Sempre avanti

Now we are into the fourth week of classes. Things are stacking up very high with many commitments just in the day-to-day.

Yes, I am helping Sr Mary Greenan in giving classes to the prenovices and postulants of the fma and sdb in southern California. Last year Sr Mary Greenan traveled back and forth every week, but it is too much for one person. I do not believe that the request is very realistic on the part of the formation people in southern California. This year I am helping, so that the two of us split the weeks. Mary goes the second and fourth weeks of the month; I go the first and third weeks. But it is still too much, because we have many responsibilities here in the Bay Area and we teach every day. Still, I agreed to continue this during the Fall. Next semester I will not be able to continue it.

Unless the English-speaking provinces become serious about supporting the ISS in Berkeley, there is no future for us. This year we started with six participants: three sisters and one brother and two priests. One of the sisters had to return to her country because she has been ill and the doctors discovered a tumor. That leaves five participants. To carry this forward, I believe we would need at least ten every year, but the English-speaking provinces do not seem to be interested in ongoing formation in Salesian content and experiences.

And that is where the question of Rome comes it. If there is nothing more to offer systematically in English because of the lack of serious support by the American provinces, men and women, then the councilor for formation is telling me to teach in Rome, where there are younger student-Salesians from many countries.

So now we are already a month together in the new community at Don Bosco Hall. Fr Esteban Ortiz is here from Rome, visiting on behalf of the rector major Fr Pascual Chavez. The question of ongoing support for the ISS program has come up in our discussions.

For me Rome is ever more attractive… I'm finding it hard to put my heart into anything in Berkeley at this time in my life.

The coast is clear

Every month we try to bring the community on an outing, if not for the entire day, then at least for the afternoon. Since we still less than a month into the academic year, today was a good day to just get away, visit some wonder of the Bay Area, enjoy a piece of Nature and picnic together. After morning classes, we left in several vehicles for Point Reyes.

The weather was cool but perfectly clear, and the crowd enjoyed the drive as across the Marin peninsula into Point Reyes National Park. It took an hour for us to go from Berkeley to the park, but once in the park, it took another hour to drive the narrow highland roads to the famous Point Reyes and its lighthouse. This gave us plenty of time for stories and sharing on the way to and from the landmarks. Once there, the scenery was magnificent. Rarely have I seen it so pristine and lovely (and I tend to visit the point at least once a year).

As I just said, we like to do outings in this community of Don Bosco Hall. This has been the practice since the ISS began in 1984. We are not always conscious that we live in such a beautiful part of the world, but those who come from other countries are certainly interested in site-seeing and doing a bit of tourism for culture and play and so forth. This is why we program a number of community outings over the course of the year. Each month, a day-trip; each semester two extended, three-day trips. We consider these activities important in the development of the Don Bosco Hall community.

At the same time, most of the real community-building comes from the day-to-day activities and developing relationship. This is why Tom Prendiville always encourages spontaneous outings for small or large groups.

Well, that's the theory. Today the practice went very well. Everyone loved the lighthouse. Those who took the famous Point Reyes earthquake trail were fascinated by the science and history of our area (and checked to make sure their rooms were earthquake proofed once we got home). The evening came to a climax with Arthur Lenti (assisted by Mary Greenan) barbecuing a supper for us all. Some of the Salesians from the provincial house in San Francisco came to the barbecue, invited by Tom Prendiville and Arthur. What's more, a couple of young adults who wandered into the grove where we were spread out, struck up a conversation with our ISS people, and ended by joining us for dinner too. This was not a problem. We always bring more food than we can possibly consume.

And so the drive home was serene and happy.

Into third week

This afternoon we gathered the whole community in the living room at 4:00 for a community meeting. First we did a bit of a climate check, and then we went over some nuts and bolts for community administration. Mike Touchstone was with us. Everyone seems happy with the way we started the year. They love their courses at GTU and ISS, although the reading assignments are starting to stack up. Marcel has been a little sick, and everyone misses Nitaya, who left us two days ago. The meeting was followed by community liturgy. Everything was low key but joyful.

