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!

Goodbye tree sitters

The tree sitters have finally left their perches at the University of California here in Berkeley (Cal). They have been there protesting for 22 months (almost as long as the presidential campaign). Most are from out-of-state, it seems, and their interest has been to draw attention to themselves rather than to work for the environment either of the planet or the safety and well-being of the students. It has been an abusive action on their part.

The trees that they claimed to want to protect were old oak trees. Yes, wonderful, beautiful trees. The University wanted to eliminate 48 trees from a grove of over 100 to make room for new, regulation athletic facilities for the students. Every one of these trees had been planted by the university, and the university had plans to plant two new trees for every one that it cut down. But no! The hero tree sitters have insisted that these trees not be cut. It was more emotion than logic; more romanticism than educative concern… more a thirst for media exposure than any concern for justice, reason, environmental or student welfare.

So, after all the court methods have been exhausted, and all the expenses thrown on to the university, the appeals courts finally lifted the restraining orders and the police began to order the sitters down two days ago. When they again refused to come down, the trees were ordered to be cut and scaffolds placed up for the sitters safety. One by one they came down, made their last statements before being arrested and taken away. The last tree sitter came back to the ground of reality last night.

The media loved it.

My question: who is going to pay for this? the students? their families? the taxpayers? This was abusive conduct, but we have seen a lot of this lately… and poor Berkeley gets the bad name.

Youth ministry, Salesians, Dominicans, and new options

Ever since I returned from Italy last January, Gael Sullivan and Michael Sweeney have been speaking to me of their hopes to launch a youth ministry MA program at DSPT. Tonight there was a conversation with Michael, the staff of Don Bosco Hall, and members of both the eastern and western provincial councils who are here for a couple days of meetings. These included John Itzaina, Tom Prendiville, Michael Touchstone, Tom Dunne from the councils; John Roche, Gael Sullivan, Michael Sweeney and myself.

The enthusiasm is high. It is a matter of setting this up is the issue. Do we have the personnel required? Can we put together something to start with and then grow a team of instructors for this? Can we call on Salesian expertise from both USA provinces and from other areas of the Salesian world?

Gael asked me to participate in the meeting. I was very tired and really did not know if I could survive a meeting after the evening meal, but as the meeting went forward, I was a bit refreshed by the possibilities. The group promised to work together on this in future weeks.

For myself, I promised my support, although I feel that my expertise lies in other areas by now. Still, Michael Sweeney sees me as an important link, since I am the Salesian on the DSPT faculty, and since I have links to the UPS in Rome where a Department of Youth Ministry has been a reality since 1982.

More on this in future.

Calendaring

The first Sunday during this new school year. We are starting to get into a regular pace. Fr Arthur Lenti presided at the Sunday liturgy this morning, after which a majority of the group took a BART and walking tour of San Francisco.

At the evening meal Fr Gael Sullivan distributed calendars for the whole school year. He has put together a professional looking appointment calendar, with all the dates and events known so-far into the proper slots of the proper seasons. He also distributed copies of the Acts of General Chapter 26. The members of the community have decided to read the entire document during the month of September and then to work out a community and pastoral plan together based on the document and on the collective experience and insights of our entire group.

After the meal, everyone chipped in to wash dishes, clean the dining room and kitchen, fill the recycle bins, and so forth. The conversation remains cheerful, informative, humorous and good-natured.

Tomorrow is the final day of registration at DSPT and GTU. After that, we shall be well launched into the new academic year!

New semester gets underway

School started today, after a week of advising and orienting new and returning students. I have 2 grad courses this semester in Berkeley, but am doubling on class times so as to complete my input before my transfer to Rome at the end of October. There I will have an additional 2 courses for the Fall Term (lasting until the last week of January).

While there were only 6 registered for my course on Friday, today 12 came to participate. This is the course of St Francis de Sales! It is very heartening, really… but I have to work out a strategy with these students how to best cover the material in the seven weeks that we have at our disposition.

Happy thoughts let you fly

Here I am at LAX, using some time online and attending to some details for the new semester while I await my flight for San Francisco. The flight is on "flow control alert", which is a new category for me, but it means that the air traffic controllers in SFO are delaying departures… So I do not know when I will arrive. The flight was originally scheduled for 11.00, and then it was pushed to 11.45, and then to 12.00… and now it is slated for 13.00. As I have been doing all year, it is safer for me just to take the BART from SFO to Berkeley because the arrival times are not dependable, so there is no need to hold up anyone else.

