Dear Salesian Sisters and Brothers,

Transcription

1 USA West Province Newsletter San Francisco, California November 06, 2016 Dear Salesian Sisters and Brothers, I am presently at Salesian College Preparatory in Richmond. I am making the official visitation of the Salesian community and our Salesian ministry here. I arrived last Thursday for our Members Meeting at 12 noon and stayed to open the visitation that evening with a short reflection after evening prayer and for the Goodnight. I will finish next Friday, November 11th. I have enjoyed my days here with the community. As you are all aware, this year, our novitiate is taking place here at the community in Richmond. We have two novices, Quang Damien Ho and Quang Nguyen. Fr. Tom Juarez is the novice director. There are ten Salesian confreres in the community, counting our two novices. The spirit is a positive one, with much warmth and laughter, and good brotherly concern for each other. Two of our brothers, Br. Jerry Weirich and Br. Anthony Matse have not been well and have been confined to their rooms for several weeks. The community, especially, the two novices and Br. Jhonni Chamorro, have stepped up to the plate and have very generously volunteered to take meals up to our brothers room and care for them. I wish to commend the community for their care and dedication. I am confident that our two brothers are extremely grateful for the care they are receiving. I am grateful to Fr. Mel Trinidad, the director, for his leadership and care of the brothers, especially, those in formation. Fr. Mel still teaches at the school and is the CYM (Coordinator of Youth Ministry) which entails time and energy. Today we celebrated Fr. Mel s birthday. I ll let you find out what special year Fr. Mel is celebrating. Next Sunday, November 13, the provincial council from the Eastern United States will arrive for our annual joint provincial council meetings. Each year we alternate. Last year we, from the West, flew out to New York. This year, it is our turn to host. Our meetings will be held at De Sales Hall in Bellflower. We NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS Fr. Tom Prendiville...02 Fr. Mel Trinidad...06 Br. Tom Mass...14 Fr. Leo Baysinger...21 PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK Mother of Fr. Joseph Paradayil (Critical Condition in India) Connie Boenzi (Mother of Fr. Joseph Boenzi) Br. Bruno de Pretto, SDB Fr. Mario Rosso, SDB Fr. Armand Oliveri, SDB Br. Jerry Weirich, SDB Fr. Leo Baysinger, SDB Fr. Rafael Saiz, SDB REST IN PEACE Maria Bui Thi Nhai Aunt of Br. Khoa Luong, passed away on October 21, Maria Le Thi Nhan Aunt of Fr. Thien Nguyen, passed away on October 19, 2016, age 70. 1

2 will meet all day Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Provincial Council from the East will meet on their own. In past years, our meetings have been productive and helpful. These joint meetings give us the opportunity to dialogue, share ideas and information and create a better working relationship between our two provinces. While our provinces are different in many ways, we are all Salesians and sons of Don Bosco. Unity was very important for St. John Bosco. We do strive to build unity and brotherhood between our provinces. Among some of the issues we will be discussing will be: the future novitiate, our common formation programs, the Network of Salesian Schools, Don Bosco Hall, Berkeley and the possibility of joint lay formation programs, common youth ministry projects and our interest and concern for immigration projects and ministry. And, of course, our days together include times for joint prayer and moments of fraternity. Like the gatherings of the provincials of the region, our gatherings with our brothers from the East, help us grow in unity, fraternity and understanding. While we might not share in all aspects of Salesian life, because of culture, ways of thinking, backgrounds, theologies, etc., we try to respect and understand our differences and stress our commonality. I am always grateful for these gatherings. I cherish our discussions, even when we might not agree totally, and am grateful for the opportunity to dialogue and create a more united family spirit. Please keep us in your prayers. On Thursday, November 17, I plan to drive to St. Luke s, Stockton, to begin my visitation at the the parish. That will take me to Monday, November 21. We then enter into the Thanksgiving holidays. I am looking forward to some free days to catch up on reports and desk work. But, I am also looking forward to our gatherings as Salesians and time for rest and prayer. These days will take us to the National Conference of Youth Ministry which will take place in San Jose, California. This is a national gathering of youth ministers. These gatherings alternate between a gathering of youth ministers and a gathering with youth ministers and young people (kids). This year San Jose, California is hosting the conference. Our SDB/FMA provinces jointly sponsor a booth and activities to promote our Salesian name and ministry. I hope to attend part of the conference. These are special moments when we Salesians celebrate and promote our wonder- 2

