T H E S A L E S I A N B U L L E T I N Y E A R 1 1 4 I S S U E 3 A U T U M N 2 0 0 6
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E S A L E S I A N F A M I L Y
DON BOSCO TODAY
Editorial
May we pray for you?
On 25th November 1856 Mamma Margaret, the mother of Don Bosco died. It
is impossible to understand Don Bosco's work without recognising the
contribution made by his mother. She not only taught him so much about
Christian living, but she literally sacrificed the last years of her life, working with
him and becoming the mother of so many poor and abandoned children. The
25th November this year will be a day of special celebration in all the houses
of our Salesian family, when we remember the hard work and support given
to Don Bosco by his mother.
In our Christian tradition, November is a time of remembering. We take the
opportunity to remember those who have died, those whose lives made such
a difference to our lives. There has been a custom of people sending us a list
of their dear ones for our community to remember them during the month of
November. I usually place these lists in a special petition box by the altar of
our community chapel in St Joseph’s, where our community of retired
Salesians live. After a fruitful life in school parish or mission work, they now
enjoy a very special mission of prayer.
The work of the Salesians has always been supported by so many generous
people who, like Mamma Margaret have devoted themselves to Don Bosco's
work. I would like to take this opportunity in this issue to thank one such
person, Joan Rankin, who in January retires from her work as manager of Don
Bosco Publications. For twenty years she has worked tirelessly to make Don
Bosco Publications the kind of work of which Don Bosco himself would have
been proud. I know that she has become the friend and helper of so many
readers of this magazine. Working with Fr John Houlihan, Brother Michael Grix
and myself, she has been an example of Salesian dedication to us all.
The articles in this edition of Don Bosco Today are about generous people
who are continuing the work of Don Bosco, helping those in most need and
spreading the Christian message.
Fr Anthony Bailey SDB
Editor
Email: a.bailey@salesians.org.uk
DON BOSCO TODAY
2 Cover Picture
Girls in Sudan
Contents
DON BOSCO TODAY
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DON BOSCO PUBLICATIONS
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Email: donbosco@btconnect.com
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Provincial Office
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Streatham
London SW16 3HG
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PHOTOS
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WEBSITES WORTH VISITING
Our Province Web Site:
www.salesians.org.uk
Don Bosco Publications:
www.don-bosco-publications.co.uk
Salesians in Rome:
www.sdb.org
Salesian News Agency:
www.sdb.org/ANS
Salesian Sisters in Rome:
www.cgfmanet.org
Salesian Sisters in the UK:
www.salesiansistersuk.com
Salesian Youth Ministry:
www.salesianyouthministry.com
Don Bosco Youth Net:
www.donboscoyouth.net
Bosconet:
www.bosconet.aust.com
Youth Outreach:
www.youthoutreach.org.hk
Salesian Response 4
Sally’s Reflections 6
Six Days in Lebanon 8
Claudia’s Experience 12
Don’t forget Sudan 14
Encouragement 16
We Remember 18
A little bit of heaven 19
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DON BOSCO TODAY
Salesian Response to Child
Prostitution
In the 1980s the Sri Lankan Government
promoted tourism strongly. In 1988 a Salesian
priest, Fr Pinto, based in Negombo, on the
seaboard, a little north of Colombo and quite
near the airport, noticed a change in many of
the young people he met. He became aware
that many were going with foreigners and
tourists, and some were being taken by force.
By then the child prostitution trade had
become very organised in the area, not
without the assistance of some of the
hoteliers. The first thing the Salesians did, in
fact, was to enlist the help of the members of
their own Youth Club. They were the ones least
affected; they were prepared to tackle the
problem by appealing to companions of the
same age-group. The boys were already
aware of the issue; they knew more about it
than the Salesians did. At a meeting held in
the technical school no fewer than 200 people
were present. The exploiters were ruining the
youngsters of Sri Lanka; the Salesians and the
young people in their youth club could not
stand by and ignore it.
They began by organising a poster campaign to alert
and warn parents, then a march with 600 young people.
Some hoteliers complained to the Government and the
Tourist Board. They accused the Salesians of
insurgency, and the matter was reported to the police.
After making enquires, the police, resisting the pressure
from the hoteliers, stood by the priests. A task force for
preventing child abuse was set up, involving religious,
police and responsible hoteliers. Many beach boys and
other young people were arrested in the crackdown
that followed.
The Salesians were asked to start up some
rehabilitation activity; an entirely new work for them.
When the police brought boys to the Salesians they
talked to them to try to convince them to come to a
rehabilitation course. Without their willing co-operation
there could be no hope of change. In reality, the first
course was not a great success; they were all young
men of 16 years of age and upwards, and too hardened
for real recovery. With two exceptions they returned to
their former ways - not at Negombo where they no
longer felt safe, but further south in the country. The
next attempt was more successful; the percentage of
those persevering was very high, with failure in only two
or three cases. In this second course all the boys were
much younger. Initially the Salesians had difficulty
working with these younger boys because they had not
worked in primary schools. They needed the support of
others to continue the work. At the end of the courses
the boys were helped to find employment.
The success rate is normally high, 90% of the boys who
have taken part in the courses now have no great
problems. It is always a bit of a gamble to speak of
recovery. The main difficulty at the beginning is to
convince boys to accept the invitation to take part in the
rehabilitation course. Because they have never been in
a boarding situation, they are afraid they will be
unhappy and lose their freedom. They are usually boys
who do not go to school, who find occasional
employment with the fishermen, who are available on
the beach, and so become easy prey for the
paedophiles. When invited to the rehabilitation course,
they sometimes recoil from the responsibility involved.
They can’t even concentrate on games. They do play,
but not in the happy and carefree manner typical of the
young. They appear tense and preoccupied about
something, never entirely at peace. They need a very
flexible timetable until they are fully integrated into the
system, until they feel they want to learn a trade.
There are some particularly sad situations which need
immediate attention. What the boys have learned from
paedophiles they sometimes try to practise with their
companions, or to organise sex groups themselves. It
is something that spreads like a virus. In these cases
the Salesians try to involve helpers who are
professionally trained.
DON BOSCO TODAY
5
A former detention camp was used as a rehab centre. The young people were taught
music and perform street shows to raise awareness of the issue in the local
communities. At the beginning some parents were angry, because their children could
earn 30,000 rupees a month, and couldn’t get pregnant! The paedophile ringleader
was a Swiss man, who was backed by some of the political leaders. There was a
poster campaign against the Salesians and those seeking to protect the youngsters.
They even went so far as to suggest that the bishop should tell the priests to back off
so as not to interfere with tourism! The country had now been alerted. Interpol too got
involved and sought to have this man arrested, and eventually the local police acted.
