T H E S A L E S I A N B U L L E T I N • Y E A R 1 1 7 • I S S U E 3 • A U T U M N 2 0 0 9DON BOSCO
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E S A L E S I A N F A M I L Y
DON BOSCO TODAY
2 DONBOSCOTODAY
Editorial >>
On the 18th December this
year, we celebrate the 150th
anniversary of the foundation of
the Salesians by Don Bosco in
1859. One of those first Salesians
was John Cagliero who became
a great Salesian missionary.
This edition of Don Bosco Today
has a distinct missionary flavour; even Bosco Bear has
ventured far afield and appreciated the joys of Africa,
meeting the exotic animals of that continent. However
the new reality is that we don’t need to go abroad to
find missionary territory; for our own country is now
missionary territory - in need of evangelisation. As Fr
Chavez reminds us Christianity is not a label, but a way
of life.
Where do we begin? The article entitled Zongo Therapy
suggests an answer to this question; it ends with
the significant words Begin with the young. This is
the characteristic feature of the Salesian missionary
approach.
Reading through the articles in this magazine, I am sure
you will notice how the young people who volunteer to
help in our Salesian works in other countries benefit so
much from the experience. Although the children they
meet may lack so many of what are regarded as the
modern necessities of life, they are richer in so many
other ways and their cheerfulness is contagious.
Our Salesian way of working must always be the way of
welcome, accepting young people as they are; where they
are; in the hope of travelling with them in community, as
Jesus did on the road to Emmaus. Our Salesian Sisters
have just celebrated 50 years in Liverpool; imagine how
many families have felt the benefit of their friendship and
the education they have provided over those years.
On the 3rd October, at a meeting of teachers from our
Salesian schools, we launched a new kind of prayer book
for young people. We have called it Swatch&Pray since
the format is a swatch of 60 reflections and prayers. We
are hoping that this will be more than just a gimmick and
will help young people reflect on their lives prayerfully.
Should you have a friend who you know would like to
receive a copy of Don Bosco Today by post, please
email their address to joyce@salesians.org.uk. Finally,
may I thank you all for your support and generosity, your
Salesian kindness does so much good.
Tony Bailey SDB
a.bailey@salesians.org.uk
Contents
4-5 It all began with a
letter from a friend to
a friend
50th Anniversary of the
Salesian Sisters’ work in
Liverpool
1959 – 2009
6-7 Life after Pasil
Every day I remember the
smiles of my friends in Pasil.
Thank you. I am humbled by
your love.
8 I escaped from
Czechoslovakia to be
a missionary
It was an adventure that
marked out my missionary
vocation.
9-12 Bosco Bear
Under African Skies
Plus . . . Discovering Africa
wordsearch competition.
13 Swatch&Pray
Simple activities and
reflections and prayers for
young people.
14-15 Christianity is not a
label but a way of life
Coinciding with the 150th
anniversary of the Founding
of the Salesian Congregation,
this year’s missionary
expedition has a particular
significance for us.
4
6 10
13
DONBOSCOTODAY 3
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SALESIAN MISSIONS
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Tel 020 7924 2733
Email: donbosco@btconnect.com
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Provincial Office
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London SW16 3HG
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ARTWORK
Val O’Brien
GRAPHICS
ANS ROMA
www.fotolia.com
Peter Gaskell
CHILDREN’S PAGE
Cliff Partington
WEBSITES WORTH VISITING
www.salesians.org.uk
www.don-bosco-publications.co.uk
www.sdb.org
www.sdb.org/ANS
www.cgfmanet.org
www.salesiansisters.org.uk
www.salesianyouthministry.com
www.donboscoyouth.net
www.bosconet.aust.com
www.youthoutreach.org.hk
16-17 Zongo Therapy
Sunyani is not the
biggest city in Ghana,
just 60,000 inhabitants.
It is in the middle of
Ghana, a crossroads
city, with all the problems
of immigration and
emigration.
18-19 Bolton to Tanzania
For ten students from
Year 13 and three staff,
this was an opportunity
to reflect together on
experiences and share
some lasting impressions
of Africa, during our
simple evening prayer.
14
16
18
4 DONBOSCOTODAY
In the early spring of 1959, Sister Winifred, then a novice,
received a letter from her friend Pauline O’Donoghue
saying that her parish priest was looking for some sisters
to work in the schools in his parish, St Swithin’s, Croxteth,
Liverpool. He wanted Sisters who would not only teach the
children, but take care of them after school. The request
was quickly answered by Sister Anne Ivaldi, the novice
mistress, and in true Salesian fashion things began to
move. By the 6th September 1959 four sisters were on
the train to Liverpool to start a new mission in Croxteth,
the Sisters were Mary Dyer, Teresa Frost, Mary Cairns
and Winifred Acred, the latter two had been professed
just one month before. The sisters arrived at 10.45 pm in
Lime Street Station to be met by Fr Kane and were taken
to Newsham Drive to the Sisters of the Infant Jesus who
had offered hospitality until the little community could
find a suitable house nearer their mission in Croxteth. By
9 am the next morning they were facing a very amazed
Miss Egan, the headteacher of the primary school. She
had been told that four teachers would arrive but she
had not expected four nuns in full habits!
