St. Francis HS Students Honored for Tijuana Mission Service

St. Francis HS Students Honored for Tijuana Mission Service

(ANS – Watsonville – March 20, 2026) – During the solemn celebration of the Mass of St. Joseph on March 19 at Mary Help of Christians Church, the community of St. Francis High School recognized students for their generous service during the recent Tijuana mission trip.

In the presence of the entire student body, representatives of the Salesian mission – Juan Carlos Montenegro, delegate for mission animation; Fr. Fabian Cardenas, delegate for youth ministry; and Luis Chacon, coordinator of the Salesian Missionary Volunteer Program – presented the recognitions.

The Tijuana Short Mission Trip, active since 2018, continues to offer young people a profound experience of faith, service, and encounter. This year, 20 students participated, including 10 returning missionaries, highlighting the lasting impact of the initiative. Kristie and Kyran were especially recognized for their 4 consecutive years of participation and received a missionary cross as a sign of leadership and commitment. The community also expressed gratitude to Chris Croghan for his dedicated coordination of the program. The celebration concluded with a moment of fraternity, reaffirming the Salesian commitment to forming young people as protagonists of faith, service, and responsible leadership.

[The Salesian educational presence in Watsonville dates to 1921.]

Fr. Joseph Nguyen Appointed San Francisco's Next Provincial

Fr. Joseph Thinh Nguyen Appointed New Provincial of the San Francisco Province

(ANS – Rome – March 19, 2026) – The Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, with the consent of the other members of the general council, has appointed Fr. Joseph Thinh Nguyen, SDB, currently master of novices and director of the Salesian mission in Richmond, Calif., as next superior of the San Francisco Salesian Province (SUO), whose patron is St. Andrew, for the six-year term 2026–2032.

“Let us keep him in our prayers and support him in this work of leadership service,” said the current provincial, Fr. Mel Trinidad, announcing Fr. Nguyen’s appointment. “Fr. Joe, thank you for saying ‘YES’ to the call of the Holy Spirit to be Don Bosco among us. May God bless you, the SUO Province, the young people and their families we serve, the Salesian Family, and all those who partner with us in the mission.”

A Salesian with extensive international preparation, Joseph Thinh Nguyen was born in Dalat, Vietnam, on June 17, 1970, but after completing his novitiate in Rome at the Marchesa Teresa Gerini house, he undertook the rest of his formation in the United States. He has been a professed Salesian since August 15, 1994, made perpetual vows on August 15, 2000, in Bellflower, Calif., and was ordained in the same city on May 30, 2003.

Within the province’s communities, he was first in Watsonville, serving as councilor (2005–2009), then at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, serving as director from 2009 to 2016. Since 2018, he has been serving the U.S. novices (and 2 Irish novices this year) in the Richmond community.

As for his roles at provincial level, he served as councilor from 2013 to 2016 and as delegate for formation in 2022-2023.

Homily for the Solemnity of St. Joseph

Homily for the Solemnity of
St. Joseph

March 19, 2026
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.
Blessed Sacrament, N.R. (Italian Mass)

A Salesian feast of St. Joseph in Rome, 2014

In the collect, we prayed that God’s Church might “constantly watch over” the mysteries of our salvation; or more specifically, “the unfolding of the mysteries,” i.e., how the mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection touch our lives and our redemption day by day.

We prayed for St. Joseph’s intercession on behalf of God’s Church because Joseph is the Church’s great patron, its foster father, we might say.  The collect makes that connection.  As St. Joseph faithfully cared for the mystery of redemption from its beginning, so we pray that he continue to care for it faithfully now.

That mystery is embodied in Jesus Christ, whom St. Joseph first accepted while Jesus was still in Mary’s womb, and whom Joseph kept safe and guided as Jesus began his earthly journey from Bethlehem to Nazareth to the boy’s first trip to Jerusalem.  Joseph protected the life and health of the Son of God, and now as patron of the Church he continues to protect and guide Christ’s whole Body—all the men and women who are part of the Lord Jesus.

In the Church, in the Body of Christ, the mysteries of our salvation continue to be revealed and worked out, believer by believer, and the whole Body continues to thrive because Christ lives.  And St. Joseph is forever invested in Christ living.  May he help us to thrive, to flourish, as his children in Christ.

Homily for Solemnity of St. Patrick

Homily for 
the Solemnity of St. Patrick

March 17, 2026
Collect
Matt 28: 16-20
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

(at OL of the Valley
Orange, N.J.)

God chose St. Patrick to preach his glory to the Irish.  We give God glory for that as we pray to share in the divine glory because we’re Christians and, by God’s gift, continue Patrick’s mission of proclaiming God’s wondrous deeds to all (Collect).

Patrick’s story itself is wondrous—how God brought him to Ireland, guided his escape, and brought him back to the Irish; how God used him to win them, bringing more than a year of favor from the Lord (Is 61:2); how God enabled him to forgive both those who’d enslaved him and a false friend who later grievously betrayed him; and how God planted the faith so deeply in Ireland that Patrick’s spiritual offspring have fulfilled Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19).

All of us are directly or indirectly Patrick’s offspring—some by national heritage, others in virtue of the labors and the wisdom of Irish missionaries, missionaries to Europe in the so-called Dark Ages and missionaries to the farthest reaches of the world in recent centuries—not least to this part of that world, as the necrologies of every diocese in the Northeast bear witness.  In my home diocese of St. Augustine (which covered 90% of Florida at the time), the FBI clergy, foreign-born Irish, outnumbered all others.  My early parish priests were Frs. McLaughlin and Casey, and the bishop was Joseph Patrick Hurley.[1]

Jesus promised his apostles to be with them always (28:20).  The world needs his presence as much now as it did in the Dark Ages or the age of exploration and conquest.  May St. Patrick’s “merits and intercession” recall our troubled world to God’s glory, rather than to MAGA, and the hope for glory that Jesus offers to all who bear his name and observe his commands (28:20).

