to say—even preachers! If we’re married, we use our bodies to embrace our spouse in love, as Christ loves us, his people.  Thus we use our bodies for righteousness, as Paul urges, i.e., we put them to holy use for God’s glory and for the benefit of God’s children.

Seven Works of Mercy

(Caravaggio)

Homily for 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Oct. 22, 2023
Is 45: 1, 4-6
The Fountains, Tuckahoe, N.Y.
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“Thus says the Lord to his anointed, Cyrus…” (Is 45: 1).

Cyrus the Great (Wikipedia)

The passage from Isaiah that is our 1st reading today is unusual if not unique in the Scriptures.  God’s prophet speaks not to the Chosen People nor to one of their kings but to a pagan ruler.  And he calls that ruler “his anointed.”

To be anointed is to be marked and set apart as sacred.  You may recall that the anointing of King Charles not long ago was a special part of the coronation ritual, done by an archbishop out of public sight.  You know that 4 of our 7 sacraments involve anointings, 3 of them leaving permanent spiritual signatures that this person belongs to Jesus Christ, viz., Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.  Most important, we call Jesus of Nazareth “Christ,” which is the Greek word for messiah, which means “anointed.”

Thus the Lord God is identifying Cyrus as a man chosen, set apart, and sacred to himself.  He goes further to say to Cyrus:  “I have called you by your name, giving you a title.  It is I who arm you … so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun people may know that that there is none besides me” (45:4-6).  God has called Cyrus and given him power over a vast territory for some great purpose that will glorify God.

So who is this Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed?  He was the warrior king of several Middle Eastern lands who between 559 and 529 B.C. by inheritance and conquest put together the biggest empire the Western world had known up till then, the Persian Empire:  “so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun people may know that that there is none besides” the God of Israel.

Cyrus allowed the exiled Jews who wished, to go home to Judea and rebuild Jerusalem.  He returned to them the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had taken from the Temple, and he ordered public assistance be given to the returning exiles.  In the verse immediately preceding our passage today, we read:  “I say of Cyrus:  My shepherd, who fulfills my every wish; he shall say of Jerusalem, ‘Let her be rebuilt,” and of the Temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid’” (44:28).  For this purpose the Lord God called him and anointed him, tho he was a pagan monarch.

Isaiah is telling us that God is the lord of human history.  He sets kings, presidents, and prime ministers over nations to do his work—his work of justice, peaceful harmony, and service of the common good of humanity.  That’s why St. Paul instructs 1st century Christians to pray for their rulers (1 Tim 2:2) and St. Peter commands, “Fear God, honor the king” (1 Pet 2:17).  That’s why Jesus tells us to give to Caesar what he’s entitled to (Matt 22:21).

As we know all too well, kings, presidents, prime ministers, and legislatures often don’t fulfill their responsibilities of justice, peace, and the common good.  Insofar as they answer to us, their citizens, we share in their responsibilities for public policy by what we advocate for and how we vote.  For all rulers over nations and those who exercise power, we owe prayer that God may direct them to “run in his service” (cf. Is 45:1), even if they do so unconsciously; to “give the Lord glory and honor” (Resp. Psalm); to “give to God what belongs to God” (Matt 22:21).  Kings, presidents, prime ministers, legislatures, and other public powers have complex responsibilities, extremely difficult tasks even if they eagerly desire justice, peace, and the common good.

If they have other motives—personal power, greed, vengeance—we need to pray for their conversion.  If despite good intentions they pursue mistaken policies, policies that run against God’s laws, policies that don’t honor the natural dignity of every person, we need to pray that they be enlightened and act with courage.  If they do well, we need to thank God for that and continue our prayerful support.

Jesus’ question, “Whose image and whose inscription is this?” (Matt 22:20) refers not merely to a Roman denarius but to the image of God that every human being is.  God truly wants to “grasp the right hand” of everyone in authority (cf. Is 45:1); indeed, of every one of us, that we all might carry out his purposes in our families, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and our parishes.  He has called all of us by name—and anointed us in Baptism; he has given all of us a title (cf. 45:4):  children of God, “brothers and sisters loved by God” (1 Thess 1:4).

Homily for Thursday, Week 28 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
28th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 19, 2023                                      
Rom 3: 21-30
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

“A person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3: 28).