The first day was exciting and very busy as there was no
previous planning. Each classroom had low cupboards
with sliding doors, when one of the sisters slid back a
cupboard door everything tumbled out exercise books,
scissors, and paper. On top of all this, landed a small
plastic shrine with a picture of Mary Help of Christians.
They felt that this was a sign Our Lady was with them in
this new venture.
The first weeks had all the excitement of a new mission.
The new superior, Sister Nelly Paintin, arrived in
Birkenhead having travelled the long way round from
Hastings to save a few pounds!
Eventually the sisters moved into their new house which
had previously belonged to the headteacher, Miss
Egan. They had no furniture, except the little bits Miss
Eagan had left. They had one chair each which they
moved around from room to room. Fortunately Fr Kelly
came with a stack of chairs, which saved them from
a lot of hassle. On Sunday 8th November they began
It all began with a letter from a friend to a friend
50th Anniversary of the Salesian Sisters work in Liverpool 1959 – 2009
Sister Pauline, Sister. Teresa, Sister Mary, Sister Winifred, Sister Kathleen
DONBOSCOTODAY 5
the Sunday Club, 169 children attended. The following
Sunday 221 children attended. By the third Sunday we
had 300 young people, all in the Parish Club. The ages
ranged from five years to seventeen years.
The house chronicle records that, in March 1960, the
first mention was made of a Grammar School for girls at
a meeting with the Provincial and Archbishop Heenan.
The Archbishop said he would be delighted to have the
Salesian Sisters running the school which he had had
in mind for some time. There were to be many more
meetings and discussions before the completion of the
project. On the 3rd September 1965 the new school,
under the patronage of Mary Help of Christians opened.
Although the building was not completed, both pupils
and staff had to travel across the city to another building!
With new Sisters arriving to teach in the High School,
the original house became too small and the community
divided. The Sisters teaching in the High School
sleeping in the school building until their new house was
ready. They had to remove all trace of their beds and
belongings before the girls arrived in the morning. The
feast of Mary Help of Christians, 1966, saw the formal
blessing and opening of the High School which included
a purpose-built youth club.
December 1973 saw the school hit by a tragedy when a
false bomb alert caused the pupils to vacate the building
and assemble on the playground. In the process,
Sister Aileen the headteacher had a heart attack on the
playground and died.
With a rise in vocations the Sisters negotiated the
purchase of the Bridgidine Convent in 1978, as a house
of formation for aspirants and postulants. By 1980 the
first postulants went to Italy for the noviciate. The Sisters
in St Swithin’s parish, while still teaching in the primary
school, ran after-school clubs and groups for parents,
always supported by a thriving group of co-operators.
The community celebrated the centenary of the death
of Don Bosco with over 300 young people in the
convent followed by a Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin
O’Connor.
As times changed, there was sadly a decrease in the
number of Sisters available for the work, so after a time
of discernment in 1991 the Sisters sold the house to the
Redemptoristines and joined the community of Mary
Help of Christians attached to the High School. Now
there was just one community in the area, however the
Sisters continued to teach in St Swithin’s and work with
the co-operators.
The convent, built in the 60s, needed costly repairs and
a new estate was being built around the house. The
decision was made to build a new convent on the front
lawn and demolish the old house selling the cleared land.
April 2000 saw the opening of the new modern house in
Mansion Drive built in the same style as the new estate.
The new house includes offices and meeting rooms for
our charity (VIDES UK) which is part of the international
volunteer movement of the Salesian Sisters. This means
that the house is truly an open house to young people.
Most weekends the rooms are full of young people
working on projects for youth-to-youth ministry. Also
this year saw the work expanding to Toxteth and Edge
Hill with a Sister being appointed as pastoral worker to
develop the sacramental programmes with the children
and parents, while another Sister helps at the asylum
women’s group in this area.
Today 2009 the future is bright as we continue working
with and training our young people and co-workers for
leadership in the Salesian mission, passing on the gift of
our Salesian Charism.
Sister Winifred Acred FMA
Finally I quote from Fr David O’ Malley’s
homily at the Celebration Mass of
Thanksgiving:
The early pioneers were not builders of
bricks and mortar but builders of people.
They were women who were interested
in affection before architecture they
began to write a story of Salesian love
for young people.
There have been many changes in Croxteth
but love remains, because it is built on
friendship with God and God is love.
