Malta: Salesians try something new

Trip to Senglea

At 10.00 in the morning I met Paul Formosa at his house, St Alphonsus, on Triq Carm Galea. Besides being provincial delegate of the Maltese delegation, Paul is rector of this community which celebrates 100 years this year. I had a cup of coffee with Paul and with Eric Cachia, the community and delegation financial administrator. Then Paul drove me to the bay town of Senglea, which is one of the poorest areas of the nation.

Entrance to St Alphonsus Community on Triq Carm Galea

The Salesians have been wanting to work in this area of the country for years, but there never seemed to be an opening. Last year, however, the Jesuits moved out of a "house" where they had been working for 50 years, and the Archbishop offered the house to the Salesians. Two ex-provincial delegates are working there and forming the first community as of last month, October. They are Victor Mangion (rector) and Alfred Sacco. They are joined by the only Brother of the delegation, Emanuel Gatt.

As we neared the town of Senglea, Paul pointed out the dome of the parish church. That church, baroque in the style of the 1500s, is a beauty to behold. But we are not in the parish. We have our own house, he said, and pointed to another dome. We got closer and I realized that the house is a convent -- a huge one at that.

"The Jesuits could not longer carry forward their mission here," Paul told me, "so this is why we have the opportunity. But the house needs a lot of work."

I looked at the main entrance, and recognized the statue of St Philip Neri. "So, the Oratorian Fathers were here first?" I asked.

Paul looked surprised. "Yes! How did you know that?"

"The statue of Filippo Neri. Who else would put that at the entrance?" My response made Paul laugh… and we walked up the short way from where we parked on the street to enter by the open door, under the guardianship of St Philip Neri, who was distracted obviously, because he was looking out over the roofs at the sea.

Victor was in his office, waiting for us, and Alfred came up the corridor almost immediately. There were workmen everywhere, plastering, painting, sanding… well, workmen and their adolescent sons who worked beside their fathers in the trade. I could not help but reflect how when most people move, they remodel their homes so that they can get a higher value for the sale. This place has been neglected for years. It isn't that the Jesuits got old and could not maintain it. They came 50 years ago, and the last attempt to clean the facility goes back before their arrival. How sad.

We walked from room to room on what I thought was the ground floor… and until we went down a flight of stairs… and saw another door out to the ground… More rooms, high ceilings, and two or three entrances. "This is the part we will give over to the young people for their games," said Fr Victor. "The real idea of the center is to reach out to the poor of this area," he continued. "At this point we are making contacts… but mainly we are cleaning up this old monastery.

Succession seen in Senglea:
Paul Formosa, at center, with his two predecessors as provincial delegates,
Alfred Sacco (L) and Victor Mangion (R).

On the lower floor there was one door locked. Victor pulled out his huge keyring and unlocked it, and accompanied us inside to the convent library. As with most of the building, the room was covered with a layer of dust, but this was the convent treasure. The books went back to the 1600s and 1700s. I recognized the style of binding, since I had worked in a library through high school and college. There were books on pastoral life and preaching, as well as on arguments of Christian teaching. This was the formative resource of generations of Oratorians who had ministered on the island of Malta, and now these books all rested quietly on open shelves, waiting to be rediscovered by scholars. All the books that I looked at were written in Latin. It would have been wonderful to work through a few shelves and see what was really there, but there was no time. Our tour continued.

We climbed the stairs again, and then went into what I thought was a side room. Instead, it was the entry to the room. From here we could see two bays, with ocean liners and fishing fleets. The bay of Valletta, and the Mediterranean Sea beyond.

Cruise ship moving docked at Valletta

We could also see the parish church, which was barely a five-minute walk on the street. Victor explained that the parish church (The Nativity of Mary) was bombed by the Germans during World War II, as were many other churches, and the docks and ports. But this convent was never bombed. This was not a miracle, but a practical matter for the Germans. From the air they used to spot the dome of this convent church, and the dome would guide them into the harbor, where they would make their attacks. Just as they did with London, the Germans bombed Malta continuously during 1941, for this was an important port for the British. And just as in London, the people of Malta courageously rode out the bombings.

Red dome of the convent church makes the it highly visible

The parishioners took advantage of the sad situation, and moved everything into the convent. It housed people and was the church for the duration of the war. Only after the war did they rebuild their church of the Nativity of Mary. They rebuilt it according to the style and specifications of the original 1580 structure, and in 1956 this parish and national shrine to the Virgin Mary was completed and consecrated. It had been declared a basilica by Benedict XV in 1921, and it looks every bit that today.

Relevant to the Salesians is that the convent and church that they have taken over last month actually belongs to the parish ever since the Oratorians left. So, all the expense for the renovations are paid for by the parish.

To get a better look, we climbed up to the next level of roof – the roof of the convent church. It is dedicated officially to St Philip Neri, but the people of the region and the sailors and fishing population call it "Our Lady of Good Port". When from the sea they see the red dome and the massive doors of the Church, they know they can turn into the safe harbor. So not just the Germans used the church as a guide into Malta's harbors; the people have done it for four centuries.

View of the entrance of the bay into the Mediterranean Sea from church roof

We climbed up to the roof of the church by means of the bell tower. The view was even more complete that that which we had seen from the roof of the convent. It was also evident that, except for a row of homes immediately in front of the church, the majority of the dwellings in the neighborhood are poorer… especially as the stretch away from the convent. "This will represent a new kind of work for us," Paul explained to me. "We are not going to set up a new structure here, like a school or a hostel. Instead our plan and hope is to work with existing agencies: to bring our sensibilities to people already working for the poor of Senglea.

This sounded interesting. It is something that, in our own province, we have been trying to do in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. Of course, we do not have a 17th-century shrine to work from, I thought. This does have the advantage of adding visibility to the Salesians who will engage in this outreach mission.

After a good look around, the four of us climbed back down through the belltower and followed into the church. The church is bigger inside that I had suspected from the outside or even from the roof. Or maybe this is illusion. In any case, the worship space is perfectly baroque (and I love baroque). There was evidence of a lot of cleaning and polishing going on in these days. The people who are attached to this church as their woship community are getting the church ready for the visit of the Rector Major, Pascual Chávez, on 9 December, when he will celebrate a mass here.

Will that mass be a way to launch the mission? Will it just be a stop-over of sorts? This is an important question. The risk of the new presence in Senglea is that people may expect the Salesians to become curators of a 16th-century convent and church… museum curators. Instead, they have come to Senglea to make a contribution to the poor families and the young. They are hoping to to really work for the human development of these families. Quite a proportion of Salesians in Malta are trained psychologists, social workers and counselors. They are attracting a number of young adults to the community who are already trained in these skills. Hopefully, the mission at Senglea can be shaped by this expertise and awareness.

This was the gist of our conversation as we walked through the convent, and as Paul and I drove back to Sliema. New challenges demand new expertise and innovative approaches, but in the same spirit of the Salesian charism. And the new challenges, represented by Senglea offer new hope to the Salesians in Malta.

Malta: at the heart of the Mediterranean

This morning I got up at 5.00, and hurried my clean-up, for today I was bound for the airport and a trip to Malta.

Why Malta?

To join the Salesians of Malta for the Annual Salesian Family Conference in Sliema. I have been asked by the leader of the Salesians on that island nation, Paul Formosa, to give the opening talk there this coming Saturday. The theme is to be "Educating with the Heart of Don Bosco."