Last night after dinner I watched the DVD called HOOK with Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams. I've seen it before (in Italian) and it a thought-provoker as are most of Robin William's films. So as I sit in the airport, instead of getting irritated, I am thinking of some of the movie themes and messages. I've come away with this: sunshine and happy thoughts!

Happy thoughts allow us to fly (cf. Tinkerbell to Peter Pan) and happy memories give us power that protects us (cf. Remus Lupin to Harry Potter). Hooo!!!!

Travel setbacks tire but do not discourage

The return trip to San Francisco was as eventful as the trip to St Paul. With delays, mechanical failures, weather systems, re-routing, I arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday at 11.00. I had received a message to make a call to the Salesian provincial office in San Francisco upon my arrival, which I did from the Red Carpet United Lounge. After that little piece of business, I left the SFO United Terminal and took the light rail train (BART) home, arriving in my house after 13.00 in the afternoon. I think that I will either do a painting about all that happened or write a ballad.

Reflecting on the events of the weekend, I have remained very satisfied. It is great that our DSPT president Fr Michael Sweeney was able to speak to the assembly with the keynote on Sunday morning. I kept thinking of his talk all during my travels yesterday and today. What he says makes SOOOO much sense, and it does lift us (as Church) out of the controversial and into the practical side of things. It is an invitation to again look forward as we collaborate and work for unity. It is so John the Twenty-thirdish in orientation. Most challenging and most consoling at the same time.

Michael Sweeney's talk was the finale of a great Salesian Conference. I felt so good after the whole Conference this weekend it that no amount of airline woes could undo my sense of joy.

Having said this, I will also note that after I got home, I took a nap and slept from before 14.00 to after 18.00. What time zone am I in??? Ah, Pacific Daylight! Perfect!!!

Guessing about guests

Last night I was aware that Tom Brennan was arriving. John Rasor had told me that he was going to pick him up at Oakland airport in the evening. So we made a simple supper, consisting mainly of a pasta dish and a salad. I made a tomato and black olive sauce for penne rigatte. John and Duoc Le (the three of us are the only ones home) seemed to enjoy it. Okay, they did enjoy it: they were absolutely enthusiastic. "I did not know tha tyou had these kitchen skills," Duoc said to me as he served himself seconds on the pasta asciuta. "Yes," I rejoined. "They are hidden because I have been living the Hidden Life."

After supper and cleanup, John departed for the Oakland airport. I began sweeping the front walks, and was able to attack the dead leaves in the curb in front of the house -- well half of the way, because there were two cars still parked in front of our place. Our streets is one of the few in Berkeley that are never cleaned by street sweepers. The leaves fall, and since we have no control over who can park in front of our property, we can go months without there ever being a free space there. Literally, it has been since last December that there had not been an occasion to work on that space. Between the sidewalk and half the curb, I filled up half of one Green Waste bin. I then placed it on the curb, along with the cardboard recycle container (since this morning was to be the pick-up day). I'd worked there for over an hour, but John did not retrun before I hung up my tools.

I went upstairs and tried to telephone to my mother. I had heard from a friend that there had been an earthquake in "L.A." in the morning. It was centered in Chino Hills and measured 5.4 on the Richter scale. When I first heard that, I thought that it was not very much… What was I thinking? I guess I was hearing 3.4 instead of 5.4. No big damage had been reported, but still, I was wondering how it affected my people. It was nearly 8.45 before I was able to make the connection and talk with my mom. She said that she was outside when the quake hit and that she saw the house literally shake on its foundations. There have been plenty of after shocks. My brother Sal is staying with Mom in these days; he felt it while at work out in Irvine…

Reports were that all the cellular connections went down with the quake, but this did not affect land lines. The reason I could not connect for nearly 40 minutes was that Sal was working on Mom's internet connections, which are dialup, of course.

While I was on the telephone, I heard voices and doors opening in the building. I presumed it was Tom Brennan and John Rasor returning. Then it got very quiet, so I did not go out to check once I finished my long telephone call. When I was setting up the chapel for Mass this morning, I found that Al Vu had also arrived. That was news. Then this morning, Chinh Nguyen called me for a parking spot, arriving with a van load of friends and a great desire to Bart it to San Francisco. John had someone in to check our internet capacities today as well, while Arthur got fresh supplies of cheese and cold cuts from Fr Austin Conterno.

