Homily for Solemnity of Sts. Peter & Paul

Homily for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter & Paul

June 29, 2025
Acts 12: 1-11
Ps 34: 1-8
2 Tim 4: 6-8, 17-18
Matt 16: 13-19
The Fountains, Tuckahoe, N.Y.
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Assumption, Bronx

Attributed to Giuseppe Vermiglio

“The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against my Church” (Matt 16: 18).

By church law, every 5 years every bishop must go to Rome—they go in national or regional groups—to the thresholds of the apostles Peter and Paul, ad limina apostolorum in Latin.  For these ad limina visits, they meet as groups and individually with the Holy Father, Peter’s successor, to talk about their dioceses, to renew their commitment to leading their churches in the gospel faith handed on from Christ thru the apostles.  The Holy Father is the custodian not only of the sacred tombs of Peter and Paul but also of the faith they preached.

Every June 29, new metropolitan archbishops go to Rome to be invested by the Pope with the pallium, a small, necklace like stole or vestment woven from lamb’s wool, embossed with black crosses, that symbolizes both their authority in their church provinces and their unity with Peter’s successor.  This year the 48 new archbishops from around the world include the archbishops of Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Omaha, and Washington.

The authority of the apostles, Peter and Paul in particular, is the guarantee of Christ’s teaching, of gospel truth, and the unity of Christ’s Church.

The theme word of our Scriptures today was “rescue.”  “I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me,” Peter says to himself after his escape from prison and execution (Acts 12:11).  The psalmist exclaims, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them” (34:8).  Late in life, Paul writes to his disciple Timothy, “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength….  I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom” (2 Tim 4:17-18).  Jesus assures Peter, the rock foundation of the Church he will establish, that “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”

“Netherworld” in Matthew’s Greek is hades, which may also be rendered as “underworld,” “place of the dead,” simply “death,” as in several translations of the New Testament, and even “hell,” as in the Douay-Rheims translation that many of us grew up with and in the Apostles Creed.

Peter’s faith in Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16) will prevail over all the powers of death and of the Lord of Death, Satan, hell’s ruler.  Our gospel faith will rescue the followers of Jesus Christ from death, from the grasp of Satan, “from the lion’s mouth.”  In that last phrase, Paul perhaps means being rescued from condemnation by Nero, a rescue that proved only temporary; he was eventually condemned for being a Christian, beheaded in 67 during Nero’s persecution, and buried where the basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls now stands.  But “from the lion’s mouth” also means his deliverance from the Devil, who, in the words of St. Peter’s 1st Letter, “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (5:8).

Our Lord Jesus Christ triumphed over the netherworld and all the powers of hell.  His teaching was handed on by Sts. Peter and Paul, whose teaching is still preserved and handed on by the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church under the authority of the bishop of Rome, Peter’s successor.  In union with the Pope, we stand at the threshold of the apostles, at the gates of heaven.  In union with Peter, the rock of our faith, “the Lord will rescue [us] from every evil threat and bring [us] safe to his heavenly Kingdom.”

Bro. Thomas Junis Ordained Deacon

Bro. Thomas Junis Ordained Deacon

Credit: Razeg23 Photography

Salesian Bro. Thomas S. Junis was ordained a deacon on Saturday, June 21, by Auxiliary Bishop Gregory Studerus of Newark.  The ordination was celebrated at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Orange, N.J.

Twenty-three Salesians concelebrated, including Fr. Dominic Tran, provincial. About a dozen Salesian brothers, both coadjutors and seminarians, also took part, along with Bro. Tom’s parents, godparents, and other family members, 2 Salesian sisters, the province’s 2 prenovices, other members of the Salesian Family, altar servers from the parish, Salesian Lay Missioner candidates, and youths from several Salesian works.

Bp. Gregory Studerus

Named an auxiliary bishop only 5 years ago, Bp. Studerus, 77, had his resignation on account of age accepted just a few weeks ago. He’d begun to think he’d never have an opportunity to ordain anyone until Fr. Dominic called him last year. Then a few weeks ago, the Benedictines in Newark called upon him; he called that a “practice” for Bro. Tom’s diaconal ordination, which became his 2d such celebration. A longtime pastor in the Newark Archdiocese, Bp. Studerus relishes pastoral ministry, is delighted to continue doing that with fewer administrative responsibilities now, and admires the marvelous work he sees his fellow priests doing. He appreciates Cardinal Tobin, Newark’s archbishop, and his fellow auxiliaries as great pastors.

Bishop Studerus with Fr. John Nazzaro

Bp. Studerus began his homily by noting that the feast of Corpus Christi will be the next day, a celebration of the Word of God’s coming into the world as one of us. He linked the Divine Word to Dcn. Tom’s call to proclaim the Word through his preaching of the Gospel and the witness of his life.

Referring to the gospel of Jesus’ washing the feet of the apostles, read moments earlier (John 13:1-20), the bishop directed the new deacon to imitate the Master’s example in his service to Christ and God’s people. “What a wonderful, beautiful calling!” he exclaimed.

The bishop continued by observing that with the strength of the Holy Spirit, Dcn. Tom will assist the Salesians wherever he’ll serve and assist the local bishop by proclaiming the Word of God, providing sacramental assistance, and leading public prayer. “Do the will of God in charity and from the depth of your heart,” he exhorted the ordinand.