Travel from Roma to Valletta

It took me over an hour to get ready and make sure I had all I needed, even though I had packed last night. I left the university by 6.10. I should have left 5 minutes earlier, because my wait for the bus was a long one. Yet, I met an elderly woman there who was waiting to catch the same bus and the same train as I… and we spoke about her daily trips to Magliana to see her husband who has been hospitalized there for some weeks now. When the bus finally arrived at 6.33, the driver raced through four stops the train station at Nuovo Salario, and we made it just in time to climb the stairs and board the train. It was 6.36.

After the first three stops, many passengers exited to get a connecting train at Tiburtina or Nomentana… and I found myself sitting next to the same eldLinker woman. We continued our little conversation and read a bit until her exit at Magliana… and I went on to Fiumicino, arriving at 7.44… At 8.00 the desk for Air Malta opened. I was the first to check in… and then faced security clearance. It was a good thing that I was early, because this was the slow part. Not that the officials were slow, but because the majority of the passengers are not used to air travel. By 9.00 I was through to the secure area, and so grabbed a breakfast and waited at the gate for the 10.05 boarding. As usual, I had lots to read, and so was not worried about wasting any time.

Paul Formosa met me at Malta International Airport, and drove me to Sliema, where I will be staying these days. I've known Paul since my first visit in 1997, and we have remained friends. Often we have communicated by internet, exchanged ideas on youth animation. Lately we have been in touch through Facebook. In fact, it was through facebook that Paul invited me to come to Malta for the Salesian Family Seminar this coming weekend.

Impressions of Don Bosco's work in Malta

They say that if you go to a new place for a week, you can write an encyclopedia. If you stay a month, you can write a book. If you stay a year, you can write an article. If you stay a lifetime, you remain puzzled as to what to say at all.

In this scheme of things, I should be able to write an encyclopedia of my impressions tonight, after 10 hours on the island of Malta… but since I came here 11 years ago, I probably could not put together even a article. That's okay. I'll do my best to record some initial impressions of the Salesian reality here (if not the national reality).

Provincial House

Well, it is the Salesian provincial delegate house, because Malta is not a province, nor a vice-province (visitatoria), but a delegation of the Irish province. The history of how this came to be is quite interesting and if I have time later to digress on to this point, I will tell the story. But this is a day for quick impressions… And so I just will say that the "delegation" house is on Triq San Gwan Bosco 10 -- at "number ten, St John Bosco Street". How is that for a Salesian address!

The house is completely under remodeling. The only rooms that are not being touched right now are those on the second storey (which, of course, in the USA would be the 3rd floor because Unitedstatesians like to be more dramatic and it makes their buildings sound taller). These were remodeled recently, from the look of it. My room overlooks the playground of the Oratory and right now I can hear the young people in the game center with their music and laughter. Quite nice to hear the enthusiasm of youth even at this hour.

The rest of the house is all being remodeled: woodwork, plaster, entries, upgraded toilets and bath rooms, ungraded electrical connections and internet, and painting. The reason for the wholesale upgrade is that the Salesians will welcome the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, to Malta next month, for the feast of the Immaculate Conception and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Oratory.

With this the house is a bit empty. There are two Salesians living here for the moment: Fr Joseph Forte, whom I met 11 years ago shortly after his return from India, and another Salesian. The delegate is living at the house of St Alphonsus, one block up the street.

St Patrick's, Sliema

St Patrick's Salesian School, Sliema

This is the first Salesian house in Malta. The first Salesians were sent by Blessed Michael Rua and arrived here in November 1903. It took two years to complete the construction of the Salesian Industrial School, as it was originally to be called, but once the first boys arrived in March 1905, the school was re-named St Patrick's, after the patron saint of the first rector, Fr. Patrick O'Grady.

The work is of historic significance, and we did feature an article about the work in the Journal of Salesian Studies about a decade ago. In fact, it was Paul Formosa who wrote that article… and with Paul, I joined the community for a light lunch after parking my luggage at the delegation house.

Savio College, Dingli

In the evening, Paul took me to Dingli, on the far side of the island. Paul had been been rector for the past 12 years. During my last visit in 1997, Paul had just taken over there. This past September he left the post because he is now the provincial delegate.

We joined the formation community for a prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and supper. There were ten young adults and four Salesians (two of them recently ordained) that we met. I quickly learned that two of the young adults are aspirants, and a third will make the step soon. The others are part of a program called "Come and See". They actually spend two weeks each month working with the boys of the school and living with the community. The structure of the school and of the Come and See program is a bit complicated to explain at this moment, but what immediately needs to be said is that the vocation discernment program is healthy and mixes study, apostolate, community life, prayer, peer-exchange and personal responsibility. The young adults (all in university or recently graduated) are enthusiastic, supportive of one another, committed to the mission to youth and, from what I could see during the prayer hour, also very committed to a sacramental and scriptural prayer life.

Historic Malta by night

There is much to say about Dingli - and I'll add notes later… but it is getting late and I need to wrap this up.

Following the supper visit with the young Salesian community there at Dingli, and a tour of the facilities where I noted many important improvements that had been put into force since my first visit more than a decade ago, Paul took me for a drive to some of the historic places. Mdina, ancient capital of Malta, and Valetta, capital since the 17th-century. We admired the many wonders that we could see by the night lighting, and mainly spoke about the present climate in the Salesian delegation, the challenges to the Christian culture of the island, and the youth situation in Malta.

The night tourism was good to deepen conversations that Paul and I have tried to maintain over the internet for the last decade… and to orient me for the conference that I am to give on Saturday night to the Salesian Family.

Last impressions before going to sleep

Finally I can say that Malta is a tiny nation, and the Salesians are small in number here… but they use their resources well and have a great impact on the general public because they are strategic in their planning and global in their thinking. I'll try to give examples in the next few days.

Here I am: I love baroque artifacts… even old canons :-)

More on talents and gifts

The readings this morning at the liturgy echoed those of Sunday — the story of the talents, as told this time in Luke’s gospel. The parable in Luke starts out differently than in Matthew, and so sets different parameters.

A nobleman went off to a distant country
to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins
and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’
His fellow citizens, however, despised him
and sent a delegation after him to announce,
‘We do not want this man to be our king.’
But when he returned after obtaining the kingship,
he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money,
to learn what they had gained by trading.

Ten servants; ten coins; clear directive: engage in trade with these; clear timeframe: until I return; clear context: his fellow citizens despised him.

Well, on his return, the noble men checks to see how the trade has gone. Each servant has received one gold coin, and the first comes back with 10 while the second comes back with 5. We do not hear of all ten servants, but we meet the third, who buried it.

In the Matthean account (Mt 25:14-30), the servants had been entrusted with talents according to their ability; in the Lukan account (Lk 19:11-28), each is given one gold coin. And the consideration today (perhaps because we heard this parable after hearing the message from the Book of Revelation) centered on this parable as a response to the early Christian community that wondered what to do to prepare for the Return of Christ in Glory. Do not just wait around. Do not hide yourselves. I have given you something precious: go out and “engage in trade with these until I return.”

What does this mean for the Church then? And what does it mean for the individual Christian? It is not about individualized survival: it is about making the Gospel known, letting it traffic, engaging it in the market place, letting the sum of it change and grow in the give and take between the servant and the merchants, between the Christian and the surrounding culture, between the Church and the Contemporary World. And the rendering of account at the end of time, when the “nobleman”, Christ, returns, will be based on this engagement.

