Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 1
3RD QUARTER2
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 3
Chief Editor:
Fr. Sebastian Koladiyil
Editorial Team:
Fr. LUIS Neville - Kenya
Fr. FELICE Molino - Kenya
Fr. VINCENT Mokaya - Tanzania
Fr. ShyjaN George - Sudan
Sr. VIRGINIa Bickford - FMa
Sr. jaCqUELINE Wanjira - FMa
Administration Office
DByES
Tel: 020 3577991
020 2025591
Publisher
Bosco Eastern africa Multimedia
Services [B.E.a.M.S.]
P.O. Box 2 - 00502, Karen -
Kenya.
E-mail: afebulletin@donboscoeastafrica.
org
www.dbafe.org
Photos Courtesy
B.E.a.M.S.
Printed by:
DON BOSCO PRINTING PRESS
P.O. Box 158 - 01020,
Makuyu, Kenya
E-mail: boscoprint@donbosco.or.ke
2 Editorial
3 Coming to Know Don Bosco
6 a Great heart Stops Beating
11 Don Bosco Morogoro - The Novitiate
12 Do not say, “I am too young”
13 Don Bosco Wau
14 Remember to Remember!!
15 Don Bosco Choir Retreat Experience
16 Spiritual accompaniment in the
Context of the Salesian youth
Movement
18 Don Bosco Utume Breaks the
Record once again
20 jesus taught them as one having
authority
22 Missionary Sisters of Precious Blood
General Chapter
22 Showers of Blessing to Sr. ancy
jacob, New Provincial Superior of
SMI, EaP
26 The Salesian Bulletin in the World
27 World Refugee Day
28 No Future for humanity without
Family, says Pope
We welcome letters to the Editor. Send your comments
and suggestions.
CONTENTSDon BoscoEast Africa
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3RD QUARTER4
From the
EDITOR
The candle has burned out
“Death is more universal than life, everyone dies but not everyone lives.” a. Sachs. The Salesian province
of Eastern africa lost a pioneer, a die-hard missionary, Fr. George Padinjaraparmbil, affectionately known as
Fr. PD, when the Lord called him in april. “…everyone dies but not everyone lives!” But Fr. PD today lives in
the memory of many people with whom he worked and for whom he lived. Fr. PD was part of the first batch
of missionaries who came from India to plant the charism of Don Bosco in East african soil. Of all the places
that were given to the Salesians to start their missions, Fr. PD, was given the toughest, Korr, in the district of
Marsabit in Western Kenya. he courageously took up the challenge built and brought up the mission educated
hundreds of children. To the people of Korr he was a baba (father). a week after his death I met one of the girls
who was educated by Fr. George in Nairobi, her first question was “Why did you not bring Fr. George’s body to
Korr to be buried? Fr. George himself wanted to be buried in Korr. Though he had to move away from Korr due
to his ill health his spirit always remained in Korr and with its people. Fr. George truly left us a legacy which can
be read in the many messages of condolences that were sent after his death which is published in this bulletin.
Fr. George gave us a great example of hard work, resilience and self-sacrifice and his spirit lives on, in the
province. “For certain is the death of the born and certain is the birth for the dead; therefore over the inevitable
thou should not grieve.” (Bhagavad Gita.) Let’s not grieve over the death of Fr. PD but let’s thank the Lord for
the gift of Fr. PD to this province.
This bulletin carries two articles from the Rector Major which he usually writes to be published in the Salesian
Bulletin worldwide. In the first article the RM tells us about the Salesian co-operator who is a Salesian in the
world. This group was started by Don Bosco and further developed by Don Rua his first successor. In Don
Bosco’s words, “these Co-workers or Co-operators were always the support of the Pious Works which Divine
Providence placed in our hands.” In the second article the RM speaks about the importance of communication
in order to educate and evangelize effectively. he speaks about Don Bosco’s experience of growing up. as a
young boy he was a great communicator drawing other boys to himself teaching them, repeating to them the
sermon he heard in the Church, leading them to God. Don Bosco was a great story-teller, through them he
drew hundreds to God. “he was a skillful, educational communicator, an effective preacher and lecturer…Don
Bosco understood the importance of communication and of mobilizing public opinion”.
In the month of May I was invited to celebrate the Mass for the feast of Mary help of Christians in an Oratory run
by the Volunteers of Don Bosco (VDB), a little known group, part of the salesian family, a Lay consecrated group
of women. It was amazing to see how that center has become a home to the youth around the neighborhood.
It was wonderful to see that every day the young people came there and made it their home, the animators
mainly the VDBs totally in love with Don Bosco and his charism. Don Bosco was alive and was present there.
as we prepare to celebrate the bi-centenary of the birth of our Father we are invited to study him to know
him better. Studying him is part of it and putting into practice his charism is more important. Let imitating him
be the program as we prepare for this great event.
Sebastian Koladiyil
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 5
THE IDEA OF THE COOPERATOR
IN THE MIND OF DON BOSCO:
LEVELS OF BELONGING aND
COMMITMENT TO aN ORIGINaL IDEa
«I always needed the help of
everybody»
Don Bosco was never afraid to
ask. In order to enter the seminary
he went begging for the first time,
the first of a long series throughout
his life.
«all that remained now was to
supply him with the clerical habit
and accessories that his mother
could not afford to provide. Fr
Cinzano discussed this problem
with some of his parishioners who
eagerly agreed to help. Mr Sartoris
supplied the cassock, Mayor
Pescarmona the hat, the pastor gave
him his own cape. Others donated
a clerical collar, a biretta and a few
pairs of socks while a good woman
of the parish volunteered to take
up a collection to buy him a pair
of shoes. The good Lord will act
thus again in later years. Through
charitable people he will assist
john in all his undertakings. We
heard Don Bosco repeat more than
once: - I always needed the help of
everybody!» (Biographical Memoirs
I, 274-5).
Don Bosco was never ashamed
to beg.
at Toulon, in 1881, after a
conference, «Don Bosco made the
rounds of the church to take up a
collection. as he did so, something
out of the ordinary occurred. When
he held out the plate to a workman,
the latter rudely turned away. Don
Bosco passed him by and softly
said, “God bless you.” The man then
thrust his hand into his pocket and
dropped the equivalent of five
cents in the plate. Looking into his
eyes, Don Bosco said, “May God
reward you.” The man repeated his
gesture, this time giving ten cents.
Thereupon Don Bosco told him. “My
friend, God reward you even more!”
On hearing this the man took out
his purse and donated a franc. With
a telling glance of tenderness Don
Bosco moved on. as though drawn
by a magnet, the man followed
him through the church into the
sacristy, and later even into the
town, keeping after him until Don
Bosco disappeared from view.»
(Biographical Memoirs XV, 45).
The Don Bosco Cooperators
Before giving a name to his
non-religious helpers Don Bosco
hesitated for quite some time prior
to deciding to settle on the name
«Salesian Cooperators», only after a
long series of events .
The introduction to the text of the
Regulations, published in albenga
in 1876, opens with the words :
«To the Reader. No sooner had the
Work of the Oratories begun in
1841 than some pious and zealous
priests and lay people came to help
in the cultivation of the copious
harvest among the young people
in danger. These Co-workers or Co-
operators were always the support
of the Pious Works which Divine
Providence placed in our hands.»
Not only Cooperators who have
made their promise, but a vast
network of cooperation, support,
friendship, charitable donations
…, very well cared for. There is a
need to recover this original idea of
Don Bosco, developed by Don Rua
and his successors, which made it
possible for the Salesian work to
spread throughout the world.
In recent years an attempt has
been made to make the Cooperator
better understood, appreciating
more one of the aspects in Don
Bosco’s vision (that of the “external”
Salesian.) Don Bosco had the idea
of a re-organisation of Catholics in
order to re-Christianise society; the
idea of giving financial support to
Salesian works; the idea of Catholic
lay “voluntary service” in the pastoral
area (teaching catechism, helping
the parish clergy) or the social area
(through education, assistance,
training, safeguarding).
The things Don Bosco said
in conferences and did himself
clarified the nature, the forms and
the significance of cooperation.
he was addressing cooperators
and benefactors, but also people
engaged in various apostolates
(autonomous or as part of Church-
sponsored activities). Practical forms
of charity constitute a large part of
what he said and did, as he made
appeals which were more and more
insistent and demanding.
at a Formal Conference on 1 june
1885, Don Bosco declared: “To be
COMING TO KNOW DON BOSCO
From the
EDITOR
From the Rector Major
3RD QUARTER6
a Salesian Cooperator means to
cooperate with other people in
the support of a work, the purpose
of which is to help holy Church in
her most immediate needs. By so
doing, one helps to promote an
undertaking warmly recommended
by the holy Father since it will
educate the boys in virtue and
guide them towards the sanctuary.
Its main purpose is to educate the
young who are today the target
of evil people, and to promote the
love of our religion in the midst of
the world, in schools, in hospices,
festive oratories, and the fa mily
circle and to promote also morals,
prayer, approach to the Sacraments
and so on .”
In the XXI century
appro ved by the holy See on 9
May 1986, promulgated by the
Rector Major Fr Egidio Viganò
the following 24 May, the New
Regulations define the renewed
image of the Salesian Cooperator at
the dawn of the XXI century, with
regard to the identity, the spirit, the
mission and the organisation of the
association.
«Cooperators are Catholics
who living their faith within the
framework of their own secular
condition, draw their inspiration
from Don Bosco’s apostolic project:
by committing themselves to the
same mission among the young
and poor in partnership and in a
brotherly way; in close communion
with the other members of the
Salesian Family; working for the
good of the Church and of society;
to the best of their ability.»
Those who drew up this article
wanted to go back to Don Bosco’s
original intentions, according to
which the Cooperators are real
Salesians in the world, in other
words Christia ns, lay people or
priests, who without the ties of the
religious vows, live their own call to
holiness in the service of the young
and the working classes according
to the spirit of Don Bosco. Defined
in this way Cooperators have three
characteristics: Catholics, in the
world and Sa lesian.
PASCUAL CHÁVEZ VILLANUEVA
Communicating effectively in order
to evangelise and educate
COMING TO KNOW DON BOSCO
Over since he was a boy john
Bosco had the gift of being able to
communicate effectively. a personal
gift: fascination with words, the art
of story-telling inherited from a
rich ancient oral tradition, put at
the service of the mission for an
educative and pastoral purpose.
Writing about himself as a boy
surrounded by companions he
says: « But it was to hear my stories
that they flocked round me. They
loved them to the point of folly.
I drew on many sources for my
anecdotes-sermons, catechism
lessons, and stories I had read in The
Kings of France, in Wretched Guerino,
and in Bertolo and Bertoldino. When
I appeared, my companions and
even grown-ups would run to me in
a crowd and clamour for a story from
a fellow who scarcely understood
what he had read. at times, along
the road to Castelnuovo or in some
field I would be surrounded by
hundreds of people, anxious to hear
what a poor child had to say. apart
from a good memory, I lacked any
knowledge; but they seemed to
think I was a great scholar in their
midst. “In the kingdom of the blind,
the one-eyed man is king.» (MO ed.
2011, p. 65-66).
having become a priest he was
inundated by requests: «I am
invited to go now here, now there
to preach triduums, novenas or days
of recollection, but I don’t dare to
move from here not knowing who
to leave to look after the house.
how much good we could do » he
wrote to Fr alasonatti in the early
days of the Oratory.
having so much to do with boys
and young people, Don Bosco was
a great story-teller.
his way of teaching was through
stories, his spirituality was through
stories, the training of his co-
workers was through stories, the
public information he gives about
his plans and what he is doing is
through stories. The subject matter
of the stories is the Christian life
as it is lived, the Word of God and
the practical example of the saints,
people’s virtuous actions and their
good deeds, the positive results
obtained through the efforts in
education and formation at the
Oratory, the works achieved, his
dreams and his ideals.
