April 11, 2013 - Salesians Eastern Province USA

Vol. 10, No. 27 SALESIANS OF DON BOSCO, PROVINCE OF ST. PHILIP THE APOSTLE April 11, 2013
Message from Fr. Provincial
Looking Ahead
As we move through the spring
season, our attention becomes more
and more focused on the challenges
and opportunities of next year. As a
province, communities, and individuals,
we use this time of year to prepare
for the coming year in ministry
and consecrated life.
The next year will bring a number
of elements that will have a significant
effect on our province and communities.
In this E-Service article, I
would like to reflect on a number of
them for the members of the St. Philip
Province.
The 27th General Chapter will
have a major effect on the way that
the province operates throughout the
year. This chapter will be in session
for only seven weeks (from February
22-April 12, 2014). The timing of
that chapter will impact the province
calendar and the development of
province planning, however.
Next year’s Provincial Visitations
schedule will be significantly affected
by the general chapter. All visitations
will have to be completed by the middle
of February 2014. Completing the
visitations of 17 communities and 22
works in that period will not be easy.
The time spent in each community
and apostolate will be much shorter.
Each visit will focus mainly on the
confreres and the Salesian communities.
Some of the items usually
reviewed during the visitation will
have to be submitted for review before
provincial’s visit. Some of the
provincial councilors and delegates
will review those aspects of community
life and ministry that fall
under their responsibility (e.g., finances,
youth ministry, formation,
Salesian Family). In the next week I
will be forwarding to each community
a draft version of next year’s
visitation schedule.
The general chapter will also
have an effect on the way we implement
the Extraordinary Visitation of
2012. The assessment of all works
in the province (Extraordinary Visitation
recommendation #4) will
have to be inserted into a number of
regularly scheduled province events
throughout the year. The provincial
council week of prayer and planning
will take up this process in a
serious way. The Salesian Leadership
Meeting (for EPC, directors,
and pastors) in September will focus
on this recommendation in an
effort to build the province consensus
that is key to implementing this
recommendation. Certainly, the
newly approved Organic Pastoral
Plan of the province (approved by
Provincial Chapter 2013) will be a
valuable guide in bringing this assessment
into the broader goal of
restructuring the province, its
works, and its communities.
Prayers for the Congregation
The 27th General Chapter will
be a very important time for the
Salesian Congregation and the Salesian
Family. Sometime during
March, the chapter members will
spend one week discerning suitable
members to elect for a number of very
important responsibilities within the
Salesian Congregation. Fr. Pascual
Chavez will be concluding his second
term as rector major. The chapter will
elect someone who will follow Fr.
Chavez as Don Bosco’s tenth successor.
Many of the general councilors
and regional delegates will have to be
replaced at the end of this year (the
12th year in their respective positions).
This will be a very important
week of discernment and calling forth
in the Salesian Congregation. As a
province, we will be asked to storm
heaven during that week so that our
Congregation will continue on its
path of religious credibility and pastoral
fruitfulness.
Ongoing Formation
During the months before the general
chapter’s opening, we in the
province will be asked to reflect deeply
on the foundational considerations
underlying the chapter call to live the
Gospel in a radical manner. Over the
(Continued on page 2)
Most people know the story of the
Cross of Christ. But this cross has a
story of its own.
(Continued on page 5)

April 11, 2013 E-Service 2
Message from Fr. Provincial
(Continued from page 1)
fall and winter months, we will be
called to do more than follow the
chapter progress through reports and
Internet postings. Instead, our participation
in the chapter will be through
study and reflection on the chapter
theme especially as expressed in the
latest (and last) letter of the rector
major on Vocation and Formation:
Gift and Responsibility (#416).
Along these lines, I would suggest
that the best way to ensure a beneficial
outcome to the general chapter is
to accompany the chapter preparations
and deliberations with our own
personal and community reflections
on the letter of the rector major explaining
the 27th General Chapter
theme: Vocation and Formation: Gift
and Responsibility (#416).
