July 5 2012b


July 5 2012b

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July 5
2012
USA West Province Newsletter • Building Bridges Between Communities
summer camp, although it was more
like summer school. He said to those
boys “I have something very impor-
tant to tell you. I want you to help
me in a matter that I have very much
at heart—your eternal salvation. This
is not only the main reason—it is the
only reason why I am here.”
A Blessed and Happy Camp Sea-
son to all!
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Timothy C. Ploch, SDB
Provincial
July 5, 2012
Dear Brother and Sister Salesians:
Every year by the 4th of July most
of our summer camps have begun.
Practically every one of our parishes
this year has summer day camps, the
newest one being St. Luke’s in Stock-
ton. The three clubs have growing day
camp programs, with some of them
also continuing regular club program-
ming in the evening.
And then there’s Camp St. Francis,
the only overnight Salesian summer
camp in the country! They too be-
gan this week. The staff is about forty,
including SDB, novices, young adults
of the Salesian Youth Movement, and
former campers returning as assistant
counselors or counselors in training.
The campers this first week number
over 50. Coming weeks will climb to
100!
Why do we do this? Why invest
so much, especially personnel, in sum-
mer camp? Recently I was reading in
the Biographical Memoirs (volume 7,
chapter 50) about the summer of 1863
when Don Bosco had kids return-
ing to the Oratory for something like
Our summer camps must also
bring across the same message to our
kids. Our game rooms, gyms, arts and
crafts, swimming pools, field trips, tal-
ent shows, prayers and Good Morn-
ings, beach, and even the bug juice
are all meant to give the kids lots of
summer fun in an experience that is,
like it was at Don Bosco’s Oratory, a
home, a school, a church, and a play-
ground. And through that oratory
experience, accompanied by caring
adults who treat them with loving
kindness, as we are urged in the 2013
strenna, they will come to know what
Don Bosco wanted his boys to know:
not only happiness here and now, but
everlasting happiness in heaven.
We SDB just finished our first re-
treat. Fr. Eunan McDonald from Ireland
led us into a fascinating exploration of
the spirituality of St. Francis DeSales.
One of the things that really stuck
with me was Francis’ saying that God
who is good created us good. Can
we see that goodness in our camp-
ers? Our colleagues? When we find
that goodness in them, it will call forth
from us that loving kindness that is at
the root of Salesian spirituality, heart
speaking to heart. This is the way we
Salesians accompany the young, and
one another, even in summer camp.
InTouch 1 7.5.12
PROVINCIAL’S CALENDAR
QE JULY 2012
5 Members Meeting, St.
Francis CCC High School
6-8 Office Days
9-11 Provincial Council Meet-
ing, Salesian High School,
Richmond
12 Board Meeting, Los Ange-
les Salesian Boys & Girls
Club
13-17 Office Days
18 Members Meeting,
Salesian High School,
Richmond Board Meet-
FV ing, West Contra Costa
Salesian Boys & Girls Club
19 Office Day

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Annual Retreat
Tom Jua re z, S DB
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Salesian Educators
Seminar in Review
By Marie Marheineke
tools to continue to build on what we
have in place.
Overall, SES was a fabulous experi-
ence. Fr. Nick and Sr. Mary were in-
credibly dynamic, striking a balance
between comedic performances, in-
formative presentations and meaning-
ful reflections as only true Salesians
could. The group who attended SES
has found new friends and colleagues
Ihad an amazing Salesian experience
at the Salesian Educators Seminar
during the week of June 18-22 in
Berkeley. I attended SES with three of
my co-workers, Denise Colosi (Math
Department Chair), Carolyn Cmaylo
(English Department Chair), and Steph-
any Marks (Spanish Teacher).
During our time at SES we quickly re-
alized how Salesian St. Francis is, and
also how we can grow in our Salesian
identity and spirituality. The message
delivered by Fr. Nick Reina and Sr. Mary
Greenan really hit home for me and I
felt that was common among all of
us who attended SES. While we had
amazing conferences on such topics
as Images of God, Punishment in the
Salesian Preventive System, and an in-
credible opportunity to sit with Fr. Ar-
thur Lenti in an “armchair discussion,”
the work wasn’t confined to the con-
ference room atop the Le Conte Street
house. The discussions carried over
to our walks around the picturesque
Berkeley neighborhoods and Cal cam-
pus, our dinner at Caesar’s in San Fran-
cisco, and even in line for our meals in
the dining room.