A TALENTED STRATEGIST
his pastoral activity consisted
above all in speaking about the
marvels worked by the Lord: DB
speaks about the Bible as sacred
“history”, the story of God’s saving
work and his marvels among men,
the story of the acts of fidelity and
infidelity of his children. For him the
Word of God is not simply a book but
a word to be proclaimed, addressed
to particular hearers, applied to life
situations, “a guide on the road to
heaven” (Life of Dominic Savio, ed.
1859, p. 30).
DB wrote a great deal. Not for
the learned, but for the boys and
the people, for the members of
the Salesian Family. he wrote as a
shepherd and Christian educator.
he wanted to touch the hearts
and minds in order to form and
to inform, to sensitise and gather
together. he wanted to convert,
to encourage to be good, to open
up wide horizons for the young, to
arouse vocations and collaboration.
he spreads ideas in relation to
living a Christian life, with a view
to social regeneration, the cultural
and spiritual development of the
young, through the press and by
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 7
word of mouth (from little talks to
the boys and the Salesians, to Good
Nights, to Saint Francis of Sales
conferences, to charity sermons in
the churches of Italy, France and
Spain …). his published writings
have been collected in an anastatic
edition of 38 volumes (distributed
by the LaS Publishers).
he was also gifted in the
organisation and in the strategies
of communication. In an historical
context of extremely rapid
expansion of popular publishing
and the spreading of ideas
and styles of life alternative to
the Christian ones. Don Bosco
understood the importance of
communication and of mobilising
public opinion. he was not satisfied
with being a writer of books to
educate the young: he became
a publisher (beginning with the
successful series Letture Cattoliche),
founder of a printing press and
of publishing houses. he spurred
on and encouraged Salesians,
FMa, Cooperators and friends to
become writers, authors of school
books, journalists, playwrights and
music composers. There was a time
when Salesians became specialists
in communication, well prepared
culturally, competent in their own
field on a par with any professional
(intellectual skills and technical
skills). They taught the Catholic
world through their publishing
houses: in their footsteps other
Congregations followed, dedicated
to the good press. The Salesian
Bulletin was the model for hundreds
of similar publications.
how much of this enormous
and intelligent commitment
remains? There is a danger of
losing a passion, a skill, a practice
and a culture. It is a tradition to be
recovered and refreshed ; a series
of skills to be reacquired, through
suitable training courses and more
prudent choices, by profiting from
lay professionals and past pupils.
TO SALESIANS ON THE
SPREADING OF GOOD
BOOKS
I want to see you grow in zeal
and in merit before God, every Day,
and so I will not hesitate to suggest
to you from time to time various
means which I believe to be an
improvement, so that your ministry
will be more fruitful. amongst
these, one that I want to warmly
recommend to you, for the glory of
God and the good of souls, is the
spreading of good books.
Good books, spread amongst the
people, are one of the active ways
to preserve the kingdom of the
Saviour in so many souls.
you can add that the book, even
if on the one hand it does not have
the power of the living word, on
the other hand offers even greater
advantages in certain circumstances.
The good book can enter a house
where the priest cannot, it is even
tolerated by bad people as a gift or
remembrance. No need to blush,
offering it, no need to worry if it is
neglected; when read it teaches
truths calmly, if you don’t like it it
doesn’t have to leave you bored, yet
it leaves feelings of misgiving that
sometimes spark a desire to know
the truth. Meanwhile it is always
ready to teach
how many the souls saved by
good books, how many preserved
from error, how many encouraged
in doing good. The one who
gives a good book might have no
other merit than to awaken some
thought of God, but has already
gained an incomparable merit
before God. and yet how much
more is gained. a book in a family,
if not read by the one to whom it
was given or intended, is read by
a son or daughter, by a friend or
neighbour. a book in a village then
passes into the hands of a hundred
people. God alone knows the good
that a book produces in a city, in a
travelling library, in a worker’s club,
in a hospital, given as a mark of
friendship.
I ask and beseech you then not to
neglect this most important part of
our mission.
SaINT jOhN BOSCO
(Circular letter to Salesians on
the spreading of good books,
19.03.1885)
PASCUAL CHÁVEZ VILLANUEVA
3RD QUARTER8
On april 19th, 2012 George
Padinjareparambil went home to
his creator. Fr. Gianni the Provincial
of Eastern africa Salesian province
announced the news with the
following words, “With sadness
and bowing to the will of God, I
announce to you the news of the
passing away of Reverend Father
George Padinjareparampil (1937-
2012)”.
Fr. PD George was called to the
Lord on the morning of april 19,
2012 at 9.00 am (local time in
India and 6.30 am Kenyan Time).
Fr. George suffered a massive cardiac
arrest while taking
breakfast with his
younger brother
at home
Kanjirappally,
K o t t a y a m
District in Kerala,
India. Those
present at
the moment
tried to
have him
reach the
nearest
medical facility but then he died
along the way as they were taking
him to hospital.
Fr George was born on March 31,
1937 at Kanjirappally, Kottayam
District in Kerala, India to Dominic
Padinjaparambil and Elizabeth.
Both father and mother are dead.
he took his elementary and
intermediate studies at St Dominic’s
Primary School in Kanjirappally from
1941 to 1952. he then proceeded
to the north eastern states of India
where he took his high school
studies at both Bandel (1953 - 1956)
and Sonada (1956 - 1959) during
which he also did his aspitantate
programme.
at the completion of his
aspirantate Fr. George then joined
the novitiate at Sunnyside, Shillong
on april 26, 1959 and made his first
profession a year later on april 26,
1960 at Sunnyside in Shillong, India
as a Salesian belonging to Gauhati
Province. On May 24, 1965 he made
his perpetual profession at Sonada.
he was ordained a priest on
December 20, 1969 at Ernakulam,
Kerala in India.
From 1970 – 1973 he worked as a
catechist at the asparentate, Bandel
India, from 1973 – 1975 he was the
assistant parish priest at Kohima
and in 1975 he was appointed as
the parish priest at Tseminyu.
With the starting of Project
africa, following the 1978 General
Chapter XXI and the three countries
of Eastern africa, Sudan, Kenya
and Tanzania being entrusted to
the Salesian Provinces of India,
Fr. George was among the first
Salesians to set foot on the Kenyan
soil. Upon his arrival in Kenya in
September 1980 he was assigned to
Korr Mission of Marsabit diocese in
the arid area of Northern Kenya. On
May 24, 1981 the parish was formally
handed over to the Salesians with
Fr. Matthew Vadacherry as the
parish priest and George as his
assistant. Fr. George then took
charge of Korr as a parish priest in
1982 and remained in the same
place as Rector and parish priest
until august 11,1991 when he
went to join Don Bosco hall
community in Berkley, USa for a
one year course in Salesian Studies
A Great Heart Stops Beating
Don’t Quit!
Quit I will, I was determined,
Of life and struggle I am tired;
Friends and foes I care not,
While away my time, I do a lot.
In the forest I took a walk
Ambling among the weeds n’ twigs,
Murmuring against the Almighty,
If such a one ever exists!
A torrent of why-s and what-s flood
my mind,
Searching for an answer from this
mighty God,
Just one reason, one justification
Can He hold out for my satisfaction?
Look at all the mess we are in,
Who can fathom the agony and
pain?
And the fearful nights filled with
worry?
Is he blind to all this, so scary?
Out into the open I went,
To the chirping birds an ear I lent;
The luscious green ferns I admired,
And the bamboos swaying high up in
the wind.
A story of old across my mind
flashed,
Of the fern and the bamboo in the
forest;
While the one quickly springs up
and flowers,
The other sleeps in the mud for
years.
Taller by far the bamboo grows,
‘cause it had struck deep its fibrous
roots,
While we thought that it was dead
Who fathomed life we see ever
would?
And so it is, a voice said to me,
When life is hard and going tough,
Hold fast and strike deep roots.
You will weather when the sea is
rough.
*****************************
Fr. George. 03.11.08
From the Province
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 9
and Spirituality. It was while at Korr
that he proved to be a man of hard
work and of great perseverance as
can be attested from Fr. Stephen
Chemmalakuzhy, a one-time
Provincial Superior of the vice-
province and then Province of
Eastern africa, “Fr. George is one of
the founder members of Korr Mission.
Loves to work in the difficult environs
of Korr. In our present circumstance,
he is the only person available. ...’
Returning from Berkeley
Fr. George worked in various places:
Moshi Novitiate and Postnovitiate
in Tanzania as administrator
(1992 – 1993), Didia, Shinyanga in
Tanzania, In-charge and pioneer
of the mission (1993 – 1994),
Upanga, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania,
Procurator and house administrator
(1994 – 1995), Mafinga Seminary
in Tanzania, administrator (1995 –
1996), Don Bosco Upper hill, Nairobi
in Kenya, Rector (1996 – 1997), Back
to Korr as Rector and Parish Priest
(1998 – 2000), Boys Town, Nairobi
in Kenya, Satellite in Charge (2001),
Treatment to India (2001), Bosco
Boys Nairobi in Kenya, Director of
the Prenovitiate programme (2002
– 2005), Boys Town (2005 – 2008),
Moshi Novitiate and Post-novitiate
in Tanzania (2008 – 2009), Morogoro
Novitiate in Tanzania (2009 – 2010),
Bosco Boys Nairobi in Kenya (2010
– 2012).
In the earlier years of his missionary
life in Eastern africa Fr. George
enjoyed good health and was able
to apply himself seriously to his
work among the people. however,
in 1994 he started showing signs
of heart problems coupled with
hypertension. On june 25, 1994 he
was operated for abdominal aorta
in Madras. he had to remain with
this condition until his death.
But it was in 2000 when he was
diagnosed and found to be suffering
from kidney problems, along with
the heart and blood pressure issues.
This made the superiors invite him
to come out of Korr and work in Don
Bosco Boys’ Town close to medical
facilities. This too also proved quite
unbearable and Fr. George had to
go to Bangalore for further medical
attention. It turned out that he had
to be operated on and strangely
three surgeries had to be done in
the same year 2001.
The life of Fr. George could be
looked at as a beautiful mosaic
creating a wonderful blending
of gifts of both nature and grace.
as a man he was solid in his
convictions and he would go to any
length towards achieving what he
believed (in conscience) to be right,
yet he was also so humble that he
would always seek the permission
of his superiors before undertaking
any project. When the opinion of
the superior conflicted with his
he would always make his mind
known, but then he would add “but
I will do what you tell me out of
obedience.”
Fr. Simon asira the Vice Provincial
of the Salesian Province of Eastern
africa has this to say, “In my
interactions with Fr. George I was
enabled to witness how loving and
compassionate he was towards the
poor youth. he would literary do
everything within his possibilities
to make sure they had a decent
education, clothing and food! his
presence in Korr has truly earned
him the title of ‘the desert father’
not because of the traditional
ascetic religious practices but rather
because of the way he involved
himself in the life of the people
of the desert to the point that a
great majority of them see in him
‘a father.’ Literary, hundreds of boys
and girls have managed to get not
just primary education, but more
importantly, secondary, college
and university education due to
his determination and love. This is
what being a Salesian in action is all
about.”
We have indeed lost a passionate
missionary who lived his life for
those he loved in God through Don
Bosco. In his written will which he
wrote on February 15, 2001 before
proceeding to India for the multiple
surgeries, among a number of
things he wrote one of them stands
out very clearly as one of the
characteristic quality of his Salesian
and Missionary spirit. he wrote: “If it
should happen that God wants to cut
short my life and call me to Himself I
willingly submit to His divine Will. My
only request to my superiors is that if it
is possible my mortal remains should
be interred in Korr. ... I would like to be
remembered as one who lived to die
for his people and died to live among
them forever.”
Many beautiful messages of
condolences came immediately
after the death of this great
missionary. Some of them are given
below:
“Very sorry to hear of this news.
Be assured of my prayers - and our
prayers here at the Pisana.”
