Vol. 3, No. 18 - page 3 of 4
Intouch
June 29, 2009
Fr. Chavez Feastday June 24
It was Fr. Alberto Lorenzelli, Provincial
of the Special Cir-
cumscription of
Central Italy (ICC),
who opened the
proceedings for the
feast of the Rec-
tor Major as with
heartfelt words he
welcomed the rep-
resentatives of the
various groups of
the Salesian Family gathered June 24 in the
theater of the parish of Our Lady of Hope in
Rome, the parish church at the UPS.
In the middle of the Hall was the IX suc-
cessor of Don Bosco, Fr. Pascual Chávez,
surrounded by the members of the General
Council, by the Provincials of Italy and by
those who had just completed their course
of formation. Also among those present
were Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradi-
aga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa and titular
of the church of Our Lady of Hope, Bishop
José Angel Divassón Cilveti, Vicar Apos-
tolic of Puerto Ayacucho, Mother Yvonne
Reungoat, Superior General of the Daugh-
ters of Mary Help of Christians and a large
number of Salesians and young people.
Fr. Adriano Bregolin, Vicar of the Rector
Major, addressed words of special thanks to
Fr. Chávez on behalf of the members of the
General Council, of the Congregation and
of the Salesian Family. Called to take on the
role of successor of Don Bosco, Fr. Chávez
had managed to reflect him in a variety of
ways especially in his “word” strong, pro-
found and efficacious. Fr. Bregolin recalled
how from the beginning of his period in of-
fice, through his Circular Letters, the Rec-
tor Major had been the champion of unity,
the promoter of the Salesian apostolic mis-
sion and of a profound rediscovery and re-
launching of Consecrated Life. Concluding,
in the name of all Salesians and members of
teh Salesian Family, Fr. Bregolin declared:
“Today we are being invited to congratulate
the Don Bosco who is in heaven and the
‘Don Bosco’ who is among us.”
“I want to speak to you as Mother Mazza-
rello used to speak to Don Bosco,” Mother
Reungoat said imaginatively as she intro-
duced her short expression of thanks for the
support and the teaching which Fr. Chávez
offers the Institute of the FMA, as he did in
a particular way at the Sisters last General
Chapter. “We thank you Father,” the Supe-
rior of the FMA said, “for reminding us that
we have to lead the young to Christ, and at the
same time that it is they who help us on our own
journey towards the Lord.”
The young were represented by Michele Zec-
chin, National Coordinator of the Salesian Youth
Movement in Italy.
The next to speak was Cardinal Oscar An-
drés Rodríguez Maradiaga who, on behalf of the
Salesian Cardinals and Bishops gave thanks for Fr.
Chávez’s constant commitment to his animation
of the Salesian Congregation.
The gratutude and thanks became “Eucharist,”
at which the Rector Major presided, for the So-
lemnity of the Birth of St John the Baptist; and a
large number fervently participated. The spiritual
presence of Don Bosco was re-enforced by the
presence of the urn containing a special relic of
Don Bosco, which in these days has been in the
parish of Our Lady of Hope.
The first thought expressed by Fr. Chávez in
his homily was that of gratitude to God for having
given Don Bosco to the world and to the Church.
Then turning to the urn as though speaking to
the Father and teacher of youth the Rector Major
thanked Don Bosco for all that he had done for
poor and needy boys. A Father who knew how to
listen and to recognise the needs of the young and
to act with regard to their rights which in those
days were not respected by society nor often even
by ministers of the church.
“The inheritance entrusted to the whole Sale-
sian Family,” Fr. Chávez recalled, “is that of re-
sponding to youngsters of today as Don Bosco
did to the spoken and unspoken needs of his boys;
to defend the young people of today in their fun-
damental rights, which are often confused within
pseudo passing values. The real task for the “Sale-
sian” consecrated lay person is that, above all, of
presenting Christ to them so that they meet him
personally; Salesian activity cannot be limited to
social work, but needs to be, by its very nature,
evangelising.
Don Bosco’s Three Drivers
(ANS – Rome) – June 25, on the occasion
of the presence of the urn containing a spe-
cial relic of Don Bosco at the Generalate a
remarkable meeting took place, that of the
three “drivers” of the saint of youth.
Br. Renato Celato SDB, Mr. Sal-
vatore Taddei and Mr. Aldisi
Giuseppe, in different times and cir-
cumstances have had the occasion to
drive the transport on which the urn
travelled.
Br. Renato Celato in fact on two
occasions: the first on May 13, 1945,
when the casket of Don Bosco and
that of Mother Mazzarello were re-
turned to Turin from Colle Don Bos-
co to where they had been removed
for fear that the bombing of the city
during the Second Word War might
damage them; and on April 19, 1959
when Don Bosco’s casket was taken
to Rome on the occasion of the con-
secration of the basilica at Cinecittà.
Mr. Taddei, on the other hand,
has been the driver of the truck which
from April 25 until yesterday has
taken the urn to the various Salesian
houses in Lazio. “For me it has been
an honor to have been Don Bosco’s
driver, we’ve almost become friends.
Now I’m rather sorry to leave him!”
Finally, Mr. Aldisi, is the driver
who in the next few days will trav-
el with the urn on the way to Chile
where, on July 2 the pilgrimage of the
relic will start and continue until Feb-
ruary 2014.
The meeting between the three
drivers was a friendly straight for-
ward affair. Mr. Taddei and Mr. Al-
disi showed Br. Celato the technical
“secrets” of the new truck fitted out
specifically to carry the urn.
In the evening the Rector Major
had presided at Mass attended by
many representatives of local reli-
gious communities. Later, at the end
of a prayer vigil, the urn left for Mi-
lan where following customs proce-
dures it will be put on a plane on the
way to Chile.
On the site of Missioni Don Bosco
– www.missionidonbosco.tv – videos
are available of the various stages of
the urn’s journey during the last two
months, and shortly one of its visit to
the Generalate will appear there too.
