Salesjana
SETTEMBRU ‐ OTTUBRU 2008
il‐205 Óar©a
An experience of a lifetime
Jum l-Oratorju 2008
Sow love & you will reap love
Fl-1877, Dun Bosco beda jippubblika “Il Bibliofilo Cattolico”. Wara sentejn, semmih
- Bollettino Salesiano”. Kien jo˙or©hu bi ˙sieb li jg˙aqqad lil dawk kollha li g˙andhom
g˙al qalbhom il-˙idma Salesjana fid-dinja kollha, billi jwasslilhom tag˙rif fuq il-˙ajja
tal-Kongregazzjoni Salesjana. Tag˙lim siewi g˙all-˙ajja Nisranija. Insibuh imxerred
mad-dinja kif iddur, mitbug˙ f’aktar minn g˙oxrin ilsien ewlieni … fosthom il-Malti
wkoll fiç-çokon tieg˙u. F’sena jitqassmu ‘l fuq minn g˙axar miljun kopja. Hawn Malta
jo˙ro© ta˙t l-isem ‘˙ajja Salesjana’ u kull xahrejn, barra x-xhur tas-sajf – Lulju, u
Awissu. Jitqassam b’xejn lil kull min jitolbu. G˙alhekk wie˙ed jista’ jikteb lill-Editur:
Óajja Salesjana
c/o St. Patrick’s School, Triq San Ìwann Bosco,
Sliema SLM 1925, Malta.
Tel: 2133 0238 e-mail: joecini@onvol.net
Jie˙u ˙sieb Fr. Joe Cini SDB
Bord Editorjali Fr. Victor Mangion SDB
Margaret Buhagiar
Andre’ Camilleri
Josie Grech
Jg˙inuh ukoll Fr. Charles Cini SDB
Eileen Alden
Joyce Scicluna
Joe M. Busuttil
Óajr minn qalbna lill-˙bieb tag˙na li jibag˙tu xi
˙a©a tal-flus g˙an-nefqa biex il-Óajja Salesjana
jista’ jintbag˙at b’xejn lil
• Dawk li mqar bit-talb tag˙hom jg˙inu
fil-˙idma Salesjana
• Dawk li jg˙inu l-vokazzjonijiet g˙all-˙ajja
Reli©juΩa Salesjana
Infakkru lill-qarrejja tag˙na li l-˙idma Salesjana
Maltija tinfirex ukoll fl-Afrika ta’ fuq, fit-TuneΩija.
Designed & Printed by Salesian Press
Fuqiex se naqraw
Çentinarju ta’ l-Oratorju 3-4
Pedago©ija 5
Calendar of Events 7
L-Atturi Salesjani fis-sena taç-çentinarju 8
Is-Sena ta’ San Pawl 10
Crimes 4 12
An experience of a lifetime 15
Something to think about… 18
The Charity Ball 21
Il-Óabib Tag˙na b’DiΩabbilità 22
Kunçert ta’ Tifkira 24
Jum l-Oratorju 2008 27
Sow love & you will reap love 28
The Mystic of the Passion 30
Volunteering through SPYS 32
3Salesjana
EDITORJAL
eta tift˙u din il-˙ar©a ta’ ˙ajja
Salesjana, fost stejjer o˙ra,
sejrin issibu tlitt artikli, bi stampi
mag˙hom, li jitkellmu fuq ©rajjiet li se˙˙ew
fl-Oratorju tas-Salesjani f’Tas-Sliema matul
dawn l-a˙˙ar xhur. Dan hu xieraq g˙aliex
l-attenzjoni tag˙na s-Salesjani f’Malta matul
din is-sena hija fuq l-Oratorju li qieg˙ed
jiççelebra il-100 sena mill-ftu˙ tieg˙u. Mitt
sena, mela, ta’ attivitajiet reli©juΩi, edukattivi,
kulturali kif ukoll sportivi. Mitt sena fl-istorja
tas-Salesjani f’Malta. Dan huwa l-waqt li
niftakru fil-©rajjiet li g˙adda minnhom l-
Oratorju matul dawn is-snin; li niftakru
u nfakkru lil ˙afna Salesjani li ddedikaw
˙ilithom g˙all-edukazzjoni taΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙
©ewwa dan il-post; li wkoll niftakru u
nfakkru lil ˙afna lajçi impenjati, r©iel u nisa,
li kkolaboraw mas-Salesjani, direttament
jew indirettament, sabiex il-˙idma fejjieda
©ewwa l-Oratorju tkompli titwettaq. Huwa
l-waqt li nfa˙˙ru l-˙e©©a u l-viΩjoni ta’ dawk
il-Koperaturi Salesjani li fil-bidu ta’ l-istorja
ta’ l-Oratorju rsistew sabiex dan il-pro©ett
jinbeda, u fl-a˙˙ar imma mhux l-anqas li
na˙sbu fuq dawk l-eluf ta’ tfal u Ωg˙aΩag˙
li stag˙new ©ewwa din id-dar ta’ Dun Bosco
– u li issa huma r©iel u nisa, missirijiet u
ommijiet, f’Malta jew imsiefrin, ˙ajjin jew
mejtin.
Fil-˙ar©a ta’ ˙ajja Salesjana ta’ Marzu-
April li g˙adda, konna tajnikom programm
ta’ attivitajiet li l-komunità Salesjana ta’ l-
Oratorju fasslet sabiex bihom tfakkar dan
iç-çentinarju. Dan il-programm qieg˙ed
ji©i mwettaq, u hekk naraw li tqaddset il-
quddiesa solenni tal-ftu˙ taç-çelebrazzjonijiet
– liema okkaΩjoni kienet ippreseduta mill-E.T.
Mons. Pawlu Cremona, l-Arçisqof ta’ Malta.
Kien ©ie organizzat ukoll il-pellegrina©© g˙al
Turin, “Fuq il-Passi ta’ Dun Bosco”; sar il-
kunçert muΩikali ta’ tifkira u dan l-a˙˙ar ©ie
ççelebrat Jum l-Oratorju b’quddiesa solenni
ppreseduta mill-Provinçjal tag˙na, segwita
minn kxif u tberik ta’ lapida li tfakkar dawn
il-100 sena, u minn musical mtella’ miΩ-
Ωg˙aΩag˙ ta’ l-istess Oratorju.
Sabiex jing˙alqu dawn iç-çelebrazzjonijiet,
jonqos ise˙˙ l-a˙˙ar avveniment kbir li hija
l-mi©ja fostna tar-Rettur Ma©©ur tag˙na, Fr.
Pascual Chavez, fis-7 u 8 ta’ Diçembru li ©ej.
Fuq dan nitkellmu aktar ’il quddiem, imma
minn issa n˙e©©i©kom turu nteress u tie˙du
sehem f’dawn iç-çelebrazzjonijiet.
Salesjana4
In the March/April issue of ˙ajja
Salesjana we printed a programme of
activities prepared for the celebration of
this centenary. This is now all happening.
The Solemn High Mass to introduce the
celebrations, which was presided by His
Excellency Mons. Paul Cremona, the
pilgrimage organised to visit Turin, “Fuq il-
passi ta’ Dun Bosco”, the commemorative
musical concert, and recently “Oratory
Day” celebrated by a solemn High Mass
presided by our Provincial followed by
the unveiling of a plaque in memory of
the past 100 years and a musical by the
youngsters of the Oratory itself.
The only thing left to end these
celebrations is the coming among us of
the Rector Major, Fr. Pascual Chavez on
the 7th and 8th December. We will mention
this again in a later edition, meanwhile I
would like you to show an interest and
take part in all these celebrations.
hen you look through this
edition of ˙ajja Salesjana,
you will find, among other
stories, three articles with pictures about
the celebrations that took place at the
Salesian Oratory in Sliema during these
past months.
This is as it should be, because the
attention of the Salesians in Malta during
this year is on the Oratory which is
celebrating 100 years since its opening.
One hundred years, therefore, of religious,
educational, cultural and sportive
activities; one hundred years of history of
the Salesians in Malta! During this time we
remember and remind others what the
Oratory went through during these past
years. We recall the number of Salesians
who dedicated their efforts to educate
youngsters in this place; the lay people,
men and women who collaborated,
directly or indirectly, with the Salesians
in the accomplishment of their spiritual
work; we praise the enthusiasm and
vision of those Salesian Cooperators who
from the start of the Oratory gave their
all so that this project could see its birth.
Last, but not in any way least, we have
to remember the thousands of youngsters
who were enriched by their experience in
this house of Don Bosco and who are now
men and women, mothers and fathers, in
Malta or abroad, living or dead.
