2023 Salesian Postulation Dossier and Poster Published

2023 Postulation Dossier and Salesian Family Holiness Poster have been published

(ANS – Rome – Jan. 24, 2024) – On the feast of St. Francis de Sales, it is significant to present the dossier of the Salesian General Postulation as a strong invitation to renew the universal call to holiness so dear to the bishop of Geneva and taken up in solemn form by Vatican II: “Fortified by so many and such powerful means of salvation, all the faithful, whatever their condition or state, are called by the Lord, each in his or her own way, to that perfect holiness whereby the Father Himself is perfect” (Lumen Gentium, 11).

“Each in his or her own way,” Lumen Gentium says. “We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable” (Gaudete et Exsultate no. 11).  There are some testimonies that may prove helpful and inspiring, but that we are not meant to copy, for that could even lead us astray from the one specific path that the Lord has in mind for us. “The important thing is that each believer discern his or her own path, bringing out the very best of themselves, the most personal gifts that God has placed in their hearts” (cf. 1 Cor 12:7) (GS 11).

We need to express deep gratitude and praise to God for the holiness already recognized in the Salesian Family of Don Bosco and for others in process of recognition. The outcome of a cause of beatification and canonization is an event of extraordinary importance and ecclesial value. In fact, it is a matter of discerning the reputation of holiness of a baptized person who has lived the evangelical beatitudes to a heroic degree or who has given his life for Christ.

“From Don Bosco down to our own times, we recognize a tradition of holiness to which we need to pay attention, since the embodiment of the charism that had its origin in him found its expression in a variety of states of life and in different forms, in men and women, young people and adults, consecrated persons and lay people, bishops and missionaries who in certain historical, cultural, and social contexts, different in time and place, made the special light of the Salesian charism shine out, representing a heritage that continues to play an effective role in the life and in the communities of believers and of men and women of good will.”

The Salesian Postulation involves 173 individuals among saints (10), blesseds (117), venerables (20), and servants of God (26). There are 58 causes directly followed by the Postulation (plus 5 extra).

The dossier, recalls the postulator general for the causes of saints of the Salesian Family, Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, after reporting the list and status of each cause, presents the events of 2023, including the 3rd Seminar on the Promotion of causes in the Salesian Family, held in Turin from September 6 to 10, 2023, with over 80 participants.

In addition, the following deserve to be remembered:

January 11, 2023: legal validity of the diocesan inquiry for the cause of the Servant of God Bishop Giuseppe Cognata, SDB (born at Agrigento, Italy, October 14, 1885; died at Pellaro, Italy, July 22, 1972), titular bishop of Farsalo, former bishop of Bova, founder of the Institute of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart.

March 23, 2023: Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree concerning the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Carlo Crespi Croci, Salesian priest; born on May 29, 1891 in Legnano, Italy, and died on April 30, 1982 in Cuenca, Ecuador.

March 28, 2023: The historical consultants of the Dicastery expressed affirmative votes regarding the Report on the Martyrdom of the Servants of God John Swierc and 8 companions, Salesian priests.

March 30, 2023: The medical board of the Dicastery gave a positive opinion to the alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Camille Costa de Beauregard, diocesan priest (1841-1910), involving a child, René Jacquemond, for healing from “intense keratoconjunctivitis with grinding of the cornea, strong pericheratic injection, redness, and injection of the conjunctiva, photophobia, and tearing of the right eye due to violent trauma from a plant-bardan agent” (1910).

June 22, 2023: Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree concerning the heroic virtues of the Servant of God Antônio de Almeida Lustosa, SDB, archbishop of Fortaleza, Brazil; born on February 11, 1886, in São João del Rei, Brazil, and died on August 14, 1974 in Carpina, Brazil.

September 19, 2023: the Report on the Life, Virtues, and Reputation for Holiness of the Servant of God Constantine Vendrame, Salesian priest, was delivered to the Dicastery.

October 19, 2023: the special Congress of Theologians of the Dicastery gave a positive vote to the alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Camille Costa de Beauregard, diocesan priest.

Finally, the commitment to disseminate the knowledge, imitation, and intercession of the members of the Salesian Family candidates for holiness is recalled, valuing and caring for different aspects: liturgical and celebratory, spiritual, pastoral, ecclesial, educational, cultural, historical, social, missionary, etc.

The Postulation Dossier can be downloaded in Italian, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese – updated to December 31, 2023. It is also possible to download the 2023 Salesian Family Holiness Poster, created by graphic designer Andrea Cugini.

Download attachments: 

• 2023_Dossier_Postulazione_ITA.pdf (45 Downloads) 
• 2023_Dossier_Postulazione_ENG.pdf (21 Downloads) 
• 2023_Dossier_Postulazione_ESP.pdf (39 Downloads) 
• 2023_Dossier_Postulazione_FRA.pdf (12 Downloads) 
• 2023_Dossier_Postulazione_POR.pdf (25 Downloads)

 

Homily for Memorial of St. Marianne Cope

Homily for the Memorial of
St. Marianne Cope

Jan. 23, 2024
Collect
Mark 3: 31-35
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

This homily wasn’t delivered in person because of a quarantine at the Residence; it was emailed to the Brothers instead.