Julian Fox
“Pole sana ! May his soul rest in
peace. he lived a fulfilled life, a great
missionary indeed. God bless him.”
Bennet Aranjo
“It is sad indeed. We will pray
for his eternal rest, for his family
and the aFE Province. Tomorrow
we will celebrate the Mass for this
intention.”
Fr. Crisafulli Jorge,
Provincial of AFW.
“Dear Fr. George Rest in
peace! I’ve experienced his total
dedication, even in times of health
3RD QUARTER10
problems, to the youth and his
professionalism in teaching in Boys’
Town; he will be remembered as
an example of true missionary, not
to mention how many people here
in Korr remember his unforgotten
contribution toward success of the
mission here. Fr. George remember
us when receiving your reward in
heaven.”
Fr. Waldemar Jonatowski
“Pole Confreres, TIRELESS, TOUGh,
TENDER hEaRTED - that’s what P.D.
George was to me. May his soul rest
in eternal TRaNqUILITy!”
Fr. Tony Fernandes
“Dear Fr. George Rest in peace!
Thanks for your dedicated life in our
Province. you are no longer with us.
God who gave you life also called
you to his kingdom to reward you
for everything that you have done
in this world. Now you know what
is there and what God wants from
us - love and dedicated life in our
vocation and mission. I am with you
by prayer and gratitude for your life
offered to Don Bosco. May he invite
you to our salesian Paradise.
Whatever you have done
good, may God accept it and
any faults, human weakens with
hot temper which brought some
misunderstanding and problems
forgive you inviting you to his
kingdom. With prayer for your
soul.”
Fr. John
“When I lived with Fr. P.D. George
in Tanzania (Moshi), I found him
to be a caring person. Despite his
poor health, he was a very resilient
person. I personally found him a
very friendly person. he had also
a big concern for the poor youth
especially those who had problems
looking for money to pay school
feels. May his soul rest in eternal
peace.”
Bishop Clement
“My sincere and heartfelt
condolences and prayerful wishes
to the Provincial and all the
confreres on the sad passing away
of Fr. PD. George.
“In him we had in the Salesian
Province , a great pioneer and
a Salesian who believed in and
practiced hard and dedicated
work. Sympathies to his family and
especially to his own SDB brothers .
May he rest in peace.”
“May Fr. P.D. George keep inspiring
us to stay close to the path taken by
Don Bosco and the early Salesian
pioneers.”
I Raj
“I am very sorry to hear the death
of fr. George, I assure you of our
prayers for his soul.” With prayers
Fr. John Peter.
“I am saddened to hear of the
demise of Fr. PD George. I express
my heartfelt condolences and
sympathy. I believe that God has
purified his life through the painful
moments experienced during his
sickness. May the almighty God
reward him with eternal bliss and
lasting life for his tireless zeal and
commitment to Salesian Mission.
Let us offer up our prayers and
solidarity to his dear and near ones
of the family.”
Joe Prabu sdb
“I receive these sad and also
Easter news while I’m fulfilling the
Extraordinary Visitation in aGL.
Thanks a lot for sharing your sorrow,
and the sorrow of the whole aFE
Province, for the departure of our
beloved Fr. George PD. May hIS
SaLESIaN aND MISSIONaRy SOUL
REST IN PEaCE. amen.
Don Guillermo Basañes
“Mes condoléances au nom de
la Province aFO. Nous prions pour
que Dieu lui donne la récompense
de ceux qui ont voulu donner leur
vie à Lui et aux jeunes. En union de
prières”
Faustino
“I was sorry to hear about the
sudden death of Fr. George. I will
surely pray for him, for his eternal rest
with all our saints. My condolences
to the family, especially Fr. Dominic
and PT jose.”
“as I think of Fr. George, the picture
that comes to my mind is his arrival
at Upper hill with his car from Korr.
Tired, exhausted, full of stories to
tell and errands to make in Town.
Sometimes upset, but always taken
up by the work he was doing for his
people of Korr. he may have moved
to other places, but his heart was in
Korr.”
Well, pioneers - like Fr. Geroge
- leave and go to other places as
the Lord wishes, but they leave
behind the fragrance of their love
(sometimes demanding!): their
lives, their ideals (Don Bosco, the
youth, the poor) and their memory
spurs us on in our vocation!”
Fr. Gianni Uboldi
“We the Fathers and the inmates
of the Bishop’s house are saddened
at the death of Fr. P.D George. Some
of us have met him but others have
not. We pray his eternal repose. as
the diocese we offer our heartfelt
condolences to the Provincial and
all the members of the Province
and to his dear and near ones.
We will keep praying for him.
Archbishop John Moolachira
Assam, India
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 11
On behalf of the Confreres of
the Sudan Delegation I extend my
sincere and heartfelt condolences.
Fr PD George will be always a great
inspiration to the aFE members and
will be greatly remembered for his
apostolic courage and missionary
passion that he has left behind. It is
difficult to cope up with his daring
missionary drive and to steer ahead
with doing good for the poor. his
gift of jesus as a priest to the people
of Korr mission in particular has
already produced great gifts in
vocations and a strong christian
culture around the mission. Thank
you Father George PD.
“It is a moment of great trial for
the family. all that we could say,
which is so easy to us is, heartfelt
condolences. I am sure you would
definitely need words and gestures
that would be more compatible to
the intensity of sadness and sorrow
that you and the family are going
through at this time. We accompany
you all with our affectionate prayers
and assurance of our solidarity
sharing the sadness of the demise
of Fr. PD George. It’s a loss to us
as a province and congregation. I
am sure your presence is of great
consolation to the family as well
to give more courage and faith to
accept this loss. The spirit of Easter
inspires us and takes us beyond
our human capacity to understand.
May the risen jesus accompany you
all and bring to the family the great
Christian courage to say yOUR
WILL BE DONE and thank God for
such a wonderful gift of the life of
Fr. George PD, a great son of Don
Bosco.”
Fr. Ferrington SDB
“May God reward the late Fr. P.D.
George for all his love and sacrifices
on behalf of the people of Korr
and other missions where he had
been. May he intercede for us to
be courageous, daring and self-
sacrificing and loving missionaries
like him.”
“My close association with Fr.
George was when I was sent to
Korr in 1991 as a new priest. That
time Fr. George was getting ready
to go to the States for studies at
Berkley. Of the many things he
said and did, two things impressed
me very much which I value and
appreciate and try to follow. Fr.
George told me/us to take care of
the young and to invest in them as
they are the future of the church
and the Society. Second, Father had
seen that teachers, people in the
medical profession and others from
down country found it difficult to
serve the people of those arid and
semi-arid areas and do justice to
them. hence he started educating
the young people of the place by
sending them to secondary schools,
seminaries, teachers training
colleges, nursing schools, technical
schools etc. all over Kenya. he had
the africa Oggi to make sacrifices
and to collect funds for this noble
endeavor. Today we reap the fruits
of his vision and effort. Teachers,
head-teachers, nurses, priests and
professionals in various fields, from
Korr serve the people of Korr and
the wider area. May Fr. George
enjoy the company of Our Father
and founder Don Bosco and along
with him and the multitude of the
heavenly hosts sing the praises of
God and continue to intercede for
us mortals.”
“It is with great sadness I received
the news of the passing away of Fr.
P.D. George. My sincere sympathy
and heartfelt condolences and
that of our confreres, to Fr. Gianni
Rolandi and to all the confreres of
aFE - especially to Fr. P.D. Dominic
and Fr. P.T. jose, on the passing
away of Fr. P.D. George. I had met
him briefly during the Team Visit in
Nairobi. he did not look healthy and
he spoke of going to India for some
rest. The Lord felt that Fr. George
had labored enough on this earth
and called him to himself.
Fr. George was a very hard
working Salesian. When something
had to be done, he would not
rest. he would not make any fuss
about his health. he always had an
adventurous and pioneering spirit.
he was ready to go and begin our
work in Didia, though there was
no one else free to go with him. It
was evident that his ill health was
brought on because he did not
make any fuss about himself.
True, he appeared at times little
tough. But he had an affectionate
heart and any little kindness done
for him was always appreciated. you
could talk to him and he was always
ready to obey.
I am sure he is with jesus and from
heaven he will be able to help us all
3RD QUARTER12
procession to the parish church and
the Eucharist was presided over
by Fr. johnny Padinjaraparambil
another brother of his, a salesian.
Fr. Gianni Rolandi the provincial
of Eastern africa Salesian province
preached after the gospel, and
spoke about the legacy left by
Fr. George, and challenged everyone
to fill the gap left by him. The
Bishop of Kanjirapally Rt. Rev. Bp.
Mathew arackal gave his message
and presided over the final rites and
the body was laid to rest at around
01.00pm.
to imitate his spirit of hard-work
and enthusiasm in our missionary
endeavor. May the Lord comfort
him with the joy of his presence
forever.”
Fr George Chalissery SDB
“I join with so many others who
knew Fr. George PD in offering our
deepest sympathy on his passing.
May hIS SOUL REST IN PEaCE. My
heartfeltcondolences, in a special
way, to Fr. Dominic PD, Fr. johnny
PD and Fr. jose PT and the entire
family. May you be consoled in
Christ jesus. Poleni sana.
Praying for all of you and especially
for Fr. George’s eternal rest.
Evans Jefferson sdb
“ho saputo della morte di Padre
George e ne sono rimasta molto
colpita e addolorata. Grazie a lui
ho conosciuto il mondo della
solidarietà e dell’aiuto. E’ stato un
grande uomo e noi lo ricorderemo
per sempre. Le sue azioni hanno
fatto del bene a tante persone.
Grazie Padre George”.
Roberta Trillini
“It is with great shock that I
received the news of the sudden
passing away of Fr. P.D. George
this morning. True we knew his
condition was very serious and he
could go at any time but it is still
shocking. I had talked to him last
on his birthday (31st March) while
at Nairobi. I had the opportunity of
living with Fr. George at Bosco Boys
and Boys’ Town for several years. But
I had met him many years ago (may
be in 1983 for the first time when I
was an aspirant).
Certain aspects of Fr. P.D. touched
me:
1) he had a great determination
and willpower. It is his will
power that made him live in
spite of his illness. The fact he
was our pioneer at Korr and
Didia speaks for itself.
2) he assisted several students:
he assisted several students
with school fees through
his sponsorships. So many
students especially from Korr
were able to go to university or
secondary schools because of
Fr. George.
3) Though he could get angry
quite fast he was able to
forgive also fast. I know of
several occasions when he
would be upset with students
whom he was sponsoring. But
when they said sorry he would
forgive them immediately and
continue to assist them again.
4) he used his time so well: In the
last ten years or so he was really
sick. he could have said “I am
sick and I need to rest”, instead
he kept himself busy farming,
keeping chickens etc. I could
see that there is a beautiful
green house now at Bosco Boys
because of Fr. George.
5) he was great company during
picnics: I had gone for picnics
with him several times. he was
our chief chef during those
picnics. he also had lot of jokes
and interesting stories to keep
us happy.
We at Don Bosco Didia are
also grateful to him for being
our founder. In those days when
transport and communication were
much more difficult. he lived here
alone in a container and had serious
attacks of malaria several times!
ThaNK yOU FR. GEORGE FOR
ThOSE SaCRIFICES yOU MaDE.
Together with all of you I pray for
the repose of his soul, thank him for
his friendship and inspiration. I also
ask his forgiveness for the times I
did not understand him sufficiently.
I am sure he does not hold any
grudge or hatred over anyone of us
as he was quick to forgive. Rest in
Peace dear Fr. George!