5Salesjana
PEDAGOÌIJA SALESJANA
Minn Pascual Chaves - Trad. Joe Cini SDB
L-Edukazzjoni Salesjana
fis-Soçjetà
“Sabiex nista’, lil min falla fil-˙ajja u lid-drogati, lil dawk ming˙ajr
xog˙ol u ming˙ajr tama, in˙osshom b˙ala ˙uti u mhux b˙al nies
differenti; jekk irrid ng˙ix ˙ajja nisranija, anke f’soçjetà soçjalista
qaddisa… jekk irrid nersaq lejn ˙addie˙or mhux bid-dixxiplina
imma bl-im˙abba ta’ missier, mhux b’awtorità imma b’interess,
mhux b’mod repressiv imma ta’ ftehim, mhux biex ng˙addi messa©©
imma biex in©ib g˙aqda… allura nkun fhimt eΩatt x’hemm bΩonn
sabiex indur lejn Dun Bosco“ (I. A. Chiusano).
Salesjana6
A˙na nafu min kienu l-ewwel tfal madwar
Dun Bosco fl-Oratorju tieg˙u. “Il-biçça l-kbira
tat-tfal li kienu l-Oratorju… kienu bajjada,
naqqaxa, bennejja, ka˙˙ala, Ωebbieg˙a,
min iqieg˙ed il-madum u ˙addiema o˙ra li
kienu ji©u minn ir˙ula xi ftit ‘il bog˙od. Billi
dawn ma kinux mid˙la ta’ knejjes u l-anqas
ta’ ˙bieb, xejn ma jridu biex jinbarmu… “
(San Ì.Bosco: Tifkiriet ta’ l-Oratorju, Salesian
Publications-Malta, p.150). Dawk li sabu
l-g˙ajnuna ta’ Dun Bosco, mela, kienu
dawk l-aktar fil-bΩonn, ulied il-poplu, mill-
klassi tal-˙addiema. F-ittra çirkulari minn
tieg˙u, Fr. J.Vecchi ji©bdilna l-attenzjoni
fuq xenarju ©did li fih irridu na˙dmu llum
a˙na s-Salesjani. “Fatturi ekonomiçi, soçjali
u kulturali qieg˙din isawru soçjetà ©dida.
G˙aldaqstant anki l-prioritajiet tal-missjoni
tag˙na jinbidlu ftit jew wisq: xi klassi ta’
Ωg˙aΩag˙ rridu nippreferu, x’messa©©i
tal-Van©elu rridu nwasslu u xi programmi
edukattivi rridu nwettqu“ (J.E.Vecchi, AGC
359I, p.5).
Il-forom qodma u ©odda ta’ faqar fost
iΩ-Ωg˙ar, huma sfida kostanti g˙all-kariΩma
tag˙na. Sikwit naraw fit-TV xbihat, aspetti
u effetti tal-faqar, b˙al ma huma l-©u˙, it-
tluq ta’ eluf ta’ refu©jati, vittmi ta’ ©lied,
diskriminazzjoni reli©juΩa, gwerer g˙all-
˙akma. Dan barra min-nuqqas ta’ stabbilità
fl-ibliet kbar li to˙loq kaΩijiet ta’ persuni
mwarrba, nies ifittxu kenn, xog˙ol tat-tfal
ta˙t l-eta’, sitwazzjoni mwieg˙ra tal-mara,
abbuΩ ta’ tfal, tfal suldati, eçç. : stampa
kerha! G˙alhekk il-bΩonn li “l-inqas wie˙ed”
ikun dejjem preΩenti fil-pjanijiet tag˙na,
waqt li bl-“inqas wie˙ed” nifhmu dawk it-
tfal u Ωg˙aΩag˙ li jg˙ixu f’faqar ekonomiku,
kulturali, reli©juΩ, affettiv, familjari, u li
jg˙ixu fil-mar©ini tas-soçjetà u tal-Knisja (El
proyecto de la vida de los Salesianos de Don
Bosco, Rome, p.313-315).
L-ewwl pass tag˙na lejhom huwa l-
edukazzjoni. A˙na ninsabu fil-˙ames
kontinenti nag˙mlu xog˙ol ta’ prevenzjoni
u assistenza: fil-kampijiet tar-refu©jati, mat-
tfal tat-triq, fir-riabilitazzjoni ta’ tfal suldati
u ta’ Ωg˙aΩag˙ abbuΩati sesswalment u fi
pro©etti o˙ra ma’ l-emigranti. Il-valur tas-
‘sistema preventiv’ jintwera meta npo©©u liΩ-
Ωg˙aΩug˙ fit-triq it-tajba u meta ng˙inuhom
ma jag˙mlux g˙aΩliet ˙Ωiena. Noqog˙du
attenti li ma nintilfux nitkellmu fuq il-fqar
ming˙ajr ma nit˙arrku biex ng˙inu lill-fqar.
Biex nedukaw lil min hu tajjeb g˙all-valuri
tal-˙niena tal-©ustizzja u tas-solidarjetà irridu
nie˙du post il-‘vittmi’ tas-soçjetà. Il-Knisja
dejjem rat fil-fqar lok teolo©iku fejn tiltaqa’
ma’ Alla u ddikjarat il-bΩonn ta “konverΩjoni
tal-Knisja kollha kemm hi lejn l-g˙aΩla tal-
fqar, sakemm dawn jil˙qu ˙elsien s˙i˙ “
(Document of Puebla, nn.1134-1165).
Il-mod mg˙a©©el u frenetiku kif ji©ru l-
affarijiet jista’ joqtol kull sensibiltà. Quddiem
dinja individwalista u mag˙luqa g˙all-bΩonn
ta’ ˙addie˙or, l-edukazzjoni trid ta˙dem
sabiex tintreba˙ l-indifferenza u jitqajjem l-
interess lejn problemi soçjali, ta˙dem sabiex
kul˙add jinduna b’dak li qieg˙ed ji©ri u
j˙oss responsabbiltà waqt li jipparteçipa
b’soluzzjonijiet li jevitaw rikors g˙all-
vjolenza. G˙aldaqstant, edukazzjoni morali
u edukazzjoni ©enerali iridu jidhru b˙ala
ur©enti f’soçjetà fejn il-problemi tan-nies tad-
dinja, il-prinçipji li jiggvernaw ir-relazzjonijiet
bejn popli u Stati, kif ukoll l-ambjent naturali,
jen˙tie©u lkoll regoli etiçi u morali aktar milli
soluzzjonijiet tekniçi jew xjentifiçi.
7Salesjana
CALENDARof Events
C A L E N D A R O F S A L E S I A N F E A S T S & E V E N T S
For any other info about the Salesians: www.sdb.org
Salesians in Malta: www.salesiansmalta.org / www.salesiantheatremalta.com /
www.saviocollege.edu.mt / www.spysmalta.org/spysint /
www.stpatrickspastpupils.org / www.vocations.salesiansmalta.com
September
Wed 03 Monthly meeting for Salesian Cooperators at St. Patrick’s – 6.15 p.m.
Wed 03 Sale of school books at Savio College
Fri 05 First Friday Devotions at St. Patrick’s (6.15 p.m.)
Wed 10 Prayer Day for Salesian Missions.
Mon 22 St. Joseph Calasanz and Companions – Salesian Martyrs of the
Spanish Civil War
Mon 22 Beginning of New Scholastic Year
Wed 24 Commemoration of Mary Help of Christians
Wed 24 Start of New Scholastic Year
October
Wed 01 Monthly meeting for Salesian Cooperators at St. Patrick’s – 6.15 p.m.
Fri 03 First Friday Devotions at St. Patrick’s (6.15 p.m.)
Fri 03 P.T.A Meeting at Savio College
Sun 05 Bl. Alberto Marvelli (Salesian Past Pupil)
Mon 06 Beginning of Recitation of the Rosary followed by Holy Mass,
Monday to Friday, at 6.30 p.m. at St. Patrick’s
Fri 10 Prayer Day for Salesian Missions.
Fri 10 P.T.A. Annual General Meeting at Savio College
Mon 13 Bl. Alexandrina M. da Costa (Salesian Cooperator)
Sun 19 Lectio Divina at Savio College
Fri 24 Commemoration of Mary Help of Christians
Fri 24 Post-Savio College meeting Form 5 & Parents at 18.30
Tue 28 Careers Seminar Form 5 at 08.30 - 14.00
Wed 29 Bl. Michael Rua (First Successor of Don Bosco)
Thu 30 Bl. Federico Albert (Priest and Past Pupil)
Fri 31 Meeting for Salesian Cooperators at Savio College
November
03-04 Mid-Term Holidays
Wed 05 Salesian Cooperators monthly meeting.
Fri 07 First Friday Devotions at St. Patrick’s (6.15 p.m.)
Fri 07 Parents’ Day Form 5 - No school
Sun 09 Sale of ‘Borza ta’ San Martin’ at St. Patrick’s Church
Mon 10 Prayer Day for Salesian Missions.