---

[1] Who was the son of Irish immigrants.

Berkeley Meeting Prepares Missionaries for Salesian Mission Day 2026

Berkeley Meeting Prepares Missionaries for Salesian Mission Day 2026

(ANS – Berkeley, Calif. – March 16, 2026) – On March 11, Salesian missionaries serving across the Western United States gathered in Berkeley, Calif., for a day of reflection, formation, and fraternity in preparation for Salesian Mission Day 2026. Coordinated by JC Montenegro, delegate for mission animation, Fr. Fabian Cardenas, delegate for youth ministry, and Luis Chacon, coordinator of the Salesian Missionary Volunteers, the meeting brought together missionaries from various countries serving young people thruout the province. Fr. Alejandro Rodriguez opened the day with a spiritual reflection on missionary identity within the Salesian charism, recalling the early expeditions of St. John Bosco and the first Salesians who arrived in the United States. Participants reviewed the “Welcome Manual for Salesians” arriving from abroad, a resource designed to support their integration and accompaniment. A shared breakfast preparation reflected the spirit of fraternity, while a Zoom session with Marco Fulgaro from the Congregation’s Mission Dept. in Rome offered insights into discernment and missionary formation. The day concluded with fellowship, a walk among the redwoods, and the presence of Fr. Mel Trinidad, provincial, reaffirming that the missionary spirit remains central to the Salesian vocation.

Homily for 4th Sunday of Lent

Homily for the
4th Sunday of Lent

March 15, 2026
Eph 5: 8-14
John 9: 1-41
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

(by James Tissot)

“Live as children of light” (Eph 5: 8).

Today’s the 2d of 3 Sundays when we break from St. Matthew’s Gospel and take up 3 important (and long) stories from St. John which have to do with water, light, and life.  They’re preparing the Church’s catechumens for Baptism and preparing the rest of us to renew our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus.

Last week’s gospel of the Samaritan woman at the well focused on the living water that Jesus offers to believers—the living water of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to worship God in spirit and truth.

This week’s story features an anointing, washing, and light.  “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’  So I went there and washed and was able to see” (John 9:11).  How baptismal is that?

The reading from 1 Samuel also involved an anointing, “and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David” (16:13), which I think is one of the most magnificent lines in the entire Bible.

The 1st and essential part of Baptism is being washed with water and the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:5).  But almost as important is the anointing with sacred chrism, an anointing repeated in Confirmation—another sacrament of our initiation into Christ.  As the name suggests, chrism conforms us to Christ, the Anointed One of God; it indicates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the Christian—one who bears the name and sacramental seal of Christ—just as the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism.  That was his anointing for his sacred ministry as the Father’s beloved Son.  When he pours that Holy Spirit onto us, we become the Father’s beloved children.

The blind man who was anointed and then washed had his eyes open to the light.  His perception gradually enabled him to see who Jesus is:  the man called Jesus, a prophet (9:17), a man from God (9:33), and the Son of Man who is to be worshiped (9:35-38).

The Eastern Catholic Churches, and the Orthodox also, have a 2d name for Baptism:  enlightenment or illumination.  The Holy Spirit gives light to our eyes to recognize and follow Christ.

That recognition is only the beginning.  It has to lead us to worship the Father and Jesus in Spirit and truth, as it did the man born blind.  St. Paul tells us that we “were once darkness,” i.e., dead in sin, “but now you are light in the Lord.”  Consequently, we must “live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth” (Eph 5:8-9).  Darkness no longer belongs in our lives:  “take no part in the fruitless works of darkness” (5:11):  in lies, theft, impurity, greed, rash judgment, slander, and gossip.  “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead” (5:14), and walk in Christ’s light.  Speak truth, be honest, pray, treat everyone with respect, offer your bodily and spiritual sufferings to God as sacrificial offerings, imitating Christ our life.  Cling to him as the man born blind did, even at the cost of a social penalty:  “they threw him out” (John 9:34).  People who adhere to Jesus’ teachings—and the Church’s—don’t ordinarily walk in elite circles, as for example, the powers-that-be ignore the Pope and bishops when they teach about war and peace and human dignity.

But “Christ will give you light” (Eph 5:14)—eternal light, eternal peace, eternal life.

 

 

Appeal for Prayer from Salesian Middle East Provincial

Appeal for Prayer from the Salesian Middle East Provincial

(ANS – Beirut – March 13, 2026) – With a brief and direct message, yet one filled with emotion, the Salesian superior of the Middle East Province (MOR), Fr. Simon Zakerian, invites the entire Salesian Family worldwide to support with their prayers the peoples who live in the tormented lands of the Middle East.

Fr. Zakerian weighs his words carefully in the video he has released. Certainly, because he speaks in Italian, a language that is not his mother tongue, being originally from Syria; but above all, because he tries to convey fully the suffering, fears and, at the same time, the hopes and desire for normality of entire populations tried not only by the latest war events but, above all, by years and years of almost uninterrupted conflict.

“Our young people in the Middle East have been dreaming of days of peace and stability for many years, just so they can live their lives normally. Alas, this does not happen: one war ends in a Middle Eastern country, and another war begins!” says Fr. Zakerian.

His message is a simple one, aimed solely at expressing gratitude for the prayers already offered to God to implore peace for the Middle East; and at the same time, encouraging people not to stop doing so, so that those who live “in anxiety, worry ... and fear” do not feel alone, forgotten and abandoned.

The complete video with the message from the provincial is available in the original Italian version on ANSChannel, the YouTube channel of the Salesian Info Agency.