Welcome & Thanks

At the beginning of Mass, Fr. Dominic welcomed everyone to the liturgy, especially Bp. Studerus. As the ordination rite began, he presented Bro. Tom and assured the bishop that he was ready for ordination. When the bishop accepted the candidate, the congregation signaled their approval with applause.

At the end of Mass, Dcn. Tom thanked God, Mary Help of Christians, his family, Bp. Studerus, and numerous confreres and others who assisted him in discerning and following his Salesian vocation. He directed toward the livestream camera a message in Spanish to his friends and supporters in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, where he had studied.

Following the Mass, the celebration continued with a buffet lunch in the parish center.

Family Joy

Credit: Razeg23 Photography

Both Mr. and Mrs. Junis felt overwhelmed by their son’s vocation and the celebration of his ordination. They find their reactions hard to put into words. Mrs. Junis sees “so much grace at work” but admits it wasn’t easy for her at the beginning of Tom’s vocational journey. Now she’s “so proud of him.” At the same time, she isn’t surprised by his vocation; she stated that even in grammar school some called him “Father Tom.” She appreciates very much the vocational guidance he got in college and maintains that both Dcn. Tom and his family have found a genuine family among the Salesians. Now, “As long as he’s happy, it doesn’t matter where he’ll be” because the Salesians look after one another so diligently.

Biography

Dcn. Tom Junis, son of Mitch and Margie Junis, was born in Bloomington, Ill., in 1992. He began to discern his vocation as a student at Illinois State University and was influenced there by the sisters on campus, the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and then by two Newman Center chaplains, the late Fr. Greg Ketcham of the Peoria Diocese (a Salesian Cooperator) and Fr. Bill Bucciferro, SDB, of the Newman Center at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Early on, Tom made St. John Bosco his patron for his educational efforts and went to Turin in 2015 on a Don Bosco bicentennial pilgrimage.

Dcn. Tom with his parents and other family members

After earning a degree in early childhood education from Illinois State in Bloomington, Tom entered the Salesians at Orange, N.J., as a candidate in 2016.  He made his novitiate at the Salesian house in Richmond, Calif., in 2017-2018 and made his first profession at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw, N.Y. (now the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians).

Following 2 years of postnovitiate formation in Orange, Bro. Tom did practical training in 2020-2022 at Abp. Shaw HS in Marrero, La. There, he taught theology to sophomores and juniors, served as chaplain to the basketball and baseball teams, and developed good relationships with many students outside the classroom.

In 2022, Bro. Tom began theological studies at the Salesian studentate in Tlaquepaque, Mexico. He especially enjoyed his classes in Christology, Mariology, and the sacred Scriptures. He carried our pastoral ministry in the local youth center as well as in the state of Oaxaca.

In 2024 Bro. Tom assisted at the Salesian summer camp in Montreal. He made his perpetual profession last August at the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians.

The Future

Dcn. Tom’s ordination is the province’s first ordination in two years, bringing great joy to his confreres. We look forward to his priestly ordination in June 2026, God willing.

For his final year of theological preparation for the priesthood, Dcn. Tom will study at the Chicago Theological Union, along with Salesian Bros. Francis Nguyen and Paul Hotovy, who have just completed 2 years of practical training at Don Bosco Cristo Rey in Takoma Park, Md. They will be part of the Salesian community in Chicago, based at St. John Bosco-St. James Parish.

Credit: Razeg23 Photography

Memorial Mass for Jim O'Toole

Memorial Mass for Jim O’Toole[1]

June 26, 2025
John 11: 17-27
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

The raising of Lazarus (Giotto)

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11: 21).

There is a forlorn hope!  No one escapes the Grim Reaper.

Not even Jesus, to whom Martha appeals plaintively.

Yet he who is but a week away from his own death announces, “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25).  Death cannot hold him down.  That, we know, he’s about to demonstrate with Martha’s brother.

That, we believe, is our firm belief.  We believe that the Lord is here.  Not that he’ll preserve us from a death like his own.  But we believe he is the Lord of life.  We believe that in him we’re destined for a life like his own, as Ps 16 assures us:  “You will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.  You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights of your right hand forever” (Ps 16:10-11), even in a new bodily form.  The one who sits on the throne of God says, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5).

So we commend to Jesus, our resurrection and our life, the Lord who is here, our brother Jim, as we’ve commended and will commend so many brothers, sisters, parents, and friends to the all-embracing love of Jesus, a love that we’ll specially celebrate tomorrow.  “Whoever lives and believes in [him] will never die” (John 11:26).

[1] James O’Toole, brother of one of the Christian Brothers in residence.  Some family members were present, as well

.

Salesian Missions Funds Classroom Expansion

Salesian Missions Funds Classroom Expansion
Technical-Vocational School in Madagascar Benefits

(ANS – Mahajanga, Madagascar – June 24, 2025) – Salesian missionaries are working on a construction project to expand classrooms at Don Bosco Mahajanga, a technical and vocational center in Madagascar. Donor funding from Salesian Missions in New Rochelle is financing the project. The funding has been used for the ground floor construction work that was needed, which is currently 80% finished. 

