2006September


2006September

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Nouvelles Salésiennes
Salesian News
Septembre 2006 September No.85
Bulletin mensuel électronique
sdbsem@interlinx.qc.ca
YEARLY SPIRITUAL RETREAT. This year the
confreres of Canada made their spiritual retreat at
the Benedictine Abbey of Westminster, in Mission,
B.C., about an hour east of Vancouver. The idea
was for the confreres to acquaint themselves with
the wonderful Salesian work of Surrey, as well as to
allow the 8 confreres of the West not to have to
travel all the way out East ( I think that very few of
the Easterners were unhappy about that!). As you
may know, our retreat program alternates, one year
in an Anglophone environment, the following in
French milieu.
The Abbot himself, the Rev. John Braganza,
O.S.B., gave us the conferences, one in the
morning, the other in the afternoon. Beside the
morning and evening offices prayed together, those
who wished could also attend the offices celebrated
by the monks. Some were “courageous” enough to
attend the 5h00 Morning Praise, (yes, in the
morning!). As you know, an abbot is like a bishop
(for his monks) and on solemn occasions, as was the
case for the Eucharist and the offices of the feast of
the Assumption, he presided with crosier and mitre.
We were privileged to participate at these offices
with the monks and to pray in Gregorian chant.
The Abbot, who is relatively new at the task-
he was elected last year- and rather young, was very
much appreciated. In a typical Benedictine way, he
appealed to the daily liturgy to deliver his message,
being attentive to confront the biblical word to
religious life and the world of today. Those who
follow the interesting and meaningful interventions
of Pope Benedict will certainly find a similarity in
the approach (perhaps to signify that he has more
than the name Benedict!). I appreciated particularly
the references to his private diary and to the events
of his own life in order to deepen the Word of God.
Fr. Dumont, the guest master, gave us a tour
of the Abbey, showing us sections of the monastery
that are usually not opened to guests. The 20
beautiful sculptures in the Abbey church, the work of
a monk, carry almost a whole treatise on monastic
life.
What about the site? It is an oasis of peace
and tranquility. The first Abbot who chose the
location for his monastery had a keen sense of the
beauty of nature. It is conducive to peaceful
contemplation and prayer. The Fraser River flows at
its feet and wherever you look, there are high
mountains, extension of the Rockies toward the
Pacific. When the weather was clear, we could see
Mount Baker, with its snow-capped peak, 55 km
south east in the State of Washington.
I mention but two of the events during the
retreat (beside the “radical conversion” of each one!
– Jokes aside, we had everything to lead us to make a
good retreat). On Wednesday afternoon, we went to
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Surrey, for a
tour of the work. Each confrere of the community
was very anxious to make our visit most agreeable,
showing us around and introducing us to
parishioners. After the reception and an excellent
dinner in the school hall, meeting leaders of parish
groups, Salesian Cooperators, etc, we celebrated the
Eucharist. The church was filled. Parishioners
commented after Mass that they had never seen so
many priests concelebrating in their church.Fr. Luc
presided, assisted by Fr. Richard Authier and Fr.
Mario Villaraza, pastor of OLGC. A very moving
moment of the Mass was the renewal of the vows by
our 3 young brothers, Robert Di Pede, Steven
Aldorasi and James Zettel.
During the Mass at the Abbey the next day,
Fr. Richard Authier was installed as the new
Provincial of the Canadian Province, taking over
from Fr. Luc Lantagne who ended his 6-year
mandate. The principal act of this transition is the
profession of faith. That evening there was an “open

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forum”, animated jointly by Frs. Richard and Luc,
on questions concerning the government and
animation of the province. A basket of greeting
cards was handed over to Fr. Luc; each confrere had
the opportunity to thank him for his years of
leadership and to express good wishes for the
coming years.