Below is the full transcript:

Dearest members of the Salesian Family,

Many of you have written to me and sent me messages to find out a little about the situation we are experiencing in the Middle East at this delicate and difficult time. I am speaking to you from Don Bosco House here in Lebanon, where the situation is very serious, very difficult, and very delicate, as it is throughout the Middle East. People are still frightened: there is a lot of fear about this cruel war, this war that is causing suffering to young and old alike. Here in Lebanon, there have been no classes for days, neither in schools nor in universities, but there are many dead and many wounded. Throughout the Middle East, bubbles of revenge, war and hatred are growing. It is something that makes the heart weep; unfortunately, it is something very difficult. For many years, our young people in the Middle East have been dreaming of days of peace and stability, just so they can live their lives normally. Alas, this does not happen: one war ends in a Middle Eastern country, and another war begins.

For this reason, I ask you for a special prayer, dear friends, on behalf of all the Salesians in the Middle East and the entire Salesian Family: young people, children and teenagers. Pray! The most beautiful thing you are doing and continue to do is pray: let us pray for peace, as Pope Leo XIV asked us to do and as the Catholic patriarchs and bishops of the Middle East have asked us to do. Let us pray for peace, because in the Holy Land, our situation is very difficult: frightened by so many missiles, all our homes and all the simple people live in anxiety and worry. And then, in Lebanon, in Iran, throughout the region, so....

This message has only one purpose: to thank you for all the affection, closeness, and prayers of the entire Salesian Family, and beyond; and second, please continue to pray with us for peace, asking and saying: “Lord, give us your peace, you who are the King, the Prince of Peace,” asking for the intercession of Mary Most Holy, Help of Christians, Queen of Peace, Mary our Mother.

General Council 2026 Work Begins at Salesian GHQ

General Council 2026 Work Begins at Salesian GHQ

(ANS – Rome – March 11, 2026) – The first plenary session of the general council for 2026 opened on the morning of Monday, March 9, at Salesian Headquarters in Rome and will continue until April 17. With this meeting, the members of the general council, led by the rector major, Fr. Fabio Attard, are embarking for the first time on a new cycle of assembly meetings, no longer on a half-yearly basis (summer-winter), but on a 4-monthly basis (March-April; July-August; November-December), with shorter but more frequent meetings, aimed at giving a renewed and more agile rhythm to the most important decisions of animation and government, which require the presence of the entire general council.

The general daily program

The session includes almost 30 days of work, divided between council meetings, community moments, and institutional visits, and the presence of all the councilors at the Generalate for over 5 weeks guarantees the continuity of discussion and community discernment that characterizes the working method of the rector major and his council.

The specific program runs over 6 weeks, with daily morning and afternoon council meetings, interrupted only by the liturgical solemnities of Lent and Easter. There will also be opportunities for fellowship and fraternity with other communities in Rome, both Salesian and non-Salesian, and in the week after Easter, starting on Easter Monday, there will also be community retreat, led by the rector major emeritus, Fr. Pascual Chavez.

Ordinary activities

As usual, the plenary session will focus on 3 fundamental areas: the appointment of new provincials; the study of the reports of the extraordinary visitations; and issues of particular relevance and importance for the institutional life of the Congregation.

On the first point, the agenda concerns the appointments of superiors of: Argentina North, United States West, Central Africa, Piedmont-Valle d'Aosta, and Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

As for the extraordinary visitations carried out by the councilors in the previous months to be evaluated, there are 8, concerning: Portugal, Warsaw, Ireland, Recife, Peru, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, Equatorial Tropical Africa, Ethiopia-Eritrea, and Sri Lanka.

Through the study of these reports, the general council has at its disposal a fundamental tool for gaining direct knowledge of, and thus accompanying, the local realities of the various provinces and visitations.

As for other strategic issues for the journey of the Congregation, topics of study include consultation on the canonical form of the UPS vice province and related discernment, the pastoral projects of the council, updating the Colle Don Bosco and Salesian Places project, the Statute and Regulations of the Central Archives, the sdb.org website, and the final balance sheet.

The council's upcoming commitments

At the end of this plenary session, the general council will meet again for the summer plenary session scheduled for August 6-7.

Salesian Missions Helps Construct Technical-Vocational Center in Madagascar

Salesian Missions Helps Salesian Technical and Vocational Center Construct New Building

Photo © Salesian Missions

(ANS – Mahajanga, Madagascar – March 12, 2026) – Students attending the Salesian technical and vocational center in Mahajanga, Madagascar, will benefit from newly constructed facilities. The funding has come from Salesian Missions of New Rochelle. The work began in March 2025 and continues.

The project will benefit 400 students with the Salesian community as well as those living in the broader community who will have access to the education offered.

The TAFITA Enterprise is responsible for the construction of the first and second floors of the building. The Salesian community has made the effort to increase its participation to cover certain expenses such as transport of materials, water, and electricity, as well as other accessories for construction.

A Salesian noted: “This project is essential for the education of youth in the region. There is little access to high-quality vocational and technical training so youths can learn the skills for employment. We had more students than could fit in the current center, and we need to expand to meet better the needs of the community. This construction project, once its finished, will allow us to provide better education to more students.”

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. 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 of 10-24, according to UNICEF.

Source: Mission Newswire

Homily for Thursday, Week 3 of Lent

Homily for Thursday
3d Week of Lent

March 12, 2026
Jer 7: 23-28
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“I commanded my people:  Listen to my voice.  Walk in all the ways that I command you” (Jer 7: 23).

Thru Jeremiah, the Lord laments his people’s infidelity, expressed in disobedience to his commands.  Obedience would express their faithfulness, obedience that not only hears and absorbs his commands but also carries them out.

Elsewhere in this chapter, Jeremiah identifies their infidelities:  idolatry, of course, but also oppression of resident aliens, orphans, and widows—the most vulnerable members of society; the shedding of innocent blood and unjust dealing with their fellow Israelites (7:5-6).