After two days of peaceful quiet, Don Bosco Hall is filling up again.

Well, niente male -- that's what it is about.

New stuff, less money, and some nostalgia

This morning Marc asked me to take some photos for him. Specifically, he wanted me to take some pictures of the new furniture and carpet in the 3rd floor room as well as the new living room furniture and carpet in entrance hall in Arch Street Building. This was in response to a note from Bro Michael Touchstone.

Money for these improvements came from the Don Bosco Association. Michael wants photos so that he can tell the people of the association on the donations have been used.

So, I have gone from room to room and taken photographs of all the "new stuff" and the improved stuff -- including Bro John Rasor who is improving greatly after his year-long bout with a nasty benign tumor. As a matter of fact, he has been a lot of fun these days. While his energy is a bit diminished, his wit is in tact.

Marc is paying all the bills today, making little repairs, checking the light bulbs and smoke detectors, and checking a myriad of details as he prepares to leave for two weeks holidays. He and Bro Joe Lockwood will go to Palm Springs. As a matter of fact, they will use the time-share condominium that belongs to my parents. This is the fourth year that they go there (I believe) and both have been looking forward to it… for month!!!

That reminds me of something that I was once told by don Giuseppe Usseglio, professor of moral theology of the UPS at Torino-Crocetta when I was a student. It was the first day of August 1978. I had just returned from a month at Saint Jacques in the Alps with the boys of the Oratory of the Crocetta and I was lugging my sleeping bag, backpack, briefcase upstairs. My mountain boots were strung on long laces over my shoulders. I was sunburned and my hair was longer than usual (yes I wore it long in those days). Don Usseglio, who rarely spoke to me outside of class, asked me how the month went with the young people (he used the word "giovani" rather than "ragazzi").

Still halfway up the flight of stairs, but moving to the right so that he could pass, I told the professor that the month of July had gone well and that all the "giovani" remained enthusiastic for the experience. I must have broke into a smile as I recounted all this, using the youthful language of the kids -- one summer with them enormously improved my speaking ability in Italian.

He smiled too and said: "And you? You have remained enthusiastic as well?"

"Sì, sì," I responded, "molto entusiasta!"

"Ah," said the moralist, taking on the tone of a soothsayer, "very well, very well -- but do not let it disconcert you, like those who have one month of holidays but ten months of nostalgia (un mese di vacanze e dieci mesi di nostalgia)."

I nodded and laughed and said my good day (buona giornata) to which he responded his (bon dì). I let him pass and then continued to struggle up the stairs to my second level (read 3rd floor) bedroom. After a month in the Alps, I would have thought that I could have managed the three flights of stairs more easily! Yet by the time I got to my room and threw all my gear on my cot, I was a bit disconcerted over the exchange. Was my morality professor giving me a cheerful warning? Was it a corrective? And how in the world did he know that I always was so homesick for summer? Well, no doubt Don Usseglio been watching me for three years, and it must have been more obvious to others than it was to me… but he was perfectly correct. One month of holidays and ten months dreaming about them!

Okay, end of my little nostalgia piece. Marc leaves tomorrow for his vacation, and Arthur goes away for three days. Duoc will go camping for a short time… only John Rasor and I will be left at the house, nostalgic no doubt.

Sharing meals

There are just five of us in the house this week: Fr Arthur Lenti, Marc Rougeau, John Rasor, Duke Le Van Duoc, and myself. These are days to pick up, clean up… and the making of the evening meal is a shared production. Well, there is not much to say about it, but here are a few photos of our table conversation.

In the meantime, there are bits and pieces of things. Marc and I have cleaned all the rooms and made up all the beds, setting the beds with a set of towels as well, and drinking glasses. The Merry Maids went over everything yesterday as well, and now we have locked things up so that the rooms will be ready for the next array of guests in the month of August.

Evening meals have been on our own this week. The cook Debbie has been off on her summer holidays since Monday, and we all have been pitching in to prepare the meals. It goes without saying that Arthur has done the breakfasts. Marc, John, Duoc and I have been preparing the evening meals. We usually start preparing at 5.00, after the day's work, and sit down at 6.30. The meals have been simple but enjoyable, and we chat and catch up more with each other during these meals this week than perhaps all year.