This reminds me of the Vatican II’s pastoral constitution on the Church and the Contemporary World, Gaudium et Spes. We are not to hide from life; we are not to flee the world. We are instead to take stock of our being of the same stuff as the world, and of engaging the world in God’s word… in Gospel. After all, the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ (GS§1).

Lots to reflect on today — and all this happened before the first cup of caffelatte.

Youth ministry or youth pastoral or youth apostolate?

This morning I had breakfast with Cryil de Souza and Francis Vincent Anthony. I have known both of these professors since my student days at the UPS in the early 1990s, at which time Cyril was new to the faculty and Francis, like myself, was completing his studies. Cryil is now the head of the Department of Youth Pastoral and Catechetics. Francis is Associate Professor of Foundational Theology.

Cyril told me that today the core team of the Youth Pastoral Department would begin to go over the minutes and notes of the Research Seminar held some days ago, and start to evaluate how to carry the reform of the department forward. In fact, there are two more weekends scheduled that will work as parts 2, 3 and 4 of the seminar. These take place in February, March and April. By that time I will have returned to California (or at least, this is the plan). However, as I told Cyril and Francis, I am very interested in how things develop. I also told them of the hopes of Michael Sweeney and Gael Sullivan to develop a youth ministry component both for the ISS and the DSPT.

Cyril stresses that studies in this area are constantly challenged by the every changing trends in culture and approach — and that these trends and shifts are most noticeable for those who are close to the young.

My own comments reflected conversations that we have been having in Berkeley over the last couple of years, particularly with Michael Sweeney. Michael stresses the need to recuperate the word Apostolate rather than speak only of Ministry. I said to Cyril and Francis that I have the feeling that the adoption of the word ministry in English to translate the Italian pastorale tends to create some difficulties. Ministry is very much an church word, and tends to keep us working within the confines of structure, Cyril agreed. Apostolate, instead, is all about being sent out into the wider world and is not tied down by structures, but is about being sent into the world, even the world of the unchurched.

Francis, who works a lot with language, observed that words can mean anything we define them to mean in a given context. While I agreed that this is true in the close confines of an academic environment, I also disagreed in terms of the application of this in a wider cultural context. The language we use, I feel from my own experience, has a way of shaping us, just as we stretch and shape language. What a word means in the wider experience of the folks determines how our words are received and our message interpreted and applied (or not). And this is where I see the wrestling with the theme of the renewal and reshaping of the Youth Pastoral Catechetics Department at the UPS. Pastoral means something much wider to the Rector Major Pascual Chávez than it does to the professors and many provincials.

Well… we had to leave it at that. Even after two cups of caffelatte and an extra roll, we had to get on to the work of the day. There are classes to be taught and students to see… this is a university after all.

Photos - Top: Cyril De Souza and Gianfranco Venturi at Seminario of 8 November (photo by Joe Boenzi); below: Michael Sweeney, OP, speaks at Salesian Province Feastday in Richmond, 2007 (photo by Duoc Le)

St Paul and Benedict's advice for driver safety

This evening we heard a reading the pope's noon-time Angelus message from today during our evening prayer liturgy. This is a practice that the Gesù Maestro Community has been following during this academic year. Pope Benedict gives a wonderful explanation of the parable of the talents, and helps us reflect on what Jesus encourages us to assume as our attitudes. The parable teaches us that there is no room for fear in accepting the Lord's call and the Lord's gifts, according to the pope.

That is an outstanding message, really.

But I was also struck by what the pope had to say after the Angelus prayer. He spoke about the tragedy of death on the highways of the world because of the incredible number traffic accidents. I had not realized that today marked the U.N. World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The pope is sensitive to these kinds of initiatives by the U.N. and other organizations, and he reminded the faithful in St Peter's Square at the noon prayer that it is important to remember "in a special way all of those who have died from car accidents."

Pope Benedict had words about the victims, but also important words for drivers. I quote him here:

Let us pray for their eternal repose and for the consolation of their families who are mourning their loss. Dear brothers and sisters, I implore everyone – drivers, passengers and pedestrians – to listen carefully to the words of St. Paul in today’s Liturgy of the Word: ‘Let us be awake and sober.’ Our behavior on the road, must be characterized by responsibility, attention and respect for others. May the Virgin Mary guide us securely along the roads and highways of the world.

What a great way to put it!

Funny, but I never thought that St Paul had anything to say to me when I am driving. Yet, when you really think about his story in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul’s own conversion to Christ happened after an incident on the road. So, in this year of St Paul, why not recognize that his words can be applied to our own journeys, on the road of life and on the highways of the world: be awake and sober! It certainly makes a lot of sense.

Thank you, U.N. for instituting this World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Thank you, Pope Benedict, for putting the day in perspective for Christians. Oh, and thank you St Paul! Wow, you thought of everything… well, almost!

[Photo by REUTERS/Max Rossi (VATICAN) 16 November 2008, captured from Yahoo News Photos]

Professorial proverbs

Breakfast is a very interesting part of my day at the UPS. O Dio! That does not mean that the breakfasts are somehow outstanding in terms of the food selection. Here we have the usual continental breakfast which is made up of hot milk and coffee (the original caffelatte, or simply latte, as Starbuck fans have come to call it), bread, cheese, jam, some fruit… and because of our international makeup, there are usually some selections of cold cuts (salame, mortadella or perhaps prosciutto cotto) and yogurt.

What is special about breakfast, however, is not the servings but the conversations. While the student communities all go to their regular dining rooms for breakfast, the three professor communities join in a single little dining area. Most eat very quickly and go to get ready for class, but a few take a little longer (those who take advantage of the mortadella, you understand). The topics are always very interesting: scholarly pursuits, scientific discoveries, political contrasts, liturgical usage, international events… and often some cross cultural comparisons. Oh yes, like the student body, the body of professors at the UPS is quite diverse and international.

Today I heard something fascinating from Pio Scilligo, professor emeritus of psychology. He comes from the Tri-Veneto region, precisely from Alto Adige (Tirol for the Austrians). He was saying that as a boy he spoke his dialect only until he went to secondary school with the Salesians. As a young Salesian he volunteered for the missions and was sent to Hong Kong. There he learned Cantonese and English. He said that he found English very simple because it was very close to his dialect for syntax and vocabulary. It was easier for him to learn, he says, than was Italian… and of course, he is Italian by birth.

This is why he had no difficulty in studying at Stanford in the area of psychology: the language was easy for him. Amazing when you think of it. A little valley in the Italian Dolomites where the dialect was an old German that was closer to English than to German or Italian!

Well, across from Don Pio was Signor Pio dal Pozzolo, who is Piedmontese. The two began to repeat an old Venetian rhyme that was famous in the years when they were young. I'll repeat it here in Italian:

Padovani: gran dottori;
Veneziani: gran signori;
Vicentini: magnagatti,
Veronesi: tutti matti.

Translated, the little poem would mean this:

The people of Padua are all learned…
the people of Venice are refined and dignified…
The people of Vicenza are all cat eaters…
The people of Verona are all mad.

Cat eaters? Ah yes. In the history of the town, when once besieged by famine, the people of Vicenza eat cat to survive. This causes mirth among the rest of Italy to this day… and this makes the poem quite funny, since the term magnagatti is in Venician dialect, not Italian.

But the history is beside my point right now. I recall the little poem (and the political appraisal of the people of the Veneto region) not for the content but for the image that remains in my mind. There we were at table with the two old men, both in their 80s and both named Pio, who went from one old proverb to the next: a professor emeritus of pyschology and the retired plant manager for the university. The rest of us were all laughing at the folk humor and enjoying how the two elder Pios told their stories. We did not hurry from the breakfast table. Instead, we refilled our cups with more caffé latte.