You and I can use Lent to resolve greater obedience to the Gospel and our rule of life:  faithful prayer, charity toward our brothers, moral support for the Congregation’s mission.  We can offer our Lenten sacrifices, however small they be, as atonement for the infidelities of Christians, which are numberless according to what we hear and read.

We pray to be faithful ourselves; the collect put it as “pressing forward all the more eagerly toward the worthy celebration of the Paschal Mystery.”  May this celebration of the mystery today both express and advance our faithful response to God’s love.

Pope Leo: Oratories Help Young People Overcome Isolation

Pope Leo: Oratories Are Vital in Helping Young People Overcome Isolation

Photo © Vatican Media

(ANS – Olgiate Comasco, Italy – March 9, 2026) – In a message signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the new complex in Olgiate Comasco named after St. John Bosco, Pope Leo XIV urged people to appreciate the role of oratories as “spaces of true fraternity” in the life of the Church and society. With this message, the first Augustinian Pope once again demonstrates his affinity with the thinking of Don Bosco, a trait that has already emerged several times in these first months of his pontificate, as well as his closeness to Don Bosco’s sons, whom he has already met several times during his travels and official engagements.

An opening that also gives pause for thought

The solidity of the foundation stone laid on the ashes of the old San Giovanni Bosco oratory in Olgiate Comasco, a small town in Lombardy just 5 miles from the Italian-Swiss border, is a sign of the vitality of these realities, which are essential for the life of the Church and society as a whole: places called to build “authentic bonds” capable of defeating “the isolation of our time,” especially that of young people.

Thus, in a message signed by Cardinal Parolin, Pope Leo offered his good wishes on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of the new oratory, named after the founder of the Salesians, which took place on March 1 in the presence of Cardinal Oscar Cantoni, bishop of Como.

The oratory as a place of fraternity and formation

In the text addressed to the pastor of the church of Sts. Ippolito and Cassiano, Fr. Flavio Crosta, next to which the new youth ministry center will be built, the Pontiff expressed his hope that it would offer “spaces of true human fraternity and Christian formation.” Quoting one of the most famous sayings of Don Bosco, in his Sunday sermon the priest recalled how it is not enough for young people to be appreciated: “they must know that they are loved.”

The laying of the foundation stone also marked the “end of a long journey of waiting and complex steps”, which began with the closure of the old oratory in 2017--8 years marked by nostalgia for those who grew up cherishing the memory of the carefree days of childhood, until November 18 last year, when Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, gave his final approval for the construction of the new building.

The vision of an attentive youth; rediscovering community in the time of “Neverland”

The design of the new oratory, conceived and developed by architect Alessandra Mastrogiacomo and validated by architect Carlo Valentini, has transformed spaces that were once separate and sometimes non-functional into multipurpose and welcoming environments. The voluntary contribution of the “young people of yesterday,” now established professionals and young retirees, was also decisive. They generously put their skills at the service of the commission in support of the pastor.

But the contribution of today’s young people was also central. Demonstrating the human qualities that adults should bring out in them, they wanted to say a few words during the ceremony and left us with an intense and hopeful reflection: “Are we really lost? In the time of “Neverland,” we have rediscovered ourselves as a community. Without walls, we have learned to remain united; without a roof, we have learned to make ourselves at home. Because an oratory is not born of concrete, but of the gaze of those who know how to recognize in a young person something worth investing in.”

Leo XIV’s closeness to the Salesians

As for Pope Leo’s closeness to the Salesians, it is worth remembering that on several occasions (first during his meeting with the Salesian community at Castel Gandolfo, and then on Sunday, February 22, this year, at the Salesian basilica of the Sacred Heart in Castor Pretorio), the Pontiff jokingly revealed that in his youthful search for a vocation he had also visited a Salesian house, confessing: “You came second, I’m sorry!”

Even more interesting, however, is what he added afterward when speaking to the Salesians of the Sacred Heart community: “But perhaps there is something that has remained in my heart, also united with you, in the Salesian community.”

Source: Vatican News

Salesian Missions Highlights Programs for Women and Girls

For International Women’s Day, Salesian Missions highlights programs that educate and empower women and girls

Photo © Salesian Missions

(ANS – New Rochelle, N.Y. – March 6, 2026) – Salesian Missions of New Rochelle joined humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8. The day honors the economic, political, and social achievements of women while focusing the world’s attention on areas requiring further action.

This year’s theme #GivetoGain encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration. According to the International Women’s Day website, the theme “emphasizes the power of reciprocity and support. When people, organizations, and communities give generously, opportunities and support for women increase. Giving is not a subtraction, it’s intentional multiplication. When women thrive, we all rise. Whether through donations, knowledge, resources, infrastructure, visibility, advocacy, education, training, mentoring, or time, contributing to women’s advancement helps create a more supportive and interconnected world.” 

Fr. Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions, explained, “Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries are focused on empowering young women and girls with targeted programs. These programs provide opportunities for education and training that lead to livable wage employment. The goal is to empower young women so they are able to make good life choices for themselves, have hope for the future, and achieve their dreams.” 

In honor of International Women’s Day, Salesian Missions is proud to share Salesian programs around the globe that educate and empower girls and women. 

ECUADOR

The Maria Auxiliadora Formation Center in Ecuador held training initiatives for women in Esmeraldas who face unemployment, lack of resources, gender violence, and abandonment, or who are heads of household. The training was taught by 3 lay professionals and included 12 courses over 6 employment sectors. 

A Salesian explained: “Providing this training has allowed women to gain the skills needed for employment. Some are able to find jobs after the training while others start a small business of their own. Most important, they are able to earn an income to become self-sufficient.” 