This was followed by… guess what? Of course, the
traditional “pizza”! Salesian traditions have to be
observed… And during the retreat, we certainly
understood more profoundly that this applies also to
the Gospel and our Rule of Life…
*********************
RWANDA. Ce 15 août restera longtemps dans nos
souvenirs, puisqu' on y a célébré la naissance de
notre nouvelle Quasi-Province AGL (Afrique des
Grands Lacs). Après avoir célébré la messe ici à
8h00, (l'Assomption est fête d'obligation au
Rwanda), je suis allé rejoindre les autres confrères à
Kimihurura où les festivités allaient commencer par
une messe solennelle à 10h30.
Étaient présents pour cette fête Mgr J.P.
Tafunga, évêque salésien d'Uvira, au Congo, le P.
Alencherry, représentant le Recteur Majeur, le
Provincial du Congo, le Vice-Provincial du Kenya
(qui nous a laissé l'Ouganda en héritage), notre
nouveau Provincial Burundais qui a été installé au
courant de la messe, presque tous les Salésiens du
Rwanda, Burundi et 5 de l'Ouganda. Les Soeurs
salésiennes aussi- Sr. Candide Asselin présente- des
Coopérateurs, anciens élèves, etc. Dans l'après-midi
est arrivé Mgr G. Ruvezi, évêque salésien de
Kipushi, Congo, dont l'avion avait été annulé la
veille.
Au cours de la messe, 5 novices ont
prononcé leurs voeux, tandis que 10 nouveaux les
remplaçaient (9 Rwandais et 1 Burundais; un de
l'Ouganda fera son noviciat au Kenya à cause de la
langue). Dans son homélie, le P. Alencherry disait
que nous n'étions qu'une petite entité de 69
confrères, mais qu'avec prière et courage nous
grandirions. La fête vient de se terminer à 8h00.
Demain les confrères se disperseront, chacun de son
côté, pour reprendre leur travail.
Je te laisse en souhaitant que cette nouvelle
année de vie t'apportera bien des joies et
satisfactions. Merci encore une fois pour les
services que tu me rends.
Jean-Paul Lebel (extrait d’une lettre au P.
Trottier)
TORONTO-HAMILTON. Fr. Occhio participated
in the annual gathering of the DB College Alumni in
Columbus, Ohio, at the end of July. As for Fr.
Kennedy, he has been finishing up his Master’s
degree in Sociology under the auspices of the U. of
T. He spent the month of August in his home
province of India.
Our community, also toward the end of July,
welcomed Mrs Marlene Frederick, the representative
of the English Region on the World Council of
Salesian Cooperators. She presented to our SC centre
an update on the work going on at the World Council
in regard to the revision of the RAL (Reg. of
Apostolic Life), as well as some of the changes
envisaged in the structure of the Association.
From July 3rd to August 4th, 165 Summerdaze
campers enjoyed the activities, outings and liturgies
held in true Salesian fashion. In addition, over 40
teenagers and young adults took part in the formation
retreat animated by the Camp director, Mr. Frankie
Jacobazzi, and Bro. Bernie Dubé. And, ho! How can
we forget our biggest camper, Fr. Dave Sajdak, who
spent his 3-week vacation at camp?
Michel Jobin, our local SC coordinator, and
his family hosted a Field Day for all the Cooperators
at his farm near Orangeville on July 29th. We had a
potluck meal followed by an outdoor evening Mass
presided by Fr. George. A joyous time was had by
all.
Our DB Residence underwent some well-
needed improvements this summer: renovation of the
kitchen area, baths and showers, as well as the
construction of a shed in the back yard for storing
various tools, garden equipment, etc.
In mid-August, 6 confreres from our Toronto-
Hamilton community participated in the annual
retreat at the Benedictine Monastery in Mission, B.C.
The newly appointed 42-year old Abbot, Rev. John
Braganza, preached the meditations in a most erudite,
eloquent and deeply spiritual manner. Some
highlights were the visit to our community in Surrey,
thus becoming better acquainted with their apostolate
and the people of the parish. We also bid farewell to

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Fr. Jacob Trcek, who after a year in Canada, is
called back to his native Slovenia. All in all the 28
confreres present thoroughly enjoyed the
atmosphere and beauty of the surroundings. How
about a repeat in 2009?