A great way to start the day.

Rainy day and some art to appreciate

This afternoon the storm became more intense than in the morning. The downpour was continuous. The thunder and lighting were very loud and alarmingly close. It remained dark most of the day.

But there were some bright elements. Aldo Giraudo showed me one of his latest artistic finds. It is the bozzetto of a painting by Mario Caffaro Rore of St Francis de Sales… bozzetto being the first draft or rough sketch of a work. Some artists do this in charcoal or pencil. Caffaro Rore (1910-2001) used make his preliminary sketches by painting on a small wooden board or on masonite, as in this case from the looks of it. This draft was on sale in Torino, and Aldo bought it for €400 this past summer. The final product is in the chapel of the Salesian Sisters in Chieri.

In fact, Aldo has been telling me about this great find of his for months, and he was quite excited in showing me the actual piece. I became excited too when I saw it. As Aldo pointed out the intricacies of the bozzetto, I reached for my little camera and tried to make a few photographs.

In this painting of Francis made for the Salesian Sisters, the saint is depicted at his desk, plume pen in hand, body posture intense and at work, but his face turned toward the viewer. It is a Francis de Sales composing the Treatise on the Love of God, or writing a letter of spiritual direction. He is every bit the master, ready to teach; he is the founder of a school of Christian life, ready to direct. The painting is magnificent and classical, but immediate as it brings us into the saint’s environs.

Last year Aldo was able to purchase another Caffaro Rore’s bozzetto. The subject, again, is Francis de Sales. The destination for this piece was Tempio Don Bosco, the church on the birthplace of St John Bosco at the Becchi (Colle Don Bosco). Aldo has had this piece framed, and it is now in the chapel of the provincial community of the UPS, which is named Comunità San Francesco di Sales (St Francis de Sales Community).

This painting destined for Colle Don Bosco is very different from the one done for the Salesian Sisters in Chieri. Francis de Sales is again at his desk, but desk and writer are almost lifted up into heaven by strong, angel youths. Francis looks up to the sky (not to the viewer) with astonishment and joy. This is a moment of contemplation — of mystical union. The pen is suspended as Francis contemplates Divine Love. To look at this depiction, the viewer almost feels the urge to remain there, gazing with Francis at a loveliness that cannot be described but that can only be fathomed deeply in the heart and soul.

Well I say this because I have seen the actual painting several times, and my experience has been that I have never wanted to tear myself away from it. I would have rather loved to jump into the canvas and let myself be lifted up with Francis by those same angels to see what he sees in that moment of fascination, of mystery and of mysticism.

Ahhhhhhhh … incredible.

So now, thanks to Aldo, we have a little piece of these Salesian wonders on our university campus.

Finally, let me just make the note that Mario Caffaro Rore studied art history under don Alberto Caviglia, a great Salesian historian. Don Caviglia called upon the young Caffaro Rore to collaborate in recreating the image of Dominic Savio based on family photographs of his siblings (there were no photos of Dominic, who died in 1857).

Caffaro Rore’s 1940 portrait of Dominic became the standard by which all later images have been based. Through the 1950s until his death, Mario Caffaro Rore painted many works for the Salesian family in churches and in residences throughout Italy. If I call him a Salesian artist, it is done advisedly.

Rain and pre-registration

Well, good old St Martin did not hold off the rain. It came again last night and continued through the night in Rome. In fact, this morning we were greeted with more thunder and lightening as we sipped our latte in the staff dinning room at the UPS. This morning as I walked to my office I kept to the porticoes as the rain continued. Now there seems to be a little bit of a break, but more rain is forecast for the final days of this week.

Yesterday evening I did a lot of e-mailing with my students from DSPT regarding the pre-registration now underway for Spring Semester 2009. One of the responsibilities of every instructor at DSPT is to help a group of students in a personalized way as academic advisor. I have 22 advisees this semester at DSPT… and the trick is to keep up the advising process even when I am away from Berkeley to teach in Rome for 12 weeks.

I am so happy that God created e-mail.

The real time for registration is during the last week of January 2009. This pre-registration process is just a convenience offered to the students, especially those who are looking to get into courses with limited enrollments (and for some reason, there are many professors at the GTU who love to limit the enrollment to their courses). It becomes troublesome to many students who cannot meet their requirements because they cannot get a timely response from professors to enroll in courses that are required.

But for others, particularly those in the Master of Divinity program (MDV), there is less need to worry about this. Their courses are offered on cycles with an agreement among the various school to schedule classes in the same core areas so as not to conflict. I am speaking of the three Catholic schools here because, understandably, the Catholic MDV programs have many more requirements that those of the schools of Protestant denominations at GTU. Why should that be? Because the Catholic schools must follow the indications of the Holy See and the Bishops Conference in the area of priestly formation.

The greater concern for the moment is for the members of the Institute of Salesian Studies (ISS). Most come from other countries and find the system a bit difficult to understand. Last August I was able to walk most of the ISS students through all of this, and they all seemed to fit in more easily to the DSPT and GTU as we started the term. Now I have been in contact with each of them to make sure that they are working through the registration process with ease. Internet and e-mail has been the great help in this.

All of which leads me to reflect that, with the internet, one can really live in two worlds at the same time… or even more worlds. What does that do to the psyche? Ah… good question.

(Photos. Above: autumn rain at UPS; below: portico at DSPT)

St Martin's summer

Yesterday, 11 November, was the feast of St Martin of Tours… and traditionally in Rome, 11 November and the period surrounding it is called l'estate di san Martino -- literally the summer of St Martin.

What does that mean? The better translation for North Americans would be Indian Summer. In other words, during the period around St Martin's feast day, the weather is usually warm and the sky open.

This perfectly describes the weather we enjoyed yesterday. Beautiful, warm, sunny, bright. Everyone was in a great mood too. Thank you, San Martino! It was wonderful after so many days of rain last week.

Today, instead, it the sky has been covered and it is cold. Worse still, the meterologists (weathermen) are threatening heavy rain for the rest of the week. Oh well!

For my part, after five hours of class yesterday, and two hours of class today, I found myself very tired by dinner time today. I really wanted to take a siesta… but I did not. Instead, I did my walking exercises for 40 minutes after dinner. No, I did not walk as briskly as I have been doing, but I did walk at a steady pace. I hope this did some good, or that at least it will keep me consistent. I have been doing the brisk walking for two weeks now, only changing routine on Tuesdays, when I have so many hours of classes in a tight schedule. The goal is to keep the blood moving, get the muscles in tone again, and eventually lose some weight. I'm trying to lose 10 kilos.

Well, whether I succeed or not, it does give me a pause in the day when I can think other thoughts. Now, if San Martino will hold off the rain for a while, I should be able to keep up this pace in the next month or so as well.

Sunday - feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Today we celebrate the very interesting feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica. This is the first church ever to be publicly blessed and dedicated. The gift of Constantine to the Christian community began with the Lateran palace given to Pope Melchiades in 312, which became the residence of the popes until Pope Clement V moved the papacy to Avignon in 1309 -- nearly 1000 years, therefore. In 320, Constantine built a church on the model of the Roman basilica (court). The church dedicated to the Most Holy Savior was blessed on 9 November 324 by Pope Sylvester.

The Lateran basilica became the cathedral church of the bishop of Rome, but it also has another significance. It is the first church that was expressly built as a center for worship in Rome, in the West, and in the whole world actually (in urbe et in orbe). It is therefore the mother of all churches (in terms of buildings) and the symbol of unity (in western Catholicism).