Salesjana8
Kien sta©un ta’ suççess li fih ittellg˙u
erba’ produzzjonijiet. B˙al dejjem il-
Kumitat ˙abrieki ta’ l-Atturi Salesjani
fassal sta©un imΩewwaq. Kien hemm
kummiedji, dramm u thriller. L-udjenzi
g˙al kull rappreΩentazzjoni kienu
nkora©©anti ˙afna. Skond ir-records
miΩmuma huwa çar li dawk li jattendu
biex jaraw ix-xog˙lijiet ta’ l-Atturi
Salesjani ji©u minn kull parti ta’ Malta u
dan il-fatt iqawwi ˙afna qalb il-kumitat
biex jippreΩenta l-aqwa xog˙lijiet
u bl-aqwa livell possibbli. Huwa ta’
sodisfazzjon kbir meta wie˙ed jisma’
l-kummenti tassew sbie˙ wara kull
rappreΩentazzjoni. Nies li ji©u darba
jkunu jridu jibqg˙u ji©u g˙al kull biçça
xog˙ol li jippreΩentaw l-atturi bravi
tag˙na. F’dan l-ista©un ˙adu sehem
xejn anqas minn 32 attur, Ωg˙aΩag˙ u
kbar, b’10 minnhom g˙al aktar minn
parti wa˙da f’rappreΩentazzjonijiet
differenti. Aktar ma jg˙addi Ω-Ωmien
in-numru ta’ nies li jie˙du sehem fuq il-
palk tag˙na qieg˙ed dejjem jikber u dan
g˙al fatt li flimkien ma’ l-atturi stabbiliti
qed naraw liΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙ tag˙na juru
aktar interess f’dan il-qasam li Dun
Bosco stess kien juΩa’ biex jeduka. Fl-
antik kellna lis-Salesjan Bro. Karm Galea
li kien jikteb xog˙lijiet g˙all-palk u jie˙u
sehem f’xi w˙ud minnhom ukoll u issa
bi pjaçir g˙andna Salesjan ie˙or li qed
juri l-kapaçitajiet tieg˙u fuq il-palk u
f’dan l-ista©un rajnieh jinterpreta kemm
parti serja fit-thriller kif ukoll dik komika
˙afna fil-kummiedja ta’ Frar ta’ din is-
sena. Dan huwa s-Salesjan Ωag˙Ωug˙ Fr.
Eric Cachia li huwa wkoll inkarigat mill-
Youth Centre ta’ l-Oratorju f’Tas-Sliema.
L-Atturi Salesjani
fis-sena taç-çentinarju
minn Paul De Bono
B˙al kull ferg˙a o˙ra fl-Oratorju tas-Salesjani
f’Tas-Sliema, kif kien xieraq, l-Atturi Salesjani
wkoll taw sehemhom f’din is-sena ta’ g˙eluq il-100
sena mill-ftu˙ tat-Teatru u l-Oratorju Salesjan.
9Salesjana
L-ista©un feta˙ fis-27 u 28 ta’ Ottubru
2007 meta ©ie ippreΩentat it-thriller
mag˙ruf ta’ Agatha Christie ‘Murder at the
Vicarage’ li ©ie maqlub g˙all-Malti minn
wie˙ed mill-membri ta’ l-Atturi Salesjani
stess, Tonio Vassallo, li wkoll ˙a ˙sieb id-
direzzjoni. L-isem ta’ dan it-thriller kien
MISS MARPLE TINVESTIGA.
Fit-8 u 9 ta’ Diçembru ©iet ippreΩentata
l-ewwel kummiedja ta’ l-ista©un billi
Joe Camilleri idderie©a xog˙ol ta’ Jack
Popplewell maqlub g˙all-Malti minn
Frank Ganado bl-isem ta’ IL-KADAVRU LI
GÓOSFOR.
L-ewwel xog˙ol g˙as-sena 2008 kien
kummiedja miktuba minn membru ie˙or
ta’ l-Atturi Salesjani, John Schembri.
Din il-kummiedja li rat it-teatru mimli
daqs bajda, ittellg˙et kemm is-Sibt
Xena mill-Kummiedja ‘Kemm in˙obbu lil Sant’Antnin’
16 kif ukoll il-Óadd 17 ta’ Frar 2008
u kellha l-isem ta’ KEMM INÓOBBU
LIL SANT’ANTNIN b’direzzjoni ta’ Joe
Bonello.
L-ista©un teatrali 2007/2008 spiçça
bi dramm klassiku mill-isba˙ ta’ Jeffrey
Archer, ‘Beyond Reasonable Doubt’.
Dan ix-xog˙ol ©ie maqlub g˙all-Malti
speçifikament g˙all-Atturi Salesjani mix-
Chev. Tony C. Cutajar u ©ie mog˙ti l-
isem ta’ BLA DUBJU TA’ XEJN. Id-dati li
fihom sar dan id-dramm kienu id-19 u
l-20 ta’ April 2008 u kellu direzzjoni ta’
Lino Ferris.
Óafna ritratti ta’ dawn ir-
rappreΩentazzjonijiet kif ukoll
o˙rajn wie˙ed jista’ jsibhom fuq il-
website ta’ l-Atturi Salesjani www.
salesiantheatremalta.com
Salesjana10
Din is-sena g˙andha tkun mit-28 ta’ Ìunju
2008 sad-29 ta’ Ìunju 2009, meta ja˙bat it-
tieni millenju tat-twelid tieg˙u li, kif ja˙sbu
dawk li jistudjaw l-istorja tal-Knisja, ©rat
bejn is-sena 7 u 10 wara Kristu. Din is-sena
Pawlina g˙andha ti©i ççelebrata b’mod
speçjali ©ewwa Ruma, fejn g˙all-elfejn sena
il-fdalijiet ta’ San Pawl jinsabu ta˙t l-altar
ma©©ur fil-baΩilika ta’ San Pawl ‘Fuori le
Mura.’
Pellegrina©©i ta’ talb
Waqt it-t˙abbira ta’ din is-sena Pawlina,
il-Papa wera x-xewqa li matul din is-sena
jsiru funzjonijiet fil-knejjes kif ukoll at-
tivitajiet pastorali, kulturali u ekumeniçi
imnebb˙in mill-ispiritwalita’ Pawlina. L-
ewwelnett il-Papa jsemmi pellegrina©©i
ta’ talb lejn il-qabar ta’ San Pawl, laqg˙at
ta’ studju u pubblikazzjonijiet letterarji,
biex wie˙ed jifhem a˙jar it-tag˙lim ta’
San Pawl. F’pajjiΩi barra minn Ruma, speç-
jalment fejn hemm djoçesi jew knejjes id-
dedikati lil San Pawl, il-Papa jirrikmanda li
jsiru attivitajiet f’©ie˙ l-Appostlu tal-Ìnus.
Mela din is-sena ta’ San Pawl g˙andha
Is-Sena ta’ San Pawl
11Salesjana
tkun sena speçjali g˙alina l-Maltin.
Benedettu XVI ifakkar ukoll li aspett par-
tikulari g˙andu jkun l-aspett ekumeniku.
Dan g˙aliex l-Appostlu tal-Ìnus g˙adda
˙ajtu jwassal il-bxara t-tajba lill-©nus
kollha u kien iddedikat b’ru˙u u b’©ismu
g˙all-g˙aqda bejn l-insara kollha.
Ix-xhieda ta’ Pawlu
Bit-t˙abbira ta’ din is-sena Pawlina, il-Papa
qed jistedinna biex nilqg˙u ix-xhieda ta’
Pawlu, dak li rçieva ir-rivelazzjoni ‘tal-
misteru’ ta’ Alla. B’din il-kelma ‘misteru’
Pawlu jrid ifisser mhux biss il-kobor infinit
ta’ Alla, imma l-pro©ett tieg˙u, ma˙sub
u mixtieq minnu sa minn qabel il-˙olq-
ien tad-dinja. ‘Alla iddestinana’ jg˙id San
Pawl, ‘minn qabel kull ˙olqien’. Alla ried
l-umanita’, u li l-umanita’ tasal f’g˙aqda
ma’ Kristu.
Dejjem aktar tfittix
Madankollu, ix-xhieda ta’ Pawlu ma se˙˙itx
f’daqqa wa˙da. Huwa kellu jg˙addi mit-
triq iebsa tal-konverΩjoni, il-˙tie©a tat-talb
u ta’ g˙aqda ©dida mad-dixxipli ta’ Ìesu’,
il-˙tie©a li jaqra mill-©did il-Kotba Mqadd-
sa fid-dawl tal-misteru tal-G˙id. Dan kollu
hu marbut ˙afna mall-˙ajja ta’ kull nisrani.
Meta wie˙ed jag˙ti ru˙u lil Alla jrid ikom-
pli jid˙ol dejjem aktar fil-fond g˙as-smig˙
tal-kelma t’Alla u tal-˙ajja sagramentali.
It-t˙abbir tal-bxara t-tajba
Il-˙ajja ta’ Pawlu tispiçça b’kundanna
g˙all-mewt wara Ωmien fil-˙abs. Li ma
jistax ixandar il-Van©elu g˙al Pawlu huwa
martirju. Pawlu g˙andu ̇ sieb wie˙ed biss:
ma jieqaf qatt ixandar il-verita’ ming˙ajr
ma jfittex mezzi aktar façli jew anqas
perikoluΩi. Ìewwa Ruma kif ukoll fil-vja©©i
missjunarji tieg˙u, dejjem fittex li jiltaqa’
ma’ Lhud b˙alu, wkoll meta dawn daru
kontrieh, dejjem ˙abbar il-bxara t-tajba
tal-Van©elu ji©ri x’ji©ri.
