I've been thinking about my work at Salesian High School, an all boys high school in New Rochelle, NY. They call it "Oratory" and it has really been a living example of the oratory that Don Bosco set up in Turin, Italy. It is a work that I've never experienced before and frankly didn't know how to respond for a while. I am not saying that I was horrifically shocked by the attitude of the kids there... well, yes and no.
When I was working for the youth in other places, some of them needed to be watched closely. The preventive system, a system of working with youth developed by Mama Margaret and learned by Don Bosco, was quickly learned and applied. But things are quite different, in a most positive way at Salesian High School. The preventive system is still used, but the youth there are so good, and i mean GOOD. there I am able to accompany the guys there more, Lead them closer to God. Really, I've been taught a lot about God there by those same kids that I am sent to teach and be with.
The other guys at the Formation house know that my week isn't complete until Friday when i head to the Oratory. The community at the school really bring out the best in all their students, and it shows, their behavior is amazing, they look out for themselves and others both bodily and spiritually. It gets me thinking, these students are holy, they make me want to be come a better man, closer to God so that i can accompany them along their path.
Many of the young men from the oratory are in another group called the Friends of Savio. I helped them on their trip to NYC and was blown away on the reverence they had when we entered St. Patrick's Cathedral. I didn't expect to not have to say, "quiet down, we're entering a church." rather, it was the young men who were speaking up and making sure that all were behaving properly in the presence of Christ.
I applaud the community at Salesian High School, but more so the Students there. I pray that they continue to be the find young men that they are being molded into.
This past Friday, The Salesians of Don Bosco celebrated our 150th birthday! We have spent the year praying for our congregation, for the young that we serve, and for our benefactors. May God bless us for another 150 years and more! The Rector Major, The man appointed to be Don Bosco here and now, Don Chavez made an address:
Today is the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesians! All of 2009 has been a year of special grace for us as we remember the 150 years of our congregation! Today Salesians all around the world renew their profession to live obedient, poor and chaste for the sake of the Kingdom of God and for the salvation of souls! The following are the words of our Rector Major, Fr. Pascual Chavez:
On the evening of 18 December 1859 at the Oratory of Saint Francis in Don Bosco’s room a group were gathered together, their intention “to promote and maintain the true charity that is needed in the work of the festive Oratories for youth abandoned and in danger”; as Fr Alasonatti writes in the minutes of this meeting. In the same minutes we then read: “The above mentioned participants decided therefore to band themselves into a Society or Congregation while, while aiming at the sanctification of each member by mutual assistance would strive to promote God’s glory and the salvation of souls, especially those in greater need of instruction and formation.”
1859 therefore is the year of the birth of our Congregation. So I want to propose to all the Confreres that we live 2009 as a year of grace, remembering where we come from, who we are, are where we are heading. With this celebration of our charismatic identity the pilgrimage of the casket of Don Bosco begins in all the Regions of our Congregation and in this way preparation starts for the bicentenary of his birth in 2015.
This event will be for all of us a spiritual and pastoral journey, that will begin with the Solemnity of Don Bosco on 31 January 2009, that will have as key moments the 24 June, his name-day, and the 16 August, his birthday, and will culminate on 18 December 2009 with the renewal of profession by all of us Salesians. We shall give special thanks to Mary on 25 May, the Solemnity of the Help of Christians. In this way we are given the opportunity to “start afresh from Don Bosco”, Founder of our Congregation, of the Salesian Family and of the vast Salesian Movement.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Feastday: December 12 Patron of the Americas
Our Lady of Guadalupe December 12 (USA) When we reflect on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe we learn two important lessons, one of faith and one of understanding.
Missionaries who first came to Mexico with the conquistadors had little success in the beginning. After nearly a generation, only a few hundred Native Mexicans had converted to the Christian faith. Whether they simply did not understand what the missionaries had to offer or whether they resented these people who made them slaves, Christianity was not popular among the native people.
Then in 1531 miracles began to happen. Jesus' own mother appeared to humble Juan Diego. The signs -- of the roses, of the uncle miraculously cured of a deadly illness, and especially of her beautiful image on Juan's mantle -- convinced the people there was something to be considered in Christianity. Within a short time, six million Native Mexicans had themselves baptized as Christians.
The first lesson is that God has chosen Mary to lead us to Jesus. No matter what critics may say of the devotion of Mexicans (and Mexican descendants) to Our Lady of Guadalupe, they owe their Christianity to her influence. If it were not for her, they would not know her son, and so they are eternally grateful. The second lesson we take from Mary herself. Mary appeared to Juan Diego not as a European madonna but as a beautiful Aztec princess speaking to him in his own Aztec language. If we want to help someone appreciate the gospel we bring, we must appreciate the culture and the mentality in which they live their lives. By understanding them, we can help them to understand and know Christ. Our Lady of Guadalupe is patron of the Americas.