He immediately filed a court case against Fr Pinto, suing for 150 million rupees
damages for loss of earnings! A similar lawsuit was instigated against another priest
who led the movement with Fr Pinto. Fr Pinto was taken to court three times charged
with defamation, accompanied by up to 25,000 supporters. This case was finally
dropped. The Swiss man threatened to kill him, and there were other death threats by
phone. The man was finally extradited to Switzerland, tried and jailed.
After a while a new rehabilitation centre was set up, and rehabilitation and preventive
work has developed. Fr Pinto received a national award for protecting the rights of
children, and was the first Catholic priest to be appointed a member of a presidential
commission. He has been invited to speak in the USA and in Sweden. Fr Pinto is now
provincial of the Sri Lankan Salesian province.
Our own work is based on Catholic principles. It is not just a case of preservation, but
rather of education, of principles, of human and spiritual mental health, of respect for
oneself and others. This is not a Sri Lankan problem, it is a global problem. In whatever
part of the world we live we must insist on values in education. Not every desire for
pleasure is to be satisfied at all costs. That unfortunately, is the mentality behind a
whole series of financial machinations, which leads to the ruination and destruction of
so many young people.
I was thrilled to be invited to join Maureen, the
mother of Sean Devereux1 and Father Joe
Brown on their trip to Liberia. I was horrified to
see that it was on the list of places not to travel
to. Much soul searching ensued. Was I being
unfair to my children and family making this
trip? Was I going for purely selfish reasons?
Eventually thanks to the assurances of the
Salesians and the support of my family I
decided to go ahead with the visit. What a
great decision!
Nothing could have prepared me for my first
impressions. Where were the airport terminals, the duty
free, formal customs and immigration departments, the
monorail to the terminal? I simply stepped off the plane
and onto the tarmac to be met by Fr Joe Brown. We
walked to a dilapidated building which served as an
arrivals terminal, queued up in front of an old wooden
desk and had our passports stamped.
The trip to Monrovia took about an hour, through war-
ravaged countryside, innumerable military checkpoints
but no harassment or difficulty. We passed through
shanty towns with exotic names such as Smell No
Taste, apparently named when the Americans were
building the airport, the Liberians could smell the food,
but not taste it. On arrival, I was made very welcome by
the Salesians. Needless to say there was no air
conditioning, or hot water and only intermittent
electricity, but it didn’t take long to adapt and cope.
The very next day the action-packed visit started with
celebrations for Don Bosco’s Day. We joined a four-mile
march through the streets with the Don Bosco Youth
Band. This started off with about 50 people and grew
and grew and grew. It took a couple of hours to get to
Matadi walking through the main street in Monrovia,
dodging craters in the road and massive holes with
missing drain covers. When we finally arrived we were
treated to an extremely talented and varied
entertainment programme. There were several guest
speakers including Senator Blamo Nelson who had
known Sean Devereux; they all spoke of the spirit of
Sean, which was very moving.
On Sunday we headed out to the parish of Caldwell so
I could see a true Liberian Catholic church. Whilst
waiting for the service to begin we taught the children to
play Duck Duck Goose – we had six children to start
with but ended up with about twenty. The children were
so bright and responsive and language and culture
were no barriers. This was the first time I had attended
a Catholic Mass and I was struck by how similar the
liturgy was to that of my Anglican Church, I felt very at
home.
Later in the day we went for a tour of the Mercy Ship,
Anastasis. The Mercy Ships are an amazing
organisation, I had thought they were just involved in
performing surgeries and providing medical care but
they are very active in the communities onshore, in the
countries they visit, providing much needed
educational resources as well as helping with local
building, repair and agricultural projects. To find out
more about their wonderful work have a look at
www.mercyships.org.
On Monday we attended a presentation of funds for the
extension of the Sean Devereux library at Stella Maris
Polytechnic (formerly Don Bosco Polytechnic). We
toured the facilities and met staff and students. The
facilities at the Polytechnic have been greatly enhanced
by the donation of a generator which was presented by
6
DON BOSCO TODAY
Sally’s Reflections
1 Sean Devereux A Life Given for Africa 1964 -1993
DON BOSCO TODAY
7
the Salesian Past Pupils Association. The library is run by the chief
librarian, a charming lady called Kebbeh who was a former child
refugee. We next visited The Sean Devereux Memorial School in
Brewerville established by Amadu Sarnor, a friend of Sean’s who
established it soon after Sean’s death. The school has been built,
destroyed and rebuilt several times during the course of the 14
years of civil war in Liberia, but Amadu doesn’t give up.
Our trip to Tappita on Wednesday was a day I will never forget.
This was due not only to the fact that Sean had spent so much
time there and loved the people deeply, but also to the divine
intervention which enabled us to get a lift in a helicopter! We could
not believe our luck when, having started joking with Father Joe
about getting a helicopter, we ended up getting in touch with
Jerome Yap at the UN who turned out to be a Salesian past-pupil,
from the Philippines, who had heard about Sean in New York! On
our arrival we were overwhelmed by the welcome we received.
The whole community must have been there to welcome us, lining
the sides of the road and singing at the top of their voices. A programme had been
organised for us in the church, which was packed. There were songs, dances and a
little drama as well as countless speeches. It was an incredibly emotional time as past
pupils and teachers spoke of their recollections of Sean and all that he had done
there.
Thursday was a quieter day. It started off with various friends arriving to visit Fr Joe, he
has a massive fan club in Liberia. We visited the AIDS hospital, run by the Sisters of
Mercy. We met all the patients in varying stages of AIDS and then visited the children
of these patients who are also HIV positive. It was heartbreaking as well as joyful, they
are so desperate for cuddles and interaction and yet so responsive. We also drove out
to Pipeline Road, a fairly long trip out of town through the Red Light district, so called
because it has a single red light at an intersection. We drove through the market area
which was a mass of people and wheelbarrows selling everything from dried fish to
DVDs. We visited the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart who take care of
handicapped children. This project has been scaled back due to the withdrawal of
funds from USAID. There were about 16 children there ranging from 12 months to 15
years although the majority were under five. A high percentage were polio victims but
several were war victims one of whom was Nelson, a young boy whose home had
been destroyed by a rocket grenade and who had lost a leg; he had dreadful scars
but a beautiful smile.
War victims seem to have lost the sympathy vote; after all it’s self-inflicted isn’t it?
