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 1 S P R I N G 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
DON BOSCO
Editorial
The last edition of Don
Bosco Today featured an
article on Don Bosco’s
mother, Mamma Margaret.
Many of our readers wrote
to say how deeply moved
they were by this short
introduction to her life.
Soon after the article
appeared we heard that
the Salesians in Italy had
just published a new book
on Mamma Margaret. Fr
Julian Fox, an Australian
Salesian, who works at our
Salesian centre in Rome,
was busy translating the
book into English, and
asked if we were interested
in publishing it. We were
delighted to have the
opportunity to publish the
life of such an exceptional
woman.
In the process of editing this book we discovered a new understanding of Don
Bosco’s early life, and the tremendous influence his mother had on his
educational thinking. We hope that Mamma Margaret will soon be beatified,
and that this book will prove an inspiration for all mothers, and an affirmation
for all those unsung heroes, whose contribution, in a myriad of different ways,
enables others to work for young people in the spirit of Don Bosco.
Mamma Margaret welcomed into her life the poor and unwanted children of
Turin, with great love and compassion. The articles in this issue of Don Bosco
Today reflect the way the Salesian Family continues to show the same
practical concern for those in need.
Anthony Bailey SDB
Editor
Email: a.bailey@salesians.org.uk
DON BOSCO TODAY
2
Contents
DON BOSCO TODAY
3
DON BOSCO PUBLICATIONS
Thornleigh House
Sharples Park Bolton BL1 6PQ
Tel 01204 308811
Fax 01204 306868
Email: joan@salesians.org.uk
SALESIAN MISSIONS
Fr Joe Brown SDB
2 Orbel Street Battersea SW11 2NZ
Tel 020 7924 7141
Email: donbosco@btconnect.com
Sister Kathleen Jones FMA
Provincial Office, 13 Streatham
Common North Streatham London
SW16 3HG
Tel 0208 677 4573
Fax 0208 677 4523
Email
provincialoffice.fma@ukonline.co.uk
GIFT AID
Completing a Gift Aid Form
would make your donation go further.
Please contact
Salesian Provincial House
266 Wellington Road North Stockport
Cheshire SK4 2QR
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DESIGN AND PRINTING
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Salesian Websites – well worth visiting
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
Generosity of the young 4
I was a stranger and you made me welcome 6
Fr Denis Martin SDB 8
Mamma Margaret 9
Booklist 10
Order Form 11
Rosie and Katie go to Mass 12
Fr Terry Lavery 13
Fr Chris McMahon 13
The Bosco Centre 14
In prison and you visited me 16
Grandparents 18
4
DON BOSCO TODAY
Generosity of the Young
Lahore - Pakistan - October 2005
It was around 9am on the 8th October, Fr
Miguel Angel SDB was in his office, when he
suddenly felt very dizzy, everything around
him started moving. Since he had never
experienced something like this before he was
totally confused. His assistant shouted,
Father, Earthquake! They ran outside asking
the boys to do the same. The tremor lasted
well over two minutes and when they re-
entered the building the ceiling lights were still
shaking. The wall around the school was
badly damaged so they called in a builder
who started rebuilding it just two hours after
the event. Security is important in Lahore.
Several buildings in the city had collapsed and
some houses in the Christian Colony had
suffered a great deal of damage.
The earthquake, had not affected them physically but it
was to change their lives. They soon became aware
that in the North West Frontier region of Pakistan, tens
of thousands of people had died following the
weekend's massive earthquake, and hundreds of
thousands were struggling for survival. The earthquake
happened at about 9am, a time when schools were
packed with students, consequently, 70% of the
casualties were young people and children, a lost
generation in Northern Pakistan.
Fr Miguel asked for volunteers from the older boys in
the school, to help with the rescue work, and about a
hundred boys volunteered immediately. He contacted
the Military Commander who gave him permission to
get involved. The army's response to his request was,
100 boys trained in Don Bosco can do a lot of good over
here. In addition to food and clothing items, the army
requested that the group bring with them as many
shrouds as possible for burying the dead.
Fr Miguel travelled with the first group of students to set
up a rehabilitation camp in the city of Abbotabad, he
started the 500 km journey with only 20,000 rupees
(about £200 pounds), which he had borrowed, from the
Parish Priest, a Maltese priest from the Missionary
Society of Saint Paul. It was ten days of hard work for
the 60 trainees; setting up a 150-tent camp for 600
people, more than 200 of them patients in need of
medical attention. The sixty boys selected, started
working on the very day of arrival, after eleven hours trip
by bus. A gas kitchen was set up, so many people
needed to be fed. Their work was not always easy,
about 100 sanitary latrines had to be dug. Storage and
management of the camp was discussed daily in their
logistics meeting. After five days the hospital near
where the camp was located started to send local
doctors since the number of patients increased by 25 -
30 people each day.
After training a group of local people they went back to
school, satisfied but already thinking about what they
could do next. The answer came when they were called
to help a community of about 600 people in the
mountains of the North, one of the worst affected areas.