3 ful charism to young people. Thousands attend these conferences and our presence is a powerful sign of God s work in the Church through the spirit of our founders, St. John Bosco and St. Mary D. Mozzarello. This coming Tuesday, election day, the world will be watching our country as our elections take place. It has been a long, long and nasty year of campaigning. Many are anxious for all of this to be over and begin to really focus on trying to solve our national problems. It has not been easy to select a candidate nor to know which issues (propositions) will really benefit our country. The Bishops have tried to guide us in our decision making. But, even there, there has been some confusion and lack of clarity. As followers of the Gospel and imitators of Jesus, we are challenged to take the high road. We are called to reflect deeply, pray feverently and seek unity and mercy, compassion and justice. I presume that after Tuesday, we will continue to be challenged and confronted with issues of equality, inclusiveness and kindness. I pray that we might all step up to the plate and listen closely to the voice and guidance of the Good Shepherd. As servants of the young, we must be examples and leaders who inspire and challenge others to a higher and more holy way of living. Young people, especially, will be looking at us to lead the way. May we not disappoint them Province Calendar November, TU All Saints Day 1 TU Provincial Council Presentation: Vocation Animation 3 TH Members 12:00 PM Salesian, Richmond 3-11 TH- FR Provincial Visitation, Richmond, Salesian Community & Novitiate 5 SA Mass for deceased benefactors and members of the Salesian Family 9 WE Members AM, St. Francis High School MO-TU SUO-SUE Joint Prov. Council Meeting, De Sales Hall 15 TU Blessed Maddalene Morano 16 WE Board 1:30 PM SJB Bellflower 24 TH Thanksgiving Day 25 FR SDB s. In Each house one Mass is offered for the dceased parents of the confreres MO-WE YM SUO-SUE Joint Meeting, Berkeley December, 2016 With warm regards, Fr. Ted Montemayor, SDB 3

4 Fr. Tom Brennan is having fun with his Salesian Families. How Do We Say Thank You? By Sheila Kun, Cooperator Our St. Joseph Salesian Youth Renewal Center at Rosemead was shocked and honored that we were chosen to be the site hosting the annual meeting of our regional delegates for Youth Ministry and the regional delegates for the preferential option for the poor focusing on immigration and migration issues. Our first reaction is: Why us? We are such a small community. How can we handle the forty plus esteemed guests from nineteen countries of South America and Haiti? But then, come to think of us, why not us? If Fr. Paul Chuong Nguyen is the owner of the restaurant, then he has great chefs to host this epic event, whipping out the best recipes from St. Joseph our gratitude, our hospitality and our love of our Salesian Families. A small team of volunteers was called to plan for the entire meal plan for the week. The volunteer team did not disappoint the guests. Their creative juices were at work, and each day, an American Feast theme was executed. On Thanksgiving Day the chefs Dave, Louis (Cooperator) and Florsie ushered in juicy ham and turkey with the pumpkin pie. You guess it, it is not just a meal, it is a cultural experience with meticulous planning that goes into each event. St. Joseph is grateful that the San Francisco Province chose us to be the meeting site. We are able to see the Salesian leaders in action, up close and first hand. We are so proud of what our Salesians do worldwide to speak up for injustice, 4

5 to advocate for fairness in the treatment of children and to focus of future plans for these important issues. Our last meal turned out to be a very elaborate Vietnamese dinner with candle lights, special thanks go to San Gabriel Mission Vietnamese group. Our guests were full not just in terms of gastrostomy wise, but the cultural exchange with our community overflowed with joy and laughter. Our finale for that evening ended with a chorus of Con te partiro in English, Italian and Spanish they are saying good-bye from California with a renewed mission of faith, hope and love for the young. Fr. Fabio and his team enjoying a Vietnamese dinner The chefs at St. Joseph: Dave, Fr. Paul and Louis. 5