Fr. Thomas A. Dunne, SDB
Provincial
Provincial Calendar
April
9-12 Visitation with St. Petersburg
Catholic Community in St.
Petersburg, Fla.
13-14 Office days, New Rochelle
15-17 Provincial Council Meeting,
New Rochelle, N.Y.
18-23 Visitation with Maria
Ausiliatrice Community in
Montréal, Québec
24-28 Visitation with Seminaire
Salésien Community in
Sherbrooke, Québec
29-5/4 Office days, New Rochelle
Birthday Celebrations
April
17 Fr. Joseph Chong
20 Fr. James Cerbone
23 Fr. Jeremiah Reen
25 Fr. Joseph Santa-Bibiana
26 Fr. Henry Bonetti
27 Fr. Louis Konopelski
28 Fr. Vincent Paczkowski
30 Fr. Larry Gilmore
Pray for Our Deceased
Nancy Ackroyd
Sister-in-law of
Bro. Joseph Ackroyd, SDB
in Scranton, Penna.
April 10, 2013
Maria Bui
Mother of Fr. Peter Bui, SDB
March 30, 2013, age 95
Ada Hyde
Sister-In-Law of
Fr. Mark Hyde, SDB
April 9, 2013
Jerry Kelly
Brother of Fr. Frank Kelly, SDB
in Staten Island, N.Y.
April 10, 2013
Theresa Ann Natarazzo
Mother of Salesian Cooperator
Jeannie Cahill
April 5, 2013, age 89
Francis Perry
Uncle of Fr. Tim Zak, SDB
April 9, 2013
Events Calendar
Annual Marian Day
Saturday, May 18 — Marian Shrine
Stony Point, New York
Pray for the Sick
Fr. Richard Authier, SDB
Undergoing rehabilitation
after suffering a broken femur.
Fr. Phil Pascucci, SDB
Hospitalized
for observation and tests.
E-Service
A digital news service published weekly by the Salesians of Don Bosco for the territory of Canada and the Eastern U.S.A.
Salesian Society, Inc. - Province of St. Philip the Apostle
148 E. Main Street, PO Box 639, New Rochelle, NY 10802-0639 USA
Very Rev. Thomas Dunne, SDB, Provincial
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April 11, 2013 E-Service 3
Sr. Barbara: 50 years as a
Dominican Sister
By Steve Sallustio
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Sister
Barbara Wright, OP, assistant principal at
Salesian High School, was honored with
a Mass on Thursday, April 9, on the 50th
anniversary of her religious profession.
Salesian’s student body and staff
and Sr. Barbara’s family and friends
were on hand at Holy Name of Jesus
Church in New Rochelle to honor the
woman who has spent the last 27 years
working with young men from the Bronx
and Westchester, and to witness her renewal
of vows.
In his homily, Fr. Patrick Angelucci,
director/president, spoke of how valuable
Sr. Barbara is to her community and how
valuable she is to our students. Whenever
they need something, it is Sr. Barbara
they rely on. Many are thankful for her
extraordinary accomplishments.
For details about the seminar click on the picture above or
visit www.salesianYM.com or call 973-761-0201.
Massport execs check out Salesian teen center
Story and photo by Stephen W. Fielding.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. – Tom
Glynn, the recently appointed CEO of
Massport, and Joe Masso, Director of
Community Relations of Massport,
stopped by the Salesian Boys & Girls
Club of East Boston last week for a tour
of the Club. Massport recently awarded
a $25,000 grant to improve the Teen
Center. Standing with the children are
Alaina Travaglini, Grant Manager of
Charitable Giving, Massport, Anthony
Guerrero, Asst. Director of Community
Relations, Massport, Tom Glynn, Fr.
John Nazzaro, Executive Director of the
Club, and Joe Masso.
Fr. Xavier Aracil, SDB
Father Aracil celebrated 50 years of
ordination during a Mass and festive
dinner at Our Lady of the Rosary Church
in Port Chester, N.Y. on Tuesday, April 9
beginning at 5:00 p.m.