6 DONBOSCOTODAY
One of the greatest things about
volunteering with Bosco Volunteer
Action (BOVA) is the training that
you undertake before commencing
your volunteer experience. I feel that I
learned more in those weekends than
in years of education. The training was
enjoyable, informative, and stimulating.
It encouraged you to think deeply and
critically about issues of poverty, religion,
culture, and of your motives for wanting
to volunteer abroad. >>
The latter I found to be extremely helpful since I was unsure
of my own motives, perhaps guilty that part of it was
selfishness. I’d seen adverts from gap-year organisations
who offered experiences abroad with comments from
ex-volunteers exclaiming - It was the best time of my life,
excellent for my CV. I struggled with the idea that I could
benefit from other people’s misfortune. BOVA helped
me address these issues and I managed to accept that,
as a short-term volunteer, the main beneficiary of the
experience would be me. I believe it. Whatever good I
did in the Philippines, whatever happiness or expertise
I brought to people’s lives there, I benefited from it far
more than they did. BOVA doesn’t allow you to just do
the volunteering and then return home it helps you see
the volunteer experience as a stimulus for on-going
involvement in development issues.
But how? One plane-ride back and you are flung into
a world far removed from desperate poverty. Upon
arrival home I felt like an alien in my own home town. My
head was full of images that didn’t make sense to me in
England. As time passes I sometimes wonder whether
it was all a dream; it just seems so very far away. The
difficulty comes when trying to readapt to fit in with our
own culture, without forgetting Pasil, in the Philippines.
Indeed, after my initial culture shock on returning home,
I began to fall back into old habits. I spent £25 on a
night-out and after converting it into Pesos the next day;
I was devastated knowing how far that money would go
in Pasil. That’s when I realised that in this rich culture in
which we live I will have to force myself to understand the
value of my money. Over time I have been able to accept
this, but remembering Pasil I have a strong determination
to serve them and others throughout my life.
I am certain that I will one day return to work abroad in
areas where my teaching expertise could be of a real
benefit to poor, uneducated children. Even here in
England, where I teach at Primary School level, I have
undertaken sessions with pupils aged 8-10 years of age
on development issues. It has certainly been encouraging
to see how engaged the children were, and the sessions
evoked some thoughtful discussions and high-quality
work. I have been able to draw links between the small
things that children are currently doing - such as Walk
to School Days - and poverty. Teaching in England is
Life after Pasil
My aim - to make sure they know that I love and value them
DONBOSCOTODAY 7
important and although I do not feel that the children
fully recognise the value of their education, I know that
I cannot blame them for that. The children I now teach
are still important to me and I make it my aim to make
sure they know that I love and value them, in the spirit of
Don Bosco. Although I can see myself, perhaps, veering
away from direct classroom teaching at some point, as
long as I am a teacher I will always wrestle with options
of where and who to teach. Who needs me most? Who
should I help most? Does charity begin at home?
Recently I have been talking about my experiences to
adults from churches in Truro. While preparing for this
I became conscious that the photos, I was choosing,
concentrated on the poverty in Pasil. I wondered whether
this was unfair to the friends that I made there. The
Filipinos I met all had pride; they were proud of their
country. They never moaned about their living conditions
or that they had very little to eat that day. I realised that
this is the message that I wanted to bring home to
people here. It suddenly became clear to me that what
I wanted to say was that although they look to us, as a
developed country, for financial help or for support and
expertise regarding how they can develop, we should
by no means consider ourselves superior to them. In
fact, the respect they instantly bestowed upon me as a
white westerner was not earned. It is my opinion that we
should be looking to them and learning from them how
to live because they were so grateful and so happy with
everything that they had. Instead of looking at what they
didn’t have, they were always thankful for the little that
they did. Here in England we are hideously spoilt – even
those living in impoverished areas have rights to health
care, social care and education, systems that without
the aid of the church or charities are almost non-existent
in areas of poverty in the Philippines and other places
throughout the world.
Certainly, the people of Pasil had a great sense of fun
and of life; always laughing, always smiling. God’s
presence warmed them, and in turn they warmed those
around them. They were proud of anything they achieved
and that’s why Don Bosco’s existence in Pasil was so
wonderful, because the children and youth took such
pride in their responsibilities within the centre, it gave
them a role, an opportunity to be someone.
I had so much fun in my three months there. I laughed
every day. And that was because of the people and
their sparkling eyes and joyful spirit. They had small
dirty houses, lack of a good diet, and few possessions,
but they were so rich in other ways: They say Salamat -
Thank You – all the time.
My whole sense of appreciation has changed because
of my experience in the Pasil. I went saying thank you,
and returned saying Salamat. For me, Salamat holds a
greater meaning than thank you, because I saw it used
so generously by people who have so little. It represents
to me the big hearts of people I met and I will be forever
thankful to them for welcoming me into their lives for that
short period of time. It was in Pasil that I realised how
thankful I am for the freedom and opportunities that we
have here in England. For it’s not just that I have so much
- a big house, food, bed, clothes, games at my disposal
– all these things that they didn’t have – it is also the
richness of opportunities that we have on our doorstep,
including the chance to visit other countries, like theirs.
