T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E S A L E S I A N F A M I L Y
DON BOSCO TODAY
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Danny’s Dream 4
What’s in a Name? 6
What’s in a Picture 7
The Yellow Umbrella 9
Booklist Insert
The Rector Major 12
Bosco Bear 13
Never too late 14
Spirit of Bethlehem 17
Fr Butters RIP 18
Fr O’Shea RIP 19
Prepare to Celebrate 20
Editorial
Recently we have experienced considerable change in Don Bosco
Publications. On January 15th Joan Rankin retired after 20 years of
invaluable work. I cannot begin to tell you how much she did for Don
Bosco Publications. I can only try to express the appreciation of The
Salesian Family for her work. I hope she won’t mind if I print a few lines
from a verse I wrote on a farewell card for her:
Labour now ended, your work still goes on
Seeds you have planted were well-blessed.
Thousands of books your smile prolongs
All bear the seal of your cheerfulness.
Blessed, for the Lord still works through them,
The wonder of all well-published words.
Each one, for ever, a message sends.
In all of them, your voice is heard.
For your vision, all those years ago,
Was to make Don Bosco visible,
To spread his word for all to know,
To share the love his family feel.
In saying farewell to Joan we welcome Michael Kilcoyne as our new
manager of Don Bosco Publications and Danny Cockton as our part-time
sales consultant. I asked them both to write down what they hoped to
achieve. Danny’s dream is published in this issue, Michael will write for
the next issue. I am confident that we have made excellent appointments.
Joyce Hutchinson continues her excellent work as assistant with
considerable experience of our Salesian way of working.
With this issue we have made some changes; there is a children’s page,
the booklist is now an insert in the centre and we are trying a new format.
We are also thinking of looking for sponsorship through appropriate
advertising. We would really appreciate your comments and criticism.
Mamma Margaret, Don Bosco’s Mother has been declared Venerable, we
hope she will soon be declared Blessed and then canonised a Saint. In
the last few months, all over the Salesian world there have been
celebrations because she was not only Don Bosco’s
mother but mother of our Salesian Family. In this
issue we describe how just one Salesian community
celebrated their Mamma Margaret Day. Throughout
the world, thousands of communities expressed their
joy. On the cover of this issue you will see a yellow
umbrella. Why a yellow umbrella? It’s worth finding
out. I hope the article on page 14 will bring a smile
to your face and help you find your own yellow
umbrella.
2 3
DON BOSCO TODAY DON BOSCO TODAY
DON BOSCO PUBLICATIONS
Thornleigh House
Sharples Park Bolton BL1 6PQ
Tel 01204 308811
Fax 01204 306868
Email: michael@salesians.org.uk
SALESIAN MISSIONS
Fr Joe Brown SDB
2 Orbel Street
Battersea SW11 2 NZ
Tel 020 7924 7141
Email: donbosco@btconnect.com
Sister Helen Murphy FMA
Provincial Office
13 Streatham Common North
Streatham London SW16 3HG
Tel 0208677 4573 Fax 0202 8677 4523 Email:
gbrpeco@ukonline.co.uk
DESIGN AND PRINTING
Printoff Graphic Arts
01282 612222
RECIPE
Julie Tansey
Websites Worth Visiting
Our Province Web Site
Don Bosco Publications
Salesians in Rome
Salesian News Agency
Salesian Sisters in Rome
Salesian Sisters in the UK
Salesian Youth Ministry
Don Bosco Youth Net
Bosconet
Youth Outreach
Contents
www.salesians.org.uk
www.don-bosco-publications.co.uk
www.sdb.org
www.sdb.org/ANS
www.cgfmanet.org
www.salesianyouthministry.com
www.donboscoyouth.net
www.bosconet.aust.com
www.youthoutreach.org.hk
www.salesiansistersuk.com
Name
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MY DONATION TO THE WORK OF DON BOSCO
Please find enclosed my donation of Cheque made payable to DON BOSCO PUBLICATIONS
Taxpayer’s Option
Please send me a Gift Aid form
Charity Number 233779
Anthony Bailey SDB
Editor
Email: a.bailey@salesians.org.uk
4 5
Q/ What attracted you to Don Bosco
Publications?
A/ I like the knowledge and security that we are guided
by the Holy Spirit and Don Bosco. Every time I have a
new idea, or an opportunity presents itself, I can say to
myself Would Don Bosco agree with this? He usually
provides us with an answer,
pretty quickly too. The
beauty of Don Bosco
Publications is that there
has been a firm
foundation laid,
giving us a great
platform on
which to build
and really start
to push things
forward.
Q/ What was
the biggest
motivating
factor behind
your decision
to join?
A/ This might
sound silly, but the
book Rosie & Katie
Go to Mass. When I
read that book I just had
so many ideas on how we could
move forward and really make a difference with it.