The place, called Manu Jabra, was 7000 ft above sea
level, right in front of the Karakoram Mountains. It was
almost inaccessible, the roads had been opened by the
army only a couple of days earlier. Putting together the
human and material resources of Don Bosco in Quetta
and Lahore, an expedition was prepared, including a
bus of students, a nurse and a civil engineer. During
their month long stay, the generosity of benefactors
around the world made it possible for them to distribute
DON BOSCO TODAY
5
about 30 tons of materials
including food, clothes, kitchen
utensils, mattresses, blankets,
tents and quilts. They also set up
a small school and provided
medical care.
Of course, they are still
committed and are sending
supplies of food to the camp that
has grown to almost 500 people.
Recently there has been a
meeting of Caritas International
with other NGOs and they have
decided to work out a long-term action plan to set up a village of prefabricated
fibreglass shelters. The Salesians have already volunteered to bring manpower and
resources to that project as soon as it starts and the Bishops Conference is really
grateful since they were the very first to be involved in this project.
More recently, as a result of the violent emotional reaction to the cartoons, which
showed a lack of respect to Muslims, the Salesians felt it necessary to reflect on the
implications of their presence in Pakistan:
1. Our presence in Pakistan is not easy, since we belong to a minority often
marginalised. Yet we Salesians, rich in Don Bosco's spirit of family and love for the
young and the poor, and guided by the preventive system based on reason,
religion and kindness, find ourselves appreciated if not loved by the youth who
happen to meet us, be they Christians or Muslims. We are able to touch their
humanity in caring for their needs, but especially in loving them as they are.
2. During our relief programme for earthquake victims, which is still continuing, we
realise not only that we Christians are generally welcomed by the Muslims we help,
but are also respected by the military and civil authorities for the dedication and
spirit of sacrifice our young Christian students are showing in relief work on a
voluntary basis.
3. It is our conviction, proven by the seven years of experience of our presence in
Quetta and Lahore, that when we approach the Christian and Muslim youth with
love, respect and concern for their human needs as Christ teaches us - I was
hungry, I was thirsty, and accompany them in their human growth with Don Bosco's
system of loving-kindness, there is no doubt that we have a chance to build lasting
bridges of dialogue and peace.
4. Education of the heart makes the difference! It helps people shake off the burden
of ignorance and helps to eliminate misunderstanding between different religions
by promoting dialogue.
Our world is changing in so many ways. Some
of us may be happy with change; others may
feel threatened. One development, which
causes some people concern, is the
movement of people across borders. They
arrive on our island as asylum seekers. The
question is how do we respond to them? For
many, Christians included, it may be a case of
not in my backyard, please. The tabloid
newspapers, those architects of popular
opinion, often construct a very negative image
of asylum seekers. Politicians of all parties, it
seems, react to the prevailing mood; they
outdo each other with a tougher policy,
crudely aimed at reducing the number of
asylum seekers. Good politics used to be
about creating hope and idealism, intent on
changing society for the better. In recent years
the politics of hope have been replaced by the
politics of fear, exemplified in the war on terror.
But the scriptures tell us that love casts out
fear.
A year and a half ago, when I was trying to make some
sense of these thoughts, I asked the Provincial if I could
get involved with asylum seekers and refugees. I
moved from the Bolton to the Bootle community and
discovered Asylum Link, Merseyside, located at
Overbury Street, Liverpool, not far from the Anglican
Cathedral. Here in this former Catholic presbytery, a
remarkable priest, Fr Peter Morgan has opened up a
building, which now provides a whole range of practical
services for asylum seekers who come from many
distressed parts of our world. This charity provides
basic food, clothing and furniture; as well as English
classes, computer courses, cooking and sewing
classes. The centre also provides an advocacy in
accessing services such as education, health care and
the processing of asylum claims and appeals.
When I first visited the centre I wanted to make
connections between the lives of young people and
asylum seekers, to try to break down some of the
prejudices, which undoubtedly exist. My request to help
with school visits was readily accepted. I found
headteachers, chaplains, and teachers only too happy
to welcome me and arrange visits. My aim in all this was
to get asylum seekers into classrooms so they could
share their stories with the youngsters. So far I have
concentrated on senior pupils in years 11, 12 and 13.
On my initial visit I take the classes or assemblies
myself to try establish some of the facts rather than the
myths peddled by the national media.
What are the myths about asylum seekers? Well, I find
our young people tend to imagine that the numbers of
asylum seekers are far higher than the reality. They are
also under the impression that most asylum seekers
come to rich European nations, such as Britain. They
are not aware that poor countries such as Africa take far
6
DON BOSCO TODAY
I was a stranger and you
made me welcome
DON BOSCO TODAY
7
more asylum seekers than we do. They also seem to think that asylum seekers take
our jobs. In fact asylum seekers are not allowed to work at all until they are accepted
by the Home Office and given refugee status. Many of them may have substantial
loans to pay back to people traffickers, so they may be forced to take illegal low paid
work with no labour or union rights to protect them. Hence we witness tragedies such
as befell the cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay. Many think that asylum seekers live
comfortable lives on generous benefits. In reality they receive very little financial
support; what they do get comes in the form of vouchers. And when, for example, they
pay a bill for £4.30 by handing in a £5 voucher they don’t receive any change.