Fr. Babu Augustine
The funeral
In a moving emotional celebration
the body of late Fr. George was laid
to rest, in the Cathedral parish in
his home town Kanjirapally. The
body was brought home on 23rd
Monday at 3.00pm. a vigil was
kept the whole night and the final
rite began the following morning
at 9.00 am led by Fr. Dominic
Padinjaraparambil, his brother
a salesian missionary in South
Sudan. Then the body was taken in
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 13
DON BOSCO MOROGORO – The
NOVITIATE
Many young people here in our
locality have been leading a life
of quiet desperation as a result of
failures that has already occurred or
a failure in prospect. youngsters are
frustrated either by a comparison
in the immensity of the problems
facing them with the feebleness of
the resources for solving them or by
lack of someone to love, someone
who will love them sufficiently
in return. however, some young
people are attracted by seeing the
Don Bosco building, the playground
and an entrance with the inscription,
“Baba, Rafiki na Mwalimu wa Vijana”
(Father, Friend and Teacher of
youth) while others still remain very
indifferent. It’s absurd that even
our oratorians have been affiliating
us with a certain company that
supports and sponsors youngsters
who are interested in games with
others thinking that we’re a certain
university with students from
different countries. Conversely, with
the coming of the relic of Don Bosco
and the immense prior preparation
for it the novices had done a great
deal in catechizing these youngsters
and more so disseminating them
with who the real person of Don
Bosco is. Now the fruits of this great
visit of our father is seen with more
than 50 youngsters frequenting our
community daily for games plus
many different other organized
activities. just to mention a few:
Vocation Day; Prior to Vocation
Sunday which was on 28th March
on the Saturday before the Novices
with the help of their Director had
organized a vocation day in which
about 50 boys and girls from the
neighboring schools attended.
The SMI sisters also came in to
give a helping hand and they were
able to meet the girls. among
many different themes that were
elaborated on was the meaning of
vocation, different vocations in the
church, priesthood and religious life,
and lastly vocation to Salesian life
either as a priest or a lay coadjutor
brother.
FEAST of DOMINIC SAVIO;
this year the feast of Dominic
Savio was on a Sunday and for this
reason as a community we held
our celebrations on the Saturday
5th May. It was another sanctifying
moment for our altar boys; 28 of
them from Padre Pio and around 22
of them from our Parish St. Monica.
The program began at 2pm with
different inputs mainly on the life of
St. Dominic Savio and other youthful
saints-fruits of Salesian preventive
system, Salesian sanctity, and youth
spirituality among others. The
climax of the day was the Dominic
Savio quiz in which individual
winners were rewarded and finally
the friendly football match between
the two groups of altar boys. It was
a very beautiful day for our altar
boys to have a day of fun and think
more of their way to holiness as a
jovial path more than a dull and
heavily packed daily routine.
MARIAN PROCESSION; as
they say every person carries within
his heart a blueprint of the one he
loves and for us Mary being our
first love and May being a month
dedicated to her we had different
physical and spiritual activities in
her honor which reached its climax
on 26th May. On this day we had a
Marian procession from Padre Pio
Catholic Secondary school to our
community. The students, about
160 of them, sisters, novices and
the Salesians joined in this colorful
procession and with the statue of
Mary help of Christians held high all
joined in the recitation of the holy
Rosary and singing of the Marian
hymns. On reaching the community
we had the Eucharistic celebration
presided over by the Rector,
Fr. Michael. Though devotional
processions are not very common
here with the Christians yet this was
rather a unique moment to awaken
the Marian devotion in our locality.
None of this activity ended up as a
mere activity but each one of them
presented trustworthy hope and
treasures to the youngsters that
they will face the present, even if
it is arduous, with extra spiritual
strength.
Nov. Muchoki Robert
3RD QUARTER14
Dear friends I would like to share
with you few of my reflections on
the few events that took place
recently in our community.
I came to realize that, many young
people especially of our age are
reluctant in listening to the voice
of the Lord who calls them in the
midst of many other voices. The
world is now filled with sounds and
voices of different kinds that some
of them seem to be so attractive
while others are too demanding.
These voices and sounds that
tend to be confusing to many of
us and become obstacles in saying
“yes” to the unique voice of God,
who calls us to cast our nets in to
the deep waters for a catch. Many
of us don’t respond as Peter did at
the command of the Lord. he, who
knew how to fish and where to fish,
became obedient to the voice of
the Lord by lowering his net though
with some doubts. The act of
obedience to the voice of the Lord
made Peter get a great number of
fish.
Reaching the sea shore, jesus
invited him to come after him and
with no doubt Peter left everything
and followed him. In today’s world
many of us (young people) tend
to ignore the voice of the Lord by
saying ‘I am too young’ ‘I am the
only child’, ‘I have no vocation’, or
‘in my family history no one has
ever become a religious or has ever
thought of becoming one’. Some
even ask if I join religious life what
will I get. Many think only terms of
material benefits.
We forget that we are God’s
creatures and as such he owns us
and is able to do anything to us if
we disobey his commandments. he
reminds us in the book of prophet
jeremiah “before I formed you in the
womb I knew you, before you were
born I dedicated you, a prophet to the
nations I appointed you” (Jr. 1:5) this
tells us clearly that we are just his
creation.
What profit will we get if we
gain the whole world and loose
our soul? The wealth we think of
accumulating whose will it be if
the Lord calls us as we hear in the
parable of the rich fool? have we
ever thought of the return that we
can give to God for the blessings of
every kind which we have received?
Some of us act as Tobias did when
the Lord calls us to follow him by
saying, “I do not know the way at all”.
how will we find the way if we are
not ready to look for it? Let’s follow
his father’s advice who told him “Go
and find someone to be your guide”
(Tobit 5:2-4).
There are so many guides in
this world but how do we know
who is the genuine guide for us?
The book of Sirach tells us about
whom we should associate with
as it says, “Every counselor points
out a way, but some counsel ways of
their own; be on the alert when one
proffers advice, find out first all what
he wants, instead, associate with a
religious man, most of all pray to God
to set your feet in the path of truth”
(Sirach 37:7-18)
Blessed john Paul II also reminds
us; “Young people, if you hear the
Lord’s call, do not reject it! Dare to
become part of the great movements
of Holiness which renowned saints
have launched in their following of
Christ. Cultivate the ideals proper to
your age, but readily accept God’s
plan for you if he invites you to seek
Holiness. Admire all God’s works in
the world, but be ready to fix your
eyes on the things destined never to
pass away.”
as a young man I appeal to all
young people, to heed to this
special call from the Lord if he turns
to you and bid you to follow him.
he invites us by telling us that we
should never say “I am too young.”
The time is right for us to say “yes” to
his call. Follow him with generosity
whichever walk of life he is calling
you although call to Consecrated
life is the crown of all vocations. The
Lord reminds us that “not all can
accept this word, but only those to
whom it is granted” (Mt 19:11), say
not “I am too young”.
Nov. Wagi Felix Francis
DO NOT SAY, ‘I AM TOO YOUNG’
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 15
Don Bosco – Wau – South Sudan –
UPDATES 2012
The two countries of the Republic of the Sudan and the Republic
of South Sudan have been in the news in these days. For us in
the town of Wau, the tensions that have risen have brought new
hardships to the people. Wau being nearer to the North, most of
the things needed for the people were coming from the North.
Now the borders are closed, things coming from Kenya or Uganda
via road through juba to Wau are extremely costly. With the close
of the oil wells and the North refusing the use of their pipeline to
export any oil, urgently needed foreign currency is not coming.
Thus in the town of Wau, it is difficult to get petrol. The storage of
Diesel is getting used very quickly. With the shortage of foreign
currency, things coming from Uganda or Kenya are becoming
rarer. To make things worse, the airport of Wau is closed since
March for maintenance and repair works.
For our DBVTC, materials needed for the workshops are just
not available! and yet DBVTC opened as usual in the first week
of March 2012. at present it has over 350 students. Something
unusual that has happened this scholastic year is the request of
UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization)
to make awareness among the youth in Wau about technical
formation with the idea of creating job opportunities. Thus
DBVTC has been giving two weeks technical training to more
than 150 youth (boys and girls) of Wau.
UNMIS (United Nations Mission Organization) has
been requesting the use of DBVTC hall and premises for
entrepreneurship training. Many young men and women
have been taking advantage of this facility! UNICEF has been
encouraging and requesting the Salesians to do more for the
Bosco Boys (Street Boys) by way of technical formation. Thus
some of the street-kids have already been enrolled in the
carpentry and masonry workshops receiving training along
with other regular students.
Jacob Thelekkadan sdb
3RD QUARTER16
Remember to Remember!!!!!
Memories keep us alive; memories
give meaning to our lives. The
greatest gift of all, the Eucharist, was
given to us with a command “Do it
in remembrance of Me.” Memory is
inevitable in human life. Most of us
live in the memory of the past. We
remember the good old friends we
had, good old days we had, good
old times we had, etc. It is often said
that we forget to live in the present
but always like to swing back to
our old experiences and ruminate
them.
There is a famous story about two
friends; One day they were walking
through the desert. During some
point of the journey, they had an
argument; and one friend slapped
the other one in the face. The one
who got slapped was hurt, but
without saying anything, he wrote
in the sand: “Today my best friend
slapped me in the face.”
They kept on walking, until they
found an oasis, where they decided
to take a bath. The one who had
been slapped got stuck in the marsh
and started drowning, but the friend
saved him. after he recovered from
the near drowning, he wrote on a
stone: “Today my best friend saved
my life.”
The friend who had slapped and
saved his best friend asked him,
“after I hurt you, you wrote in the
sand and now, you write on a stone,
why?” The friend replied “when
someone hurts us we should write
it down in sand where winds of
forgiveness can erase it away. But,
when someone does something
good for us, we must engrave it in
stone where no wind can ever erase
it.”
What do we remember most
in our lives; our hurts or our
blessings?
We do not appreciate people
enough when they are around with
us. The day they are gone we are
flooded with good memories of
them. We remember all the good
things he/
she spoke
to us, all the
good things
he/she did,
etc. It is often
n o t i c e d
that when
a person
dies his
p o p u l a r i t y
i n c r e a s e s .
W h a t
s u r p r i s e s
me always
is that the
same people
who find
fault with
s o m e o n e
will be the
one most affected by the vacuum
created by that person. Often good
memories resurface only when our
dear ones are no more. If a dead
person could hear what others
speak about him at the funeral
he would be definitely surprised
and even doubt whether they are
speaking about himself.
We remember with love our
beloved confrere Fr. P.D George. In
this issue of the Salesian Bulletin
you will find many wonderful things
being said about him by many
people. all is fine, and he would be
happy to know that his confreres
and friends still remember him with
love and affection. My last visit to
Fr. P.D George was few days before
his departure to India for treatment
and rest. I did not know it would
be our last meeting. It was a light
moment where we joked and
laughed a lot. So the final picture
which remains fresh in my mind is
his laughter and jokes. Let me live
with that memory.
as I put the title of this little
sharing; “remember to remember”
we need to remember how
we remember people, places,
experiences, etc. Memory is a great
gift. We realize its worth only when
we lose it. People with alzheimer’s
sickness suffer greatly because they
cannot remember anything.
I had an interesting dream a
couple of months ago. In that
dream I saw my own funeral. It was
a real surprise for me to see the
responses and reactions of people.
all the wonderful things people
were enumerating, the sadness
and deep sense of loss many felt,
etc. I saw many whom I never even
expected to come for my last rites.
Many of them have made great
sacrifices to be able to reach on
time. This dream made me realize
that there are many people who
love and care for us but silently at
the background.
Often when we go through
difficult moments in our lives we
do not realize there are many
people who care for us. We need to
remember that we are not alone in
this journey. It is also important to
remember that we are remembered
in the hearts and minds of many
people on a daily basis. Many of
them will not be able to let you
know that they love and care but
the truth of the matter is that we
are loved and cared for.
So let us remember to remember
that we are remembered as we
remember our dear and near ones
day in and day out.
Fr. Shyjan C. Job, SDB
Don Bosco Mission Tonj
2N
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 17
Don Bosco Choir
Retreat Experience
Sunday 24th March 2012 saw the
transformation of members of the
Don Bosco Choir, from the Shrine of
Mary help of Christians, Upper hill,
Nairobi. I am not sure about the
number of members transformed;
but of one I am sure – my thanks
especially to Fr. Sebastian, popularly
known as Fr. Seba.