Kathleen Pearce is a fantastic children’s author. But, as
I read it, I thought how many parents could also benefit
from this book, if you think about the number of
children going through the sacramental programme. By
reading this book, and the other books Kathleen has
written, parents can share the experience with their
children. Although it is aimed at children, adults can
clarify their ideas on each element of the Mass. Of
course, with Kathleen’s other book Rosie goes to
Church, children and adults alike can learn about the
church. Since I read that book, I have certainly enjoyed
Mass a lot more. If we can help to educate people then
surely we can play a part in their
starting to enjoy their Sunday
morning.
Q/ What’s the
biggest challenge
awaiting you?
A/ We are planning
a number of
different projects;
Primary and
Secondary school
resources, re-
building the Church
piety stalls, improving
our website and
getting our books on
the shelves of high
street bookshops and
many more. Each
project comes with its
own challenges, but the
deciding factor on how we
can push forward and at what
speed is the same as any charity (or
business, for that matter) – money. We need money to
invest in these projects and roll them out to schools,
parishes and beyond, in a professional manner. My
personal ambition is to help make Don Bosco
Publications the Number One Christian book publisher
in the UK.
One way of starting this is to ask sponsors to pay for
advertising in the Don Bosco Today. This obviously
needs careful reflection, but with a readership of
around 17,000 it could be attractive to some
organisations, since it would be a great opportunity for
them to get their message heard. The cost of
publishing the magazine, printing and distribution is
increasing all the time. For our readers to continue to
enjoy reading the magazine we have to start offsetting
some of the cost and advertising is one way.
Q/ Could you tell me a bit more about the
school resources project?
A/ Basically what we want to do is to have resource
packs, based on our books, available to schools; with
digital versions that can be used on white boards,
which more and more schools have these days. The
children could be issued with a hard copy of the book
and the teacher will be able to use resources from the
book and the illustrations to help with their RE
curriculum and their Sacramental programme. As I
mentioned before it could help bring people back to
Church. At the same time, it would ease the burden of
preparation for teachers, who have a hectic lesson
planning schedule as it is. For secondary schools, this
project is still at a very elementary stage, but we are
looking at something similar.
Q/ You mentioned earlier that you have a
solid foundation to build on; do you have a
vision of where you want to be in say three to
five years?
A/ Yes, I have a very clear vision of where Don Bosco
Publications will be in five years time.
o Our books in every Catholic School in the UK and in
other Christian schools.
o Our books in every highstreet bookshop.
o A whole host of school resources in every school’s
RE department.
35,000 Don Bosco Today readers, an additional four
pages on top of this edition with an income stream
from schools advertising jobs, some businesses
providing our readers with the occasional offer… as
well as the children’s page. Not forgetting a fully
interactive website with resources, information, digital
versions of the books, simple ordering processes.
However that is all very commercial and business-like. I
would like to see young people approaching us with
ideas for books and helping them realise their vision
and their idea. I think that would give me just as much
satisfaction as all of the other projects.
Q/ Have you ever written a book yourself?
A/ I thought you would ask that. Not yet, but you never
know. Watch this space.
Q/ What will the average person gain from the
success of Don Bosco Publications?
A/ I would be very happy if we can help one young
person achieve their dream, whether it be because of
an article published in this magazine or a book we have
published. If we can get one adult back to Mass then it
has all been worthwhile. It’s not just about shifting
books off shelves, we believe the books have value in
their content and that readers can benefit from them in
the long term, not just the short term enjoyment you get
from reading any other book. The average reader, we
hope, will see an increase in benefits, service, articles
and of course opportunities. As I mentioned before, we
have the Holy Spirit and Don Bosco on our team. Not
even Chelsea Football Club with their millions have
that!
DANNY’S DREAM
Danny Cockton is the recently
appointed Sales Consultant for
Don Bosco Publications
DON BOSCO TODAY DON BOSCO TODAY
Danny Cockton
Contact Danny on daniel@don-bosco-publications.co.uk
6 7
For many people in the North West of
England, the name Thornleigh has always
meant a good school. Once a boys’ grammar
school, now a thriving mixed comprehensive
school of 1600 students, it is the largest
Salesian school in England. In the last ten
years, the name Thornleigh has also come to
be associated with Don Bosco Publications,
the Salesian publishing house which is known
throughout the English-speaking Salesian
world for its excellent publications. For those
who support the work of the Salesians in
India, Thornleigh is known as the address to
which they send their generous donations for
the great work the Salesians do there for so
many disadvantaged children. Eight years
ago, a house was built for retired Salesians as
part of the Thornleigh community, a place
where youthful 80-90 year-old priests and
brothers continue to enjoy a life of prayer and
brotherly companionship.
On Saturday 25th November 2006, a new dimension
was added to Thornleigh. The Provincial Office moved
from Stockport to new quarters in Thornleigh House.