********************
SHERBROOKE. Samedi le 5 août environ 150
anciens et anciennes se sont rencontrés au Camp
Dominique Savio, Ste-Catherine-de-Hatley, sur le
Lac Magog, pour le traditionnel pique-nique annuel.
Retrouvailles, activités de plein air, activités
nautiques, feu de camp, souper sur le « charcoal »,
consultation des albums souvenirs, etc. Une
invitation particulière avait été lancée à la
promotion 1981. Oui, déjà 25 ans! Une journée
appréciée de tous les participants(es). Vous pouvez
visionner quelques photos en visitant le site de la
Fondation : fondationdusalesien.org (aller à
galerie de photos).
L’année scolaire 2006-2007 est déjà bien
lancée. En effet, tous les élèves commençaient les
cours lundi le 28 août; ils étaient venus par niveau
la semaine précédente prendre ce dont ils avaient
besoin pour la rentrée. Ils sont environ 720 répartis
en 23 groupes. En 1ère secondaire, 165, 33 par
groupe. Du sang neuf aussi parmi le corps
professoral.
Le 8 de ce mois, cinq des 6 membres de la
communauté s’envolaient vers Vancouver (Bob G.
devait nous rejoindre plus tard, retenu à Sherbrooke
par le ministère). Cette année, c’est là que les
confrères sdb du Canada tenaient leur retraite
spirituelle annuelle. C’était par gentillesse (ha!)
pour nos confrères d’Edmonton et de Surrey, leur
évitant ainsi de faire le trajet vers l’est. Vraiment
c’était aussi pour que tous les confrères puissent
faire connaissance avec cette œuvre de la banlieue
de Vancouver.
La retraite ne commençant que dimanche le
13, nous y sommes allés quelques jours plus tôt afin
de passer quelques jours ensemble et de pouvoir
visiter cette merveilleuse région du Canada. Cela
nous a permis aussi de pratiquer une certaine
« ascèse communautaire » et de céder quelque peu
au désir de l’autre dans le choix des visites et tout
ce que cela entraîne… Quitte à susciter votre
jalousie, voici quelques sites visités : le Vancouver
Museum, le Space Centre et le planétarium, Stanley
Park et ses arbres multi-centenaires, Capilano Park et
son pont suspendu, Grouse Mountain, Lynn Park, le
centre-ville, quelques plages, etc. Nous avons passé
une journée à Seattle, WA, craignant un peu les
tracas de la frontière, mais tout s’est bien passé ;
nous devions avoir un air très « innocent »! Nous
avions l’agréable compagnie de Jim Zettel, le plus
jeune de nos confrères canadiens qui a passé l’été à
notre paroisse OLGC, mystifiant les enfants et les
plus grands aussi avec tous ses trucs de magicien.
Samedi matin nous prenions le traversier
(1h½) vers l’Île de Vancouver et Victoria. Ceux qui
y sont allés déjà reconnaîtront ces sites : Butchart
Gardens, km 0 (fin de la Transcanadienne), le
monument à Terry Fox, le Parlement tout illuminé le
soir, la maison natale d’Emily Carr, Empress Hotel,
etc. Pour tous nos déplacements, à Victoria comme à
Vancouver pour le temps du séjour, le P. Alain était
notre vaillant chauffeur.
A Victoria, nous avons logé au centre
diocésain, accueillis par Mgr. Lapierre, vicaire
général, qui nous a introduits à l’évêque de Victoria,
Mgr. Richard Gagnon, -deux hommes bien
sympathiques- dans la chapelle privée duquel on a
célébré l’eucharistie dimanche matin avant de
repartir vers Swartz Bay, sur le chemin du retour,
faisant quelques arrêts intéressants, parmi lesquels le
dîner aux fruits de mer, au bout d’un petit quai d’où
la vue du Mt Baker était magnifique.Alain a saisi
cette occasion pour se mettre les pieds dans l’eau…
du Pacifique. Sur le traversier, nous avons pu
assister, avertis par le capitaine- le soleil était
resplendissant- à un « spectacle » d’orcas (killer
whales). En débarquant, on s’achemine directement
vers Mission à environ une heure de la côte et nous
arrivons au début de la soirée à l’Abbaye de
Westminster où nous rejoignons les autres confrères
du Canada pour notre retraite d’une semaine. Un
grand merci à tous ceux qui ont rendu notre séjour
agréable.
