a_SalesianVolunteersInteractive


a_SalesianVolunteersInteractive

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SVCF
Issue #2
Salesian Volunteers Crossing Frontiers
Salesians of
Don Bosco

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Table of Contents
1 Telling the Story of Jesus
in North America
2 My Life...With Y-Life
4 The Road I Took
6 Gospel Roads -
Telling the Story of Jesus
8 Living to Serve
10 Learning and Teaching about Jesus
12 Walking the Gospel Road -
the Salesian Way
Credits
Graphic Design
Giovanni Fernandez
Juan Carlos Montenegro
Copy Editor
Judy Wilber Alvarez
Telling the Story of
Jesus in North America
Every year the Salesian Congregation pres-
ents a theme that explores the missionary dimen-
sion of our charism. This missionary dimension
was clearly present when St. John Bosco first sent
his missionaries to Argentina in 1875. This same
dimension calls us to share the good news of God's
love with the young people in our province.
This year’s theme is “Telling the Story of
Jesus” to the young, with a particular focus on the
continent of Asia. While the congregation wants
us to know more about the mission animation of
Asia, this magazine takes up the theme in order to
motivate our young people to keep telling the story
of Jesus among their peers. With this intention in mind, the magazine
presents different ways in which our young people are telling the story
of Jesus in North America. It also includes two elements of the spiri-
tual and pastoral program that our Rector Major, Fr. Pascual Chavez,
shared in his introductory letter for this year’s Salesian Mission Day:
1) To evangelize the hearts of young people
2) To return to Don Bosco, a communicator of God’s
experience.
I hope you enjoy this magazine. Please use it to promote the
missionary culture in our province. It is a resource that can be used in
classrooms, youth groups and for any spiritual retreat.
In Don Bosco,
Juan Carlos Montenegro
Province Delegate for Mission Animation
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My Life...
...with Y-life
By Brian Alvarez
When Jesus first
started teaching,
most people did not
embrace him with open
arms. They ridiculed
him and convinced
themselves that he was
the problem that needed
to be removed. Yet
even in the end, Jesus
asked God to forgive
them for they did not
know what they were doing.
From an outside perspective, it
is difficult to understand the Y-
Life retreat, if you are only able
to read about it. In reality, the
true Y-Life experience comes
from within. If you come into
the retreat with an open mind,
you will be able to see the story
of Jesus, but that is only pos-
sible if you allow for
it by helping yourself
first. “First take the log
out of your own eye,
and then you will see
clearly to take the speck
out of your brother’s
eye.” (Matt. 7:5)
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During the Y-Life retreat, youth
are no longer told what they
should be doing, but are shown
how the person and teachings of
Jesus are always present
in their daily
lives. It is
there
us: take what you have learned
and continue to live by it.
Through the Y-Life experience,
we share the story of Jesus,
show how it can be
applied to
every-
day
that
each
individual is
able to take the “log out
of their own eye,” and able to
not only witness God’s love in
the present, but also continue
what Jesus intended us to do.
life
and
accept
the challenge
by making a difference in the
world.
The Y-Life retreat causes no
transformation; rather, it is an
awakening to Jesus who helps
people to see. Jesus did not
come to change people’s minds,
but to show us the Way, which
he did by living out what he
preached. In the Y-Life retreat,
everybody participates in the ex-
perience and are challenged by
the same challenge Jesus gave to
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The Road I took..
By Caterina Florio
missionary from Canada
Gospel Roads
has encour-
aged me to whole-
heartedly accept
what God wishes
for me to achieve
in life and has
taught me to evan-
gelize! My two
missionary experi-
ences in Tijuana,
Mexico, have also
helped me to dis-
cover the meaning
of community and the love that
Salesians have for their brothers
and sisters.
orphan named Sara. Saying
goodbye was the hardest part.
She cried as I hugged her, thank-
ing me for all I did but asking
On the first day of 2012, I had me not to leave. I told her about
the privilege of being in Tijuana Don Bosco and how he was the
in an orphanage filled with 250 friend of the young and the poor.
children. We had been visit-
I told her that if she would con-
ing these children regularly
tinue praying to the Lord and
throughout the week and this asking Mother Mary to be her
was the last time we would see Mother and guide, she would
the children during our Gospel always be protected. I assured
Roads journey. I became very her that I would always pray for
good friends with a 16 year old her and everything would work
out. As we said our final good-
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born in Canada
or Mexico, we all
have one sole pur-
pose. That purpose
is to find Jesus in
others and most
importantly to BE
JESUS for others.
As Jobin Sam
said: “I want
byes, Sara said to me, “Canada
is crazy, but I love you Cat!”
I still share this story with peo-
ple who ask me about my Gos-
my life to bear
witness to the beauty of the
broken.”Jesus shows us that the
broken are really beautiful.
pel Roads experience and there
is one reason I am sharing it
with you. Our faith is important,
not only believing in it, but also
sharing it with others can make
a very big difference.