Sadly that is not the case, many participants in civil wars are there because they have
no choice, they are enslaved by drugs and bribery and the promise of a better life by
whichever warlord they are fighting for. It would be so easy to turn off the TV when
these stories are reported, to assume that somebody else will be taking action so we
don’t need to, but this visit demonstrated to me that this is exactly what we shouldn’t
do. The suffering caused during a war is horrific but its aftermath is equally tragic and
devastating. It is a well known fact that prevention is better than cure and one of the
ways this can be achieved is by lobbying Governments to stop the arms trade. Lack
of controls on the arms trade is fuelling conflict, poverty and human rights abuses
worldwide.
DON BOSCO TODAY
20th July
During this week of conflict between Israel and the
Hezbollah, the two Salesian houses in Lebanon both
north of Beirut, continued their activities until, for
security reasons, they were suspended. Being in the
hills the centre has attracted many of the displaced
people, mainly Muslims. The Lebanese army who
asked to be able to billet a detachment of soldiers in the
Salesian house understood our refusal. In the
meantime the two Polish Salesians in the community
are busy helping the hundreds of refugees, their own
countrymen, who are trying to reach Syria and Turkey
and from there return home. Every day the
humanitarian emergency gets worse. Electricity is
rationed and the supermarkets are being rapidly
emptied. Even during the worst times of the civil war
Lebanon didn’t suffer as it is now. The civil infrastructure
of the country still only being rebuilt, with about 40
million dollars of debt, is reduced to ashes. The military
blockade of the country is total.
21st July
The Salesian house at El Houssoun, has opened its
doors to the refugees: more than 200 at present. There
are lots of children and women, some elderly and two
men with heart condition. Many of these people are
under shock from the fear they experienced. The
bombardment is reaching further afield to places that
previously were thought to be out of range. In the next
few hours we are expecting a new wave of refugees
and it will become more difficult to find a place for them.
We are ready to set up a camp site with more than 200
tents since we have the space on the land around our
house with a nearby pine-wood. There are also 170
being housed in the village. The situation is chaotic.
The State of Lebanon is trying to get itself organised but
so far it has proved ill-prepared and incapable of
managing such a disastrous situation. Thanks to the
presence on the spot of Salesians and of our volunteers
we are succeeding in providing a quick response to the
humanitarian emergency. There is no doubt that the
presence in our Salesian houses of Muslims and
Christians underlines our neutral approach in the face
of elementary basic human needs. Throughout the
Middle Eastern Region we have always been a vital
force for inter-religious and inter-ethnic dialogue.
24th July
While the Secretary of State of the USA is concluding
her diplomatic tour and getting ready to take part in a
meeting in Rome, the Salesian house in Al Fidar
continues to be a sign of hope and peace. After having
declined the invitation from the Embassies to leave the
country for reasons of safety, the Salesians have put
themselves at the service of the people to relieve their
needs. At a meeting in the evening with those
responsible for the oratory, after saying the rosary for
peace, the Rector invited the young people to organise
some sort of entertainment for the youngsters and
adults who were staying in the main refugee centres in
the district. Fr Kazimierz, accompanied by some
leaders visited the main refugee camps. During the visit
they collected information especially about the number
of children and youngsters there. There were repeated
appeals for help with first aid, in particular drinking
water and milk for the newborn babies. During a
second visit they distributed dozens of bottles of water
from the Salesian house. During the eleventh day of the
war, bombardment of the Christian area between Beirut
and the North intensified. Television transmitting
stations were systematically destroyed. An unexplained
black material is covering the beaches in the Al Fidar
area.
Six Days in Lebanon
8
9
DON BOSCO TODAY
25th July
The Rector of the Salesian house in Al Fidar, and Fr Vittorio met the person in charge of
centres welcoming the displaced people to assess the situation. There was a positive
response to the idea of the youth leaders from the Al Fidar Oratory providing
entertainment for the young refugees. The children were cheered up and experienced
some peace and calm which also had a positive effect on the adults. On the basis of
this experience it was agreed to hold a second evening. Youth leaders went to school
where dozens of children where waiting for them. While the little ones became more and
more enthusiastically involved in group games, miming songs and dancing, the older
ones and the adults stayed on one side. In spite of the lack of electricity everything went
well. At the end of the evening there were gifts, specifically for the newly-born babies.
31st July
The killings at Qana, where 60 civilians including 37 children died, seem to have
focused attention on the tragedy taking place. The Salesian houses continue to be
centres of hope and support for the refugees There are now almost a million displaced
and fleeing people trying to escape the bombing. Every day the situation in the
Salesian centres is getting more complicated as is the work of the many local
volunteers who are working non-stop to ensure the refugees get the first aid they need
and to keep the children occupied. The Salesians are helping to care for the refugees
now gathered together in four public schools to which others will soon be added. After
having held a meeting with those responsible among the Shiite refugees the
Salesians’ work team from Al Fidar VIS have found out that there are at present in the
region of Jbeil over 30,000 refugees of whom 50% are children and youngsters, and
the number rises every day. There are 14 centres which have received some of them;
the rest are scattered all over the place, staying with families, in sports centres, small
hotels, and very many of them in tents among the trees. The Salesian team is
especially following up this last group since they are the ones in most need of
assistance. In the last few days the department of the Italian Embassy dealing with the
crisis has approached the Salesians in Al Fidar to set up an emergency heliport in the
playground for possible evacuations. Families in the village are providing
accommodation for over 250 displaced people, while in the 15 neighbouring villages
there is a great network of support. In the Salesian House there is an atmosphere both
of death and of hope: one of the two pregnant women in the centre has just given birth
to a baby girl. At the same time there are problems trying to recover the bodies from
the southern part of the country on account of the destruction of the roads and bridges.
4th August 2006
The Israeli air force bombed four bridges on the road which connects Beirut to the
north of Lebanon, cutting the principal trunk road, not to mention the only means of
communication. The explosions were so violent that they shook the windows of the
Salesian house at El Houssoun, several kilometres away: the refugee children started
crying with fear. The situation has been made dramatically more difficult, especially for
those who travel to work in the capital every day. Many have lost their work, their only
source of income. The vice of war is squeezing ever more tightly. In spite of these
conditions the Salesians are continuing their relief work with the refugees housed in
the institute and among the families. The leaders, male and female, from the Youth
Centre, are lavishing their attention on the children of the neighbourhood. The
mothers, including the Muslims, are delighted and are discovering with wonder, the
beauty of the Oratory of Don Bosco. Often we find Muslim children and mothers in front
of the little grotto of Our Lady, which is in our wood, absorbed in prayer, recounts Fr
Armando Borolaso. In this way, the Virgin Help of Christians, patroness of our house
of El Sousoun, has become also the Help of Everyone.
DON BOSCO
Lord, I rush like water falls,
Driven anxious for activity.