The classroom extension will enable the center to increase classroom sizing by 20 to 40 students per training cycle. These students typically range in age from 15 to 20, and they are often transitioning from general education or unemployment to skilled trades.

 The goal is to provide practical training relevant to the local economy, enhancing their employability and improving livelihoods. The students come from families with limited financial resources, and vocational training offers them a path to economic empowerment.

Fr. Bruno Ramaharaisoa, director, explained: “Beyond the direct beneficiaries, the project will also indirectly benefit the teaching staff and administration by creating a more conducive working environment and increasing the skilled workforce in the region. It is poised to have a significant positive impact on the educational opportunities and future prospects of numerous young individuals in the region, while also contributing to broader community development. The new building is seen as a catalyst for future positive initiatives in the field of education.”

Mahajanga is a large city located in the northwest coast of Madagascar. The schools in the area are insufficient. As a result, many youths are not able to access education. This leads to unemployment, child labor, and other economic and social issues. 

The Salesians have 11 centers and work in several locations in the country, including the Don Bosco House in Ivato in the outskirts of Antananarivo, the capital. Salesians have been in Ankililoaka since 1982. They have constructed schools and churches, as well as a youth center. They are working to ensure quality education and make sure no student is left behind.

Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. 70% of Madagascar’s almost 19 million people live in poverty. 5.7 million of those are youths between the ages 10-24, according to UNICEF. This number is expected to double in 2025.

Source: MissionNewswire

Homily for Birth of John the Baptist

Homily for the Solemnity of the
Birth of John the Baptist

June 24, 2025
Is 49: 1-6
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Zechariah confirms John's name

“The Lord called me from birth” (Is 49: 1).

We’re familiar with the story of John the Baptist’s birth, the mission God gave him, and his faithful preaching of the Messiah.  If God gives everyone a vocation, then we believe that he’s called everyone from birth—called all of us, ultimately, to live forever in joy as part of his family, children of God redeemed by Christ.

He’s given everyone, as well, an individual path toward that forever goal, a particular calling by which we are to serve him (cf. 49:3)—as brothers, priest, wife, mother, teacher, helper, friend.

“My reward is with the Lord” (49:4).  John the Baptist got no reward in this life except the satisfaction of doing what he was born to do—to direct people to God, to point out to them the Savior of the world.  With so relatively few becoming Jesus’ disciples, John could well have “thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength” (49:4).

Truly, when we strive to direct people to God and point out to them the Savior, we can expect little recompense in this life; maybe an occasional word or act of appreciation, a pat on the back to compensate for the kicks in the posterior; and, we hope, no danger to our heads.  But in the end, we hope to have our sins wiped away by the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and to be gathered to the Lord with his people (cf. Is 49:5).  We hope to be “made glorious in the sight of the Lord” (49:5); we hope for his welcome to his home, our eternal home:  “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:21); you’ve been “a light to the nations” and helped “my salvation reach to the ends of the earth” (Is 49:6).

Official Opening of New Salesian Generalate

Official Opening of the New Salesian Generalate

Sacred Heart Basilica with adjacent generalate
(ANS)

(ANS – Rome – June 23, 2025) – The Salesian generalate (international headquarters), located in Rome at Via Marsala 42, represents the organizational heart of the worldwide Salesians of Don Bosco. It is located next to the basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Castro Pretorio neighborhood. Don Bosco himself built the church, the spiritual heart of devotion to the Sacred Heart worldwide.

On Friday, June 27, the renovated Salesian headquarters will be officially opened after 3 years of intense work that have radically transformed the establishment. This house has been the Congregation’s seat since 2017, following a move from the previous generalate located on Via della Pisana far outside the city center.

The Salesian generalate is by its nature the place of worldwide coordination of the entire Salesian Family and is the official residence of the rector major, the successor of Don Bosco. He leads the Congregation in 137 nations around the world, and presides over the general council, which coordinates Salesian activity.

Geographically, this house stands across the street from the Termini Station, Rome’s central railway station, in a strategic position in the heart of the capital. It is an integral part of the basilica of the Sacred Heart. Renovation began in 2022 to adapt the rooms to the functions of the rector major’s house and to meet the needs of the Congregation’s worldwide governance.

The complex has a profound historical value for the Salesians. It is the first house founded by Don Bosco in Rome, at the request of Pope Leo XIII. Don Bosco accepted the Pope’s command to build the church in 1880; from then on, he travelled through Italy, France, and Spain begging alms from benefactors, and managed to complete the work, with great effort, in 1887. Celebrating the only Mass in the church at the altar of Mary Help of Christians on May 16, 1887 – only a few months before his death – Don Bosco understood his vocation as educator of the young, and was moved by what the Lord had achieved in his life.

Sacred Heart's interior courtyard
(Fr. Gabriel Stawowy)

In addition to being the seat of central government of the Congregation, the Sacred Heart community also takes care of the Sacred Heart Basilica, animates a youth center, provinces services for the poor and refugees, and cares for the renovated Casa Don Bosco Museum in Rome, which also has undergone a radical regeneration process carried out in the context of the works that have just been completed.

