We Are a Family Fully Alive

    As I am now at the conclusion of all of the events from the World Meeting of Families convention and the Papal visitation, I am left with enlightened reflections and a recharged spirit. It was a very packed week of events for the Salesian family in attendance for the WMF.  Our men and women in formation joined me and Sr. Theresa Lee for much of the week’s festivities, and while there were intense schedules to keep to it was an enriching experience for us as religious and as Catholics.

 As I began to physically feel the demands of the schedule, I could not help but think of the Holy Father.  Given the Papal events in Philadelphia, I was amazed that although Pope Francis faced a heavy schedule, his presence was inspiring in the informal encounters with groups and individuals.   He certainly had a plethora of formal meetings, gatherings, and liturgies  to attend to during his visit; and while those moments were filled with awe as we watched Pope Francis, it was in the informal encounters with those who were sidelined during the festivities that made the entirety of the events resonate the glory of God’s love.  As he entered the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul prior to celebrating the Eucharist, he embraced a person in a wheelchair.  As he continued walking, there was another person in a wheelchair that was somewhat excluded, but Pope Francis becoming aware of the other, quickly went back and embraced him as well. Although he had a schedule to maintain, His Holiness made even the smallest of time for those who sometimes are too forgotten by society.  It was from watching his presence and the overwhelming response to his visit that I drew my energy to keep going.

Much of Pope Francis’ visit included many messages about caring for one another, caring for those who are sidelined in life, and most of all bringing change about through sincere love. During the Festival of Families celebration along Benjamin Franklin Parkway, as he was speaking about how the need to challenge and be with young people in their journey of life, he strayed from the script for as long as a minute.   In this time he was most alive and passionate giving the impression of a prophetic voice in our midst.

For sure, Pope Francis has continued to illustrate, from the time he was elected to the papacy, to the days he set foot in Philadelphia, that God is God of mercy and a God of love.  In a short video that recorded Francis’ greeting prior to his arrival he said, “I want to be there because you are there.”  Pope Francis’ presence in Philadelphia has made it clear that he lives as the agent of God’s mercy and invites everyone to partake in it.  He has demonstrated so well who God is, a God of mercy and that mercy is available to all. More than anything, his Papal visit has reiterated for our Church the need to be fully alive and fully present to one another and for those left fortunate and marginalized as one family. So as the Pope has departed from his time with is us in the U.S., it is my hope that we will all continue to come together as one in love, hope, and mercy.

When An Invitation Is Answered...

As Salesians, we often encourage young people to come to know about who we are and our spirituality by joining us in our works, prayers, celebrations, etc. This invitation was most recently accepted by three remarkable young men as they joined us for a Young Adult Discernment Weekend. These young men, Anthony Pinto of Miami, FL-  Ivan Gemio of Port Chester, NY-  and Namir Warmack of  Orange, NJ- participated in the Come & See weekend on September 18^th to 20th as a part of their discernment journey.  The entire community of the Don Bosco Residence was on hand to welcome these guests which helped to give this discernment retreat a warm familial feeling.

The weekend was faith-filled and fun-filled opportunity for the participants to experience a bit about Salesian life through many experiences. Thankfully due to his early arrival from Miami, Fr. Dennis Hartigan and Br. Rafael Vargas were gracious enough to show Anthony what a day at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey held for the students and Salesians there. He was able to see the importance of fraternity amongst the students and the Salesian community which he had come to learn about when he first met Fr. Matt DeGance at camp this past summer. Later on, when the remaining participants joined the program, they were able to participate fully in the Friday activities of the community which included sharing their initial vocation story, enjoying a pizza dinner, and joining in with members of Seton Hall University’s DOVE program who volunteer at the youth center at Our Lady of the Valley.

 On Saturday, the participants were further welcomed by the larger Salesian family at the Jubilee Celebrations at Stony Point honoring those Salesians who have devoted themselves for significant years to the service of the Lord in the spirit of St. John Bosco. I believe that getting to share in the camaraderie and joy of this special celebration helped our young adult discerners to see how being called to be a Salesian is not a solo event, but rather that it means being part of a great and beautiful family every step of the way. The remainder of the weekend went on to include some recreational time with the community in a game of soccer, discussions and reflections on vocations, and an opportunity to spend time journaling in the hopes of helping them to discover, understand and map out their vocation.