We were warmly received at
DByES, the Retreat venue, by Fr.
Seba. Soon after the opening
worship, Fr. Seba took the floor. So
eager was he to share the good news,
that before the organisers could
provide the administrative details
of the Retreat, Fr. had begun his
sharing. he was briefly interrupted
for the admin details, and when he
began speaking, I hang on to every
word he said. his delivery was to
the point, woven with facts and a
great sense of humour. he made
it very clear that the choir had a
great responsibility in the liturgical
celebration, and members’ conduct
should be exemplary, setting an
example to the faithful.
From Fr. Seba’s presentation, it
was clear to me that the need for
spiritual and liturgical formation
for choir members cannot be over-
emphasised. In addition, he left no
doubt in anyone’s mind that serving
as a choir member was a higher
calling, and indeed a privilege. I
was challenged, and I was affirmed
at the same time.
Fr. took us through the celebration
of Mass; from the introductory
rite, liturgy of the Word, Eucharist
and conclusion. This was done
with amazing clarity, simple
easy to understand language
and, very appropriate humour.
Throughout his presentation, Fr.
Seba encouraged participation by
asking if there were any questions,
and kept checking that we were on
the same page.
I saw another side of Fr. Seba
when he found me outside during
tea break, and he was concerned
that I had not taken tea, urging
me to go get myself a cup. a small
question on his part perhaps, but
the gesture meant so much to me!
Fr. Seba, that concern and your
gentle nature did not go unnoticed!
after Mass towards the end of the
day, Fr. Seba had a gift for each
choir member present; a rosary!
he is generous too! Before parting
we were assembled for a group
photo, and guess who the official
photographer was: Fr. Seba. Fr.
clearly has many talents, and I was
blessed to be a beneficiary of his
sharing, kindness, gentleness and
happy spirit!
If I say I was enriched by the
Retreat, this would be a gross
understatement, yet I cannot
think of the words to describe the
experience. The icing on the cake
was the celebration of Mass. Our
own Fr. Mathew was the main
Celebrant, and as usual, was quite
on point. To Fr. Seba and Fr. Mathew,
thank you for taking time to be with
us. To my fellow choir members, the
work has just begun. To the leaders
in the choir, congratulations for a
well organised retreat!
Njeri Makonnen
3RD QUARTER18
Part 1: The Unnamed
Companion on the Road
In this three part series Sahaya
G. Selvam, SDB, explores the
meaning and method of spiritual
accompaniment.
Not long ago, I was participating
in a training programme in Spiritual
accompaniment. For my prayer
one morning, I chose the story
of the disciples on the road to
Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35). During my
many years of priesthood and active
youth ministry I have used this text
as a model of youth ministry. I
have always considered the youth
minister as one who joins the two
young people on the road, listens to
their stories, enlightens their mind
and heart, and finally enables them
experience jesus as the Risen Lord.
No wonder, that story of the two
disciples on the road to Emmaus
has also become so much part of
the Salesian narrative.
That morning during my training
programme, however, as I began
to meditate on that story using the
Ignatian method of contemplative
imagination, I saw myself as the
unnamed companion of Cleopas
(Lk 24:18).
The air seemed dusty and gloomy.
We walked towards the setting sun.
It was quiet and lonely. As I was
walking together with Cleopas my
heart was heavy. I was silent as he
continued to ruminate aloud about
the events of the weekend. I got a
sense of what that story meant for
him. I empathised with him. I knew
he reminded me of the heaviness in
my own heart. (The memory of that
prayer moment seems so fresh that
I feel the need to change the verb
tense.) On that dusty, hazy road we
see a person walking ahead of us.
He seems to know where he is going.
At one point we catch up with him
and want to go past him. But I see
he wants to join us. Soon enough,
I realise, he is walking along with
Cleopas leaving me on the other side.
I am aware of the stranger’s presence
but do not remember looking at his
face. Without appearing forceful
he enters our company and begins
to enquire about the subject of our
conversation. We end up telling him
all about the events of the weekend
and even more. He responds to us. I do
not remember the details of what he
said, but it all seemed to make sense.
The stranger seems wise, serene, and
compassionate. At one point, I look
up at the face of Cleo and I notice his
face lit up. I become aware of my own
heart – I am at peace too.
We reach a fork on the road. We
want to go straight to Emmaus, but
the stranger takes the diversion. We
reluctantly continue our journey to
Emmaus. I feel relaxed. The sun is
setting. Suddenly the sky is colourful.
I hear the distant birds settle down for
the evening. My heart is not heavy
anymore. I look at Cleo and ask him
how he felt about the stranger. He is
lost for words and mutters, “I felt my
heart burn within me!” Suddenly I
become aware that the process is not
complete. As I listen to Cleo, I turn my
gaze at the direction of the stranger.
The silhouette of that graceful figure
could still be seen against the golden
rays of the setting sun. “Do you think
we should invite him?” I suggest. Next
thing I see is Cleo running after him,
stretching out his hand towards him
as he calls out to him. The stranger
turns around gently, and Cleo asks
him hesitatingly, “Why don’t you stay
with us. It is getting dark.” He obliges
and moves towards me. I am excited
that the stranger had obliged. We are
beginning to enjoy his company yet
again – and more intimately.
In the context of the training, I
saw the prayer moment as being
very significant in my ministry of
spiritual accompaniment. My role
as a ‘spiritual director’ consists in
being the unnamed companion on
the road to Emmaus. as I accompany
someone on their faith journey,
I need to recognise that jesus is
present in this journey, even if they
come with the story of confusion
and despair. amidst the strands
of their story, which perhaps in
someway could resemble my own, I
need to recognise the uniqueness of
their story and to honour it. Gently I
propose if they might want to invite
jesus into their lives, converse with
him, get in touch with their feelings
and deepen their own experience.
Spiritual Accompaniment
in the context of Salesian
Youth Ministry
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 19
or the celebration of the sacrament
of reconciliation. Spiritual
accompaniment is a one-to-one
helping relationship that has
God-experience of the directee
at the heart of the process. a
contemporary definition by
Barry and Connolly captures this
meaningfully: “Christian spiritual
direction, then, [is] help given
by one believer to another that
enables the latter to pay attention
to God’s personal communication
to him or her, to respond to this
personally communicating God, to
grow in intimacy with this God, and
to live out the consequences of the
relationship.”
Though spiritual accompaniment
is different from other helping
relationships it carries very similar
terms of confidentiality: what is
said is not to be discussed by the
director outside that space. I am
not pointing out to confidentiality
in terms of time, as is the case
in confession, because it may
be necessary to recall what was
said in a previous session if the
directee has regular sessions of
spiritual accompaniment. For the
purposes of confidentiality, it is
important to consciously mark the
beginning and end of a spiritual
accompaniment session. Box 1
presents the structure of a simple
model of spiritual accompaniment.
Box 1: A simple model of spiritual
accompaniment
Listening
To allow the person to tell their
story, that could be related to a
particular experience in life and/or
prayer.
Noticing the movement
To pick up the implicit and explicit
images, expressions, moments,
feelings which seem significant
for the person, and to help them
identify the movement that
underpins their faith story.
Fostering the movement
To invite the person to see if
they identify with the perceived
movement, and then to facilitate
the process of exploring, valuing
and deepening that movement
with an openness to the Spirit.
This ministry then offers me the
possibility of deepening my own
personal experience of God in
jesus.
In this article, I would like to
introduce a model of spiritual
accompaniment. In the next two
articles in this series, I will consider
its link to the Salesian educative
system, and to evaluate its possible
use in accompanying young people
on their spiritual journey. The focus
here is the application of spiritual
accompaniment in the context of
Salesian youth ministry. I will rely
much on the Ignatian tradition. It is
not within the scope of this article
to explore the tradition of spiritual
direction within the spirituality of St
Francis de Sales. In that sense, the use
of the word, ‘Salesian’ just carries the
connotation of how youth ministry
is carried out following the style of
Don Bosco. The target readership
of this reflection is members of
the Salesian Family, therefore, it
assumes some understanding of
the Salesian educative system, but
it assumes no prior knowledge
on spiritual accompaniment. By
extension, the article could have
some useful insights for anyone
involved in youth ministry even
outside the Salesian context.
What is spiritual accompaniment?
Spiritual direction or spiritual
accompaniment could be
understood in various ways
depending on different theologies
and spiritual traditions. The
expression, ‘spiritual direction’
seems to suggest that the ‘spiritual
director’ is a type of a guru
who knows exactly where the
‘directees’ should proceed to, and
directs them to that end. Spiritual
accompaniment, as it is explored in
this article, alludes to the reality that
it is the Spirit who directs, and the
spiritual director is only a companion
who facilitates the discernment.
Most of the contemporary
literature uses the terms,
‘spiritual direction’ and ‘spiritual
accompaniment’ interchangeably. I
will refer to the process as ‘spiritual
accompaniment’, the one who offers
this service as ‘spiritual director’,
and the one who receives as ‘the
directee’. It would seem idealistic
to think that the spiritual director
has no agenda at all. as it will
emerge in the following reflection,
the director does have an agenda,
namely, to help the directees to
recognise the presence of God in
their lives and to foster an intimacy
with God. however, the directors
are not as ‘directive’ about the
outcome of the accompaniment as
they are of the process. The director
cannot determine the nature and
timing of the directee’s relationship
with God. In this context, it may be
helpful to recall what St Ignatius
of Loyola writes in his ‘annotations’
that serve as guidelines for offering
the Spiritual Exercises. annotation
15 could be extended to the context
of spiritual accompaniment: “So, he
who is giving the Exercises should
not turn to one side or the other,
but standing in the centre like a
balance, leave the Creator to act
immediately with the creature, the
creature with its creator and Lord.”
Spiritual accompaniment is
quite different from counselling,
psychotherapy, spiritual conversation,
3RD QUARTER20
DON BOSCO UTUME BREAKS THE
RECORD ONCE AGAIN DIACONATE
ORDINATION
If at all there is a way of inserting
Don Bosco Utume’s name in the
“Guinness Congregation’s Record,”
then this year was the opportune
moment for that. Why?? (you may
ask me this)
On the 12th May, 2012 at around
three o’clock, the much awaited
long procession from the Sacristy
of the Shrine of Mary help of
Christians began enroute to the
main Church. The reason for this
historic procession was none other
than the diaconate ordination of
the eighteen Salesian “brothers”
who had waited for that day for a
couple of months and days. I could
see the lips of all the eighteen of
them, I included shaking a bit,…..
probably they were singing silently
the famous Easter chorus…” This is
the day that the Lord has made for
them to be ordained……….”
It was one of the biggest diaconate
ordination ever witnessed not only
in the recent years but since the
birth of the “New Utume.” It wasn’t
big only in terms of numbers,
but also in terms of nationalities
with Nigeria “ as usual” being at
the forefront followed by Sierra
Leone,Vietnam,DR Congo, Kenya,
Tanzania and Ethiopia in that order.
The Celebration which most
people were skeptic of its end owing
to the number of the ordinands,
was presided over by our Salesian
family friend his Lordship john
Njenga, the archbishop Emeritus
of Mombasa. Contrary also to the
expectations of many, the Shrine
was full to its capacity with a sea of
people of God from all walks of life.
his Lordship had difficulty during
mass owing to his health and age
but all in all everything ended well
and on time. God’s blessings for that
marvelous occasion could never go
unnoticed and as a result, Upper hill
Shrine and its environs received a
little shower of rain.
all in all it was a wonderful
evening with almost the entire
people present “informing their
faces of the occasion by their
endless smiles.” Kubuya Dominique
on behalf of all the newly ordained;
Benn,Raphael,ajah,Berhane,Tung,
habamungu,Vincent,Peace,Donat
us,Libby,jos,Nzeli,Obi,Philip,Edwin
and Turay expressed his sentiments
of joy and appreciation to God , his
Lordship, Parents, Utume fraternity
under Fr. Pullikal and Fr. Neville,
well-wishers and all present for
their continued support to them
till they have been able to embrace
the altar of the Lord.