I have changed my life since returning to England, in little
ways. I give clothes to charity shops and buy clothes
there. I have raised some money and have plans to raise
more. I am raising awareness through education. Most
of all, I make sure that I am learning from their example.
I can’t eat food now without being aware that I am lucky
that I can be doing that whenever I like. Thank you. I
can’t spend money now without being aware that I have
money to spend. Thank you. I can’t visit another country
without remembering that some people live in the same
small street all their lives, not because they want to, but
because there is no way out.
And every day I remember the smiles of my friends in
Pasil. Thank you. I am humbled by your love.
Kat Cousins – BOVA volunteer in the Philippines
www.boscovolunteeraction.co.uk
8 DONBOSCOTODAY
I escaped from Czechoslovakia to be a missionary
On August 21st, 1984, as a young Salesian I crossed
the Alps between Yugoslavia and Italy, so I could
contribute to Project Africa. >>
It was an adventure that marked out my
missionary vocation. It took two years to
plan this flight from a communist country –
Czechoslovakia, to Italy – so I could set out
as a missionary. Now 25 years after this
exodus I can share my story with you. Back
in 1982 a priest was giving a talk to us young
Salesians on the missionary vocation; his
words changed my entire life. Following his
words I could not sleep. The challenge was a
simple one, What a pity, that over the past 25
years, no Salesian from the Prague Province
had left for the missions! The Lord had given
me the three basic and essential qualities of a
good missionary:
Good health.
A facility in learning languages.
A passion to share my faith with non-Christians.
In August 1984 it took two days by bus, as a tourist, from
Prague to the Adriatic coast at Istria, one day of walking
in the direction of the mountains, without documents,
and towards the borders with Italy; a night climb up the
mountains accompanied by a Salesian Cooperator then
across the mountains to Trieste. Without a passport and
with just a small bag, a few summer clothes and a single
book – the New Testament – I left everything behind. I
had, for safety reasons, left without telling my parents,
friends, even other Salesians.
Although my original dream was to go to Africa, and
my superiors sent me to South Korea, my overall life
direction did not change – I wanted to be a missionary.
From those first moments in Italy, then during my life as
a missionary in Korea I always found it relatively easily to
find the energy and enthusiasm amidst difficulties and
zeal for apostolic work. Only many years later did I come
to understand that leaving everything behind brought me
ever closer to the souls of the young, to walk patiently
and perseveringly with them. Missionary life, complete
self-giving, joyfully bringing the Gospel to the young
even to the ends of the earth – this helps us to put up
with fatigue, helps us act without being so much aware
of so many sacrifices. I thank the Lord for his call to the
missions. Let us ask the Lord that many Salesians can
experience this vocation joyfully!
Fr Václav Klement SDB
Councillor for Salesian Missions - Rome
DONBOSCOTODAY 9
Bosco Bear
C
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The Bear Facts
Hello Children,
In this autumn story, my friends and I visit Africa to do some voluntary work
during our holidays. Suzi thinks that the African jungle is dangerous and full
of wild animals. Molly thinks it will be a great adventure. Rio is worried
that we’ll get lost in the jungle! But all we really want to do is help in Africa.
Africa seems a long way off, but we all travel about 4 million miles every day. It’s true.
Because the Earth is whizzing around the Sun and
never stops. This is a very important reason why
we should all help one another. We are all on Earth
together so we need to look after this planet of ours.
Molly often says that if anything bad happens to the
Earth we are in BIG trouble.
I’d love to be an astronaut and be able to see the Earth
from Space. I’ve seen pictures of this really beautiful
blue and white ball, floating in the air, where we all live.
Go to the library and find out about the Earth.
Where is it? Where are we?
SUMMER COMPETITION 2009
SUMMER COMPETITION - ANSWERS
1. Don Bosco’s Christian name was John - TRUE
2. Agatha Christie wrote whodunits - TRUE
3. A Tarantula is a large insect - FALSE
4. England is to the east of Wales - TRUE
5. King Henry VIII had 5 wives - FALSE
6. The Harry Potter stories are written by K J Rowling - FALSE
7. A year is the time it takes the Earth to travel around the Sun - TRUE
8. Barack Obama is the President of the USA - TRUE
9. The Salesians take their name from St. Francis of Sales - TRUE
10. The word Internet is short for International Network - TRUE
11. The capital of Scotland is Glasgow: FALSE
12. The holders of the soccer World Cup are Italy - TRUE
13. The film Slumdog Millionaire is set in China - FALSE
14. The Queen has 3 sons and 1 daughter - TRUE
15. Gary Barlow writes the songs for Take That - TRUE
16. Paella is a popular Spanish meal: TRUE
17. There are more true answers than false answers in this quiz - TRUE
The winner of this competition is Matthew Shaw, aged 7, from Oldham.