Lead me to life’s calmer pools,
Bless me with tranquillity.
DON BOSCO TODAY
I’ve been here in Burundi for almost a year,
and from a personal and professional point of
view my experience is becoming the most
important I have ever had. In the past I have
been in other countries such as Uganda,
Kossovo and Albania but humanly speaking
that experience cannot be compared with this
in which I find myself with the most vulnerable
and destitute people.
According to United Nations’ statistics Burundi is the
second poorest country in the world. I feel that I am
living on the very fringes of society. Life expectation is
about 46 years and the literacy rate is about 40%. It is a
former Belgian colony which, for about five hundred
years has been the scene of inter-racial conflict
between the Hutu (the majority) and the Tutsi (the
minority but with economic and military power).
The Cité des Jeunes Don Bosco is in Buterere, one of
the outlying districts of the capital Bujumbura, a place
of evacuees, refugees and the unemployed. It is said
that about 26,000 people are living in crumbling huts
made of mud and sticks, without any social
infrastructure or services that would enable them to
have water, light and drainage systems.
Here there are many street children, children
abandoned and left to themselves, with very similar
negative experiences: little or no schooling, from totally
broken homes, the father figure often violent on
account of widespread alcoholism, the mother often
widowed or left with many children, who cannot
manage to look after her family. Often these conditions
result in the children being abandoned and so there are
many children who head from the villages in the interior
or from the outskirts of the capital, for Bujumbura, most
of them becoming street children.
Up to now the children’s project of the Cité des Jeunes
Don Bosco, is concentrating mainly on rescuing the
street children, the most vulnerable group of Burundese
society. We go out looking for them, at night, arranging
with the social workers from the Centre to identify the
key places where they are getting ready to spend the
night on some cardboard they managed to pick up at
the central market. Often we find them trying to
camouflage themselves among the rubbish,
sometimes hiding behind hedges, sometime on the
roofs of the houses so as not to be caught by the
police, who try to chase them off and if they catch them
beat them and put them in prison. When we find them
our first contact is often while the children are under the
influence of drugs. Some are only six, some even
younger, and they are already regular users of
marijuana. Some sniff glue, melting the plastic and so
pass another night feeling nothing, neither hunger nor
the cold, not thinking of anything, in a deep sleep and,
so they say, dreaming a lot.
When we meet them for the first time it is rather
tentative: at the beginning they are very withdrawn, but
then they relax a little, and when they realise that we are
only there to help them, without ulterior motives, they
begin to open up. Then the next few times they come
looking for us, run up to us, they are waiting for us, and
start telling us about themselves: how they come to be
on the streets, the sometimes blood curdling stories
about their families, tales of violence, of abandonment,
of exploitation. Often you can see it in their faces, a look
that suggests they have become resigned to this life,
since they can find no way out, but only exploitation,
child abuse, prostitution and drugs.
Claudia’s Experience
12
13
DON BOSCO TODAY
On the streets there are gangs who all try to recruit a number of very small children,
and often it is these who are victims of the worst violence, in exchange for protection.
They are made to beg in the markets, along the main roads, in front of restaurants, or
else they have to work and give at least half of what they make to the leader of the
gang. When we meet up with them on the street, often the gang bosses are not
pleased because they know that we are trying to get them off the streets, and away
from crime and so they will lose their valuable work force, but then we try to work on
the bosses, trying to get them to look at their own lives, to see things differently. In the
end they often agree to help us to try to give these youngsters a better future.
In recent months the recovery programme of the Cité des Jeunes Don Bosco for street
children has been concentrating on children most at risk, those between six and
fourteen, coming from different parts of the country with very different stories but all
now sharing the sad experience of living on the streets.
At present those enjoying the benefits of our centre are 47 in number, children who are
orphans on account of the war, or of sickness. This is sometimes a simple case of
malaria that wasn’t treated, through lack of medicines, and resulted in the death of
their parents. Some are children left to their fate with no one to care for them. Some
finish up on the streets so young that it difficult for them to give up certain habits.
The first weeks they spend at the centre are decisive for the success of what we are
trying to do: they are constantly tempted to return to the streets. Sometimes they go
away for a night or two, but then come back knocking on our door. And we welcome
them with open arms. Their return also makes the others think, but we are ready to
take them back with all their experience of the streets, of the traumas and the violence.
Each of them carries within them a world we cannot even imagine, but fortunately they
are strong and have great determination.
We have a psychologist who helps, dealing with the most traumatised children, many of
whom have a distorted view of sexuality having seen so many things: from paedophilia
to prostitution, traumas due to being abandoned and having lost their parents.
In recent months 24 of them have been placed with families, and a mini project has
been set up to provide financial support for the family members and so gradually, after
careful preparation, family placements have begun. On the other hand seven of them
have been in touch with their own families and are beginning the process of going
back to them.
In addition to working with street children, at the Cité des Jeunes Don Bosco, we also
have our Vocational Training Centre which has a school with various courses which
year after year involves more and more students. At present we have about 400
students attending the training courses, and eating their lunch in our refectory, which
with students and children caters for over 450 people. In addition there are the
activities of the Salesian oratory, which in general attracts about 200 children and
youngsters each day, whereas at the weekends and during the summer holidays there
are 800 or 1000 children involved in the games and recreational activities.
All of them go to the Buterere primary school, which is just in front of the Centre, and
seven of them are among those at the top of the class. From being street children,
neglected and scarcely surviving, to being first in class! You should see the smiles on
their faces when they return to the Centre, home as they call it, with the good marks
in their exercise books. It is a marvellous transformation for these children.
DON BOSCO TODAY
Don’t forget Sudan!
14
People across the world observed September 17th as
the Global Day for Darfur, in order to focus international
attention on what has been described as the worst
humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. The conflict in
Darfur, which began in February 2003, has already
claimed the lives of 200,000 people and displaced
more than 2 million. With the Khartoum government
refusing to allow UN troops to take over the peace-
keeping operations in Darfur, there seems to be no
speedy solution in sight to this man-made catastrophe.
Sudan’s history has unfortunately been plagued by
wars. It has just emerged from a 21-year civil war
between the North and the South, which killed some
two million people in South Sudan and displaced
another four million. This long and bloody war has
reduced South Sudan to one of the poorest regions in
the world with 90% of the people living below the
poverty line. The peace agreement between the North
and the South has now made possible the launching of
developmental programmes in South Sudan.
The Don Bosco Network, the consortium of European
Salesian NGOs, has been quick to respond to this
opportunity and has decided to focus its attention on
the development of Sudan. The Don Bosco Network
(DBN), an association of European Non-Governmental
Organisations running projects in 82 countries all over
the world, has been actively working in Sudan through
its primary partner, the Salesians , for the past 15 years.