I could go on with other examples, but for me the purpose of these school visits is to
get the asylum seekers themselves to share their stories. This is not always easy. They
have to be able to speak reasonably good English and have the confidence to stand
in front of a class of youngsters. I know these visits are very powerful. I have witnessed
some very moving moments when people who have fled their own countries in fear are
able to talk to our young people, and find a sympathetic audience. Our youngsters
begin to learn that asylum seekers do not just decide to come here to enjoy the good
life. They carry with them personal stories of pain and suffering, of attacks on
themselves and their families, of threats of persecution or physical attacks including
rape. They speak of those who drown in makeshift boats, especially from North Africa,
trying to get to Europe.
I have listened to people of all different faiths and races who share a common
experience of suffering and persecution. They may come from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan
and from many parts of the former Soviet Union, and from many African countries
such as Somalia, the Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone.
They talk of threats to their lives, and of children and family left behind. They speak of
the frustration of trying to deal with a very unsympathetic Home Office system that
often treats them with little respect, of attacks in the street from people who simply
don’t want them to be here. At the same time they speak of the kindness, friendship
and practical help many British people have given them. Last year for example The
Asylum Link Centre in Liverpool, distributed more than 2,400 food bags, which
equates to around £20,000. Whenever I visit a school I always ask for help with clothes
and have received lots of assistance.
More than anything else, what I hope to do is to try to change the perception our
young people have of asylum seekers. I have been frequently heartened by the
interest shown and the questions asked by the youngsters. I know that a number have
admitted that their views have been changed. I’m sure there are still those who fail to
be impressed, but the good certainly outweighs the bad.
In a CAFOD lecture in London last November Fr Gustavo Gutiérrez, the founder of
liberation theology, said that the poor are increasingly knocking on the doors of the
rich. How we respond is one of the spiritual challenges of our time as we remember
the cry of Jesus, I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me
drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome. (Mt. 25:35)
Michael Cunningham SDB
DON BOSCO TODAY
Father Denis Martin SDB died in Hong Kong, China, on
January 4th 2006. When he was two years old, his
father left his mother with two children, Denis and his
older brother Laurence. As a young boy of eight, Denis
went to Salesian College, Battersea, as a boarder. He
was there for six years. When his brother Laurence
finished school, he said to his mother, I want to become
a Salesian. His mother said, If it is God’s will, go. He
made his profession, as a Salesian, at sixteen years of
age. Two or three years later, Denis said to his mother, I
want to become a Salesian, but I have a worry. His
mother said, What are you worrying about? To which he
replied, I am worried about who will take care of you
when you are old. She said, Go, and become a
Salesian, and don’t worry about me. God will take care
of me and will take better care of me than you can. God
took very good care of his mother. She died when she
was 105 years old, and for the last four years of her life
lived in Nazareth House, a nursing home in London,
where the chaplain was her own elder son Laurence,
who was with her till she died.
Denis went to the Salesian Missionary College at
Shrigley for two years. In 1938 he joined the Salesian
Novitiate at Beckford. After Novitiate he went to the
Salesian Mission in China, arriving in Shanghai as
World War II began. He did his initial studies in the
Salesian House of Studies in Shanghai. At that time the
Japanese were occupying Shanghai and when they
entered the war he was interned in the grounds of the
French Jesuits in Zikawei. It was a very mild internment.
When the war ended Denis resumed his studies and he
was ordained priest in Shanghai in 1949. The first two
or three years of his priesthood were very painful and
harrowing. The Communists had invaded China from
the North and they were gradually taking over the
schools. After they had taken the Salesian School in
Shanghai where Denis was teaching, he spent a brief
spell in a Chinese prison and then was expelled from
China. In 1951 he was sent to Hong Kong. For the next
forty years he spent a very active life working in many
different schools in Hong Kong and also in Macau,
which was then Portuguese.
When he retired from teaching he still managed to do a
great deal of parish work, catering especially for the
people in Hong Kong or Macau who needed Mass,
Confession or Sacraments in English. During his later
years he was troubled with Parkinson’s disease.
Denis always had a great love for the Chinese people.
He loved them and they loved him. It was always his
wish to end his days in China.
Fr Laurence Martin SDB
We Remember
8
Fr Denis Martin SDB 1921 - 2006
DON BOSCO TODAY
9
There is one important aspect of the life of
Don Bosco, which is only now being fully
appreciated – the part his mother played in
laying the foundations of his work and his
educational system. She, who was
illiterate, educated him in so many ways.
She stood by him in his early days in Turin
and shared the many hardships he
endured.
Mamma Margaret’s heroism lay in
feeding poor boys with soup and
affection, of mending worn-out clothes,
of washing pots and pans. In those
humble events lay the strength of a life
lived as a Christian, all based on the
cheerfulness of the poor, on innate
common sense, on a real trust in
Providence.