Our Come and See weekend drew to a close with Liturgy with the parish community at Our Lady of the Valley wherein Fr. Steve Dumais’ homily highlighted for our participants and the church community that we’re all called to hold on to the innocence of faith  that is often modeled by children and believe in God’s awe and wonder with unabashed virtuousness as they do.  All in all, this past Come and See weekend provided the young men with a comprehensive understanding of the Salesian way, the lived community experience, and a chance to see how they fit into all of it.  They will continue to be accompanied to find if this is where they are being called to give their lives to the Lord.  Let’s pray with them and for them that they may find their path to discipleship in the Lord Jesus.  

Founders Day at Don Bosco Cristo Rey

One can look at going back to school in two ways. It can either be a not so beloved interruption to one’s summer vacation or it can be the kickoff to new adventures, new experiences, and new chances for personal growth and learning. The Salesian family at Don Bosco Cristo Rey definitely opts to look at back to school in the latter. Founders Day is a special day that kicks off the school year at DBCR in Takoma Park, Maryland for the student body. It is day of heritage, prayer, recreation, and celebration ending with the traditional Salesian “good night” that helps set the positive tone for the coming year.  To be present to see the excitement shared by the student body and faculty was a blessing that I could only think to liken to the inception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Everyone in attendance at Founders Day gathered on DBR’s campus with joy filling their hearts. As they heard messages from the principal, Mr. Larry Savoy, and the school president, Fr. Mike Conway, I watched as our Salesian family grew. All were truly set on fire for the new school year and challenged to live their lives well by aspiring to holiness, a way that leads to life and community.

                I was fortunate enough through an invitation from, Lisa Stacy, the Coordinator of Youth Ministry, to speak to the student body along with Br. Rafael Vargas during this wonderful day.  Br. Rafi shared his vocation story as he highlighted that his journey began to take shape in his Junior Year at Don Bosco Prep.  The Salesian presence that he experienced at his alma mater inspired him to think about a vocation with the Salesians.  With a power point presentation, Br. Rafi also told the story of Don Bosco’s life in a way that the students could relate to.  The trajectory of his talk animated the youth to see the relevance of how Don Bosco pursued holiness in the everyday by doing everything with zeal and dedication.

                The rest of our time at Founders day offered great opportunities for dialogue with the young people about the message of Don Bosco and the call to holiness.  Br. Rafi and I shared more of our vocation stories and insights in a mini Q&A, and even shared the video project, “The Life of a Salesian”, with them in the hopes of continuing to inspire them to be open to finding and living their vocations. After our vocation presentation, the students were called to be presented into their particular house. This is a unique tradition at DBCR as each member of the student body belongs to one of twelve houses in the school. This custom, which mirrors much the tradition from placing ceremony in the Harry Potter series, is a much-loved part of the DBCR experience as these houses help to create a deeper sense of family, belonging, and community for the students.   We would go on to sing happy birthday to Don Bosco in honor of the bicentennial, share in delicious cake, and end our time together with a good night by Fr. Manny Gallo, the chaplain for DBCR.  As the Founders Day celebrations wound down, I couldn’t help but be filled with a reassured sense of knowing that being Salesian is truly being Jesus to the young through Family, Fun, and Faith.

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

We all have many key moments in life that help to shape who we are and have most certainly been guided by God’s plan in our lives. For many of us, those moments are shaped by a family/life event, reaching a milestone, accomplishing an important task, or meeting someone remarkable.  For Michael Eguino [now Fr. Mike], all of those key moments happened all at once very recently. The ordination of Fr. Michael Eguino into the Salesian priesthood took place on June 27 at his home parish of  St. Benedict’s Church in Bronx, NY.  Surrounded by countless friends, family, fellow Salesians, and many more, Fr. Mike embarked on a new journey in his life that has been many years in the making. While the best part of the entire experience was watching this very dedicated and faith-filled young man cement his vocation to God, there were many beautiful moments that made the day that much more special.                 