Il-konverΩjoni personali
tag˙na
Meta l-Papa Benedittu jsemmi
pellegrina©©i penitenzjali mhuwiex
qieg˙ed jig˙idilna nimxu ˙afjin jew
in©orru ktajjen, iΩda li g˙andu jkollna
sens ta’ konverΩjoni lejn il-Mulej. Dan
nakkwistawh bl-g˙ajnuna tal-Madonna u
tal-Qaddisin. Il-bidla li g˙andha ssir fina
g˙andha tfisser li nbieg˙du minna dak
kollu li jfixkel l-g˙aqda tag˙na ma’ Alla
fil-˙ajja ta’ kuljum u l-g˙otja ta’ ˙ajjitna
g˙all-©id ta’ l-o˙rajn.
Sabiex nit˙e©©u f’dan, a˙na nistg˙u
ning˙aqdu fiç-çelebrazzjoni ta’ xi funz-
jonijiet li qieg˙din isiru fil-knejjes tag˙na.
L-isqfijiet ta’ Malta u ta’ G˙awdex ˙ab-
bru sensiela ta’ attivitajiet u okkaΩjonijiet
li fihom sejra titfakkar din is-Sena Pawlina.
Kull informazzjoni qieg˙da ti©i m˙abbra
fil-parroççi kollha g˙aliex xi avvenimenti
huma parrokkjali waqt li o˙rajn ser ikunu
fuq livell nazzjonali.
Is-sens ekumeniku
Fl-a˙˙ar nett, jg˙id il-Papa, is-sens eku-
meniku m’g˙andux ikun biss ˙biberija
u assoçjazzjoni ma’ dawk li ftit jew wisq
nafuhom, iΩda tfittix ta’ okkaΩjonijiet
ta’ g˙aqda, anke jekk nafu li hemm dif-
ferenzi bejnietna. F’dan is-sens, il-laqg˙at
ekumeniçi g˙andhom ikunu laqg˙at ta’
talb fejn ilkoll na˙dmu flimkien g˙al dinja
a˙jar ta’ bnedmin ©odda fil-fidi, fit-tama
u fl-im˙aba.
P.L.Giuducci/J.Fonde
Salesjana12
Prophets for young people today
Excerpts from the book “ Crimes of the Inocent” by Fr. Charles Cini S.D.B.
Abridged extracts
The term “prophet” is derived from
the Greek word for someone who
speaks in the name of another. In the
biblical sense, he is someone who has
received a particular mission from God
and is enriched by particular charisma.
He speaks to man in the name of God,
therefore he is His spokesman. It is
erroneous to think that a prophet is
someone who announces the future. A
prophet is a speaker, a herald or better
still, he who is called by God to speak in
His name.
True and False Prophets
It is very clear that the prophet is the
interpreter of God. He proclaims the
words of God to the people. The
prophet sees what God wants to
communicate about the present needs
and future events. The prophet, as
God’s spokesman, does not present
himself to people only to announce,
through words, the divine wishes, but
also to teach and to predict facts which
are usually preceded by strange events
meant to attract their attention and
curiosity.
Parents have received a mission from God:
to speak to their children in His name.
13Salesjana
We have many people who play
the role of prophets to young people
in Malta. Youth in itself is a promise
for the future, so we all look at young
people with a certain interest. The most
important institutions of our society like
the State, the Church and the Family,
are interested in young people. But there
are other organisations more interested
in what they can get rather than in the
young people and their efforts towards
self-realisation.
One of the young people’s problems
today is the truth. Where is the truth or
who has the real truth? At the moment
we are living a culture of crisis and the
first to suffer are the young people. Very
often they are carried away on the spur
of the moment and the decisions they
take do not help them realise themselves
and build their future.
The Family as Prophet
Young people today do not accept half-
measures. They expect any messages
coming from an institution to be very
clear. But do institutions in Malta
respect this expectation? Are they able
to speak clearly? Are they authentic in
the contents of their messages? Are they
false or true prophets to young people
today? A young person in search of
truth goes into a crisis when he realises
he has been deceived.
I think that certain important issues
in the life of young people will always
remain an enigma. They are not faced
because institutions have a lot to lose.
We need to be clear with young people
if we want them to trust us. The family
set-up offers a good example. Everybody
acknowledges the importance of the
role of the family in the formation of
the future of our young people, but
is the family playing the right role for
the children? What type of witness do
children receive from their families? We
know that to educate means to walk
with, to dialogue, to be at the service of,
to love with sacrifice. Why are Maltese
families facing so many problems
today?
Young people must be educated to
feel secure, to be able to choose, to fight
strongly against negative currents. I am
afraid that sometimes parents score very
poorly in ethics and morality. We seem
to have given up the true principles on
Salesjana14
which we used to build our families.
How can we be able to solve many
of the problems we have with young
people if we are unable to instill in their
hearts a real pattern of life based on true
and solid principles?
The Courage to be Prophets
I am thinking of issues like love, sex,
contraception, abortion, marriage,
drugs, alcohol, AIDS. These are issues
which the family very often fails to tackle;
and because young people are weak
by nature they refer to false prophets
for easy solutions to their problems!
Ambiguous ideologies and sometimes
even anticlericalism are misleading.
Even parents have received a mission
from God: to speak to their children in
His name. They have a duty to see to
their future and to interpret the various
difficult situations which young people
will find themselves in. Their task is
to identify the needs and realities of
their children. What a difficult job it is
and how great is their responsibility if
they become false prophets for their
children!
My last question is, “Where do we
want to lead our young people?” I am sure
it is not an easy question, but the more
we are confused the more our young
people will find life awkward. Let us be
sincere with ourselves. Let us shed our
inhibitions. Let us be more dedicated to
our mission. Let us put more sacrifice
in the art of educating our young. Let
us profess what we believe. The great
moment of truth has arrived for each
and every one of us. We must listen to
our conscience which urges us to act
now, to give our young the security
they need, to defend their dignity and
their rights, to offer them the truth.
Prophets for young people today
15Salesjana
It was with zealous expectation
that on last Easter Sunday, 37
eager pilgrims from different
walks of life and ages, joined
forces as one Salesian family to
take off on an experience that
would deeply mark their life.
A return to the land of our Salesian origins,
where we could not only see but experience
firsthand how our rich Salesian heritage
came to be and literally follow Don Bosco’s
footsteps, his mother Mamma Margerita
and St. Domenic Savio our patron saint, and
Don Bosco’s student. It is in the mountainous
and picturesque Piedmont that our Salesian
story finds its origins way back to the 16th
August 1815 when little Johnny Bosco, who
was to become the Father and Teacher of
Youth, was born to Francesco and Margerita
Bosco at the Cascina Biglione at the Becchi.
This is a beautiful little cluster of farmhouses
set in the lush green countryside, two hours
away from the hustle and bustle of Turin. He
was the youngest of three brothers, Antonio
and Giuseppe, but it was he, the little one of
the Bosco family, that was to rock the youth
scene of his time. The first day took us to
Becchi, the hamlet where this great genius
of education dawned on the horizon of life.
experience
of a lifetime
an
Salesjana16
experience
of a
an
It was here, in a loving family environment,
full of sacrifices and difficulties, that Johnny
grew to become a very strong and capable
young man. It was after the premature
loss of his dear father when he was only 2
years old, that Mamma Margerita, took
over completely her boys’ education and
this she did with great fruition because if it
were not for her and the way she helped her
boys, including Johnny, grow and mature,
we would not have had the Don Bosco we
know and love today.
Entering the little Becchi farmhouse and
seeing those tiny poorly furnished rooms,
especially little Giovanni’s bedroom where
at nine years of age, he had already dreamt
what his life would be like in the future, one
was bound to wonder and stand in awe at
God’s ways. God had chosen the humble
when He looked upon this tiny cottage
which was to become the hub of a huge
congregation spread around the four corners
of the Earth. It was like the tiny mustard seed
we read about in the Gospel that grew into
a huge sturdy tree, where hundreds and
thousands of birds, so to speak, from all over
the world, could find solace and refuge.
Other places we visited were Castelnuovo
Don Bosco where Giovanni’s parish Church
is situated. The fabulous Alps clad in pure
white snow, was a reminder of the heights
to which the saints in whose steps we were
treading, reached by doing with great love
the ordinary little things of everyday life. On
this second day of our pilgrimage, we walked
from Becchi to Murialdo, Mondonio and
Capriglio. At Murialdo we visited Domenico
Savio’s family home where his holiness grew
among his hardworking family. His father
Carlo was a blacksmith and his mother
Brigid was an able seamstress. It was also at
Murialdo that we celebrated mass in a quaint
country chapel, where both Don Bosco and
Domenico used to attend mass. It was here
that little Giovanni Bosco used to attend
private lessons from the saintly Don Calosso
who spurred him on to the priesthood by his
example. Mondonio was next on our trek
– it was here that at barely 15 years of age,
ripe with a holy life, Domenico Savio passed
away into the eternal embrace of God our
Father as he exclaimed, “Oh what beauty I
see!”