Less one

Yesterday Sr Nitaya from Thailand left Don Bosco Hall and the ISS program. Several years ago she suffered from cancer, and during the past month the disease has come out of remission. She faces surgery and treatment in Thailand. Her departure brings out ISS group down to five (two sisters and three Salesians), and the Don Bosco Hall Community down to 15.

This brings us back to the question that we have been asking ourselves (or at least that I have been asking myself) all summer: how much longer can the ISS survive? Is this the end of our mission in Berkeley? Is it time to say goodbye? And if we do, will the Salesians in California have anything more to say to the wider community? to the world-wide Salesian Society? Will Don Bosco lose any credibility he might still have in North America when the intellectual and formative core is disbanded?

These are the questions. Poor Nitaya has nothing to do with any of this: she and her little province are very supportive. Still, her departure once again demonstrates the fragility of our situation.

No news - is it good?

The blood tests were on Monday, as well as the visit to the dentists. I returned to the dentist on Wednesday for teeth cleaning, but since it has been about two decades (what???) since I've been to the dentist, there was a lot of tarter buildup. The hygenist, a sweet little lady from Jakarta, could only get the lower teeth cleaned. I need to go back in October to do the top rack of teeth. Sorrily, insurance won't cover two visits within a six-month period.

My mouth was sore for two days, but today I'm fine. I've also managed to keep up my 40 minute power walking.

Now it is Friday. I have not heard from my doctor Kun Huang concerning the results of the blood tests. Could it be that I'm back in the normal range? Does she only call when things are worrisome? Maybe I'll ring her on Monday. Still, I've begun to notice some progress. My morning walks give me more energy during the day and I'm not so weary in the hill climbing. Two weeks ago I had to buy a new belt, because I had come down two notches.

Two weeks ago I still had the weight, although I was thiner. Those who do exercise regularly say that building muscle keeps on weight, but that it is lean and not fat. So, even though I had come down two notches, I was weighing in at 195 lbs (On 9 July I weighed 200 at the doctor's office).

Yesterday I came down another notch on the belt… and today I weighed in at 186 lbs. Whoa! That's finally a breakthrough. I celebrated by having two cookies for dessert tonight! Okay, okay… bad move. Tomorrow I'll go back to no baked goods! And while I'm happy that I'm down by 14 lbs (1 stone), I hope to lose at least another 16 before November. That will put me closer to what is said to be the average weight of someone who is 5'8" tall.

But this is a stupid thing to be blogging about… When I get back to Rome, however, I want to be a bit smaller than I've been lately. It will make it easier to travel on the buses and the metro!

More class and doctor visits

Started the second week of class and managed to wake up before six and get in 36 minutes of power walking. Then I went to DSPT to set up for my first hour class. Afterwards I went to El Cerrito and met the dentist. After over 17 years I've finally had a dentist's visit. I've got to go back in a few days to see what the xrays reveal.

Since I hadn't eaten anything, I went right across the street for blood tests that my doctor Kun Huang asked me to take in July. She had said to wait two months. Hopefully the more strenuous exercise and the change in diet will have a positive effect. My blood pressure and triglicerides were way high when I got back from Italy. We'll see in a couple of days.

History in the media smart classroom

This morning I left the house early to get to DSPT and set up for my first history class of the semester. I've been slated to use Classroom #1 in the new building. It is the media-smart classroom. With an hour's preparation before the lecture started, I had a change to experiment and get everything ready. It worked out very nicely.

While I had only 10 students registered, there were 12 in the class. The room holds 60, but I asked them all to expand so that we are not shuffled into another classroom. Well, yeah! I used PowerPoint and other media with every lecture, so I'm so pleased to have been scheduled in such a room. Excellent! Now to see if I can sustain the course!