Here are the summer plans, as expressed during the evening meal tonight:

Arthur Lenti has been invited to join the provincial council at Los Gatos next Sunday to Tuesday. It is their personnel meeting, and they have invited Arthur to be present. In fact, they had already paid for the accommodations earlier, but since David Purdy is away at this time, they thought they would ask Arthur to be with them. He does not know if he will be asked to input to them, or just share in the fellowship, but he is happy to get away for a few days. A week later he will be in San Juan Bautista for his annual retreat, and then spend a few days with John Bruzzone, who has remained a close friend over nearly 50 years.

John Rasor worked right up to retreat time in the last week of June. Then he spent the first week of July with his brother in southern California. He came back from the experience cheerful and enthusiastic -- as he has usually been. Now John intends to remain at Don Bosco Hall through the end of the summer. Once the great hiker of the Salesian World, John was not able to continue this regimen after he became so sick last summer. On the other hand, I have to consider that it was his exceptional physical fitness that enabled him to fight off the disease (and the shock that the cancer treatments gave to his system). In fact, John has responded very well to the treatments. Now he has slowly been building up his strength again. He has starting his soft hikes again, and his health seems to be good these days. The cancer is in remission. So this is a time to build up physical strength without the worry of other duties and obligations.

Duoc Le has been with the community all year - and actually for several years now. Officially he will become an "aspirant" for the Salesian Society with the start of the new year. However, he is still working and so as to help his family get out of financial difficulties. He figures that, with one more year of full-time employment, he will be able to put his mother and siblings on a firm, financial footing.

In the past, Duoc has gone away for holidays, but he will not be going to Los Angeles to see his family at this time. Rather, he plans on continuing to work through the rest of the summer months. He has been looking for some new placements and has had some interesting interviews. Things are looking hopeful for him.

As for the "aspirant" state, the house council of Don Bosco Hall has met to discuss this. The ratio and the province formation guidebook give detailed outlines of what is to take place in this phase of religious formation. The plan is to follow these guidelines carefully, so that Duoc may prepare himselve for novitiate to begin next year, or the year after.

No internet

Spent the weekend washing linens, cleaning rooms, making beds. This morning I finished the last three beds before going over to DSPT to meet with MA student Elissa McCormack, who is completing her thesis in these days. We met for 90 minutes. Her theme is religious controversy in 17th Century France (theories of grace, Jansenism and Gallicanism). She is doing a tremendous job really.

Well, the internet has been down since Saturday mid-day at Don Bosco Hall, so I am making this entry from DSPT where I can connect with my laptop.

After the extreme heat of the last two weeks, today was cold and foggy. I do not exaggerate. The mercury stayed at 15° (F) below normal for this time of year. It was refreshing actually. As I spent most of the day at DSPT, it was a refreshing climate in which to work.

Talking with Pete MacLeod, vice-president at DSPT, it seems that our increase in ISS students has been a real boon for the school. Pete told me that recruitment of students is not going as well as hoped for, and that our student population has declined except that the ISS has more students that has been typical in the last five years. So, our little collection of 10 Salesian students is keeping the school population to the critical point. This is good news for the ISS and for the DSPT.

In all fairness, Gael Sullivan has been working hard to make the Salesian provinces aware of the ISS and our programs ever since he became director of Don Bosco Hall last summer. The fact that Gael is fluent in Spanish and English has meant he has been able to reach out to the provinces of our region and make us better represented. Further to this, the publication of the first volumes of Arthur Lenti's study on Don Bosco has gained attention for the work of our Institute. In fact, today I heard from Juan José Bartolomé, my good friend from Madrid (and secretary to the rector major), that steps are being taken in Madrid to translate Arthur's opus. Juan José hopes to have finalized this effort by month's end.

The challenge that we face in the coming months is to build on this, both at the ISS and at the DSPT. But right now there is a new waft of foggy air coming across the San Francisco Bay into our neighborhood, so I had best close this internet connection and go home.

[Photos: Elissa McCormack (above); DSPT (below)]

SLIM 2008 Summer Session

This afternoon Don Bosco Hall will once more fill up with visitors: members of the province who are taking part in the second course of SLIM (Salesian Leadership Institute for Ministry). Marc Rougeau, John Rasor and I have been busy washing sheets and making beds this weekend as the Merry Maids have cleaned the rooms and sanitized the baths. As of this morning, all is in readiness.