Capriglio was where Mamma Margerita
lived as a young lady and it was in the parish
church of Capriglio that she wed Francesco
Bosco. Hence, it was here too that all the
couples who were on pilgrimage with
us renewed their love for each other by
renewing their marriage vows.
Throughout most of the week, we
prayed in the evening by the dimly lit Becchi
farmhouse under the myriad of stars that
twinkled brightly high above us. These were
powerful moments of deep recollection,
pregnant silence and heartfelt prayer as we
reflected on each day’s events and sh red
and prayed with one another. We were
indeed in the presence of Greatness!
We went to the town of Chieri where
Johnny Bosco went to school and then
entered the Seminary to study for the
priesthood. Valdocco, in the heart of Turin
city, was next in line. Here stands the
Motherhouse of all the Salesians spread
around the world. Don Bosco started his
oratory in the restored tiny shed given to
him by Signor Pinardi. On Easter Sunday,
12th April 1846 Don Bosco celebrated his first
mass with his dear boys, most of them poor,
famished and abandoned street urchins. It
was in the basilica in honour of Our Lady
Help of Christians, which Don Bosco built
with the help of hundreds of benefactors,
...God had chosen the humble
when He looked upon this
tiny cottage which was to
become the hub of a huge
congregation...
17Salesjana
e
lifetime
that we celebrated our third mass. Here lay
the bodies of Don Bosco, Domenico Savio
and Maria Mazzarello, the peasant girl from
Genova, with whom Don Bosco co-founded
the Salesian Sisters. It was literally like
meeting Don Bosco face to face and indeed
such an encounter left us all speechless. The
magnetism of Don Bosco can still be felt
even by just looking at him lying in his glass
tomb.
We walked through the wide streets of
Turin towards the Consolata Church – so
dear to Don Bosco and his mother and the
final resting place for his saintly confessor
Fr. Giuseppe Cafasso. The Turin Duomo
followed, where we saw the replica of the
Turin Shroud that is jealously kept within
this church. Next we visited the Church of
St. Francis of Assisi, in whose sacristy on
the 8th December 1841, the young priest
John Bosco started his work with youth by
reciting a simple Hail Mary with the young
Bartolomeo Garelli, who had come into the
sacristy to keep out of the bitter cold.
The Alps never looked so ravishingly
majestic and inviting than on Friday, our
fifth day of the pilgrimage when we visited
Sestriere, famous for the winter Olympics.
We relished the beauty of the snow-clad
mountains and slid on sledges to the delight
of both young and not so young! Indeed,
the infectious Salesian spirit had smitten
all of us and rekindled the child within the
hearts of all pilgrims. We visited Pinerolo
where one of our past pupils, Robert Falzon,
is studying to become a Salesian together
with other youths from Europe. Here the
group played football with these young
men and celebrated their runaway victory as
if it were a ‘partitissima’ of the Champions
league!
Finally our pilgrimage came to a pleasant
close at the picturesque village of Mornese,
two hours away from Becchi, in the region
of Liguria. There, we visited the hub of the
Salesian Sisters and the house where their
foundress St. Maria Domenica Mazzarello
lived both here at Mornese and later at the
Valponasca farmhouse, famous for the attic
window from where as a young woman she
used to pray and adore Jesus whom she
knew was exposed in the Blessed Sacrament
in the parish church she could see beyond
the valley.
Alas! All good things come to an end as
time whizzes by so fast when one is having
fun… this wonderful Salesian pilgrimage has
surely left an indelible mark on the hearts
of all those who joined us. It was a time of
self discovery and growth through prayer,
masses, hikes, games, sledging, etc. Sure
enough, this has now become an annual
event within our school calendar as we have
discovered that returning to the land of our
Salesian origins, revitalises us all to the core
and gives us stamina to further carry the
torch of love that Don Bosco sparked and
ignited into a flame way back in his time.
By doing so, we remain faithful to the rich
Salesian heritage we are proud to bear, a
heritage that through reason, religion and
loving kindness can bring out the best from
one and all… including you and me.
Fr. Sandro Camilleri sdb
Headmaster
Salesjana18
Something to think
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friend’s face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
19Salesjana
about…
Regrets
‘Tomorrow’ I say! ‘I will call on Jim
Just to show that I’m thinking of him.’
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away.
‘Here’s a telegram sir,’ ‘Jim died today.’
And that’s what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
Remember to always say what you mean. If you love some-
one, tell them. Don’t be afraid to express yourself. Reach
out and tell someone what they mean to you. Because
when you decide that it is the right time it might be too
late. Seize the day. Never have regrets. And most impor-
tantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have
helped make you the person that you are today.
Salesjana20
Ûag˙Ωug˙
Ûag˙Ωug˙a
Kellem, ikteb jew çempel lil :
Sr. Elsa Gretter’s FMA
20, Republic Street,
Victoria VCT 1012
Tel. 21556614
fmagozo@yahoo.com
Fr. Louis Grech SDB
Savio College,
Buskett Road,
Dingli DGL 2702
Tel. 21454546
louismgrech@yahoo.com
vocations.salesiansmalta.org
G˙addejt xi ˙in fit-talb dwar dan?
Qatt ˙sibt bis-serjetà jekk tridx issir reli©juΩa jew reli©juΩ?
Óassejt xi darba xewqa li ssir g˙alliema jew g˙alliem?
Qatt ©ie f’mo˙˙ok li forsi tista’ ssir edukattriçi jew edukatur Salesjan?
Tkellimt xi darba fuq dan ma’ min jista’ jmexxik u jispjegalek?
21Salesjana
The Maltese Salesian Past Pupils of Victoria,
celebrated their Annual Charity Ball, in aid of
the Salesian Missions, under the patronage
of the Consul General of Malta Mrs. Angele
Azzopardi and Mr. Azzopardi. The welcom-
ing drinks and the hors d’oeuvre soothed the
outside chill and turned the occasion into a
warm and friendly evening for everyone.
The Official Opening:
The President of the Past Pupils Association,
Mr. Joe Portelli, welcomed Mrs.& Mr. A.
Azzopardi, other distinguished guests, Past
Presidents of the Association and all mem-
bers present. The Maltese and Australian
anthems were played and sung. Members
and guests then joined Fr. Joe Pulis SDB, our
Chaplain, in thanking the Lord for laying for
us a night of friendship and entertainment.
Formalities:
Towards the end of the dinner, the music,
the dancing, the eating and the drinks, had
to rest for a few moments to make way to the
formalities for the night. In his speech, Mr.
Portelli thanked everyone for their support
and explained the work of our association.
Whilst other associations raise funds for so-
cial activities or to celebrate the village festa,
keeping to the Maltese tradition and culture,
our association raises funds to help Salesian
Missions working with disadvantaged chil-
dren in Third World countries. Replying to
the speech, Mrs. Azzopardi praised the char-
ity work the President and his committee are
doing to help these children and thanked
the association for inviting her and her hus-
band to be part of such a good cause.
Time to say goodbye
Time passed, and at one o’clock in the
morning the band had to come to a halt.
The Cheerio’s awoke and it was some time
later before silence fell inside the hall. Once
again our annual charity event had been
successfully organized thanks to our enthu-
siastic committee.
The Charity Ball
The Annual event by the Past Pupils of Victoria, Australia
The Committee of the Association
Mrs. A. Azzopardi thanking the committee
Salesjana22
23Salesjana
Kull meta nersaq lejh dejjem kien
jitbissimli u jipprova jifhem dak li nkun
qed ng˙idlu, bit-tbatija iva, g˙ax jien
kien ikolli ng˙ajjat u hu jwe©ibni bil-
le˙en ©entili tieg˙u.
G˙addew snin qabel ma jiena ndunajt
li jien stajt nag˙mel xi ˙a©a sewwa biex
ng˙inu. Darba ©ietni l-idea li nipprova
nda˙˙lu fl-iskola tas-snajja! Qatt qabel,
ma kien da˙al xi tifel b’diΩabbilità b˙al
Ravi. B’fer˙ kbir tag˙na lkoll huwa ©ie
aççettat u po©©ut fil-˙anut tal-˙jata.
Barra dan, ©ibnilu apparat tas-smig˙
g˙al widnejh ˙alli j˙ossu personalment
aktar kuntent bih innifsu.
Wara sentejn ta˙ri© fil-˙anut tal-
˙ajjata, Ravi kien kapaçi j˙it u ja˙dem
tajjeb ̇ afna, fuq il-makna. Beda jag˙mel
kull qies ta’ qliezet, qomos u lbiesi.