Opening program

In order to celebrate worthily the completion of the works that have involved the entire structure for 3 years, the Congregation has organized a special event, which will take place on June 27, significantly on the liturgical solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The program will start at 11:30 a.m. and will include

• Introduction to the celebration, by Fr. Francesco Marcoccio, director of the Salesian community ‘Sacred Heart’
• Address by the vicar of the Rector Major, Fr. Stefano Martoglio, on The institutional meaning of a Headquarters
• Address by the Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, on Don Bosco in Rome yesterday and today
• Talk by Card. Giuseppe Versaldi, titular of the basilica of the Sacred Heart and former prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, on The challenges of educating young people today for the Church
• Address by Dr. Barbara Funari, councilor for youth policies of the city of Rome, on The educational challenges in Rome
• Official opening of the Casa Don Bosco Museum, with a prayer of blessing and a short guided tour for groups.

Numerous officials have confirmed their participation, including Rome’s mayor, Dr. Roberto Gualtieri; the superiors general (or their representatives) of the Jesuits, Friars Minor, Scalabrinians, Orione Fathers, and Oblates of Mary Immaculate; ambassadors; civil officials; Salesian provincials; and others.

The opening of the Salesian generalate will be a moment of celebration not only for the local Salesian community, but also for the entire city and all those who, following Don Bosco’s example, believe in an educational commitment on behalf of young people most in need. 

Homily for Solemnity of Corpus Christi

Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

June 22, 2025
Gen 14: 18-20
1 Cor 11: 23-26
Villa Maria, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

Meeting of Abraham & Melchizedek
(Dieric Bouts the Elder)

“Melchizedek … brought out bread and wine, and being a priest of God Most High, he blessed Abram…” (Gen 14: 18).

This short passage is the only reference to Melchizedek in the entire Old Testament except for Ps 110, our responsorial psalm today, which speaks of God’s oath to Israel’s king:  “Like Melchizedek you are a priest forever” (v. 4).  Then the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews takes these 2 short passages and applies them at some length to Christ in ch. 7.

Our interest on this solemn feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ, is in who Melchizedek is, both a king and a priest; in what he offered to God, bread and wine; in the occasion for this offering; and in the blessing he pronounced on both Abram and God Most High.

In much of the ancient world, including Israel at times, kings acted also as priests, making sacrifices to God and blessing their people.  Ps 110 sees this as part of the responsibilities of the sons of King David in regard to the kingdom of Judah, and the author of Hebrews sees it as a description of Jesus, who is both Lord, i.e., king and master, and a priest who offers an eternal sacrifice to God, namely, himself, his own body and blood.

We know well that our Lord Jesus offered his body and blood to the Father on the cross.  St. Paul reminds us, as well, that the Lord Jesus connected that self-offering to us, to our eating the bread of his body and the wine of his blood “in remembrance of” him (1 Cor 11:24-25).  Jesus' self-offering is directly related to his death; St. Paul makes the point that he did this “on the nite he was handed over” (11:23), i.e., betrayed by Judas to the authorities who had him crucified.

Our offering of bread and wine, then, has a greater significance than what Melchizedek offered for Abram.  Our bread and wine, by the power of Jesus’ words, become the body and blood of Jesus; by sharing in his body and blood, we “proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes” (11:26); we make present and become participants in his crucifixion, in his redemptive sacrifice, and we anticipate his coming back to us risen and alive in eternal glory.

Our 3d interest is that Melchizedek and Abram were giving thanks to God for Abram’s victory over enemies who’d seized members of his family, his flocks, and his other possessions.  Like the nomad chieftain that he was, Abram rallied his allies, pursued and defeated his enemies, and returned in victory with his relatives and goods.  Hence a sacrifice to God Most High.

As we “proclaim the death of the Lord,” we’re celebrating our Lord Jesus’ victory over his enemies.  The power of God makes Christ’s enemies his footstool, crushed under his feet.  His enemies are our enemies as well—death, the Dark Lord of Death, Satan, and his evil allies.  That victory is cause for celebration and for a grateful sacrifice to God our Father.

And that’s what we do when we celebrate the Eucharist, our sacred meal of bread and wine transformed into Christ’s body and blood, a sacrifice of thanksgiving in which we offer Christ to his Father.  As Melchizedek blessed God Most High, so do we at Mass—praising God, thanking God, uniting our hearts to God in Christ.  As Melchizedek invoked a blessing from God Most High upon Abram, so does our Lord Jesus bless us as we partake in this sacrifice of his body and blood.  “Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51, gospel verse).

Salesians Take in Tens of Thousands of Refugees

Salesians Take in Tens of Thousands of People Forced to Leave Their Homes

(ANS – Madrid – June 20, 2025) – More than 123 million people have been forced to leave their homes due to armed conflict, extreme violence, or serious human rights violations. Once again, the number of displaced people has risen, and now 1 in 67 people worldwide are victims of forced displacement. Of these, nearly 43 million have had to flee to other countries; over 49 million are boys and girls. The Salesians, present in more than 130 countries, assist more than 500,000 displaced persons and refugees.

The Salesians, as explained by the Salesian mission office in Madrid, are present in war zones such as Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burma, and in refugee camps such as those in Kakuma (Kenya), Palabek (Uganda), and Pugnido (Ethiopia). They also offer help in emergency situations in displaced settlements such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

But Salesian mission stations are also places of refuge, as in the case of Gumbo, South Sudan. In addition, the Salesians are on the borders of Mexico, Turkey, and Egypt, among others, in those places, that is, where efforts are made to respond to the needs of people forced to leave their lands.