The Salesians came to Sudan in 1979 and since then
have set up institutions in Khartoum, El Obeid, Wau and
Tonj. These institutions include Vocational Training
Centres, formal schools and primary schools in the
villages. It is a well-recognised fact that all these
institutions offer a service that is relevant as well as of a
high quality.
VIS1, the Italian Salesian NGO, was chosen as the lead
agency within the DBN to coordinate its activities in
Sudan. Accordingly, VIS established an office in
Khartoum in July 2006, and is now in the process of
launching a major operation especially in South Sudan.
Education will be the primary focus of this operation.
After a careful reflection on the poverty assessment of
Sudan and keeping in mind its own competence, the
DBN has decided that the principal strategy it will adopt
for its intervention in Sudan is Education. The DBN
does not define education in the narrow sense of a
formal school education, but education understood as
imparting Literacy Skills, Livelihood Skills and Life Skills.
Education enables every person to be the protagonist
of his own development and thereby contribute to the
overall development of the nation. Similarly, education
paves the way for the creation of a climate of peace and
the socio-economic conditions that promote the dignity
of every individual person. South Sudan has the lowest
school enrolment ratio in the world! Similarly projects
that offer job-oriented vocational training to youngsters
from Darfur and to displaced persons living in
Khartoum form part of the programme.
Commitment to Evangelisation
In recent years, as a result of the political situation in
this country the Salesian mission has experienced
mixed fortunes but it has relaunched its commitment to
evangelisation with renewed enthusiasm. The two
communities of the Salesians and of the Daughters of
Mary Help of Christians in Tonj, working in an area
spread over a territory containing 120 villages, are
involved in an intense activity of evangelisation which in
recent years, as a result of the war, the famine and the
floods, has often been greatly hampered. Fr James
Pulickal, in charge of the Salesian community is one of
the greatly loved pioneers, a missionary who has put
heart and soul into helping the people and in
evangelisation. During the war he spent 18 months as
a prisoner of the guerrillas. The clinic with a Salesian
doctor working there treats over 150 sick people every
day as they travel long distances on foot. There are
about fifty patients suffering from tuberculosis and
about 200 from Hansen’s disease. There are 850 pupils
1 Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo
DON BOSCO TODAY
15
in the school. In recent years seven other school centres have been
opened linked to the main school in Tonj, reaching out to 65 of the 120
villages. In each one there are about 100-120 pupils.
Six of these schools are now planning to open four more. In the
absence of trained teachers the missionaries have prepared some
young catechists to do the teaching. They meet together every
Thursday for a training session and at the weekends they go out to
various villages to help with games, education and Christian
formation. The schools are also used as mission stations for
catechesis and Sunday Mass. When the rainy season prevents them
reaching the villages, the teacher-catechists devote their time to the
youngsters in Tonj. At present there are 190 preparing for the
sacrament of Confirmation and about 100 for Baptism.
The Difficult Situation of Young Women
The Salesian Sisters are concerned about the situation of women in Tonj. The
community is made up of four Sisters who are responsible for a boarding school, a
kindergarten and primary school, parish works, a dispensary, and promotional activities.
Because of the civil wars, those who remained in the villages, especially the women,
have had no access to education. Some cultural traditions like polygamy are still
practised in the villages. For the family or the clan, the girl is a means of wealth because
she receives the dowry from the boy who wants to marry her. Often the men are cattle
owners. Those who have more women and cows are considered richer.
The families take care of their daughters until they reach marriageable age, without
however sending them to school but only to guarantee the dowry coming from their
marriage. The girl has no choice in the marriage. One Sister wrote, It is sad to see girls
of 14 or 15 given as a wife to men of 60 or 70 years who already have many wives,
because they have the possibility of giving a larger dowry to the family.
Tradition demands that if the husband dies, the wife must continue to bear children to
him by marrying the brother of the deceased. She must also assume the responsibility
of raising them on her own without receiving help from others, not even from the brother-
in-law who already has other wives. This is why the Sisters always have a large number
of mothers and children who are malnourished and come to them for help or to survive.
During certain times of the year, drought contributes to this situation and thus the infant
mortality rate is very high.
During these years, the Sisters have encouraged the education of girls, offering them a
place to live in the boarding school. This is a not easy since they must distance the girls
from their families for a while in order to educate them. The possibility of giving them
hospitality in the boarding school gives the girls a chance to complete their studies and
also to avoid matrimony at a very young age.
The girls are keen to study, to better their condition and eventually that of their family.
The Sisters have started a life-skills formation programme, providing lessons in hygiene
and various manual activities to help them get a job. In addition to this, they offer the
girls the opportunity to learn the importance of cultivating local produce in order to
ensure their own nutrition requirements and that of their children.
After 23 years of civil war, the Sisters are optimistic about the future. They hope to realise
what was written in the peace pact signed recently by the warring parties. They are
convinced that only through education, can there be the change of mentality, necessary
for building a social environment that is favourable for peace and that gives the people
the capacity to govern themselves.
DON BOSCO TODAY
Recognition
It seems such a simple thing to smile, to say
someone’s name or to offer a brief word of
appreciation. Yet the impact of such brief acts of
recognition can warm and sustain other adults on the
team for the rest of the day. It is not simply a matter of
recognising faces and saying names; it is also
recognising the story behind each face and the
particular challenges, triumphs and disasters that they
may carry in their work with the young. The short
moment of recognition, the nod on a corridor and the
quiet thanks become shorthand connections to the
inner spiritual life of colleagues. These moments are the
visible expressions of a deeper recognition of a
common vocation to work with the young and an
appreciation of the kind of dedication and sacrifice that
such work involves.
Recognition needs to be personal. It is best done quietly
but often; rather than publicly and rarely. The challenge
for the leader lies in knowing the team and seeing things
from their perspective, noticing where they falter, how
they cope with success and how they manage setbacks.
When the leader is able to see the challenges, fears and
hopes of colleagues then their smaller triumphs and
disappointments are more easily recognised.
Recognition demands that the leader moves the centre
of their thinking from themselves to others. This move
towards selflessness is part of the leader’s spiritual
journey; a self-emptying that is seen as crucial to
spiritual growth in every religious tradition. The ability to
keep ones own concerns in perspective and allow
others to develop and succeed is part of a maturity that
spiritual leadership demands. It is part of the role of
being a good shepherd; knowing the sheep and
helping them to grow to fullness of life as individuals.
