InTouchNovember82012


InTouchNovember82012

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USA West Province Newsletter
Building Bridges Between Communities
Nov. 8
2012
out his life. In his dream
at the age of nine it was
Mary who showed him
his field of labor. Mary
pointed out to him that
he was to be a shepherd
to the young, imitating
the goodness and loving
kindness of her Son the
Good Shepherd.
November 8, 2012
for us as a provincial
community. The chap-
Dear Brother and Sister ters and the extraordi-
Salesians:
nary visitation, I can
Have you read the Rector
Major’s last letter? Its title
is Mary the Immaculate
Help of Christians, with
the subtitle “Mother and
predict, are all going to
focus on the same chal-
lenge: becoming more
like Don Bosco, each
and every one of us.
Teacher of Don Bosco.” And that is why I rec-
This time of preparation
for our provincial chapter
and the general chapter to
follow is a time for intense
reflection on the Salesian
vocation we all share,
whether as consecrated
religious, lay collabora-
tors, or members of the
Salesian youth movement.
Likewise this time leading
ommend that we all
read, if we have not al-
ready, Pascual Chavez’s
latest letter. There can
be no authentic Salesian
renewal without con-
templating “the figure
of Mary the Immaculate
Help of Christians, in
everything and always
the Mother and Teacher
of Don Bosco.”
up to the extraordinary
visitation of our province One of the themes in
in a few months is prepar- the letter is the role of
ing us to hear some rec- Mary at the beginning
ommendations from our of Don Bosco’s vocation
Rector Major tailor made and then all through-
But then Mary did not
withdraw into fuzzy half
remembered dreams.
As our Rule of Life puts
it in C 8, she was “the
constant guide and sup-
port of his work, espe-
cially in the foundation
of our Society.” Reading
his Memoirs, reading
Arthur Lenti’s seven vol-
umes on Don Bosco, we
cannot miss how Mary
the Immaculate Help of
Christians guided and
supported him every
step of the way.
My reflection is that
Mary still exercises both
roles in the individual
lives of each of us, and in
the life of the province.
She was there at the start
of our vocations. And I
believe firmly that she is
our constant guide and
support ever since. As
our province opens it-
self up to the changes of
mentality and structure,
of personnel and per-
haps of presences, that
the chapters and the ex-
traordinary visitation
will call us to, we need
to be convinced that
Mary guides and sup-
ports us too.
There is so much more
in the letter, for exam-
ple a deep presentation
of the relationship be-
tween Don Bosco’s two
most common titles
for Mary (Immaculate
Conception and Help
of Christians), Mary
as the biblical model
of faith, hope and love,
and Mary in our Con-
stitutions. I ask each
one of us to read the
letter personally. And
I also urge communi-
ties to use it as a com-
mon spiritual reading,
and to discuss it at
Community Day gath-
erings. It will be well
worth the effort, espe-
cially during this Year
of Faith.
Sincerely,
Rev. Timothy Ploch,
SDB
My reflection is that
Mary still exercises both
roles in the individual
lives of each of us, and
in the life of the prov-
ince. She was there at
the start of our voca-
tions. And I believe
firmly that she is our
constant guide and
support ever since.

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PROVINCIAL’S
CALENDAR
Year
of Faith
November 2012
7-9 Provincial Council Meeting,
Camp St. Francis
10 Bosco Fest, Richmond
alw“aRyesjo. Iicweiilnl stahyeitLoargdain:
11-13 Office Days
14 West Contra Costa Salesian
Rejoice!”
B&GCA Board Meeting
15-19 Office Days
Education of the heart
20 Provincial Residence
BopSfetorgDieninnotsnnnaionBf2go0rse1fcrf3oeo’ramserpneoecadeusarafgonuoldnlgodytw,hestreh.stetaanmskdasijnoogrf
Monthly Recollection
21-22 Office Days
1tiBpjensh.aoiroeetnsyishssetcnsoeehso,Tesfshetsvlhioiaeiesnnveulor‘ltiGlypuencooorolregafscucfaeypieDnhsnpgeeoigtorldslefonapodmrutfneeoBnogjataohppdounlyleosayjea’coi,gndnoaaywe’etsd.nchlsttdihfiiiokervcilweessihitttscaiioftcveoherrhsirddeyt.aeyshDtrra;hGaafnbouecpoudni-l-rd-t
Fr. Pascual Chavez, SDB
STRENNA 2013
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VOCATION
CULTURE
Contact Fr. Jose Lucero, sdb
Vocation Director
infor@salesianvocation.org
salesian.vocation@facebook.com
Filiberto
Cortez
candidate
Filiberto Cortez was born in a
small village in Puebla, Mexico on
August 22, 1976. He has an older
brother, Juan Manuel who belongs
to Misioneros Servidores De La
Palabra. He has a younger brother
and a younger sister. Both of his
parents live in Bellflower (Epifa-
nia and Magdaleno). Fili gradu-
ated from Downey High School in
1995, where he ran cross country
and track setting a few school re-
cords. He continued his education
at Mt. SAC and then transferred
to CSLA in 1998. He attained his
first B.A. in philosophy. He then
joined the United States Marine
Corps and soon after getting out of
the Marines he became a teacher.
He was a teacher for six years and
got his second B.A. in psychology.
Soon after getting his second B.A.
he attained his teaching credentials
from CSLA.
3 11-8-2012
Fili has had a passion for back-
packing and outdoor activities,
making treks in South and Central
America numerous times as well
as overseas. His love for whitewa-
ter rafting and snowboarding have
always inspired him to live life
passionately. However, it seemed
that there was always something
missing in his life. In the sum-
mer of 2011 Fili learned about the
Salesian Lay Missionary program
and in November 2011 he went to
Salesian High School in Richmond
California as a Lay Missionary.
Soon after joining the missionary
program he applied to the Salesian
candidacy program. In Agust 2011
Fili began the candidacy program
at Saint John Bosco, since Fili has
a teaching credentials, part of his
ministry was to teach.
He can be contacted at run-
wme25@yahoo.com
“More, that vocational
campaigns be put into
action: families, parishes,
all our schools should be
able to create a pastoral mi-
croclimate where they can
grow and ripen vocations,
forming a genuine culture
of vocation
in which LIFE is
conceived and lived
as a gift,
as a vocation and mission,
amidst the diversity
of options.”
Fr. Pascual Chavez, SDB