We celebrate today the memory and the example of St. Marianne Cope, a religious who put into practice the love of Christ by her care for the least of her brothers and sisters—lepers who were, literally, the outcasts of the kingdom of Hawaii, later the U.S. territory of Hawaii.  At age 46, leaving behind her ministry of working with immigrants in upstate New York and hospital administration, she volunteered for the mission of mercy for lepers, 1st on Oahu and then assisting and succeeding St. Damien on Molokai.

Some of you may have served in Hawaii and know more fully the story of the leper colony of Molokai.  If not, it’s perhaps hard for us to imagine the misery of the place and its people, even after St. Damien had done so much for their benefit and St. Marianne continued that.

She herself said: “I am hungry for the work, and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen ones, whose privilege it will be to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of the souls of the poor Islanders. . . .  I am not afraid of any disease; hence it would be my greatest delight even to minister to the abandoned lepers.”

Of that, the cardinal prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes said at her beatification:  “She left everything and abandoned herself completely to the will of God, to the call of the Church, and to the demands of her new brothers and sisters.  She put her own health and life at risk.”  She carried out what Jesus teaches in today’s gospel, doing God’s will and thus showing that she was truly a sister and mother of the Lord Jesus (Mark 3:35).

St. Joseph’s Residence certainly isn’t like Molokai.  But we can thank God anyway that you have staff here like our sisters out in the hall, house administrators, and others who care for you with the same love that St. Marianne gave to the sick in her care, who, as the collect said, “burn with love for [God] and for those who suffer.”  Not only do they care for you as sisters, mothers, and brothers, but they also encourage us to be brothers to one another, and so to Jesus.

Homily for 3d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
3d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Jan. 21, 2024
Collect
Jonah 3: 1-5, 10
1 Cor 7: 29-31
Mark 1: 14-20
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

We prayed in the collect a short while ago, “God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works” (Collect).

Most of us like to think we’re good people, good Catholics even.  If that’s true, the collect of today’s Mass draws our attention to why we’re good:  by the good pleasure of God, by God’s grace.  St. Paul bluntly tells the Ephesians:  “By grace you’ve been saved thru faith; and this is not your own doing, it’s the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).  He adds, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (2:10).

But is it true that we’re good?  Our 3 Scripture readings today stress repentance.  St. Paul reminds us that time is short:  “the time is running out” (1 Cor 7:29) and “the world in its present form is passing away” (7:31).  Whether we’re 20 years old or 85, our time is short.  Only God is eternal, and we’ll have to return to him, to him who created us to “abound in good works” by responding to his grace, by letting him work in us and shape us into images of his Son Jesus.

Jonah went to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, Israel’s deadly enemies, and preached to them that their time was short, that God intended to destroy them in 40 days (Jon 3:4).  They paid attention to God’s message and “turned from their evil ways,” and God changed his intention (3:10) and saved them, so to speak.

After John the Baptist was arrested by Herod, the ruler of Galilee, Jesus began his public ministry.  John had condemned Herod’s sexual sins, so Herod imprisoned him and eventually executed him.  Time is short even for prophets and saints.

So Jesus comes, “proclaiming the gospel of God” (Mark 1:14).  That Gospel, the Good News—that’s what gospel means—is that with Jesus “the time is fulfilled” and “God’s kingdom is at hand” (1:15).  God is present in Jesus and the Good News that he brings.  Believe it!  And believing it, turn away from your sins, as the people of Nineveh did.  Believe that God cares for you, desires you, wants to save you.  He created you to be with him, “to enjoy his good pleasure and to abound in good works,” by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes we may wonder whether God can truly love us.  We’re sinners, after all.  Sometimes we do or say terrible things, things that certainly aren’t the good works that God has in mind.

Jesus Calls the Sons of Zebedee

(Marco Basaiti)

Yet Christ comes and tells us God’s at hand, and this is good news.  Then Jesus gives us down-to-earth examples.  He walks by the sea, and he sees 4 fishermen going about their tasks.  Here in the Bronx he might see office workers, deliverymen, housekeepers, shopkeepers, construction workers, teachers, students—just everyday people.  Simon and Andrew, James and John aren’t saints—not yet, anyway.  But Jesus sees them (1:16,19), sees them with the eyes of God, and he calls them:  “Follow me, come after me” (1:17,20).  It’s not a question of their worthiness or their holiness, but of Jesus’ wish to have them with him, and thru them to enter the lives of others:  to be “fishers of men” (1:17).  Eventually, after a long internship of trial and error and by his grace, they will become saints.

He’s called us, too.  To everyone here, Jesus has said, “Follow me.”  Follow me by turning away from your sins, whatever those may be, and accept my offer of a ticket into the kingdom of God.  Let me help you “abound in good works” and to live in my Father’s “good pleasure”—here in the Bronx for now, and eventually for eternity.  Come now, for “the time is running out”; the wealth and power and pleasure of “the world in its present form” are passing away.  This morning/afternoon every one of us is one day closer to eternity.

