˙ajja
Salesjana
Jannar - Frar 2008
il-202 Óar©a
Edukatur Qaddis
Strenna 2008
Qdusija Salesiana
Fl-1877, Dun Bosco beda jippubblika “Il Bibliofilo Cattolico”. Wara sentejn , semmig˙
- Bollettino Salesiano”. Kien jo˙or©u bi ˙sieb li jg˙aqqad lil dawk kollha li g˙andhom
g˙al qalbhom il-˙idma Salesjana fid-dinja kollha, billi jwasslilhom tag˙rif fuq il-˙ajja
tal-Kongregazzjoni Salesjana. Tag˙lim siewi g˙all-˙ajja Nisranija. Insibuh imxerred
mad-dinja kif iddur, mitbug˙ f’aktar minn g˙oxrin ilsien ewlieni … fosthom il-Malti
wkoll fiç-çokon tieg˙u. F’sena jitqassmu ‘l fuq minn g˙axar miljun kopja. Hawn Malta
jo˙ro© ta˙t l-isem ‘˙ajja Salesjana’ u kull xahrejn, barra x-xhur tas-sajf – Lulju, u
Awissu. Jitqassam b’xejn lil kull min jitolbu. G˙alhekk wie˙ed jista’ jikteb lill-Editur;
Hajja Salesjana
cço St. Patrick’s School, Triq San Gwann Bosco,
Sliema SLM 1925, Malta.
Tel. 21 33 0238 e-mail; joecini@onvol.net
Jie˙u ˙sieb Fr. Joe Cini SDB
Bord Editorjali Fr. Victor Mangion SDB
MargaretBu˙agiar
Andre’ Camilleri
Josie Grech
Jg˙inuh ukoll Fr. Charles Cini SDB
Eileen Alden
Joyce Scicluna
Joe M. Busuttil
Óajrminnqalbnalill-˙biebtag˙nalijibag˙tuxi
˙a©atal-flusg˙an-nefqabiexil-ÓajjaSalesjana
jista’jintbag˙atb’xejnlil
•Dawklimqarbit-talbtag˙homjg˙inu
fil-˙idmaSalesjana
• Dawk li jg˙inu l-vokazzjonijiet g˙all-˙ajja
Reli©juΩaSalesjana
Infakkru lill-qarrejja tag˙na li l-˙idma Salesjana
Maltija tinfirex ukoll fl-Afrika ta’ fuq, fit-TuneΩija.
Designed & Printed by Salesian Press
˙ajjaSalesjana
Fuqiex se naqraw
Editorjali 3/4
Pedago©ijaSalesjana
Edukatur Qaddis 5
Boscofest07 8
Ìrajiet il-Missjunarju
Il-Klieb ˙bieb tieg˙i 10
Stenna2008 12
Manouba Tunisia 14
Martri Salesjan Spanjoli 15
Someting to think about 16
Crimes 1
Conditioning Forces Facing
YoungPeople 18
A˙barijietmill-Awstralja 24
A Stranger in the house 26
QdusijaSalesjana 28
TheMysticofthePassion 30
Salesians in the World 32
Bil-G˙ajnuna ta’ Alla n˙arsu ‘l quddiem bil-fiduçja. Imma ˙alli nibda billi nsemmi ©rajja Ωg˙ira li ©rat ftit
©img˙at ilu. Mela f’Novembru li g˙adda
©ie organizzat ‘symposium’ g˙all-Familja
Salesjana li kellu b˙ala tema ‘Il-Kobor S˙i˙
taΩ-Ûag˙Ωug˙a’. Ìiet ippreΩentata dik il-
faΩi fil-˙ajja taΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙ meta jg˙addu
min-nieqa tal-familja g˙all-kumpanija ta’
s˙abhom fil-grupp. Il-kelliema ppreΩentaw
is-sitwazzjoni mil-lat psikolo©iku-soçjali, kif
ukoll mil-lat Salesjan skond il-˙sieb li Dun
Bosco kellu g˙at-tfal tieg˙u fl-Oratorju.
Bil-kelmiet ‘kobor s˙i˙‘ nifhmu ng˙idu li Ω-
Ωg˙aΩag˙ jin˙tie© li jkunu meg˙juna sabiex
jikbru f’kull aspett ta’ ̇ ajjithom fiΩiku, soçjali,
psikolo©iku, morali. Sabiex wie˙ed jista’ jg˙in
liΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙ f’dan iΩ-Ωmien ta’ ˙ajjithom,
irid ikun mhux biss ©enitur jew g˙alliem,
imma edukatur. B’din il-kelma nifhmu dik
il-persuna li, kull meta hemm il-˙tie©a, taf
tkun mhux biss ©enitur jew g˙alliem, imma
wkoll ˙abib, gwida jew assistent kemm f’dak
li huwa materjali kif ukoll fl-ispiritwali.
Dan kollu kien jaf ikun Dun Bosco.
Verament li l-Mulej g˙anih b’dawn id-doni
li huwa imbag˙ad iddedika b’im˙abba u
entuΩjaΩmu g˙aΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙ ta’ Ωmienu li
kellhom bΩonn. Imma l-kariΩma tieg˙u ma
mititx mieg˙u, hija baqg˙et fil-qalb ta’ eluf
ta’ Salesjani li sal-lum g˙adhom jiddedikaw
˙ajjithom g˙all-edukazzjoni u formazzjoni
taΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙ mad-dinja kollha.
It-Tema ta’ edukazzjoni skond il-qalb ta’ Dun
Bosco sejra tkun mag˙na matul din is-sena.
Din ©iet mog˙tija lill-Familja Salesjana kollha
mir-Rettur Ma©©ur fl-Istrenna tieg˙u g˙al
din is-sena; sena importanti u ta’ ti©did g˙as-
Salesjani kollha, g˙aliex fiha sejjer jin©abar
il-Kapitlu Ìenerali li çertament jerga’ jqajjem
l-im˙abba u l-entuΩjaΩmu ta’ Dun Bosco fil-
qlub tag˙na lkoll.
EDITORjAl
Is-Sena l-Ìdida t-Tajba!
3
With God’s grace let us look forward with trust. But let me begin by recalling something
that happened in the past. last November
a symposium for the Salesian Family was
organized and as a theme it had the title
“Growing in Belonging”. In it was treated
the period of transition of the young from
the family to the circle of friends, the group.
The speakers presented this situation from
the social-psychological point as well as
from the Salesian aspect according to the
view held by Don Bosco for his youths in his
‘Oratorio’.
By the word ‘growing’ we mean to say that
the young need to be helped to grow in every
aspect of life; physical, social, psychological
and moral. So that one may help youths
during this period of their life, he/she needs
to be not only a parent or a teacher, but an
educator. By this word we mean that person
who, every time the needs presents itself,
he/she can be not only a parent or a teacher
but also a friend, a guide and an assistant in
both the material and spiritual sphere.
Don Bosco knew how to be all this. Truly,
God had endowed him with these gifts,
which he then applied with love and
enthusiasm to the youth of his time who
needed them. His charism did not die with
him; it remained in the heart of thousands
of Salesians who, up to this day still dedicate
their life for the education and formation of
the young all over the world.
The theme of education according to the
heart of Don Bosco will accompany us
during this year. It has been given to us by
the Rector Major in his Strenna for this year;
an important year for all Salesians because
soon enough, there will be the holding
of the General Chapter, an event that will
certainly re-awaken in all of us the love and
enthusiasm of Don Bosco for the young.
EDITORIAl
A Happy New Year to all
˙ajjaSalesjana
NEDUKAW BIL-QALB TA’ DUN BOSCO
G˙eΩieΩ Qarrejja tal-Bullettin Salesjan, qieg˙din nibdew sena ©dida li, nitlob l’Alla, sejra ©©ibilkom ˙afna grazzji u
barkiet. Matul din is-sena nixtieq noffrilkom
xi riflessjonijiet fuq l-edukazzjoni Salesjana.
Ìwanni Pawlu II, nhar il-31 ta’ jannar 1988,
kien kiteb, “Is-sitwazzjoni taΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙ illum
inbidlet …imma anke llum g˙adna nsibu l-
istess mistoqsijiet li kienu jinkwetaw mo˙˙
Dun Bosco… Min huma dawn iΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙?
X’qieg˙din ifittxu? lil fejn mexjin? X’g˙andhom
bΩonn?... Dun Bosco la˙aq il-qdusija tieg˙u
meta kkommetta ru˙u g˙all-edukazzjoni
tag˙hom b’ru˙u u b’©ismu, waqt li fl-istess ˙in
kien jaf joffri l-qdusija b˙ala skop tal-pedago©ija
tieg˙u”. Sar qaddis billi kien edukatur qaddis.
Il-Papa Piu XI sejja˙lu “educator princeps”.