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Don Bosco Technical Institute
ROSEMEAD, CA. – November
5, 2012 - Don Bosco Technical
Institute (Bosco Tech) will host
its annual Fall Open House on
Sunday, November 18, 2012, from
12 noon to 4 p.m.
Prospective students, their fami-
lies and other members of the
community can tour Bosco Tech’s
extensive College & Counseling
Resource Center and explore the
school’s applied-science technol-
ogy labs where unmanned aerial
vehicles and competitive pro-
grammed robots will be featured.
Laboratory science displays and
engineering demonstrations will
also be available for viewing.
The award-winning Royal Tech-
men marching band will provide
musical entertainment and an as-
sortment of food will be available
to guests. Bosco Tech’s nine com-
petitive sports teams and campus
clubs will host displays across the
campus and in the Yurak Athletic
Center, the school’s fully equipped
DON BOSCO
TECHNICAL
INSTITUTE
TO HOST FALL
OPEN HOUSE
ON NOVEMBER 18
sports training facility. The Alum-
ni Association will host a recep-
tion for all alumni.
Bosco Tech is the only all-male
Catholic high school in the state
that uniquely integrates a college-
preparatory curriculum with a
comprehensive, four-year, project-
based science and technology
program. The fully accredited aca-
demic curriculum allows students
to exceed university admission
requirements while completing
extensive integrated coursework
in one of five technology and
engineering-related fields: Archi-
tecture and Construction Engi-
neering; Computer Science and
Electrical Engineering; Integrated
Design, Engineering and Art;
Materials Science, Engineering
and Technology; and Media Arts
and Technology. For further infor-
mation about Bosco Tech, please
call (626) 940-2000 or visit www.
boscotech.edu.
For a full schedule of the day’s
events, please contact Rudy Her-
rera, Bosco Tech’s Director of
Admissions, at (626) 940-2009 or
RHerrera@boscotech.edu.
Don Bosco Technical Institute
1151 San Gabriel Boulevard
Rosemead, CA 91770-4251
www.boscotech.edu
Contact: Karen Krynen
Phone: (626) 392-9967
E-mail: kkrynen@boscotech.edu
www.boscotech.edu
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MAY THEY REST IN
THE PEACE OF CHRIST
Please pray for the repose of the souls of
e
ODILA MARTINEZ
November 1, 2012
aged 96
mother of Bro. Ernie Martinez, SDB
fqe
PLEASE PRAY FOR
OUR SICK
f
Bro. Tony Freitas, SDB
hospitalized
Doris Roche
mother of Fr. John Roche, SDB
Gina Robles
Youth Ministry Office
Bro. Tony Freitas, SDB
hospitalized
Fr. Richard Presenti, SDB
recovering from a blood clot
in the lung
Fr. Arthur Lenti, SDB
hospitalized for cellulitis
f
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PROVINCIAL
ANNOUNCEMENTS
f
TWO NEW PRESIDENTS
By recommendation of the re-
spective Boards of Directors
and with the approval of the
Members
MR. PATRICK LEE
Principal
is appointed
PRESIDENT
St. Francis Central Coast
Catholic High School
effective immediately
&
MR. TIMOTHY CHAMBERS
is appointed
PRESIDENT
Salesian High School,
Richmond
effective July 1, 2013
Congratulations to both
Pat and Tim,
two fine Salesian leaders!
f

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INTENSIVE
SALESIAN COURSES
SALESIAN
PEDAGOGY
Education & Evangelization:
Girls & Young Women
Education & Evangelization:
Boys & Young Men
6 11-8-2012
For the Salesian Family, the entire academic year
2012-2013 is dedicated to the study of St. John
Bosco’s Educational Methodology, a Salesian
Pedagogy. Therefore, the Institute of Salesian
Studies is offering two week-long intensive
courses. The first week presents a pedagogical
approach to the education and evangelization of
girls & young women, and the second week for
boys & young men.
Although these two weeks of courses stand on
their own, the two weeks are designed to compli-
ment each other. You may register for one or two
weeks.
Week One
Sr. Ann Cassidy, FMA draws upon the research of
contemporary educators, as well as her own years
of experience, to highlight the effectiveness of
Salesian pedagogy, as well as to tailor its educa-
tional methods to the education of girls & young
women.
Week Two
Fr. John Serio, SDB, tailors his course toward the
Salesian educational and evangelical approach
for boys & young men.
Continuing Education/Graduate UNITS
If you wish to take these courses for graduate or
continuing education units, email:
info@salesianstudies.org
Or contact Fr. John Roche at 510-204-0801
salesianstudies.org/register