Óadem ukoll l-uniformijiet g˙at-tfal ta’
l-iskola. Kien tassew barka g˙alina li
kellna lil Ravi fis-seng˙a. Kollu paçenzja
kien jilqa’ talbiet g˙al tiswijiet u rqajja’
f’kull xorta ta’ ˙wejje©. Dejjem kwiet u
mbissem. Qatt imdejjaq jew irrabjat!
Imbag˙ad ©urnata wa˙da, xi xhur
ilu, Ravi talabni xi mediçina g˙ax
qabditu sog˙la qawwija u ˙ass sidru
mblukkat. Jiena sibtlu flixkun mistura
kontra s-sog˙la. Imma fil-g˙axija re©a’
©ie jfittixni. “In˙ossni marid wisq…
a˙jar immur l-isptar…” Ûew©t itfal ta’
l-iskola g˙enuh jid˙ol fil-karozza u minn
jeddhom offrew li jibqg˙u mieg˙u l-
isptar.
Is-sorijiet g˙arfu li kien kaΩ serju ta’
bronkite u seta’ jiΩviluppa f’polmonite.
Da˙˙luh malajr. Matul il-lejl deher
mistrie˙ tajjeb imma l-g˙ada fil-g˙odu
g˙al xi l-g˙axra, it-tfal ©ew jg˙iduli li
Ravi qaleb g˙all-ag˙ar f’daqqa u miet.
Il-quddiesa g˙al ru˙ Ravi, li twieled
g˙all-˙ajja ta’ dejjem, saret minna lkoll
fil-Missjoni - nies, studenti, g˙alliema,
sorijiet u jien. Wara l-funzjoni imxejna
wara xulxin b’qalbna maqsuma, lejn l-
eqreb bosk. Sibna post adattat u hemm
it-tfal ̇ affru qabar g˙all-ma˙bub tag˙na
Ravi. NiΩΩilnieh fih u g˙attejna kollox bil-
©ebel kbir u bi frieg˙i bix-xewk fil-wiçç.
Dan biex it-tigri u ix-xakalli li j˙ufu bil-
lejl ma jkollhomx çans jag˙mlu ˙erba u
j˙affru g˙alih. Ma ridniex li ji©ri dan lil
Ravi tag˙na. Kul˙add ̇ ass it-telfa tieg˙u.
Fl-istess waqt kienet konsolazzjoni kbira
g˙alina li kellna ru˙ g˙aΩiΩa fil-©enna
titlob g˙alina.
“L-erwie˙ tal-©usti huma f’idejn Alla, u l-
ebda tbatija ma til˙aqhom”
(G˙erf 3:1)
Salesjana24
Konna fil-˙in, iΩda t-teatru kien di©a
mimli daqs bajda. Fil-bieb sellimna ’l
xi ˙bieb Salesjani li dlonk, bit-tbissima,
dawn s˙abna wasluna f’postna. Ìejna
mog˙tija kopja ta’ programm li meta
˙arist lejh, ming˙ajr ma ridt, ˙adni mitt
ta’ Tifkira
Wa˙da mill-okkaΩjonijiet sabiex
ji©i ççelebrat iç-çentinarju tal-
bidu ta’ l-Oratorju tas-Salesjani
f’Tas-Sliema, kien il-Kunçert
Korali/orkestrali. Dan sar nhar
il-10 ta’ Mejju 2008 biex ifakkar
il-ftu˙ tat-Teatru Salesjan mitt
sena qabel.
sena lura! Il-faççata kienet ‘replika’ tal-
programm or©inali li kien ©ie ppubblikat
fil-10 ta’ Mejju 1908. Dak inhar kien
hemm biss t˙aΩΩiΩa bil-lapes ta’ dik il-
pittura ta’ Calì li llum iΩΩejjen il-palk tal-
Juventutis Domus, jew kif huwa mag˙ruf
a˙jar it-‘Teatru Salesjan’.
L-imma©inazzjoni bdiet tilg˙ab xi
ftit bija, g˙aliex filwaqt li bdejt n˙ares
madwari, u nilma˙ xi ˙bieb antiki, ma
rajt l-ebda mara liebsa b’xi kappell kbir,
kif kienet il-moda fil-bidu tas-seklu li
g˙adda. Meta ©ie nawgurat it-teatru
ma kienx komplut kif inhu llum. G˙andi
nifhem li d-dwal kienu limitati u minn xi
ritratti li ©ew f’idejja, niddubita jekk il-
25Salesjana
palk kienx imsaqqaf! Bdejt nimma©ina
u nit˙asseb kif f’dak inhar tal-ftu˙, Don
Vincenzo Urso kien irnexxielu jpo©©i fuq
dak il-palk orkestra u kor b’erba’ vuçijiet,
li kienu jg˙oddu madwar 200 ru˙.
It-tiΩjin tal-palk g˙al din l-okkaΩjoni
dlonk re©a ©abni fir-realità meta b’ittri
kbar qrajt is-snin 1908- 2008. Tabil˙aqq
mitt sena ta’ attività kulturali ©ewwa dan
it-teatru! IΩda dik il-lejla, ma konniex
biss qeg˙din niççelebraw il-ftuh tat-
teatru, iΩda l-bidu ta’ attività ta’ tag˙lim
soçjali, kulturali, log˙ob u mog˙dija
taΩ-Ωmien fil-kumpless Salesjan ©ewwa
tas-Sliema. Fil-fond, il-kwadru ta’ Dun
Bosco mΩejjen b’mod artistiku – kwadru
©ewwa kwadru-donnu ried jg˙idilna li l-
stampa mhux kompluta….hemm ˙afna
xog˙ol li g˙ad irid issir!
Is-serata bdiet bl-innu ta’ Don Bosco
li tkanta bit-Taljan, il-lingwa li kienet
tintuΩa’ iΩjed f’dawk iΩ-Ωminijiet. Fr.
Paul Formosa ta mer˙ba lill-President
Emeritus, il-Professur Gwido Demarco,
’il-mistiednin speçjali, kif ukoll lil dawk
kollha li ng˙aqdu mag˙na dik il-lejla. Fil-
qosor huwa semma’ l-attività ©ewwa dan
il-kumpless u spjega li ming˙ajr g˙eruq
u ˙sieb,kif ukoll dedikazzjoni kontinwa,
ma setg˙etx din il-˙olma titwettaq.
G˙andna n˙arsu’ l quddiem sabiex ix-
xog˙ol li nbeda tant snin ilu jitkompla
g˙all-©id tat-tfal u Ωg˙aΩag˙ Maltin.
F’din l-okkaΩjoni taç-çentinarju, is-
Salesjani u l-organizzaturi xtaqu jag˙tu
rigal lill-membri ta’ l-Atturi Salesjani li
normalment jie˙du ˙sieb sabiex itellg˙u
l-programmi tal-palk, kif ukoll lill-˙bieb
u lill-benefatturi. G˙alhekk ©ie mistieden
l-Amadeus Choir u l-orkestra li, ta˙t id-
direzzjoni tas-surmast Brian Cefai, fl-
ewwel parti tal-kunçert tana diversi siltiet
klassiçi u operistiçi mill-isba˙, li kul˙add
tg˙axxaq bihom.
Wie˙ed ma setax ma jinnotax l-
emozzjoni tal-‘Comperes’ tas-serata, Rita
Camilleri u Paul De Bono, li bejn numru
u ie˙or, tawna tag˙rif fuq il-filantropu
Alfons Maria Galea, li kien strumentali
biex inbena t-teatru u l-kumpless kollu
f’Tas-Sliema fejn il-˙olma li kellu setg˙et
tassew issir realtà. Huma qalulna fil-qosor
b’xi ˙idmiet li wettaq dan il-bniedem
twajjeb li kellu viΩjoni çara ta’ dak li fassal
f’mo˙hu. Kien ukoll kittieb tajjeb, viçin
tal-˙addiem.
Fid-diskors tieg˙u wara l-intervall,
Fr. Victor Mangion, id-delegat tal-
Provinçjal, laqqag˙na mill-qrib ma’
Don Vincenzo Urso, l-ewwel Direttur,
Salesjana26
u g˙arrafna kif kien ing˙ata bidu g˙all-
bini ta’ dan it-teatru u l-kumpless ta’
madwaru. Semma’ l-kultura ta’ dak
iΩ-Ωmien u b’mod tassew interessanti
da˙˙alna fl-istorja u fl-istampa taç-
çirkostanzi tal-bidu tas-seklu. Uriena
mbag˙ad kif fis-snin sittin u sebg˙in,
it-teatru sar kumpless taç-çinema. IΩda
fil-waqt li l-attività fuq il-palk majnat
xi ftit, xorta l-membri tal-G˙aqda San
Genesio ssoktat bl-attività tag˙ha kull
meta setg˙et. Fis-snin sebg˙in l-isem
tal-g˙aqda drammatika residenti nbidel
f-‘Atturi Salesjani’, u dawn issa jtellg˙u 5
produzzjonijiet ta’ klassi kull sta©un.
It-tieni parti tal-programm kienet
tikkonsisti f’diversi numri minn musicals
popolari fejn l-udjenza kienet fis-seba’
sema tkanta f’qalbha dawk il-melodiji
x’aktarx iΩjed tal-widna.