Ta˙lita sabi˙a ta’ kwalitajiet personali u ta’
çirkustanzi mexxiet lil Dun Bosco sabiex isir
Missier, G˙alliem u Óabib tat-tfal u Ω-Ωg˙aΩag˙,
l-aktar min˙abba t-talent naturali tieg˙u ta’ kif
jersaq lejn iΩ-Ωg˙ar u jirba˙ il-fiduçja tag˙hom,
min˙abba l-g˙arfien profond tal-qalb tal-
bniedem, ˙a©a li hu akkwista mill-ministeru
tieg˙u ta’ saçerdot, u min˙abba l-esperjenza
ta’ kif ta˙dem il-grazzja t’Alla fil-qalb taΩ-
PEDAGOÌIjA SAlESjANA
Minn Pascual Chaves - Trad. Joe Cini SDB
Edukatur
Qaddis
5
Ωag˙Ωug˙. Imma fil-qalba ta’ dan kollu hemm
il-vokazzjoni; il-˙idma ta’ Dun Bosco favur iΩ-
Ωg˙aΩag˙ kienet twe©iba g˙as-sej˙a tal-Mulej.
Il-fatt li kien i©ib flimkien qdusija u edukazzjoni
fil-˙idma tieg˙u, im˙abba t’Alla u m˙abba
tal-proxxmu jag˙mluh bniedem ori©inali.
Huwa edukatur qaddis u qaddis edukatur.
U minn din it-ta˙lita ta’ kwalitajiet ˙are©
“sistema ta’ edukazzjoni” – b˙al avventura li
fiha jinvolvi lil min jg˙inu, u jg˙in liΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙
jo˙olmu ©ejjieni. Dawk li mxew warajh, dawk
li g˙alihom l-edukazzjoni hija vokazzjoni, uΩaw
dis-sistema f’kuntesti kulturali l-aktar weg˙sin
skond is-sitwazzjoni ta’ l-istudenti li g˙alihom
huwa ntiΩ.
jekk in˙arsu lejn il-˙ajja personali ta’ Dun
Bosco jew lejn l-istorja tal-˙idma tieg˙u, irridu
nistaqsu: illum dawn l-ideat g˙adhom rilevanti?
Is-soluzzjonijiet li huwa kien japplika jistg˙u
jg˙inu d-diffikultajiet tal-lum? Hemm ˙afna
differenzi bejn Ωmien Dun Bosco u llum (is-
sitwazzjoni taΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙, tal-familja, tal-valuri,
fil-mod kif tin˙aseb l-edukazzjoni, fil-prattika
tar-reli©jon…). Xorta wa˙da jiena konvint li
“dak li ©ara fil-kas ta’ Dun Bosco kien moment
ta’ grazzja, mimli potenzjal, xi ˙a©a li tinkludi
ispirazzjoni g˙all-©enituri u edukaturi, xi ̇ a©a
li g˙andha teΩor ta’ ideat, b˙al Ωerrieg˙a
tistenna tinfeta˙ fi fjur” (Braido P., Prevenire
Non Reprimere).
l-edukazzjoni, speçjalment dik tat-tfal
Ωvanta©©ati, hija aktar minn biçça xog˙ol,
hija vokazzjoni. Don Bosco kien pijunier
kariΩmatiku li mexa lil hinn mir-regoli
u t-twettiq tag˙hom. Hekk ukoll llum,
edukazzjoni verament effettiva qieg˙da fil-
kwalitajiet ta’ l-edukatur, fil-klima edukattiv,
fil-programmi u fl-iskop a˙˙ari tag˙ha.
Dan g˙aliex is-soçjeta` kumplessa, il-˙afna
viΩjonijiet u messa©©i li toffri, u l-˙afna stili
ta’ ˙ajja jipproduçu perikli g˙all-edukazzjoni
wkoll. Kul˙add jinduna kemm fil-˙ajja hemm
alternattivi diffiçli li wie˙ed irid iqabbel; ©id
individwali ma’ solidarjeta’ ma’ l-o˙rajn,
im˙abba vera ma’ sesswalita`, affarijiet
materjali mas-sens ta’ Alla, dulluvju ta’
informazzjoni ma’ d-diffikulta` sabiex tag˙Ωel
is-siewi, jeddijiet ma’ dmirijieti. Çertament,
l-edukatur irid jippossedi l-grazzja f’qalbu
u qdusija personali fil-kotra sabiex jista’
jeg˙leb dawn ix-xejriet tal-lum fil-kamp ta’
l-edukazzjoni.
˙ajjaSalesjana
January 2008
Tue 01 New Year’s Day. Mary Mother of God, Queen of Peace
Fri 04 First Friday Devotions at St. Patrick’s (6.15 pm) and Oratory (7.30 pm)
Mon 07 Second School Term begins
Wed 09 Monthly meeting for Salesian Cooperators at St. Patrick’s – 6.15 p.m.
Thu 10 Prayer Day for Salesian Missions
Sun 13 lectio Divina for adults at Savio College
24 – 27 Book Fair at St. Patrick’s
Thu 24 Devotion to Mary Help of Christians at St. Patrick’s (6.30 pm)
and Oratory (7.30 pm)
Sun 27 At Salesian Oratory, Sliema Feast of St. Sebastian and Investiture of
new members of the Salesian Boys and Girls Brigade. At St Patricks
Church mass of St. john Bosco for Past Pubils and Cooperators
at 11.00am.
Thu 31 Feast of St. john Bosco. Celebrations in all Salesian Houses. 100 years of
Salesian Oratory, Sliema; Mass at St Gregory’s Church at 6.00pm.
February
Fri 1 First Friday Devotions at St. Patrick’s (6.15 pm) and Oratory (7.30 pm)
Wed 6 Ash Wednesday. Way of the Cross and Holy Mass at St. Patrick’s
Sat 9 lectio Divina for Youths at SYC - Sliema
Sun 10 Feast of St. Paul Shipwrecked. Prayer Day for Salesian Missions
Wed 13 Monthly meeting for Salesian Cooperators at St. Patrick’s
Sun 17 lectio Divina for adults at Savio College
16 – 17 Salesian Theatre – Sliema, Comedy by ‘Atturi Salesjani’
22 – 24 SPYS Seminar at Savio College: lead Again
March
3 – 7 lenten Talks at St. Patrick’s
Wed 5 Monthly meeting for Salesian Cooperators at St. Patrick’s – 6.15 p.m
Sun 9 lectio Divina for adults at Savio College
Mon 10 Prayer Day for Salesian Missions
7 – 9 SPYS Seminar at Savio College: Touching lives Through Sport
Sat 15 Anticipated feast of St. Patrick. Mass for the Irish Community at
10.30 a.m. in St. Patrick’s.
Wed 19 St. joseph – Public holiday; Reunion of Past Pupils of Savio College
For any other info about the Salesians: www.sdb.org
Salesians in Malta: www.salesianmalta.org / www.salesiantheatremalta.com /
www.saviocollege.edu.mt / www.spysmalta.org/spysint /
www.stpatrickspastpupils.org / www.vocations.salesiansmalta.com
CALENDArof Events
C A l E N D A R O F S A l E S I A N F E A S T S & E V E N T S
7
Sajf ie˙or re©a’ g˙adda iΩda s-Salesjani kienu çerti li ma j˙alluniex b’idejna fuq Ωaqqna. G˙at-tielet sena re©g˙at
ittellg˙et “BoscoFest” fejn iΩjed minn 260
Ωag˙Ωug˙ u Ωag˙Ωug˙a ˙adu sehem biex
flimkien ˙admu u g˙amlu serata divertenti.
Kien Sajf impenjattiv g˙all-a˙˙ar fejn d˙akna,
lg˙abna u g˙amilna r-‘rehearsals’ iΩda f’dan
kollu dejjem po©©ejna lil Alla b˙ala ç-çentru
ta’ din l-esperjenza tant sabi˙a li waslet g˙as-
suççess tal-BoscoFest.
‘Rehearsals’
Is-Sibt filg˙odu, kont inqum kmieni, lest g˙al
©urnata o˙ra ta’ ‘rehersals’ ©ewwa Savio
College. Ir-‘rehearsals’ kollha kienu jibdew
b’quddiesa fejn il-grupp kollu kien jin©abar
g˙al mument ta’ riflessjoni u talb. Is-serata
G˙at-tielet sena Boscofest rega’ ttella’. Tlett Ωg˙aΩag˙ parteçipanti
f’Boscofest 2007 hawnhekk ser jaqsmu mal-qarrejja l-esperjenza
personali tag˙hom.
ta’ din is-sena kienet mag˙mula minn diversi
‘items’ differenti. G˙alhekk wara l-quddies,
konna ninqasmu f’7 gruppi differenti biex
nibdew bil-provi tag˙na. Fost l-‘items’ li
©ew ppreparati kien hemm grupp li rreçta
kummiedja çkejkna, grupp li ˙adem reçta fuq
Wenzu u Rozi, grupp li ppreΩenta ‘sketch’ fuq
Dun Bosco, grupp li offra xi siltiet Ωg˙ar minn
“Hairspray”, il-grupp taΩ-Ωfin li ˙ejja tliet Ωifniet
differenti, il-grupp ta’ l-orkestra li t˙arr©u
fid-daqq ta’ xi siltiet muΩikali u l-grupp tal-
‘backstage’li pin©a u ̇ adem x-xenarju u diversi
‘props’ differenti li kien hemm bΩonn matul l-
‘items’ kollha. IΩda g˙alkemm konna nkunu
maqsumin fi gruppi differenti, fil-˙inijiet tal-
‘break’ konna nkunu kollha flimkien nitkellmu
fuq dak li nkunu g˙amilna waqt ir-‘rehearsals’
naqsmu bejnietna l-esperjenza tal-BoscoFest.