Homily for Friday, Week 2 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Friday
Week 2 of Ordinary Time

Jan. 19, 2024
Mark 3: 13-19
1 Sam 24: 3-21
Provincial House, New Rochelle

Choosing up Sides (EP.10) - Revolution 2.0 (revolution2-0.org)

When we were a lot younger, many of us began a ball game—baseball, football, or basketball—by choosing sides.  We might have used some ritual to determine who got 1st pick.  We chose those teammates who—we hoped—would give us the best chance of winning the game.

Today’s readings feature choices:  God’s choices to win salvation for Israel from her enemies, and the new Israel to win souls.  In the OT reading, God’s 2 choices to be king of Israel contend with each other.  In the Gospel, Jesus “summoned those whom he wanted and … he appointed Twelve” (3:13).

Choosing the Twelve (James Tissot)

God chose Saul to be king, and when Saul wasn’t faithful to the role given him, God replaced him with David:  “On a champion I’ve placed a crown; over the people I’ve set a youth” (Ps 89:20).  Altho he, too, sinned more than once, in the long run he proved faithful and is revered as a paragon of kingship.

Jesus had gathered an unknown number of disciples.  Upon a mountain—in other words, in a place where he communed with God and could act as a revealer of God’s will—he selected and appointed his apostles.  The choice is God’s, acting in Jesus.  Why them and not someone else?  Only God knows, just as only God knew why he chose Saul, and later David.

Jesus chose the 12 with a purpose:  to “be with him” and to be “sent forth to preach and … drive out demons” (3:14-15).  Their 1st requirement is to be with him, to be in his company, to listen to him, to learn from him.  It sounds like what we hear over and over regarding our religious consecration.  Only then will the 12 be qualified to go forth as apostles.

The choice in both the OT and the Gospel was God’s.  The response, however, had to be that of the men chosen.  Saul rebelled against God’s command and failed as king.  David was true.  Jesus “appointed 12,” and to some extent they all failed him.  If the beloved disciple who stood by Jesus on Calvary and supported Mary was John the son of Zebedee, as generally supposed, even he failed Jesus at least twice—wanting to call down fire on the Samaritan village that wouldn’t receive Jesus on his journey toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:53-54), and seeking a high place in Jesus’ kingdom (Mark 10:35-40).  Judas, of course, failed terribly, perhaps irredeemably (altho we can’t know that in this life).

Having been chosen, then, Israel’s kings and Jesus’ 12 also had to choose:  to be faithful or not.  So it is with all whom Jesus has called to discipleship.  Our faithful response may begin, “Here I am Lord” (Is 6:8).  Thru all Christian disciples, may God ever “send his mercy and his faithfulness” (Ps 57:4).When we were a lot younger, many of us began a ball game—baseball, football, or basketball—by choosing sides.  We might have used some ritual to determine who got 1st pick.  We chose those teammates who—we hoped—would give us the best chance of winning the game.

Today’s readings feature choices:  God’s choices to win salvation for Israel from her enemies, and the new Israel to win souls.  In the OT reading, God’s 2 choices to be king of Israel contend with each other.  In the Gospel, Jesus “summoned those whom he wanted and … he appointed Twelve” (3:13).

God chose Saul to be king, and when Saul wasn’t faithful to the role given him, God replaced him with David:  “On a champion I’ve placed a crown; over the people I’ve set a youth” (Ps 89:20).  Altho he, too, sinned more than once, in the long run he proved faithful and is revered as a paragon of kingship.

Jesus had gathered an unknown number of disciples.  Upon a mountain—in other words, in a place where he communed with God and could act as a revealer of God’s will—he selected and appointed his apostles.  The choice is God’s, acting in Jesus.  Why them and not someone else?  Only God knows, just as only God knew why he chose Saul, and later David.

Jesus chose the 12 with a purpose:  to “be with him” and to be “sent forth to preach and … drive out demons” (3:14-15).  Their 1st requirement is to be with him, to be in his company, to listen to him, to learn from him.  It sounds like what we hear over and over regarding our religious consecration.  Only then will the 12 be qualified to go forth as apostles.

The choice in both the OT and the Gospel was God’s.  The response, however, had to be that of the men chosen.  Saul rebelled against God’s command and failed as king.  David was true.  Jesus “appointed 12,” and to some extent they all failed him.  If the beloved disciple who stood by Jesus on Calvary and supported Mary was John the son of Zebedee, as generally supposed, even he failed Jesus at least twice—wanting to call down fire on the Samaritan village that wouldn’t receive Jesus on his journey toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:53-54), and seeking a high place in Jesus’ kingdom (Mark 10:35-40).  Judas, of course, failed terribly, perhaps irredeemably (altho we can’t know that in this life).

Having been chosen, then, Israel’s kings and Jesus’ 12 also had to choose:  to be faithful or not.  So it is with all whom Jesus has called to discipleship.  Our faithful response may begin, “Here I am Lord” (Is 6:8).  Thru all Christian disciples, may God ever “send his mercy and his faithfulness” (Ps 57:4).

Homily for Memorial of St. Anthony the Abbot

Homily for the Memorial of
St. Anthony, Abbot

Jan. 17, 2024
Collect
1 Sam 17: 32-51
Salesian HS, New Rochelle, N.Y.

St. Anthony attacked by demons

(Michelangelo)

The collect today referred to St. Anthony’s “way of life in the desert,” a life of relative solitude outside the villages of Egypt, and to his love of God “above all things.”