In Paul’s writings, justice or righteousness means being in a right relationship with God, being in God’s grace.  Paul insists that such a relationship isn’t the result of our doing good works, of our own virtuous lives.  No one can observe God’s Law flawlessly—not all the detailed rules of the Torah, not even the most basic moral code of loving God with all one’s being and always loving one’s neighbor.

Paul insists that we must be made just or made holy not by our own efforts but as a gift from God:  “justified freely by his grace thru the redemption in Christ Jesus” (3:24).  Christ alone forgives our sins, all our violations of God’s laws.  Our attachment to Christ by faith renders us righteous or holy.  The work is his work.  Only in him can we boast (cf. 3:27)—of being pardoned undeservedly and justified by his grace.

Salesian Provincial Mission Offices Meet in Rome

Salesian Provincial Mission Offices Meet in Rome

(ANS – Rome – October 19, 2023) – A meeting of the directors, managers, and officials of the Salesian provincial mission offices began on Thursday, October 19, at the Fraterna Domus retreat center in Sacrofano, on the outskirts of Rome. The event, scheduled until Monday the 23d, will bring together around 80 Salesians and lay people from all across the Salesian regions. All of these people are involved in various ways in a central service for the Congregation and its missionary realities.

Promoted by the Missions Department, the meeting is led by the general councilor, Fr. Alfred Maravilla, and organized by Fr. George Menamparampil, coordinator of the Salesian mission offices. The meeting’s theme is "Dare to Share." It began on Thursday evening with the welcome to the participants, the official inauguration, and the initial moments of informal exchanges to facilitate networking.

In Friday morning, the 20th, Fr. Maravilla will introduce the proceedings with a report on the identity of the Salesian mission offices. In the afternoon Filip Lammens, the director of Via Don Bosco, based in Brussels, will deliver his keynote address aimed at exploring the Salesian potential in the international mobilization of resources.

On Saturday, Jan Resutik, from the Slovakian NGO Savio, will highlight the need for digitalization and the continuous improvement of the processes at every mission office. He will present a relevant software to serve as a single platform for all of the Salesian mission offices.

The final fundamental report of the meeting will be offered on Sunday morning, October 22, by Fr. Eric Mairura, who has been appointed as the new general coordinator of the Congregation’s mission offices. He will address the Salesian perspective on developmental works.

But besides these presentations, the structure of the meeting will also incorporate discussions in small groups on various topics addressed in the general sessions. Sharing of 5 good practices adopted in various parts of the world (by provinces of Central America, Southwest Africa, India Dimapur, and Indonesia, and Burma) will also have its slot. Time would also be dedicated for workshops/mini-courses that will delve into aspects of great interest to all those present, such as the interaction and relationship to be developed with benefactors, or the techniques and advantages of networking.

One of the specific objectives of the event (which takes place 4 years after the last such gathering, in 2021) will be the development of a detailed roadmap with all the steps to be taken in the years to come. In fact, this will occupy the culminative part of this gathering.

Salesian Missions of New Rochelle is represented at this meeting by Fr. Mike Conway and Fr. Gabriel Stowowy.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 28 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
28th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 17, 2023
Luke 11: 37-41
Rom 1: 16-25
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

(Photo by Tunji Renner)

“You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish; inside you’re filled with plunder and evil” (Luke 11: 39).

Our Lord doesn’t oppose the rituals and rules of the Law.  He stresses something more important:  inner virtue, a spirit of generosity.

St. Paul also speaks of the interior life, a life of faith that gives glory to the true God.  A person’s faith leads him to seek truth, connects him to God—this is righteousness—and leads to action, living according to faith:  devoutly and uprightly.

Homily for 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
28th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Oct. 15, 2023
Matt 22: 1-14
Villa Maria, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” (Matt 22: 1).

(by Frans Francken the Younger)

Heaven—eternal life in the mansions of God—is often compared to a great banquet.  The 1st reading uses such imagery (Is 25:6-10).  Our responsorial psalm, Ps 23, depicts sheep grazing in green pastures beside restful waters under a shepherd’s loving care.  In our communion rite we allude to a verse from the book of Revelation:  “Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb” (19:9).

That’s the wedding feast of Jesus’ parable:  the king of heaven is preparing it for his only-begotten Son.

The parable as we have it reflects the 1st-century experience of St. Matthew’s community.  Many of those whom Jesus 1st invited to the feast—as well as the next couple of generations—spurned their invitation and persecuted the king’s servants.  Consequently, Matthew implies, their city (Jerusalem) was leveled by violent conquest and fire.