We also had a chance to see Salesian-
ity in action with our visits to Salesian
works in the area. We were hosted for
a historic tour of Sts. Peter and Paul, by
Fr. John Itzaina, complete with a visit to
the roof, overlooking the San Francisco
Marina and North Beach neighbor-
hoods! We were then treated to dinner
at nearby Caesar’s, a legendary North
Beach fixture. We also traveled to Sale-
sian High School in Richmond, getting
a peak at Don
Bosco’s vision in
action. It was
powerful to see
the students on
campus for sum-
mer activities,
including work
at the Salesian
Boys and Girls
club, right there
on campus. Bro.
Ricky and Judy
Reed gave us a
tour of the fa-
cility, and seeing
the boys and
girls bouncing
joyfully around
would have sure-
ly made Don
Bosco smile.
SES
There was a
great mix of Denise Colosi, Stephany Marks, Marie Marheineke and
people who at-
Carolyn Cmaylo.
tended SES –
teachers, CYMs,
office staff personnel, presidents and
principals. The various attendees gave
us a wide scope of how Don Bosco’s
Preventive System works not only
school wide, but province wide, and
involves the participation of everyone
involved – we are all Salesian!
throughout the province. The 4 of us
from St. Francis agreed that everyone
should take the opportunity to attend
SES. We plan to share our experience
with our faculty and staff and have al-
ready been discussing newly inspired
We walked away from SES realizing
that at each of our schools throughout
the province we are indeed Salesian
and the Preventive System vital and
active. Fr. Nick and Sr. Mary sent us
back to our campuses with sharpened
Marie Marheineke is beginning her
fourth year as the Assistant to the
President for Admissions at St. Francis
Central Coast Catholic High School in
Watsonville, CA.
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born on February 16, 1883, the third of
Sister Maria
Troncatti: the grace
of a total yes
four children, at Corteno Golgi in the
Lombard Alps of northern Italy. She left
her family and birthplace to enter the
postulancy on October 15, 1905. She
never returned home. Her suffering in
leaving her dear ones and her home-
land was so great that she could not go
Ju n e 27, 20 1 2 - It al y
back to the place that gave her birth.
In fact many years later, on the eve of
of Turin. It is the second biography of her 85th birthday, she wrote a letter to
the heroic missionary sister, after The her nieces and nephews. In it she spoke
Jungle, Country of the Heart. Transla- of her old and ever present suffering.
tions into other languages should ap- “You tell me that you are always hop-
pear soon.
ing to see me return to Italy. At my age
The book contains 17 chapters that fol- it’s impossible and isn’t my superiors’
low the entire life of Sr. Maria beginning fault. They have told me many times
with her encounter with the Salesians that they would let me go see my fam-
when she was ten years old and re- ily if I wanted to. I never accepted, first
ceived the Salesian Bulletin, given to because my place is here, but also be-
her by her elementary school teacher. cause, when the day to leave arrived
There she read of the missions and [in 1905], the detachment from my
discovered new horizons. It ends with parents, superiors, country, language,
ANS – Rome – On May 10, 2012,
Pope Benedict XVI signed the
decree on the miraculous cure
attributed to the intercession of Ven-
her death on August 25, 1969, when the
plane she was in crashed en route to
Quito.
Sr. Maria’s life is filled with rich experi-
from everything, cost me dearly. When
I boarded the ship, I said good-bye
forever. We will see each other once
again in Heaven.”
erable Sr. Maria Troncatti. On June ences, a truly adventurous life. She was Suffering and hope are constants in the
24, feast of Don Bos-
life of Sr. Maria. Before
co’s successor, Mother
leaving for Guayaquil,
Yvonne Reungoat, Su-
perior General of the
Daughters of Mary Help
of Christians, gave the
May They Rest In The
Peace of Christ
Ecuador, in 1922, typhoid
and the First World War
(1915-1918) deeply affect-
ed the soul and spirit of
Rector Major the latest
book published on Ven-
erable Maria, entitled La
Please pray for the repose of the soul of
VIRGIL JOHN GERGEN
the Blessed. Even after
her arrival in the Ama-
zon forest, there were
grazia di un sì tutto do-
nato.