He will receive a copy of the game Remember Your Saints
10 DONBOSCOTODAY
Bosco and his friends Molly,
Rio and Suzi were doing
voluntary work during their
summer holidays, in the
village of Tappita in
Tanzania in East Africa.
Bosco’s cousin Basil
Baboon lived there.
I’m not very happy, said Suzi Squirrel.
Why ever not, asked Bosco
It’s too hot and nothing works. There are no lights, no
running water and there are lots of creepy crawlies
like lizards, scorpions and giant beetles. And…have
you had a bucket bath?
What’s that, asked her friend?
It’s when the showers don’t work they bring a bucket of
water and throw it over you, said a grumpy Suzi!
Rio was worried about food.
What’s for dinner, snake and kidney pie?
Upendo, Basil’s wife, said We usually have maize porridge
for starters and then kidney beans with gravy and then an
orange.
Have you any chips? asked Rio,
hopefully.
THE SCHOOL:
All of the volunteers and 400 children were
helping to build a new school in the village.
Molly, can you help me, asked Zawardi
Zebra?
Zawardi led Molly to an ant-hill. They joined
lots of people collecting mud and dirt and
shovelling it into wheelbarrows, which they
UNDER AFRICAN SKIES
DONBOSCOTODAY 11
pushed to a huge trench for the
foundations. They tipped everything
in. Zawardi said it would dry like
concrete. To clean themselves
everyone just jumped into a
stream!
Meanwhile Bosco, Suzi and
Rio were collecting huge palm
leaves to make a roof.
KICKBALL:
In the evening, Rachel Rhino asked Bosco and his friends if they
would like a game of kickball.
What’s that, asked Bosco?
It’s like rounders and football together, Rachel replied. You
put 4 sticks in the ground as bases. Then the bowler rolls a
ball along the ground and the batter kicks it and runs round
the bases.
They played till it was dark. Nobody knew the score: it
didn’t seem to matter.
That was great fun, smiled Molly.
Two weeks soon passed.
I don’t want to go home, said Suzi.
Why ever not? asked Bosco.
Everyone is so happy and they make us happy too. They
are so pleased to see
us, making us so
welcome. They
can’t wait for
the school
to be built and
everyone is looking
forward to starting at their
new school. The scenery
is fantastic, you can see
snow on the top of Mount
Kilimanjaro. It is such a
beautiful country. I love it here.
UNDER AFRICAN SKIES
WE ARE ALL AFRICANS
C
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12 DONBOSCOTODAY
Scientists are now almost sure that the first human beings lived in Africa.
Skeletons have been found from about 200,000 years ago in Kenya, Tanzania
(where my story is set) and Ethiopia.
About 60,000 years ago some Africans travelled north to live in what is now
Europe, where we live today. If scientists are right then we can trace our
ancestors back to Africa. I see many T-shirts, posters, and flags that say We
are all Africans. I like it. It makes us think about ourselves and other people.
Which matters most? Where we come from or how we behave? Of course,
most people want to look nice: but it’s even more important to BE nice. Are
you kind, hard-working, loving, friendly, and honest? This is about your
PERSONALITY; your CHARACTER. You should decide if you like someone
after you’ve talked to them and got to know them: not just by looking at them.
DISCOVERING AFRICA: WORD SEARCH
B I T Q L W A K S Y H S
O U B D E S E R T J M A
H B K V F S N G F V Z F
E X P S E S K A C C R A
Q T N B G Q E U K X T R
U N I O J U N G L E U I
A R L P R S Y B N H N F
T L E A U H A Z O G O M
O C E K E L D T I Q C J
R P W A U X C M L J O U
S T T A N Z A N I A C D
Find 15 words (up, down, across or diagonal) that are associated with Africa.
Please send entries to Bosco Bear DON BOSCO PUBLICATIONS
Thornleigh House, Sharples Park, Bolton BL1 6PQ
Please include Name, Age and Address
1
2
3
4
5
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9
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DONBOSCOTODAY 13
Swatch & Pray
14 DONBOSCOTODAY
In the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians,
in Turin, from where Don Bosco, on 11th
November 1875, sent the first group
of missionaries to Patagonia, in South
America, the Rector Major Fr Pascual
Chávez Villanueva, with Mother Yvonne
Reungoat, Superior General of the
Daughters of Mary Help of Christians,
at his side, gave the missionary cross
to the members of the 140th Salesian
missionary expedition. >>
Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the Founding
of the Salesian Congregation, this year’s missionary
expedition has a particular significance for us in this
country. Two of these missionaries are being sent to a
new mission territory – Great Britain. For many decades
Salesian missionaries from the Salesian province in this
country have been sent to other countries in Africa, India,
South America and the Far East. Some died abroad,
others have now returned, but others are still active in
many countries - Hong Kong, South Africa, Tanzania,
Sierra Leone, Namibia, Tunisia and Brazil. Meanwhile the
Church has flourished in these mission countries. There
are now ten Salesian provinces in India, with well over
two thousand Salesians. Two Indian Salesians are now
missionaries in this country. Fr Cyril Edamana is now a
member of our Battersea community in London and will
be involved in pastoral work in the Sacred Heart Parish
and the Salesian College. Brother Jayaraj has joined the
community at Savio House to work in the youth retreat
team, before continuing with his studies in preparation
for the priesthood. It is a source of great joy that the
generosity of the traditional mission countries will help
to bring new life to the provinces of Europe and our own
in particular.