We might not see
it, but the tiny little
footprints God gave
us were made to mark
the hearts of every
brother and sister we
meet. Gospel Roads
helped me understand
that every person on
this planet is a child
of God. Whether
we are rich or poor,
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~Gospel Roads~
Telling the Story of Jesus
By Claudia Bergantino
Many of us ask ourselves who men named Lazerus and Ricardo at
Jesus may be, where he is the Domingo Savio Oratory. They
and if he really guides every step carried on as true examples of Jesus,
we take? My Gospel Roads mission with their experienced leadership,
trip to Tijuana, Mexico, allowed good judgment towards others and
me to see Jesus in many different patience and compassion towards
ways. I was able to see him through all. Even when language may have
prayer, work and most of all through been a barrier in understanding what
people in the community. Gospel needed to be done, Ricardo and
Roads also helped me to evangelize Lazerus had patience just like Don
through the gifts of the Holy Spirit Bosco to guide and help the youth
and allowed me to accept the Lord’s and the needy. They carried the
calling.
gift of Counsel, speaking the truth
I had the privilege to encounter and allowing us youth to respond
two Wise and Knowledgeable in a loving way while carefully
explaining, demonstrating and
allowing us to gain experience of
living in a community and serving
the young and poor.
Salesian Volunteers
Domingo Savio Oratory was filled
with children, life and joy. At this
Oratory I had the chance to meet a
young boy named Javier. He was
a free spirited boy, who wanted to
learn and be taught. He carried the
gift of Courage and lived without
fear. He was always happy to help
us with our tasks of the day. He was
a gift of Jesus. At my lowest point
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of strength, I asked for a sign of why I was here… and this little boy,
Javier, came and we began to play and work together. While shovelling
the dirt and the rocks, we would pile them onto one another and share a
little laughter. His smile said it all - bright vision of Don Bosco. Gospel
Roads helped me Understand the true meaning of living in community
and the difference between wanting and the necessity for survival. This
led to new insights:
Be brave and try to detach your
heart from worldly things. Do
your utmost to banish darkness
from your mind and come to
understand what true, selfless
piety is. Through confession,
endeavor to purify your heart of
anything which may still taint
it. Enliven your faith, which
is essential to understand and
achieve piety.
-Don Bosco
Finally, Gospel Roads taught me to Fear the Lord, by letting my light
shine (Matt. 5:16). As Jesus shined upon us all and gave us all a mission,
let us evangelize and answer his call.
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LIVING...to SERVE
By Eddie Gutierrez
Service day was a great experience for me in my
spiritual life. It felt great to go out and serve
the community where people are less fortunate than
me. This good feeling grew when one man came
out of his house to talk to us, specifically me. This
man asked me where our group came from and why
we were serving. I said "From Bellflower and just
to help clean up the streets." The next thing he said
is something I took to heart: “It’s great to know
there are organizations out there that care about the
community; especially organizations that involve
the youth. Thank you for cleaning the streets and
God bless.” After he said this, I felt really good
about what I was doing, helping others that didn’t
ask for help.
I feel now like I’m living a life that God would
want me to have. This includes doing confirmation
classes, doing youth ministry, going to Mass every
Sunday and especially praying every day. When I
do activities such as retreats and stuff like cleaning
up the streets, I feel like I am actually accomplish-
ing something, not just like scoring a winning point
in basketball or beating a level in my favorite video
game. Thanks to Service Day, I will now always
remember to help the less fortunate and my parents
whenever they need help, because I want to live a
more meaningful life with God.
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Teaching and Learning
About Jesus
Hello! My name is Melissa
Camarena and I teach First
Communion classes at Saint
Dominic Savio parish. This is
my first year teaching, but I have
been helping for about six years.
I use to come when my mother
was a teacher. I would help her
out and listen to her lessons
about the miracles of Jesus, the
Ten Commandments, the seven
Sacraments, how the world was
created and such. I started to
realize I really enjoyed going.
Not only did I start to grow in my
faith in God but I also started to
connect with the kids. Each week I
went, I would talk to the kids more
and more and they would ask me
questions about God and Christ,
things like, “How do I know God is
really there?” or “How could Mary
trust that everything would be
ok?” I really like to stress “faith”
and how important it is. I tell them
they are never going to directly see
Jesus stand in front of them with a
sign that reads, “I am Jesus, here
to serve and be with you as your
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best friend.” You have to believe
and focus on the small things that
we have and take advantage of
realities as simple as the Mom and
Dad who love you and the food
you have on the table to eat. That is
Jesus being with you.
My class this year is the oldest
group of kids with whom I have
worked. They are six graders.
I’ve learn that
it is more of a
challenge to teach
our beliefs as
Catholics to older
children. Plus
most of them
are only there
because their
parents force
them to be there.