Benn Agunga- Utume
“MUTHEMBI WAITU” LAWRENCE
WAMBUA ORDAINED A PRIEST
Lawrence Wambua Kituku was
ordained a “Muthembi” (Priest in
a Kamba dialect) on the 19th May,
2012; a week after the diaconate
ordination of the Utume Brothers in
the same venue; the Shrine of Mary
help of Christians, Upperhill by the
same Bishop, his Lordship john
Njenga except the choir which was
a wonderful one from Nzaikoni at
around noon.
Many who attended the
celebration were from Nzaikoni
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 21
Parish which is Fr. Wambua’s home
parish. The Salesians too were
present in numbers especially the
Rectors who a week prior to the
ordination, had their annual Rectors’
meeting. Tears of joy could be seen
rolling down Fr. Wambua and his
parents’ faces as they moved down
the aisles sandwiched between the
liturgical dancers in front and the
Bishop and the concelebrants at
the back.
It was a wonderful celebration
punctuated by “vigelegeles” from all
corners of the congregation. all that
could be heard at the end of the mass
was “Muthembi Waitu, Tumtungie
Ngai Muvea” (Our Priest, thanks be
to God) from the Christians who
were thanking the Lord joyfully for
the gift of Fr. Wambua as a priest.
We the Salesians of Don Bosco
thank the Lord abundantly for
adding a shepherd into our pastoral
vineyard.
after that, Fr. Lawrence had a
chain of thanksgiving Masses right
from the following day starting
from his own Parish Nzaikoni, his
home, Kaewa his outstation among
others. Fr. Lawrence is currently
at Don Bosco Mission, Korr for his
first assignment as a priest. he
is both an assistant Parish Priest
and administrator. May God bless
Muthembi Lawrence in his priestly
endevours of serving the entire
people of God and especially the
people of Korr,Marsabit .
Benn Agunga- Nzaikoni
This is the day that the
Lord has made for them
to be ordained……….”
Facebook:
almost a nation
If it were an independent nation,
Facebook would be in third place
after China and India in terms of
population. It would be a superpower
at world level which could aspire to
a permanent seat on UN Security
Council.
The Wall Street journal has
published some data on the
population of the social network
founded by Mark Zuckerberg. On
31st March this year, Facebook had
901 million users active during the
month, 33% higher than the 680
million on 31st March 2011. The data
was obtained from documentation
provided to the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) in view
of the launch of the social network
on the Stock Exchange.
Facebook has a population three
times greater than that of the
United States. Compared with the
two superpowers on the planet in a
demographic, but also an economic
sense, Facebook has 300 million
citizens less than India and about 400
million less than China. The data sent
to the SEC show a constant increase
in the number of users. During 2011
Facebook saw a growth of 72 million
users (11.9%) in the first quarter, of
59 million (8.7%) in the second, 61
million (8.2%) in the third and 45
million (5.6%) in the fourth quarter. In
the first quarter of 2012 the increase
was 56 million (6.6%).
These figures, from just one social
network, demonstrate how the ‘digital
continent’, without geographical
borders, has a real existence. The
world of commerce is well aware of
this: the launch of Facebook on the
stock exchange was welcomed with
enthusiasm.
3RD QUARTER22
The Dynamics of the Salesian
Charism founded on the Love
of Christ…
Introduction
This is the second part of our
reflection on the living of the
Salesian Charism in East africa. In
this reflection as I did promise in
the last issue, I would like to play
the technical balancing act of
Competency cum Relevance versus
Irrelevance cum Vulnerability as the
mode of following and living the
ministry of jesus in today’s world.
In one of the celebrated maxims
of Don Bosco, we have “We should
not only love the young but they
should know that they are loved.”
Jesus in the discourse on the Good
Shepherd theme, I know my own
and my own know me…
according to henry j. M. Nouwen,
the mystery of Ministry today lies
in the making of our limited and
actually conditional love as the
path to the unconditional love. I
quote; “[…] we have been chosen
to make our own limited and very
conditional love the gateway for
the unlimited and unconditional
love of God.” In this reflection, the
issue is; are we vulnerable enough
to be the dispensers of Christ’s love
to the young? Lack of vulnerability
will lead to self-tailored ways and
projects that may have nothing
to do with the servant following
and leadership of Christ. hence, in
this reflection I would like to base
myself with the following seeming
contraries:
ØCompetence versus in-
competence and vulnerability
ØRelevance/popularity versus
irrelevance and openness
Øhumility as a mark of the
dispensers of God’s riches
versus arrogance cum show off
mentality…
The Dynamics of the Salesian
charism and Love for Christ
In the art of blacksmithing,
in the Luhya understanding
taken as “bubasi” or “burumbi”,
or even taken further than
blacksmithing to the area of
initiation (circumcision), “bukhebi”,
the common characteristic
among all these trades is that
one was initiated into it, through
apprenticeship so that slowly but
surely one became possessed
with that spirit of blacksmithing or
bukhebi. and because of this the
one that possesses the gift always
understood that it is a gift, actually
un-merited gift that humbles the
possessor who becomes actually
a servant, dispensing the fruits of
that gift. among the Bukusu sub-
tribe of the Luhya community, the
circumcisers of the boys i.e. the
surgeons or in Kiluhya “Bakhebi”
were not taught in school, but the
one was confirmed into it when he
showed that the particular spirit of
the trade dwelt in him/her. This was
evident during the circumcision
season or before when the one
possessed by the particular trade
was seen shaking or trembling
literally. In such events, the person
was inducted into the trade through
the giving of the tools of the trade,
and then there followed a period
of apprenticeship with one of the
masters of the trade. One learnt
the trade by being with the master,
started by carrying the tools of the
trade, then graduated to being may
be an assistant of the master.
The Salesians of Don Bosco, are
called or rather exist to be the sign,
bearers, of the love of God made
concrete in Christ Jesus, then in
Don Bosco and us today to the
young. In other words we exist
to give Christ to the world of the
young. The Salesian Christology
is “youthcentric”, i.e. we are the
ministers/servants of the gospel
of Christ jesus to the young. “The
signs and bearers of the love of God
for the young.” as I already stated
before, and immortally known, you
cannot give what you do not have.
Like the apprenticeship in bubasi,
bukhebi, in order for one to be such,
one needs to possess the spirit of
the trade not merely the technics.
We are an active congregation,
but not meant fundamentally to
Jesus taught them as one having
Authority (2)
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 23
lack the contemplative aspects. at
times, given the hollow, disjointed
formation in Salesiana, we have
come across as not more than the
entertainers of the young!!!
In the Salesian formation, what we
need in Eastern africa is a systematic
orientation and formation into
Salesian values; the process where
the young man systematically is
inserted into the Salesian ChaRISM
leading to interiorization of the
Salesian values. however, this
presupposes immersion in the life
of the Gospel. It is evident that so
far, we have given to the young men
who join us either ideals or concepts
to be repeated from the intellectual
level without depth, where what
we know is DON BOSCO SaID, DID
etc, however, the spirit behind what
he said and did is what is relevant to
us today not necessary how he did
it. The question is, how does one
acquire the Salesian spirit?
Like the example of
apprenticeship, their modus
operandi however, primitive it may
seem, but it gives us a hint of how
the process of interiorization ought
to be taken. hence, the idea in the
apprenticeship is never the number
of years or the certification in terms
of papers, but in so far as the master
is there, he is to be consulted. and
the measure here is in terms of the
values that one is internalizing;
exhibiting; ready to defend and
live for and by. What Nouwen
says in regard to spirituality can
very much be applied to us, he
says: “When spirituality becomes
spiritualization, life in the body
becomes carnality.” The body is
seen in negative terms, and even
a hindrance. In relation to our
case, the moment we spiritualize
the Salesian spirit, we end up
forgetting or doing away with
the concretization aspect of the
charism in space, time and place.
and here is where interiorization is
killed, and the transmission of the
Charism greatly suffers. Nouwen
goes on; “Christian leaders are
called to live the incarnation, that
is, to live in the body – not only in
their own bodies but also in the
corporate body of the community,
and to discover there the presence
of the holy Spirit.”
On the aspect of interiorization
of the Charism, for us Salesians the
model of jesus the Good Shepherd;
made concrete in the Preventive
system of education remains the
valid criterion for assessing our
assimilation of being the signs
and bearers of the Love of God
for the young. The preventive
system as a pastoral model, calls
for visionaries in the wider sense
of the word which encompasses
reading and interpreting the world
of the young, and forming policies
in line with what we interpret.
This has to be done in relation to
the circumstances that we find
ourselves hic et nunc.
In the early Old Testament,
the prophet was seen as a “seer”,
denoting a sense of being visionary,
being able to see the way God sees,
and also interpreting the covenant
of the Lord. Our challenge today,
is to be Professionals as well as
Prophets!!! If we become only
Professionals, then we may fall
into the Pharisaic mode where
interpretation of the signs of the
times will become wanting or rather
questionable. This is where the great
challenge lies to be competent
as well as to live as incompetent
men, given the openness and
the mission given is not ours, but
the Lord’s. The understanding
that our professionality calls us
to be prophetic hence always
vulnerable!!! Remember, proper
Professionality leads to more and
more vulnerability, and greater
understanding of what it means to
bear prophetic witness in the case
of a religious. We become carriers of
the message in earthen vessels, i.e.
fragile. This is because, the mystery
of ministry as we pointed out,
isthat we are ourselves wounded
healers!!! Making our own limited
and very conditional love the
pathway for the unlimited and the
unconditional love of God.
however, the world categories of
power have entered seriously into
our journey of knowing or following
jesus the Good Shepherd. In this
regard, Nouwen gives us a very
interesting picture, he says: “The
temptation to consider power an
apt instrument for the proclamation
of the Gospel is the greatest of all.”
There is simply lot of rationalization
about having power and using it in
the service of God and fellow human
beings. This type of rationalization
on power accounts for some of
the regrettable moments in the
history of the church like crusades,
inquisitions, enslavement etc. One
of the greatest hindrances to the
unalloyed journey of cultivating the
singleness of purpose in our province
is power and manipulation. In our
case, it seems, easier to invest in the
structures than people!!! This may
not be out of the norm given that,
it is easier to be God so to say than
to love God; it is easier to control
people than to love people and it
is easier to own life than to love
life!!! are we vulnerable enough to
be professionals and yet prophetic
in humility for the surpassing
greatness of encountering Christ
jesus our ruler?
(To be continued in the next
issue)
Mulongo Alexius
3RD QUARTER24
The Missionary Sisters of the
Precious Blood officially opened
their General Chapter with a mass
celebrated by his Eminence john
Cardinal Njue at the Salesians
of Don Bosco youth Educational
Services (DByES) Karen, Nairobi
Kenya. The theme of the General
Chapter, which takes place every 5
years, is ‘you are My Witnesses in
the Power of the Spirit.’
In his homily, the Cardinal
advised the sisters to deepen their
relationship with God so that they
may always remember that they
were called to mission in various
parts of the world. “On an occasion
like this, you are challenged to go
in depth and see your mission as
a congregation and how it can be
made better in order to leave a
good legacy,” said Cardinal Njue.
Sr. Ingeborg Müller, the General
Superior of the congregation
welcomed the sisters to the assembly.