The center was launched 10 years ago in the San Rafael Valley, in the province of Esmeraldas, with the collaboration of the Salesian Ecuador Project and the Salesian San Juan Bosco Community in Esmeraldas. The mission was to support vulnerable populations in a place marked by violence, drug trafficking, poverty, and lack of opportunities. 

INDIA

Don Bosco Nava Nirman, located in Muniguda, India, provided scholarships for 32 girls thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The school was developed in 2010 after the Kandhamal violence in the region in 2008. One of the greatest contributions Salesians make in the region is through their education, especially for youths who are poor and marginalized.

A Salesian noted: “We have been concentrating on the education of girls and young women, which is an urgent need in this area. Generally, girls are marginalized by the parents as well as the society at large as they are not seen as potential earners in the workplace. Our entry into the education of the girls is in a way an attempt to transform this general perception. Today, thru support provided to us, we are able to educate many girls through our scholarship program.” 

Donor funding helped to offset the cost for hostel fees, as well as academic fees and book purchases. Although the school received funds for 26 scholarships, it was able to make scholarships available for additional children. In total, 32 children received financial support for their education.

MALAWI

Don Bosco High School, located in Nkhotakota, Malawi, has improved living conditions for 80 young girls thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions. The project funding was used to purchase 5 buildings as well as the adjacent land. The new area was also fenced for safety.

3 houses were renovated and adequately equipped. One house and another building were taken down because they were not in good condition. 7 toilets and 14 showers were constructed, as well as a stand for two 5,000-liter water tanks. Water and electricity were also connected.

A Salesian explained: “The main objective of the project was to create better safety and living conditions for the school girls. This was achieved, and as a result, the girls punctuality improved because of the availability of more showers, toilets, and water.” 

Jenallah Mkandawire is a teacher at the school. Before the project, she noted that the living conditions were not adequate for the girls. She explained: “Now the girls are on time and have adequate water for washing their clothes and sanitary needs. Since they have more places to wash themselves and to wash their clothes, the general hygiene of school has improved.” ,

SIERRA LEONE

Don Bosco Fambul, located in Freetown, Sierra Leone and one of the country’s leading child-welfare organizations, supports young women who have been victims of the sex trade by providing them with training in hotel, catering, tailoring, or hairdressing disciplines, or formal education. Recently, 35 school pupils and 50 skills-training students received financial aid, food, and clothing through support from donors including Medicor Foundation, Jugend Eine Welt, and the City of Vienna. 

Every beneficiary received a bag of rice to help meet her nutritional needs, a cash contribution to support daily expenses, and a packet of assorted clothing items to enhance her comfort and dignity. This support is crucial in improving the overall well-being of the youths and enabling them to thrive in their respective environments. 

Don Bosco Fambul also facilitates the Mobil Project, designed to identify areas where children living on the streets and girls involved in commercial sex work face significant risks. The project’s primary mission is to recruit youths in need into the program, provide them with rehabilitation and support, and reintegrate them into society as empowered individuals. In the 2024-2025 academic year, the Mobil Project proudly supported 55 students in grades ranging from primary and senior secondary school. The students received school bags, learning materials, and financial aid to cover their school fees and other associated expenses.

A Salesian said: “This crucial support ensures that these students can concentrate on their education without the burden of financial challenges. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the generous contributions of our incredible donors. Their unwavering support is making a lasting impact, transforming lives, and paving the way for a brighter future for these children. We thank them for being a part of this journey.”

Homily for Tuesday, Week 3 of Lent

Homily for Tuesday
3d Week of Lent

March 10, 2026
Ps 25: 4-9
Dan 3: 25, 34-43
Matt 18: 21-35                           
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

3 youths in the fiery furnace
(Catacomb of St. Priscilla)

“Remember your mercies, O Lord” (Psalm Response).

The book of Daniel presents to us the plea for forgiveness and for the Lord’s kindness flowing from one of the 3 young men in Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace.  The youths have been faithful to the Lord, which is why they’re in the furnace, but Israel hasn’t been faithful.  So Azariah prays that the people be delivered from punishment.

Jesus’ parable also involves pleas for mercy; not for complete forgiveness but for temperance:  “Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back in full” (Matt 18:26,29).  These pleas are Jesus’ response to Peter’s inquiry about forgiving someone who’s sinned against him (18:21), no doubt seeking some limit on forbearance.  Also no doubt, Peter speaks for most of us.

The responsorial psalm captures well Jesus’ message; we ask the Lord for that mercy he customarily bestows:  “Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your kindness are from of old” (Ps 25:6).

Most likely, no one here holds a long grudge against one of his brothers.  I suppose it’s possible, theoretically, someone might yet hold some old resentment against a superior.  In the nature of religious life, sometimes obedience or just daily life will irk us, fairly or unfairly.  Even as we desire to be treated kindly by our brothers and our superiors—and the Lord—we must be kind and patient with those superiors of yore and our present companions.

Ordinary daily life demands of us patience and mercy, all the time.  Brothers sometimes annoy us, sometimes persistently.  There’s the brother who sniffles constantly instead of blowing his  nose; the brother whose prayer is always a syllable or 2 behind everyone else’s; the brother who’s grouchy for no particular reason; the brother who can’t remember anything no matter how often he’s reminded.

May the Lord “teach the humble his way” (Ps 25:9), teach us compassion, patience, and forgiveness.

 

Homily for 3d Sunday of Lent

Homily for the
3d Sunday of Lent

March 8, 2026
John 4: 5-42
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“You would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4: 10).

Today and for the next 2 Sunday, we break from St. Matthew’s Gospel to take up 3 important (and long) stories from St. John which have to do with water, light, and life.  They’re preparing the Church’s catechumens for Baptism and preparing the rest of us to renew our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus.

In John 4, Jesus and his disciples are hiking from Judea to Galilee and, unusual for Jews, they take the direct road thru Samaria.  As John explains, “The Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans” (4:9).  The 2 peoples were bitter enemies.