˙ajjaSalesjana
‘Live In’ ta’ Settembru
Ìewwa Savio College
Ûgur li l-qofol ta’ din l-esperjenza kollha kien il-
‘live-in’ li qattajna flimkien ©ewwa Savio College
stess. Parti mill-grupp kellu ‘live-in’ ta’ ©img˙a
filwaqt li l-bqija tal-grupp ing˙aqad mag˙hom
matul il-‘weekend’. Kienet ©img˙a tal-©enn
mimlija attivitajiet – log˙ob, ‘rehearsals’ u fuq
kollox talb ppreparat mil-‘leaders’ li kompla
jag˙mel dik il-©img˙a tassew memorabbli.
Il-‘Performances’
Il-Bosco Fest ittellg˙et fit-30 ta’ Ottubru, 31 ta’
Ottubru u fl-1 ta’ Novembru. Kienu tlett ijiem
fejn kul˙add kien eççitat biex jara l-frott ta’ 4
xhur xog˙ol. G˙all-grazzja t’Alla, kienu tlett
‘performances’ tassew sbie˙ fejn tajna gost lil
madwar 1500 persuna li ©ew jaraw din is-serata
matul dawn it-tlett ijiem. Minbarra l-‘items’ li
ppreparajna, kien hemm ukoll waqt ta’ talb
fejn qsamna mal-folla preΩenti il-mumenti ta’
talb li konna g˙addejna flimkien b˙ala grupp.
Kien hemm ukoll xi videos ppreparati fejn
fihom urejna lin-nies preΩenti siltiet minn din
l-esperjenza tant sabi˙a.
Kif G˙enitna Din l-Esperjenza?
Bla dubju ta’ xejn, il- BoscoFest hi attivita’ li
biddlitli ˙ajti. Dan g˙ax skoprejt ˙afna talenti
sbie˙ li qatt ma kont naf li kelli ©ewwa fija.
Barra minnhekk, tg˙allimt kif g˙andi na˙dem
fi grupp. Fuq kollox, il-Boscofest, ressqitni
iktar lejn Alla permezz tas-sezzjonijiet ta’ talb
speçjali li g˙amilna matul il-‘live-ins’. Nistqarr
mag˙kom, li qatt ma bsart li dan il-grupp
kien ser jinfluwenzani daqshekk fil-˙ajja tieghi.
l-ispirtu Salesjan hu ˙aj f’dan il-grupp g˙aliex
kemm a˙na l-parteçipanti, kif ukoll il-‘leaders’
sa˙ansitra, nsiru qisna a˙wa. B˙all-a˙wa a˙na
niççajtaw u nid˙ku flimkien, niddiskutu, kif
ukoll jinqalg˙u xi problemi zg˙ar bejnietna.
Fuq kollox, b˙ala grupp, a˙na lkoll nimmiraw
sabiex nersqu iktar qrib t’Alla g˙aliex ming˙ajr
Alla dan il-grupp ma kien ikun jiswa’ g˙al xejn!
Sfortunament, illum il-©urnata, ̇ afna Ωg˙aΩag˙
jippruvaw isibu l-fer˙ tag˙hom f’˙afna affarijiet,
iΩda lil Alla ma jag˙tux kasu. Il-Boscofest
g˙enitni nifhem li Alla biss jista’ jimlilna l-vojt
ta’ qalbna. Barra minnhekk, f’dan il-grupp sibt
nies li mag˙hom stajt nifta˙ qalbi mag˙hom
ming˙ajr ebda biΩa’. Ma nistax ma nsemmix
il-fatt li dan il-grupp biddel il-mod kif kont
na˙seb dwar il-˙ajja u g˙amilni iktar ottimist
u kunfidenti. G˙alhekk nixtieq nirringrazzja
˙afna lil Fr. louis li stedinni, tliet snin ilu, biex
nissie˙eb f’dan il-grupp dinamiku. Tg˙iduli
g˙ala dinamiku dan il-grupp? It-twe©iba
hi sempliçi ˙afna. Dan g˙ax f’dan il-grupp
kollox isir bil-qawwa t’Alla u li a˙na nemmnu
li ma nistg˙u nag˙mlu xejn ming˙ajru!
G˙alhekk tista’ tg˙id ukoll li dan il- grupp
g˙amilni iktar umli u sirt nirrispetta iktar lil
dawk ta’ madwari. (Kurt Kind)
G˙alkemm il-BoscoFest issa spiçça, it-talenti
sbie˙ li skoprejt ser jibqg˙u mieg˙i u dejjem
ser niftakar il-˙bieb kollha li g˙amilt matul
dan is-Sajf. Il-BoscoFest 2007 hija esperjenza
li ser nibqa’ n©orr mieg˙i ©o qalbi g˙al ˙ajti
kollha. (Kyle Pullicino)
Insomma, kien sajf li Ωgur ma ninsa qatt
- esperjenza li nibqa’ ng˙ozz matul ˙ajti
kollha g˙ax irnexxielna ntellg˙u tlett serati
tal-©enn, grazzi g˙all-g˙ajnuna ta’ Fr. louis
Grech, Mrs. Mariel Gauci u l-‘leaders’ kollha
li g˙amlu dan is-sajf tassew memorabbli g˙al
numru kbir ta’ Ωg˙aΩag˙ minn madwar Malta
kollha. (Raphael Axisa).
9
Il-Klieb
˙bieb tieg˙i
˙ajjaSalesjana
Ìrajjiet minn ˙ajjet Dun Karm Attard SDB, kif jaf jirrakkonta hu
stess - ©rajjiet li se˙˙ew fl-Indja fejn hu ˙adem g˙al 60 sena s˙a˙.
Mindu g˙andi dal-kelb, daqs kemm terraqt
jien minn ra˙al g˙al ie˙or, terraq hu wkoll
g˙ax dejjem mieg˙i. InΩommu qribi biex jiksirli
s-solitudni u anke biex iwennisni meta jersaq
lejja xi ˙add li ma nafux.
Jiddefendi tifel ltim
Xi xhur ilu waqt li jiena kont mat-tfal bil-kelb
tag˙na, rajna tifel Ωg˙ir, imqanfed u mbikki
mal-©enb tat-triq. Kien orfni, imçerçer u bil-
©u˙. Resqu lejh it-tfal: “X’inti tag˙mel hawn
wa˙dek?” Qallhom: “Sraqt ftit mel˙ ming˙and
˙ija u issa keççieni ‘l barra mid-dar.” Qalulu;
“Ejja mag˙na g˙and il-Father…” Dak baqa’
sieket u m˙asseb u mbag˙ad, “NibΩa’ li l-
Father ma jkunx iridni.” “Ma tarax…mela a˙na
mhux b˙alek konna?” U dak it-tifel beda jimxi
mag˙na. Frik induna li issa g˙andna sie˙eb
©did g˙al mag˙na. Beda jilg˙aqlu ri©lejh u
jifra˙ bih. Mal-mixi beda jΩommu fil-grupp
kollu. Meta wasalna d-dar, it-tifel qalilna li
jismu Ramu. Wie˙ed mit-tfal kellu jisilfu qalziet
g˙ax dak ta’ Ramu kien imqatta’.
jumejn wara inzertajna fuq na˙a o˙ra u sirna
nafu fejn joqg˙od ˙u Ramu li kien keççieh.
Dak malli nduna li t-tifel qieg˙ed mag˙na
beda jsejja˙lu, IΩda Ramu ma tax kasu. Allura l-
©uvnott ©ie ji©ri lejna biex ja˙tfu g˙al mieg˙u.
Pront inda˙al Frik, jinba˙ bil-qawwi u jog˙la
mal- ©uvnott, tant li dak kellu ja˙rab lura u
jdabbar rasu. Fil-fixla waqg˙ulu l-pipa u l-
beritta. U a˙na ssemmix kemm d˙akna!…
Sakemm ikollna l-Frik mag˙na ˙add ma
jaΩΩarda jo˙dilna lil Ramu.
Fl-img˙oddi, maΩ-Ωmien kelli diversi klieb o˙ra.