“In some refugee camps, like those in Kakuma or Palabek, we are the only organization whose members live permanently inside the camps. Salesian missionaries live with and like the displaced people, to give them support and comfort,” explains Fr. Luis Manuel Moral, head of Misiones Salesianas in Madrid. “In addition to offering basic necessities, we also have educational centers so that children, girls, and youths can receive a quality education and train to have the necessary tools for the future. In Kakuma alone, we train more than 2,000 children and youths each year in the 7 centers we have in the camp. In all these years, more than 19,000 young people have graduated from one of our technical schools,” Fr. Moral adds.

On the occasion of World Refugee Day, which is celebrated on June 20, Misiones Salesianas appeals to humanitarian organizations and the international community to promote actions to improve the quality of life of these people. The Madrid mission office also, and above all, calls for work for peace and the defense of human rights, in order to curb these numbers, which continue to grow every year. In the meantime, Misiones Salesianas says, “we will continue to work in behalf of people forced to flee their homes.”

Homily for Thursday, Week 11 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
11th Week in Ordinary Time

June 19, 2025
2 Cor 11: 1-11
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

St. Paul (Rembrandt)

“If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me!” (2 Cor 11: 1).

Paul lived in Corinth for a year and a half (Acts 18:11), supporting himself by practicing his tentmaking trade alongside Aquila and Priscilla, with whom he stayed (18:3).  He knew his converts well and, presumably, had many close friends among them.

Even so, he finds himself having to defend his apostolic credentials and his teaching in the face of people who have come with “a different spirit” and “a different gospel” (2 Cor 11:4).  That might have meant people from Jerusalem who claimed to have greater authority and who demanded observance of the Mosaic Law as a condition of Christian faith, notwithstanding the ruling of the Council of Jerusalem (cf. Acts 15).  Or it could have meant that some were denying a future bodily resurrection, a topic on which Paul expounds at length in 1 Cor 15.

Paul insists on “a sincere and pure commitment to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3) and on his own apostolic authority:  “I’m not in any way inferior to these ‘superapostles’” (11:5).

Maintaining a pure commitment to Christ ever remains a challenge for our Christian faith, perhaps more so in this age of the internet and so many self-styled authorities.  There are always those who demand a purer faith, like the Lefevrists, or a self-referential faith, like the foes of Pope Francis, as well as those who want to adulterate Christianity, e.g., by eliminating Christ’s divinity—cf. the Unitarians; or make of the resurrection just a spiritual symbol—cf. John Shelby Spong, the late Episcopal bishop of Newark[1]; or opt for an “easier” morality by accommodating ourselves to the spirit of the age (their name is legion).

Paul insists on “the truth of Christ in me” (11:10), as we must insist on the truth in the sacred Scriptures, in the constant tradition of the Church (e.g., on sacramental theology and morality), and in what the Church teaches today with apostolic authority—the authority of Vatican II and the authority of St. Peter’s successors.

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[1] John Shelby Spong - Wikipedia.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 11 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
11th Week in Ordinary Time

June 17, 2025
2 Cor 8: 1-9
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Portrait of St. Paul
(Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls)

“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, the grace of God that has been given to the churches of Macedonia” (2 Cor 8: 1).

The grace of God that Paul singles out is faith that produces joy even in afflictions and generosity even out of poverty.  We don’t know what affliction the churches of Macedonia were experiencing, but we can imagine hostility, at least.  It was at Philippi, after all, that Paul and Silas had been beaten and put into prison (Acts 16:19-24).

We know what the generosity involved.  Paul has organized a collection for the church at Jerusalem, which is suffering from want—unspecified, but obviously of a material nature; perhaps the need to support widows, orphans, and the sick, as hinted in the early chapters of Acts.

So Paul is appealing to the church at Corinth to be generous like the Macedonian churches, and he flatters them a little:  “As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also” (8:7).

Possibly, brothers and sisters, you’re able now and then to assist financially our brothers and sisters in need, e.g., relief after a natural disaster or an offering to provide food in some drought-hit or violence-stricken situation.  More than a possibility, tho, is your ability to offer generous prayer, e.g., for the victims of war or human trafficking or a wretched economy, or for migrants and refugees.  You can keep in touch with your families, past pupils, and former colleagues, offering friendship and moral support, whose value can’t be measured in dollars but is akin to the sun’s rising or the rain’s falling, immeasurable blessings from God (cf. Matt 5:45).

Homily for Trinity Sunday

Homily for Trinity Sunday

Collect
June 15, 2025
The Fountains, Tuckahoe, N.Y.
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

The Holy Trinity
(St. James Church, Antwerp)

We prayed, “God our Father, by sending into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification, you made known to the human race your wondrous mystery” (Collect).

God has made known to us his wondrous mystery.  In part, we have to say.

It truly is a mystery that God is one God yet 3 Persons.  We can’t possibly understand that core of our Christian faith, the faith we profess every week:  “I believe in God, the Father Almighty.  I believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God.  I believe in the Holy Spirit.”

The greatest Christian theologians, such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, have struggled to understand the Holy Trinity, but really, we can’t understand or explain the mystery.  We can only believe that God has revealed it to us.