Mamma Margaret
Mother of Don Bosco
Paperback price £5.70
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Don Bosco Publications
www.don-bosco-publications.co.uk
Special books for Easter for Adults and Children
For Children
VIA LUCIS
by 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.
This beautiful hardback book with fourteen coloured illustrations is
the perfect Easter gift.
Suitable for personal reflection and group prayer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 paperback
with 8 coloured
illustrations recounts how
his convictions cost him his
life.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
THE WITNESSES
by 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.
Serving the Young
Our CatholicSchools Today
Jim Gallagher SDB
DON BOSCO PUBLICATIONS
Michael Delmer SDB
SEAN DEVEREUX
A 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
11
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.
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.
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.
DON BOSCO’S
GOSPEL WAY
M T Winstanley SDB
A fascinating
exploration of the
scriptural
background which
underpins Don Bosco’s Way.
Paperback.
DON’T
ORGANISE MY
TEARS
Tony Bailey SDB
A beautifully
produced book of
reflections written to
help people cope with
bereavement.
Paperback fully illustrated.
GOD OF
MANY FACES
M Renshaw FMA
Reflective verses.
Paperback.
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.
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.
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.
ORDER FORM - SPRING 2006
I would like to order:- Author Price P&P
MAMMA MARGARET The Life of Don Bosco’s Mother Teresio Bosco SDB 5.70 1.50
ROSIE AND KATIE GO TO MASS K Pearce 3.99 1.25
DVD ROSIE GOES TO CHURCH A child’s guide to the church K Pearce 8.00 1.00
BOOK ROSIE GOES TO CHURCH A child’s guide to the church K Pearce 3.99 1.25
A TIME FOR COMPASSION M Cunningham SDB 6.00 1.25
DON BOSCO The friend of children and young people K Pearce 3.99 1.25
DON BOSCO’S GOSPEL WAY Reflections of the life of Don Bosco M Winstanley SDB 6.00 1.25
DON’T ORGANISE MY TEARS Reflections on bereavement A Bailey SDB 9.25 1.25
GOD OF MANY FACES Reflective verses M Renshaw FMA 2.50 0.75
GOOD NEWS IN THE FAMILY The life of Jesus in story form K Pearce 4.99 1.50
MEMORY GAME based ‘101 Saints and Special People’ K Pearce 5.00 2.00
MOVING ON Book of reflective poetry Margaret J Cooke 5.00 1.50
OUR COLOURFUL CHURCH YEAR K Pearce 4.50 1.50
ORDINARY WAYS Spiritual reflections for teachers & youth club leaders D O’Malley SDB 4.50 1.00
PRAYERS TO CLOSE THE DAY D O’Malley SDB 3.50 1.25
PRAYERS TO START THE DAY D O’Malley SDB 3.00 1.00
SEAN DEVEREUX A life given for Africa 1964-1993 M Delmer SDB 6.00 1.25
SERVING THE YOUNG Our Catholic Schools Today J Gallagher SDB 5.00 1.25
TEACHER, TEACH US TO PRAY for use in primary schools W Acred FMA 4.50 1.00
THE WITNESSES Seven witnesses narrate their part in the Passion Story W Acred FMA 2.99 1.00
TRUST THE ROAD 2nd edition with coloured illustrations D O’Malley SDB 4.50 1.25
VIA LUCIS SPECIAL OFFER THIS EASTER £5.99 D O’Malley SDB 9.99 1.50
101 SAINTS AND SPECIAL PEOPLE Lives of Saints for children K Pearce 10.00 4.00
WITHIN & WITHOUT Renewing Religious Life M Cunningham SDB 6.00 1.25
TOTALS £ £
"
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.
Moving On
Margaret Joan Cooke
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.
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DON BOSCO TODAY
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DON BOSCO PUBLICATIONS
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REDUCTIONS AVAILABLE FOR BOOKSHOPS, CHURCH REPOSITORIES & MULTIPLE COPIES.
ORDER FORM - SPRING 2006
"
Children will want to know what
the various parts of the Mass
mean.
Rosie’s cousin Katie was staying for a few days,
tomorrow she would be going home. It is Sunday
and Rosie is determined to enjoy their last day
together. First they were going to Mass and
afterwards, they planned to have a family picnic.
Katie has not been to Mass before and Rosie was
looking forward to quietly telling Katie all that
happens during the service.
What better introduction to the Mass!
Hardback in full colour 48 pages
Price £3.99
See order form on page 11
Rosie and Katie Go to Mass
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DON BOSCO TODAY
We Remember
Terry Lavery was born in Glasgow in 1923,
and was baptised at St Anthony’s, Govan.
He was first professed as a Salesian at Beckford near
Gloucester in 1942. In the late 1940s Terry taught in
Shrigley, Chertsey and Bolton. After theological studies in
Lyons, Terry returned to Beckford to be ordained in 1952.
As a young priest, Terry was to teach for a further twelve
years at Salesian College in Chertsey. There were boarders
at Chertsey in those days, and Terry became what we call
the Catechist. He had a special care for the spiritual life and
physical health of the boarders and community. Hard
working and conscientious, he took his responsibilities very
seriously. A Salesian told me, his whole life was devoted to
the care of the students; he had no time for anything else.