The Good Shepherd
The image of the good shepherd, for example, can
make a lot of sense to a teacher who is aiming to get
control of class groups early in their career. Using that
image to describe the situation can help sustain the
teacher spiritually and protect their vocation from
disappointment and frustration. The Christian story
sees failure as part of a bigger picture, part of a journey
and not a disaster or a dead end. In supporting
colleagues the leader, acting spiritually, can draw on
Gospel stories of talents, storms, feeding the hungry,
crosses and empty tombs. These stories open up an
inner landscape that can give meaning to the day to
day struggles of all members of a Christian community.
In the Christian tradition the Eucharist, with its emphasis
on growth through brokenness and community, can
offer meaning and a sense of belonging that goes
beyond all words and into the mystery of a vocation to
work with the young.
Celebrations
Getting together with colleagues to waste a little time
together is a prophetic act on the part of leadership. It
is a recognition that there is a wider perspective that
makes sense of what we are doing. The remorseless
pressure of targets, tests and evaluation can give the
impression that the adults are entirely responsible for
whatever is seen as success or failure in work for the
young. Celebrations recognise a deeper mesh of
meaning and quietly recognise the cost of being with
young people. The celebration is not a reward for work
well done but is instead the feeding of the spirit that
holds people together in the service of the young. It is
not an occasional option but a regular way that
leadership can serve the teams they lead.
Don Bosco spoke about the need to go beyond the
roles we carry and into a friendly presence with others.
Celebrations bridge the roles that can sometimes
divide and replace them with a lively spirit of
confidence. Celebrations need no excuse because for
Christians there is always a reason to celebrate. We
believe in a God who can turn tragedy to new life and
death into an eternal belonging. So every celebration is
an act of faith in life whilst it is still imperfect, unfinished
and even confusing. When in doubt, celebrate!
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Opportunities to care and to celebrate are provided by
life events that will touch adult lives on a regular basis.
Spiritual Leadership -
Encouragement
16
17
DON BOSCO TODAY
Leaders need to recognise the chance to focus on people rather than their roles
through births, sickness, marriages bereavements and other life-changing moments.
An invitation to prayer or a quiet word in the ear can lift the heart of that person and
draw the community more closely around them for a while. The ability to celebrate new
life and love among colleagues lightens the pressures of work and lifts the spirit.
Anniversaries of joy and sadness, sensitively recalled by leaders can help weave the
story of staff and the community into a more supportive embrace. In that atmosphere
hearts can be opened and needs made known in a way that draws the whole
community deeper into the mystery of life, death and resurrection.
Welcoming the Stranger
Most spiritual traditions place strong emphasis not on stranger danger but on
welcoming the stranger. The story of two disciples walking to Emmaus after the death
of Jesus is just one way that the theme is found in Christianity. The disciples welcomed
a stranger and found they were walking with Jesus. In the process they found their
hearts were on fire with new insight and energy for the future. In working with young
adults, this tradition suggests a special care for new staff and volunteers. For the
Christian, taking time to introduce new staff to others, to explain how things work, who
to go to for help and making the first move in saying Hello become acts of loving
kindness and not simply good professional practice.
In Christian communities new arrivals carry a fresh sense of God’s presence into the
teams they work with. They bring a new experience and background that upsets the
pattern of existing relationships. They bring needs that draw new strengths from long
established staff and they offer the precious gift of first impressions and insights that
may have escaped the long term workers on the team. Welcoming the stranger is
therefore an act of loving kindness for the new arrival but also a part of the enrichment
of the adult team for the future. It is a way of drawing down a blessing on everyone, a
way of caring for the carers.
Creating an Environment of Care
Don Bosco built a caring community for young people that involved creating a home,
a school, a playground and a church in city centre Turin. That model has grown into a
spirituality of care that identifies four ways of caring as a community for the needs of
all, including the adults.
Belonging
Learning
Relaxing
Meaning
The experience of Don Bosco led him to believe that keeping this fourfold balance led
to an environment in which everyone could grow, including the adults. It was a
community of Gospel life, based on an optimistic humanism that set people free to be
themselves in community. This fourfold pattern could become a checklist for care in a
school or youth group.
We do not learn or grow to be human on our own but only in community. Care for the
adults not only sustains them for the task of dealing with the inconsistencies of youth,
it is also a way of modelling positive adult roles for the future and an act of faith and
of friendship for the young.
Fr David O’Malley SDB
(Extract from forthcoming
book on Leadership in
Education)
DON BOSCO TODAY
Sean was born at Drombana just
outside Limerick. He entered the
recently opened Salesian College at
Pallaskenry, Co Limerick just after the close of the
Second World War, hoping to become a priest but with
his lack of previous secondary education, especially
Latin and his evident experience and expertise on the
farm, he was accepted to become a Salesian Brother.
He made his noviciate in Burwash in 1948 and after his
first profession, Sean moved to Shrigley to help on the
farm in those post-war years. His extraordinary
determination and hard work and his love of working with
the boys made him a much loved character even then.
With the closure of the farm Sean experienced one of
those radical changes of direction that somehow so often
marked his life. The Provincial asked Sean to train as a
chef so that he could serve the community at Shrigley in
a new capacity. While working in the kitchen and studying
in the evenings, Sean enjoyed feeding the students
during the day and joining in the football matches on
Wednesday afternoons and at the weekends.
His next posting was when he was asked to go and look
after the sports fields and grounds at the Salesian
School, Chertsey. His work on the sports fields at
Chertsey consisted of a long term campaign to build in
the drainage necessary to make the fields playable.
Given the low-lying situation of the fields and the high
water table, it was a task that would have daunted a less
determined and hard working man. Sean never gave in.
At Chertsey he was soon coaching the school football
teams who played on his well maintained pitches.
It was in a similar role that he came to Farnborough but
Fr Michael Blackburn, at Brother Michael Delmer’s
bidding, offered Sean the job of Senior sports master.
Sean acquitted his new role with enthusiasm and the
football teams thrived. Of course, despite his new job,
he never gave up his care for the grounds and early or
late he could be found tending the fields on his tractor.
Even after his first hip operation Sean found that he
could manipulate himself onto the seat of his tractor
even before he could walk again.
With the changes that came into the Church at the
Second Vatican Council Sean’s vocation to the
priesthood began to re-emerge once again, with the
encouragement of Fr Robert Coupe. He eventually
came, as a student for the priesthood, to Ushaw
College at the age of 62. For the next five years Sean
worked at his theological studies with the determination
that had drained the fields at Chertsey despite the
water table. With the support and encouragement of
the professors and students Sean became a much-
loved feature of the Seminary and the Salesian
community there.