April 11, 2013 E-Service 4
Salesian youth take over downtown Toronto
By Fr. Michael Pace, SDB
TORONTO, Ontario — On Thursday, March 14th, one day
after Pope Francis' election, the Salesians were already at
service for the poor. Students and teachers on their March
break, all members of the Toronto Salesian Youth Movement,
did a “Street Patrol”, making homemade lunches at St. Benedict
Church and hand delivering them to the needy in downtown
Toronto. The 32 student participants represented six Toronto
high schools and 3 different Salesian groups: Salesian
Leadership Retreat November 2012 and February 2013, and
Gospel Roads Toronto 2012. This was a fantastic step forward
for the Salesian Youth Movement as it helped weave together
the various Salesian circles.
The day encompassed formation, service, and prayer. After
all 30 lunches were made and distributed, the group continued
to St. Michael’s Cathedral, where we reflected on the day
through scripture, small group discussion. Our day ended with
mass.
In the spirit of Lent, the day included prayer, almsgiving and
sacrifice. The youth paid for the lunch supplies, and the adult
chaperones all dedicated a day of their March Break for this
service project.
This day served as a "Come and See" for Gospel Roads. Ben
Goetz, Gospel Roads Toronto 2013 Director, gave a
presentation on GR which attracted many new potential
retreatants. Thanks to all the youth who attended and to the
adults who made it possible: John Rugosi, Foster Kwon,
Branden Gordon and Ben Goetz, and FMA candidate April
Cabacang.
Salesian Youth Movement News: Toronto
The Salesian Youth Movement led their third Visitation
Night at St. Benedict Church in Toronto on March 8, 2013. As
a follow up to their February Salesian Leadership Retreat
(SLR), students from Bishop Allen Academy prepared a live
Stations of the Cross. Their dramatization was supported by
Taize chants lead by John Rugosi and the chaplaincy band of
Monsignor Percy Johnson, another of the schools using the SLR
program. Following the Stations they continued with an hour of
Praise & Worship during Eucharistic Adoration. All the while,
Fr. Occhio, Fr. John Puntino and Fr. Joe Ho were busy hearing
confessions. The night was capped off with an evening of
board games at Mamma’ House in the church hall, with an
appropriate Lenten Friday snack: soda crackers and water. This
beautiful evening was overseen in its many facets by Foster
Kwon, Mariel Cabrera, John Rugosi.

April 11, 2013 E-Service 5
For Bro. Gerard, the cross is a labor of love
By Fr. Dennis Donovan, SDB
A wooden Jerusalem Cross: it was a
gift from his brother who just returned
from a visit to Jerusalem. The gift was a
simple cross made of wood, and it so
impressed him that he made a dozen
more himself, as gifts to give to friends.
Since then he has made over 400 miniature
crosses, like those shown in his hand
in the photo below. Salesians from Canada
and the United States call him to
place their orders, offering a donation for
his work. Bro. Gerard is proud to offer
his craft for the youth ministry of the
province.
Gérard Richard (pronounced Rishard)
was born on January 30, 1923 in
St. Louis of Kent, New Brunswick. He
learned to work with wood as a youth.
After only five years of schooling, he had
to work at home to help his father who
was suffering with severe arthritis. His
first chore was to make a storm window
to keep the snow out of his room in winter.
Both of his parents died when he was
only 16 years old, so he and his sister
raised the family. Gérard took a job as a
lumberjack to make ends meet. He
made enough money to send his younger
brother to a seminary. His brother was
ordained and eventually became a bishop.
Gérard also helped the Sisters of
Notre Dame in the local school by run-
ning errands for them. That’s where he
met the Salesians who were chaplains to
the sisters. By age 30 he joined the Salesians,
hoping he would get an education
and be able to teach woodworking and
other trades in the shops of the Salesian
trade schools.
Bro. Gerard was skilled at so many
things that the Salesians made him the
maintenance man for some of their most
complicated works. Years later he was
able to achieve a high school diploma, but
never did get a chance at the further education
he so desired.