Kollha kienu tal-g˙assa, bΩonnjuΩI ̇ afna u ̇ a©a
wa˙da mat-tfal. Darba t-tfal ©iebu kelba u din
kellha Ω-Ωg˙ar waqt li jiena kont xahar nieqes
mid-dar. Hekk kif lem˙uni riesaq fil bog˙od,
it-tfal r˙ewlha jg˙a©©lu lejja biex jifir˙u bija
wara li kienu ilhom ma jarawni. Din id-darba,
sebg˙a minnhom kellhom ©eru kull wie˙ed
f’idejhom u riedu jfittxu juruhomli. Innotajt li
tlieta kellhom id-denb maqtug˙ frisk u erbg˙a
le. “X’g˙amiltulhom lil dawn iç-çkejknin?” U
dawk: “Qtajnilhom denbhom biex nag˙rfu l-
ir©iel min-nisa. l-ir©iel bla denb ikunu aktar
b’sa˙˙ithom u tal-g˙assa.” Hekk jifhmuha u
ma tistax tmerihom!
Kelb g˙all-ikel
Darba g˙adda jittawwalli wie˙ed ˙abib
tieg˙i li hu missjunarju fost it-tribu` Iko.
Dan qalli li hemmhekk, in-nies tieg˙u jieklu
l-klieb, u saqsieni jekk g˙andix xi kelb Ωejjed.
Dik il-˙abta kellna tlieta u jiena dort fuq it-
tfal bla ma wrejthom ir-ra©uni. U˙ud riedu
jag˙uh il-lajka imma l-o˙rajn ma ridux g˙ax
bdew jg˙idu li kienu rawh jitwieled u issa
ma jixtiequx jinfirdu minnu. Allura ˙abibi
m’akkwista ebda kelb minn g˙andna.
Kif er©ajna konna wa˙edna qalli li n-nies Iko,
il-la˙am tal-kelb jippreferuh aktar minn kull
la˙am ie˙or. Xahar ilu huwa kellu bΩonn
jag˙ti tindifa tajba lid-dar. G˙aΩel xi tfal kbar
milli jkollu mieg˙u u qalilhom, “jekk intom
tnaddfuli sewwa minn barra sa ©ewwa,
nag˙tikom kelb g˙all-ikel, l-e˙xen wie˙ed.”
F’jumejn ix-xog˙ol kollu kien lest u hu kellu
jopprovdilhom il-kelb. Damu tlett ijiem jieklu
minnu mar-ross u dik il-©img˙a ma kellux
g˙alfejn jersaq lejn is-suq.
Industrija u kummerç. F’din id-dinja kollox
hu tajjeb u utili, imqar kelb!
Il-kelb li g˙andna b˙alissa se jag˙laq sentejn f’Novembru u jismu
Frik. Kienu tawhuli rigal meta kellu tlett xhur biss. Hu ta’ razza
IngliΩa u tg˙idx kemm jobdi. “Ejja ‘l hawn, Frik”. U huwa ji©i.
Mhux li jiena m©ennen ˙afna wara l-klieb, imma billi huma fidili
u ˙bieb kbar tal-bniedem, in˙oss kull simpatija lejhom.
11
Let us educate with the heart of Don Bosco,
for the integrated development of the life of
the young, especially the poorest and most
disadvantaged, promoting their rights.
Explanation
This Strenna is in close continuity with the
Strennas of the two last years. life is the
great gift of God. He has entrusted it to us
as a seed. This seed needs to fall into good
soil: this soil is the family, the cradle of life
and love, the first place where one learns to
be human. But as with the seed, good soil is
not enough, there is also need for the patient
and laborious efforts of the farmer. This
farmer who helps life to grow is the educator.
We have been called for precisely this mission.
This “today” of jesus continues in our
educational mission: we have been consecrated
with the unction of the Spirit, through baptism,
and we have been sent to the young to proclaim
to them the novelty of the life that Christ offers
us, in order to foster and develop it through an
education that frees the young and the poor
from the forms of oppression that prevent them
from searching for the truth, from opening
themselves to hope, from living with purpose
and with joy, from building their own freedom.
STENNA 2008
by Pascual Chaves
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord. (Lk 4, 18-19)
˙ajjaSalesjana
In practical terms the Strenna is
intended to focus on:
- the subject of Salesian pedagogy and the
Preventive System; in particular, I think
that this requires further study and for-
mation, so as not to lose its richness:
- the valid contribution that we can offer
in responding to the huge challenges of
life and of the family; in this way we also
preserve the link and continuity with the
two previous subjects (family and life);
- education and the promotion of human
rights, in particular the rights of juve-
niles, as an important way for us to make
a positive contribution through our com-
mitment to education to all cultures.
The aspects that the Strenna invites
us to consider carefully are fundamentally
three:
1. Educating with the heart of Don Bosco,
that is to say, living the Preventive Sys-
tem, which is a charity that knows how
to make itself loved with a renewed
presence among the young, consisting
in affective and effective closeness, in
participation, in accompaniment, in ani-
mation, in giving witness, in vocational
promotion, in the Salesian style of assist-
ance.
2. Attending to the integral development
of the young through a renewed op-
tion for an education that forestalls evil
by trusting in the good that there is in
the heart of every young person, that
develops it with perseverance and with
patience, that re-establishes the personal
identity of each one, that forms strong
individuals, active and responsible citi-
zens, people open to the values of life
and of the faith, capable of having a
purpose in their lives, lived with joy, with
responsibility and with competence.
3. Promoting human rights, in particular
those of juveniles, as the Salesian way of
promoting a culture of life and a change
of structures. The Preventive System of
Don Bosco has a great social outreach;
it wants to collaborate with many other
agencies in the transformation of society,
working for a change in the criteria and
views about life, in the promotion of the
culture open to others, in a sober style of
life, in a constant attitude of selfless shar-
ing and of a commitment to justice and
the dignity of every human being.
We need to do all this:
- With a renewed decision to become
involved as communities in specific
fields of action. The communitarian
character of Salesian pedagogical experi-
ence demands that we create a spirit of
communion regarding the educational
ideals of Don Bosco, involving, forming
and giving a strong motivation to all
those involved in the various educational
institutions and programmes.
- With an intentionally renewed
pastoral approach. Salesian activity,
in whatever situation it is carried out, al-
ways includes a concern for the salvation
of the individual; knowledge of God and
filial communion with him by accepting
Christ, through the sacramental life of
the Church.
13
STENNA 2008
Din is-sena kien hemm xi bidliet fost is-
Salesjani li ja˙dmu hemmhekk. Waqt li Fr.
lawrence Essery baqa` ir-Rettur tal-komunita`,
il-Headmaster tbiddel. Fr. Mario Mule` Stagno
©ie mitlub mill-Isqof tal-post, Mons. Marroun
lahham, biex ikun Headmaster f’kulle©© kbir, li
kien immexxi mill-Patrijiet Marjanisti, ©ol-belt
ta’ TuneΩ. F’dan il-kulle©© hemm jitg˙allmu
1050 student (500 bniet u 550 subien), waqt li
l-g˙alliema huma 70.
Fl-iskola tag˙na fil-Manouba, post Fr. Mario
˙adu s-Salesjan Pollakk Fr. Krzysztof Woziak
li issa ilu ja˙dem hemm g˙al dawn l-a˙˙ar 4
snin. Barra minn hekk, il-komunita` Ωdiedet
Manouba Tunisia
Nhar it-Tnejn, 17 ta’ Settembru 2007, l-iskola tas-Salesjani fil-Manouba, re©g˙et
fet˙et il-bibien tag˙ha g˙as-sena ta’ skola 2007 – 08 g˙al mhux anqas minn 690
tifel u tifla. Dawn jitqassmu fi klassijiet tal-Kinder (4-5snin) u wara fis-sitt klassijiet
tal-primarja (6 – 12 il-sena) skond is-sistema ta’ edukazzjoni FrançiΩa. B˙alissa fl-
iskola hemm 120 tfal fil-Kinder (60 tifel u 60 tifla), imbag˙ad hemm 570 fil-primarja
(303 subien u 267 bniet). L-g˙alliema jg˙oddu 5 fil-Kinder u 39 fil-primarja.
b’Salesjan ie˙or li huwa Fr. Marek Rybinski,
Pollakk huwa wkoll. Dan, barra milli jg˙in
fl-iskola, qieg˙ed ukoll jag˙mel xog˙ol mal-
˙afna Pollakki nsara li jinsabu fit-TuneΩija.
lil dawn is-Salesjani li qieg˙din ja˙dmu g˙al
Alla f’art barranija u Musulmana, nixtiqulhom
kull barka u g˙ajnuna tas-sema u nitolbu
g˙alihom.