In his beloved parish at Esh Winning he won the hearts
of the sick and elderly he visited with such devotion. His
gentle humility drew all sorts of people to him. After
ordination he spent a year in the Glasgow parish of St
Benedict before returning to Chertsey where he
exercised a wonderful apostolate among the
youngsters in the playground. His love for the sick and
elderly and his frequent pilgrimages to Lourdes made a
wonderful contribution to the enrichment of the Salesian
community life and apostolate in those years. Sean’s
love for human beings and his capacity to relate to the
young and old were a wonderful gift that he shared
unhesitatingly as a Salesian and a priest. His life was
rich in human relationships; with his wonderful family,
his friends, past pupils and his community. His last two
years were troubled by the onset of many major
illnesses. He died on the 4th September 2006 in the
arms of his niece Kathleen who has been a wonderful
support to him over these last most difficult years.
Sean had a wonderful sense of fun and teasing. He had
a deep love of his family, a great devotion to the Mass
and our Blessed Lady, a concern for the young, the sick
and the elderly and a sterling determination to make his
superiors see the light his way. We shall miss Sean
immensely. May the Good Lord reward him and may his
garden in heaven be ever in bloom.
We Remember
18
Fr Sean O’Loughlin
1926 - 2006
DON BOSCO TODAY
A little bit of heaven
19
Death was once part of life. Adults and children alike
were not surprised by it. Today people have become
unfamiliar with the simple and natural fact of death.
They lack the ability to deal with this modern way of
death. Today so many people die alone, without any
ritual. As result our whole approach to death has
radically changed.
Death forces a family to face a variety of choices. Some
people try to deny death. Pascal, three centuries ago
wrote: Not having succeeded in conquering death men
have decided not to think about it any more. Death
becomes a taboo subject. In this way death is denied
its proper place in life and loses its meaning; death
becomes an accident. Obviously this is an attempt
doomed to failure from the start: films, TV drama, news
programmes and electronic games are packed with
death on a huge scale, and all within children’s reach.
The realisation of death occurs in stages and children
gradually cope with the various elements until they
come to understand that it is irreversible and universal.
Then the questions start: What happens afterwards?
Does everything disappear? Is death a full stop to life or
only a comma? Will we die too? Mum and Dad? Won’t
we see them any more? Will I have to die? Death is
always shrouded in suffering and the family is the place
where mourning can be understood and experienced.
We are familiar with a special sort of feeling called
consolation which almost always manages to relieve
the spiritual pain. Children too know about it: crying in
the arms of mum or dad makes them feel better.
Weeping together, sharing the pain can help us to bear
even the most heart-rending loss. Love doesn’t die, and
in some way, support and sympathy fill the emptiness
left by someone who has died.
Death doesn’t take away for ever the people we love if
we can remember them. A memory almost seems to be
one way of keeping alive a person who has died. That’s
why we put flowers on the grave in the cemetery and we
need to speak about them. For important people,
monuments are built in their memory. With a memorial
someone no longer alive continues to be present. In the
hearts of those who were loved, the memory of the one
who has died can be very strong; it brings relief and
eases the pain.
This world is not our permanent home: we are here for
a while and then we pass on. Each day someone is
born and someone dies; people come and people go.
Only the Creator can give a satisfactory answer to such
a fundamental question. He has done, since He gave
an answer to the question of death that no one would
ever have imagined. He has passed through death
Himself and has put an end to it, opening the way to
eternal life for everyone. In this way no one can ever
say: God doesn’t know what it means to die. From the
Christian understanding of death one can draw the
strength to live. Someone who believes in Jesus
believes in this promise: When God loves someone He
makes them live for ever. God doesn’t destroy the life
He has created, He changes it for the better! Life is not
the result of blind and cruel fate but of responsibility,
since we all have this appointment we mustn’t miss. It’s
precisely when talking about death that faith makes a
difference. Christians don’t say: Life is beautiful but
then unfortunately we die, but Life is beautiful and then
finally we die. One of the essential tasks to teach young
people is that they have the possibility each day of
choosing between life and death. From this point of
view the teaching role of the family assumes an
altogether special character. We have only one life. It
begins on this earth and continues in the house of God.
The family of believers lives in an atmosphere of joy, of
profound hope and feels the strong attraction of an
exhilarating future. Don Bosco used to say in the midst
of difficulties. A little bit of heaven will make everything
right!
Fr Pascual Chávez
Villanueva SDB
Rector Major
G O O D B O O K S - G O O D N E W S - G O O D P R E S E N T S
O r d e r F o r m
I would like to order:- Author QTY Price
each
CALENDAR 2.50
101 SAINTS AND SPECIAL PEOPLE Lives of Saints for children K Pearce 12.00
A TIME FOR COMPASSION M Cunningham SDB 7.00
CHLOE AND JACK VISIT THE VATICAN a children’s guide to the Vatican K Pearce 5.00
DON BOSCO The friend of children and young people K Pearce 5.00
DON BOSCO’S GOSPEL WAY Reflections of the life of Don Bosco M Winstanley SDB 7.00
DON’T ORGANISE MY TEARS Reflections on bereavement A Bailey SDB 10.00
GOD OF MANY FACES Reflective verses M Renshaw FMA 3.00
GOOD NEWS IN THE FAMILY The life of Jesus in story form K Pearce 5.00
MAMMA MARGARET The Life of Don Bosco’s Mother Teresio Bosco SDB 7.00
MEMORY GAME based on ‘101 Saints and Special People’ K Pearce 6.00
MOVING ON Book of reflective poetry Margaret J Cooke 6.00
OUR COLOURFUL CHURCH YEAR K Pearce 5.00
ORDINARY WAYS Spiritual reflections for teachers & youth leaders D O’Malley SDB 5.00
PRAYERS TO CLOSE THE DAY D O’Malley SDB 5.00
PRAYERS TO START THE DAY D O’Malley SDB 4.00
ROSIE AND KATIE GO TO MASS K Pearce 5.00
DVD ROSIE GOES TO CHURCH A child’s guide to the church K Pearce 9.00
BOOK ROSIE GOES TO CHURCH A child’s guide to the church K Pearce 5.00
SEAN DEVEREUX A life given for Africa 1964-1993 M Delmer SDB 7.00
SERVING THE YOUNG Our Catholic Schools Today J Gallagher SDB 6.00
TEACHER, TEACH US TO PRAY for use in primary schools W Acred FMA 5.00
THE WITNESSES Seven witnesses narrate their part in the Passion W Acred FMA 3.00
TRUST THE ROAD 2nd edition with coloured illustrations D O’Malley SDB 6.00
VIA LUCIS How to pray the stations of the Resurrection D O’Malley SDB 7.00
WITHIN & WITHOUT Renewing Religious Life M Cunningham SDB 7.00
TOTAL £
R e d u c t i o n s a v a i l a b l e f o r m u l t i p l e
c o p i e s - P h o n e 0 1 2 0 4 3 0 8 8 1 1
P R I C E S R E V I S E D T O I N C L U D E
PA C K I N G & N E W P O S TA L R AT E S
DON BOSCO’S CALENDAR
£2.50 incl p&p
for multiple copies ring 01204 308811 or
email joan@salesians.co.uk
2007
T H E S A L E S I A N F A M I L Y - G I V I N G H O P E T O T H E Y O U N G
DON BOSCO CALENDAR
SAINT JOHN BOSCO
Kathleen Pearce
The story of the
inspirational life of Don
Bosco, the friend of
children and young
people.