Fr Chávez recalled that the departing missionaries,
religious and lay volunteers, were like the group of
young men who on the 18th December 1859 decided
to follow Don Bosco’s dream. To be a missionary is in
fact a gift of the Spirit who ceaselessly calls all Christians
to be disciples, witnesses and apostles of the Crucified
and Risen Lord. They are called to go everywhere, even
to the furthest ends of the earth, in order to proclaim the
salvation which God has offered us in His Beloved Son.
The challenge for them is to translate salvation into a
commitment to make the life of everyone more human
by giving one’s own life in the fields of evangelisation,
education, human development and social action.
Fr Chávez recalled that Salesian missionaries, precisely
because they are signs and bearers of the love of God,
are called to make the presence of the Father visible by
words and by witness. Fr Chávez mentioned several
attitudes which missionaries are called to have today,
since the way of being missionaries has totally changed.
Inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism and inculturation
create new conditions for proclaiming the Gospel.
Referring to the first reading of the Sunday Mass linked
to the first part of the Sunday Gospel, Fr Chávez said:
This is a marvellous reply of Moses to the over-zealous
request of the young Joshua: the Spirit should not be
imprisoned. This implies a two-fold mistake, trying to
exercise some sort of control over God, Who is the
supremely Free One. The second mistake is trying
to control our brothers and sisters, whose capacity to
respond to God’s plan we want to measure according
to the standards we determine, almost as though
we were the lords and not rather the servants of
others. Jesus educated the apostles not to consider
themselves possessors of the truth, but as seekers
with everyone else. This is the way we become
naturally open to all those who have something
in common with us. Missionary activity therefore
requires respect, dialogue, openness to others and a
gentle approach. In conclusion the ninth successor of
Don Bosco reminded the departing missionaries that
Christianity is not a label but a way of life!
After the homily, the missionaries, each called by name
with their destination mentioned, received the crucifix.
Christianity is not a label but a way of life
140th Salesian Missionary Cross >>
body copy
DONBOSCOTODAY 15
>> Christianity is not a label but a way of life
16 DONBOSCOTODAY
Don Bosco understood it perfectly:
Begin with the young >>
Sunyani is not the biggest city in Ghana,
just 60,000 inhabitants. It is in the middle
of Ghana, a crossroads city, with all the
problems of immigration and emigration.
More often than not, people arrive in
Sunyani without any luggage. Resigned
to simply surviving, they settle for any
kind of living conditions.
And so Sunyani has its slum area. It is called
Zongo, an area between the Old Town Market
and the Wednesday Market. For as long as
anyone can remember it has been the rubbish
dump for both markets. Zongo grows on
piles of rubbish. It grows because naturally
there are no local laws to regulate the lives
of the immigrant strangers. They put up with
these dreadful conditions because they have
already escaped from even worse conditions.
Zongo Therapy
DONBOSCOTODAY 17
The majority of the people are of Muslim origin; Islam
is the style of social and religious school life in Zongo.
A few kilometres away is Don Bosco Home. In Sunyani
there aren’t crowds of street children hounded by the
police, but there are lots of youngsters left to their own
devices who are orphans or from problem families. Don
Bosco Home is their home, where about thirty of them,
sometimes more sometimes less, live permanently.
Many others come there with problems connected
with school or health, or simply because they have a
desperate need for someone to be their friend, to look
after them.
It was these youngsters who, like a magnet, drew the
Salesians to Sunyani. Two years ago, a young woman,
a volunteer from Poland, who had been working for
two years in Don Bosco Home, became aware that the
poorest ones among her youngsters had began going
to Zongo. She decided to set up a kind of temporary
youth club there. She found a few square metres of
space in the rubbish dump where the youngsters could
meet, to play and spend time together.
Last summer a more courageous step was taken.
The Imam and the other elders were contacted since
they were the focal points of the communities of
immigrants, who had come from various tribes, united
in their common lack of income. The volunteer talked to
them about the possibility of a Summer Holiday Camp.
The reaction was not merely positive but enthusiastic.