The day for the opening was carefully chosen, it was
the 150th anniversary of the death of Mamma Margaret
- the mother of Don Bosco. Since all who work with and
support the Salesians are part of the Salesian Family,
the day had to be marked with a family celebration. All
the family members, who live and/or work in Thornleigh,
crowded into the oak-panelled front room to begin the
celebrations with a Mass. While Michael Kilcoyne, the
newly appointed manager of Don Bosco Publications,
played the piano; Joan Rankin, who was retiring from
that post after 20 years, sang the responsorial psalm.
The Provincial, Fr Michael Winstanley, a past-pupil of
Thornleigh Salesian College, spoke movingly and
eloquently of the providential coincidence of beginning
our new community on Mamma Margaret’s day.
Thornleigh now has the privilege of being the first
Salesian community in the world dedicated to the
patronage of the mother of Don Bosco. In true
Salesian style, all 30 members of the Thornleigh family,
including our much appreciated cooks Janet and Julie,
sat down at table to enjoy an Italian style meal in
honour of Mamma Margaret, now Thornleigh’s own
mother. The youngest member of the family was heard
to say afterwards, I really enjoyed the day, the tiramisu
was almost as good as the Mass.
Look at these two pictures. They are both representations of Mamma Margaret. They are what we used to call holy
pictures – pictures of holy people. Unfortunately, holy pictures often gave us the wrong impression of the saints
they were supposed to portray, they were nothing like the ordinary people we knew and loved. Since Mamma
Margaret lived in the days before photographs, we can only rely on an artist’s impression of her. Some people
might say, I don’t like the picture on the left because it is too much like a picture from a children’s book.
Personally, I prefer the picture on the left, mainly because it captures so much of the real life of Mamma Margaret;
it is appropriately a down-to-earth representation, for she brought sanctity down to earth. This picture tells us so
much about Mamma Margaret. Look at the eyes of the young John Bosco, fixed on his mother. He saw the way
she dealt with people and learned so much. Let me give two examples:
In winter, Don Bosco recalled, a beggar would often knock on their door. Snow would be all around, and
he would ask if he could sleep in the hayloft. Margaret, before letting him climb up there, would give him
a bowl of hot soup. Then she would look at his feet. Most times they would be in bad shape. The worn-
out wooden clogs would let in the water and everything else. She didn’t have another pair to give him, but
she would wrap up his feet in cloth, and bandage them as best she could.
There was a wood near the house. More than once, as night fell, small groups of fugitives from the police
would knock on Margaret’s door. They would ask for a mouthful of soup and somewhere to sleep.
Margaret was never afraid of these visitors. She was used to them. During Napoleon’s time, about seventy
percent of young people avoided military conscription. They lived in small groups in the woods and on
the mountains.
These are powerful examples for a young boy. In the picture we see the mother gazing at her son, the young John
Bosco. Under his mother’s gaze, he starts to move towards a new style of spirituality. In those times, a certain
suspicion was attached to the typical attitudes of the poor; noisy cheerfulness, singing, talking loudly, running,
joking, laughing out loud. These were things ecclesiastics disapproved of and considered vulgar. The attitudes of
the poor, which his mother experienced as a deeply Christian and human individual, were neither vulgar nor
pernicious. Many of these attitudes, in fact, contained values that were real gospel values, and simple folk were
the bearers of these values. They were often forgotten by those who felt they were superior.
Thornleigh – What’s in a name?
DON BOSCO TODAY DON BOSCO TODAY
The Provincial, Fr Michael Winstanley SDB
MAMMA MARGARET
What’s in a picture?
Simplicity, the love for simple things; solidarity, consideration for the little ones, the unimportant ones; the capacity
to discover happiness in small things, understanding, speaking, listening, explaining to one another; considering
sacrifice as a normal price to pay in life; humble prayer; love for and confidence in Our Lady; cheerfulness even if
it is noisy; seeking the greatest comfort in friendship; readiness to share one’s bread with the poor; the hope for a
more just world as something to bring about with God’s help, but also through the work of their hands and the
sweat of their brow.
Years later when Margaret was fifty-eight years old her generosity was tested. Don Bosco said to her,
Mamma, you have seen how poor the boys of the Oratory are. At the beginning of November I am going
back to them. Once you said to me that if I became wealthy you would never enter my house. You have
seen how poor I am, and how my poor boys have so much need of help. Besides, living alone in that area
is risky for a priest. Would you come and be a mother to my poor boys?
Margaret did not hesitate, she replied straight away, If you think such a move is God’s will, I am ready to go right
now. These words alone are sufficient to prove that she is a saint. They contain heroic faith, rock solid. They were
not said by a young person, in the prime of life, but by a lady of fifty-eight years, which at that time was
considered old, for life and work had taken its toll. She was not the mother of a priest about to head off to stay in
her son’s quiet and respected presbytery. Margaret accepted that she would be going to live in two rooms on the
squalid northern outskirts of Turin. Her job would be sewing clothes, showing boys how to wash their faces,
sharing her soup with them.