You may think, well, that makes no sense.  How can I believe something so incomprehensible?  I respond:  I believe you are deeply, passionately in love with your spouse, or if you’re single you have such a hope for your future, or if you’re widowed you had such an experience.  Can you explain that?  Do you understand why you have that feeling for one person and not someone else?  In the depths of your heart, it’s a mystery.  And it’s true.

Our prayer notes that we know God because he sent into the world the Word of truth and the Spirit of sanctification.

The Word of truth is God the Son, the Word personified as eternal Wisdom in our 1st reading (Prov 8:22-31), the Word of God made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth.

We have some understanding of truth.  There’s mathematical truth, e.g., 2+2 will always, everywhere = 4, [and the angles of a triangle will always, everywhere = 180º].[1]  There’s scientific truth like the law of gravity.  If Isaac Newton had been sitting under an apple tree at the South Pole (not that he’d have found a tree there), when that apple separated from the tree it wouldn’t have fallen off the bottom of the earth and floated into space; it still would have conked him in the head because gravity truly applies everywhere in our atmosphere.  [Einstein’s famous E=mc² is true whether I understand it or not (and I don’t).]  Because the laws of physics are true, we were able to land men on the moon and aspire to get to Mars.

The order in the universe demonstrates the truth that Someone intelligent created it; we call that Someone the Creator or the Supreme Being or God.  Nothing can’t create something.

That Someone also put into our hearts a moral instinct.  We know killing an innocent person is wrong.  We know taking someone else’s belongings is wrong.  We know that we owe respect to our parents.

God has gone further, however, in making truth known.  He has revealed to us thru his Word, thru Jesus Christ, that he loves us and that he created us for love and happiness.  That’s true for every human being, everyone created in the image of God (cf. Gen 1:27), regardless of who you are, where you come from, what color your skin is.  God also reveals thru Jesus that sin—our all-too-common experience—disrupts and destroys our happiness, but that forgiveness is ours thru the death and resurrection of Christ, regardless of whatever we may have done, provided only that we let the grace of Jesus touch us.

We know that because Jesus, God’s living Word, taught it and because the Father sent us the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of truth,” to guide us “to all truth” (John 16:13), help us remember what Jesus has revealed to us, and guide how we live.

In his autobiography, titled Hope, Pope Francis tells a little story about an old woman he met at a penance service in Buenos Aires while he was an auxiliary bishop.  She assured him, “The Lord forgives everyone. If the Lord did not forgive everyone, the world would not exist.”  He comments to us, his readers: “She could not have been wiser if she had studied at the Gregorian University.  For hers was the wisdom given by the Holy Spirit: the inner wisdom that is open to God’s mercy.”[2]

God also sent to the human race the Spirit of sanctification, that is, the Spirit of holiness.  The Spirit makes us holy, which is the literal meaning of “sanctify”—to make holy.  Holiness isn’t something we can do on our own—as you well know.  But the Holy Spirit of God can do that.  Christ acts to forgive our sins thru the Spirit, as we heard when Jesus appeared to his disciples on Easter nite and breathed the Holy Spirit upon them for the forgiveness of sins.

In confession, have you ever listened to the beautiful words of absolution the priest speaks to you after you confess and he gives you a penance?  “God the Father of mercies, thru the death and resurrection of Christ, has poured forth the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins,” and he then pronounces the words of forgiveness.  What a wonderful gift God the Father gives us thru Jesus and the Holy Spirit:  forgiveness!  mercy!  and thus, holiness!  Holiness is nothing but being in God’s grace.

When we die, only one thing will matter:  have we allowed the grace of God to wash away our sins and make us holy?  [Imagine this:  Aaron Judge comes to bat, and the pitcher wants to give him an intentional walk.  Judge says, “No, I refuse the walk,” and goes back to the dugout.  What happens?  He’ll be declared out, of course.  Thru the Spirit of sanctification, God wants to walk us into heaven; he won’t send anyone to hell, but he can’t prevent us from refusing his offer of heaven, of grace, of holiness.]

“We have peace with God thru our Lord Jesus Christ,” St. Paul writes (Rom 5:1).  “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts thru the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (5:5).  May we allow God’s peace and love to rule our hearts and make us holy.

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[1] Bracketed passages omitted at The Fountains.

[2] Pope Francis, Hope: The Autobiography, with Carlo Musso, trans. Richard Dixon (NY: Random House), p. 169.

Fr. Andrej Majcen's "Positio" Is Delivered in Rome

The “Positio super Virtutibus” of Fr. Andrej Majcen Is Delivered in Rome

(ANS - Vatican City – June 13, 2025) - On Thursday, June 5, the volume of the Positio super Vita, Virtutibus et Fama Sanctitatis of the Servant of God Andrej Majcen, Salesian missionary, was delivered at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in the Vatican.

The Positio was presented by Fr. Szczepan Tadeusz Praskiewicz, OCD, with Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, as postulator, and Dr. Lodovica Maria Zanet as collaborator. The structural elements of the Positio – which presents the entire documentary and testimonial evidence concerning the virtuous life of the Servant of God in an articulate and in-depth manner – are: a brief presentation by the relator; the Informatio super virtutibus, i.e., the theological part in which the virtuous life of the Servant of God is demonstrated; the two summaria with the testimonial and documentary evidence; the Biographia ex Documentis; the final sections and the iconographic apparatus. Special thanks go to Fr. Alojzij Snoj, SDB, for his passion and the qualified and generous collaboration offered, both in the diocesan and Roman phases of the cause.