He loved God above land and wealth, which he abandoned as a young man, in order to live the Gospel radically.  He wasn’t learned—may have been illiterate—but he learned the Scriptures, especially the Gospels, by heart so as to live them wholeheartedly.  In them he found joy and the path to eternal life.

Even in the desert he wasn’t completely alone, in solitude:  for 2 reasons.  1st, attracted by his holiness and serenity, people sought him out, desiring to share his wisdom; 2d, he was constantly assailed by the Devil, at least in the early years of his monastic life, because the Devil was so angry at his wholehearted pursuit of Christ.

Like David in his victory over Goliath, Anthony was victorious over the Devil because he put all his trust in God.

Thus Anthony teaches us to learn and live the Gospel with joy, and to put all our faith in God, not in wealth or status.

Homily for Tuesday, Week 2 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Tuesday
Week 2 of Ordinary Time

Jan. 16, 2024
1 Sam 16: 1-13
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

Samuel anoints David

(House church at Dura Europos)

“The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David” (1 Sam 16: 13).

I love that phrase!  It sounds like a mighty wind blowing over and thru David—like the winds we had on the weekend, which almost knocked me over while I was walking in Five Islands Park.  The RSV renders the phrase: “The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David.”

The Spirit comes over David because the Lord has chosen him.  Very clearly, the boy—and he’s just a boy, not even considered when Jesse presents his sons to Samuel—has no striking merits except that he’s “handsome to behold, making a splendid appearance” (16:12).  That’s not the stuff of kings.  But “God looks into the heart” (16:7).  God sees someone who will cooperate with grace, someone who will carry out his will, and for that purpose God’s “arm [will] make him strong” (Ps 89:21).

That’s why God has chosen you, brothers—to be disciples of his Son Jesus, to be anointed with sacred chrism, made Christ; and to be consecrated further as Christian Brothers who have tried and continue to try to carry out his will, especially toward the young sheep of the divine flock.  Whether you’re “handsome to behold” matters not.  The openness of your heart to the Spirit of God matters.  May that Spirit rush upon you as you continue to live your Christian and religious vocations.  God’s mighty arm is with you.

Homily for 2d Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily for the
2d Sunday of Ordinary Time[1]

Jan. 14, 2024
John 1: 35-42
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“They went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day” (John 1: 39).

Jesus’ public ministry begins with his introduction to the public by John the Baptist.  After an extensive ministry of his own, laying the groundwork for the Messiah’s appearance, John finally sees him and points him out to some of his own disciples.  A wise man, a man in love with God, John knows who he is, as we heard emphasized on 2 of the Sundays of Advent.  His mission is to prepare people to receive God’s Anointed One, the one who will wash them with the Holy Spirit.  So John doesn’t hesitate to direct his followers to where they need to go.

Without grasping what “Lamb of God” means (1:36), for the moment seeing Jesus only as a “teacher” (1:38), Andrew and the other disciple—who, perhaps, was John the son of Zebedee—follow Jesus and accept his invitation to go with him (1:39).  Evidently they’re captivated; they stay with him the rest of the afternoon (1:39), and then they begin to recruit more disciples for Jesus (1:40), whom they now see as more than a teacher:  “We’ve found the Messiah” (1:41).

Later, when Jesus begins to teach his disciples and crowds of others about the gift of his Body and Blood that must be consumed for eternal life (John 6), many of them will find this teaching “hard” and abandon him (6:60,66).  But Simon Peter will speak for others:  “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We’ve come to believe and are convinced that you’re the Holy One of God” (6:68-69).  And they remain with him.

Andrew and the unnamed disciple stayed with Jesus and led others to him.  Simon Peter, the rest of the 12, and others remained with him.

Why do we stay with Jesus?  Surveys tell us that only 25% of people in the U.S. who call themselves Catholics continue to come to church.  In Canada, most of Western Europe, and Australia, the percentage is even less.  The other 75% have been turned off by scandals, are scared off by Covid, have what they think are more urgent matters to attend to on Sunday, or just can’t be bothered.

What keeps us coming to church, coming to Jesus?  Once upon a time, people came to church because that’s what you did on Sunday.  Or they came because of social pressure (from parents or neighbors).  Or they were entranced by the sacred music or what we used to call “smells and bells”—incense and ritual.  Or they thought it was a sin to skip Mass (it is) even if to them it was otherwise meaningless.  If that’s what drew people once upon a time, it doesn’t seem sufficient any longer.

So why do we stay with Jesus?  Some of us hunger for the truth of who we are, where we’re going, why God created us.  We come to listen to God’s Word in the Scriptures and hear a homily that (I hope) applies the Scriptures to our lives.  Some of us, aware of our sinfulness, come to be reassured that God loves us, welcomes us, and forgives us.  Some of us find companionship in our parish community, a kind of comfort in the company and the example of other believers.  Some of us desire a closer relationship with Jesus, whom we find present in the Eucharist, who nourishes our souls.  Some of us so appreciate God’s goodness and beauty that we want to come and thank him, praise him, and give him glory.  Some of us realize how weak we are in the face of life’s difficulties and temptations and come to plead for divine assistance, for strength to plod on with life.  In any of that, we’ve found the Messiah, Christ, God’s Anointed One.