Hardback – fully
illustrated in colour.
£5
ROSIE GOES TO
CHURCH
Kathleen Pearce
A child’s detailed guide
to the inside of the
church. Suitable for all
primary school children.
Hardback – fully
illustrated in colour.
£5
101 SAINTS AND
SPECIAL PEOPLE
Kathleen Pearce
A fresh and interesting look
at the lives of special
people.
A large, hardback book with
95 beautiful illustrations.
£12
REMEMBER YOUR
SAINTS & SPECIAL
PEOPLE
MEMORY GAME
An exciting 72 card
memory game which
helps children and adults remember
Saints and Special People. In its own
presentation box.
£6
SERVING THE YOUNG
Jim Gallagher SDB
The focus of this book is
the religious dimension of
education in a Catholic
School and helps the reader
find hidden treasures in some
of the Church’s texts on
education. Invaluable for new teachers.
Paperback.
£6
SEAN DEVEREUX
Michael Delmer
SDB
A young man of
generosity and
compassion works in
adverse and
dangerous conditions
to help less fortunate children
in Africa. This recounts how his
convictions cost him his life.
Paperback with 8 coloured
illustrations.
£7
OUR
COLOURFUL
CHURCH YEAR
Kathleen Pearce
Written especially for
young children, and
beautifully illustrated,
this delightful book, looks at
events in the church and in the
family and how they are
celebrated.
Hardback, coloured
illustrations throughout.
£5
GOOD NEWS IN
THE FAMILY
Kathleen Pearce
This book tells the
story of Jesus from
the Annunciation to
the coming of the Holy
Spirit in an interesting
and informative way. An excellent
resource for both the school and
the home.
Hardback – fully illustrated in
colour.
£5
TEACHER,
TEACH US
TO PRAY
Winifred Acred
FMA
Primary school
teachers will find
this book an
invaluable aid to make
classroom worship a
special moment for
everyone.
Paperback.
£5
ORDINARY WAYS
David O’Malley SDB
A book about the life-
giving relationships
between young people
and caring adults. A
helpful insight into
ordinary experiences which become
pathways to personal growth.
Paperback illustrated.
£5
ROSIE GOES
TO CHURCH
DVD
A DVD based
on the book
Rosie goes to
Church, in nine
languages (English, German, Irish,
Italian, Dutch, Polish, Slovenian,
Spanish, Czech.)
£9
ROSIE AND KATIE GO TO MASS
Kathleen Pearce
After the outstanding success of
Rosie goes to Church and the DVD
we are pleased to introduce another
book for young children in the Rosie
series. Parents who have difficulty
explaining the Mass to their children will
welcome this informative book.
Hardback – fully illustrated in colour.
£5
THE WITNESSES
Winifred Acred FMA
A teacher’s pack to
be used in church or
school to make the
story of the Passion
come alive for
children. Includes a leaders
instruction card and cards for
seven different readers.
£3
CHLOE AND
JACK VISIT THE
VATICAN
Kathleen Pearce
A children’s guide
to the Vatican
Hardback – fully
illustrated in colour.
£5
Serving the Young
Our CatholicSchools Today
Jim Gallagher SDB
DON BOSCO PUBLICATIONS
Michael Delmer SDB
SEAN DEVEREUXA L i f e G i v e n f o r A f r i c a 1 9 6 4 – 1 9 9 3
DON’T
ORGANISE MY
TEARS
Tony Bailey SDB
A beautifully
produced book of
reflections written
to help people
cope with bereavement.
Paperback fully illustrated.
£10
GOD OF
MANY
FACES
M Renshaw
FMA
Reflective
verses.
Paperback.
£3
MOVING ON
Margaret Joan Cooke
These poems are as
varied in the topics they
address as they vary in
style from the sombrely
thoughtful to the playful.
Hardback.
£6
Moving On
Margaret Joan Cooke
PRAYERS TO START
THE DAY
David O’Malley SDB
This popular book offers
a simple form of prayer
for individual or communal
use at the start of each
day. A useful partner volume to
Prayers to Close the Day.
Paperback.
£4
VIA LUCIS
David O’Malley SDB
An ideal way to pray the Stations of
the Resurrection at Easter and
through the year. The Via Lucis
reflects upon the final chapters of
each of the four Gospels, which
narrate the appearances of the Risen Lord
from Easter to Pentecost. In looking at our
own experience we may discover the spirit
that gives us new reasons for living and
hoping.
Hardback – fully illustrated in colour.
£7
PRAYERS TO
CLOSE THE DAY
David O’Malley SDB
A new form of
evening prayer,
which helps us
reflect on the day. For
use in groups or as a
personal bedside prayer book.
Paperback.
£5
TRUST THE ROAD
David O’Malley SDB
A very popular leaving gift
to teenagers from their
school as they meet the
challenge of starting life’s
journey. Invaluable for anyone
ready to negotiate the twists
and turns along life’s rich road.
Paperback with coloured
illustrations.
£6
DON BOSCO’S
GOSPEL WAY
M T Winstanley
SDB
A fascinating
exploration of the
scriptural
background which
underpins Don Bosco’s Way.
Paperback.
£7
WITHIN &
WITHOUT
Michael
Cunningham SDB
God is present in all
aspects of our human
experience, good and
bad. This book will help all
of us make sense of the
challenges facing us today.
Paperback.
£7
A TIME FOR
COMPASSION
Michael Cunningham
SDB
This is a book any
thinking Catholic will enjoy.
God calls people from a
fear-based religion of rules and
regulations to a love-based religion,
in which a profoundly relational
God invites all humanity into union
and communion. Paperback.
£7
MAMMA
MARGARET
Teresio Bosco SDB
A wonderful
account of the part
Don Bosco’s mother
played in laying the
foundations of his work and his
education system.
Paperback.
£7
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