It is precisely on the life
and work of Sr. Ma-
ria Troncatti that “The
Grace of a Total Yes,
Maria Troncatti Mission-
ary in the Amazon For-
est,” Sr. Maria Collino’s
recent book is focused.
This volume was re-
cently released by the
publisher, Elledici (LDC)
June 22, 2012
aged 91
father of Fr. Mike Gergen, SDB
e
EVELYN FREITAS
June 29, 2012
Sister-in-law of Bro. Anthony Freitas, SDB
e
MARIANA MASS
July 2, 2012
aunt of Bro. Tom Mass, SDB
e
many hard moments to
face, but Sr. Maria was
“the woman of ‘yes.’”
She never turned back
despite the many dif-
ficulties. All this and
more is in the book. Sr.
Maria Collino succeeds
in making the story of
this extraordinary Sale-
sian sister relevant and
involving, thanks to her
refreshing and flowing
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SDB
BIRTHDAYS
INTOUCH
PROVINCIAL NEWSLETTER
Provincial Announcement
After prayerful discernment
Novice Sean Bryan
has withdrawn from the novitiate.
God bless you, Sean!
May Mary continue to be your help and guide in all
the stages of your coming journey.
InTouch 5 7.5.12

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DE SALES HALL
The construction
continued in our
absence
Bro. Joe Lockwood, SDB
1/4 inch fire-shield sheathing screwed
to the 3/4 inch plywood
While we (the Salesians) were
listening to talks about the
connection between God’s
heart and that of St. Francis de Sales in
connection with the “Salesian heart”,
the construction at De Sales Hall con-
tinued in our absence.
Mr. Alfredo Urbirs (Job Supervisor,
from Vincor) reported that the insula-
tion on all the floors has been com-
pleted. The old R-13 insulation was re-
placed with R-19 insulation according
to Title 24 (Energy Compliance).
All of the electrical conduits are in-
stalled (except for the main conduit
to the electrical panel). The contrac-
tor ran into a concrete footing (16 feet
square by 5 feet deep) for the steel
column that holds up one of the ma-
jor structural I-beam running from one
end of the building to the other. The
men are chipping off parts the footing
to make room for the 4 inch electrical
conduit pipes.
Most of the tile work has been com-
pleted in the handicapped showers. It
looks very good!
Before the retreat began, the 3/4 inch
shear plywood wall was completed
on the elevator tower. The shear ply-
wood walls have to be rated as 4 hours
fire walls. The contractor screwed a
1/4 inch fire-shield sheathing to give it
the necessary rating. The stucco con-
tractor will begin to screw the stucco
lathe over the fire-shield sheathing and
then apply the first scratch coat of ce-
ment mortar.
But everything isn’t as rosy as it might
be . . . If you remembered, we hired
Karcher Interior System to handle the
firetstoppings for entire building. Now
there is a discussion between Karcher
and the Building and Safety Depart-
ment of Bellflower about the com-
pliance of the firestopping with the
UBC. According to Karcher, the entire
firestopping job has been completed
while according to the Building and
Safety Department the firestopping
does not meet the 2012 UBC. On July
3, 2012, there is a meeting with all the
concerned parties. This little dispute
has put a hold on the contractor’s
hanging of the 3/8 inch dry wall.
If this was not enough . . . Another
setback is the final plans from the
electrical engineers for the first floor.
The first floor is where the electrical
service enters the building. There are a
few more details that are required by
the Building and Safety Department.
You might ask, why is this being held
up? The answer is that the person re-
sponsible to prepare the plans was on
vacation for the last few weeks. There
is some hope that by Monday, July 2,
2012 there will be movement. Wait
and see!!!
And yet another pain in the . . . . . is the
sub-contractor for the ansul fire extin-
guishing system for the kitchen’s stove
hood. He does not like the existing
sheet metal stove hood and wants us
to install a new stainless steel hood
InTouch 7 7.5.12
instead. We said no to a new hood.