Instead, Bro. Gerard used his skills to
promote Don Bosco’s mission to youth in
other ways. The fabrication of small
crosses is one of the many ways he has
served the Lord and the mission of the
Church. He also makes wood puzzles,
hot plate holders, and small games. At
age 90, Bro. Gerard is still working in his
shop every day in his own quiet, humble
way. He resides now with the Salesian
Community of Sherbrooke, working at
Seminaire Salésien.

April 11, 2013 E-Service 6
Salesian Family groups implement Strenna 2013 in Québec
By Fr. Dennis Donovan, SDB
MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC — The
Salesian Family Commission of Québec
hosted a Salesian Family Day on
Saturday, April 6, 2013 at the Salesian
Youth Centre. Over fifty participants
included Salesians of Don
Bosco, Salesian Sisters, Salesian Cooperators,
Volunteers of Don Bosco,
members of ADMA and Past Pupils.
Leaders of the Salesian Family
Commission include (left to right,
below right) Pierre Larocque, Cooperators
Canadian province economer;
Fr. Roméo Trottier, SDB delegate to
the Cooperators; Sr. Alphonsine Roy,
FMA delegate to the Salesian Family;
and Fr. John Puntino, SDB province
delegate to the Salesian Family.
They studied the Rector Major’s
Strenna for 2013, highlighting the
writings of Don Bosco, especially The
Preventive System in the Education of
the Young, biographies of Dominic
Savio, Michael Magone and Francis
Besucco, and Letter of Don Bosco
from Rome written on May 10, 1884.
“One who is seen to preach from the pulpit does nothing
more than his duty, but the word spoken at recreation
is the word of one who loves.”
Through discussions by language
groups in French and English, they
talked about ways to implement the
Strenna at the local level.
Regarding the biographies, Pierre
Larocque explained, “These books
in fact were written so that we might
come to know our dear Founder’s
pedagogical and educational sensitivity,
what was dear to him in putting
young people at the center of
things, in helping them take the lead
in their own formation, and the atmosphere
to be created to ensure
success in education. From this
point of view, the biographies become
three methods which are different
according to the starting point
for each of these three boys from the
Valdocco Oratory, and suited to
Don Bosco’s Letter from Rome, May 10, 1884
their needs. For Don Bosco it was
necessary to start from where each
boy was, without waiting for some
ideal situation to arise, concentrating
on the values and attitudes they
brought with them and setting goals
to be reached.”

April 11, 2013 E-Service 7
It’s about evil people trembling in front of the good, not the other way around!
By Fr. Pascual Chavez, SDB, Rector Major
DON BOSCO NARRATES:
I was a lively and attentive boy who,
with Mom’s permission, went to the
various festivals where acrobats and
magicians performed. I always took a
place in the front row, my eyes fixed on
the movements with which they tried to
distract the audience. Little by little I
could see their tricks; returning home, I
repeated them for hours. But often the
moves didn’t produce the desired effect.
It wasn’t easy to walk on that blessed
rope strung between two trees. How
many tumbles, how many skinned knees!
And how many times I wanted just to
chuck everything! Then I’d start again,
sweaty, tired, sometimes even
disappointed. But little by little, I was
able to get it together; I could feel the
soles of my bare feet clinging to the rope,
which seemed to become one with my
footsteps, and I then did as I wanted,
happy to repeat and to invent other
movements. That’s why, when I spoke to
my boys in later years, I’d said to them:
“Let’s stick to easy things, but let’s do
them with perseverance.” There you have
it: my down-to-earth pedagogy, the result
of so many victories and as many
defeats, with the stubbornness that was
one of my most marked characteristics.
That’s how my style came into being,
to educate without using big words,
without any great ideological schemes,
without references to many famous
authors. That’s how my pedagogy was
born: I learned in the meadows of
Becchi, later in the streets of Chieri,
later still in prisons, the streets, and the
alleys of Valdocco. My pedagogy was
shaped in a courtyard.