˙ajjaSalesjana
Ittra ta’ Koperatur qabel mewtu
Dawn l-a˙˙ar jiem is-Salesjani
fi Spanja ppubblikaw Ωew© ittri
miktuba mill-Koperatur Salesjan
Bartolome` Blanco, wie˙ed mill-
martri Spanjoli li ©ew ibbeatifikati
nhar it-28 ta’ Ottubru 2007. FiΩ-
Ωew© ittri bid-data ta’ 1 ta’ Ottubru
1936 mibg˙uta wa˙da lill- familja u l-o˙ra
lin-namrata tieg˙u, dan il-Koperatur Salesjan
jistieden lill- g˙eΩieΩ tieg˙u sabiex ja˙fru lil
dawk li sejrin joqtluh.
Fl-ittra lill-ma˙buba tieg˙u, dan l-g˙alliem
tar-Reli©jon fl-istitut Salesjan ta’ Pozoblanco
(Cordoba), jesprimi fiduçja li s-sentenza tat-
tribunal ta’ did-dinja ikun l-a˙jar difiΩa g˙alih
quddiem it-Tribunal ta’ Alla. Huwa jikteb
hekk, “Waqt li qieg˙din ibaxxuna, qieg˙din
jonorawni, waqt li jridu ji©©udikawni, je˙ilsuni
minn kull ˙tija u waqt li jridu je˙ilsu minni
huma jsalvawni”.
Fl-ittra miktuba lill-familja tieg˙u, Bartolome`
Blanco, wie˙ed mit-63 martri mill-Familja
Salesjana, jesprimi l-a˙˙ar xewqat tieg˙u
b’dan il-mod, “Ma˙fra, ma˙fra, ma˙fra, u qalb
˙anina li nixtieq li jkollkom sabiex huma jiksbu
dak li hu l-a˙jar. G˙alhekk nitlobkom tpattu
(g˙all-qtil tieg˙i) bi tpattija nisranija, billi tpattu
b’©id kbir lil dawk li sejrin jag˙mluli l-˙sara”.
Dawn l-ittri s˙a˙ flimkien ma’ materjal ie˙or
dwar il-Martri Spanjoli jistg˙u jinstabu fis-
sit www.donbosco.es fejn sezzjoni s˙i˙a
©iet miftu˙a g˙al dan il-g˙an fl-okkaΩjoni tal-
beatifikazzjoni tag˙hom.
Siltiet mill-Ittra tar-rettur Ma©©ur
lis-Salesjani fi Spanja
li wie˙ed imut martri hija l-ewwel u qabel
kollox grazzja ta’ Alla, mog˙tija lil dawk li
Huwa j˙obb b’mod speçjali. l-g˙otja ta’ dan
id-don, l-im˙abba preferenzjali ta’ Alla g˙al
dawn ˙utna, hija dik li a˙na rridu, u g˙andna
niççelebraw bi gratitudni. Bla dubju, it-28 ta’
Ottubru jkun jum kbir g˙all-Kongregazzjoni
Salesjana, g˙al Spanja u g˙as-Salesjani ta’
Spanja. F’isem Don Bosco u tas-Salesjani
kollha, ning˙aqad mag˙kom fir-radd ta’ ˙ajr
lil Alla g˙all-im˙abba li wera mag˙na. Nifra˙
lil Spanja Salesjana g˙al dan id-don li qieg˙da
tati lill-Kongregazzjoni u lill-Familja Salesjana
kollha – ix-xhieda ta’ l-akbar im˙abba possibli
li t-63 ˙utna martri jatu b’˙ajjithom.
Il-martirju huwa l-prova li tiΩgura t-twettiq fidil
tal-kariΩma Salesjan fi Spanja. jiena nemmen
ukoll li dan ir-rikonoxximent mill-Knisja
Universali ©ie f’mument importanti g˙al Spanja
Salesjana li g˙ada kemm iççelebrat il-125 sena
mill-wasla tas-Salesjani u qieg˙da tistenna
l-ftu˙ tal-Kapitlu Ìenerali li jmiss. Dawn iΩ-
Ωew© avvenimenti i©eg˙luna n©eddu l-˙e©©a
apostolika lejn iΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙. X’eΩempju a˙jar
ta’ ˙e©©a mill-offerta ta’ ˙ajjitna?
Óutna l-martri joffrulna eΩempju ta’ ©eneroΩita`
apostolika f’dan il-mument storiku. Il-
beatifikazzjoni ta’ dawn ˙utna maqtula matul
dak il-perijodu ta’ swied il-qalb ta’ l-istorja
tag˙kom, huwa stedina sabiex a˙na ng˙ixu
b’impenn akbar b˙ala nsara u Salesjani. Din l-
okkaΩjoni storika tatina opportunita` mill-isba˙
biex nag˙tu xhieda qalbenija ta’ fidi u fedelta`
lil Alla u liΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙.
“ Nitlobkom tpattu
bi tpattija nisranija”
l-mewt tieg˙i
15
• The best kind of friend is the kind
you can sit on a porch and swing
with, never say a word, and then
walk away feeling like it was the
best conversation you’ve ever had!
• It is true that we don’t know what
we have got until we loose it, but
it is also true that we don’t know
what we have been missing until it
arrives!
• Giving someone all your love is
never an assurance that they’ll
love you back. Don’t expect love
in return© just wait for it to grow
in their hearts. But if it doesn’t, be
content it grew in yours. It only
takes a minute to get a crush on
someone, an hour to like someone,
and a day to love someone. But
it takes a lifetime to forget
someone.
• Don’t go for looks, they can
deceive. Don’t go for wealth; even
that fades away. Go for someone
who makes you smile, because it
takes only a smile to make a dark
day seem bright. Find the one that
makes your heart smile.
Something
˙ajjaSalesjana
to think about
• May you have enough happiness to
make you sweet, enough trials to
make you strong, enough sorrow
to keep you human, enough hope
to make you happy.
• Always put yourself in others’
shoes© if you feel that it hurts you
it probably hurts the other person
too.
• The happiest of people don’t
necessarily have the best of
everything. They just make the
most of everything that comes
along their way.
• Happiness belongs to those who
cry, those who hurt, those who
have searched and those who have
tried, for only they can appreciate
the importance of people who have
touched their lives.
• When you were born you were
crying and everyone around you
was smiling. Live your life so that
when you die, you’re the one who
is smiling and everyone around you
is crying.
17
Something
Young people realise that they are subject
to strong conditioning forces.
Many have different attitudes towards
young people today, being either too
optimistic or too pessimistic. In reply to
many pessimists, I quote;
“ We live in an age of decadence. The
young are good-for-nothing, do not
respect their elders, are impatient and
rebellious. They ridicule the wisdom of
the old, and their parents are treated
without regard. These symptoms of
our age are an indication that we are
near to the end of the world.” What is
consoling about these gloomy phrases?
The signature and the date; Atamou,
scribe of Thebes in Egypt, 2500 BC, that
is 4,500 years ago.
Menacing realities
The points of our analysis are found, in
a more hopeful way in one of the Pope’s
speeches; “Young people… are righteous,
generous, thirsty for the truth, for justice;
they turn to the church with renewed
interest and with a profound desire for a
clear reply to the fundamental questions
of life. To them I say; the Church will never
betray you, the Church will never delude
you, the Church will always respect you
and your integral human personality.
Crimes 1
Conditioning Forces
Facing Young People
˙ajjaSalesjana
Excerpts from the book “ Crimes of the Inocent” by Fr. Charles Cini S.D.B.
But…how can we forget that many
requests for work, for cultural formation,
for professional occupations remain
unheard …? How can we forget the
numerous victims of drugs?… How can we
forget the manipulation of the personality
of man as it is formed by the mass media,
ideological indoctrination, the partial and
distorted presentation of the truth and
pornography? On all these symptoms of
moral regression the factor of violence is
grafted…” (Pope john Paul II speaking to
the Cardinals on December 22, 1979.)
Young people realise, that they are
subject to strong conditioning forces,
and complain that they are either
unable to express their creativity or they
have already lost it. The originality of
the youngsters is not protected and is
continually menaced. This is done by the
stereotyped culture fed to them by the
press and TV. The creativity of the very
young is not valued so “the individual
is born original, and dies as a copy.”
The family imposes “fixed roles” and
standard behaviour according to sex or
social status and uses the TV like a baby-
sitter, abandoning the children to its
spell, to trivialities and games imposed
by publicity, instead of helping them
to express themselves and to simulate
creativity.
Conditioning
Society, today, does not give space to
children to play and to live… does not
offer young people the opportunity
to meet, except in dance halls. For
this reason, blessed are the Youth
Associations, which provide space for the
experience of life, of liberty, of personal
choice, with the most important, being
group relations, and encounters with
others and with God.
