Visitation with the Salesian

Vol. 12, No. 31
SALESIANS OF DON BOSCO, PROVINCE OF ST. PHILIP THE APOSTLE
January 29, 2015
Provincial’s Calendar
January
29-31 Visitation with the Salesian
community at Don Bosco
Prep, Ramsey, N.J.
1-4
5-7
ROME (ANS) — Beginning January 31, the solemnity of St. John Bosco,
news from ANS, the international Salesian news agency, will be posted daily
on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. The Rector Major has encouraged Salesians
to sign up for one of these. Click on the image for details.
Birthday Celebrations
January
29
29
30
31
Centennial Celebrations
These days, I have been conducting the provincial visitation of
the Salesian community at Don Bosco Preparatory High School in
Ramsey, N.J. With this visitation, I find myself immersed in centennial celebrations: the 200th anniversary of Don Bosco’s birth
and the 100th anniversary of Don Bosco Prep. Tomorrow the
members of the Salesian and school communities will gather for a
joyful centennial Mass with Bishop Bernard A. Hebda, coadjutor
archbishop of Newark, and Bishop John O’Hara, auxiliary bishop
of New York.
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February
Visitation with the Salesian
community at Salesian High
School, New Rochelle, N.Y.
Visit and curatorium meeting
at St. Joseph Novitiate,
Rosemead, Calif.
Post-novitiate curatorium
meeting at Don Bosco
Residence, Orange, N.J.
Bro. Kevin Connolly
Bro. Sal Sammarco
Fr. John Blanco
Fr. Peter Malloy
February
10
11
11
12
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Message from
Fr. Provincial
These are days of gratitude to God for giving the Church and the entire world a
father and founder, St. John Bosco, who has had such a profound effect on the lives
of young people who are poorest in all parts of the world! It is with good reason, that
people from all parts of the globe are celebrating the 200th anniversary of Don
Bosco’s birth. The movement that he initiated to extend his charism and mission to
the neediest young people has succeeded in making his presence and spirit felt
throughout the world.
Don Bosco began his ministry with the young at a time when social changes were
forcing the young into the most vulnerable situations through the advance of the early Industrial Revolution. Young people in his day found themselves in the least orderly parts of town, without any family, friends, shelter, or resources to support
themselves. The Church was largely unconnected with them and unable to help them
deal with their vulnerabilities.
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Fr. Miguel Suarez
Bro. Polynice Wilginz
Fr. Stephen Leake
Bro. Richard Pasaik
Fr. Larry Urban
Pray for the Sick
Fr. Dominique Britschu
Bro. Jerry Harasym
Fr. Jim Marra
Fr. Jim McKenna
Fr. Philip Pascucci
Bro. Bernie Zdanowicz
Thomas Donovan. Fr.
Dennis Donovan’s father
Leona Rasor, Fr. John
Rasor’s mother
Josephine Reynolds, Fr.
Anthony D’Angelo’s sister
Joseph Rang Tran , Fr.
Dominic Tran’s father
Dennis Donahue, Jo Ann
Donahue’s husband
January 29, 2015
E-Service
It was into these destructive conditions that Don Bosco
brought his pastoral heart, his conviction that God loved
the young in a special way, and his conviction to help all
young people, especially those most on the margin, to become honest citizens and fervent Christians. It is this spirit
of Christ-like service that we celebrate on this feast of St.
John Bosco. It is to this way of living that we, Don
Bosco’s Family, pledge to carry on under the protection of
Mary, our Mother and Help.
Today, the young find themselves in very different
sociological situations from that faced by the young of
Don Bosco’s times. If anything, the young in our age are
far more vulnerable, threatened, and damaged by the hatred, greed, prejudice, and ambition of those who would
seek to gain power, riches, pleasure, and influence by depriving the human rights and even the lives of our young.
Don Bosco’s heritage present in the world can be identified in the thousands of Salesian Family members and
committed colleagues in service who reach out to these
young people, offering them the basics of human life, education for their future, hope in a God who is ever present
with his grace, and a lifestyle that is aligned with furthering God’s kingdom.