Whatever it is the induces us to stay with Jesus, thank God!  May he always preserve us in his grace and, as Simon Peter said, lead us to eternal life.  May Jesus even help us, like Andrew, lead others to him, for we’ve found the Messiah—or, better, the Messiah has found us.

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[1] For reasons that only a bureaucrat could discern, today is designated the “2d Sunday of Ordinary Time” even tho there’s never a 1st Sunday.

Abp. Costelloe Named Synod Consultor

Abp. Tim Costelloe Named Consultor for the Synod General Secretariat

Photo ©: Synod.va

(ANS – Vatican City – Jan. 11, 2024) – The work for the next session of the Synod on Synodality continues with the appointment of some consultors by the Pope. The Holy See Press Office announced on January 10 that the Holy Father has appointed 5 consultors to the general secretariat of the Synod, including Salesian Abp. Timothy Costelloe of Perth, Australia.

The following were appointed, along with Abp. Costelloe:

–     Msgr. Piero Coda, secretary general of the International Theological Commission;

–     Gaby Alfred Hachem, professor of theology at the Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik, Lebanon;

–     Giuseppe Bonfrate, professor of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome;

–     Father Paul Béré, S.J., professor of Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

In March 2023 Pope Francis appointed Abp. Costelloe one of the members of the preparatory commission for the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

Homily for Saturday, Week 1 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Saturday
Week 1 of Ordinary Time

Jan. 13, 2024
Mark 2: 13-17
Provincial House, New Rochelle, N.Y.

This is the 3d time in 4 years that I’ve been assigned Saturday of Week 1, here—however it is that happens.  But I’m not recycling the homily.

Both yesterday’s and today’s gospels opened with Jesus teaching—yesterday at his home in Capernaum (2:1), today “along the sea” (2:13), i.e., the Sea of Galilee.  The 1st mission of the Word of God dwelling among us is to preach the word.

His 2d activity is to heal.  He did plenty of that on his 1st Sabbath day in Capernaum—which also began with his teaching in the synagog (1:21).  But then he healed a demoniac (1:23-26) and Simon’s mother-in-law (1:30-31), and after the Sabbath ended, “all who were ill or possessed by demons” (1:32).  Then “he went thruout the whole of Galilee, preaching and driving out demons” (1:39), and he cured the most desperately ill person, a leper (1:40-44).

Back in Capernaum, he’s confronted in the middle of his teaching with a paralytic, as we heard yesterday (2:3-4).  By the way, if he was at home, as Mark asserts, then it was the roof of his house that was broken open for the paralytic.  Maybe that’s an apt metaphor:  by the Incarnation, the Word of God broke into our world empower us to break into his home, God’s kingdom.

Anyhow, in that episode for the 1st time Jesus took his healing ministry to a higher level:  “Child, your sins are forgiven” (2:5), an assertion that he backed up with the physical cure.

Jesus Calls Matthew (Levi)

(Carpaccio)

Now, today, Jesus follows his teaching by the sea with another cure, another act of divine mercy.  He calls Levi (2:14).  He invites a social and political outcast—whatever monetary sins he might also have been guilty of—to become his companion.  That’s an implicit act of forgiveness.  Who can keep the Messiah company except one whom the Messiah makes worthy of his company?

Companion means, literally, one with whom you share bread.  Levi and “many tax collectors and sinners reclined at table with Jesus and his disciples” (2:15).  The text is ambiguous about whether this dinner is in Levi’s house or Jesus’; for purposes of Jesus’ fellowship, it doesn’t matter.  What matters is that Jesus is keeping company with sinners and tax collectors.

When challenged about his company, Jesus responds with one of the most consoling lines in the Bible:  he’s come for sinners, because they’re the ones who need healing.  We’re the ones who need healing.  One commentator has observed that if Jesus doesn’t eat with sinners, he’ll always dine alone.*  To make sure he isn’t alone, Jesus keeps inviting us sinners to the banquet he prepares, this Eucharist, and he keeps wide open (like the roof of his house) the invitation to the banquet laid for us in his Father’s home.

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* Van Bogard Dunn, Forming Ministry Through Bible Study: Reader’s Guide to the Gospel of Mark (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 1987), p. 24.

Homily for Thursday, Week 1 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 1 of Ordinary Time

Jan. 11, 2024
1 Sam 4: 1-11
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s 2 sons, Hophni and Phineas, were among the dead” (1 Sam 4: 11).

Death of Eli (4:18)

(Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld)

Yesterday we heard (or read privately) of Samuel’s call from God.  He’s destined to become the last of the leaders of Israel termed “judges,” tho not a strong captain of armies like those we read of in the book of Judges.  In fact, this 1st book of Samuel refers to him as a “seer” or a “prophet.”

But in today’s reading from ch. 4, we’re still in a time like that of the judges.  Eli, in fact, is described as a judge (4:18).  Israel hasn’t been faithful in her service of God.  In particular, Eli’s sons Hophni and Phineas have sinned grievously, which is reported in ch. 2.  Defeat at the hands of Israel’s enemies follows, and the doom of the 2 most egregious sinners especially.  Eli, too, will die for not having restrained his sons.