These were the Gospel values, which John Bosco discovered in his mother’s life, and made his own, they were
values he had absorbed from her. These would be the behaviours forming his spirituality, the popular spirituality he
would hand on to his Salesian Family. He would help the ecclesiastical world discover that this is a true, authentic
spirituality. A spirituality able to bring one to canonisation. If there are saints who contemplated God by writing
masterpieces of theology like St Thomas, there are illiterate mothers like Mamma Margaret who served God
heroically amidst pots and pans, socks to mend and children to teach by example.
I feel that the declaration of Mamma Margaret as Venerable, well on the road to canonisation, is a significant event
in the Church. We need saints like us – ordinary people living ordinary lives, but in a powerfully authentic way.
Mamma Margaret was illiterate, but she was so wise. She was poor, but so rich. Let’s pray for her speedy
canonisation, it would be a great act of encouragement for all of us.
Anthony Bailey SDB
Prayer to Mamma Margaret
Mamma Margaret, you cared for young people
By putting food on tables,
And kindness in their hearts.
You taught your son, Don Bosco,
To recognise God's Spirit in everyone,
In difficulty, in happiness and in simple living.
Bless all mothers
With your confidence in God,
Who is their lasting strength and comfort.
And bless all those for whom we pray.
Amen
DON BOSCO TODAY DON BOSCO TODAY
8 9
The Yellow Umbrella
by Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva
Rector Major
I offer you a fable that shows the importance of a positive attitude to life. Visiting Belarus, I was
very pleasantly impressed by a group of young people I met in Minsk and by the performance
they gave of a story. I liked it very much and it seemed to me so enlightening that I said to
myself: this is what I want to share with the whole Salesian Family, this is what I would like to do
with each one of its members: give them my yellow umbrella, the one I received from Don Bosco.
A young girl named Natasha lived in a country where all umbrellas were black. Everyone seemed so sad under
their black umbrellas. One day when it was raining more heavily than usual, a rather strange lady suddenly
appeared, braving the storm, with a yellow umbrella, and, stranger still, she was smiling. Smiling at everyone!
Some of the passers-by were shocked and scowled at her, from under their black umbrellas. They muttered:
Look at that woman, disgraceful! Doesn’t she look ridiculous under her yellow umbrella?
Rain is a serious business and an umbrella can only be black!
Others were furious and said to one another:
What on earth has come over her, going out in the rain with a yellow umbrella? What a show off!
She’s so full of herself, trying to get herself noticed! Perhaps she thinks it’s funny.
In fact there was nothing funny in that country, where it always rained and all umbrellas were black.
Natasha couldn’t really understand their criticism. A thought kept going round in her head:
When it is raining, an umbrella is an umbrella. Yellow or black, what does it matter if it keeps off the rain?
What’s more, she noticed that the lady seemed to be perfectly at ease, quietly content under her yellow umbrella.
Natasha wanted to know more.
One day coming out of school, Natasha realised that she had left her own black umbrella at home. She shrugged
and began walking, getting very wet.
Just then the lady, with her yellow umbrella, passed by.
Come under my umbrella, you’re getting very wet.
Natasha hesitated. If she accepted, her friends would make fun of her. Then she had another thought:
When it’s raining an umbrella is an umbrella. Whether it’s yellow or black what does it matter?
It’s always better to have an umbrella than to get soaking wet in the rain!
She accepted and nervously walked under the yellow umbrella, beside the kind lady. She then understood why the
lady was so happy: under her yellow umbrella there was no bad weather! There was a big warm sun and a blue
sky. The birds were singing.
Natasha was astonished, and the lady burst out laughing:
You’re surprised? Just listen to me and I’ll explain everything.
Once upon a time, I too was sad in this country where it is always raining.
I too had a black umbrella. One day, coming out of my office, I forgot it. I didn’t go back to get it, I started
walking home. As I went along, I met a lady who offered to shelter me under her yellow umbrella. I
hesitated. I was afraid to be different, to make myself look ridiculous. But then I accepted because I was
even more afraid of catching a cold.
And I noticed, like you, that under the yellow umbrella the bad weather has disappeared. That lady taught
me that the people under a black umbrella were sad and didn’t want to talk. The patter of the rain and the
blackness of the umbrella made them sad.
Suddenly, I no longer saw her. I was on my own holding her yellow umbrella. Had she forgotten it? I
looked around but I couldn’t find her.
So I’ve kept it and the good weather has never left me.
Natasha exclaimed:
What a story! Don’t you feel embarrassed, keeping someone else’s umbrella?
No, because I know very well that this umbrella belongs to everyone. There’s no doubt that lady had
received it from someone else.