In 1964 Terry became part of the founding community at the
new Salesian College in Bootle, Merseyside, where he was
to teach for twenty years. His main subject was French. He
gave himself to his new mission with tireless energy. A
dedicated teacher, Terry was appointed head of the Lower
School. As a priest, Terry had the joy of celebrating family
marriages and jubilees, and being present for other family
celebrations. Summer holidays were spent with family too.
I’m sure his family have good memories of those times and
appreciate the part they played in sustaining Terry in his
ministry. After 37 years of teaching, Terry had a well-earned
sabbatical in California, from where he returned in 1985 to
join the parish team in St Paul’s Muirhouse, Edinburgh. He
was to work there for nearly 15 years.
There was also an urgency about Terry: something of the
zeal with which Jesus proclaimed the arrival of the
Kingdom. If Terry heard someone was in hospital he would
visit them that day. If he heard someone had died, he would
immediately go out to console the family with a lovely letter
of condolence. I am sure many of those letters are
treasured possessions now.
It was a shock when Terry was diagnosed with Cancer in
1997. So, it was with declining health that Terry moved to
Nazareth House, Bonnyrigg, at the end of 1999, where he
was to stay until his death. My memory of Terry is that he
was a truly fine, very gifted, very modest gentleman, who, I
am sure, touched the lives of many.
Fr Jim McGarry SDB
Chris was born in Horwich in Lancashire.
He was professed as a Salesian at
Burwash in September 1959, but I have known Chris only
since he arrived in South Africa in 1983.
In the messages I have received from those who knew Chris
during his very active life, the recollections all echo that he
was one who felt strongly for others, a compassion that
reached out to others in need. To them he brought the
solace and comfort of the sacraments, a friendly word, a
blessing. His life as a priest was a conduit for the graces of
a Good God to make sense of the spiritual and all too
human turmoil in peoples lives, especially those who were
young. In the education of young people in England, Malta
and South Africa, as headmaster, teacher, mentor, guide,
friend in the spirit of Don Bosco, with the Salesians as his
brothers, he built the foundations of Faith in a loving God.
His intense concern for the spiritual and physical well being
of others in his pastoral care, exceeded the limits of his own
capacity to accomplish as much as he wanted to. This took
a toll on his own managing and coping skills, as he
struggled with personal issues while still all the time
deepening his understanding of God's work in his life. His
personal medical battle had begun when his body once
again became the rival of his spirit. The life and death of
each of us has its influence on others. But his spirit did not
succumb. He continued to work for as long as he could. He
planned meticulously for his operations, holidays with
family, ensuring that he crowded in as much as he could
before he was confined to a room. When the time came for
continual care he radiated a peace and acceptance of his
condition.
We give thanks for the wonderful way Chris touched our
lives, in his life, in his dying and death, and pray for our
consolation in the knowledge of his eternal reward.
Robert Gore SDB
Provincial South Africa.
Fr Terry Lavery SDB
1923 - 2005
Fr Chris McMahon SDB
1942 - 2005
DON BOSCO TODAY
The Bosco Centre
14
It is not easy to get time with Sister Cecily; she is a very
busy lady! When I arrived she was interviewing a young
lad, a prospective candidate for the apprentice scheme,
the latest development at the Bosco Centre in South
London. He naturally, took precedence. For Sister Cecily
Dunn, a Salesian Sister, young people always take
precedence.
Waiting for Cecily was not time lost. I was able to absorb
the atmosphere of this unique set-up. A teenager
welcomed me from a tiny reception area and
accompanied me upstairs to the general office, past
classrooms emitting a buzz of activity and energy. A
twenty year old, whom I later learned was the mother of
two children, offered me a mid-morning cuppa. She was
very anxious to make sure that Sister Cecily had one too,
plus a sausage roll which she had brought in for her. It is
well-known that Sister Cecily does not spend much time
thinking of herself. Mary, the long-serving secretary made
sure I felt at home. She told me that she had brought her
child to Sister Cecily’s Nursery seventeen years before
and had stayed on! Such is the persuasive charm of Sister
Cecily!
Young people passed in and out of the office while I
waited. There were tall, gangly youths, some of whom
sported amazing headgear, and attractive girls also in the
latest fashions. I noticed the huge ethnic mix. All greeted
me in a pleasant, friendly way; they were obviously very
much at home in the place and wanted to make me feel
welcome too. Outside, the toddlers happily played in the
sunshine, enjoying the climbing frame, swings, and chute
under the watchful care of the nursery nurses. Eventually
Sister Cecily sent the young lad off, assuring him of a
place, and she was free for a spell to talk to me about the
Bosco Centre.
In October 1984 Sister Cecily was asked to co-ordinate the
youth work in the Parish of Rotherhithe, South London.
She was given a hall and a free hand to organise things as
she saw fit. She brought with her years of experience of
working with under-privileged youngsters in Scotland and
in Liverpool where she set up a successful drugs
rehabilitation programme. The youth club was her starting
point and still continues to be an integral part of the Bosco
Centre but the project has grown far beyond that. A large
banner which dominates the main hall proclaims the motto
of the Centre and its focus: You are young, you are
precious, you are loved.