But Jesus has chosen this route deliberately, and they arrive at Jacob’s well around noon, tired, dusty, thirsty, and hungry.  While the disciples go into town to buy food, Jesus waits at the well.  Jacob, also called Israel, was the father of 12 sons, the ancestors of the 12 tribes of Israel.  He’d dug this well, and probably others, to water his flocks as they roamed over the land some 16 centuries B.C.  This well is a sacred and symbolic spot.

Jesus is waiting there for someone, someone who has no idea that she has an appointment with the Son of God.  The woman who comes to draw water is a social outcast, even among her own people.  That’s why she comes alone in the heat of noon to fetch the water she needs for the day, instead of coming early in the morning with the other women of the town.

But for Jesus, she’s no outcast.  No one is cast out by Jesus—not Samaritans, not sinners.  And this woman is a sinner, as we learn, having gone thru husbands like changing her wardrobe; and now she’s cohabiting with a man.  She’s unnamed, like many of the people whom Jesus saves in the gospels.  Anonymous, she stands in for all of us.

Jesus has a gift to offer her.  He indicates to her that he’s thirsty:  “Give me a drink” (4:7), one of 2 times in the gospels when he makes such a request.  The other time is when he’s dying on the cross and says, “I’m thirsty” (John 19:28).

But he isn’t really after water.  He seeks faith, seeks to establish a living relationship between believers and God the Father.  He offers the woman the gift of “living water.”  This is one of the plays on words that St. John likes.  The Greek word John uses, ζϖν, can mean “fresh” or “flowing,” like water from a spring or a moving brook, or “having life.”  Jesus goes on to distinguish between the water the woman is drawing from the well and “the water I shall give, becoming in a person a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (4:14).

That water is the water of Baptism.  In the preceding chapter, Jesus had spoken with Nicodemus and told him that one must be born again of water and the Spirit (3:5).  Jesus’ living water is the Holy Spirit, which he’s come to give to believers so that they may have life and may offer God authentic worship, worship in Spirit and truth (4:23).

Such worship is not place-dependent—neither in the temple at Jerusalem nor the temple the Samaritans had built on Mt. Gerizim in their own country.  It may be offered wherever someone filled with the Spirit of God may be, and it may be offered by any person regardless of national origin, race, language, or gender.  The Spirit that Jesus offers is for sinners—like this woman at the well, like the 12 apostles, like all of us here today.

He bestowed the Holy Spirit on us at Baptism, making us children of God.  He renewed that gift at Confirmation, and he renews it every time we humbly bring our sorry, sinful selves to the sacrament of Reconciliation.  In that sacrament, Christ’s minister forgives our sins, pronouncing, “God the Father of mercies, thru the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself and poured forth the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins,” continuing with the words of absolution.  If we worship the Father in Spirit and truth, we know that we are, truthfully, sinners, and we confess our sins truthfully to Christ (thru his minister in the confessional), and he truly forgives them and refreshes the living water of grace in our souls.  “The water I shall give will become in that soul a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Salesian-Funded Gym Transforms Youth Outreach in Chad

New Salesian-Funded Gym Transforms Youth Outreach in Koumra

(ANS – Koumra, Chad – February 24, 2026) – More than 1,000 disadvantaged youths in rural Koumra, Chad, are benefiting from a newly constructed gym funded by Salesian Missions of New Rochelle. Built to support education and youth center activities, the facility primarily serves vulnerable children and young women. Koumra, a key agricultural center in southern Chad, faces chronic infrastructure gaps, energy shortages, and limited access to basic services. The project was overseen by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters), who manage the local youth center. Previously, activities were disrupted by extreme heat and heavy rains due to lack of shelter. The new gym now provides a safe venue for sports, training, cultural programs, and community events. Youth leaders say the space strengthens outreach and inclusion efforts. It also offers a secure environment for large gatherings and formative activities. In a region marked by poverty and gender inequality, the initiative promotes dignity and opportunity. The project represents a significant investment in the holistic development of young people in Koumra.

Lay Leaders Renew Mission at L.A. Religious Ed Conference

Lay Leaders Renew Mission at Los Angeles Religious Ed Conference

(ANS – Los Angeles – March 2, 2026) – More than 700 catechists gathered in Los Angeles for a conference on the theme “Returning to the Source,” led by Juan Carlos Montenegro, executive director of the Salesian Family Youth Center, focusing on renewing lay leadership thru a living encounter with God. Emphasizing the theme, Montenegro reminded participants that every ministry begins not with programs but with prayer and a personal relationship with Christ. Thru moments of silence, reflection, and a guided meditation exercise, catechists were invited to rediscover their identity as authentic witnesses and educators of the young. The meeting highlighted the essential role of lay leaders as co-responsible partners in the Salesian mission, called to embody Don Bosco’s Preventive System in today’s complex social realities. Stressing interior depth and spiritual clarity as foundations for effective pastoral service, the gathering reaffirmed that the vitality of the Salesian charism in the United States depends on leaders rooted in faith, committed to evangelization, and dedicated to accompanying young people with hope and loving-kindness.

Open Doors & International Support in the Middle East

Open Doors & International Support for the Most Vulnerable

Salesian Commitment in the New Phase of Emergency

(ANS – March 6, 2026) – The military operation launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel in Iran quickly spread to other countries in the region, involving Lebanon, Syria, and the Holy Land as well. Thousands of families are fleeing the bombings, leaving everything behind. The Salesians active in these countries have once again opened their doors to welcome the suffering population, while Salesian organizations from around the world are mobilizing to gather and channel relief aid.