The founders of Don Bosco Preparatory High School
followed in the spirit of Don Bosco in calling together the
sons of Polish immigrants to educate them for life in the
culture of the United States of the early 1900s. While the
transition required of these young men did not compare to
the dire situation encountered by the young of Don
Bosco’s time, the education and evangelization process
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was the same: call these young men to holiness as disciples of Christ and members of the Church, give them
knowledge and skills to lead a productive life, form them
within relationships characterized by family spirit, and
help them to discern the way God was calling them to lifelong service to their brothers and sisters.
The meaning of these centenaries
Our bicentennial and centennial celebrations today are
all about these young people who have been formed and
sent forth by Don Bosco and his followers. Rather than a
celebration of an institution or a religious congregation,
these celebrations are moments when vast numbers of
young people can rise up in joy and thankfulness for this
saintly father and founder who left behind a living legacy
that has carried his apostolic heart, fervent spirituality,
and generous service to the neediest of young people here
in Ramsey and throughout the world.
We join with the thousands of needy young people
throughout the world in giving thanks and praise to God
for inviting us to be a vital part of such a life-giving and
faith-centered movement within the Catholic Church and
throughout the world.
Thomas A. Dunne, SDB
Provincial
Published weekly by the Salesians of Don Bosco for the territory of Canada and the Eastern U.S.A.
Copyright © 2015
Salesian Society, Inc. - Province of St. Philip the Apostle
148 E. Main Street, PO Box 639, New Rochelle, NY 10802-0639 USA
Very Fr. Thomas Dunne, SDB, Provincial
Editor: Fr. Michael Mendl, SDB - [email protected]
Publisher: Fr. Dennis Donovan, SDB - [email protected]
Send news items to [email protected]
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SALESIANS
OF DON BOSCO
January 29, 2015
E-Service
Fr. Steve Shafran named Salesian provincial
by Fr. Michael Mendl, SDB
Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime has
appointed Fr. Steve Shafran as provincial of the Eastern U.S.-Canada
Province. Fr. Steve will begin his
six-year term of service on July 1,
2015.
The announcement was published on January 21 by Fr. Tom
Dunne in a letter to the members of the province and then
in the January 22 E-Service.
Fr. Steve is currently serving as president of Don
Bosco Cristo Rey High School and Corporate Work Study
Program in Takoma Park, Md. He organized the founding
of the school starting in 2006 in collaboration with the
Archdiocese of Washington, which co-sponsors the
school with the Salesians. The school, which is part of the
nationwide Cristo Rey Network, opened in the fall of
2007 and graduated its first class in 2011.
Fr. Steve, 58, was born in Passaic, N.J., and raised in
Clifton. His family is of Ukrainian origin and are members of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. After graduating from Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey in 1974, Steve
entered the Salesians’ formation program at Don Bosco
College Seminary in Newton, N.J., that fall and was admitted to the novitiate on August 31, 1975. He made his
first profession of religious vows on September 1, 1976.
Bro. Steve earned his B.A. in philosophy from Don
Bosco College in 1979 and then did two years of practical
training as a teacher at St. Dominic Savio High School in
East Boston.
Bro. Steve studied theology at the Salesian Pontifical
University and the Ukrainian Pontifical College of St.
Josaphat in Rome from 1981 to 1984, earning a bachelor’s
in theology from the UPS. Transferring to the Josephinum
in Worthington, Ohio, he earned an M.A. in theology. He
was ordained on May 5, 1985, at Immaculate Conception
Ukrainian Cathedral in Philadelphia.
Fr. Steve also did graduate studies at the University of
San Francisco, earning a doctorate in education in 1994.
His dissertation is entitled The Educational Method of
Saint John Bosco as School Culture in the Salesian High
Schools in the United States.
He has given addresses at the National Catholic Educational Association’s conventions on youth spirituality.
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He has at least a reading knowledge of Italian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Slovak, and Russian. He also has a magnificent singing voice and has cut two CDs as fundraisers,
Songs That Inspire My Life and A Christmas Collection.
Fr. Steve has had priestly assignments at Salesian High
School in New Rochelle as a teacher and campus minister
(1985-1986); the province’s vocation office in Haverstraw
(1986-1988) and Harvey (1988-1990); Archbishop Shaw
High School in Marrero as principal (1990-1993); Corpus
Christi Parish in San Francisco while studying (19931994); Salesian Center in Columbus as director (19941998); Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey as director/president
(1998-2004) and development director (2004-2006); and
Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School and Corporate Work
Study Program in Takoma Park as president since 2006.
He was also a member of the provincial council from
1997 to 2006 with responsibility for formation programs.