Arriving outside Natasha’s house they said goodbye.
No sooner had the lady disappeared than the girl realised that she was left holding the yellow umbrella. She had
no idea where the lady had gone.
So Natasha kept the yellow umbrella, but she knew that, sooner or later, it would have another owner. It would
have passed into other hands. It would bring happiness to other people.
13
DON BOSCO TODAY
12
DON BOSCO TODAY
Hello boys and girls
My name is Bosco Bear! I live in the middle of a very big wood and that’s why I’m called Bosco. My mummy and
daddy are Italian, and bosco is the Italian word for wood or forest. Lots of
children come to see me. Sometimes they get lost in the woods, but I have
lots of friends here, and they will always find you and bring you to me. Then
we can go out and play, or do some work, or sing some songs and talk to each
other.
Have you seen the plaster on my foot? I’m always hurting my foot because I
walk about BARE-footed! The plaster is there because I stood on a thorn
from a prickly bush in the wood yesterday. Another time, I was playing
football and someone stood on my foot, and I’ve also kicked a rock
when out in the dark. I really should be more careful! You make sure
to wear your shoes when you go playing out!
Next time, I’ll tell you about my first big adventure. I bet you can
BARELY wait!
WORDSEARCH
How many of the words on the right can you find in the wordsearch below?
All the words come from the book Rosie Goes to Church, so three lucky
boys and girls will win prizes about Rosie – first prize, the book and the DVD
Rosie Goes to Church; second prize, the DVD, third prize the book.
Please send your answers to Bosco Bear at Don Bosco Publications, Thornleigh House, Sharples Park, Bolton,
Lancashire, BL1 6PQ. All correct answers received by March 30th will be entered in a draw, and Bosco Bear will
pick the lucky winners.
P M A L Y R A U T C N A S E F R S M W L
W R L D T G B F S Y O L D U K F H L D A
S E T R F J L E P A H C Y D A L D A C S
S V A W R G U V S R M O F Y S A X S N T
O R R D V T J H F I W E T C R S D P F S
R E Q L N S C T O D K N E L U S R H J U
C W R T H U R I B L E F O R G I N J D P
E D E D P C U X I M Y K G N L M O Z J P
H S C E Y F H P A A S W E D D I N G C E
T B O J Y B K R Y S X N A O H P W S G R
F G N A E D C H J S I D L T O V D T F L
O S C H U A I U D J L X Y A E L D N Y C
S R I B S V N F O Z J Q U B Y R V E D O
N A L C R U C I F I X D Y E O M G M W M
O A I A F V E B Y F L Q U R O N T T D S
I S A N C J N U P X G K Y N V S Y S T I
T S T D Z Y S X Q U E V W A F Y U E G T
A B I L N T E D Y T S I R C A S B V V P
T R O E S I B T O I P N M L Y R I D V A
S T N S X U I O S P V K L E G Y O I X B
MASS
ALTAR
ORGAN
PSALM
MISSAL
BAPTISM
CANDLES
INCENSE
WEDDING
CRUCIFIX
SACRISTY
THURIBLE
HOLY WATER
SACRAMENT
VESTMENTS
LADY CHAPEL
LAST SUPPER
TABERNACLE
SANCTUARY LAMP
RECONCILIATION
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Be Guided by God’s Love
for Life
The fruits of the gospel are joy, wonder, praise and
gratitude to God for his gift of life.
To celebrate life means to cultivate a contemplative way of looking at things:
• at nature, the world, creation, life - towards which we often have utilitarian or consumer attitudes
• at people - with whom often we maintain superficial or functional relationships
• at society - which we often consider from the point of view of our own interests
An attitude of contemplation
We need to overcome our selfish attitudes and discover a contemplative attitude, which means learning to see
and admire the beauty and the grandeuer of the world, of people and of society. We need to learn to welcome
and respect life in all its forms. It is necessary to know how to appreciate silence, to learn how to listen with
patience and wonder. We need to learn how to make room in our lives for other people, learn how to build a new
relationship of intimacy and trust with them.
Praise and prayer
Celebrating life is to praise, love and pray to the God of life, who formed us in our mother’s womb. It means
blessing him and thanking him: I thank you for the wonder of my being; for the wonders of all your creation.
Our life is one of the greatest wonders of creation.
Caring for creation with love
God not only loves human life, he loves all life, because all creation is the work of his love. As well as the value
and the dignity of human life, Sacred Scripture from its opening pages also expresses in explicit terms a
recognition of the goodness of nature: God saw everything that he had made and behold it was very good.
Animals, plants, the skies, the sun, the sea, everything is good, everything has a value in itself.
This recognition is genuine only when we recognise the dignity of the earth, show respect for nature, welcome and
accept the richness inherent in creatures. It is only this genuine recognition that leads to the affirmation of their
worth and their rights. Consequently it opposes the plundering of the earth, and leads to a respectful
development of the environment and to a harmonious living with nature.