The strongest conditioning comes from
social communications; the false values
of money, success, sex and of high-
society life, etc. diffused in a big way by
TV, cinema, cartoon strips, illustrated
magazines …The way these conditioning
forces are used, and the influence they
have, depends greatly on the age of
the young people concerned. The most
evident phenomena are: the excessive
time that children of pre-scholastic and
scholastic age are exposed to television
(in many cases even five hours a day!),
the great influence of modern songs
and music on the young, the emotional
involvement operated by TV when
compared to the passive state to which
the spectator is reduced, the fact that
the models of behaviour demonstrated
are for the most part inferior but are
indicated as quite normal, taken for
granted, the scarcity of education in the
critical sense. Result: “massification”
When an educational community puts
amongst its primary tasks the formation
of the critical sense, and in play, sport,
and social life offers young people valid
19
alternatives to the excessive use of the
social communication media, and when
it enters into the mass media proposing
alternative products, it carries out a
valuable service for the liberation of
mankind. In all sectors of free time in
particular, young people are subject to a
precise consumerist exploitation. Other
strong conditioning influences come
from the political parties, which have
been transformed into rigid ideological
schemes.
Superficiality
The late Rector Major of the Salesians,
Don Vigano` has synthesized several
of these problems in an interview in
L’Avvenire. “ The youth of the so-called
˙ajjaSalesjana
consumer society… is striving to find
the entire sense of life which has been
adulterated by an affluent society …In
the underdeveloped countries, many
young people try to invent a socio-political
tradition as the vocation of mankind in the
historical context. In Europe I see young
people who know how to strike a healthy
balance between the two dimensions;
the transcendent sense of the Gospel and
the social sense of human promotion.
However, I am preoccupied by a certain
superficiality in these young persons. This
needs to be seen urgently, so as to be able
to confront the challenges of a cultural
pluralism (in society and in its means
of communication) for which laicism,
atheism, collectivism, consumerism and
violence rage beyond the limits of a civil
democratic respect”.
Drugs
In reply to the question “Why do youths
resort to drugs?” medicine, psychology
and sociology give various hypotheses.
Some youths declare that they do it
out of curiosity, because everyone else
does it. Others say that it was due to
environmental influences, because
drugs increase their sensual capabilities
and increase their well-being. However,
it has been scientifically proved that
drugs, taken for pleasurable effects,
may also have side-effects marked by
physical deterioration. The majority
of these youths attribute the taking of
drugs to a tangible protest of social
character; the assumption represents
a total rejection by a world that does
not accept them. Some speak of the
emptiness in their life, which they
experience in the environment of their
own family and the lack of dialogue
with others.
Scarcity of values
According to the interpretation given
by some experts, the problem of drugs
should be fundamentally regarded as
a symptom of a situation of general
concern. It is devoid of values. Many
of our youngsters do not have any
traditional values and overcome by the
exigencies of the present times, tend
to be autonomous in relation to the
world of their elders, which to them
seems to be unjust and foreign. Their
lost values are replaced by others that
creep into their lives. No matter from
which angle the problem is looked
at, there certainly exists a substantial
scarcity of real values: a void is thus
created which unfortunately can easily
be filled by other means.
A normal person occupies his leisure
time by seeking pleasure in the things
normally carried out in his daily life,
whereas the drug addict seeks the
satisfaction of his impulses in artificial
and ephemeral means creating various
circumstances for his self-destruction.
21
Ûag˙Ωug˙
Ûag˙Ωug˙a
Kellem, ikteb jew çempel lil :
Sr. Elsa Gretter’s FMA
20, Republic Street,
Victoria VCT 1012
Tel. 21556614
fmagozo@yahoo.com
Fr. Louis Grech SDB
Savio College,
Buskett Road,
Dingli DGL 2702
Tel. 21454546
louismgrech@yahoo.com
vocations.salesiansmalta.org
G˙addejt xi ˙in fit-talb dwar dan?
Qatt ˙sibt bis-serjeta` jekk tridx issir reli©juΩa jew reli©juΩ?
Óassejt xi darba xewqa li ssir g˙alliema jew g˙alliem?
Qatt ©ie f’mo˙˙ok li forsi tista’ ssir edukattriçi jew edukatur Salesjan?
Tkellimt xi darba fuq dan ma’ min jista’ jmexxik u jispjegalek?
23
Ballu Gala Annwali G˙all-Karita`
Il-“Gala Charity Ball” ta’ l-G˙aqda tal-“Maltese
Past Pupils of Don Bosco, NSW” sar is- Sibt,
13 ta’ Ottubru 2007, ©ewwa il-“Macquarie
Function Centre”. Attenda numru tajjeb ta’ nies
u bla dubju dawk li ©ew ˙adu tassew pjaçir.
Il-President, is-Sur j. Fabri u s-sinjura tieg˙u
Anna, laqg˙u lill-mistiedna speçjali, fosthom
Ms. joanna Pisani li kienet qed tirrappreΩenta
l-E.T. il-Kummissarju G˙oli ta’ Malta.
l-Innu Awstraljan u wkoll dak Malti tkantaw
minn joe Galea. Wara, il-President j. Fabri ta
mer˙ba lil kul˙add u radd ˙ajr lill-isponsors ta’
l-G˙aqda u lil dawk li ˙admu biex isir il-Ballu u
o˙rajn li taw xi g˙ajnuna o˙ra biex l-G˙aqda
tkun tista tkompli bix- xog˙ol tag˙ha karitattiv
u pastorali. Huwa semma wkoll li l-G˙aqda
la˙qet is-somma ta’ $400,000 mqassmin
matul is-snin.
Waqt l-ikel kien hemm ‘floor-show’ minn
Deanna Vitagliani li tatna silta ta’ kant bl-
IngliΩ u bit-Taljan, akkumpanjata minn
‘Colin Simone and Orchestra’. Óin minnhom
sar it-tlug˙ tal-“lucky Door Prizes” u bla telf
ta’ Ωmien ittellg˙et ukoll r-“Raffle” li ssir kull
sena li minnha jsir id-d˙ul ewlieni ta’ fondi
g˙all- karita`. Is- Sur F. Farrugia tal-Bank of
Valletta ppreΩenta l-isponsorship cheque
lill-G˙aqda. Imbag˙ad re©a’ kompla Ω-Ωfin,
fejn kul˙add deher fer˙an u sodisfatt ˙afna
bis-serata. Dan kien dovut g˙ax-xog˙ol
˙abrieki tal-kumitat kollu, fosthom is- “social
organizer” Mrs. Helga Micallef. Serva wkoll
ta’ inkora©©iment biex il-Past Pupils ikomplu
bil-˙idma tag˙hom.
Maltese Past Pupils
˙ajjaSalesjana
of Don Bosco NSW
Il – Laqg˙a Ìenerali Annwali
2007
Nhar il-Óadd, 4 ta’ Novembru 2007, bosta
membri tal-G˙aqda ta’ Tfal ta’ Dari Salesjani,
in©abru f’sala tal-«BankstownTrotting Club »
g˙al-laqg˙a annwali. Il-President joseph Fabri
ta mer˙ba mqanqla lil dawk kollha preΩenti.
Immedjatament wara, Fr. john Briffa SDB
iççelebra quddiesa ta’ ringrazzjament g˙ax-
xog˙ol fejjiedi li kemm il-kumitat kif ukoll
il- membri wettqu matul is-sena li g˙addiet.
Wara il-quddiesa kien hemm te’ jew kafe’ g˙al
dawk kollha preΩenti.
Wara dan, inqraw ir-rapporti speçifiçi
ppreΩentati b’mod tassew professjonali mill-
membri tal-kumitat responsabbli, ji©ifieri bir-
reqqa li jirrekjedu r-regolamenti tal-gvern statali
ta’ NSW. Is-Sur Alfred Fenech B.A .O.A.M.,
co-Fundatur tal-G˙aqda mexxa l-elezzjoni tal-
kumitat ©did g˙as-sena 2007-2008.
Wara l-©bir ta’ voti u l-g˙add tag˙hom, is-Sur
Fenech ˙abbar il-kumitat il-©did
President Victor Grech
Viçi-President lawrence Dimech
Segretarju josephine Galea
TeΩorier john Bosco Cassar
Asst.Segretarju Charles Micallef
Asst.TeΩorier Emanuel Zammit
Direttur Spiritwali Rev. john Briffa sdb
P.R.O. joseph Zerafa
Organizzatur soçjali joseph Fabri
Membri tal-kumitat Marlene Dimech,
Helga Micallef,
Mary Camilleri
Il-˙atra tal-kumitat il-©did ©iet milqug˙a
b’applawΩ u kliem ta’ kumplimenti sinçiera, li
bihom intemmet din il-laqg˙a Annwali ta’ Tfal
ta’ Dari ta’ Dun Bosco.
joseph Zerafa
joseph Zerafa P.R.O.
25
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind,
he had a special niche. My parents
were complementary instructors; Mom
taught me good from evil, and Dad
taught me to obey. But the stranger...
he was our storyteller. He would keep
us spellbound for hours on end with
adventures, mysteries and comedies.