So instead of trying to welcome the youngsters from
Zongo to Don Bosco Home, the holiday camps were
set up where they were living. Local youngsters and
the boys from Don Bosco Home enjoyed their summer
activities together, involving more than 1,500 young
people.
The tiny elementary school became more and more
crowded every passing day since it was impossible
to keep to the fixed number which the Imam and
the Elders had stipulated. Two years previously, the
volunteer had discovered, outside the school, a small
open space. A few extra yards were added by covering
the rubbish with sawdust which the saw-mills in the
market dumped at Zongo. The programme was the
same as for all summer camps here in Ghana: coming
together as friends, with some time for games but also
for lessons. especially in English and Maths and time
for prayer.
The youngsters themselves took turns in leading the
prayers which started at the beginning with the classic
first Sura of the Koran, which opens every Muslim prayer,
followed by other verses which they had learned as
children which they sing. When the youngsters learned
that among them there was a tiny group of Christians,
they all agreed to learn the Our Father. The Koran and
the Our Father went hand in hand, at the beginning and
end of every day.
During the formation time the leaders and the
youngsters told the stories they had heard from the
elders of the community. One of the most important
days was that of the outing, with the truck from the
woodwork shop, and all the pick-ups and minibuses
available. The youngsters from Don Bosco Home and
from the Zongo Holiday Camp were taken to the Don
Bosco Technical Institute in Odumase. Here Moses
and John Bosco, two Salesian novices from Nigeria,
organised their own Olympic Games.
For the youngsters having at their disposal a whole
sports field was like living a dream. The girls wearing
their veils over their faces continued running up and
down the hundred metres course dozens of times,
even when the competition was over. At Zongo there
are hardly ten metres where you can run freely, and,
because of the rubbish, there are only small twisting
paths to run along between broken glass and barbed
wire.
The Zongo Holiday Camp experience has left an
indelible mark on these children; they had discovered
a new way to know each other. The variegated
and marginalised Muslim community in Zongo met
Christians to whom they could entrust their children,
the most precious things they have, in an atmosphere
of openness and trust without any of the useless
baggage of extremism, fanaticism and intolerance.
For those who took part in running the Zongo Holiday
Camp it was a great learning experience. It was a
chance to see new faces, learn new names, listen to
new life stories, meet people who appreciated them,
overcoming the prejudices and barriers built and re-
enforced by the different ethnic backgrounds.
The one thing that remains above all else is a new seed
of hope in the heart of each one. They have discovered
the remedy for any situation where there is conflict,
isolation and distance between groups. A cure that
starts with seeing the other person as a human being.
Don Bosco understood it perfectly: Begin with the
young. This is the characteristic feature of the Salesian
missionary approach.
Zongo Therapy
18 DONBOSCOTODAY
Bolton to Tanzania
As the Community roasted a goat for our final
meal in Africa, the Thornleigh Salesian College
group met in the chapel of the Salesian retreat
house in Nairobi. For ten students from Year
13 and three staff, this was an opportunity
to reflect together on experiences and share
some lasting impressions of Africa, during
our simple evening prayer.
As we looked back over our time together, there was so
much to talk about. The project had begun almost four
weeks earlier. Flying via Qatar into Nairobi, we enjoyed
the hospitality of the Salesian Community at Boys Town,
before an eight-hour bus journey along dusty bumpy
roads which took us to Moshi in Tanzania. There were
three aspects to our trip. Firstly, it was an opportunity
for the students to work in schools and experience the
challenge of teaching having only finished A levels a few
weeks earlier; secondly it was a chance to see something
of the country and more importantly the people of
Tanzania; finally, living together in close proximity with
just two toilets, two showers and a couple of cooking
rings as the only facilities, it was to be an experience of
community-sharing chores, supporting each other and
reflecting on the journey we were travelling through.
Four of the students worked at Bendel Memorial School,
a secondary boarding school primarily for boys. Another
four were at Moshi Airport Primary school. Both of these
schools are run by the Apostolic Community Life of
Priests, founded by a Fr Bendel in the 1970s. The other
two students went to the small secondary school run by
the Salesians as a day school for students trying to catch
up with education. At Bendel, on our first visit, the students
sang the school song for us, singing Education is the
light of life. In the primary school signs announced that
excellence was tolerated – but they strove for perfection!
Teaching was a new challenge for our students as they
got to grips with text books and chalk. Playing football in
>> A lack of stress shone through
DONBOSCOTODAY 19
Bolton to Tanzania
the shadow of Kilimanjaro, dissecting a cow’s heart in
a biology lesson, teaching the weather and time in the
primary school and explaining the mathematical rules of
circles were just some of the practical activities students
recalled.