The Commitment of Missioni Don Bosco

“Concern, suffering and disorientation are the emotions I perceived while listening to the voices of my confreres—Fr. Simon from Beirut, Fr. Emanuele from Jerusalem, and Fr. Pier from Aleppo—who are currently in this terrible theater of war,” testified Fr. Luca Barone, president of Missioni Don Bosco in Turin. “They are the voices of those who deeply love their people, who have become one with those lands where Salesian houses are now becoming refuges for those fleeing, shelters where people can receive food and medicine, homes where they can be welcomed, and places of prayer where they can find faith and consolation. I responded to my confreres that Missioni Don Bosco is here to give voice to them.”

The Situation in the Different Territories

In the Holy Land, schools in Nazareth and Bethlehem have been closed and the population has been forced to seek refuge. In Damascus, Syria, fragments of rockets falling in the area of Jaramana caused explosions, leading to the precautionary closure of the Salesian center. In Lebanon, raids struck Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and several areas in the north and south. Numerous victims and injured people have already been reported, along with tens of thousands of newly displaced persons, adding to an already precarious humanitarian situation. The activities of the two schools, the Don Bosco Technique and the Angels of Peace, have been suspended.

Immediate Assistance to the Displaced in Lebanon

In Lebanon, from the very first hours the Salesians intervened to provide initial shelter in the houses that remained open, offering help to the displaced, to those who lost their homes, and to those searching for a safe place. As happened during the 2024 war, the Salesian house of El Houssoun has already welcomed about 116 displaced people, including 2 newborns, a mother who has just given birth, and 12 elderly persons. Many of these families arrived after a 16-hour journey covering 68 miles because of the enormous traffic congestion caused by the mass exodus of people fleeing the bombings.

The Needs of Families and Children

At present, this group also includes 45 children who fled during the night from the southern regions. Almost all the displaced have arrived without clothes or personal belongings in a place where winter temperatures drop to about 37°F. “We must guarantee the basic conditions for all these people—warm clothing, food, and water—and this is what we are focusing on,” explained Joe Attalla, director of the Don Bosco work in Lebanon. The families reached the Salesian center exhausted and with very few personal items; therefore the priority was to ensure dignified conditions from the very beginning.

Classrooms Transformed into Emergency Shelters

“The classrooms of the center were quickly transformed into welcoming spaces with mattresses, blankets, and basic humanitarian aid kits, but we need help. The displaced need food, blankets, warm clothes, and essential goods, especially for children and the elderly,” testified the coordinators of this emergency response.

International Solidarity and Emergency Aid Campaign

In this context, Missioni Don Bosco immediately launched a specific campaign to gather resources in order to provide immediate assistance to displaced people, offer psychological support to the most fragile, and sustain the Salesians working on the ground so that they can face this new emergency in the best possible way.

For more information, visit: www.missionidonbosco.org.

Homily for Friday, Week 2 of Lent

Homily for Friday
2d Week of Lent

March 6, 2026
Gen 37: 3-4, 12-13, 17-28
Matt 21: 33-46
Provincial House, New Rochelle

Joseph Sold into Slavery by His Brothers
(Damiano Mascagni)

Today’s readings are strangely juxtaposed.  We think readily of the patriarch Joseph compared with St. Joseph, especially because of their dreams, but young Joseph’s dreams are just passed over in today’s reading (Gen 37:5-11); and because both saved their people with a journey to Egypt.

Instead, today Joseph is likened to Jesus.  Joseph’s father “loved him best” (37:4), and Jesus was the Father’s beloved Son.  Both Joseph and Jesus aroused the hostility of those who should have been closest to them.  St. John tells us that Jesus came to his own, and they received him not (John 1:11); Joseph’s own betrayed him and sold him out (Gen 37:20-28).

Yet God accomplished salvation thru the suffering of both.  And both Joseph and Jesus readily forgave those who harmed them.

For his own mysterious reasons, God has called us to be his instruments of salvation—hardly in the same way as Joseph saved his family or Jesus saves us all.  But we believe God will do what he intends in us in spite of any opposition if we humbly let him use us and will produce good fruit (Matt 21:43).

Working to Ensure Aid ASAP

“We Are Working to Ensure Aid Arrives as Soon as Possible”

(ANS - March 4, 2026) – “The Middle East is facing a new and dramatic phase of emergency,” explains Fr. Simon Zakerian, provincial of the Salesian province of the Middle East (MOR). Once again, the civilian population in the countries of the region will be the hardest hit, especially the most vulnerable, such as women and children. “Following the attacks, our schools in Palestine, Israel, and Lebanon have once again had to close to ensure the safety of young people,” Fr. Zakerian adds.

Lebanon: Escalating Tensions and Mass Displacement

In Lebanon, amid growing regional tensions and the involvement of various actors linked to the conflict revolving around Iran, the attacks are causing thousands of displacements and worsening an already fragile humanitarian situation. The incursion of Israeli forces into the country has further heightened tensions, in a scenario that strongly recalls October 2024. The south of the country, particularly the Nabatiyyeh region, has experienced intense bombardments in recent hours, forcing numerous families to flee their homes overnite in search of safety.

Salesian Centers Open Their Doors

In response, the Salesians have reopened their doors to shelter displaced families. At the Don Bosco – El Houssoun center in Jbeil, Lebanon, about 18 miles north of Beirut, around 120 people from approximately 30 families are already being hosted, including about 50 children and 10 elderly individuals in vulnerable conditions. “We are certain that in the coming hours and days this number will increase,” they add with concern. “We must guarantee basic necessities for all these people—warm clothing, food, water—and this is what we are focusing on,” they state from Lebanon. Many families arrived after 16 hours of travel to cover just 68 miles, due to massive traffic jams caused by the exodus of people fleeing the bombings. Classrooms at the center were quickly transformed into reception spaces with mattresses, blankets, and basic humanitarian aid kits, while Salesians, staff, and volunteers organize assistance for the families.