Many reflections for this day… starting with yesterday evening when we had a special presentation during evening prayer, and continuing with mass and other prayer services today. For the mass I attended at Don Rua Community Chapel. Fr Aimable Musoni was principal celebrant and preacher. He gave a brilliant homily, stressing the Church as living body of Christ.

One little piece of news about the Lateran Basilica that I had previously failed to grasp is this. The church is built, we say, in cruciform — in the shape of the cross. This is not accurate. It is really built in the shape of the crucified, that is, in the shape of Christ crucified. In other words, the basilica is built in the shape of the Body of Christ so that the church structure can help to shape the Church as people into the Mystical Body of Christ.

How is this so? How is it like the human body and not the cross? Well, the apse of the church, where the sanctuary is, at the very "top" of the floor plan, is rounded, like the human head. Then the two "arms" of the basilica reach out, in cross form, but also to speak of invitation, of embrace. Yes, of course. Romans are expressive with their gestures. Their buildings are just as expressive in human terms. This means, then, that the basilica, used for major celebrations, invites the Church to truly unite with Christ and to let Christ form himself in her — in us.

Amazing element. It has given me much to consider, for here is unspoken language that built understanding for centuries before there were books and print media... but language that built a theology of Church. It is very exciting to think about this, even at 7.30 in the morning.

After mass I joined the Don Rua community again for breakfast and had a chance to speak with Fr Peter Gonsalves again. He explained his course on "Communications for Peace". It is quite fascinating. I would like to see him offer this course in Berkeley.

Research seminar

From yesterday afternoon until today at dinner, the Department of Youth Pastoral and Catechetics at the UPS sponsored a research seminar for the reformulation of the department. I was invited by the department coordinator, Prof. Cyril de Souza, and was glad to take part.

It seems that the rethinking of this department is a response to an invitation launched by the Salesian rector major Pascual Chávez. Over a year ago he made this invitation, but asked the leaders of the department to wait until after the 26th General Chapter of the Salesian Society was terminated (Spring 2008).

The seminar was held in the Viganò conference room of the UPS library. Forty-five took part in the gathering, including the provincial superior, Joaquim D'Souza, and two from the general council: Fabio Attard, councilor for youth pastoral, and Francesco Cereda, councilor for formation. In addition, invitations were extended to prof. don Andrea Bozzolo, president of the theology school of Torino-Crocetta, and to prof. Giuseppe Ruta, representative from Messina. The other 40 participants are all professors of the UPS.

What is the purpose of the seminar? To review the work of the last 29 years, and then to find areas that need to be deepened and introduced. Rather than an improvement of the department, the intent of the rector major, as explained to the group by don Mario Toso, rector magnifico of the university, is to totally re-structure and re-create the department of Youth Pastoral. Don Pascual Chávez wants the department to have a greater role in helping the Salesian Society and the Salesian Family to relaunch with Don Bosco for youth in these new times. This is not to dismiss what has been done in the past (as not a few of those present at the seminar were feeling) but to recognize that a generation has passed. There are new needs and new challenges that were never contemplated way back in 1979, when the department was first organizing.

The seminar started yesterday afternoon (Friday) with the presentation of four papers by theologians and educators who are members of the Department. The purpose of each paper was to present a way of reading youth-ministry education today. José Luis Moral presented the first paper: An epistemological key to reading the youth pastoral-catechetical curriculum today. This was followed by a paper written by Carlo Nanni and read by Guglielmo Malizia: An educational key. Cesare Bissoli presented An formative key. Anthony Francis Vincent presented the final paper: A theological-pastoral-practical key.

A short clarification period followed each presentation… well it should have been short! Then, at the end of the evening, there was the presentation of the paper prepared by the rector major and university chancellor, don Pascual Chávez. His address was read by don Francesco Cereda, since there was a calendar conflict and the Rector Major had to be in Spain this weekend.

Following the Rector Major's address, there were questions and reflections from the group -- and this became quite animated on Friday night. All day Saturday worked as an attempt to process the address.

At this point I should give the contents of the Rector Major's address and the main points of the four who offered "keys" for reading Youth Pastoral and Catechetical Studies today… but there is no time now. I'll save it for a future date. This is very interesting on many levels, however, and I think it is important that it be stated.

Still the buzz in Rome: Obama and the turning point.

More conversations last night and this morning about Obama and the significance of this election victory. Some were commenting on the amount of money spent on the campaign. I became interested as one of my Italian friends said that he discovered that the money spent was not from the government, but raised by donations mainly in the realm of five and ten dollars. This shows it was the people's candidate. So a candidate who came from the people and who was financed by the people. How is that for testimony to the phrase: We can do it!

There was a lot of talk at breakfast about the Italian prime minister's comment that Obama is "young, energetic and well tanned". Silvio Berlusconi made the comment while in Russia yesterday in talks with Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev at the Kremlin. Berlusconi intended to make a humorous comment that Obama and Medvedev (elected in March of this year) both young, athletic and capable, and that the two of them will certainly understand each other as members of the same generation. But the comment did not come out that way. Now Italians are fretting over whether we will be depicted as racist. Whatever! It gives pause for an examination of conscience, certainly.

On the other hand, as a few professors pointed out over our morning caffelatte, Berlusconi always says the first thing that comes to mind and he is nortoriously politically uncorrect. He loves to be the center of attention… and in fact, this is what has happened. The world is talking not about Dmitry or Barak, but about Silvio.

This morning when I got to the office I saw some other blogs and news feeds. Not only are the conservatives worried about what Obama will do as president in terms of policies on taxes, health care or abortion, but the liberals are now worried since he appointed Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.

Oh well!

Give it time, I say! In the meantime, we all can complain about the statements of Silvio Berlusconi for the next few days (which I highly recommend) and let Barak do what he needs to do to get his work underway.

[Photo of Medvedev & Berlusconi: the Presidential Press and Information Office, Russia (6 Nov 2008); photo of Obama: AP (4 Nov 2008)]

Day after the day after

So things are settling down, both in the USA in the aftermath of the long and hard-fought presidential campaign, and in my little corner of the world (which just happens to be Rome: not a shabby place for a corner!).

Well, it really needs to settle down. I have been trying to catch up on a large number of things, and this has let me lose track of some appointments, deadlines, and such things. For instance, I was convinced that I was attending a seminar on youth studies today, but I misread the date. It begins tomorrow. This gave me a few hours of free time today.

With these few extra hours, I attacked some of the odds and ends that were getting beyond me. Besides doing laundry, recycling paper, doing a 45 minute work-out, correcting some group discussion summaries from the class on Youth Spirituality that I'm teaching this semester, I've also taken time to read the comments of the U.S. bishops following the election of Barak Obama.

Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, sent a letter to Barak Obama almost immediately following the election results. As bishop of Chicago (Obama's city) and as president of the U.S. Bishops, the cardinal offered words of congratulations, support, and appeal for those who are the most vulnerable in America and the world. This Letter of Cardinal George was made public today.

As can be expected, in the statement of the U.S. Bishops, there is a re-issuing of their appeal on behalf of the unborn. The tone sounds to be more one of dialogue than of wholesale condemnation, and this is encouraging. It seems to me that, in this way, real progress can be made on this issue. I would have loved to have heard such a tone years ago.