Industrialised society has encouraged production and efficiency, but often it has dehumanised us, changing us
into mere consumers. The culture of life leads to a genuine ecological attitude: love for human beings, for animals
and for plants, love for the whole of creation, a commitment to defend and to foster all signs of life, opposing the
mechanics of destruction and death. In the face of the threat of uncontrolled exploitation, of the destruction of
nature, of unsustainable development, it is well to remember the words of the Great Chief Seattle: What wounds
the Earth, wounds the sons and daughters of the Earth.
Care and love for creation, a commitment to and concern for ecology, need to be promoted in the context of
everyday life, educating ourselves and educating the young to respect nature and to care for
it, using the good things it offers (water, plants, animals) with moderation and always bearing
in mind the good of everyone, encouraging a positive commitment to the protection and
sustainable development of the earth and of natural resources. Nowadays, forming and
developing an ecological mentality is an important aspect of an all-round education.
Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva
Rector Major
14 15
DON BOSCO TODAY DON BOSCO TODAY
Never too late
Many people dream of travelling the world when they retire. A
cruise to Australia; Route 66 across America; a Grand Tour of
Italy…… Fulfilling as these trips can be, the regular tripper
hardly experiences the real life of a country. Sydney isn’t the
outback, New York and Seattle may as well be a million miles
from red-state America, Rome is beautiful and historic – and
full of tourists and MacDonalds.
Husband and wife, Angela and Leo Duffy made a different choice when they retired. Sure enough, they wanted to
travel, but not as tourists. They decided to go to everyday places and meet ordinary people. Leo had retired after
many years running a successful home improvement business, and since Angela has always been a supply
teacher, she is far more flexible .
Angela was the pioneer. She wanted to do
something that would make a difference,
something that would improve the lot of people with
fewer opportunities than herself (and us). In 1999,
she contacted the Salesian sisters in Liverpool to
see if they needed a volunteer to help with their
work, and, of course, they did. Angela was asked
to go to Ethiopia to use her teaching skills for four
months in one of the poorest and most war-torn
regions of the country.
Once Angela had been involved in working with
people in desperate need, she simply had to do it
again, and so, in 2000, she was asked to go to
Cambodia, where she was stationed close to the
Don Bosco Technical School in Phnom Penh. The
school teaches boys technical skills, but Angela
was assigned to the girls of the locality. They were
being taught the kind of skills that would enable
them to get decent jobs in the large towns, for
example working for Non-Governmental
Organisations as secretaries or in hotel
management. The difference these skills make to
the lives of the young women is immense.
Shortly after Angela arrived in Cambodia, the
Japanese government donated 25 computers for
the girls’ use. The computers needed assembling, there was no-one locally who could do that, and so began
Leo’s new career! Leo had extensive computer skills, so Angela emailed him to come over to Cambodia and
assemble and install the computers. Leo agreed willingly – after all, 25 computers wouldn’t take long. Inevitably,
there was more to the task than initially seemed the case. The old computers had to be installed in another
school where more basic skills were taught, and, more than anything, the girls needed to be taught how to use
the new computers. Leo had never taught a class in his life, but now he found himself teaching 140 girls arranged
in 4 classes of 35 to create and use databases. This greatly enhanced their abilities and their employment
prospects.
Now that both Angela and Leo were committed to spending at least part of each year in developing countries,
they could do so together. The following year, they went to East Timor, once again to work with the Salesian
sisters. They lived in the forest with no electricity and no running water. They should have had both, but the
electricity generators had failed and there was nobody who could repair them. With the money that they had
raised in the UK, Leo and Angela bought a small generator. Its use was precious and rationed throughout the
day. In the early morning, electricity was used to feed everyone and get the water pump working. For two hours
each afternoon, the generator powered the machines in the technical school and the computers. In the evening, a
meal was cooked and people went safely to bed.
Leo’s main task in East Timor was to repair the computers and then teach people to use them. He learnt that the
biggest problem with using them was that the new President had issued an order that all communication should
be in Portuguese, his mother tongue. Unfortunately, few locals spoke Portuguese, so Leo’s first task was to
restore English as the operating language.
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It was in East Timor that Leo and Angela first worked with Salesian priests and brothers. These Salesians were
actively promoting a better diet for the people. They had supplied each village with a cow and some hens for daily
supplies of milk and eggs. Unfortunately, the poverty of the villagers was so acute that most had decided to kill
the cows for meat. So the Salesians delivered milk each day from their own herds. However, they were persuaded
not to kill the hens until they were no longer productive.
Angela and Leo’s connection with the Salesians was maintained the following year when, through Fr Bob Gardner,
they went to the Philippines. They lived in a Boys’ Home. The young boys all came from problematic
backgrounds. They had experienced abuse, drug addiction, prison and more. Many were orphans. They went to
local primary and secondary schools before attending the technical school run by the Salesians.