Classes were large, walls were undecorated and the
day started early with the raising of flags and singing
of anthems. Time for sport and recreation provided an
opportunity to talk to the young people in the schools and
many experiences were shared. However our memories
focussed on the eagerness for education which was
so apparent in all the schools. Students were eager to
be in class, they took the opportunity of extra lessons
and tutorials and they accepted the sometimes strict
discipline that was evident. Yet, in so many ways, the
impression was of children and young people being the
same anywhere – the joy of playing sport, knowing what
was going on in the English Premier League, keeping
in contact via mobile phones, having ambitions for the
future and wanting to spend time with friends. Thanks to
the generosity of so many people back home were able
to donate £5000 to the schools and saw the benefits
of what the last group had left two years ago – some
new play equipment in the primary and newly equipped
science labs at Bendel; where the building work has not
yet finished. Students in school remembered the names
of that last group of Thornleigh visitors – a reminder of
the impact we could have.
At the weekends, we had time to visit some of the country.
We enjoyed a day climbing the first stage of Kilimanjaro -
a ten mile round trip but one which afforded spectacular
views of the Kibo summit and well worth the $50 which
non-citizens have to pay to spend a day on the mountain.
~On the second weekend we enjoyed a two-day safari
to Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater. This really
was a fantastic trip to what must clearly be described as
one of the wonders of the natural world. Manyara has
seen no rain now for three years and the lake is definitely
shrinking but driving round its shores we experienced
one of the most peaceful scenes any of us had ever
seen. Half a dozen giraffes and zebras just grazed in
the afternoon sun. The playful baboons, magnificent
elephants and lounging hippos were all to be seen and
hundreds of photos were taken. The Ngorongoro crater
with its stunning approach, steep descent and vast
interior would be amazing as an empty space but with
its vast herds of wildebeest and zebra, it’s warthogs,
ostrich, bull elephants and prides of lions it reminded us
all of the splendour of nature and our need to protect
the environment that provides home not only to these
animals but also the Masaai people around them. The
beauty of nature was also seen on our final weekend as
we travelled for six hours to the Indian Ocean. As guests
of the Apostolic Life Community’s hostel in Pangani, we
enjoyed the beach, sea, wonderful food and fun of just
being together in the sea and at table. Staring up at the
numerous stars in the night or watching numerous crabs
on the beach in the morning, we knew we were blessed
to be there.
That was true of the whole trip despite the limited
facilities in our house and the lack of variety in our menu
– we dined on potato hash, tinned salmon pasta, meat
stew or bean stew and frequently went shopping in the
colourful market in town which tested our bartering skills.
Once a week, we went out for dinner in Moshi; three
courses with drinks for £5 – yet £5 was the equivalent
of two and a half days wages for the local people. It was
definitely food for thought! As we remembered the time
spent together in the community and its surroundings,
there were perhaps two things that stood out. Firstly,
the tremendous welcome the local people gave us and
the religious communities we came into contact with.
The children loved playing, everyone greeted us and
wazungi (white people) was a frequently heard sound
accompanied with a wave. The other thing was the
sense of happiness the people had. Despite the lack of
so much that we take for granted, there was a smile and
an ease, neighbourliness and an apparent lack of stress
that shone through.
There were many individual memories and it was an
important aspect of the trip that we kept diaries to
record our experiences,
to highlight what had
challenged us and to
record what we had
learned. Much may
emerge in time of how the
trip shaped each individual
but it was a blessed time
in its sense of community,
in its opportunity to serve
and in the beauty of nature
we were privileged to see
and enjoy.
Andrew Waller SDB
CHRISTMAS BOOKLIST 2009
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ROSIE AND KATIE GO TO MASS K Pearce £5.00
ROSIE GOES TO CHURCH – DVD K Pearce £9.00
ROSIE GOES TO CHURCH – BOOK K Pearce £5.00
CHLOE AND JACK VISIT THE VATICAN K Pearce £5.00
SAINT JOHN BOSCO K Pearce £5.00
GOOD NEWS IN THE FAMILY K Pearce £5.00
MEMORY GAME K Pearce £6.00
OUR COLOURFUL CHURCH YEAR K Pearce £5.00
101 SAINTS AND SPECIAL PEOPLE K Pearce £12.00
LET YOUR HEART PRAY M Cunningham SDB £12.00
LOST AND FOUND M Cunningham SDB £7.00
A TIME FOR COMPASSION M Cunningham SDB £7.00
WITHIN & WITHOUT M Cunningham SDB £7.00
SEAN DEVEREUX M Delmer SDB £7.00
GOD OF MANY FACES M Renshaw FMA £3.00
DON BOSCO’S GOSPEL WAY M Winstanley SDB £7.00
SYMBOLS & SPIRITUALITY M Winstanley SDB £12.00
MOVING ON Margaret J Cooke £6.00
MAMMA MARGARET T Bosco SDB £7.00
TEACHER, TEACH US TO PRAY W Acred FMA £5.00
THE WITNESSES W Acred FMA £4.00
DON’T ORGANISE MY TEARS A Bailey SDB £6.00
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