[Photos of President-elect Barak Obama and Cardinal Francis George of Chicago]

Turning point for humanity

At 5.00 this morning my alarm went off with the news from the RAI (Radio Italiana) and the first words were that the United States has chosen its 44th president: Barak Obama.

Suddenly my eyes were wide open and I was up and showering as the news account continued. I rushed over to the university theology building and to my office to open up the internet. I was just in time to see Barak arrive on the stage in Chicago and deliver his acceptance speech.

And what a speech. As I listened to him I realized that this was not thank-you speech for receiving the prize; this was not the Oscars. Obama was already speaking as president, and there were echoes of JFK, FDR and Lincoln. Echoes, I say, not only in how Obama speaks, but in the content: of "government of the people, by the people, for the people." Of having nothing to fear if not fear itself, and of making the sacrifice for the common good but in common, together, giving to the country, that is, to the people.

It is a long time since anyone has spoken in this way.

Well this was all before 6.15 in the morning… and I made it to morning prayer and eucharist with the Gesù Maestro Community at 6.30… Afterwards people were exultant here: professors, students, working staff, administration. So many were congratulating me (as if I did anything other than to vote) and expressing their great joy that America has once again proved that democracy works. That a child born to disadvantage can rise above it all and lead a free people. That a black man, son of an immigrant father, can push the country out of old prejudices and finally help us all (Americans and the World) trust in our dreams (How many Italians were quoting to me Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech!!!). That a free people can make room for the rising generations and empower them to speak up, to venture forth, to vote and make a difference -- and that the young are not the misfits, the rebels, the slackers.

My students here at the UPS come from all five continents, and the vast majority showed great excitement today and, during the breaks and over coffee were quoting to me the words of Obama from throughout the year. How amazing is that!

Well, Obama has said so much about the need to heal the nation (echoes of Lincoln) and to give everyone equal opportunity no matter their origins or their beliefs (echoes of MLK) and especially that it is time to pull together, roll up our sleeves, and take on the grave problems we face. He has said it. People have heard it, not only in America that puts him to the presidency with 338 electoral votes, but throughout the world.

Okay, I have to say that I do not know if the whole world really cares, but Rome is not just in Italy: it is a world capital. The UPS is a pontifical university and has students from around the globe. In Roma, that is eternal and international, Obama is already exciting the vast majority… so I can indeed say that this is a turning point for America and for the world.

Election day in the USA

Here is the long awaited day: the national elections. Campaign 2008 has stretched out for 22 months with record amounts of spending (but that is to be expected since Americans have spent record amounts on gasoline, on energy, on water too this past year).

Everyone at the UPS is asking me if the results are known yet. They started asking me this during the morning while America was still asleep. Do you think that people in Rome might be interested in the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections?

Well, yeah!

And the university here is very multicultural, multi-ethnic, international (108 countries represented in the student body), so the acute interest in the USA elections are not just a matter of the Italians or the Europeans: it is an interest of nearly everyone. In fact, since my arrival on 27 October, people asked me if I would return to the USA today so that I could cast a vote. That would not be likely at the cost of flights these days. Besides, I had to teach today for five hours. When would I go and vote?

But, I did vote - by absentee ballot. My ballot was waiting for me when I arrived, and I promptly filled out the card and sent it in. I made my decision as to how I would vote last March, but I won't tell anyone now. I'll say it tomorrow.

The polls have been changing every day, back and forth, up and down, few points and many points. Does anyone believe the polls? I just hope everyone ignores them and goes to the polls. And that won't be easy in many places. I was told by Bill and Joanne Kinney that their polling station has been moved out of their town of Lewiston (on the Niagara River), and that it is a 10 minute drive for them to get there. It is amazing. Looks like someone is trying to stop an outcome.

Tonight, after evening prayer, I was asked to give a perspective on how the United States run the elections -- and I explained the electoral college, the process of the selection of candidates, from caucuses and primaries to the national convention, and similar realities that are so foreign to Europeans and others. I also explained that this campaign is more then just a change of leader: it is all about big change: generational and cultural and philosophical. No matter who wins, the United States will seem very different on Wednesday.

Don Bosco's Way: NEWS

This morning I joined the Don Rua community for the Sunday liturgy. We celebrated the "feast" of All Souls (giorno dei morti). It was a good celebration. Peter Gonsalves is in that community this year, and he invited me to breakfast afterwards. He told me of efforts being made in Bombay to convey Don Bosco's principles and methods into a language that would make sense to non-Christians. He is currently working with a team from Bombay on this project, and they are delveloping a blog. It is still at the beginning stage, but the intent is t open up the Salesian experience.

Thus, instead of talking about the Preventive System, they are using the term Don Bosco's Way. And this is the name of their blog: Don Bosco's Way!

This was nice to learn on a Sunday morning. I wish Peter and his cohort the best of luck in this effort. It is vital for the new age in which we are now living.

In the evening, as we have in other years, all six of the UPS Salesian communities will gather in the university chapel to pray the rosary for the Salesians that have died. Later in the week there will be a trip to Genzano where many of the community's dead have been buried. Day of the Day (il giorno dei morti) is taken very seriously here at the university, but throughout Italy in general.

Halloween and importing cultural signs

Amazing! Even Italy is in the act now for Halloween. Of course, there is a lot of speculation as to the meaning of all this. Is it about the dead? about the ghosts? a children's holiday? At breakfast this morning there was a big philosophical discussion about this new import. And in the end I believe that the Italians and the rest of Europe has just picked up from American media: movies, television, Second Life… all the contact with the USA.

Of course I think of Halloween as a fun time in the family -- it was in my family when we were children. And I just got photos from my friend Rick Glass whose little daughter is aware of Halloween for the first time as she helped him pick out a pumpkin to bring home. Huge pumpkins carved, bright costumes and face paint and masks, spicy apple punch and pumpkin or pecan pie, and candy… lots of candy: these are all the elements of a child's Halloween in the USA.

Of course lately there are other elements that come to the fore. Instead of just the costumes, there are the horror tales. It seemed to me that the witches and black cats were things to make fun of during my childhood… but now there are such intense horror stories and films that the holiday takes on a frightening side… or a naughty side… or a disruptive side.

On the other hand, when I used to talk about Halloween with my friends in Canada, they always remembered it as a day of mischief. It could be that my parents tried to celebrate the day in a different way from all of that. After all, I do remember stories of how when I was a toddler I had been terrified by the monsters that came to the door -- monsters who were 10 year-olds in costume. I coined my first word that Halloween: I called them "gungs". The sound expressed my horror and the ugliness of them all. I also used to call the characters in the Sunday comics "gungs", or so I am told. I don't think the word made it into the lexicon.

Now Europe and Italy itself is taking on the celebration of Halloween. It all makes me wonder. What is the point of this celebration in Italy? There is no Celtic Culture to hark back to… and I doubt really that Halloween has such profound, mystical roots. I have heard too many stories from Washington Irving to think that its roots are beyond the sassy yankee colonies… But even if it is, how does this fit in with Italy's culture? There is already a very strong tradition of the day of the dead, of All Saints. Ghosts and goblins are not part of the tradition, and who has ever seen a pumpkin here? Zucchini, fine, but pumpkins? Unfortunately, you cannot carve out a zucchini and put a candle inside it, and even if you did, it would not look all that ghostly.

And what would you call a zucchini lantern? "Zaccaria Zucchinetti"? Hmm! That sound good!

No, it is a commercial day, a reason for nighttime parties, a good time on a Friday night. It will probably remain at this level.