Last week Fr. Tom Dunne highlighted some of Fr.
Steve’s qualities and talents. No need to repeat them.
About his upcoming responsibilities Fr. Steve offers
this: “‘God writes straight with crooked lines in our lives.’
I am humbled by this call to a deeper service as a Salesian
of Don Bosco. I have always been surprised at what the
Lord can do if I keep close to Him and Mary. I’ve seen
that up close in founding Don Bosco Cristo Rey High
School and Corporate Work Study Program. I am the son
of Ukrainian immigrants who knew suffering and sacrifice, teaching me to work hard and never forget God. I am
my mother Olga’s son; she taught me to smile and sing,
and what family really means. I have grown with the Salesians of Don Bosco since I was 13, and they have nurtured
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Fr. James Heuser and Fr. Steve
Shafran at the inauguration of Don Bosco Cristo Rey.
E-Service
January 29, 2015
4
M MENDL
Dedication of the new wing to the school on September 7,
2010.
Fr. Steve moves the tassel of the first graduate from Don
Bosco Cristo Rey, June 2, 2011.
me as fathers and brothers, as mentors and friends with
deep love to see the face of Jesus in the young—and then
all else follows. I am grateful to our rector major for the
trust and confidence he has in me in response to this call
from God as he reminded me, ‘Courage; you are not
alone.’ And I am grateful to our provincial Fr. Tom
Dunne for his great leadership and inspiration. During this
bicentennial year of the birth of Don Bosco and Year of
Consecrated Life, I recommit myself to this new call to
service and ask for the grace truly to be ‘Like Don Bosco,
for the young, with the young.’”
Tampa Salesian Family celebrates Don
Bosco’s bicentennial
TAMPA — At Mary Help of Christians Center, Don
Bosco’s bicentennial was celebrated in a big way last
weekend. From Friday, January 23, till Monday, January
26, an array of activities was held at MHC.
On Friday night a bicentenary dinner was held with
530 people in attendance. The gymnasium was transformed into a beautiful banquet hall. MHC raised over
$30,000 for the new Cristo Rey Tampa High School (see
E-Service Jan. 15).
Saturday’s festival activities were slowed down a little
bit but not stopped by the strong winds. Children from the
Boys & Girls Club participated in the Knights of Columbus basketball free-throw competition and in the parish
softball game. Many young people won at the carnival
games and enjoyed the pony rides.
On Sunday the weather was fantastic. The day began
with the Rosary at the outdoor altar. Our children prayed
hard for the success of the day’s events and honored our
Blessed Mother with roses. About 800 people attended the
11:00 a.m. Mass in honor of our beloved St. John Bosco.
The homilist was Fr. Abraham Feliciano, the province
coordinator of youth ministry. Four women from the parish received the Mama Margaret Award. After Mass, the
by Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB
Members of the Mary Help of Christians Center with
Fr. Michael Gaitley (center), who gave a conference at
MHC as part of the Don Bosco Festival Weekend. He’s
author of 33 Days to Morning Glory.
January 29, 2015
E-Service
International Food Festival sold out. Festival participants
enjoyed the outdoor family entertainment, and vendors at
the flea market had good sales. The children enjoyed
bouncy houses. Adults and children alike particularly enjoyed soaking their pastor in the dunk tank!
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General council ends Winter plenary session
The weekend was a wonderful celebration in tribute to
St. John Bosco. The Salesian Family in Tampa worked
together as a team to accomplish a big project—all for
Don Bosco. Happy 200th birthday, Don Bosco!
ROME (ANS) — The winter plenary session of the
general council, which began December 1, ended on January 23 with Mass presided over by Fr. Angel Fernandez.
Pope Francis: the family is the first place
where we learn to communicate
by Fr. Filiberto Gonzalez Plasencia,
councilor for communications
ROME (ANS) - Pope Francis’s
message for the 49th World Communications Day seems strange at
first sight: “Communicating the
Family: a privileged place of encounter with the gift of love.” But
as you read on, you understand the
depth of intention and the contrast
with the prevailing vision of communications, which
gives top priority to technology rather than people.
It is a good insight to see the family as the first place
where we learn to communicate, because we are people
who communicate, not machines that transmit information. Pope Francis calls us to this starting point to help
us to make communication more human and therefore
more authentic.
