Province Commissions 6 Lay Missioners

Province Commissions 6 Lay Missioners

On Friday, Aug. 16, the province of St. Philip the Apostle (New Rochelle) commissioned 6 lay missioners at a ceremony in the chapel of the Don Bosco Retreat Center in Haverstraw, N.Y., during Evening Prayer.

When the Gospel first spread from Jerusalem, it wasn’t because of pastoral planning but because of a disaster, the persecution that broke out after Stephen’s martyrdom.  Fr. Dominic Tran, Salesian provincial, recalled that fact, based on the commissioning service reading from Acts (11:19-26).  The Salesians and 6 new Salesian Lay Missioners are doing what the early Church did—going out and preaching, carrying out the missionary mandate that Jesus gave at the end of Matthew’s Gospel (28:19-20).  At that time, Jesus promised he would be with his disciples always.  He came as Emmanuel (Matt 1:23), and after his ascension he remains Emmanuel, God with us.  Fr. Dominic assured the SLMs that God will be with people through them; they will incarnate God in the places they’re being sent to.

3 of the new SLMs are missioned overseas:  Suzanne Platt to Blessed Michael Rua postnovitiate, parish, and youth center at Dalat, Vietnam; A.J. Scheip to the refugee camp at Palabek, Uganda; and Kurt Whiteley to Don Bosco Technical School at Al Fidar, Lebanon.  Alexander Pelletier will go to the school and youth center at Colima, Mexico.  Two SLMs are destined for U.S. works:  one, anonymously, for the multiple works at Mary Help of Christians Center in Tampa and Anthony Deldebbio (a graduate of Salesian HS in New Rochelle) for Archbishop Shaw HS in Marrero.

After various prayers, including an extended blessing from everyone present, Fr. Dominic conferred on each SLM a missionary cross.  The cross has been newly designed for use in all the provinces that send out young (or not-so-young) volunteers.  

A.J. Scheip receives his cross from Fr. Dominic

Then each SLM read a short (or not-so-short) personal mission statement, and each signed a document of commitment.

Suzanne Platt reads her mission statement of intention.

The commissioning was celebrated with more than 30 Salesians on retreat taking part, as well as some members of the local SDB community and the families of 2 of the new SLMs.

The SLMs were commissioned after 3 weeks of orientation.  Lodged at the former rectory at Corpus Christi in Port Chester, they learned about Don Bosco and the Salesian Family, learned about inculturation, got youth protection training, filled out paperwork, and helped in the ministries of Port Chester’s St. John Bosco Parish.  They made a retreat at Haverstraw, sharing prayer and meals with the SDBs, attended 2 rites of religious profession, and had the option of a day-long hike in Bear Mountain State Park with your humble blogger, including Mass on the trail.

SLM director Adam Rudin was assisted during orientation by returned missioner Jocelyn Escudero.

The SLM hike on West Mountain

When Adam told Fr. Mike that 3 of the SLMs wouldn’t go hiking (for various reasons), they thought the 4 who would participate would be able to handle a strenuous jaunt.  Later, Fr. Mike, at least, thought they’d taken on too much:  a 6-hour round trip that traversed 7 miles, including about 900 feet of elevation.  They were rewarded with some spectacular views over the Palisades Pkwy on one side of West Mountain, over Bear Mountain and the USMA on another side, and over Stony Point and the Hudson River past Croton Point on yet another side.

The weather was sunny and on the warm side—good for hiking as long as one carries enuf water.

After parking in a hikers’ lot off 7 Lakes Driver, the party took a short piece of the 1777W Trail to the Appalachian Trail, then slowly ascended West Mountain.  Meeting the Timp-Torne Trail on the ridge, they followed both trails for about a mile till they forked, the AT starting its descent toward the parkway and the TT turning east toward a fine shelter.

At the shelter we met a couple of day hikers, and we ate our lunches.  Several of us gratefully napped for 15 minutes.  On our way back to our van, we met 4 longer-range hikers (not AT thru hikers, tho), and we picked a shady spot to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.