Concerns in the West Bank

“We are also worried about the lack of fuel in the West Bank, as many families have no way to heat their homes or cook, including our own communities, such as the one in Cremisan,” explains the Salesian provincial.

A Network Ready to Respond

“Once again, we find ourselves facing a complicated situation, but our entire network—Salesians, staff members, volunteers—is ready to help communities in Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel as quickly as possible,” concludes Fr. Zakerian. For this reason, Misiones Salesianas, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, Spain, is already working together with the Salesians in the Middle East and the Salesian solidarity network to organize the necessary aid. It once again appeals to all citizens to channel their solidarity toward those in need. “It is not only about giving a blanket or bread, but about bringing hope to those who are now living in such a difficult situation,” emphasizes Fr. Luis Manuel Moral, director of Misiones Salesianas.

An Appeal for Peace

“Furthermore,” he concludes, “we join the words of Pope Leo XIV, who calls on us to ‘seek a way to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,’ and we urge all parties to lay down their weapons and threats and to seek lasting peace through dialog.”

For further information, visit: www.misionessalesianas.org 

Homily for Thursday, Week 2 of Lent

Homily for Thursday
2d Week of Lent

March 5, 2026
Jer 17: 5-10
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

St. Augustine (Philippe de Champaigne)

Jeremiah speaks of the mysteries of the human heart.  It’s beyond understanding except to the Lord.  Often we don’t understand even our own hearts (Jer 17:9-10).

So we pray today that the Lord direct our hearts to himself.  We ask him to fire us with the Spirit (Collect), that Spirit who descended on the 120 disciples gathered in the upper room, fearful but prayerful (Acts 1:15; 2:3-4), strengthening their faith and turning them into effective preachers (Collect) and fearless followers of the Lord.

We pray the Lord to keep us steadfast in our adherence to himself (Collect), in bringing our Christian and religious vocations to perfection, which means to union with him.  St. Augustine reminds us that our hearts are restless until they rest in the Lord who created them for himself.  May the Holy Spirit’s fire purge selfishness from our hearts and fuse them into a more perfect union with the heart of Christ.

Live Jesus in our hearts!

Salesian Historical Institute Holds 3 Meetings

Salesian Historical Institute Holds 3 Important Meetings

(ANS – Rome – March 2, 2026) – Over the weekend of February 27–28, three significant meetings of the Salesian Historical Institute (ISS) took place at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome: the executive council, the Editorial Board of Ricerche Storiche Salesiane (RSS-“Salesian Historical Research”), and the ISS Assembly.

The meetings opened with a moment of prayer and the approval of the minutes from the previous sessions (November 14–15, 2025). Among the 1st items addressed was the update of the institutional website, iss-acssa.org, with particular reference to the publication of the 10th volume of the Epistolario of St. John Bosco. A review was then proposed of the events organized by the ISS in recent months, with special attention to the recent publication of Paolo Pieraccini’s volume Salesians in the Holy Land: from the “Opera Don Belloni” to the British Mandate (1863–1920) (= ISS – Studies, 35), published by LAS in 2025. Dedicated to institutional and political-diplomatic issues, educational and pastoral activity, and questions of national identity within the context of the Salesian presence in the Holy Land, the work represents a significant contribution to contemporary Salesian historiography.

Editorial Planning and Future Publications
Considerable space was devoted to editorial planning. Among the publications currently in preparation are: the volume edited by Francesco Motto, Presentation of the Ten Volumes of the Epistolario of Giovanni Bosco (= ISS – Studies, 38), which gathers the proceedings of the 2 study days held in Rome (January 28, 2025) and Turin (April 2, 2025); the volume edited by Hendry Dominic and Francesco Motto, Salesian Missions: From the Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud (1919) to the Conciliar Decree Ad Gentes (1965) (= ISS – Studies, 39), containing the proceedings of the international conference held in May 2025; and the work edited by Stanisław Zimniak, Salesian Missions in the World: Proceedings of the Five Continental Seminars (= ACSSA – Studies, 12), scheduled for publication in 2026/2027.

Research Proposals and Institutional Developments
The council also examined several research proposals from external scholars: Prof. Angelo Dibisceglia’s project on the history of the Salesian Cooperators (1876–2000); Ms. Maria Nicoletti’s proposal for a critical edition of the correspondence of vicar apostolic Bp. John Cagliero (1884–1904); the biographical profile of the missionary in India José Luis Carreño Etxeandia, presented by Fr. Ivo Coelho; and the proposal for a study evening, to be scheduled between November and December 2026, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Pious Union of Salesian Cooperators.

In preparation for 2027, reflection began on what the ISS might offer for the 150th anniversary of the publication of Don Bosco’s work on the Preventive System. Discussions also covered the editorial plan for the period 2026–2029, the revision of the ISS Statute and Regulations, and the establishment of a commission tasked with reviewing the Institute’s scientific project. Other topics included the definition of editorial norms for the critical edition of Salesian sources; the situation of the ISS–Don Bosco Library; the inventory of the ISS and ACSSA archives; and updates on ACSSA’s activities. The next meetings were scheduled for May 22–23, 2026.

Editorial Board of Ricerche Storiche Salesiane
Following this, the editorial board of RSS met. Materials for the 2026 issues were presented (which will give space to research on the Salesian Cooperators), as well as for the 2027 issues (focused on the Preventive System and the missions of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians), and planning for 2028 was initiated. The participants also discussed the volumes to be reviewed and the updating of the bibliographical repertory, inviting members to inform the editor-in-chief promptly about new publications to be included.

Commitment to Continuity in Historical Research
The meetings confirmed that, despite serious challenges related to the current staffing situation, the ISS is firmly determined to carry forward its planned work and to ensure continuity in Salesian historical research and in the critical promotion of sources, within an increasingly international and interdisciplinary perspective.

Fr. Stanisław Zimniak
ISS Coordinating Secretary