The Gospel image chosen, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth,
touches profoundly upon humanity and upon the divinity
of authentic communication. The basics and archetype of
communication are seen in a physical womb and in the
womb of a family. The welcome experienced in the
womb, as in the family, helps us learn the mother tongue,
the language of encounter, love, and security that lead to
joy.
From the experience of hospitality and human contact
communicated by maternal love, Pope Francis goes on to
the religious dimension of communication, which is
learned precisely in the family: prayer, stirred by love, a
love that is received freely and given freely; gratitude and
generosity that raise people to a higher dimension.
It is precisely this dynamic communicative experience
in relationships and in time that enables us to pass from
the physical womb and the womb of the family to the larger ecclesial family and social fraternity. This is possible
when we are allowed to go out, to visit the other and contact the other with the maternal language learned previously: welcome, acceptance, and fraternity that help to
live together and overcome differences.
Having dealt with the basic attitudes required for communication, Pope Francis goes on to speak of the media
that may hinder or help communication in the family and
between families. Here he refers to a key point of communication, quoting Pope Benedict: “Silence is an integral
part of communication, and without it words lack depth of
content.”
The guidance offered by Pope Francis concerning the
media is clear: people and the creation of a culture of encounter are at the center; technology is a means to serve
these purposes.
The conclusion of the message could not be more profound: “Families should be seen as a resource rather than
as a problem for society. Families at their best actively
communicate by their witness the beauty and the richness
of the relationship between man and woman, and between
parents and children.”
January 29, 2015
E-Service
Celebrating the Salesian Charism
as we remember the bicentennial of the birth of Don Bosco
Cardinal Oscar Rodriquez Maradiaga, SDB
Chairman of the Council of Cardinals
and
Father Juan de la Cruz Ribadeneira, SDB
Salesian priest with broad experiences working with the Shuar People in Ecuador
Will be featured speakers addressing
Responding to the Needs of the Young and Those Living in Poverty:
A Salesian Multi-Dimensional Response
March 5, 2015
1:15 — 2:30 p.m.
Conference Room 4
United Nations Headquarters
New York
Archbishop Bernadito Auza, Permanent Representative of the Holy See Mission
and invited Government Delegations at the UN will also participate
To register:
Please send an email with your name (last name first)
as it appears on an official ID to:
[email protected]
by February 14, 2015
For schools, parishes, groups, please compile a complete list from your organization
with individuals listed alphabetically with last name first.
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E-Service
January 29, 2015
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SDB, FMA general councils meet in Rome
ROME (ANS) — The joint meeting of the general councils of the Salesians and Salesian Sisters is a traditional event, but the most recent, on
January 21, was also a new event. It
was traditional because these meetings
recur every six months; yet new, since
it was the first such meeting for the
present councils recently elected by
their respective general chapters.
The sisters were warmly welcomed
at the SDB Generalate by the Rector
Major and his councilors. Then, after
greetings from Fr. Fernandez and
Mother Reungoat, there was time for
the councilors to get to know each
other. Since their last meeting, in
June, the FMA general council has
taken in seven new members as a result of elections at
their 23rd General Chapter.
Sr. Chiara Cazzuola, vicar general, and Fr. Natale Vitali, councilor for America Southern Cone, outlined the
work of the FMA and SDB general chapters. The councilors then discussed the objectives and themes to be explored in joint meetings during the next six years.
ANSANS
There were also references to current events in the
Salesian Family, particularly the function and role of the
SDB secretariat for the Salesian Family, the celebration
of the bicentennial of Don Bosco’s birth, and participation in Expo Milano 2015.
After Evening Prayer in common and the Good Night
by Fr. Fernandez, the two councils spent some time in
relaxation and conviviality.
Call for Photos!
SDBs, have your location included in the
Christian Brothers Services 2016 Calendar.
Send us your location photos that represent Don Bosco.
We’ll submit selected photos to Christian Brothers Services to be used in
their 2016 Calendar. Photos should be of near professional quality, taken
with a high density camera. No cell phone photos please. Entries selected
will be posted in E-Service in March.
Submit your photos to [email protected] by February 25, 2015.