But God in his abundant mercy extended his invitation to the wedding feast, to people everywhere on the streets and highways of imperial Rome, and beyond.  Some of the apostles evangelized Armenia, Persia, India, and Ethiopia.  And God’s house has been filled with “bad and good alike” (22:10), with sinners and saints, as it still is; including us.

So this parable, like others we’ve heard on recent Sundays, is a parable of conversion, of divine mercy, and of divine judgment.

Jesus—or St. Matthew—attached a 2d little parable to the main one about the wedding feast.  The king finds a fellow in the banquet hall “not dressed in a wedding garment” (22:11).  It seems we’re to suppose that he could have put on the garment but chose not to.

In the earliest years of the Church, at the Easter Vigil catechumens would strip before descending into the baptismal pool, and when they came out they’d be clothed in gleaming white garments, which they’d wear for the whole week between Easter and the following Sunday, which was known as dominica in albis, White Sunday.  Only then would they resume their ordinary dress.  The rite of Baptism still includes a symbolic clothing in white—usually a pathetic bib—and the instruction:  “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. … bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.”

We all did something similar when we were first invested in our religious garb.  In our Salesian practice back in the day, Paul’s words to the Ephesians were quoted:  “Put away the old self of your former way of life … and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth” (4:24).

Whether at Baptism or at religious investiture, the garment is weighted with spiritual meaning.

Do you read the funnies?  They’re the best part of the newspaper, and too often the only part that might make us smile.  Back in August,* the strip Curtis had the youngster getting a haircut from his barber pal Gunther.  Gunther tells the boy, thru 4 panels:  “I met someone on ‘Forty and Up Single and Ready to Mingle,’ but I don’t think we’re compatible.  She attends church every single Sunday, rain or shine.  But Monday through Saturday she’s mean, judgmental and nasty to others!  She’s a part-time Christian.”

Coming to the wedding feast of the Lamb is a commitment.  Just being baptized isn’t enuf.  Just “accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior” isn’t enuf.  Being a part-time Christian isn’t enuf.  We have to put on and keep on the white garment of Christian dignity.  We have to be Christian 7 days a week.  We have to be clothed in God’s grace, which means living in that grace.  In the collect we prayed that grace would enable us to carry out good works, i.e., to live in grace.  We need to be constantly re-converted to Christ by repentance and restarting our discipleship.  A refrain in St. John XXIII’s spiritual diary Journal of a Soul is nunc coepi—“now I begin,” i.e., after examining my life, I need to start over again.  It was also a motto of Ven. Bruno Lanteri (founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary), St. Josemaria Escrivá (founder of Opus Dei), and other saints; and even of retired NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, who applies it not only to football but also to his Catholic faith and family life.

And that, brothers and sisters, is why the Lord has given us the sacrament of Reconciliation:  to wash the mud off our garments and make a fresh start of following Jesus.

In Jesus’ parable, the fellow without a proper garment is “cast into the outer darkness to wail and gnash his teeth” (22:13).  We need the garment of repentance and faithful pursuit of holiness if we want a seat at the wedding feast of the Lord.

* August 16.

Beatification Process Opened for Bp. Antonio de Aragao

Diocese of Petrolina Opens Beatification Process
for Bishop Antonio Campelo de Aragão, SDB

(ANS – Petrolina, Brazil – Oct. 4, 2023) – A very significant moment took place for the Salesian province Recife (BRE) on October 2 in the cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Christ the King in Petrolina, Pernambuco State, Brazil: the opening of the beatification process for Bishop Antônio Campelo de Aragão, SDB (1904-1988), 4th bishop of Petrolina (1957-1975).

The celebration was organized by the Sisters Mediators of Peace (Irmãs Medianeiras da Paz), a religious congregation founded in 1968 by Bishop Campelo and which in 2019 became the 32d group of the Salesian Family. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Francisco Canindé Palhano of Petrolina, with Salesians Fr. Ilmário de Souza, Fr. Laércio José, and the superior of BRE, Fr. Francisco Inacio, at his side as concelebrants.

Fr. Laércio José wrote a message for the occasion in which he outlined the figure of this Salesian pastor and his relationship with the community of the city and od the diocese, which is today supporting his cause of beatification.