The contractor has been in contact
with the Health Department who said
that the kitchen area is original and the
owner is not remodeling it. So just in-
stall the system! And the discussion
Pile of sand: NB: the bottom of the
electrical conduit trenches, there must
be 6 inches of sand mixed with pee
grave as a base for the conduit pipes
another 6 inches on top of the pipes
before the back fill takes place
Carpenters chipping concrete from
the 16 inches square footing
The R-19 ceiling insulation in the third
floor community room

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Salesian Family Days
An Opportunity for Formation and Fellowship
This October the Salesian Family will gather in three regions of our province: North-
ern California, Southern, California and Texas, for a Salesian day of formation. The-
These reflections are offered here to the members of our Province who belong to
the Salesian Family and those who would like to belong. To prepare for Salesian
Family Day we offer a series of reflection on the nature and origin of the Salesian
Family.
The Salesian Family the Genius of Don Bosco
By: Fr. Chris Woerz, SDB
Don Bosco Listens to his Heart and a Friend
Don Bosco, an eager young newly ordained priest, was anxious to begin his ministry. He assumed that
he would be a parish priest and began to entertain thoughts of finding a parish, perhaps one near his
home near Castel Nuovo di Asti.8 He had enjoyed his time with Fr. Peter Cinzano parish church in
Castelnuovo. Describing those five months of service at the parish, Don Bosco enumerates the many
tasks for which he was responsible including preaching, teaching catechism, celebrating the Sacraments
and office duties. He concludes:
My delight was to make contact with the children and teach them catechism. They used to come
from Murialdo to see me, and on my visits home they crowded round me. Whenever I left the
presbytery there was a group of boys, and everywhere I went my little friends gave me a warm
welcome.9
This, my delight was to make contact with the children, is the dominate theme that has run through his
life as a child, student, seminarian and now as a young priest. Now he must find a position. Following the
custom of the time he must find his own livelihood. The young priest sees three options before him:
At the end of the holidays, I had three situations to choose from. I could have taken a post as tu-
tor in the house of a Genoese gentleman with a salary of a thousand francs a year. The good
people of Murialdo were so anxious to have me as their chaplain that they were prepared to dou-
ble the salary paid to chaplains up to then. Last, I could have become a curate in my native par-
ish.10
Don Bosco, before making any choice, seeks the advice of his spiritual advisor, Fr. Joseph Cafasso.
Don Cafasso advises the young priest to hold off making a decision as to ministry. Cafasso sees in Don
Bosco something unique which would be stifled in a parish. Don Bosco is destined for a larger enter-
prise. He invites Don Bosco to take the course in pastoral theology at the Convitto Ecclesiastico where
he himself taught. This was a two year course in what today we would call pastoral theology. The time
was spent in preparing young priests for the ministry.
Don Bosco entered the Convitto, which was located in Turin, on November 3, 1841. A month later he
met a 16 year old, Bartholomew Garelli, in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Don Bosco tells the story
in his Memoirs11. This first young person returned with friends to seek out Don Bosco who happily gath-
ered them in the Church and later at the Convitto. In the meantime he was preaching and visiting the
prisons with Fr. Cafasso and attending classes. He referred to these gatherings as the Oratory. Soon
the boys numbered about 30. Don Cafasso a teacher and Don Guala, a founder of the Convitto enjoyed
the young people and often helped Don Bosco with them.
Don Bosco’s genius was forming. He clearly had an affinity for the young. His generosity attracted oth-
ers to help him in this ministry. This will become an essential quality of his future Salesians: listen to
your heart, be generous and others will come to help with the young.