Cecily found herself surrounded by youngsters who had
dropped out of the system not because they were failures
but because the system had failed them. They were
experiencing pressures for which they were not equipped.
Their schools knew nothing of the trauma they lived in,
their teachers were unaware of the impossible situations
they came from in the morning and returned to at night.
Many of them stopped attending school altogether or
failed to even start secondary education. Cecily had a
mathematics and science background when she entered
the Salesian Sisters and later did an Arts degree plus a
Master’s Degree in Education, so she was in a good
position to teach these so called failures herself. Like her
hero, St. John Bosco, she began to help the youngsters
she knew and the work developed from there.
The Bosco Centre now caters for youngsters from tots to
twenties. The young Mums can have their babies cared for
in the building in which they are studying. One of the
courses on offer at Bosco Centre is Child Care. Those who
attain level three in the National Vocational Qualification
can become qualified Nursery Officers, run their own
nursery after a little experience, work as classroom
assistants or go on to university and perhaps teaching.
All the pupils study English, Mathematics, Information
Technology and Personal Development. The aim is to get
as many as possible up to NVQ level three which is
comparable to two A-levels.
Sister Cecily now has a full-time staff of twenty-five
including her sister who came to help out some years ago
and stayed. Another teacher brought her children to the
nursery and has been on the staff ever since; her
daughters, now grown up, have joined her. One is a
qualified youth leader, thanks to her training at Bosco
Centre, and is in charge of the daily after school club and
the evening youth club. Another daughter works at Sister
Cecily’s latest development: Bosco Construction. There
are also several husband and wife teams working at the
Sister Cecily FMA
DON BOSCO TODAY
15
Centre. No wonder there is a wonderful family atmosphere.
Bosco Construction provides Vocational Tasters. This fits into the Government’s Entry to
Employment and Apprenticeship scheme. At the moment, the young people are offered
training in plastering, painting and decorating and carpentry. Sister Cecily was concerned
that some young people could not get apprenticeships because they lacked the necessary
qualifications nor could they get into colleges because they were not employed by
tradesmen so, typical of Cecily and reminiscent of Don Bosco, she found a way round the
problem and opened her own establishment to get the youngsters started. Sister Cecily is
no stranger to the building trade herself; she has extended the original hall at least six times!
Once she was dissatisfied with the way the slates had been put on a roof so she personally
dismantled them, numbered each slate and had them replaced to her satisfaction and the
builder’s astonishment!
The Diamond Project, for 16 - 20 year olds, which includes NVQ training, probably best
epitomises Sister Cecily’s philosophy. A diamond, when found, is not very promising; it takes
time, patience, hard work to rid it of the encrustation surrounding it and to polish it into
brilliance. Cecily has faith in young people; she knows that there is a precious diamond
embedded in each of them. All her projects aim at releasing that diamond and making it
sparkle. She loves her young people and they know it; they can approach her at any time of
the day or night and they do. She is totally committed to their welfare and has proved it on
countless occasions over many years. She is very firm, she has to be, she is working with
South London kids, street-wise and wary but they respond to the caring atmosphere at
Bosco as they call it. They appreciate the way they are treated and respond positively to the
way the staff work. They say: It’s not like school, it’s different. They treat you like a grown-up
here.
Like Don Bosco, Sister Cecily has developed her work directed by the Spirit and responding
to needs as they emerged: Youth Clubs and After School Clubs, Nursery provision, Bosco
College and Bosco Construction. She has also opened a well-equipped Hostel to provide
accommodation for homeless girls. For Cecily, pastoral guidance is pivotal; her aim has
always been to provide a safe, caring environment where the young people would feel that
they belonged. From this basis, training in citizenship develops naturally, the young person
grows in self-esteem, confidence and maturity.
Currently the youngsters of sixteen years and over who attend the Bosco Centre receive from
the Government the Education and Maintenance Allowance of £50 a week. In a year, Sister
Cecily and her staff can work with an average of 135 youngsters and achieve at least 60%
success rate in pupil achievement. The fear is that the Grant is going to be reduced to £30
and awarded for only five months. Trying to live on £30 a week without any parental support
will discourage young people from attempting to improve their qualifications and will
drastically reduce the span of time they can afford to spend at Bosco. To turn around a life
in a year is remarkable, to do it in five months would be nothing short of miraculous but
Cecily has enough faith for miracles.
So what is Sister Cecily’s secret? What is the root of this charismatic dynamism? Sister Cecily
is a woman of great faith and trust in God. She is inspired by the spirit of Don Bosco, the
friend of youth. Each day ends with a time of quiet reflection, the traditional Salesian
Goodnight. She believes in his system of reason, religion and loving kindness and she is not
afraid to practise it. The place is very appropriately named the Bosco Centre since the work
which radiates from it is truly Bosconian.