I dared to prove it a few years later
when I went to Chieri to continue my
studies and, in front of the whole class,
was received by the teacher with a not
very exciting opinion: “This fellow’s
either a simpleton or a genius.” That
made me feel extremely awkward; I
remember coping with these words:
“Something in between. I’m just a poor
young fellow who has the goodwill to
do his work and get along in his
studies.” (MO 2007, p. 51)
Then there was that blessed dream
when I was nine or ten years old (a
dream that was repeated many more
times!). That dream came to torment
me, and the desire to become a priest for
the boys became stronger. And then I
did something that didn’t make a genius
of me, but in fact, achieved a beautiful
victory in my character, a real
breakthrough: I stretched out my hand to
ask for help, something just to realize
my dream. I would admit much later to a
Salesian: “You don’t know how much
this begging cost me.” With my proud
temperament, it was certainly not easy
to be humble enough to beg. My
courage was empowered by a high level
of trust in Providence; and also what I
had learned from my mother. At her
school I had learned one rule that guided
me everywhere: “Whenever I am faced
with difficulties, even grave ones, I do
what a hiker does in finding his trail
blocked. If I can’t shove the obstacle out
of the way, I either go over it or around
it.” (BM 7:271)
And I assure you: I found many
large boulders on my path. I shall briefly
mention some of them: The year 1860,
for example, was typically difficult. Fr.
Cafasso, my friend, confessor, and
spiritual director had died. How much I
missed his presence, his advice, and his
financial help.
Then, from the government I
encountered serious difficulties, real
“boulders”: targeted searches which were
devastating to Valdocco, as if I were a
criminal! My boys were living in terror,
while armed guards came in everywhere.
The searches continued, creating a
climate of fear and uncertainty. I wrote to
the Minister of the Interior, Luigi Farini,
for an interview. I had the courage to tell
him with humble determination: “For my
boys I demand justice and restoration of
honor so that they don’t lack the bread of
life.” I know that I was taking a great risk
because these government officials were
anticlerical, but I didn’t lack the
necessary courage. And so gradually the
searches stopped.
I never gave up! I said to the boys:
“The courage of the wicked depends on
the fear in which others regard them. Be
brave, and you’ll see how they wilt.” A
French benefactor from Lyons sent me a
holy picture with a phrase I’ve never
forgotten because it served as a guide: “In
regard to God, be like the sparrow that
feels the branch shake but still continues
to sing, knowing that it has wings.” It
wasn’t just a poetic expression, but an act
of courageous confidence in the Lord’s
Providence, because he alone “is the
master of our hearts.”
When they were about to leave for
summer vacation, I used to say to my
boys: “Be men and not branches! Lift
your head high, walk straight in the
service of God, at home and outside, in
the church and in the square. What is
human respect? A papier-mâché monster
that doesn’t bite. What are the
impertinent words of the wicked? Soap
(Continued on page 8)

April 11, 2013 E-Service 8
Views Across
the Province
St. Theresa Church
Leeds, Alabama
Diocese of Birmingham
Served by Salesians since 2001.
Families: 390
Fr. James Naughton, left, is pastor of St. Theresa Church in Leeds. He also
has help from Fr. Ken Germaine and Fr. Anthony D’Angelo (left to right)
who reside at Holy Rosary Parish in nearby Birmingham.
Fr. Chavez on Don Bosco
(Continued from page 7)
bubbles that disappear in an instant.
Let’s not pay any attention to adversaries
and their taunts. Remember that
knowledge without conscience is nothing
but the ruin of the soul.” And I used to
add: “Don’t let anything in the world
frighten you. So behave today that
tomorrow you’ll have nothing to be
ashamed of.”
I never got tired of instilling into
their little heads: “By your conduct give
glory to God, and consolation to your
parents and your superiors. On the other
hand, a lazy, undisciplined youth will be
a disgrace, a burden to his parents, a
burden to his superiors, and a burden for
himself.”
From Valdocco would rise “good
citizens and honest Christians,” of whom
the world has much need.