What it does show is that Italy is changing and taking on more foreign customs without much hesitation. Well, I think it has been like this in Italy forever (with perhaps the exception of the Fascist era). So many English words have become Italianized and made part of the language. Take the word "blog", for instance.

One other element that is much stronger now is Recycling! WOOOOO! About time! I have been so encouraged to see it! Along every corridor of the university there are recycle bins for paper. When I was here on sabbatical there were bins on the street, but it took a lot of effort to bag the paper and walk out on to the avenue… a couple of blocks walk actually. Even so, I did that back in 2005. In 1990 there was no such service. But now, there is recycling within the university itself, with friendly little bins that invite participation. Alleluia! This is a great improvement.

So it is a happy, recycling Halloween that I celebrate this year under the Roman rain!

Rain, rain… not going away

Last night (and the night before) Rome was celebrated by the heavens with a light and sound show of thunder and lightning! Incredibly close lightning strikes prompted me to unplug my computer and the power strips on both nights really.

This morning I found out that three trees were toppled during the night. Two were in the little park behind the provincial offices and professors residence, and one was in the short road leading up to the main square of the university. One of the park trees that fell, crashed into the professors residence… but was kind enough to avoid hitting any of the bedrooms or offices. It fell right into a balcony that lead from what had been a reading room but which for several years now has been an empty space.

Yes, gently: the phrase was what I heard from one of the elder Salesians. He told me that he heard the boom last night and went to see what happened. The tree did not break any of the double-pained windows, but was pressing against them… so he opened them lest the stress cause damage later. "The tree was certainly very polite," he said. "He did not cause any damage except that he took a bit of the stone facing off the balcony… but he fell carefully and gently between the most populated area of the house."

I was amused that he called the tree polite, and asked him if the tree was a Christian?

"No, I don't think so," he replied, "because not many Christians are so polite these days. But if the tree were a Christian yesterday, he has become a fallen-away Christian today."

Tonight the Gesù Maestro community will receive the findings of the Superior of the Vice Province of the UPS, Fr Joachim de Souza. He has been visiting the community in his official capacity for the past 10 days. He will give the community his observations and open the floor to discussion. After that there will be a little "festa" in the dining room. I'll participate in both parts of this event, also to find out what the priorities are in this community that hosts me during these months.

In the meantime, a very heavy rain is hitting against my office window again. I suppose we can look forward to more lightning and thunder tonight again. That will help to celebrate the official visit of Fr De Souza, certainly.

So you started teaching yesterday?

This is what everyone is asking me… but it is more like I "continued" teaching yesterday, only that I am doing it on a different continent and in a different language.

33 are signed up for my course in "spiritualità giovanile" (youth spirituality) but over 40 showed up for the class. Whoa…

Instead, the seminar on storytelling has 6 signed up and only 4 arrived. We met yesterday afternoon and had a good discussion and ride through the opening points of the seminar.

So, the chronology is like this I arrived on Monday and started teaching on yesterday (5 hours) and will continue this morning (1 more hour)… So far so good -- but I have much to prepare. I have also met with Giorgio Zevini (the dean of the theology faculty) and Jesús Manuel Garcia (director of the institute of spiritual theology), as well as meeting don Francesco Cereda (director of formation) in passing from the library to the classroom yesterday. Some decisions have to be made this year as to whether the commuting continues or whether I join the UPS on a more permanent basis. The need seems to be greater here, if I am honest.

Of course, if we can get 1000 people to come to the ISS in Berkeley next year, I think I will be able to stay in California.

Travel day

A long layover at Washington DC has given me some time to catch up on email and to even watch some television in the airport. It is all election coverage, when it is not football.

Actually, I left Niagara Falls this morning at 7.45. John Graden brough Wendy Wright, Sr Grace MacCormack and myself to the Buffalo Airport. We spoke about the Salesian Scholars Seminar, and everyone of us seem to be pleased with the outcome. We are all worried for Grace, who goes back a bit early because of the illness of the superior of the monastery in St Louis. Said goodbye to John at the curb, and goodbye to Wendy and Grace after getting my luggage sent ahead and clearing security.

Seems strange not to be going home after this week. No, I'm going on to Rome. Well, it was the only way that made sense. I need to be in Rome and a trip back home after these days in Niagara Falls would have just added to the cost and lost more time.

Buffalo Airport: I was surprised that there were very few passengers, but then it is Sunday. Most flight fill up only in the evening, at the end of the day on Sundays. The trip on a tight little prop plane went well enough. I knew what to expect and have a good book, so I arrived in good spirits at Washington's Dulles Airport after a pleasant, no-frills flight.

My layover in Washington is nearly 5 hours, which has given me time to get a good lunch and then sit in the United Airlines lounge. In about an hour I will move to the boarding area and get ready for my flight from Washington to Rome.

These trips are more routine now than ever, yet I find myself less prepared to do this sort of thing. I'd been trying for two weeks to wrap up things at home, but did not quite manage. Happily, the week in Niagara has given me some distance.

And what do I do this time in Rome? There are two courses that I will be teaching: Youth Spirituality and a Seminar on Salesian storytelling. Ask me if I feel prepared… What's that? Do I feel prepared? Hmmm. I cannot lie about it. I do not feel in the least prepared. I was prepared 18 months ago when I taught this material, but not at all now.

But I have all the materials I need. I'll try to move ahead with logic rather than feeling.

Hmmm - time is passing in this Red Carpet United Lounge. I better finish my glass of pineapple juice, pack up this computer, find my passport and my ticket, and move toward the departure gate. I'm slated to arrive tomorrow morning at 6.45. Maybe I should also think about sleeping (I think to myself and smile).

Salesian Scholars Seminar

The 2008 Salesian Scholars Seminar began today with the theme "Propagating the Salesian Spirit". Ten papers are being presented this year. The procedure is that each scholar presents the paper of another scholar. Then the group gives feedback, asks questions, and carries forward the discussion.

The DeSales Resources and Ministries Center has hosted this scholarly event from its inception. In fact, this began as the initiative of Fr Joseph F. Power, OSFS, who studied Francis de Sales as his own passion… He succeeded in gathering scholars from universities and from religious communities. From the informal if studious gathering organized by Joe Power, the group gained its own identity. After Joe's death in 2002, the group decided that the effort needed to be strengthened and continued.

The new director of DeSales Ministries, Fr John Graden, has been supportive of sponsoring the event every two years. Joseph Chorpenning and Wendy Wright have been co-charing the event since 2002. There is a lot of energy around all this, considering also that Salesian Spirituality is seen as a backwater tradition in the Church.

The presenters and papers that were presented today are as follow:

Joseph Chorpenning, “Francis de Sales’s Emblematic Interpretation of the Death of St. Joseph”

Paula McCarthy, “The Shroud of Turin and St. Francis de Sales”

Alexander Pocetto, “The Sternness of the Gentle Francis de Sales [1567-1622]”

Daniel Wisniewski, “Chains of Love: The Eternity of Friendship in Salesian Spirituality”

Christian Krokus, “Spiritual Friendship in the Salesian Tradition Read in Light of Lonergan’s Understanding of Vertical Finality”

Tomorrow's papers and presenters will be:

Wendy Wright, “The Transmission of the ‘Salesian Spirit’ in the 19th-Century Année sainte”

Patricia Siegel, “Caroline Carré and the Founding of the Daughters of St. Francis de Sales”

Thomas Dailey, “The Spiritual Directory as a Privileged Means of Propagating the Salesian Spirit”

Joseph Boenzi, “Salesian Spirit, Lay Movements and Consecrated Life in the Church”

Kathy Brown, “St. Francis de Sales and a Theology of Vocation”

Planning sessions

It's snowing. No, not in California: it is snowing at Stella Niagara… Okay, not even! But there are flurries! 