January 29, 2015
E-Service
Salesians aim for peace through sports in
the Central African Republic
BANGUI, CAR (ANS) - “For eight months we’ve
been experiencing terror and death in Bangui and throughout the Central African Republic. While others have fled,
seeking refuge or revenge, the Don Bosco Center has been
using sports as a way of bringing people together and
overcoming their fears,” says Pierre Pytonie Kozongo,
sports coach of the Don Bosco sports academy in the Damala section of Bangui, in an article published on the
website of the Spaces of Peace project [Ed. note: the site is
in Spanish].
Mr. Kozongo continues: “For a group of 60 young people, sports was the reason for them to meet, play, relax
with others, and take care of their health. We, the coaches,
were like parents. We followed the development of our
young people, and in particular we were with those experiencing family misfortunes, or those who had been traumatized by the situation. The young people encouraged one
another to find reasons for confidence in the midst of violence and fear.
“Thanks to the Real Madrid Foundation and the Salesians, we’ve had soccer balls, shirts, playing fields, and little ways of helping these young people. These young athletes have shared all their experiences of war and are now
friends through soccer and the project funded by the Foundation.
“We are already planning for the year ahead to be able
to continue with all the teams of boys and girls who want
to play sports. This year, once again, sports will be a catalyst of energy to make us more human,” concluded Mr.
Kozongo.
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Mark’s Gospel available in comics
HONG KONG (ANS) – In conjunction with the Year
of Faith, the Salesians of the Chinese Province published
an English-language edition of the Gospel According to
St. Mark in comic form.
The two volumes were completed under the guidance
of the late Fr. Dennis Martin, SDB. The Salesians of China intend, first, to offer young readers the opportunity to
get to know the figure of Jesus, through the simple and
compelling form of comics; and second, to pay their last
respects to the Salesian missionary life of Fr. Dennis, appreciating a piece of his legacy.
The two volumes chronicle the life of Jesus with bold
graphics and great fidelity to the Gospel account. Flipping
through the pages is a special character, “Little Priest,”
who has the task of guiding the readers on their journey to
understanding the Good News.
Comics are one of the most popular media among
young people around the world, and this helps to make
this work a useful tool to tell the story of Jesus. The new
English edition already has various famous admirers: Salesian Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong
Kong, hopes that “this book might arouse the interest of
people to explore the Gospel and the Kingdom of heaven,”
while Fr. Steve Ryan, former coordinator of youth ministry for the New Rochelle Province, recommends this book
to parents and teachers.
The text is that of the New American Bible.
The two volumes are available in the U.S., free,
through the good offices of the Chinese Salesian alumni.
Contact Joe Lai at [email protected] or (917) 533-0523.
Mr. Lai will gladly send them to whoever wants a set free
on a first-come, first-served basis. He will also cover the
postage within the continental U.S. Mr. Lai reports favorable feedback from those who requested copies in 2014. If
recipients wish to make a donation, they can send it to
Salesian Missions at New Rochelle.
January 29, 2015
E-Service
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January 29, 2015
E-Service
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Salesian volunteer program rescued
6,400 runaway youngsters in 2014
BANGALORE (ANS) – The Salesian organization Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO)
serves youths who are living on the streets, child
laborers, victims of child abuse, and those who are
orphaned or abandoned at seven BOSCO rehabilitation centers and six outreach hubs spread
throughout the city. In 2014, BOSCO volunteers
rescued 6,451 runaway youngsters and were able
to reunite 4,681 of them with their families.
Those remaining are under the care of India’s
Child Welfare Committee. Of the young people
rescued, there were 5,561 boys and 900 girls, the majority
of whom were ages 6-16; but 75 under the age of 5.
“Their favorite destination is Bengaluru. The majority
of young people revealed during the counseling session
that they had come to the city to find a job. Others said
they had come as they were attracted by the charm of the
city,” says Father P.S. George, executive director of
BOSCO, in a recent Matters India article.
Salesian missionaries in India focus their work on education and social development programs for poor youths
and their families. The programs include Child Rights
Clubs and others that educate youths about their rights
and the services and protections available to them as well
as those that focus attention on the plight of runaway and
ANS
homeless youngsters.
Once youths are identified by BOSCO and convinced
to come off the street, they are provided with basic needs
such as housing, food, and clothing. In addition, they receive counseling and, if appropriate, are reunited with
their families. Education is also a primary component of
BOSCO and is provided to those in the rehabilitation program. Those who return to their families have access to
Salesian schools throughout India. Young people who
continue their education are more likely to find and retain
stable employment later in life and break the cycle of poverty.