Eli, his sons, and all of Israel knew the terms of the covenant but didn’t fulfill them.  In the collect today, we prayed that we “may see what must be done and gain strength to do what [we] have seen.”  What must be done is determined by our discipleship and our religious vocation:  to live the ways of Jesus.  We need strength from his grace to do that, lest we fall into griping about one another (and our superiors), telling petty fibs, entertaining improper thoughts, omitting prayer.  Such failures give way to defeat, not on the battlefield but in our souls.  But every day we have the ark of God among us [the tabernacle] to which we can have recourse:  for the strength of Jesus our Lord and for victory over the enemy of our souls.

Volunteering Unleashes Human Potential

Volunteering Unleashes Human Potential

(ANS – Los Angeles – Jan. 9, 2024) – In a world filled with challenges and uncertainties, the power of Salesian volunteer ministry stands as hope, offering a pathway for individuals to make a tangible, positive impact on the lives of others. At the heart of this movement lies the transformative TEDx Talk by J.C. Montenegro, a Salesian lay missioner whose volunteer experience in the Salesian mission of Wasak’entsa in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador in 1994 changed his life forever. 

Titled “Unleashing Human Potential Through Volunteer ministry,” J.C.’s TEDx talk is a compelling testament to the profound impact of Salesian volunteer ministry and its ability to empower individuals to become catalysts for change. Through this thought-provoking presentation, J.C. shares his journey. It sheds light on the incredible potential within each of us, waiting to be unleashed through acts of service and compassion. 

The power of volunteer ministry goes beyond the immediate impact on those being served. It also has the potential to transform the volunteers’ lives. By engaging in volunteer work, individuals have the opportunity to cultivate empathy, develop leadership skills, and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. By volunteering, individuals can build strong communities, develop social skills, improve self-esteem, and increase happiness. Moreover, giving back fosters a sense of purpose and fulfillment that can be profoundly enriching on a personal level. 

The speaker invites the audience to envision a world where everyone volunteers, which can result in a better world—more compassionate and a better place to live. J.C.’s TEDx Talk serves as a rallying call for individuals, especially youths, to embrace volunteer ministry to create positive change in their communities and beyond.

Juan Carlos is a commercial engineer with master’s degrees in business administration and youth ministry, a certificate in coordination of youth ministry, and doctorate in “individuals, family and society, a multidisciplinary vision” from the University of Comillas, Spain. He lives in Los Angeles and is dedicated to offering support to people and organizations in their processes of self-knowledge and in the discovery of their abilities to achieve their freedom and success.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Here is the link to the video.

Fr. Mike Conway, New Director of Salesian Missions

Fr. Mike Conway, New Director of Salesian Missions

(ANS – New Rochelle – Jan. 8, 2024) – Last summer, Cardinal Angel Fernandez Artime appointed Fr. Michael Conway as new director of Salesian Missions. His appointment has now been formally announced.

Fr. Mike immediately succeeds Fr. Timothy Ploch, who faithfully and effectively served as interim director for several months following Fr. Gus Baek’s death from cancer on Dec. 30, 2022.

Fr. Conway was born on August 11, 1962, in Boston, attended St. Dominic Savio HS in East Boston, and made his novitiate in Newton, N.J., where he made his first profession on August 25, 1983. He was ordained a priest by then-Bishop Oscar Rodriguez in Nanuet, N.Y., on May 31, 1992.

In his Salesian life, he has served in many different ways in the New Rochelle Province: among other positions, he was principal of Abp. Shaw HS in Marrero, La. (2005-2008), director of the Salesian community in St. Petersburg (2008-2015), and director of the community in Maryland (2015-2021). For the New Rochelle Province he was provincial councilor (2018-2021) and treasurer (2021-2023). He was also the province’s delegate to the 28th General Chapter in 2020.

“I’m delighted with our Rector Major’s choice,” says Fr. Ploch. “Fr. Mike is a seasoned and capable leader and colleague whose Salesian heart beats in unison with Don Bosco’s.”

The staff of Salesian Missions added: “We’re delighted, too! And we’re grateful for Fr. Tim’s leadership as he expertly navigated us through uncharted waters with grace. Thank you, Fr. Tim—and welcome, Fr. Mike! The entire Salesian Missions family appreciates you both.”

Salesians 2023

“Salesians 2023”

Video on the Salesian mission in action last year

(ANS – Rome – Jan. 8, 2024) – 2023 was full of blessings, intense activities, and significant events for the Salesian Congregation. With 13,958 Salesians present in 136 countries and thousands and thousands of consecrated and lay members of the Salesian Family, Don Bosco’s mission has continued to be carried out successfully in countless initiatives aimed at the most disadvantaged young people, through hundreds of programs and initiatives. To appreciate the value of these 365 days of attention and dedication according to the charism of Don Bosco, the Salesian Congregation’s Communications Department for has created the “Salesians 2023” video, which sums up and celebrates the work done over the past year.

The video, which lasts about 21 minutes and consists of images collected throughout the year, recalls the most significant events that took place globally: trips of the Rector Major, team visits of the general council, the most important meetings of the Salesian Family, and other world events or really special, if not exceptional, events which took place, such as, first of all, the appointment of the Rector Major as cardinal.

