Small cup of coffee, big discussion

I promised to give more feedback on Don Pascual’s talk of yesterday… I will as the week goes on. Meanwhile, today was the first day of the Christmas novena and there were suddenly decorations: in the dining room; in the chapel; in the corridors. All this will have to wait, because there has been something on my mind for a few days, and before it gets too stale, I want to commit it to the blog.

In one of our little conversations at coffee after dinner (and believe me, these conversations are little because Italian coffee fills a thimble, and not a mug), a few of my professor-type colleagues were telling me about places in Italy where the Salesians always brought teenagers for summer experiences… how those same youths fell in love with those places and decided to move there to start their families.

There are villages in the Alps, for example, where a good percentage of the population are past pupils of the Salesian youth centers and schools of Torino.

Well this makes perfect sense. I know that there is something similar that happened in California. A lot of those who went to Camp St Francis or to St Francis School, who came from other parts of California, decided to settle there once they had the possibility to do so as adults. I think there were many good memories from their Salesian days that fueled this choice. And, if I really want to consider this, a number of the men at St Dominic Savio Parish in Bellflower when I was growing up had grown up with the Salesians in Los Angeles (Our Lady Help of Christians Parish) or in Niagara Falls (St Joseph Parish) or in Paterson (St Anthony Parish). When they were looking for homes for their families after World War II, they purposely chose to live in Bellflower to be close to the Salesians. In other words, man past pupils of the Salesians built homes for their families near to the places where they lived wonderful summers in youth programs, or moved close to other Salesian centers so that their children might have the same opportunities. Amazing. There are so many past pupils living close to Salesian communities, and choosing to do so, on purpose! Imagine if we organized!

Monterey Bay seen from Camp St Francis

Certainly it has been to our sadness for decades that religious communities are shrinking. Every time somebody tells us that a change is around the corner, it never comes.

It was during the year of my first profession, 1968, that the Salesians began to decline in number. 40 years of profession and 40 years of decline. It used to really concern me when I worked as vocation director and in charge of initial formation. All efforts came to nothing. Then, about 15 years ago, I came to the conclusion that my lifetime is one of transition. I better just get used to it, I resolved. No consolation in any of that, but I have decided not to let it discourage me. That religious life will emerge under a new form is almost all I can say, but will I ever see it? I don’t know. The good times will come. I have not seen them and perhaps will never see them… but they are coming.

In the meantime, it just seems important to ground others in the Salesian spirit, trusting that the Holy Spirit will not take away God’s good gifts that have already been given to the world and to the Church.

That is why I am here in at the Università Pontificia Salesiana in Rome: to help with the charismatic and spiritual formation of young Salesian leaders from the five continents.

That is why I continue to work at Don Bosco Hall in Berkeley: to help do the same with Salesian Family members from English-speaking countries, and with lay members of the Salesian Family from our own cities.

There has been starts and stops; there have been political manuevers and power plays; there has been pride and prejudice. All that used to baffle me; now it just makes me weary. There is no time for that sort of thing. Beyond all of that, I still have to trust that the Holy Spirit will not take away those good gifts that have been given.

What I say here is superficial… but then, the cup of coffee is very small in Italy. We had time to get charged up on the topic, but not to delve more deeply. For that we would have needed a mug of coffee... but how much caffeine would that have put inside us? As it is, we are left with a good taste in our mouths and some energy to tackle this issue.

Formation issues over coffee

My return flight to Rome yesterday was the same as that booked by Paul Formosa, who has come to Italy for a series of formation meetings in Turin. I met Paul at his house — St Alphonsus — at 7.00… and after a quick cup of coffee, Eric Cachia brought the two of us to the airport.

Paul Formosa, Salesian leader of Malta

Malta's airport is stupendous: open spaces, a great atrium, marble floors, spacious areas for clearing security… and there it was basically empty when we got there. So we had a chance to have another cup of coffee as we waited at the gate. How cool is that? Instead of tight chairs crowded in the gate area, Malta's departure lounge if filled with tables and chairs. There are diners and cafes here and there, and you can sit at a table and chat with friends while you wait for your flight to be called. Amazing, really.

Paul and I reviewed the events of the last few days before he went on to speak of his purpose in coming to Italy. Malta has two young Salesians in the second year of theology at the Crocetta in Turin, and one novice at Monteoliveto in Pinerolo. There are consultations these days of all the provinces that have young people in these formation programs, and Paul wanted to arrive early so he can speak personally with the two Maltese theology students before the meetings take place.

The problem of choosing the right formation program is felt very acutely by the Maltese Salesians. They are too small to have their own novitiate or theology school, so they must send their novices to other provinces. In the past they have sent them to England, to Ireland, to Sicily (for novitiate) to Rome, to Ireland, to Israel (for theology). Now they are choosing formation houses in the environs of Turin. This is where Don Bosco started… where the Salesians started. It is not a glamorous place, as Maynooth, Rome, Bethlehem or Jerusalem would be. But, do you know what? The young Maltese in formation really like these communities (Monteoliveto and Crocetta).

Salesian house at the Crocetta in the 1970s

What is wrong with the program in Jerusalem or Rome or All Hallows in Ireland? Great programs, all of them, but they leave a feeling of discomfort for the Maltese Salesians, says Paul. The Salesians in Malta live in environments that are small and very personable. Rome is big and dispersive. All Hallows has a great academic program in pastoral theology, but Ireland itself has no young Salesians, so to study there is to forego a peer group. Jerusalem is … well, besides being a bit dangerous at the present time, is not as organized as it could be. It offers a program in English, but all the resources remain in Italian.

It may seem strange to say that formation in Turin is more on the small, personable side which appeals the the Maltese. Turin has a population of two million people, but there is a small town feel to it.

This comes through with the theology program at the Crocetta. It is community based. Studies in theology are done in an environment of discernment, vocational and personal. The community is international, with about 60 students, but everything is oriented to the same goal. This differs from Rome, where each person works out his own program in a university setting. Rome stresses degrees; Crocetta stresses preparation for a life of ministry in community.

So this was the gist of the discussion between Paul and I. We spoke of all this and more over coffee, and during that time several people came up to greet him… several of them cousins, actually. At 9.10 we began to the boarding process for our flight to Rome, and continued the discussion of formation, of youth ministry, of education and catechesis, of the life of the Salesian Family in Malta, in Ireland, and a few English-speaking countries where we have common friends. 

Once we arrived in Rome, Paul continued to Torino for his week of meetings, and I took the local train to Rome's northern end. I got off at Nuovo Salario and walked back to the University. It was clear, sunny, windy, wonderful. It took me 20 minutes to make the uphill trek, and I had just enough time to clean up for the mid-day meal: Sunday dinner. For the rest of the day I washed clothes and got nostalgic for Malta.