Quelques jours après notre retour à
Sherbrooke, nous avions la joie d’accueillir à notre
résidence le Provincial de N.Y. le P. Jim Heuser. Il
était accompagné des 2 nouveaux salésiens de sa
province, les Frs. Michael Eguino et Robert Malusa,
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Christians Church à Manhattan, NY, le 16 août
dernier. Ils en ont profité pour visiter quelques lieux
de Sherbrooke, et ont passé une journée à Québec,
faisant un arrêt à N.D.-du-Cap en route vers
Montréal où ils ont passé une journée avant de
reprendre la route vers le sud. Le fait d’avoir
rencontré ces jeunes salésiens, comme d’ailleurs les
3 canadiens qui étaient avec nous à Vancouver,
nous incite à les inclure dans notre prière afin qu’ils
soient dociles à la voix du Seigneur et persévérants
dans leur vocation salésienne.
+++++++++++++++++
SURREY, B.C. Aug. 5th saw the parish picnic
celebrated at Hawthorn Park with the campers
acting out skits to the amusement of the
parishioners. That afternoon the Don Bosco Knights
of Columbus held a golf fund raiser tournament
followed by a dinner dance at the Youth Center.
Bro. Jerry attended the Religious Brothers’
Convention in Dallas, TX. His flight was delayed 3
½ hours, as were other flights to other countries, in
wake of the security breach that began the next day
in London. Upon returning, he discovered that the
parish van’s license plate had been stolen, and that a
rectory intruder had stolen from some of the
confreres’ rooms.
On Aug. 8th began the pilgrimage of
retreatants to Surrey, beginning with the Sherbrooke
group followed by the Montreal and Toronto
contingents. The day before the retreat, Fr. Jan
returned from a week’s visit with his sister in
Calgary, AB. Aug. 13th thru 18th our Salesian retreat
was held at Westminster Abbey in Mission,
Wednesday of that week, all came to visit our parish
complex enjoying a buffet supper following by a
concelebrated Mass and renewal of vows by our
three clerics. Various representatives from the
parish organizations were present and the church
was packed for the weekly Mother of Perpetual
Help devotions. The mixed Youth Choir sang and
had full accompaniment with the various musicians
present, with a Knights of Columbus Honour
Guard.
The retreat over, Bro. Jerry left for his 2
weeks vacation to Winnipeg, thus joining his sister
in celebrating her birthday on the 24th. As Brother’s
flight started its descent over Brandon, the
passengers experienced turbulence, not realizing that
they were arriving on the tail end of a tornado that
had touched down earlier, just south of the city.
As for Bro. Jim Zettel, he returned to Toronto
after a wonderful 2 months with us, while Fr. John
Basso left for a month’s visit to Italy. We are happy
to welcome Bro. Steve Aldorasi who officially joins
our community for this year, before entering
theology.
.+++++++++++++++++++++++++
INTERVIEW: FR JOSEPH OCCHIO
Fr. Occhio is presently Associate Pastor in the
parish of St.Benedict, Toronto. Much of his life has
been spent in the formation of young Salesians. He
holds degrees in philosophy and theology. He has
some expertise in approaches to prayer East and
West.
What can you tell us about your family?
It had an environment of deeply religious faith
handed down in the continuous prayerful life of my
parents and paternal grandfather who attended Mass
daily, walking to church one km each way, rain or
shine…or snow!. My brother Leo is a Xaverian
missionary priest in Brazil. My sister Celeste joined
the Daughters of Charity of St. Jeanne Antide
Thouret. My other 8 brothers and sisters had
numerous children: of late at our family reunions
there are about 100 persons, some of whom now live
in Switzerland.
About your childhood?
I passed the first ten years of my life at Cascina
Primavera, the stately farmhouse where all of us 11
children were born, near Soncino* (Cremona,
Lombardy). In 1933, Dad, 3 of my sisters and I
moved to Borgosesia, an industrial town in
Piedmont, where my sisters found some work.