Berkeley or Rome

First day of class, and I taught at the first period in the morning (from 8:10 to 9:30). It is the same course that I taught last year in Rome, on the life and spirit of St Francis de Sales. I've got 14 in the class, even though only one had preregistered. I had to call Stella Niagara for more books, and then spent this afternoon in Kinkos running off the notes for the course. I'm doing them Italian style (dispensa), though they are in English (of course).

In the evening after dinner, Fr Esteban Ortiz asked to meet with Frs Dave Purdy and Tom Prendiville with myself present, to talk about the request that I go to teach a semester each year at the UPS in Rome. While I would love to go back to Rome even tomorrow, I realize that there is no one to take up the work I am doing here. We need support for the program in Salesian spirituality at Berkeley or this will fade into nothing.

Well, we did not come to any solution, but exchanged views for over an hour. In December and January I will go to the UPS and offer a condensed course in the last six weeks of the Fall Semester there. In the meantime, we need to look for more stable support for our programs at ISS in Berkeley and work more in partnership rather than in opposition to the UPS.



How do the others feel about all this? I don't know. If truth be told, I feel very emotionally involved. It is my life and future that is on the line, after all, and I am torn really between Rome and Berkeley.

Truth be told… nice phrase to quote in the Bocca della Verità!

Labor Day Crowd

Every year on Labor Day the Salesian Community in Berkeley hosts a barbecue for the Salesians and Salesian Sisters of the Bay Area. This year was no exception. About 48 people came over for the afternoon. Of course that meant that the community members were all working from early in the morning to get things ready, and then continued after the guest left to put everything back in order. Even with the smoke of the barbecue still clinging to everything in the house, we'll start classes bright and early tomorrow morning. Yes, the Fall Term begins at ISS and at GTU… and Don Bosco Hall community is right in the midst of it.

Time passages

Wow! It has been two months since I've had a chance to add a comment here. Well, I apologize to my readership (both of you). These two months have been busy beyond my expectations.

And now we are ready to start a new term at the ISS (Institute of Salesian Spirituality) at Don Bosco Hall in Berkeley… and, of course, this goes hand in hand with the new Fall Semester at DSPT (Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology).

DSPT has a new home (more on this later), and the ISS has a new crop of participants. There will be six taking part this year: three Salesians of Don Bosco and three Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. The group is not really large enough, and I still wonder for the future of the Institute. Still, we have begun on Thursday with orientation, yesterday with registrations and a community meeting, and today with a little outing around San Francisco. I led the tour, driving through a crowded city across the three bridges. Since one of the bridges is closed, the traffic was horrific… but we kept up a nice little chatter in the mini-van.

And so we begin.(Joe Boenzi, Cecilia Tse, Anne Collins and Marcel Tigga,
Salesians all of us,
at Larkspur during our Three Bridges Tour)

Two Romans

Last February (or was it March??? … well, it was sometime during Lent), I met Emanuele Pelliccia and Francesco Serafini -- two Roman boys who were finishing high school and looking for an experience of volunteer service for the summer. I was able to hook them up with the youth center in Boyle Heights, and they have just spent four weeks helping at the Salesian Family Youth Center near St Mary's.

Last week they participated in the youth leadership days sponsored for the youth and young adults of the province, and now they are here in Berkeley, along with four German young people who have also been doing volunteer service at the Salesian Family Youth Center.

Of course, in the aftermath of the World Cup, the German youths were not too happy to have to spend the summer with Italians. And, from what I've picked up, Emanuele and Francesco have been able to capture the hearts of the kids at the center with their Roman love for life and their "let's-try-anything" attitude. These two spontaneous Italians offered a stark contrast to the very serious, northern German (from Essen) volunteers who seem to do everything with precision and purpose. (When I was told this by those from the Youth Center, who seem so surprised at the cultural differences, I laughed so hard it took me a couple of minutes to stop. It was all so typical, and it seems the folks from Boyle Heights learned more about cultural differences than the volunteers in certain respects this summer!)