See all photos at https://link.shutterfly.com/C3tyXFOccMb

Salesian Lay Missioners Reunite in Program's 36th Year

Salesian Lay Missioners

Reunite in Program’s 36^th Year

by Clare Pressimone

(New Rochelle, N.Y. – September 13) – On the weekend of September 7-9, 35 women and men who have participated in the Salesian Lay Missioner program during the last 35 years gathered at the Marian Shrine and Don Bosco Retreat Center in Haverstraw, N.Y. Participants came from 13 states: Arizona, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The SLM program, established in 1983, is coordinated and sponsored by Salesian Missions USA, based in New Rochelle, N.Y. More than 800 women and men—mostly recent college graduates, but also some older volunteers and married couples, have participated.

This was the 2nd SLM alumni reunion, the first having occurred ten years ago. The 35 SLM alums who participated were commissioned in the years from 1999 up to 2017. They were missioned to Bolivia, Cambodia, the Hong Kong Province, India, South Sudan, USA, Vietnam, and Zambia.

Fr. Tom Dunne inspiring returned SLMs with his talk on Saturday afternoon.

The September 7-9 weekend included participation in the celebrations of the perpetual professions of three Salesians and the Jubilees Mass for 17 Salesians; a gathering of the Salesian Family; a talk by Fr. Tom Dunne, SDB, on the impact of SLMs around the globe; a breakout session in which the SLMs discussed how their mission experience influences their lives in the U.S; a Saturday vigil Mass celebrated by SLM alumnus Fr. Xavier Meiergerd, CFR; a dinner and a bonfire that were joined by several other members of the Salesian Family.

In his homily during Mass, Fr. Xavier reflected that “when you decide to follow Jesus, things get interesting.” The SLM alums were reminded of this as they shared their stories of mission and reminisced about what being an SLM and a member of the Salesian Family means to each of them. The importance and positive impact of the SLM program on each individual present was evident.

Many of the 35 attendees having traveled great distances, the gathering was filled with pure joy as SLMs met up with old friends, made new ones, and saw how the SLM family had grown over the years. (Some of the SLMs even brought their own families and significant others to join the fun.) Years after most had returned to the U.S., the continued commitment of the SLMs to the program which sent them to many corners of the Salesian world is a gift that would make the missionary heart of Don Bosco sing.

More information about the Salesian Lay Missioners: www.salesianlaymissioners.org

SLM alumni Fr. Xavier Meiergerd, CFR (Bolivia, 2001-2002), 

and Bro. Dan Glass, SDB (South Sudan, 2012-2013).

Clare Pessimone served as an SLM in Cambodia in 2014-2016 and now works at Salesian Missions in New Rochelle while pursuing graduate studies at Fordham University.

Discernment Weekend for Potential Lay Missioners

Discernment Weekend for Potential Lay Missioners

Over the March 11-13 weekend, 6 Salesian Lay Missioner candidates from as many U.S. states (Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, and Ohio) visited Salesian Missions and the provincial house in New Rochelle as part of the process of discerning whether they might become SLMs later this year. Their weekend included presentations on Don Bosco and the Salesians, how to discern, the Salesian oratory criteria, and the Salesian Lay Missioner program itself. A panel of returned SLMs discussed mission with them. They visited 4 Salesian works in New Rochelle (the mission office, the provincial house, Salesian HS, and the "oratory" at Blessed Sacrament Parish) and took part in prayer and meals at each site.

A second discernment weekend for additional SLM candidates is planned in May. Those who are accepted into the SLM program will undertake three weeks of orientation in late July and August and be commissioned at the end of a retreat.

Pictured above are 5 of the candidates; the 6th had to leave on Sunday morning before your humble blogger/photographer returned from a weekend with Boy Scouts. At the left in the photo is Adam Rudin, director of the SLM program, and at the right Fr. Mark Hyde, SDB, director of Salesian Missions.