Sister Ella Flynn FMA
In prison and you visited me
DON BOSCO TODAY
Anyone who believes the claim, Prison works
clearly doesn’t know what they are talking
about. This slogan is especially wrong for
young males in prison. Home Office statistics
show that 76% of prisoners under 21 re-offend
within two years of release. For 14 -16 year
olds, the figure is 86%. Is that what you’d
understand by prison working?
I’ve been going to prison one day a week since January
1997. I’m a volunteer tutor, usually in basic maths, at a
Young Offenders Establishment. There, I frequently say,
This place is a mad-house, and no one contradicts me.
I like things to be orderly and predictable, as they
usually seemed to be in the schools I used to work in,
a long time ago. Here, no matter how carefully I make
arrangements; things seem more likely than not, to fail
to happen as planned.
Nevertheless, I still keep going back, and want to go on
doing so for as long as I possibly can. There are so
many lads there who need a helping hand, not just in
maths but much more importantly the help to make
them feel valued and appreciated. Their experience of
life, so far, has convinced them they are the refuse of
society. They write themselves off as worthless, and
have little or no hope of ever leading an ordinary life.
They find it almost incredible that the volunteer tutors
are giving them time and personal attention, and are
not being paid for it. We try to show them that we don’t
accept that they are worthless. We appreciate all that
they might be, if only they had been given the right
opportunities, and had taken them.
The Volunteer Supported Education office (VSE) works
like this. First a name appears on a list. He is referred to
us as wanting one-to-one help with literacy or
numeracy. When a tutor is free, the inmate is
interviewed and an assessment form filled in. As soon
as an appropriate tutor can be matched to his needs,
he gets his own tutor, who will see him once a week for
one and a half to two hours. Most volunteers do either
a morning or an afternoon stint. I do both on the same
day. Even if my only contact with an inmate is for an
assessment interview, I always feel my time has been
well spent. The helping hand I stretched out has been
grasped by a lad in need, and what I had to offer in that
short session has been warmly appreciated.
Here is what happened on a recent, not untypical, day
for me. I left home at 8.10 am and arrived about 9.30,
after my 15 minute walk to the station, a rail journey, an
uncertain wait, and then a bus journey. I was expecting
to continue with the two lads I’d seen last week, but one
of them was back in court. I took the long walk out to
the wing only to find my morning student had been
taken, ten minutes earlier, to IBIS, the former
Segregation Unit for boys in trouble of some sort.
I phoned back to the office. They advised me to stay
put for five minutes while they checked the availability of
two other possible candidates. Neither was available so
I returned to the office. Eventually they did find
someone needing maths, whom I could assess. We
had about 90 minutes at our first meeting. Steve, aged
18, came from a Sussex village and in some ways
seemed less self-confident and street-wise than most
inmates. His favourite pastime, he told me, was to
spend four or five hours sitting quietly with his mates in
a pub. It had been a big deal for him when, a month
before his 18th birthday, he told the publican, at his
local, he was now 18 and was served a pint of beer.
Mum had re-married when he was fourteen and soon
afterwards he was taken into care. Since then, he said,
things had gone steadily downhill. He’d been moved
around, had attended a variety of schools, and
received some home tuition. Entered only for Art and
Maths GCSEs he’d got F grades in both.
As usual, I began by sharing with him how to be certain
he’d got the right answer when adding up, and left him
with some questions to practice on, while he was
waiting to be assigned his own regular tutor. His body
language, even more than his words, showed me he’d
been glad we’d met. And so was I.
16
By chance, my morning student the following week said he was sick. Once again I was
at a loose end! Finally it was sorted out I’d have another one-off class with Steve. He’d
done the work from last week, nearly all correctly, but today was in a difficult mood. He
said, Everyone hates maths. I replied, I don’t!….But, you know you don’t have to do this
if you don’t want to. I’ve got to get a GCSE or I’ll never get a proper job. I struggled on,
even though he seemed so distracted and unwilling to concentrate. I coaxed him
through subtractions till he could do on his own 5005-2897. I knew he was pleased with
himself. The comment he wrote on the report at the end of the class was I learnt I must
push myself! Teaching Steve would always be a tussle. I felt relieved I was able to remind
him I would be back next week with my regular student. He’d have to wait for another
tutor to become free. His reply was, Could I say the only tutor I’d work with is you?
Two weeks later I did become Steve’s regular tutor! For how long he will be able to stick
with me, as I try to help him gradually to learn to believe in himself, remains to be seen!
Long journeys have small beginnings, with the train of opportunity possibly having
several initial stops and starts!
For most of us, our students seem to be shipped out to another establishment after
about six weeks or so. A few of my students have lasted very much longer. This year I
had 31 sessions, nearly 60 hours together, with a very intelligent, courteous and
hardworking inmate from Eastern Europe. It was a real pleasure to work with him. He’s
now been deported back to his own country (as he very much wanted) carrying a GCSE
equivalent certificate in Maths, and another triple certificate in English. We were both
very satisfied with what he’d achieved.