The global outlook adopted does not neglect the peripheries of the Congregation. There is, in fact, also room for key moments experienced in the provinces, such as the opening of institutes and local festivals in different parts of the world. And, of course, a section dedicated to the various gatherings, congresses, and youth festivals that put Salesian spirituality and passion at the center of their activities could not be missing; nor those dedicated to commemorating the initiatives on the theme of unity, peace, and holistic development and solidarity carried out by Salesian communities, including emergency interventions in places such as Syria, Ukraine, Sudan, or in natural disasters.

Commenting on the video and explaining its meaning, Fr. Gildasio Mendes, general councilor for communications, said: “I am very pleased with the initiative of this video commemorating a whole year of work for the Congregation and the Salesian Family. It allows us to take an objective, authentic look at the Salesian world and will remain in the future as a historical-visual documentation on 2023.”

For his part, Fr. Harris Pakkam, director of the iNfo Salesiana Agency, who directly oversaw the creation of the “Salesians 2023” video: “This video highlights Salesian activity in the world and sheds appropriate light on what is being done, sometimes in silence, at all latitudes of the globe, in the name of Don Bosco. Looking at it, we have a true perception of the vitality of the Salesian charism today and I hope that it also serves to make known to the outside world how alive, active, and exciting the Salesian mission is still today.”

The video is available in Italian, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese on the respective ANSChannel language channels. The Polish version will also be released shortly.

Anyone interested in making a translated version of the video “Salesiani 2023” in different local languages can request the text of the script by writing to: direttore@infoans.org

Homily for Solemnity of Epiphany

Homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany

Jan. 7, 2024
Matt 2: 1-12
Villa Maria, Bronx
Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

“Herod inquired of the chief priests and the scribes where the Christ was to be born.  They said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written thru the prophet’” (Matt 2: 4-5).

Herod the Great & the Magi

(Tissot)

St. Matthew gives us an ominous indication when the magi arrive in Jerusalem:  “King Herod was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (2:3).  This doesn’t bode well for Jesus, recently born and now sought by strangers as “king of the Jews” (2:2). 

“Where is the Christ to be born?”  Christ is the Greek translation of “Messiah” and means “anointed one,” i.e., one anointed by God.  For Herod and the Jewish people that can mean only a king, someone whom God anoints to rule over Israel.

King Herod was infamous for jealousy of his power and his brutality in suppressing anyone who might threaten it, including his wife and sons.  So the people tremble with fear at what might happen now when some rival to Herod may be at hand.

St. Matthew is also giving us a premonition of Jesus’ future.  When he comes to Jerusalem at the end of his public ministry, the city will be troubled again, 1st acclaiming him as the one who comes in the name of the Lord (21:9), then denouncing him:  “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15), and demanding his crucifixion.  A different ruler of Judea, Pontius Pilate, will mock Jesus as “king of the Jews” at his trial and in the placard attached to his cross; and Pilate will do what Herod tried to do but failed—to get rid of this threat to those in power in Jerusalem.  Not that anyone can so easily be rid of Jesus, as countless persecutors have discovered for 2,000 years.

The chief priests and the scribes, who share influence with King Herod at the time of Jesus’ birth and with the Roman powers during Jesus’ public ministry, know how to read the sacred Scriptures.  They inform Herod accurately that God’s anointed one can be expected at Bethlehem in Judea.

But that’s as far as they go.  They know what the Scriptures say but have no further interest in God’s anointed.  His birth means nothing to them.  Herod doesn’t even know the Scriptures, and his only interest in God’s anointed is to eliminate him as a threat.

Brothers and sisters:  we’re told over and over that we must read the Scriptures and get to know them.  True!  What’s more important is not just to know what they say but to take in their meaning, to be penetrated by their message, to find in them not directions to Bethlehem but directions for our lives.

There are Christians of all denominations who come to church more or less regularly, who receive Communion, who practice devotions like novenas, stations of the cross, the rosary, who know the basic outline of Jesus’ life—but who haven’t turned their lives over to Jesus; who haven’t been converted to what Jesus teaches about centering their lives on God and not on wealth, power, comfort, or their own smarts.  Knowing the Scriptures, coming to the sacraments, and saying our prayers is advantageous only if we—like the wise men—“prostrate ourselves and do him homage” (2:11); if we set aside our selfishness and the wisdom of the world in order to follow Christ; if we bring the Jesus whom we encounter in the Scriptures and the sacraments into the nitty-gritty of our daily lives; if we let Jesus govern our lives; if we love God with all our hearts and minds; if we love one another as Christ loves us—with a generous, sacrificial love that reveals him to the world.

Homily for January 5

Homily for January 5, 2024

John 1: 42-51
Missionaries of Charity, Bronx

“Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip” (John 1:43).

St. Philip (Rubens)

We began our weekday gospels with John the Baptist and were introduced gradually to Jesus, then to his disciples.  By today, it’s all Jesus and his followers.