The best way I
have experienced to
get the kids to learn
is to make lessons
into a game or an
activity that really
makes them think
about their faith
and our beliefs.
Although this is
the toughest year
I have worked, I
am really enjoying
it. The kids are
full of life and I see Christ in
them, because they give me the
opportunity to teach. I’m sure a
lot of them would rather be home
playing video games or sleeping
in, but they are still open and
absorb the lessons of each week.
Each year every batch of kids is
different, but they are all beautiful
and, without fail, I see God in each
one of their unique personalities.
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Walking the Gospel
Road, the Salesian Way
By Tricia Lothschutz
For the last three years, on December
26th, in the afterglow of the Christmas
celebration, I have traveled down to
New Orleans, joining fellow young
adults in walking the Gospel Road and
doing service in the Spirit of Don Bosco.
Why do we give a week of our holiday,
of our vacation time, to painting, scrap-
ing, cleaning, and praying? Because it is
so much more than simply those actions.
It is a week of encountering Christ in
ourselves, each other, and those we serve; it is a chance to be
God’s Love; it is experiencing what it truly means to be a part
of the Salesian family!
This year was no different. December 26th-Jan 2nd, twenty-sev-
en young adults gathered for Gospel Roads New Orleans to
continue Hurricane Ka-
trina rebuilding efforts,
help the local Salesian
community, and to grow
in faith and friendship.
We grew together, served
together, and loved to-
gether, the Salesian
Way…
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1. I will be cheerful
We were quite the
cheerful bunch! The
week was filled with
much laughter, dancing,
and many spontane-
ous sing-a-longs. We
worked with cheerful
hearts too—never a
complaint was heard,
always spreading cheer
to those we worked with
and those we served.
There were lots of smiles
shared throughout New
Orleans!
2. I will do my duties
well
We did everything from
scraping and painting
porch railings and class-
rooms, painting lines on
a parking lot, and demol-
ishing a swimming pool,
to sorting and folding
baby clothes
for
a pregnancy center, and
working in a cemetery.
No task was too big or
too small. We were hard-
working, determined,
passionate people of ser-
vice!
3. I will stay close to
Jesus in the Eucharist
Daily Mass throughout
the week and a time of
Eucharistic Adoration
to bring in the New Year
helped us to keep our fo-
cus on Christ and helped
us to see Him in those we
served.
4. I will honor and love
Mary as my Mother
and Helper
We began every day and
ended every day honoring
our Mother, Mary, asking
for her intercession. One
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evening we prayed the
Rosary by candle-light.
It was a beautiful reflec-
tion of the important
role Mary plays in our
lives: helping us to keep
our lives pointed to-
ward Christ and keeping
Christ’s Light alive in our
hearts.
5. I choose to be kind
Kindness is a quality this
group definitely pos-
sessed. Every night dur-
ing reflection we gave
each other “push-ups.”
These are compliments
and praise for outstand-
ing acts or even little
acts of kindness we wit-
nessed throughout the
day: a helping hand, a
listening ear, a smile, a
teaching moment, a task
well-done, a fear over-
come, a hug given. These
“push-ups” could’ve gone
on for hours because of
all the kindness shown
during this week to each
other and to all others
we encountered.
6. I want to serve rather
than be served.
After humbly washing
the disciples’ feet, Jesus
says to them: “Now that
I, your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet,
you also should wash
one another’s feet. I have
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and to give his life as a
ransom for many” (Mk
10:43). This was our goal
going down to New Or-
leans - to serve; to follow
in the footsteps of Christ
by humbly giving our-
selves for others.
set you an example that
you should do as I have
done for you” (Jn. 13:14).
Jesus also advises us that
“Whoever wants to be-
come great among you
must be your servant,
and whoever wants to
be first must be slave
of all. For even the Son
of Man did not come to
be served, but to serve,
Don Bosco found great joy in
living his life for others, espe-
cially the young and the poor.
He found great strength in his
relationship with the Blessed
Mother and in the Eucharist.
His loving-kindness trans-
formed lives. May we follow his
example and continue to walk
the Gospel Road, the Salesian
way!
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We are young Christians,
called together by God
to seek and share Don Bosco's
vision and to collaborate as
Volunteers within the SUO
Province in its mission for young
people, especially the poor and
those at risk.
Salesian Volunteers is a program that
provides an opportunity to any young
adult who would like to volunteer and
experience what it is like to work with
young people, while living and being
part of a religious community.
The Salesian Volunteer Program belongs
to the Salesians of Don Bosco who are
present in over 130 countries, working
for young people, especially the poor and
those at risk
If you are interested in becoming a
Salesian Volunteer please contact:
Juan Carlos Montenegro
Email:
jc@salesianvolunteers.org
Phone:
1 562.920.7796
Website:
http://www.salesianvolunteers.org

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http://www.salesiandv.org/
http://www.salesianvolunteers.org/