I got this from my dad earlier today. He found it on "The Anchoress" blogEnjoy.
"As a bagpiper, I’m often called upon to play at weddings, military events, and funerals. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a grave side service for a homeless man. The man had no family or friends, so the service was set at the county pauper’s cemetery in the Kentucky back woods.
I was not familiar with the backwoods and soon found myself lost. Being a typical man I didn’t stop to ask for directions. I finally arrived an hour late – the staff from the funeral home was long gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight.
There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down. The vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play….
The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.
And as I played ‘Amazing Grace,’ the workers began to weep.
They wept. I wept. We all wept together.
When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car.
Though my head hung low my heart was full.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, 'I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.'"
The young teenager was busy doing her daily chores, going about the house and taking care of the things that were in her charge, when suddenly a blinding light came.She covered her eyes.Then, she heard a voice.
“Hail, one who is full of grace!” Mary fell to her knees.The voice was not the normal voice of a man.It had a more musical quality to it.She began to tremble.“The Lord is with you!”
What did this mean, she thought to herself.Full of grace?
Indeed, what does it mean?We know from our Popes, particularly Pope Pius the IX, that Mary was sinless from birth.We call this the Immaculate Conception.But what does that really mean for us today?It means that a young woman two millennia ago, did not do anything wrong. Yes... but that cannot be all.No.It’s not all.Mary is for us, in the here and now.She is for us a mother who helps.But she is for us a very special mother.She is a sinless mother.And so the Church today celebrates that fact.Our mother was conceived without sin: the Immaculate Conception.
God loved Mary a lot.This is clear since she was “full of grace.”That is to say, she had ever gift from God.She could have whatever she wanted, because God was there for her, always.To be immaculate means to be without sin.But to be full of grace means to have the gift of God himself, as well as being sinless.God gave her a tremendous gift in her sinlessness, and now we have access to that gift.If we want something, and we feel that our sins are keeping us from just asking for it, we can turn to our mother, Mary.Because she is “full of grace” she can do anything just by praying.She is the Virgin Most Powerful.She gets what she wants, mainly because she only wants those things that God wants.Mary doesn’t ask for anything that isn’t the will of God.She only asks for things that God himself wants to give.But let’s finish our story.
Mary was upset by what the angel had said to her.It frightened her to hear that she was “full of grace,” from this creature she did not know.But the angel reassured her.
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”She was so confused, but she began to see that this strange messenger was an angel; she was still afraid, but a little bit calmer now.“Behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call him Jesus.He will be great, the Son of the Most High God, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.”
Now Mary was thoroughly confused.The Son of God?Rule forever?His Kingdom will have no end?
But what she said was, “How can this be?I have not had any relations with a man.”
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you," the angel answered her, "and the power from the Most High will overshadow you.Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God”And he proceeded to explain to her that her cousin, an old woman, was also pregnant after her husband had a similar vision.
Then Mary, not understanding much at all of what was going on, made a decision.If it is the will of God, then I must do it.Whatever happens, it will be in his hands.
To the angel she said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord.Be it done unto me according to your word.”
That last line is what the Immaculate Conception is all about.Mary was given the gift of complete freedom from sin.We are all, in some way, caught by sin.Some of us are slaves of it.But Mary was not.She was not even affected by it.And what did she do with that gift?“Be it done unto me…” she gave it all to God.As the humble handmaid, she let herself be given entirely to the Father, and as such became the mother of the Son.
Mary knew what to do with her gift.And from that, we received Jesus.Because of her tremendous wisdom in say “yes” with what gifts God gave her, she produced the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ, our love, our savior, our dearest friend, our Lamb of God.If we are to learn anything from Mary this feast, let us learn how to say yes to God, how to use our gifts for his glory, and not keep them for ourselves.
It has been a while since the last update on the formation of the pre-novices. The past two weeks were spent as we mentioned before at the NCYC and then Thanksgiving. Now it is time for us to introduce some of the events and places that we experienced.
Starting with Chicago, we drove from New Jersey to the St. John Bosco Parish. We were greeted
by the community there. We were able to visit the city during the day, doing some touristy things and general relaxation, but during the evening we were able to see some of the amazing work that the Salesians do there.
There are two daily masses, one in the morning done in English and the other in the evening said
in Spanish. We only went to the Spanish mass, and WOW there were easily 50 people for daily
mass!!! The parishioners know the value of receiving the Eucharist and how it can impact a
life.
On Tuesdays the teenage girls head over to the gym to play some volleyball and on other days
they provide other activities for the youth, CCD classes, youth center, etc.
Some activities were started by the adults in the parish, which is wonderful; it shows how much life the church has. The parents get involved with their faith and the formation of their children's faith. Participation in the sacraments and activities of the Church are well attended... that parish shows that the Catholic Church is not dead, but if full of life.
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