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. These articulated stages of study and evaluation will allow the Supreme Pontiff, in the event of a positive outcome, to declare Fr. Majcen a Venerable Servant of God. A miracle attributed to his intercession will then be needed to open the way to beatification.

This news aroused great joy both in the Slovenian Province, the land where the Servant of God was born and which has accompanied this cause of beatification with great commitment and interest, and in that of Vietnam, the frontier of his missionary activity after the years spent in China.

Andrej Majcen was born in Maribor, Slovenia, on September 30, 1904, the eldest of four children. His parents – Andrej and Marija Slik – were exemplary for their integrity and dedication to others: his father, a court clerk, taught Andrej to be good to everyone, not to judge, to reconcile tensions; his mother, a woman of profound faith whom the Servant of God considered a religious in the world and who he believed he had never equaled in devotion, transmitted to him an all-encompassing love for our Lady and the commitment always to be of God in a changing world.

His father’s and mothers’ teachings found confirmation for the young Andrej when – after the state teacher-training school – he was taken on as a teacher at the Salesians in Radna, in an environment characterized by joy, commitment, and a faith that informs daily life. To Don Bosco's vocational proposal to become a Salesian, he responded with a moment of prayer and struggle on his knees before the Blessed Sacrament.

On September 8, 1924, he took part in the solemn consecration of the shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Rakovnik, Ljubljana, before officially entering the novitiate on October 4. He went through the stages of formation to Salesian consecrated life (first profession on October 4, 1925) and to the priesthood (priestly ordination on July 2, 1933), while he was entrusted with numerous obediences and was asked to carry a sometimes excessive burden of hard work, which served as an apprenticeship to life for him.

After learning of the martyrdom in China of Louis Versiglia and Callistus Caravario and having met Fr. Jozef Kerec, a missionary, Fr. Majcen also felt a strong missionary vocation. This path, after repeated requests, opened up for him in 1935, when the state imposed the closure of the craft schools in Rakovnik of which he was headmaster. From then on, it was mainly: in Kunming (Yunnan, China) from 1935 until his expulsion in 1951 at the hands of the Communists; in Hanoi in North Vietnam (1952) and in Saigon in South Vietnam (from 1956). Here, much loved and already accompanied by a reputation for holiness, he lived the season of most intense fruits of his Salesian life, founding the Congregation in Vietnam, with different assignments, but above all as novice master.

Expelled from South Vietnam by the Communist regime (in 1976), after a period in Taiwan, he returned to his homeland in 1979 to take care of his health and, against all expectations, his superiors asked him to stay in Slovenia, then part of Communist Yugoslavia. Here, too, he lived in a persecuted Church and in communities impoverished of so many goods. Except for the first few months, he always had a home in Rakovnik, under the mantle of his dear Mary Help of Christians.

From Slovenia Fr. Andrej Majcen led an intense action of mission promotion and mediation with Vietnam, including on behalf of the Salesian major superiors. Above all, he became a sought-after and beloved confessor. His reputation for holiness accompanied him in his homeland as well as in Vietnam, for whom he remains an unforgettable father.

He died on his 95th birthday. More than 100 priests concelebrated at the funeral, and all experienced the moment of farewell as a paschal experience and one of gratitude to God. His legacy is also 3,417 pages of diaries and meditations from which transpires the commitment – so he said – to “walk in the footsteps of the saints.”

Sr. Maria Troncatti Will Be Canonized

Sister Maria Troncatti, FMA, Will Be Canonized on October 19

(ANS - Vatican City – June 13, 2025) – On Friday, June 13, in the Consistory Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo XIV presided over the celebration of the ordinary public consistory for the canonization of some blesseds, whose causes were promoted under the pontificate of Pope Francis. On this occasion the Pontiff, decreed that Sister Maria Troncatti of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, who was born in Corteno Golgi, Italy, on February 16, 1883, and died in Sucua, Ecuador, on August 25, 1969, be enrolled as a saint on Sunday, October 19.

Together with Sr. Troncatti, the dates of canonization of eight other blesseds were also announced:

• Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Bl. Carlo Acutis will be declared saints on Sunday, September 7;
• Bl. Ignatius Choukrallah Maloyan, Bl. Peter To Rot, Bl. Vicenta Maria Poloni, Bl. Maria del Monte Carmelo Rendiles Martinez and Bl. José Gregorio Hernandez Cisneros, and Bl. Bartolo Longo will be canonized with Sr. Maria Troncatti on October 19.

Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, the SDB postulator general of the Causes of Saints, who participated in the consistory, commented: “It was a true moment of grace and of the Church. These upcoming saints manifest the beauty of faith and become a source of inspiration for an authentic and credible Christian life. In greeting the Pope, I expressed the thanks of Mother Chiara Cazzuola and the entire Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. I also reported on the recent conclusion of the diocesan inquest of the Servant of God Luigi Bolla, missionary among the Shuar and Achuar Indios of Ecuador and Peru.”