6 NOVEMBER 20 IS BOSCO TECH S FALL OPEN HOUSE FREE TECHNOLOGY-BASED EXPLORE & CREATE WORKSHOPS OFFERED Celebrating its sixty first year, Bosco Tech is an all-male Catholic high school that combines a rigorous collegepreparatory program with a technology-focused education. The innovative STEM curriculum allows students to exceed university admission requirements while completing extensive integrated coursework in one of five applied science and engineering fields. Each year for the past several years, one hundred percent of the graduating class has earned college acceptances. Visit www. boscotech.edu for more information. ROSEMEAD, CA. November 2, Don Bosco Technical Institute (Bosco Tech) will host its annual Fall Open House on Sunday, November 20, 2016, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. According to Niche.com, Bosco Tech ranks in the top three of all-boys schools in the Los Angeles metro area and among the top 100 all-boys high schools in America. Founded in 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University students as CollegeProwler.com, Niche provides reviews from everyday experts on neighborhoods, colleges, and K-12 schools to provide students, families and professionals with insight into important life decisions. Prospective students and their families are invited to tour the school s extensive engineering and applied science labs and participate in its signature Explore & Create workshops. Offered to boys in grades 6-8, the free STEM-focused workshops will feature interactive introductions to robotics, 3D printing, polymers, designing, and more. Middle schoolers will enjoy the hands-on Explore and Create workshops, said Bosco Tech President Xavier Jimenez. They are a great opportunity to try what Bosco Tech students actually do. Each technology program will offer an interesting sample of our experiential learning curriculum. Also during the Open House, the school s athletic teams and extracurricular clubs will provide information, while the award-winning Royal Techmen marching band will entertain the visiting crowds. Bosco Tech s Parent Council will host their Annual Holiday Boutique during the Open House, featuring unique gift items, food, arts and crafts, and visits with Santa Claus. For more information about Open House or to reserve Explore & Create workshop spots, visit boscotechopenhouse.eventbrite.com or contact Director of Admissions Valeria De Luna at vdeluna@boscotech.edu or

7 NEWS FROM SALESIAN BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB IN SAN FRANCISCO A lot is happening at our North Beach newly renovated Club building and beyond! The yard, rooms, gym and fields across The City are bursting with Club kids. Local elementary and junior high public school kids from the surrounding neighborhoods are walked or driven to the Club in vans daily; this in addition to the traditional slew of Sts. Peter and Paul Grammar School children who have attended daily for decades. The extra space and shiny new building stands out in a bustling corner off of Washington Square Park. New Executive Director Randy De Martini couldn t be happier. Sr. Suzanne Miller, FMA new Director of the FMA s at the parish and school is spotted daily among the children and their after school activities. One activity that has been added to the Arts and Crafts program is sewing. Here you see youngsters concentrating on the work at hand under the watchful eye of Jocelyn Staley (not shown), longtime Club staff member and SYLC graduate. In preparation of the one hundred anniversary of our founding in 1921 by Fr. Oreste Trinchieri, SDB (affectionately known as Fr. Trink back in the day), we have started an Historical Committee to capture our past, celebrate our present, and look with hope towards our future. Besides starting to sort the many photos, variety show programs, trophies and other awards, ultimately to help decorate the renovated facility, we also plan to document our rich past through filmed oral history and the written word. Many long-time former Club members, some of whom are familiar names to the province, like former Executive Director Russ Gumina, Art Costamagna, Al Baccari, Leona Figone, Joe Martino, Mike Cardella, Steve Leveroni, Patrick Gee, have joined the charge. Former, now deceased Club director Fred Scolari s son, Paul, along with Art, leads our efforts. I had the privilege to do our first filmed interview which was of former Club member, Fr. Armand Oliveri, SDB. Once it is edited, I will make it available for others to enjoy. Don Bosco is smiling at the work, not only of his Sons (SDB s) and Daughters (FMA s), but of his many nephews (guys like Randy, me and many others) and nieces (Jocelyn, Sherri and many others) in the City by the Bay. Stop by if you re in the neighborhood. Frank Lavin, Board President Fr. Armand Oliveri, SDB 7

8 creating A culture of vocations Fr. Jose Lucero, SDB, Salesian Vocation Director October and November have been very busy months for vocation work. The month of October was pretty much spent working on the new structure for vocation work in the province and a program for the vocation team - coming soon to all sites. The same weekend that Thien and I were at the convocation, Br Gus and Sr Linda were at the Congreso de Jovenes promoting Salesian Vocations hosting a vocation booth at the LA Convention Center. Sr Linda shares: What a privilege it is to witness the joy WE have in Christ to the young! Way to go everyone! Thank you sister Linda for the joyful witness of your Salesian vocation. The last week of October found Thien and myself at the vocation convocation in Kansas City Kansas. You will be hearing more from me as I plan to write more about creating the culture of vocations in these upcoming weeks and months. The information that I learned at the vocation convocation is so much I would love to share it with you in hopes that it will help us to begin to create a dialogue and conversation especially as we, the vocation team, will go around visiting communities on how we can implement new, yet practical ways to promote the vocation culture in our province This past weekend there were amazing activities as the Church celebrates this week as National Vocations Awareness week dedicated to promote vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education, and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations. I also want to thank Sr Thuy for hosting a vocation booth at UCLA and thanks to Arvin Gandha, Salesian Candidate who assisted as well. A very big thanks to Jonathan Lee, Salesian Candidate, who was able to uphold our attendance at the annual Salesian vocation fair at Holy Innocence Catholic Church in Victorville. Thank you very much to all of you who work so hard to help promote Salesian vocations. 8