Despite many problems, the boys were able to live happy, fulfilled lives, all thanks to the care of the Salesians.
There was a large plaque bearing the motto Run, jump, shout, play, but DON’T SIN, and the boys did their best to
live up to this instruction. Leo and Angela helped them with their homework when they came home from school
and generally helped make the Home run smoothly. They were also involved in finding foster homes for the boys
within the local parishes.
The boys were keen footballers, top of the local barefoot league. They were not allowed to enter formal
competitions, however, because they didn’t have boots. Leo and Angela bought boots from their funds and in the
national summer football camp, the boys were able to compete and finished as runners up (better luck this year,
lads!).
As you read this article, Leo and Angela are away yet again. At the beginning of February, they left for four months
in Ghana, where they are working in a Salesian Technical College for 260 pupils, boys and girls, aged between 14
and 22.
Speaking with Angela and Leo, it is obvious that they derive great joy from the work they have undertaken. On
being asked what their lasting impression is, they said simply that they are struck by how wonderful the Sisters,
Priests and Brothers are and the national respect that they have gained for the Catholic Church through their work
with people who would
otherwise be outcasts.
They realise that not everyone
is in a position to do what
they did, but they
recommend the experience
to anyone who feels able. Of
course, food, generators and
even football boots bring
immense improvements in
the quality of life, but they do
cost money!
Michael Kilcoyne
The spirit of Bethlehem
The dynamic spirit of Bethlehem is infectious. We cannot give up, however bad things are -
we live in the place where the Peace, Hope and Light of the World was born. Last year it
caught visiting pilgrim Della Shenton; No-one could just walk away, she says. She decided
that if pilgrims are not coming to Bethlehem to enjoy the wines of Cremisan, we need to take
the wines to them.
The Salesian Congregation, as it was then called (see the crest on the label), set up their wine cellars at Cremisan
on the hills outside Bethlehem in 1885. Since then, they have produced a range of excellent wines, as every
pilgrim to the Holy Land will know. These wines are not only to be enjoyed in their own right, the vineyards and
cellars also provide the livelihoods for over 100 local families. Revenue from sales supports the crucially important
Salesian schools and workshops.
Since the Intifada of 2000 however, Cremisan has suffered with the rest of Bethlehem: pilgrim numbers have
dropped to a tenth of what they were and the pilgrim houses, hotels and restaurants, which until a few years ago
were supplied with Cremisan wines, are now empty much of the time.
Della has set up a Not for Profit company to import and sell the wines in the UK. They are expected to be ready
for Easter this year, and can be supplied by the case and half case anywhere in the country. For orders and
further information contact Della Shenton on (M) 0780 895 7604 or email enquiries@5thgospelretreats.co.uk
In need of a prayer?
Post your request for prayers
The community of retired Salesians who live in Saint Joseph’s in Bolton
follow a regular pattern of prayer together. Under the altar in their
community chapel is a box into which are placed all the requests for prayers
which we receive in Don Bosco Publications. Every day the Salesians
remember these intentions in their prayers. These Priests and Brothers have
spent their lives teaching, or working in parishes or on the missions, they are
now active in prayer.
Email your request for prayers
The Salesian Youth Ministry Team have a group of people who will pray for
your intentions. E-mail your request to
prayerrequests_salesianyouthministry@fsmail.net –and they will pray twice a
day for that intention
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Fr Harry Butters SDB
1919 - 2006
Harry was born in Birkenhead, the eldest of seven children. He was very appreciative of the
sacrifices his family had made for him to become a priest. In 1932, Harry entered the Salesian
Missionary College, at Shrigley. He was professed, as a Salesian of Don Bosco, in 1938.
Since Harry volunteered to be a Salesian missionary, he was immediately sent to India. The
journey by boat, to Bombay, lasted 12 days He then travelled on to Calcutta and then to
Sonada, to begin his studies in philosophy. He completed his theology studies at Mawlai and
was ordained in Shillong Cathedral, in 1946.
After ordination, Harry was sent to a parish at Cherrapungtee in the Khasi Hills. During the five years of his stay
there, he was to come to love the people deeply; learning their customs and their language. In 1951 to 1952 he
was Bursar in Gaijato and in 1953, a teacher in the college in Sonada. In 1953, Harry returned to England, his first
visit home since leaving in 1938. He was also in need of some medical treatment. Harry maintained that his
mother managed to persuade the Provincial that he should remain in England. Although Harry was very keen to
return to India, he was persuaded to stay in England.