She said they are looking forward
to reclaiming their missionary spirit
When an attitude of gratitude becomes our life’s beatitude, experience becomes joyful, history becomes eventful,
and life becomes meaningful… That’s what happened on 22nd january 2012 at SMI Morogoro, Provincial house,
as our dear Sr. ancy jacob was installed as the third Provincial Superior of Sisters of Mary Immaculate, East
african Province. We were privileged to have the gracious presence of our dear Sr. Lisette
Thuruthimattam, Superior General from India to grace the occasion. Sr. Lisette installed
Sr. ancy jacob during the holy Eucharist presided over by Rev. Fr. Gianni Rolandi SDB, the
Provincial Superior of Eastern african Province. Many of our sisters were present from
all our communities of the Province. The presence of many priests, religious brothers,
sisters, well wishers and friends added inspiration to the occasion. The day was filled
with prayerful wishes, blessings and smiles for the person of our dear Sr. ancy. Sr.
ancy had been serving the Province for the last 21 years in various capacities. We
implored God’s manifold blessings upon her asking abba Father to fill her with the
holy Spirit and to empower her to animate our Province in the coming six years.
We, the members of the Province pledged our full cooperation and prayerful
support.
On this occasion we also expressed our gratitude and appreciation
to our dear Sr. Dina Vellamaruthunkal the out-going Provincial
Superior for her selfless services during the past 11 years in
Tanzania, very specially during the last five years as Provincial
Superior of EaP. We wished her God’s abundant blessings
in her new responsibility as First Councillor of the Superior
General. It was a memorable day for the entire Province.
Sr. Müller hopes that by the end
of the assembly, the sisters will be
renewed in heart and spirit so that
they can be truthful missionaries.
There are 42 sisters from different
parts of the world where the
congregation works attending the
Chapter.
The General assembly runs from
june 18 until july 18.
and identity and establishing new
missions and outreaches in areas
yet to receive the Gospel. “We are
here because of internalization and
how we can transform ourselves
into an inter-cultural community.
We want to look at what it means to
form young people in the novitiate
and postulancy for the task of being
missionaries,” said Sr. Müller.
Showers of blessings to Sr. Ancy Jacob,
New Provincial Superior of SMI EAP
Missionary Sisters of Precious Blood
Begins General Chapter
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 25
The Salesian Family in juba is
presently growing like a strong
healthy tree with many branches
and fruits.
The ‘return’ to juba at the end of
2006 soon after the 2005 peace
agreement and official set up of the
Sudan delegation has implanted
into the heart of this growing city
the Salesian Spirit.
PLURALITY
With the complex reality of a new
city in a new country, the number
of people from different parts of
the world and for different interest
that move about the streets and
use the roads of juba urgently
needs a regular updated data. While
the population and international
dimensions of juba are not the
only prominent indicators of the
richness of juba; this large number
of professional international
organizations and business seeking
experts from asia, Europe, North
america and other parts of africa
moving about daily with their Land-
cruisers and logos and sign boards
and staff quarters, do mark the face
of juba. That is why one can truly
call juba a Toyota-town or Land-
cruiser city
SALESIAN COMPOUND
The Salesian family in Gumbo (2
km from the famous juba bridge
of the Nile), has contributed in
her own significant way to the
blessings of juba. The new complex
of the Salesian family compound
has an ideal set up for a youth-city.
Beginning with the Church at the
entrance and youth centre, one
can move along to the Salesian
residence on the right and in the
opposite direction, the residence
of the Caritas sisters of jesus
founded by Don Cimatti in japan.
Next to the SDB residence is the
project and Development office,
Sudan delegation offices and some
guest rooms. as you continue to
move along the main avenue in
the compound you will get to the
compound of the Daughters of Mary
help of Christians. These Mazarellos,
have in a very short time of about
1 year so transformed the entire
area not only by the structure of
the compound but most especially
by the Family and women ministry
that they carry out in the parish
and town that has seen to a very
rapid response of the families and
children frequenting the youth
centre and daily oratory.
at the end of the avenue, you
will get to the school section of the
primary school compound to your
right and Vocational training centre
on your left and the Don Bosco
Senior Secondary School (DBSSS)
in the middle facing the Pre-school.
Every morning it’s a blessing to see
children, with different uniforms,
adolescents coming in groups and
young boys and girls with different
sizes of bags and steps coming to
the Salesian mission for education.
The different members of staff for
these different schools dedicating
their lives and putting their skills
into the service of the young ones,
gives a true picture of the Family
atmosphere most needed for a
good social and Christian formation
for the people of South Sudan.
FORMATION HOUSE
With the beginning of the pre-
novitiate orientation programme
on the 1st of june 2012 the
formation house and team in the
community now joins the other
12 religious congregations in the
city with their various vocation
promotion initiatives and superiors
of congregations based in juba.
This blessing of the formation
house comes to fortify the vocation
animation that has been going on
in the parishes with the vocation
camps and much more in the
numerous primary schools and
secondary schools in the city.
The first groups of 6 salesian pre-
novices are from different tribes in
South Sudan and 5 of them are past
pupils of the Don Bosco Secondary
school Tonj and have completed
their aspirantate programme while
residing in the hostel (boarding)
in the Tonj mission. With the new
secondary school in juba and
keeping to the same animation
style there is a possibility of steady
growth of the formation house in
juba.
YOUNG PEOPLE
There are more than 10 different
youth groups of various activities
in the church, school and youth
centre that gather daily for music,
prayer meetings, games, practices
etc.. The youth office is animated
by a joint team of representatives
of the members of the Salesian
family and each youth group leader
is part of the animating committee.
The monthly calender of the youth
centre is drawn from the annual
Educative Pastoral Plan (EPP)
made by the Educative pastoral
community (EPC a representation
of a the groups of the entire mission
in all its dimension).
WOMEN
The women promotion took a
step higher in their achievement
with the full commitment of
the Daughters of Mary help of
Christians (FMa). Their activities
with the mothers group (legion of
Mary) and other young girls in the
parish has increased in recent times.
The weekly skill training of the
women and workshops of various
issues of family, health and Religion
is getting very good response and
impct in the domestic homes.
COLLABORATION
The SDB, FMa and CaRITaS
collaboration in ministry, witness
and planning is the obvious secret
behind the blessings of juba that
the Salesian family is contributing
to juba. This will be the most clear
example that will influence the
young Salesians in the formation
house and could also be the secret
to improve the animation of the
so many Salesian past pupils from
different communities in the interior,
from the East african community,
refugee camps, and other countries
.the same could be applied to the
salesiancooperators, old and new.
This is another blessing in this land
of juba that could be obtained.
Juba a Land of Blessings
3RD QUARTER26 2N
Salesian Bulletin: 135 year old and
it doesn’t show
“135 years old, the Salesian
Bulletin has preserved an amazing
vitality. This is all due to the one
who invented it, someone with an
astonishing, clear view of the future.
” These are the words with which Fr.
Bruno Ferrero, director of the Italian
Salesian Bulletin (SB), introduced his
address during the meeting of the
Directors of the SB across the world.
It was a presentation which laid out
its history, purpose and above all its
identity. We publish a summary.
Don Bosco was a born
communicator. Of his very nature
he was irrepressible. he adjusted
himself via communication,
became more up to date in his ideas,
invented ways to teach. he showed
that he had understood industrial
civilization, which he was an enemy
of in principle. and like all great
communicators, he experienced
fear but also made others fearful.
That same effect continues 125
years later.
It all begins with a broadsheet with
the unlikely title Bibliofilo Cattolico
(Catholic Booklover), which he
changed then into Bolletino
Salesiano. The word Bolletino,
according to the dictionary, means
“an official publication saying
something of a public nature”. It
has noble origins. The word comes
from “bolla”, the seal or stamp used
for public writings and solemn
kinds of documents. Papal Bulls
– if that helps. It is still employed
for practical purposes: medical
bulletins, war bulletins. It points
to something practical in style,
without too many frills, managerial
in nature. This is why Don Bosco
liked it.
The first official number of the
Salesian Bulletin opens with a letter
from Don Bosco: “To the Salesian
Cooperators. Our regulations,
good and deserving Cooperators,
prescribe a monthly Bulletin that
would be published in due course
to keep you informed of things that
have been done or are yet to be
done to obtain the aims which we
have agreed to achieve. We are now
fulfilling a common desire, so that
everyone can carry out his work
in unity of spirit and unanimously
direct our efforts to a single purpose:
The glory of God, the good of civil
society. To this end we judge that a
Bulletin will help you, one that has
been printed now for some years in
our print shop in Turin and which
will be printed in future from the St.
Vincent’s Refuge in Sampierdarena.
This Bulletin will tell you about:
1. Things that the members or
their Directors choose to offer
for the general and particular
good of associates who follow
the practical rules of the
Cooperators.
2. Expounding facts that are
fruitful for members and can
serve as an example for others.
So, things that have happened,
or we have heard about or
read: so long as they are linked
to the good of humanity and
religion; news and letters
from Missionaries working for
the faith in asia australia and
especially those from Salesians
spread throughout South
america amongst wild tribes:
all this is appropriate material
for us.
3. Communications, notices of
various kinds, works we are
proposing; books and maxims
which should be spread around,
will make up a third of the
Bulletin.
“Don Bosco never excluded
anyone.”– Fr. Ferrero clarified – This
is why the Bulletin is addressed to
all friends of Don Bosco and those
who, if they got to know him would
be his friends. One might think of a
series of concentric circles rippling
out from the centre using the most
effective method of all: a handing
on of the word.”
Fr. Pietro Stella in one of his
publications wrote: “One could say
that the SB, the many circular letters
sent out ... determined how the
world discovered Don Bosco, this
extraordinary man. Up until 1874
the Salesians were just a regionally
based Congregation. after that
date, especially after the 1880s,
Don Bosco more frequently took on
boys who were recommended by
clergy or laity, requests multiplied
to open houses in various cities
and countries.” (Stella, Don Bosco,
1968).
“according to Don Bosco’s insights,
the Salesian Bulletin is not a simple
list of news events, but shows the
spirit of the Congregation by telling
about deeds and works, more than
by spreading speculative ideas. It
offers a reading of contemporary
reality from a Salesian point of
view and accepts the provocations
of the world of the young and
of the Church in view of a more
comprehensive educational and
pastoral project.” said Fr. Ferrero.
News from the Salesian World
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 27
South Korea - Olympic
Champion funding a
school in Southern
Sudan
Interesting results are arriving
from research carried out by the
Catholic University of Milan’s
Centre for Research in Education for
Media and Information Technology
(CREMIT) and the Department
of Institutions and Society of the
University of Perugia on behalf of
the Italian association of Catholic
Webmasters. The research concerns
the use of Facebook by priests,
religious and seminarians. although
it is limited to the Italian context,
the enquiry is surely indicative of
the situation in wider society, in
the Church, and, in our case, in the
Salesian context.
The research carried out by
CREMIT shows that 20% of diocesan
priests and of male religious have a
profile on Facebook. This is higher
than that of Italian citizens in
general. The percentage rises to
59.7% for seminarians, a clear sign
of the greater use of such sites by
younger generations.
From the first findings a numerical
difference is appearing between
male and female religious. Is this
a gender-based digital divide? Or
is it simply related to the different
types of work they do? Differences
are also emerging between the
north and the south of Italy: in this
case the south appears to be more
digitised than the north, which
seems less inclined to use social
and interactive media.
“The first results of this research
make us understand the importance
of initial and ongoing formation for
Salesians”, commented Fr Filiberto
Gonzalez, General Councillor for
Social Communications. “Following
the year of the Priest, Pope Benedict
XVI dedicated his message for the
XLIV World Day of Prayer for Social
Communications to priests, inviting
them to be pastors in the digital
world and let their consecrated
heart shine through.”
The Pope was inviting priests to
use new media in an appropriate and
competent way, learnt during their
formation, and to give themselves a
solid theological preparation and a
sound priestly spirituality.
“The digital world presents us
with new challenges”, explained
Fr Gonzalez. “It’s not just a matter
of surfing the web or being able
to read something on a screen; it’s
about approaching the situation
with new hermeneutic criteria
and discovering novel methods
of pastoral activity. Our mission
to young people, in education
and evangelisation, can only take
advantage from this if we enter it
in the style of ‘Salesian assistance’,
with the pastoral heart of Don
Bosco.”