The superior general of the FMAs, Mother Cazzuola, with the sisters of the general council, having learned the long-awaited news, addressed all the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians with these words: “Dear sisters, I reach out to you with joy, and with you I thank the Lord for the great things he is working in the Church and in the history of our Institute, with the direct intervention of Mary Help of Christians. I am convinced that the imminent canonization of Sr. Maria Troncatti is for all the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians an extraordinary grace, a call to renew ourselves in order to continue, with courage and joy, on the path of holiness that God is asking us to travel today.”

Then speaking of Sr. Troncatti's holiness, she notes: “The definition that sums it all up in a few words is surely that of a happy and faithful Daughter of Mary Help of Christians and, therefore, Mother! In her, the maternal dimension that generates an abundance of life around her and finds its source in a profound intimacy with the Lord clearly emerges.”

To get to know the next new figure of holiness recognized in the Salesian Family, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians are setting up the www.mariatroncatti.org website with her biography, photos, texts, multimedia resources, news and all the material for in-depth study and dissemination relating to Sr Maria Troncatti, as well as the initiatives and events promoted by the sister's province of origin, the Lombardy Province (ILO), and the Province of Ecuador, where she gave her life as a missionary.

Salesian Volunteering for Mission

Called to Be Mission
A Global Movement for Salesian Volunteering

The missionary volunteers advisory board with Fr. Fabio Attard (4th from left).
Adam Rudin (3d from left) directs the Salesian Lay Missioners of the Eastern U.S.-Canada Province. JC Montenegro (far right) directs those of the U.S. Western Province.

(ANS – Rome – June 11, 2025) – Something beautiful continues growing within the Salesian Family: a renewed desire to strengthen and accompany the missionary heart of our young people. Over the past 3 years, the Salesian Missionary Volunteering (SMV) Advisory Team has been working to create a network among SMV programs and provide accompaniment. Last week, the advisory team met to evaluate the first strategic plan and create a way forward.

Grounded in Reality, Inspired by Mission

The result is the 2025–2027 Strategic Plan, not just a document but a shared dream: to support Salesian Missionary Volunteering at the global level with fundamental tools, formation, and accompaniment.

“This is our second strategic plan,” said one of the team members, “and the heart of it is simple: we want to promote the missionary volunteer experience across the whole Congregation. We want more young people to discover the joy of giving themselves to the mission.”

Listening to the Congregation: GC29 as Our Guide

This plan didn’t come out of nowhere. It was born from the reflection of the GC29 and the conversations about synodality, young people, and co-responsibility in mission.

At its core, the plan echoes two strong calls from GC29:

– To work together across sectors, with shared leadership and collaboration.

– And to entrust the mission more and more to young laypeople, walking with them, forming them, and listening to their voices.

Everything in the plan reflects that desire to build connections, accompany processes, and make space for accessible, contextual, and truly missionary formation.

“It Emerges from the Reality” – Fr. Fabio Attard

The SMV Advisory Team met with Fr. Fabio Attard during their meeting. He offered not just encouragement, but deep reflections and a spiritual horizon.

“I feel very happy that we have this group,” Fr. Attard said. “It emerges from the reality.”

He reminded the team that their role is not to build more structures but to remain a space of discernment, animation, and accompaniment. “Even what we don’t achieve,” he said, “is an opportunity.” He invited the team to reflect on how the volunteer experience is a lived experience—not just doing things but becoming who you are called to be.

Fr. Attard challenged everyone to think about formation differently: “How are our volunteers being formed? Are they part of a process—or just serving one? Formation isn’t just about content. It’s about helping young people breathe the charism of Don Bosco.”

He also pointed to a crucial reality: We must accompany our young people. His words reminded us that our task is not just organizational. It’s deeply spiritual. “The charismatic dimension must be breathing in and out,” he said. We need to do it because they deserve it.

The Plan: Form, Connect, Animate

The strategic plan itself focuses on 3 significant areas:

– To develop spaces and processes where formation, collaboration, and networking can accompany and support SMV Coordinators 

– To develop spaces and processes where formation, collaboration, and networking can accompany and support other SMV stakeholders

– Effective governance and operation of the Advisory Team to ensure the development of the SMV to enhance the Salesian mission.

It’s not about doing more things; it’s about doing them together and doing them well.

A Global Culture of Giving

The dream is bigger than any single action plan. The Advisory Team hopes to foster a movement, a culture where young people are trusted, accompanied, and invited into something bigger than themselves.

“We want to promote a movement that empowers young people, through our current structures, to give themselves to the mission,” one of the team members shared. “That’s what this is really about.”

With the continued support of the rector major, the general council, and the provinces, this new chapter for Salesian Missionary Volunteering is taking shape, not from the top down, but from the heart out.

To Every Salesian: This is Your Mission, Too

To all Salesians—SDBs, lay mission partners, animators, coordinators, and formators—this is a call to walk together.

Let’s build this movement with the young. Let’s accompany them with courage and tenderness. Let’s create a missionary culture that doesn’t just do good but reveals who we are.

As Fr. Attard reminded us: “Education is about sowing. The journey is based on people.”

And in the missionary volunteering experience, that journey continues now, daring heart, planting seeds of hope wherever we go.