“He was a pastor present, with his gaze turned to the poorest, deeply involved in the reality of the time. He contributed to the development of the city of Petrolina, indeed of the entire diocese. Through the intercession of Mary Help of Christians, may he be raised to the altars of Holy Church. Let us pray for the Sisters Mediators of Peace, who carry out a beautiful and noble mission, reaching the poorest. My feeling is one of great joy. I also took part in Bishop Campelo’s burial in the cathedral in Petrolina.… He is another great saint for the Salesian Family. Petrolina, moreover, is a city marked by the Salesian presence: its first bishop was also a Salesian, Antônio Maria Malan, and it was he who built the cathedral. When he handed it over, he said, “Around a great stone will be born a great nation.” It was prophetic. Today Petrolina is the third largest city in the state.”

For his part, the BRE provincial, Fr. Inacio, shared a public message addressed to Bishop Canindé Palhano and the Sisters Mediators of Peace, in which he wrote: “We Salesians of Don Bosco of Northeast Brazil, the Salesian Family, in particular the Institute of the Sisters Mediators of Peace, rejoice in the Lord and together we sing a hymn of gratitude to Jesus, the Good Shepherd of our souls, who raised up in the midst of his Church a zealous and wise, prudent and enterprising pastor, our brother Bishop Antônio Campelo de Aragão, SDB (4th Bishop of the Diocese of Petrolina, 1957-1975). In addition to his many initiatives for human, social and charitable promotion, we recognize in him above all his profound faith, a bishop son of Don Bosco who gave himself to the mission with tireless ardor, trying to do everything well, with simplicity and measure (cf. C 18).”

“From the confreres who had the opportunity to live with him,” the message concludes, “emerges the portrait of a consecrated man convinced and committed to the Salesian mission, with an always joyful and helpful response. May his example encourage all of us to live a high standard of Christian life, in charity toward our brothers and sisters and in the authenticity of our service to the Gospel of Christ.”

Homily for Feast of Dedication of St. Patrick's Cathedral

Homily for the Feast of the Anniversary of the
Dedication of St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Oct. 5, 2023
John 4: 19-24
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, New Rochelle, N.Y.

“The hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth” (John 4: 21).

Commenting on the dialog between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, Bp. Barron writes:

She is seeking the center and orientation of her life, not in the properly eternal reality of God, but rather in a particular religious tradition.  She is wondering whether to anchor her life in one of those necessary powers—one of those great principalities that falls, nonetheless, short of God.

Jesus’ answer to this question is magnificent:  “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem….  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  In other words, the divine is not a reality in this world, not something that can be caught in the categories of finitude, not “this” or “that,” but is rather spirit that transcends even those necessary powers that are the great religious traditions.*

The feast of our cathedral, then, is really not a feast of a building, as beautiful as it is, but a feast of the Spirit of God building up his people in holiness.  The real Church is God’s people, not a building.  As persons who act, speak, and think thru our bodies, naturally we need some physical place to gather.  So churches and cathedrals are important.  But the “center and orientation of our life” isn’t in them.  Buildings are but aids that direct us toward the deeper reality that God dwells with us and he leads us toward his eternal temple, where we shall worship him in joyful glory forever.

---

* The Word on Fire Bible: The Gospels (Park Ridge, Ill., 2020), p. 487.

Homily for Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi

Homily for the Memorial of
St. Francis of Assisi
Wednesday, 26th Week

Oct. 4, 2023
Ps 137
Neh 2: 1-8
Luke 9: 57-62
Provincial House, New Rochelle, N.Y.

Suffering in exile, the Jews wish they could return to Judah and rebuild their ruined holy city and its beautiful temple (cf. Ps 137).  Nehemiah, an official of the Persian court, gets permission to go and undertake that work, and with royal support (Neh 2:1-8).

In Assisi in 1205, Francis Bernadone had just undergone a religious conversion but was at a bit of a loss how to live his converted life.  Then he had a vision in which Christ told him to rebuild his church—not the ruined chapel of San Damiano, as he thought at first, but something bigger.

Pope Innocent's Dream (Giotto)

Not long after, Pope Innocent III had a dream in which a wretched-looking beggar appeared to be holding up the Lateran basilica to prevent its collapse.

Then Francis showed up in Rome, seeking papal approval for his little band of religious beggars, mendicants.  Innocent recognized him as the man he’d seen.