I have always enjoyed working with young people, and sharing with them anything I
could, as a teacher and guide. The young men imprisoned by the courts are some of
the most necessitous in our society. Unless they are helped to value themselves, to
open up their minds and to obtain qualifications, they will never be able to break out of
the cycle of offending - prison - reoffending in which we see they have already been
trapped.
Out of thirty VSE tutors, mostly helping with reading and writing, 25 will be women and
of a wide range of ages. We are always needing new volunteers to enrol as trainees. If
you know of anyone who might become a volunteer, do urge them to join us. These lads
desperately need help. And our society needs to protect itself for the future.
If you feel you could help as a volunteer in a young offender’s establishment near you,
why not volunteer now. Details can be found in your local library.
DON BOSCO TODAY
17
Fr Joseph Merriman SDB
18
DON BOSCO TODAY
Grandparents
The grandfather was very old. He had difficulty walking,
his sight was poor, he was a little deaf, eating was an
effort and he stained his clothes and the tablecloth. His
son and daughter-in-law were so annoyed that they
made him eat his meals in the kitchen. One day when
they were giving him his soup, the old man was not
quick enough to take the dish and it fell to the ground
and broke. His daughter-in-law went wild and said that
in future he would have to eat from a wooden bowl, like
the animals. The old man gave a deep sigh and bowed
his head. The next day Michael, the grandson, sitting on
the ground next to his grandfather was trying to fit
together some small thin curved pieces of wood. What
are you doing Michael? his dad asked him. I’m trying to
make a wooden bowl. When you and Mum are old I’ll be
able to use it to feed you. The man and his wife looked
at each other and burst into tears.
This story, very frequently found in elementary school
reading books, takes on a new meaning today in many
societies. Today we are in danger of judging the value
of people by the contribution they make to society, in
danger of putting the elderly to one side and denying
them their proper place both in the family and in society.
As always happens, the young can only learn from what
they see: including how the elderly should be treated.
We need to teach our children the value of old age. It is
indispensable and urgent, because we have to
recognise that the effort of growing old is not as easy as
it seems. It is a complicated and chaotic process, filled
with contradictions: marked by anxiety and serenity,
bitterness and joy, security and fear, activity and
passivity, a closing in on oneself and great openness.
Elderly people need others and yet often they are left to
their own devices: they are useless and a drain on
finances - unless they are only used as babysitters. If
growing old is difficult, it is equally difficult living with the
elderly: they are weak, they need patience and
tolerance, virtues that are almost unknown. In a culture
that is geared to super-efficiency, old age seems an
injury, something wrong, a fault. For too many it takes
on the appearance of the waiting room of death. The
elderly need the tenderness of people who are dear to
them. They feel it as a cruel wrong when they are
removed from family life: an exclusion that mortifies
them, in the original meaning of the term. They are
treasure chests of experience: every time a elderly
person dies, a library dies. The first great gift the elderly
make to a family is precisely that of handing on, not so
much material benefits as those things that make life
better. They have paid a heavy price after all.
So the age of the grandparent has come. Life has given
them great experience; they have learned to be better,
they have slowly acquired a treasure of wisdom: a
collection of memories, of disappointments, of secrets,
of habits, of hopes. Grandparents can pass on to their
grandchildren a collection of stories and memories, so-
called family history that the grandchildren find
extraordinarily fascinating. Grandfather can represent
for the grandchild a certain stability in family
relationships of affection. He is able to talk as someone
who was there when Mum was a little girl and Dad was
at school, of when in the place where the supermarket
stands there were open fields, of when in place of the
multi-storey car park there was a pool where Mum and
Dad went swimming and where everyone knew them. In
this way the child has the idea that his family has always
existed and always will. He gets an idea of how
affections continue. A child is afraid, more than anything
else, of the collapse of his world of affections; the
presence of grandparents is certainly a source of
security and comfort.
It is necessary to see the family as a community of persons, in
which, in the light of the gospel message, those of all ages live
together, respecting the rights of all: men, women, children, and
the elderly.
John Paul II.
19
DON BOSCO TODAY
Since the times of their childhood to today so much has changed: society, values, even
the Faith. Many of today’s Grandparents have painfully lived through this evolution. Their
way of fitting in to this new world determines the place they want to occupy and the
influence they have in communicating the Faith to their grandchildren. Some of them,
perhaps, find it frustrating and they even feel at fault that their own children are no longer
practising, and are not handing on the faith to their children. Is it our fault? they ask
themselves. I ask myself whether this break in the chain of those handing on the Faith
has not something to do with the almost total exclusion of the elderly, whose experience
of the Faith, which helped them to face up to life especially while sorrow came knocking
on the door of their homes, is ignored and has passed into oblivion. Perhaps, as a
theologian has written, We are in the presence of one of the most anti-Christian aspects
of our society and culture.
How beautiful they are
In the autumn of their days
White hair and wrinkled hands
Showing the passing of the years
Love and pain have made them strong,
Have bound them both together,
Have given them hearts which overflow
With graciousness and blessing.
May love enshrine their sorrow,
And each new day as it comes along
Herald a glad tomorrow.
Sister Margaret Renshaw FMA
Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva SDB
Rector Major