Il-Professur Gwido Demarco g˙alaq
il-program b’kelmtejn xierqa g˙all-
okkaΩjoni. Huwa qabbel l-istorja tal-
muΩika matul is-snin mal-qag˙da
politika ta’ pajjiΩna mill-bidu tas-
seklu g˙oxrin sal-lum. “M’a˙niex
niççelebraw biss l-mitt sena mill-ftu˙ ta’
dan it-teatru, iΩda mitt sena ta’ progress
soçjali u kulturali”, huwa qal, fil-waqt li
semma’ l-kisbiet tal-poplu Malti matul
dan l-a˙˙ar seklu.
Fr.Victor ippreΩenta trofew ta’ l-
okkaΩjoni lill-President Emeritus Gwido
Demarco, lil Mons. Caputo, in-Nunzio
tal-Vatican g˙al Malta kif ukoll lil Joe
Busuttil, forsi l-aktar membru anzjan, li
55 sena ilu b˙ala Ωag˙Ωug˙ ˙ajjat, kien
˙a ˙sieb ifassal u j˙it il-purtiera li g˙ada
sal-lum iΩΩejjen il-palk Salesjan.
Mons. T. Caputo g˙alaq is-serata
billi fa˙˙ar l-attività kollha u l-karisma
Salesjana li huwa jaf li tista’ tiltaqa’
mag˙ha fl-erbat irjie˙ tad-dinja. Paul
Debono fil-waqt li xtaq lil kul˙add il-lejl
it-tajjeb, awgura li ner©g˙u niltaqg˙u
mitt-sena o˙ra…. Min jaf?
27Salesjana
Dawn l-a˙˙ar snin, daqs 20 sena issa,
is-Salesjani ta’ l-Oratorju ta’ Tas-Sliema
jiççelebraw, nhar is-7 ta’ Ìunju, Jum l-
Oratorju. Dan g˙aliex kien fis-7 ta’ Ìunju
1908 li l-ewwel Salesjani kienu fet˙u l-bieb
ta’ l-Oratorju g˙at-tfal. Matul dawn il-
100 sena li g˙addew dan il-‘bieb’ qatt ma
ng˙alaq. Kien xieraq g˙alhekk li din id-data
tkun wa˙da minn dawk mag˙Ωula sabiex
fiha ssir xi wa˙da mill-festi li qieg˙din ji©u
ççelebrati matul din is-Sena Çentinarja.
Tliet mumenti importanti ©ew iççelebrati
f’lejla wa˙da, appuntu il-lejla tas-7 ta’ Ìunju
2008, u dan sar kollu fil-miftu˙, fil-bit˙a ta’
l-Oratorju.
1) Quddiesa ta’ Ringrazzjament. F’din
iç-çelebrazzjoni qaddisa ˙adu sehem
15- il Saçerdot Salesjan. Iç-çelebrant
kien il-Provinçjal Fr. John Horan, li ©ie
Malta apposta g˙all-okkaΩjoni. Dan kien
meg˙jun mis-Superjur Delegat Fr. Victor
Mangion u mid-Direttur ta’ l-Oratorju Fr.
Paul Formosa. Fost il-folla numeruΩa ta’
‘Past Pupils’, ̇ bieb ta’ l-Oratorju, ©enituri
tat-tfal u-Ωg˙aΩag˙ kien hemm ukoll il-
Ministru ta’ l-Edukazzjoni u Kultura, l-
Onor. Dolores Cristina. Inqraw xi diskorsi
ta’ tifkira u ta’ ringrazzjament.
2) Kxif u Tberik ta’ Lapida.
Immedjatament wara l-quddiesa il-
Ministru ©iet mistiedna tikxef lapida ta’
l-ir˙am li tfakkar il-100 sena mil-ftu˙ ta’
l-Oratorju. Il-kliem ifakkar mhux biss lis-
Salesjani imma wkoll lil ˙afna lajçi li bi
spirtu ta’ koperazzjoni, f’dawn il-100
sena, taw sehemhom g˙all- formazzjoni
ta’ mijiet ta’ Ωg˙aΩag˙. Il-Provinçjal
imbag˙ad bierek din il-lapida.
3) Il-Musical “Jisimni Giovanni”. Dan
il-musical, ori©inalment bit-Taljan,
©ie maqlub g˙all-Malti minn Fr. Effie
Bezzina u mtella’ g˙all-ewwel darba
b’suççess kbir fl-Oratorju Dun Bosco
f’Victorja, G˙awdex. F’din l-okkaΩjoni
f’Tas-Sliema, daqs 70 tfal u Ωg˙aΩag˙,
im˙arr©in u meg˙junin mill-membri l-
kbar ta’ l-‘Atturi Salesjani’, ipproduçew
spettaklu ferrie˙i, ˙aj, kulurit u mimli
entuΩjaΩmu. Dak li deher fuq il-palk
kien ikkomplimentat b’ effetti ta’ dwal
u muΩika tassew professjonali m˙addma
minn Ωg˙aΩag˙ oratorjani o˙ra li taw
sehemhom ming˙ajr heda g˙al ˙afna
jiem ta’ t˙ejjija.
Kienet serata tassew ‘Salesjana’ li sejra tibqa’
fil-memorja tag˙na.
Jum l-Oratorju 2008
Fr. Joe Cini SDB
Salesjana28
One day a teacher asked her students
to list the names of the other students in
the room on two sheets of paper, leaving
a space between each name. Then she
told them to think of the nicest thing they
could say about each of their classmates
and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class
period to finish their assignment,
and as the students left the room,
each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the teacher wrote down
the name of each student on a separate
sheet of paper, and listed what everyone
else had said about that individual.
On Monday she gave each student his or
her list. Before long, the entire class was
smiling. “Really?” she heard whispered.
“I never knew that I meant anything to
anyone!” and, “I didn’t know others liked
me so much.” These were most of the
comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers
in class again. She never knew if they
discussed them after class or with their
parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise
had accomplished its purpose. The students
were happy with themselves and one
another. That group of students moved on.
Several years later, one of the students
was killed in a military mission and his
teacher attended the funeral of that
special student. She had never seen a
serviceman in a military coffin before.
He looked so handsome, so mature.
The church was packed with his friends.
One by one those who loved him took a
last walk by the coffin. The teacher was
the last one to touch the coffin. As she
stood there, one of the soldiers who acted
as pallbearer came up to her. “Were you
Mark’s teacher?” he asked. She nodded:
“yes.” Then he said: “Mark talked about
you a lot.”
Sow love & you will reap love
Sow love & you will reap loveSow love & you will reap love
Sow love & you will reap love
Sow love & you
will reap love
29Salesjana
Mark’s mother and father were
there, obviously waiting to speak with
his teacher. “We want to show you
something,” his father said, taking a
wallet out of his pocket. “They found
this on Mark when he was killed. We
thought you might recognize it.”
Opening the billfold, he carefully
removed two worn pieces of notebook
paper that had obviously been taped,
folded and refolded many times. The
teacher knew without looking that the
papers were the ones on which she
had listed all the good things each of
Mark’s classmates had said about him.
“Thank you so much for doing
that,” Mark’s mother said. “As
you can see, Mark treasured it.”
All of Mark’s former classmates started
to gather around. Charlie smiled rather
sheepishly and said, “I still have my list.
It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.”
Chuck’s wife said, “Chuck asked me
to put his in our wedding album.”
“I have mine too,” Marilyn said “It’s
in my diary.” Then Vicki, another
classmate, reached into her pocketbook,
took out her wallet and showed her
worn and frazzled list to the group “I
carry this with me at all times,” Vicki
said and without batting an eyelash, she
continued: “I think we all saved our lists.”
That’s when the teacher finally sat down
and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his
friends who would never see him again
The density of people in society is so thick
that we forget that life will end one day. And
we don’t know when that one day will be.
So please, tell the people you love
and care for, that they are special and
important. Tell them, before it is too late.
Remember, you reap what you sow. What
you put into the lives of others comes back
into your own.
Salesjana30
PASSION
By Renzo Allegri
The Mystic of the
The life and spirituality of Alessandrina
Maria da Costa, the Portuguese woman
who was bed-ridden for over 30 years
and for the last thirteen years lived on
the Eucharist alone. Alessandrina was a
Salesian Co-operator, and her spiritu-
al director was the Salesian priest,
Fr.Umberto Pasquale
Fr. Alessandrina’s Vocation
In 1995, Alessandrina was declared
Venerable. The confirmation of a miracle,
which is currently under examination, is
all that is needed for the completion of
the beatification stage of the process of
canonisation.
As the General Postulator for the
Causes of Salesian Saints, Fr. Pasquale
Liberatore mentioned in last month’s article,
Alessandrina was a mystic who participated
physically in Christ’s suffering on the Cross.
Fr. Liberatore confirms: “At 21 years old she
became bedridden through illness and she
remained there for 30 years until her death.