And Francis and his brothers, living like Jesus with nowhere to rest their heads (cf. Luke 9:58), begging for their daily food, and sleeping where they could, began to rebuild the medieval Church.  They—and their contemporaries, the Dominicans—instituted a new form of religious life, not secluding themselves in remote monasteries but immersed in cities and towns where God’s people lived, preaching the Gospel thru simplicity of life, joy, service to the poor and the sick, and loyalty to Mother Church.  They “went and proclaimed the kingdom of God” (9:60).

As the collect suggests, if we follow Francis’s example, we’ll be following Jesus—without hesitation and with total commitment.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 26 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
26th Week of Ordinary Time

Oct. 3, 2023
Zech 8: 20-23
Luke 9: 51-56
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Prophet Zechariah (James Tissot)

“Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech 8: 23).

The prophet Zechariah foretells some kind of a general conversion to the Lord.  “Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts” (8:22).  They’ll be drawn to the Lord by evidence, by seeing God at work in the lives of his people.

Jesus shows us how to evidence God in our lives.  He shows it negatively by rebuking his fire-breathing followers.  After all, he’s meek and humble of heart (Matt 11:29).  He doesn’t break a bruised reed or snuff a smoldering wick (Matt 12:20).

Yet he’s stalwart and firm.  He’s just predicted his passion a 2d time (Luke 9:44).  Now he’s “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem” (9:51), where his predictions will be fulfilled, where he’ll meekly but courageously surrender his life to show us the extent of God’s love and thus draw all people to the Lord, as he also predicted:  “When I am lifted up from the earth, I’ll draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32).  Before the Last Supper, “having loved his own in the world, he loved them to the end” (13:1)—which can mean either till the end of his life or to the utmost extreme of love.  I think John means both readings.

“Many peoples shall come to seek the Lord” if they see the evidence in our lives, evidence of the meekness of Jesus and of his loving self-sacrifice.

Cardinal Angel Fernandez's Coat of Arms

Cardinal Angel Fernandez’s Coat of Arms

(ANS – Rome – Sept. 30, 2023) – The coat of arms and motto of Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime, rector major of the Salesians, were unveiled on the occasion of his creation as cardinal.

Heraldry is a complex and specialized language consisting of a myriad of figures. The coat of arms for a cardinal is a special mark, graphic expression, synthesis, and message of his ministry.

In the case of the coat of arms of Cardinal Fernandez, the emblazonment – heraldic description – does not currently carry the shield attached to a styli cross made of gold, placed on a pole, because the Rector Major is not a bishop.

Inside the hooded shield, in the 1st section the characteristic figure of Jesus the Good Shepherd, found in the Catacombs of St. Callistus in Rome stands out – these Catacombs are entrusted to the care of the Salesians; in the 2d section, at the top left, the monogram “MA,” references to Mary Help of Christians (Maria Ausiliatrice), surmounted by a crown of the same color; in the 3d, the anchor with 2 hooks, silver, strung in red. The shield is stamped with a hat with beads and red tassels, a sign of a cardinal’s dignity. 30 tassels are arranged 15 per part, in 5 orders of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Under the shield, in the silver list, the motto in black capital letters: “SUFFICIT TIBI GRATIA MEA” (My grace is enough for you).

As is noted in more detail in the explanation of the emblazonment of the coat of arms of the new cardinal, the figure of the Good Shepherd in the center of the shield expresses the centrality of the figure of Christ, “the true shepherd who leads his people.”

The monogram of Mary Help of Christians recalls the mother to whom Don Bosco entrusted the Congregation and whom he always recommended we pray to.

Finally, the anchor reminds us that Cardinal Ferandez is the son of a fisherman from seas around Spain. It therefore recalls his origins; but at the same time, the anchor is also found in the coat of arms of the Congregation and recalls that Don Bosco himself wanted it as a symbol of the theological virtue of hope.

The episcopal motto, taken from St. Paul (2 Cor 12: 9), expresses trust in Divine Providence.

Homily for 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Oct. 1, 2023
Matt 21: 28-32
The Fountains, Tuckahoe
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“A man had 2 sons” (Matt 21: 28).

Jesus tells 2 parables that begin that way.  Both are concerned with conversion.

The more famous of the 2 is the one we call “The Prodigal Son”; or, better, “The Lost Son.”  In it, the younger son undergoes a conversion, returns home, and is extravagantly welcomed by his father, while the older son, who stayed at home, remains alienated from his father and in need of a conversion.  Jesus addressed that parable and 2 similar ones to “the Pharisees and scribes” who were complaining that he “welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15).