9 You may wonder where in the heck I was during all these activities this weekend. We had three young men visiting, two from Texas; Zachery and Reegan. Also with us was Christian from Whittier. Zachery recounts that one of his memorable moments was working with those kids at the Oratory at the Salesian Family Center. This is what Reegan had to say about his experience: While it was so cool to go to the beach, the Hollywood sign and the restaurants and everything. The most fun parts were meeting the salesians and seeing them in action, and helping out at the oratory truly working with the salesian family, and more so feeling a part of the family eating, joking, and just hanging out with them. Oh my goodness, it was a blast. Spending this time with the salesians was so much fun, they are a hoot and a holler. Let me share just a few. We drove from LA to San Diego to pick up another discerning man (mind you this was a 2 hour drive and it was already 9 at night, and the fog was so thick it was only about 10 ft visibility). We got there at about 11 and when we arrived we find out that the flight was redirected to LAX, the airport Fr Jose picked me up at. We only knew that because we met an older lady from Tijuana who said that her son just landed over at LAX on the same flight. Only she didnt seem to worried about getting to him. In thinking about her we decided we truly think she was an angel. As we were driving back we were joking that with the two hispanics in the front (another discerning young man was with us) with me a white guy in the back was a little sketchy, we were laughing the entire ride back to LA, at least until we fell asleep. Oh and I can t tell you enough what great people the Salesians are. Let s talk about Fr. Leo brefly. He was the life of the party, he is 77 years and still as witty as all get out. Seeing the interaction between Fr Jose and him was like watching a true family, and they very quickly added Chris, Zach, and I into their sarcastic family conversations. Although some of the teasing was sarcastic it was held together with love. True brotherly and family love. - Reegan- 9

10 Titolo notiziario N November 2016 Newsletter for Salesian Missionary Animation A Publication of the Missions Sector for the Salesian Communities and Friends of the Salesian Mission Nome società Rome, November 11, 2016 LETTER TO ELDERLY AND SICK CONFRERES To the elderly and sick confreres, and to confreres who for various reasons are unable to be involved in direct educative-pastoral activity D ear confrere, Cordial greetings from the Generalate, the house of the Successor of Don Bosco. I want to say to you, also on behalf of the Rector Major, a sincere thank you for your closeness and for your affection, but above all, for your fraternal prayer for Fr Ángel Fernández, for the whole Congregation and in particular, for all the missions and all the missionaries of the world. Since GC27 chose me to be Councillor for the Missions, I have relied frequently on the prayers of so many confreres who are elderly, sick or who are unable to be involved in direct educational missionary work. You know that our Constitutions ask the Councillor for the Missions to promote throughout the Society the missionary spirit and commitment (C 138). This also requires much prayer! [ ] The seventh successor of Don Bosco taught us in his beautiful letter Martyrdom and passion (Fr Egidio Viganò, in ACS 308): Sick confreres were for Don Bosco, a kind of paschal mediation, for obtaining the blessings of the Lord on the apostolic activities of the community. Sufferings accepted in the spirit of the da mihi animas, do not exclude the confrere from the pastoral campaign; in fact they place him in the very front trenches and invest him with a distinctive role. [ ]. Dear confrere, with these few words and powerful thoughts, finally with all my heart I wanted to tell you two things: a big thank you and also, that we count on you! A big thank you for your fidelity and for your testimony, for your patience and for your generous daily contribution to the Congregation and its mission, for all the souls whom you have helped and still help to save. And at the same time, to tell you that we rely so much on you, on your prayers and on your patient daily offering, especially with Jesus in the Eucharist. Through your prayer and offering I entrust to you this year two special intentions: First, for all the novices of the Congregation, [ ] so that they may not be afraid to give themselves to the Lord once and for all and to place themselves at the disposal of the Rector Major to go as missionaries ; and then for our missionary presence in the Americas, especially among the indigenous peoples who are the poorest and most abandoned. [ ] May Mary's maternal consolation be your inspiration and your support every day of your Salesian life. Thank you! Fr. Guillermo Basañes SDB Councillor for Missions The complete text of this letter is sent as attachment to this issue of Cagliero 11 10