She was incapable of making any movement
as if she were nailed to the cross.”
As a young girl she had a cheerful and
independent character. She loved to laugh
and joke. She had a strong and healthy
body. On Holy Saturday in 1918, when
she was just 14 years old, she threw herself
from the window of her house to escape a
rapist and injured her spinal cord. She tried
everything possible to heal herself for she
loved life, but to no avail. On the contrary
her condition worsened, and in 1925, she
became completely paralysed and was
forced to remain bedridden. She was 21
years old. It wasn’t easy to resign herself to
her fate.
Alessandrina’s Suffering
As medicine was unable to help her, she
tried to receive a healing through a miracle.
She prayed and she requested prayers. She
even participated in pilgrimages but without
any success. Little by little she began to
understand that the Lord was calling her to
an extraordinary and difficult mission that
she generously accepted.
She thus began to be part of the
impenetrable mystery of ‘suffering which
redeems,’ of the mystery of the passion and
death of Christ as the way to Salvation and
to Resurrection. From then on, her will was
to live in union with the suffering of Christ
for the salvation of the world.
It was Christ who moulded and guided
her on the road to ascetic and mystical
theology. Thus began her interior dialogues,
spiritual intuition, conversations with
invisible entities and visions. Contact with
the supernatural became stronger and more
31Salesjana
frequent. She even began to visibly manifest
signs of Christ’s Passion, which never failed
to bewilder both believers and unbelievers,
and yet which are common during the
earthly existence of many saints, especially
those known as ‘mystics’.
As written in her ‘Diaries’ at the beginning
of September 1934, Alessandrina began to
feel that Jesus was asking her to let herself be
crucified in a concrete manner. It was when
she consented that demonic persecution
began. The Evil Spirit tormented her in every
way possible, even using physical violence.
He used to hit her and throw her from her
bed. Her sister Diolinda who slept in the
bed next to her, used to put her back in her
bed, and Satan used to make her fly over her
sister’s bed and back onto the floor again. At
the end of these battles, Alessandrina’s body
was covered with bruises and bites.
Living Christ’s Passion
From 1936 to 1937, the physical and moral
sufferings of Alessandrina increased. In
1938, she began to ‘live’ Christ’s passion in
a real and physical way. The phenomenon
manifested itself for the first time on 3rd
October 1938 and repeated itself every Friday
from 12 o’clock until 3.00 p.m. Alessandrina
used to enter into a state of ecstasy, a sort of
trance, and she re-lived the various stages of
Christ’s Passion, as recounted by the Gospel.
Her physical sufferings began to increase
the day before, on Thursday and further
increased during the night and the following
morning, reaching a peak on Friday from 12
until 3p.m.
There are several accounts written by
witnesses who observed these things. There
is evidence on film and several photographs.
At midday, Alessandrina used to get out
of bed. Nobody knew how she managed,
because she had been an invalid since 1925.
Yet in the period when she ‘re-lived’ the
passion, she moved as if her disability didn’t
exist. When she got out of bed, she lay flat on
the floor with her arms by her side and she
remained in that position absorbed in prayer,
like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. At
a certain point, she assumed a kneeling
position. Raising her eyes to heaven, she
opened her hands as a sign of acceptance.
She then lay down again on the floor and
returned to her knees, repeating the same
movements. She did this three times. The
agony in the garden was long and painful.
Alessandrina used to emit deep groans and
she could be heard sobbing.
Then followed a kind of re-living of all
the other phases of Christ’s Passion: the
arrest by the Roman soldiers, the trial before
Pilate, the whipping, the crown of thorns,
the journey to Calvary and the crucifixion.
Alessandrina actually suffered very cruelly.
Those present, priests, laypeople, and
doctors watched worriedly as she grew pale
and sweaty with her hair stuck to her head.
At the end of the phenomenon, her body
was covered with bruises. (To be continued)
Salesjana32
As part of its mission that
strives towards a holistic
formation of young people,
SPYS encourages volunteering
both in Malta, in Europe
and in other countries.
Volunteering is about giving
and especially about giving
time to other people.
SPYS believes that volunteering not only
opens the mind of young people but also
helps them in their personal growth and
journey of life, and therefore encourages
them to indulge in volunteering
experiences. Over the past three years,
SPYS has developed this objective and
has created an arm within SPYS to work
exclusively on this objective - SPYS.int
SPYS.int is mostly made up of ex-
volunteers who want to share their
experience with others and encourage
them to do this life-changing experience.
Volunteering SPYSthrough
33Salesjana
So far, 13 volunteers have worked in
Salesian child-labour projects in India
and three others in Kenya on a month-
long project as SPYS joined forces with
‘Kare4Kenya’. This year SPYS.int is
preparing another 14 young people to
embark on this experience. Volunteering
in India is not done within a group, but
is rather an individual experience, since
projects do not usually host more than
3 volunteers. SPYS.int makes sure that
volunteers are well-prepared for such
an experience since it is a life-changing
one that makes people face things and
situations far different from those faced at
home, and the many other things besides
the fact of just going to a foreign country
to help other people.
Preparation starts in October at team-
level and anyone interested in volunteering
abroad is then invited to an information
meeting prepared by the ex-volunteers.
Sessions will then follow to prepare the
volunteers to deal with certain particular
moments which he/she may encounter
whilst being there, like loneliness, cultural
differences, team building and creativity.
This year, SPYS.int is exploring
other Salesian projects in South Africa
while two of its members will be visiting
projects in Ghana. Through European
Voluntary Service (EVS) of the ‘Youth in
Action’ Programme, as well as through
other Salesian organisations, members
of the ‘Don Bosco Youth-Net’ (DBYN)
various SPYS members will also be doing
voluntary work on Salesian playgrounds
and children’s camps around Europe,
namely Slovakia, Spain, Belgium and the
Netherlands.
With “int” being the word for “you”
in Maltese, SPYS.int is meant to be an
INTernational service for all of YOUth.
For more information, visit the website:
http://www.spysmalta.org/spysint - or
contact us on: spysint@spysmalta.org
Salesjana34
ON THE 150 ANNIVERSARY OF THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY AT LOURDES
Bishop’s Decision
On 18th January 1862, after three years of
deliberation by the Diocesan Bishop’s commission of
enquiry, the Bishop pronounced his decision as the
Ecclesiastical Head of the place, “We judge that MARY
IMMACULATE, MOTHER OF GOD, really did
appear to Bernadette Soubirous, on eighteen occasions
from 11th February 1858 at the Grotto of Massabielle,
near the town of Lourdes; that these apparitions bear
the characteristics of truth; that the faithful can believe
them as true. We humbly submit our judgement to the
judgement of the Sovereign Pontiff, who is responsible
for governing the Universal Church.” This simple,
short statement opened the way for the legitimising
and facilitating of veneration to Our Lady in Lourdes,
formally celebrated on her Feast day on 11th February.
By this recognition, Bernadette hoped that attention
would be taken off her, and allow her to live a ‘normal’
life, in whatever form that might take.
From “Lourdes” by D.Baldwin – CTS –
Don Bosco,
Inti kont imqanqal mill‐Ispirtu s‐Santu,
bl‐g˙ajnuna ta’ Ommna Marija,
sabiex tag˙ti sehmek g˙as‐salvazzjoni taΩ‐Ωg˙aΩag˙.
Inti kont mog˙ti lilna mill‐Mulej b˙ala missier u g˙alliem,
u tajtna pro©ett mill‐isba˙ g˙all‐ ˙ajja
fil‐motto tieg˙ek “Ag˙tini l‐erwie˙ u Ωomm li jibqa’ ”.
Imnebba˙ minn Alla, int g˙addejtilna
spirtu ewlieni ta’ ˙ajja u ta’ ˙idma,
li l‐qalba tag˙hom hija l‐karita` pastorali.
Ag˙mel li qalbna tkun imkebbsa
bin‐nar tal‐˙e©©a u qawmien evan©eliku
sabiex inkunu sinjali kredibbli ta’ l‐im˙abba ta’ Alla
g˙aΩ‐Ωg˙aΩag˙.
Ag˙mel li nag˙rfu nilqg˙u b’serenita` u fer˙
il‐˙ti©ijiet ta’ kuljum u s‐sagrifiççji tal‐˙idma tag˙na
g˙all‐glorja ta’ Alla u s‐salvazzjoni ta’ l‐erwie˙.
Ag˙mel li l‐Kapitlu Generali jg˙inna
insa˙˙u l‐identita` kariΩmatika tag˙na
u jqajjem fina ˙e©©a apostolika.
Amen.
Talba lil San Ìwann Bosco
(Fl‐okkaΩjoni tal‐Kapitlu Ìenerali tas‐Salesjani)
c/
o
St
. P
at
ric
k’
s
Sc
ho
ol
,
Tr
iq
S
an
Ì
w
an
n
Bo
sc
o,
Sl
ie
m
a
SL
M
1
92
5,
M
al
ta
.
N
EW
SP
A
PE
R
P
O
ST