8 The area has been renamed Castel Nuovo di Don Bosco.
9 Ibid: Memoirs pg. 97
10 Ibid: Memoirs pg. 99
11 Ibid: Memoirs pg. 102-107
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Salesian Family Days 2012
Don Bosco the Educator
Featuring
Fr. Joseph Boenzi, SDB, S.T.D
Salesian Family Day California
October 13, 2012
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
St. John Bosco High School
13400 Bellflower Boulevard
Bellflower, CA 90706
Salesian High School
2851 Salesian Avenue
Richmond, CA 94804
Salesian Family Day Texas
October 27, 2012
9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
St. John Bosco School
5630 W. Commerce Street
San Antonio, TX 78237
The Salesian Family gathers to celebrate the heritage Don Bosco gave us. This is
a day of prayer, community and formation for the Salesian Family Groups:
Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB)
Daughters of Mary Help (FMA)
Association of Salesian Cooperators (ASC)
Association Devoted to Mary Help (ADMA)
Asociación de Damas Salesianas (ADS)
Women Volunteers of Don Bosco
Association of Alumni and Alumnae of Don Bosco
(Sin Fronteras, Bosconians, Awakening ’68, Vietnamese)
Clip and Mail       Clip and Mail       Clip and Mail
I am Attending
October 13 in Bellflower
October 13 in Richmond
October 27 in San Antonio
Please Print
Name__________________________________________ number of people in your group_____
Address__________________________________________________________________
City____________________________________ State _____ Zip Code_______________
Email:___________________________________________ Phone _________________________
A Donation of $10/person is asked to cover breakfast, lunch and program
Mail Check or Money Order payable to Salesian Society
to:
Salesian Family Day
P.O. Box 1639
Rosemead, CA 91770
1
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Nome società
Titolo n otiziario
Newsletter for Salesian Missionary Animation
A Publication of the Mission Department for the Salesian Communities and Friends of the Salesian Mission
The "Missionary Group" makes a great difference
D ear Sale-
sians and
friends of the Salesian mis-
sion,
I wish to share with you
once again a dream which
I’ve carried in my heart
these past 4 years. There is
nothing new. Already 90 years ago Blessed Philip
Rinaldi wrote that there is a need of a Salesian mis-
sionary group in every house! But what difference
does the presence or absence of a missionary group
in a Salesian work or in a Salesian formation com-
munity? The presence of the missionary group is a
guarantee that the missionary flame is kept alive!
In the same way that the absence of medical
schools and hospitals would make health care im-
possible, so too without missionaries ad gentes – ad
vitam and without missionary groups in schools,
parishes, youth centres it would be very difficult to
expect that the missionary spirit be kept alive!
Usually missionary groups pray and invite others to
pray for missionary activities and missionary voca-
tion, they make the educative-pastoral community
sensitive to the needs of the universal mission and
they could also contribute directly in missionary
activities either in their own place, or through mis-
sionary volunteer service abroad.
Now I want to present a very special group.
During the recent extraordinary visition in the Prov-
ince of Krakow (Poland) I met several missionary
groups in schools, oratories and parishes. Worth not-
ing among them is group “Art 43”, founded just five
years ago by some postnovices, who took seriously
the Article 43 of the Salesian Constitutions regarding
Social Communications. These young Salesians have
understood immediately that the most attractive pic-
ture of the Congregation is that of its missionary ac-
tivity. In the space of a few years they have pro-
duced more than 260 videos on Youtube (http://
vimeo.com/art43). Besides a small studio in Krakow -
thanks to some volunteer missionaries - Art. 43 was
started (in 2011) an audiovisual studio in the Provin-
cial house in Ashaiman - Ghana (AFW Province). At
present Art 43 is very much alive in postnovitiate in
Ląd (Poland) and in the theologate in Krakow
(Poland). In my wallet I carry with me one of the first
products of Art 43: a prayer for missionaries on an ID
card format and at the back each day the names of 3
- 4 countries where we work are remembered.
I hope that we are able to foster in all our works
similar groups!
Fr. Václav Klement, SDB
Councillor for the Missions
Upcoming
Events
July 30 - August 4: Study Days on Salesian Presence among Muslims, Salesianum
(Rome)
August 6 - 27: 1st On Going Formation Course for Missionaries in America, Quito
(Ecuador)
September 4 – 30: Formation Course for New Missionaries (Rome-Turin)
September 17 - December 6, 2012: XV On Going Formation Course for Missionaries,
UPS (Rome)
November 5 – 9 : Study Days on the Salesian Mission and the Initial Proclamation of
Christ in Africa & Madagascar, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
November 9 – 11 : Meeting of Province Delegates for Missionary Animation of Africa
& Madagascar, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
InTouch 1 0 7.5.12