(*One of the symbols in my family’s coat of arms is
the Star of David. The reason is that the printing of
the first Jewish bible ever printed took place in
Soncino. The original”Printers House” is one of the
town’s tourist attractions where to date you can
watch sample pages of the Bible being printed in
Hebrew just as they were in 1488).

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How did you get to know the Salesians and
how did your vocation come about?
In the spring of 1934, I assisted at local celebrations
of Don Bosco’s canonization. A few months later,
without asking me, my pastor decided that I should
be interviewed by a Jesuit to get his opinion as to
whether I should become a Jesuit. Somehow the
Jesuit did not show up for the scheduled meeting,
and the pastor simply told me: “Next week three
boys will go to the Salesians. You might as well
join them.” I did, and I’ve been with the Salesians
ever since. (As a Salesian aspirant I spent the
summers of 1938 and 1939 at the foot of Mt. Blanc,
not far from LesCombes where the Holy Father
takes his vacation).
Where were you ordained and how did you
spend your first years as a Salesian?
In the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin,
on July 2nd of the Holy Year 1950. I spent my first
3 years as a priest studying philosophy and the
following three decades teaching it in Newton, NJ.
What would you consider the most
meaningful experiences of your Salesian priestly
life?
The celebration of Holy Mass and the ministries of
hearing Confessions and giving spiritual direction.
What message can you give to Salesians, as
also to young people?
Of late I have been reading quite a bit on Mama
Margaret because of the talks I am giving about her
on HMWN Radio Maria. What impresses me most
is how much Don Bosco imbibed his spirituality
and educational system directly from her. Yes, DB
is a most extraordinary saint, but his way to sanctity
is very much like his mother’s: living joyfully the
grandeur of our constant union with God in the
unassuming, self-sacrificing service we offer our
neighbour in the day-to-day heroism of the most
ordinary life.
As regards chastity, kudos to George
Weigel for this appraisal of John Paul II’s
Theology of the Body: “One of the boldest
reconfigurations of Catholic theology in
centuries… a kind of theological time bomb set
to go off with dramatic consequences sometime
in the third millennium of the Church.” Most
certainly 100% “Bosconian”!
I’ll conclude on a related line of thought with
a quote from Eddie Doherty’s Lambs in Wolfskins:
“It would take men as pure as angels to guard the
little ones and prevent them from offending God in
any way. What purity [Don Bosco] must insist upon
in his novices, [in his Brothers], in his scholastics, in
his priests! The Lord would prosper the [Salesian]
Society, so long as it exalted this virtue.”
+++++++++++++++++
NEWS IN BRIEF
CAMBODIA .Conclusion of the Meeting on the
Salesian Lay Brother
The Meeting of the East Asia – Oceania Region on
the theme of the Salesian Lay brother ended on the
25th August, having taken place near the Don Bosco
Technical School in Phnom Penh. During the six
days of work many Salesian Lay brothers, some
Provincials and those responsible for Formation in
the Region looked at ways of widening the range of
pastoral activity, vocation promotion and formation
of lay brothers and the long-term prospects. At the
end of the Meeting, the participants had renewed
their commitment to the promotion of new vocations
to the Salesian Lay brothers in the Region and real
collaboration across the different Provinces. During
the course of the Meeting, use was made of a DVD,
produced for the Region, on the model of a Salesian
Lay brother. The DVD, which has shown itself to be
very effective for vocational promotion, gives the
history of the Lay Salesian vocation.
(ANS 28th August 2006)
++++++++++++++++
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
7/09: Ivan Dobrsek (95 years)
22: Joseph Ho
23: Georges Parent
23: Dave Sajdak
28: Robert Di Pede
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY OF
PROFESSION!
1/09: Bernie Dubé – Luc Lantagne
Alain Léonard – Dave Sajdak
4 : Dominique Britschu
8 : Paul Cossette – Bob Gagné
Luciano Cortopassi - Marcel Gauthier
Jerry Harasym - Frank Kelly-Georges Parent
Gérard Richard -Roméo Trottier

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14: Joseph Occhio
PTL!