One such moment was having Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, there as the principal celebrant. His Eminence began his homily with a touching address directly to Fr. Mike and his entire family. As he addressed each member of the Eguinos, he seemed to highlight the impact that each person had had on making that day the celebration of love and God that it was. During the homily, Cardinal Timothy Dolan also surprised the congregation when he stated that Fr. Mike was “unworthy” of being a priest.  I was particularly struck when Cardinal Dolan went so far as to say that even Michael’s family knew that he was unworthy, after his special opening to them all. However, Cardinal Dolan was not putting down Fr. Mike in his address, but rather wanted to emphasize how important it was for Fr, Mike to respond to God’s call in his life despite the many limitations in life we all have as imperfect perfect creations of God.  

The cover image and scripture passage about St. Peter from the Gospel of John [John 21:17] seemed to capture the point that Cardinal Dolan was making.  St. Peter was a good example of being unworthy as the Lord’s servant.  He had many good starts in faith and even professed it. However, he fell short when it really counted because he could not walk with Jesus on the road to Calvary.  Despite Peter’s manifold limitations, the Lord still chose him to head the Church as a growing family.  With the help of grace, Peter came around to rally the faith community and bring many people to the love of God through the examples of Christ.

 

Despite Fr. Michael’s unworthiness to enter into the Lord’s service, and all priests’ unworthiness as well, it is family that links a priest to serve.  The Eguino family, as active parishioners of St. Benedict’s, led Fr. Michael to be nurtured in faith so that later he could make his own faith response to follow Jesus as a Salesian and then as a Salesian priest.  In a similar vein, The Salesian Family, provided a faith environment for Fr. Michael to grow, so that, moved by the faith from his family of origin, he would mature and avail of himself for priestly service in the Church.  

     Those of us that participated in the ceremony have been enriched in faith as well.   Gathering as a family, we experienced life with Fr. Michael in the celebration of his call to priestly service, and being united as Church, we were renewed with zeal to serve as well. As the Salesian priesthood grew by one more that special day, it was a wonderful reminder of just how we’re all called to walk with God and follow the example of Christ to bring light and love into the world. Fr. Mike is a testament to that!

"I'll Be With You Always" E.C. Atlanta 2015

The 20^th annual Atlanta Eucharistic Congress took place from June 5-6 at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta, GA.  At its inception in 1996, Archbishop John Donoghue envisioned the event as a source of spiritual renewal while promoting vocations to the priesthood.   Later, Archbishop Wilton Gregory expanded the Congress to include vocations for single life, married couples, the diaconate, and consecrated religious. 

 

The exhibit halls opened on Friday afternoon to a crowd so eager for Christ and for fellowship, that the sheer joy of it could be felt instantly. Thousands gathered in the convention center and visited exhibits, breakout sessions, and got to meet with many people of our greater Church family. There was a welcoming Mass in the evening led by Bishop David Talley that concluded with a healing service. There seemed to be something there for everyone to enjoy and partake in. From games to adoration, from talks to music. There was even a young adult track which featured live music and a talk by Lino Rulli, who hosts “The Catholic Guy” from Sirius XM Satellite Radio.  That young adult gathering also had a holy hour of adoration and concluded with a reception.

Saturday’s program began with the procession of numerous groups carrying banners representing the diversity of parishes in the archdiocese of Atlanta as well as its unity.   As I watched on I couldn’t help but think that the procession was in many ways like a Mardi Gras parade as each colorful banner went by and the crowd cheered and applauded. And still, much in the same way that a Mardi Gras parade ends by bringing us all together around the solemnity of Ash Wednesday, the end of the procession gathered all of the participants into the packed convention center around the Body of Christ.   

 

We were all there, as one, united to adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.  Bishop Robert Munch gave an exhortation during adoration that stressed how believers “need to be themselves, but must become the Body of Christ”. That was such a fitting sentiment seeing as we would be celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi in the Church on Sunday.

By the time we joined with Archbishop Gregory in the afternoon for the closing Mass, over 30,000 participants had participated in the two-day event. It was a blessing to see so many there embracing the diversity of the Church, The Word, the sacrament of reconciliation, and Eucharistic devotion as the Body of Christ.  Attending these conventions has become more than just a piece of the work that I do as I leave each one with a re-ignition for vocation I say yes to every day.