The group that takes part began their SLIM experience a year ago. They come from many different ministries in the province. Now at the midway point, they will be invited to share their own stories and the story of the Salesian apostolic community, especially as they have journedy forward in the past 12 months. Sr Mary Greenan is directing the week, with a lot of help from Fr Nick Reina and others of us as well. The main theme of this week (the 4th session in the cycle) is journeying together in collaboration.

Here are the topics for each day:

• Sunday: The Journey of SLIM thus far - overview of the program from last summer to next spring.
• Monday: Sharing our Stories (Mary Greenan, Nick Reina, groups); Laity and Don Bosco (Arthur Lenti in Q&A)
• Tuesday: Collaboration and Ministry - Preaching to the Choir (Michael Sweeney)
• Wednesday: Salesian Spirit: Living the Charism Today (Joe Boenzi)
• Thursday: Working together to promote and sustain Salesian ethos (Mary Greenan & Nick Reina)
• Friday: Creative use of Salesian ethos: constructing an Assessment Tool for your site (Nick Reina & Mary Greenan); Planing Action Steps (site groups)
• Saturday: Final Eucharist and departures.

As for the nitty-gritty hosting of the event, Marc Rougeau continues to oversee the many aspects of hospitality. In the kitchen, Debbie our cook is helped by her sister-in-law Desiree, and member of the community will continue to pitch in where and whenever needed.

This is the last of four seminars that have taken place in the last two months, and the hosting is wearing on us. The older we get the more that is asked, with no young people coming up to embrace the cause. Ah well - one more week.

Prayer, preparation, picnic

Even though it is Independence Day in the USA, the directors held workshop sessions today. Michael Cunningham (UK) spoke on the community at prayer, and Tim Ploch (USA-East) spoke about facilitating a rhythm of prayer in keeping with the Salesian constitutions. Both Tim and Michael are former provincials. By all indications everyone was happy with the presentations and with the discussion afterwards.

Marc Rougeau and I spent a good deal of the day getting things ready for the meals. Mike Connolly, new director at Archbishop Shaw (New Orleans) also helped put a lot of things together, as did the two young men Sean Ryan and Duoc Van Le. As this is the holiday, we had no cook. This was an oversight by the planning committee really. In the past, we used to let everyone go to tour San Francisco on this day, and so avoid the problem of providing the meals. But somehow our little planning group forgot that holidays really do exist in the USA, especially Independence Day. And the planning crowd was not here for some reason, So the barbecue went forward, with a delegation of people also from Richmond and the provincial house.

Dave Purdy came to this affair. He was looking better than in past weeks, but the strain shows on his face. All this is the results of the burden of Los Angeles. The evening prayer for the directors went a bit long and so Marc and I had an opportunity to speak a bit with David while the meat was cooking on the grill. The weariness and sadness are evident, but also his renewed sense of hope as the Salesians poured into the the backyard. One of the things dear to David's heart has been collaboration: collaboration among provinces; collaboration with the local churches; collaboration with other members of the Salesian Family. There has been a lot of disillusion for him lately, but the crowd of Salesian directors from three North American provinces offered a couple of hours of joy and hope.

And the tri-tip was not bad either, btw. Thanks, Marc: great job preparing all this!

Sheperding the Shepherds

Today was filled with airport runs, with John Rasor, Marc Rougeau, John Roche, Nick Reina and myself picking up Salesians from the Bay Area airports and getting them to Don Bosco Hall for the start of the Directors Seminar, which we've entitled Shepherding the Shepherds.

Gael Sullivan opened the conference with evening prayers and a reception at 5:00 - and then conducted the opening session after dinner in the upper room of the Leconte Street Building.

Other good news today: 30 June 2008 marked the end of the 2007-2008 DSPT Annual Fund. With the generosity and support of students, staff and many benefactors, we have surpassed our goal of $550,000 to reach $579,611.27! That is exciting really, in this age of tight money.

July and a course for Salesian directors

We started July just 10 hours ago and so far, so good!

A group of Salesian Directors starts to arrive at our place in Berkeley today and tomorrow for a week-long course in ongoing formation for directors. They come from USA-East, from Canada, and from California.

All the sheets and towels are washed, the rooms cleaned, and we are ready to go… My role in all this is minimal, but I will be hospitable and smile a lot.