If I wanted to know anything about
politics, history or science, he always
knew the answers about the past,
understood the present and even
A stranger
in the house
A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to
our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this
enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The
stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.
seemed able to predict the future! He
took my family to the first major league
ball game. He made me laugh, and
he made me cry. The stranger never
stopped talking, but Dad didn’t seem to
mind. Some times, Mom would get up
quietly while the rest of us were shushing
each other to listen to what he had to
say, and she would go to the kitchen
for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she
ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain
moral convictions, but the stranger
˙ajjaSalesjana
never felt obligated to honour
them. Profanity, for example, was
not allowed in our home... not
from our friends, any visitors or
us. Our longtime visitor, however,
got away with four-letter words
that burned my ears and made
my dad squirm and my mother
blush. My Dad didn’t permit the
liberal use of alcohol. But the
stranger encouraged us to try it on
a regular basis. He made cigarettes
look cool, cigars manly and pipes
distinguished. He talked freely
(much too freely!) about sex. His
comments were sometimes blatant,
sometimes suggestive, and generally
embarrassing.
I now know that my early concepts
about relationships were influenced
strongly by the stranger. Time after
time, he opposed the values of my
parents, yet he was seldom rebuked...
And NEVEr asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since
the stranger moved in with our
family. He has blended right in and is
not nearly as fascinating as he was
at first. Still, if you could walk into my
parents’ den today, you would
still find him sitting over in his corner,
waiting for someone to listen to
him talk and watch him draw his
pictures.
His name?... We just call him, “TV”.
He has a younger sister now. We call
her “Computer.”
27
Qdusija
Salesjana
Nhar il-Óadd 28 ta’ Ottubru, fil-BaΩilka ta’ San Pawl (fuori le mura)
©ewwa Ruma, ©ew ibbeatifikati grupp ta’ Martri Spanjoli. Fosthom
kien hemm 63 Salesjan.
Il-Qaddejja ta’ Alla Dun Enrico Saiz
Aparicio u 62 s˙abu kienu fost il-˙afna
qassisin, reli©juΩi u lajçi li nqatlu matul il-
gwerra Çivili Spanjola, bejn l-1936-39. Il-
grupp huwa mag˙mul mis-Salesjani Martri
tal-provinçja ta’ Madrid u ta’ Sevilja.
Dun Enrico Saiz Aparicio kien il-kura©©uΩ
Direttur tas-seminarju minuri Salesjan
f’Carabanchel Alto, ftit il-bog˙od minn
Madrid. Meta s-suldati da˙lu ©os-seminarju,
huwa mill-ewwel qalilhom, “jekk huwa demm
li tridu, allura hawn jien. Imma tag˙mlu ebda
deni lit-tfal”. Is-seminaristi ntbag˙tu ‘l barra,
waqt li Dun Saiz u tmien Salesjani o˙ra ©ew
maqtula. Ftit qabel ma kien maqtul, kien qal
lil wie˙ed minn s˙abu, “X’jista’ jkun hemm
a˙jar, milli tmut g˙all-glorja ta’ Alla?” Offra
˙ajtu b˙ala rahan g˙all-˙ajja taΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙ li l-
Providenza kienet bag˙titlu fil-kura tieg˙u.
Is-Salesjani maqtula f’Madrid mis-suldati
komunisti, kienu 10 qassisin, 14-il seminarist, 14-
il Brother, 3 aspiranti u Koperatur.
Is-Salesjani maqtula f’Sevilja kienu 12 –il qassis, 4
Brothers, 3 aspiranti u 3 Koperaturi.
˙ajjaSalesjana
Ûeffirino, bin Manuel, l-a˙˙ar mexxej
tat-tribu` Indjana Araukane, twieled
f’Chimpay nhar is-26 ta’ Awissu 1886.
Ta’ 11–il sena intbaghat jistudja fil-belt
ta’ Buenos Aires, fi skola Salesjana. l-
ispirtu ta’ familja li sab hemm reba˙lu
qalbu u beda jixtieq isir qassis sabiex
jevan©elizza lit-tribu` tieg˙u. G˙aΩel
lil Domenico Savio b˙ala mudell u sar
Ωag˙Ωug˙ eΩemplari fit-talb, fl-im˙abba,
fid-dover u fiç-ça˙da tieg˙u nnifsu.
Fl-1903, missieru ©ie mg˙ammed, ta’
80 sena, u f’dik is-sena l-Isqof Salesjan
G.Cagliero laqa’ lil Ûeffirino b˙ala
aspirant sabiex jibda jistudja l-latin g˙as-
saçerdozju. Min˙abba li beda jkun marradi,
l-isqof iddeçieda li jie˙du mieg˙u l-Italja.
Hemmhekk Ûeffirino ltaqa’ ma’ Dun M. Rua
u mal-Papa Piu X.
Kompla l-istudji tieg˙u f’Torin u f’Ruma
(Frascati). Kien jistudja ˙afna u ji©i t-tieni fil-
klassi. Imma marda, mo˙bija ©o fih g˙aliex
ma kienx jilmenta, infexxet f’tuberkoloΩi.
Nhar it-28 ta’ Marzu 1905 ittie˙ed l-isptar tal-
Fatebenefratelli, f’Ruma. Imma kien tard wisq
g˙ax miet nhar il-11 ta’ Mejju. Fl-1924 il-©isem
tieg˙u ttie˙ed fil-villa©© fejn kien twieled,
Chimpay (Fortin Mercedes), fejn folol ta’
pellegrini g˙adhom jinviΩtaw il-qabar tieg˙u.
Nhar il-Óadd 11 ta’ Novembru, f”Chimpay, fl-Ar©entina, saret
il-beatifikazzjoni taΩ-Ωag˙Ωug˙ Ûeffirino Namuncurà, student
fl-iskola Salesjana.
Qdusija
Salesjana
29
The recent canonisation of Padre Pio of Pietralcina has drawn attention to a certain type of sanctity enhanced by an
abundance of mysterious and extraordinary
phenomenology, which is usually defined as
‘particular mystic charisms’.
There are saints whose earthly life is carried
out in absolute normality. They intensely live
their union with God, heroically practising
evangelical virtues, without any extraordinary
spiritual events manifesting themselves. Other
saints, on the other hand, receive special gifts,
such as celestial visions, ecstasies, introspective
faculties, prophetic intuition and the gift
of healing. There are others still who have
ecstatic experiences of the Passion of Christ
accompanied by the stigmata which appear
on their bodies with a certain frequency and in
particular circumstances, such as Friday, lent,
Holy Week…Stigmata can take on many forms;
they may be visible, as in the case of St. Francis
and Padre Pio, or invisible, as in the case of
St. Catherine of Siena. They may appear in
different shapes and in different places on the
body. They may represent all or only some of
the wounds of Christ. Only on some occasions
has the Catholic church accepted an occurrence
of stigmata as authentic, but has never
defined their origins or nature, thus allowing
for physical, psychological, and preternatural
explanations for these phenomena.
Now Padre Pio has been declared a saint,
therefore it is certain that Padre Pio’s stigmata
and the other inexplicable phenomena
which manifested themselves in him, were
extraordinary gifts, great mystic charisms.
In fact john Paul II recently said of him; “He
was a religious who was sincerely in love with
the Crucified Christ. In his lifetime, he also
participated in a physical way in the mystery
of the Cross.” The recognition of the sanctity
of Padre Pio and the particular charisms which
characterised him, have, inevitably reflected on
Passion
By Renzo Allegri
˙ajjaSalesjana
The Mystic of the
The life and spirituality of Alessandrina Maria da Costa, the Portuguese
woman who was bed-ridden for over 30 years, and for the last thirteen years
lived on the Eucharist alone. Alessandrina was a Salesian Cooperator, and her
spiritual director was the Salesian priest, Fr.Umberto Pasquale.
other people gifted with similar experiences.
All have been regarded suspiciously and their
beatification procedures move slowly. But
perhaps now, thanks to Padre Pio, they may
speed up.
In the name of Chastity
Among the mystics waiting recognition, there
is a Portuguese woman who died in 1955 at
the age of 51. Her name was Alessandra Maria
da Costa and she lived in Balasar, a little town
not far from Fatima. From a charismatic point
of view, her earthly existence was very similar
to Padre Pio’s. Alessandrina didn’t have visible
stigmata, but she was bed-ridden for thirty
years, and her bed became a genuine cross
for her. She often relived Christ’s passion in
such a dramatic way that she used to frighten
those who were present. She spoke daily with
jesus who had specifically chosen her, in all her
suffering, to redeem sinners.
Born in Balasar on 30th March 1904, she
was the daughter of a single mother. Despite
growing up in great financial difficulty, she had
an open, lively and optimistic personality. She
received a serious and deep religious education
from her mother. She went to school for only
one and a half years without taking any exams.