Kim yu-na, the Olympic and World
Figure Ice-Skating Champion, has given
a donation to the Salesians to open a
school in Southern Sudan. In the new
african State the Salesians are intending
to build many new elementary schools.
On 2 june, Kim yu-na visited the
Salesian Provincial house in Seoul and
met Fr Vincenzo Donati and Bro Giacomo
Comino, both Salesian missionaries in
Southern Sudan. She gave them 70
millions of South-Korean won, (about
47,000 euro) personally financing the
building of one of these schools.
““I had a chance to visit Togo a year
ago as part of efforts to win support
for Korea’s bid for the Winter Olympics
in Pyeongchang and I felt the need to
help out children there,” Kim told them.
“I want to offer what little support I can,”
she added.
Fr Donati thanked her profusely and
said one of the schools to be built in
Southern Sudan will be named after
Kim and asked the athlete to come visit
the school after it is completed.
Kim yu-na became a Catholic convert
in 2008, taking the Christian name
Stella. She has made other generous
donations before: in October 2009 her
published gifts amounted to about 2,5
million euro.
Fr Donati and Bro Comino, who had
both dedicated about twenty years as
missionaries in South Korea, returned
there to seek support for the missionary
work in Southern Sudan. “We will make
use of our Salesian experience,” –
explained Bro Comino – “and then we
will put the schools at the disposal of
the dioceses, with responsibility to look
after the buildings and find teachers.”
The project in Southern Sudan is
for the building of just elementary
schools. Fr Gianni Rolandi, Superior of
the East africa Province (aFE), including
Southern Sudan told the MISNa agency
the reason: “This choice is the result
of there being an almost total lack of
infrastructure in Southern Sudan, an
independent country scarcely a year old
where the wounds of civil war are still
open: one can only begin by building
the foundations.”
D
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A Salesian digital
generation?
3RD QUARTER28
On the occasion of the
international meeting of the
Directors of the Salesian Bulletin
(SB), some data were presented
on the characteristics of the
review at world level. The analysis
provided some significant statistics
and brought to light some of the
challenges facing everyone.
The research is the fruit of work
carried out before the meeting
by the Department of Social
Communication and by the editing
body of the BS. It gathered data from
51 editions – almost the complete
range of the SB in the world.
at the continental level, the
editions of the SB increase where the
Salesian presences are more recent
or are still in a stage of expansion
(africa, asia and Oceania), while
they remain stable in the countries
where the presence is historically
rooted (america and Europe). In
this connection the publications in
new languages make an entry, such
as Vietnamese, Tetum, Kannada…
(in oriental countries), and French
(spoken in many african countries)
is on the increase. Spanish counts
the greatest number of editions,
followed by English. Some are
bilingual or trilingual.
about half the editions are bi-
monthly, about ten are monthly,
while the remainder have a lower
frequency of 2-3 editions a year.
also the circulation varies
significantly, from a few thousand,
for the most recently founded
editions, to over 4 million annually
for the Italian SB, founded by Don
Bosco himself. The grand total of
the circulation of the SB over the
whole world is estimated to be over
8,5 million copies a year.
The contents on offer are varied
and balanced, ranging from
Salesian Spirituality to the young,
from education to missions, from
international reflections to local
situations… The rainbow of readers
is equally colourful, showing that,
by and large, The SBs succeed in
suiting the tastes of all age ranges.
at the same time the analysis
reveals several challenges and
questions of general application.
The distribution of the SBs, for
example, is carried out in most
cases by the Salesians themselves.
In this connection it is imperative
to motivate external members
of the Congregation – members
of the ever increasing Salesian
Family – to become involved in the
promotion of the SB. This is even
more necessary given that more
and more often the SB is published
in digital, and in some cases only in
digital.
Presence on the internet is certainly
another of the challenges. at present,
the very great majority of the SBs are
on the internet, but the presence
is almost always static. The aim is to
encourage a migration towards a
more interactive presence, through
social networking, and secondly,
towards the adoption of the latest
standards of the semantic web.
Other sensitive topics arising
from the analysis were: the manner
of presenting the monthly letter
which the Rector Major writes
expressly for the SB; the presence
of advertising; the need to move
from the idea of a “factotum editor”
to that of an editorial team.
The Salesian Bulletin in the World
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 29
The General assembly of the
United Nations decided that 20
june should be World Refugee Day,
as a sign of solidarity with africa, the
continent with the largest number
of refugees in the world. at Salesian
level, the Salesian Mission Office in
Madrid has launched an appeal for
help for refugees in Kenya: “Kakuma
is more than full.”
“The refugee camp in Kakuma
is more than full at present” is the
message from the Salesian Mission
Office in Madrid quoting the
words of Fr Philip Sajan a Salesian
missionary working in central
Kenya. The Kakuma camp is in the
north of the country and houses
over 96,000 people. about 50% are
refugees from Somalia, “but the
numbers are increasing of those
coming from Southern Sudan,
because of the problems there, and
from Burundi”.
Salesian missionaries have been
working in Kakuma for a number of
years. here in addition to the more
urgent needs they are also looking
for long term solutions, and are
providing training and literacy
courses for the refugees. “about
half of them are under 18 years
of age and it is necessary to keep
their hopes up.” Fr Sajan continues.
“Many are interested in English and
computer studies, but we can’t help
all of them for shortage of means.
We need more space for training,
new computers and other material.
Then there are over 200 children
who go to school and they need
exercise books and other school
materials”.
On World Refugee Day the Madrid
Mission Office reminds us that in
the world there are over 44 million
people living far from their homes,
the figure for the last 15 years
according to the United Nations
high Commission for Refugees
(UNhCR). In recent times there are
over 300,000 refugees from the
north of Mali; 2 million escaping
from natural disasters as well as the
1,200 and 1,500 who every month
escape from the paramilitary groups
in Colombia in Ecuador.
Other official figures indicate
that 80% of the refugees are from
poor countries and 75% go to
neighbouring countries. 50% of the
refugees being cared for by UNhCR
at present are afghans or Iracheni
and half the total of refugees in
the world– about 22 millions – are
under 25 years of age.
Nowadays many countries are
responding to this situation and
making it better known: though
marches, conferences, campaigns,
university meeting, among NGO,
public debates, photographic
exhibitions and other media
programmes mobilising public
opinion about the pain and
suffering of the refugees.
ANS
World Refugee Day
Sacrament of Confession
Threatened by Irish Legislation
Prelates, Priests Affirm
Resolve to Protect Inviolable
Seal
Last Wednesday the Irish Minister
for justice, Equality and Defence, alan
Shatter, announced the publication
of a bill related to the protection of
children regarding sexual abuse.
The Criminal justice (Withholding
of Information on Offences against
Children and Vulnerable Persons)
Bill 2012l “is one element of a suite
of legislation to protect children
and vulnerable adults to which
the Government is committed,”
according to the government’s
press release on the matter.
Under the proposed legislation
it will be a criminal offence to
withhold information on sexual
offences committed against a child
or a vulnerable person.
The proposal has caused an
outcry because of concerns that the
obligation to report this information
will include matters confessed in
the Sacrament of Reconciliation,
thus obliging priests to break the
seal of confession.
“The seal of the confessional is
inviolable as far as I am concerned,
and that’s the end of the matter,”
declared Bishop Raymond Field,
an auxiliary bishop of Dublin, in
comments reported in the Irish
Independent the following day.
Even the association of Catholic
Priests, which is noted for its
liberal position on a variety of
doctrinal issues, came out against
the proposal: “I certainly wouldn’t
be willing to break the seal of
confession for anyone,” said Father
Sean McDonagh of the association,
according to the Irish Independent.
There is some confusion,
however, on whether the bill will
actually oblige priests to break
the seal of confession. an april 26
article published in the Irish Times
said that the justice ministry was
not able to confirm on Wednesday
night whether priests would be
obliged to report to police offences
that they become aware of when
hearing confessions.
Nevertheless, in comments
reported by the Irish Times last
Friday the justice minister said that
the new law would compel priests
to disclose information obtained
in confession. he also said that
complaints by the Church over
this issue were a “diversion” from
the Church’s failure to adequately
report abuse committed by priests.
The bill will be introduced into
the Irish parliament in a few weeks
time.
ZENIT
News from the Church
3RD QUARTER30
Reiterates Call Made in Milan
for Protection of Sunday as Day
of Rest
Benedict XVI says the future of
humanity absolutely depends
on the family, which he says is
humanity’s “principle patrimony,”
the “community of life and love
which God himself has willed for
man and for woman.”
The Pope offered his reflections
on family life at today’s general
audience, as he reviewed his trip
last weekend to Milan for the 7th
World Meeting of Families.
“It is within the family that we
experience for the first time that
the human person is not created to
live enclosed within himself, but in
relationships with others; and it is in
the family that the light of peace is
first set aflame in our hearts so that it
might illumine our world,” he said.
The holy Father recalled his
address to the world of culture and
education in Milan, which “allowed
me to highlight the importance of
legislation and the work of state
institutions being ordered to the
service and protection of the person
in his various aspects, beginning
with the right to life, the deliberate
suppression of which can never be
allowed, and the acknowledgement
Scientists may have discovered date of Crucifixion
Geologists in Israel have discovered evidence confirming that there was an earthquake around the time of the
Crucifixion of jesus.
The Gospel of of Matthew, Chapter 27 says: “and when jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up
his spirit. at that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to
bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.”
Geologist jefferson Williams from Supersonic Geophysical and Markus Schwab and
achim Brauer from the German Research Centre for Geosciences, analyzed earthquake
activity in the area near jerusalem by studying rock and sand samples from the Ein
Gedi Spa beach. Their research confirmed that two major earthquakes hit the area
specified, one of which took place between 26 and 36 aD. The most likely date they
say is: 3 april 33 aD.
Writing in the International Geology Review they say that the report of an
earthquake in the Gospel could also be a “type of allegory,” but the experience
of an earthquake would be something people around the time of the Crucifixion
would know about.
Three of the four Gospels also refer to three hours of darkness after the Crucifixion.
This could be a description of a dust storm, the scientists say, and such a storm
could have happened after a quake. Discovery Magazine reports that they are now
analysing dust samples.
Dan Bergin
of the proper identity of the family,
founded on marriage between one
man and one woman.”
he also noted his question-and-
answer session with families, which
he said enabled him to “give a sign
of the open dialogue that exists
between families and the Church,
between the world and the Church.”
Benedict XVI emphasized his call for
a defense of family time, “threatened
by a kind of “overbearance” of work
commitments.”
“Sunday,” he said, “is the Lord’s day
and man’s day, a day when everyone
should be able to be free, free for
family and free for God. In defending
Sunday, we defend man’s freedom!”
The Pope also recalled his appeal
for Church communities that are
more and more family oriented, and
“capable of reflecting the beauty
of the Most holy Trinity and of
evangelizing not only with words,
but by radiating the strength of
love lived, for love is the only force
that can transform the world.”
“The ‘triad’ of family, work and
celebration [are] three dimensions of
our lives that must find a harmonious
equilibrium in order to build a society
with a human face,” he stated.
The Bishop of Rome said the
World Meeting of Families was
“an eloquent ‘epiphany’ of the
family, which manifested itself in
its variety of expressions but in the
uniqueness of its essential identity:
a communion of love, founded
on marriage and called to be a
sanctuary of life, a domestic Church,
a cell of society.”
“From Milan,” he concluded, “a
message of hope was sent out to
all the world, substantiated by lived
experience: it is possible and joyous,
even if demanding, to live faithful
love ‘forever’ which is open to life; it
is possible to participate as a family
in the mission of the Church and in
the building up of society.”
ZENIT
No Future for Humanity Without
Family, Says Pope
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, JULY 2012 31
3RD QUARTER32