One thing we might notice both yesterday and today is that Jesus takes the initiative.  He invites Andrew and the other disciple to “come and see” (1:39), then so enthralls them for 2 or 3 hours that they’re convinced they’ve found the Messiah (1:41).  Scripture scholar Fr. Frank Moloney, my Salesian confrere, makes the point that it’s really the Messiah who has found them.  He repeats that point in relation to Philip’s telling Nathanael, “We’ve found the one…” (1:45).  No, it’s Jesus who’s found Philip—which was evident enuf in the 1st line this morning:  “He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me’” (1:43)

The call of Jesus to discipleship, and to our vocations, is grace.  It’s his initiative, and for that we’re grateful.

Another aspect of the gospels yesterday and today is the limited understanding of the disciples.  Whereas John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God, the sin-remover, the Spirit-giver, and Son of God (1:29-34), Andrew and his friend see in Jesus a rabbi (1:38); then they progress to Messiah (1:41)—but with what understanding?  Nathanael also sees him as Messiah, specifically as king of Israel (1:49)—not the kind of Messiah that Jesus is.  Thus the disciples’ understandings are quite limited, if the rest of the gospels are an indication.  Today Philip finds in Jesus “the one Moses wrote about, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth” (1:45).  Not Son of God but son of Joseph; not from heaven but from Nazareth.  A good deal of John’s Gospel will be used to show us how wrong Philip is and to lead us to a true understanding of who Jesus is and what kind of a Messiah:  “These [signs] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that thru this belief you may have life in his name” (20:31).

The understanding of the disciples will increase only slowly, prodded by the Holy Spirit whom Jesus gives.  So our understanding, as well.  Only when we surrender to Jesus’ initiative, when we let him fill us with his Holy Spirit, will we “see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (1:51), and be graced with eternal life in his name.

Homily for January 4

Homily for January 4, 2024

John 1: 35-42
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

“John was standing with 2 of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God’” (John 1:35-36).

St. John the Baptist Points Out Christ to Andrew

(Ottavio Vannini)

The gospels are clear that John the Baptist knew his role:  to prepare for the One greater than he who would fire people with the Holy Spirit.  Yesterday we heard (or would have heard) John point to Jesus as Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, the Son of God (1:29-34).  Today John moves from a general identification of Jesus to a particular one; he directs 2 of his own disciples to the Lamb of God, to the one greater than he.

These 2 disciples, one identified as Andrew, take John’s cue.  They are seeking whatever it is that John is promoting, tho they obviously don’t understand what that is.  Like any solid disciple, they want something more if it’s available.

So they follow this unknown Lamb of God.  They address him as Teacher; they’re eager to learn.  They ask him where he’s staying; they want to be with him; they accept his invitation.  The 2 are invited by Jesus to come to him.  Altho they take the important step of beginning to follow him, the initiative belongs to Jesus:  “Come and see” (1:39).  Come and stay with me.  If Jesus has invited us into his company, of course we have the option of accepting the invite, as Andrew and the other disciple did.  Then we owe gratitude to Jesus for this gift of invitation.

And they stayed with him that day” (1:39).  To learn from Jesus, one must stay with him or remain with him.  This is the true situation of a true disciple; and to remain with Jesus not just for a day but constantly.  Andrew and his friend must have enjoyed those hours with Jesus—Andrew so much that he wants to share this relationship with Jesus; he seeks out his brother Simon in order to bring him to Jesus—the 1st time but not the last when Andrew will lead someone to Jesus.  A true disciple wants to share the joy he’s found, wants to expand the circle of the friends of Jesus.

Their half-afternoon with Jesus has also deepened the insight of Andrew and his companion.  Jesus is not merely a teacher; having spent time with him and listened to him, perhaps probing him too, they perceive that he’s the Messiah.  Spending time with Jesus leads one to a fuller grasp of his Person.

As we know from the rest of the gospel accounts, that grasp of Jesus is only beginning in this one encounter.  Knowing Jesus is a developing process.  May the Holy Spirit whom Jesus bestows upon us thru our Baptism and ongoing relationship with him ever deepen that relationship, keeping us inseparably united with him, so that we may remain with Jesus all our days, and forever.

 

Homily for Memorial of Holy Name of Jesus

Homily for the Memorial of the
Holy Name of Jesus
Wednesday after Jan. 1

Jan. 3, 2024
John 1: 29-34
Provincial House, N.R.

John Pointing Out Christ

(Master of St. John Altarpiece)

As we celebrate today the holy name of Jesus, the gospel account of the Baptist’s presentation of Jesus opens with an indirect allusion to his name.  Jesus means “YHWH saves, and John indicates that he takes away our sins.  John goes further, indicating that this salvation comes thru sacrifice:  Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

John the Evangelist doesn’t report Jesus’ baptism.  He implies it, however, when the Baptist testifies to the Spirit’s descent upon Jesus (1:32), so that Jesus will be able to bestow the Holy Spirit (1:33).  This is another testimony to Jesus as Savior.

Finally, John testifies that Jesus “is the Son of God” (1:34):  another holy name of Jesus.  He is Lamb, he is Spirit-giver, he is God’s Son.  Our acceptance of him, as the evangelist says in his prolog, gives us power to become God’s children (1:12)—to be saved by Jesus.  For this we are grateful.  We celebrate Eucharist, thanks to God.