At 8 years of age she began work. When she
was 12 years old she was struck by a serious
illness and in danger of dying. At the age of
14 she was already a young lady and her fine
and delicate manner was fascinating. A young
man took a fancy to her, and together with
two other friends broke into her house to rape
her. However, the young girl in order to save
her purity, threw herself from her window with
serious consequences for her spinal cord. She
was treated for seven years, to no avail, and
ended up in bed paralysed. At the beginning
she did all she could to cure herself. She used
to pray, asking God for the restoration of her
health, but when she realised that her mission
was suffering with patience, she accepted the
ordeal willingly, and lived it with a smile on her
lips until death.
A conversation with the Postulator
Alessandrina Maria da Costa was a person of
great spiritual appeal. For the last thirteen years
of her life, she completely abstained from food
and drink, which led to anury, the absence
of urine. The phenomena interested medical
science, and she was forced to undergo long
and humiliating scientific tests. I think that
the most suitable person to encapsulate the
human and spiritual character of this woman is
Father Pasquale liberatore, General Postulator
for the Causes of Salesian Saints, who has
kindly granted me an interview.
Father Pasquale what is the most
characteristic feature of Alessandrina’s
spirituality?
I am pleased that this is the first question
you have asked me. It is as if you wanted
to penetrate the very core of this blessed
existence. The lord allowed Alessandrina to
participate physically in His suffering. This
means that she physically experienced each
phase of the sufferings Christ underwent
from Gethsemane to the crucifixion. On 2nd
October 1938, the lord told her that “He
would have her pass through all of His Passion,
from the olive grove to Calvary, without
reaching Consummatum est (death).” At 21
years old she became bedridden and there
she remained for thirty years until her death.
From October 1938 to March 1942, that is,
for three and a half years, she lived the Passion
of Christ visibly. The phenomenon, which
repeated itself every week 182 times, lasted
from Thursday to Friday. Then followed the
next incredible phenomenon, the mysterious
fast which lasted until her death, that is, for 13
years and 7 months. (to be continued)
31
Rome: Rector Major returning
from the Beatification of Ceferino
Namuncura.
“It was a very profound spiritual experience
for me; I would say one of the most intense of
my life! A very profound spiritual experience
also for the Church. The large number of
young people present in Chimpay and the
model of holiness proposed by Ceferino must
help the Church to realise it cannot lose the
young. A very profound spiritual experience
for the Congregation. Ceferino is the most
obvious fruit of Salesian education, which
provided the young Mapuche with a path
of human development and mature growth
in the faith.” Referring to some incidents in
Ceferino’s life Fr Chávez described how he
had had to overcome no few obstacles, social,
historical and personal, in order to arrive at a
mature vocational choice of Salesian life and
the priesthood. A very profound spiritual
experience also for Salesian Argentina the
Rector Major added, which is reviewing the
nature of its presence in the country. “The
beatification of Ceferino, as well as Blessed
laura Vicuña and Blessed Artemides Zatti, are
a stimulus to look forward with confidence
and renewed enthusiasm.” “The holiness of
Ceferino is a very simple holiness and very
Salesian. A holiness very Salesian because
available to a teenager, welling up in Ceferino’s
SALESIANS in the World
heart after reading the life of Dominic Savio
written by Don Bosco, and from a very simple
devotion to the Blessed Sacrament expressed
in small daily gestures.”
The Rector Major concluded by saying: “Our
educational system is a system that makes
saints! It makes saints of the educator and the
one being educated”.
India - The crises and challenges
of Asia’s youth: Christ alone is the
answer
Fr Vattathara Thomas, Executive Director of
the “Don Bosco Institute” in Guwahati, in an
interview given to Nirmala Carvalho, published
in Asianews, the PIME Agency, analyses the
continent’s main issues regarding young
people and speaks of the need for the Church
to act rapidly to bring Christ to the young and
give meaning to their lives.
“Only a few of them, the better educated,
can enjoy a globalised world. Therefore the
first objective is to ensure a good education.
We have witnessed that the invasive and
manipulatory powers of the media on
impressionable minds can twist the family
and societal values of the youth and make
them lopsided. The value-system needs to
be reinforced”. Referring to his thirty years
of experience as an educator in north east
India, the Salesian pointed to two problems
˙ajjaSalesjana
for young people: unemployment and being
semiliterate. “The young need something
to give them hope for a better future.” In
addition to training youth workers, the Church
is called upon to communicate jesus. Only
discovering and knowing jesus, the meaning of
his death and resurrection, will young people
be able to open themselves to the future with
hope, towards a personal resurrection. “And
we priests and youth workers, Fr Vattathara
concludes, can impart the Fundamental Truth
that youth must have a Meeting with jesus
Christ who met the disheartened disciples on
the way to Emmaus, we have to understand
their existential situation in the historical
context in which they find themselves.”
Social Communication”. The team members,
who will meet again in january to consider
other documents of the two Congregations
on Social Communication, are convinced that
“media education and training is necessary in
order to be faithful to the young.”
Slovakia – Being faithful to the
young through the media
The Salesians and the Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians in Slovakia and the Czech
Republic recently began collaborating in
media education in the area of both religious
formation and pastoral work. A special team
of three Salesians and two Sisters are carrying
out a study of the main documents of the
two Congregations in order to draw up joint
plans and courses for media training. In their
reflection and preparation of two training
projects they started from the letter of the
Rector Major Fr Pascual Chávez on Social
Communication of 24 june 2005 “With the
courage of Don Bosco on the new frontiers of
Malta – Growing in Belonging
A “Symposium” aimed at reaching the young
but open to all members of the Salesian Family
was held at the Salesian Theatre Hall in Sliema,
Malta. The theme focussed upon was about
the problems of the young as they passed
into early adulthood, and the benefits and
problems of ‘The Group’. The First speaker (Ms.
MaryAnne Agius – a psychologist) focussed
on the emotions and feelings of the young
as they left the family and found suppport in
the group. Then the second speaker (Rev. Fr.
Fabio Attard SDB) showed the great intuition
of St. john Bosco when writing about how he
envisaged his first Oratory, and illustrated the
actuality of those writing for the young in our
days. This well attended ‘symposium’ was the
fruit of a similar successful experience done last
year for the Salesian Family. It also wanted to
set the ball rolling for the celebrations of the
100 years of the Salesian Oratory in Sliema,
which centenary will be celebrated in various
occasions during the year.
33
OnThe150AnniveRSARyOfTheAPPARiTiOnSOfOuRLADyATLOuRDeS
Our Lady Appears
Thursday, February 11th 1858 was the day Our Lady
revealed herself to Bernadette in the grotto at Massabielle
(Old Rock) by the river Gave just outside Lourdes. The
grotto itself was not a particularly savoury place, full
of river-swept debris and where pigs had been kept.
Bernadette had gone there that morning with her sister
and a friend to gather firewood and bones. They had
gone on ahead, and whilst she was dithering about how
to cross the river she recounts, “I began to take off my
shoes and stockings. I had just removed the first stocking
when I heard a noise, something like a gust of wind”.
As she looked up at the grotto she saw a wild rosebush
moving in a breeze, whilst all else round it was still. Then
appeared ‘a gentle light’ within the grotto, in which stood
a beautiful young girl in a welcoming gesture.
From “Lourdes” by D.Baldwin – CTS –
Don Bosco,
Inti kont imqajjem mill-Ispirtu s-Santu,
bl-g˙ajnuna ta’ Ommna Marija,
sabiex tag˙ti sehmek g˙as-salvazzjoni taΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙.
Inti kont mog˙ti lilna mill-Mulej b˙ala missier u g˙alliem,
u tajtna pro©ett mill-isba˙ g˙all- ˙ajja
fil-motto tieg˙ek “ag˙tini l-erwie˙ u Ωomm li jibqa”.
Imnebba˙ minn alla, int g˙addejtilna
spirtu ewlieni ta’ ˙ajja u ta’ ˙idma,
li l-qalba tag˙hom hija l-karita` pastorali.
ag˙mel li qalbna tkun imkebbsa
bin-nar tal-˙e©©a u qawmien evan©eliku
sabiex inkunu sinjali kredibbli ta’ l-im˙abba ta’ alla
g˙aΩ-Ωg˙aΩag˙.
ag˙mel li nag˙rfu nilqg˙u b’serenita` u fer˙
il-˙ti©ijiet ta’ kuljum u s-sagrifiççji tal-˙idma tag˙na
g˙all-glorja ta’ alla u s-salvazzjoni ta’ l-erwie˙.
ag˙mel li l-Kapitlu Generali jg˙inna
insa˙˙u l-identita` kariΩmatika tag˙na
u jqajjem fina ˙e©©a apostolika.
amen.
Talba lil San Ìwann Bosco
(Fl-okkaΩjoni tal-Kapitlu Ìenerali tas-Salesjani)
˙ajjaSalesjana