From 1955 to 1962 he was manager of the Salesian Press in London. It was not until 1989 that Harry was to
make a return visit to India, seeing once again the people he had loved. Harry’s office skills and his ability to relate
well to all kinds of people, made him a natural choice for the two major ministries he carried out in the Province:
Bursar in Shrigley and Cowley, and parish work in Battersea, Chertsey, Cowley and Bollington. In 1983, Harry was
appointed Chaplain to RAF Abingdon, a role he fulfilled for four years. By nature, Harry was deeply concerned
about the well-being of people. He embodied the essence of what it means to be Salesian: open and friendly,
welcoming people with unfailing kindness. He was an exceptionally wonderful confessor; an attentive listener; full
of sound spiritual and deeply human advice, accompanied with much humour.
In 1997, Harry suffered the first of a number of life-
threatening strokes. His great friend, Eileen Healy,
generously cared for him for four years in her own home.
Harry was to learn the importance of simply being a
priest. His mission now was to let himself be a sign of
God’s love and compassion for all those who experience
the frailty of illness.
Harry’s last five years were spent at Greengates Nursing
Home, Oxford. He appreciated deeply the kindness of
the nursing staff.
Harry was truly blessed, because he came to a point of
real spiritual abandonment to God. His whole being was
firmly given to God and when the end came, Harry
passed peacefully to the Lord on Sunday 22nd October
2006.
Fr Kieran Anderson SDB
Fr Edward O’Shea SDB
1922 - 2007
Fr O’Shea, or Eddie as he was affectionately known to many of us, was born in Strabane. He
left Northern Ireland to attend school in Shrigley. He made his final vows, as a Salesian, in
1946, and was ordained a Salesian priest in 1950. He then spent 17 years teaching in
Battersea. He was then appointed as headteacher in Chertsey, and spent 10 years in that post.
Finally, he went to Farnborough in 1977.
Priests like Eddie convey an immediate sense of a friendship and a commitment to their mission. His whole life
was one of service of others. At Battersea, he taught Chemistry to A level. A past-pupil recalls Fr O’Shea was one
of the most popular teachers in the school, joining in the football in the playground and organising trips for us,
both in this country and abroad.
There is a story that when Eddie visited Chertsey, a year after having left as headteacher, he was introduced to a
new pupil, Fr O’Shea used to be headteacher here. The boy went away, but later he bumped into Fr O’Shea and
asked in all sincerity What are you doing now, Father? He replied the he was teaching junior boys Chemistry in
another Salesian school. After a short pause the youngster asked Father, are you working your way up again?
He was always very proud of the fact that he started the Inter-Salesian Athletics Championships in 1959 when at
Chertsey. This particular competition is still going strong today. In his actions, as much as any priest I know, he
fulfilled the Salesian mission of walking with the young.
Eddie was a Trustee of the Sean Devereux Fund from its inception. Maureen, Sean’s mother, recalls how
supportive he was – always there and keeping the members informed of the work of the Salesians all over the
world, not just in Africa. He played an active part and supported every function until his health failed but even in
his frailty he continued to phone Maureen every week.
Eddie was a wonderful man. He didn’t have it in his
nature to be unkind. I never heard him say anything
uncomplimentary about anyone, which is a rare gift. It
was simply not in his nature. He was one of life’s
gentlemen. He was an outstanding teacher, a lovely
man and a real Salesian in every sense of the word.
He was one of a very special group of Salesians at
Farnborough who helped to make you feel welcome
and part of the Salesian family. All of us who have had
the privilege to know him will always remember a kind,
modest, gentle, unassuming, fun person, greatly
admired and loved by all.
He died peacefully on Friday 12th January in Frimley
Park Hospital with Fr Francis Sutherland at his bedside.
May he rest in peace.
William Stanton
Sausage Risotto
Prepare
o 8oz sausage
o 3oz rice
o 1 medium onion
o 4oz mushrooms
o 2oz peas or green beans
o 2oz sweet corn
o 3/4 pint hot water
o chicken stock cube
o salt & pepper
o 1 tablespoon Worcester sauce
Fry the sausage and leave to one side.
Wash the rice and peel and chop the onion and mushrooms.
Add the onion and rice to a pan and fry for 7 minutes.
Keep stirring and add the mushrooms, beans, stock cube, water, sauce and seasoning.
Simmer until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed, [about 12 minutes.]
Slice the sausage and stir into the risotto.
Celebrate
Sharing a meal has always been a sign of unity. Sitting together, sharing a laugh, some food and some
memories somehow completes and celebrates what has happened.
The simplest food can be the focus for the magic of a meal to work. It can bring a moment, even
fleetingly, of reflection and togetherness.
Don Bosco always wanted to celebrate whatever had been done, small treats, surprises and even a bag
of sweets shared, created those opportunities to remind us that we draw on the same energy, the same
food: friendship, shared activity, forgiveness and faith.
Prayer
Lord of the Last Supper. Lord of bread and meals, give me the wisdom to know when to stop and
celebrate.
DON BOSCO TODAY
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