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12 To the eldery and sick confreres and to confreres who for various reasons are unable to be involved in direct educative-pastoral activity. não podem estar na ação educativo-pastoral direta. Rome, November 11,

13 And at the same time, to tell you that we rely so much on you, on your prayers and on your patient daily offering, especially with Jesus in the Eucharist. Through your prayer and offering I entrust to you this year two special intentions: - First, for all the novices of the Congregation, scattered in each of the seven regions, who are discerning their missionary vocation ad gentes, so that they may not be afraid to give themselves to the Lord once and for all and to place themselves at the disposal of the Rector Major to go as missionaries; - and then for our missionary presence in the Americas, especially among the indigenous peoples who are the poorest and most abandoned. This is, in fact, the theme of the Salesian Missions Day For this occasion we have also prepared a special prayer which I entrust to you, dear confrere, in the name of Don Bosco. May Mary's maternal consolation be your inspiration and your support every day of your Salesian life. Thank you! Fr. Guillermo Basañes SDB Councillor for the Missions 13

14 Helping Our Neighbor with Dementia By Sheila Kun, Cooperator It is not hard to identify a medical condition, say in the case of diabetes, understand how the glucose in your blood arise and seek solutions to control it. In diabetes, the treatment is multiple; one can use diet, medication oral or injectable, exercise and change of life style to attain the treatment goal. Most of us, if we are diligent about it, will have the condition controlled in spite of its chronic nature. Having the sense of control is important in most medical conditions. for the cure of dementia? What are the ingredients that make a successful treatment outcome (recipe)? Not all of us have psychiatry training or behavioral management training to work with our aging seniors. The word mental health is stigmatized with many taboos. Our seniors are often misunderstood just because they cannot tell you how they feel. Franky, how can they tell you if they don t know where they are and what they have done for that day? On the other hand, knowing a condition like dementia does not give you the same satisfaction of treatment outcome. Its progressive nature is not halted by medication. Dementia takes a village and a beautiful loving landscape (home) to be better. Where is the cookbook In my career as a nurse, fifty percent of what I learned comes from the parents. Hence my eyes and ears are open to suggestions and home care tips that work. I am happy to report the following field work performed by one of our SDBs, Fr. Jose Lucero. Fr. Jose is not a 14

15 leave them on top of his desk so that when he wakes up he sees a greeting from me, a description of what is going on and where we are at, the schedule of the day, and that makes him feel very much at ease because he knows what is going on. If I do not do any of these things typically he will ask about 1000 times a day what is going on today? He will be irritable and not very cooperative. I have realized that doing this type of communication with him helps to ease his own thought process because he has a sense of what is going on, he feels more included more involved and typically goes about his day a little bit more peacefully. trained psychologist, but one who loves his brothers like Don Bosco. I got his permission to share his recipe of caring with you. He took the Care Ministry assignment seriously. We have been asking Fr. Senior to be more active and be more involved in ministry. Realizing that he forgets everything every five seconds, what I typically do is to put a note inside his door right above the door knob so that when he leaves his room, he reads the note and he sees what has to be done and then he ll do it. Then of course he will leave his room and come back and forget but at least when he opens the door to leave the room again he sees the note there and is reminded of whatever needs to be reminded of what is the schedule of the day; if he has a mass or confessions or a new item that has come up. Also when I ve gone places with him I write down notes and I am deeply touched by Fr. Jose s simple, practical but smart approach that I asked his permission to share his story. Being a mom myself, I can declare that sometimes not even a son can attend to those details. Post a note - a simple strategy that stops the confusion around the senior. Fr. Jose has given Fr. Senior a sense of security that he might be losing. He has given him reassurance that someone will see to it that he is safe, and most important of all, he has shown him love. I welcome more stories that would keep our seniors safe. Your homework assignment from the Care Ministry this week: What is your story? The Care Ministry welcomes your comments/suggestions: kunlouis@gmail.com 15