The parable we heard today is addressed to “the chief priests and elders of the people” who challenge his teaching about conversion, faith, and producing good fruit in our lives (Matt 21:18-23).  Before he tells the parable, he directly involves them by asking them, “What’s your opinion?” about what he’s about to narrate.

Of course, Jesus is also asking us.  What do we think about the 2 sons?  “Which of the 2 did his father’s will?” (21:31)

Even Jesus’ opponents know the answer:  the son who changed his mind (21:31).  But they don’t grasp the core of Jesus’ message.  People generally regarded as gross sinners, like tax collectors (known for greed and hard hearts) and prostitutes are undergoing conversions and “entering the kingdom of God,” while “the chief priests and elders of the people” are rejecting God’s message, whether it’s delivered by John the Baptist or by Jesus (21:31-32).

The 1st reading also addressed the question of how God reacts to conversion of life:  “When someone … turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life” (Ezek 18:27).

This is a message of hope for everyone, a message of salvation.  Every one of us commits sin—call it wickedness—in some way, probably in multiple ways.  Jesus promises us forgiveness and eternal life if we’ll change our minds, change our hearts, change our ways—at least make sincere efforts to do so.  As we know from long experience, turning from our sins a never-ending project—whether we’re guilty of malicious speech, lying, impurity, greed, laziness, overindulgence, even if we’ve stolen, committed sexual sins, or killed.  God’s mercy is without limit; his “compassion and love are from of old” (Ps 25:6), as we said in the Psalm.

We may think we’re reasonably virtuous.  God still desires our conversion.  “He guides the humble to justice [which means having a right relationship with God], and teaches the humble his way” (Ps 25:9).  St. Paul, in fact, commands us to be humble:  “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others” (Phil 2:3-4).  Always strive to be of service to others:  in your family, at work, in your neighborhood.

St. Paul continues:  take on the attitude of Jesus himself, who “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave … humbling himself” (2:5,7-8).  He showed that at the Last Supper when he, the apostles’ “master and teacher” washed their feet, the nasty job of slaves, and commanded us to serve one another (John 13:1-15).  And then he, the sinless one, suffered death in place of us sinners.

We’re not called to die in someone else’s place, not usually, altho some people like police officers, firefighters, and soldiers do put their lives on the line for the public good.  The least we can do is sacrifice some comfort, some convenience, maybe some of our dignity, to assist another person.  Perhaps that requires some conversion on our part.  “What’s your opinion?”  How shall you do the Father’s will?

Salesian Family Celebrates Cardinal Angel Fernandez

The Salesian Family Celebrates 
Cardinal Angel Fernandez

Two old friends share big smiles.

Card. Fernandez was provincial in Argentina 

while Jorge Bergoglio was archbishop of Buenos Aires.

(ANS - Vatican City – Sept. 30, 2023) – At a public consistory in St. Peter’s Square on the morning of September 30, Pope Francis created 21 new cardinals. It was a celebration of the universality of the Church and a renewal of the thrust of evangelization.

For the 1st time (as far as anyone knows), the active leader of a religious order/congregation was made a cardinal. That is the Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime.

There was great emotion for the entire Salesian Family when the Holy Father pronounced the official formula for the creation of the 21 new cardinals, and even more when, face to face with the Rector Major kneeling before him, he imposed on him a scarlet skullcap and biretta and the cardinal’s ring and publicly assigned him the “Salesian” diaconate of the Church of Mary Help of Christians in via Tuscolana.

The subsequent moment of embrace of Cardinal Fernandez Artime with the Holy Father was at the same time a symbolic gesture, a sign of fidelity in ecclesial service, and also an expression of concrete closeness and affinity between the two pastors.

Earlier, in the solemn rite which witnessed the first of the 21 nominated cardinals, the Augustinian Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and the lone American among the new cardinals, gave a message of homage and expressed his thanks to the Pontiff on behalf of all. He emphasized how the cardinalate brings with it honors, but above all responsibilities, and the sense of inadequacy of the new cardinals in the face of the greatness of the service to which they are now called. in a spirit of trust in Divine Providence and in the Pontiff’s farsightedness, however, he renewed everyone’s adherence to the task assigned, to be carried out with absolute dedication, utmost humility, and total loyalty.

After the reading of the New Testament passage of Pentecost (Acts 12:1-11), the Holy Father offered some hints to the new cardinals – valid also for all members of the college of cardinals.