I'm at the table at a planning session for the annual National Salesian Conference at the De Sales Resources and Ministries work room. John Graden OSFS and Joanne Kinney are guiding the meeting. On the national committee are Oblates Michael Newman, Michael Vanicola, Visitandines Paul MacCarthy, Grace MacCormack, Educator Anne Williams, Daughter Maryanne Pearson, and me. 

The conference is being planned for next August (6-9) at De Sales University (Allentown, Pennsylvania). The thought is to center the conference on Francis de Sales' best-know book, the Introduction to the Devout Life. 2009 will mark the 400th anniversary of the first publication of this book. 

The hope is to make the Introduction to the Devout Life (IDL) more understandable in our contemporary context -- at a time of great fear, war, economic failure, political polarization, church scandal, violence and addiction… well, hmmmm, sounds like a list of woes here. And the IDL seems so bucolic that it would have little to offer. Hmmmmm. Okay, but this is the reason for the title for the conference: Devotion in the Commotion. 

We worked all day yesterday and the more we advanced, the less clear we became. That's typical really.

Meetings continue through the day. 

Los Angeles to Buffalo

Left the Boenzi home this morning at 3.35. Was nice to spend the weekend with my mom again, but of course the two days went fast -- too fast. I have wanted to do this since I'll be away in Rome for three months… It has been over two months since I have been in Bellflower, but of course it seems more dramatic to go across the ocean. So this has been on my plans for travel ever since I knew I would be returning to Rome this autumn.

Made it to National Car Rental to return the vehicle by 4.10, and cleared security by 4.52… and then waited outside the Red Carpet Club at United Airlines for a few moments until it opened at 5.00. Breakfast in the club, a little television to see what Obama and McCain are up to… and then boarding at gate 75a for the flight to Washington.

The trip seemed to go quickly because I had a lot to read: the papers to be presented in the Scholars Seminar later this week. Arriving at Washington Dulles (IAD), I bought a salad at Wendy's, then waited for my flight to Buffalo. That departed from gate 22, and went without a hitch. Arrived at BUF at 6.00 - collected the luggage, waited for Sr Mary Grace MacCormack who arrived on a Southwest flight at 6.45… by 8.00 we were at the De Sales Resource center, courtesy of Bill Kinney who gave us a lift from the airport.

Was good to see everyone -- although the poor crowd started eating without us: pizza and Buffalo wings. But there was plenty for us, and it was fun to catch up with this little crowd of conference planners.

The week will include three events: the planning for the 2009 National Salesian Conference (Tuesday & Wednesday), the Fall Board Meeting of the DeSales Resources and Ministry Center (Thursday), and the Salesian Scholars Seminar (Thursday to Saturday). I leave for Rome on Sunday.

So a full week, but a change of occupation. That's really what I can use at this point.

Doctor's visit

Well, it was not really the doctor's visit: more like my visit to the doctor. I arrived at Albany at my doctor's office at 7.45 after a trip on the BART and a seven-minute brisk walk along the footpath under the train tracks that border the El Cerrito Center. Doctor Kun Huang had the results of my blood tests from a week ago… blood sugar is down, as are the triglycerides and bad cholesterol. That was good news. The good cholesterol, however, is also down. It has been 6 weeks that I have been on medication, with no carbs, no wine, and daily brisk walking of about 20 minutes. I'll need to get the walking up to about 40 minutes, however, if I am going to build up the system a bit more.

There have been some side effects however, which have left me very tired and physically drawn. So the dosage of the medication is reduced from two capsules each day at meals, to one capsule each day at breakfast. This is the provision for the next 3 months… Dr Huang will see me in February.

Yes: brisk walks, brisk walks, brisk walks. And watch my diet… yes, yes. But I have a question. How will I keep off of carbs and wine when I'm in Italy?

Hmmm which reminds me: I leave this coming Saturday. I need to pack.

John J. Boenzi remembered

Seven years today was the death of my father, John. He was always vibrant, active, industrious, community-oriented, a natural educator, gregarious, athletic, patriotic, supportive of neighbors, ready to take the first step with people, planner, lover of music, veteran of World War II, Bronze Star recipient, singer and performer, dancer, chef, tailor, builder, engineer, baseball coach, union man, community organizer, Cooperator Salesian, loving husband and devoted son and brave father. His biggest concern was always FAMILY.

Sometime, somewhere, I should start to write a little biography of the man, not just to recount the story for myself, but especially to tell his grandchildren and their children what manner of man John Boenzi was. I cannot do this right now. After all, blogs are about the present and not about the past… and so I add just the impressions and memories of him that are strongest for me now, seven years after his death.

Thursday, 11 October 2001 was such a painful day in my experience… when I heard the news through a phone message from my brother Mario, I went into a daze that lasted four months. That year had struck our family hard: my uncle Charles Kasal had died in February, and my uncle Dominic Boenzi (dad's older brother) died in July. In the case of my father, my brothers and I knew it was a matter of time since his conditions were deteriorating rapidly.

The last 10 years of his life he was stricken with Alzheimer disease, and as of August 1999 had been in an care facility. Gradually he changed in those last ten years. He had become cautious and fearful. He lost his building skills, he lost his memory, he lost his ability to sing and then to speak… but he did keep some words. A word he never lost was FAMILY.

Seven years ago, Dad. Miss you a lot. I know you are doing well now, but I still miss you a whole lot, as does Mom, as do your sons and your nieces and nephews, and so very many friends. But as you enjoy the Light, please get the Good Lord to send some of it our way, to lighten our hearts and comfort us and strengthen us along the path.

Papa Pacelli remembered

Fifty years ago today -- I remember it clearly -- my father called my brother and I into the kitchen after dinner and told us to watch the news with him. The news was this: Pope Pius XII was dead.

My father and grandfathers had always proposed this pope as a model for me: "He has the same name as you do," they told me.

That was confusing for me at age 6. "What do you mean? His name is Pius; my name is Joey… we don't have the same name."

"No," my father explained. "His name before he became pope was Eugenio Pacelli. And that's your middle name: Eugenio!"

Because of the pope I found out that I had a middle name… And so I became very affectionate in my feeling for him. There were television shows about the pope on Christmas and I remember pulling away from the playing with my cousins on those evenings and watching the pope's story on the TV. At the church there was a pictorial book of the pope and the Vatican, and I would borrow the book every Sunday and "read" all the photographs. Now I stood in front of the television, watching the new service, and trying to grasp what it all meant. At age 8, I knew that he was the pope of peace. I wondered how the Church would find another or if anyone could take the place of Papa Pacelli, as my grandfathers called him.

Funny. Every year on 9 October I think back to that evening when I stood in our kitchen and watched the news with my dad. I think of the figure of Pius XII. I think of how much he did for humanity (as I would learn only later) and I think of the attacks made against him by former Nazis and Soviets after his death that most people all-to-willingly believed. These malicious attacks have been proven baseless now. Hopefully the new researchers, Jewish and Catholic, will soon publish their findings to clear his name and allow his legacy to have its rightful impact again, for the peace of the nations and the strengthening of all who trust and love God.

Pius XII, born in Rome on 2 March 1876, elected to the Chair of Peter on 2 March 1939, and died in Castelgandolfo on 9 October 1958. May God be good to him!