“Before we are apostles – priests, bishops, cardinals – we are ‘Parthians, Medes, Elamites.’... And this should awaken in us awe and gratitude for having received the grace of the Gospel in our respective peoples of origin. I believe that this is very important and should not be forgotten,” said the Pope, urging the newly created cardinals to preserve “amazement and gratitude” for the action of the Holy Spirit who has reached them in their languages and peoples, through the mediation of so many people: parents, grandparents, catechists, et al.

Therefore, Francis continued, almost as if to suggest a pastoral style of proximity and simplicity, it is important to remember that “faith is transmitted in dialect,” and that before being “evangelizers” one has to have been “evangelized.”

The Holy Father’s last mention was of the universality of the college of cardinals, an expression of a “symphonicity” and “synodality” that is proper to the whole Church. “Diversity is necessary; it is indispensable. But every sound must contribute to the common design. And for this, it is fundamental to listen to each other…. And the conductor of the orchestra is at the service of this kind of miracle that each time is the performance of a symphony.”

The Holy Father concluded stating that it is precisely the image of the orchestra, which teaches us “always better to be a symphonic and synodal Church ... in the consoling trust that that we have the Holy Spirit as our master: the inner master of each one and the master of walking together,” who “creates variety and unity” and who “is harmony itself.”

The celebration ended with the Holy Father’s apostolic blessing for the approximately 12,000 faithful present in St. Peter’s Square for this festive day; who, under a still summer sun, then lined up for the traditional “courtesy visits” to the new cardinals in the corridors of the Vatican Apostolic Palace.

The Salesian Cardinals

Don Bosco’s Sons Who Became Cardinals
Abp. Virgilio do Carmo da Silva

(ANS – Rome – Sept. 29, 2023) – The ANS review of the sons of Don Bosco who became cardinals concluded the day before the Salesian Rector Major was created cardinal. The last Salesian before him to be created cardinal was the Timorese Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, who at 55 years of age is currently one of the youngest members of the college of cardinals.

Virgilio do Carmo da Silva was born on November 27, 1967, in the town of Venilale in the eastern part of the colony of Portuguese Timor, today the Democratic Republic of East Timor.

He received primary and secondary education at the Colegio de Dom Bosco in Fatumaca, where he obtained his diploma. Feeling that his priestly vocation to the priesthood was maturing, he entered the Salesian Society shortly after high school. He made his novitiate in Fatumaca, and there he professed first vows on May 31, 1990; then he was sent to Manila, Philippines, to study philosophy and theology, until his perpetual profession, which took place in Parañaque on March 19, 1997.

At the end of his formation, he received priestly ordination on December 8, 1998. Immediately afterward, he was entrusted with his first assignment as master of novices in East Timor, a role he carried out for 5 years. In 2004 he was appointed treasurer of the house of formation and assistant pastor in his native Venilale.

In 2005 he moved to Rome for a 2-year stay at the Salesian Pontifical University, at the end of which he obtained a degree in spirituality. Returning to his homeland, he became master of novices again in 2007 and, from 2009, also director of the Salesian community and Don Bosco Technical High School in Fatumaca, holding both roles until 2014.

He was delegate for the Association of Mary Help of Christians for the Salesians in East Timor from 2007 to 2015, and for formation from 2013 to 2016). In 2015 he was appointed superior of the Salesian vice province of East Timor, holding the position until his promotion to the episcopate, which took place on January 30, 2016, when Pope Francis appointed him as the fourth bishop of Dili.

He received episcopal ordination on the following March 19, in the protected area of Tasitolu, by the imposition of hands of Joseph Salvador Marino, titular archbishop of Natchitoches and apostolic nuncio to East Timor, and took possession of the diocese during a subsequent ceremony held in the cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili. As his episcopal motto he chose Ad Deum Patrem Omnipotentem (To God the Father Almighty).

In his pastoral ministry he has committed himself, among other things, to promoting the relaunching of religious tourism, to give the country's fragile economy a new boost.

On September 11, 2019, Pope Francis erected the ecclesiastical province of East Timor, elevating the diocese of Dili to a metropolitan see; at the same time, therefore, Bp. Carmo da Silva became its first archbishop.

On May 29, 2022, at the end of the Regina Caeli, Pope Francis announced his creation as a cardinal, which then took place in the consistory on the following August 27. He is currently a member of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.