This evening after dinner I took them down to the Berkeley Pier and then to Caesar Chavez Park for a walk and talk, and to see the terrain. They'll remain here for the week, for there are some friends that they have met in Boyle Heights who are students at USF, so they can tour the city and do youth-oriented activities after four strenuous weeks at the oratory. Hopefully these two young Romans will also enjoy youthful California.

SLIM continues

Our workshop continues into its third day today. Fr Michael Sweeney from DSPT conducted all the experiences of today. The input and the discussions were very provocative. There is much to rethink in the matter of Church.

After 24 Years

Yesterday Team Italy won the World Cup! The last time Italy won was in 1982. In nearly every other tournament since, the Azzurri were eliminated in penalty kicks. But yesterday Italy managed to make all five penalty kicks, while France made only three. This was after two 45-minute halves, and two 15-minute overtime halves. Both teams were beyond the point of exhaustion, unable to overcome a 1-1 tie game.

But I'll let the sports commentators make their comments. For me the sweet fact is that Italy has won the championship again. I've always rooted for the Azzurri ever since 1978 when I first learned of the World Cup in football (soccer).

More later… for now, it is just time to enjoy the win!

Doctor's appointment

Had my third visit to the Doctor in a week's time. Seems my blood sugar is high, and that the cholesterol is high too. Less carbohydrates, then (because I don't eat sweets), and less meat (but I already eat little in the way of meat), and more exercise. My doctor, Dr Kun Huang, has outlined a little program for me in terms of diet and exercise for the next two months, and then we'll see where this goes. I'm just below borderline diabetic.

Hmm… This is all a new development over last year. Was it all the pasta in Rome? Or is this part of the usual Boenzi/Iovinelli scenario? There are diabetics in my family history, afterall, beginning with my grandmother and all my uncles. So I'm not surprised. This is something I've been expecting since I was seven years old, if truth be told.

Dad was not diabetic of course, but then he was always trim. I'm not. I need to lose some pounds. Maybe this is the time to stop playing around.

[Photo of the Boenzi Family on 31 January 1946… my diabetic grandmother Josephine (Giuseppina) is in front with my grandfather Joseph (Giuseppe) who suffered from enlarged heart (not to mention Parkinsons in later life)]

Fourth of July Weekend

Left Berkeley for Bellflower on Friday evening and returned this morning. It was a full weekend, which involved me in some helping at St Dominic Savio Parish, baptizing my grandnephew, introducing my mom to World Cup football, visiting with Salesians and parishioners, and an Independence Day barbecue with my brother and his family in Cerritos.

On my return to Berkeley I found a letter from the Rettor Magnifico of the UPS, thanking me for my service last year and asking that I teach again in the Spring of 2007. The director of my community in Berkeley, Fr Tom Prendiville, received a copy and a request that he facilitate my giving the UPS a hand in the teaching of Salesian spiritual theology.

Now what?

David and freedom

The beauty of the David is not only in the sculpture, but in the concept: David represents Liberty for the people of Florence!

SES 2006

Don Bosco Hall is filled again for the Salesian Education Seminar. I've got to prepare a presentation for tomorrow… I'm a little at sea, if truth be told. But this morning I'm working away on it… Here's a visual that I hope to use of Mary Help of Christians from a church in Ecuador.

Fathers Day

Got back to California on the night of June 16th… spent Saturday 17th with my brother Mario and his family for an early Fathers' Day celebration. Then on Sunday spoke with my brother Sal, whose children gathered with him for Fathers' Day in Tucson.

Fathers Day seems to remain as the uncelebrated holiday in many quarters, but is was good to see that my brothers children and grandchildren celebrate them with great affection. Talking with Sal by phone and watching Mario first-hand reminded me of the affection we had as children for our grandfathers. We had a bit of a language barrier; this will not be the issues once Mario's and Sal's grandchildren start to talk.

Happy Fathers Day!

Distinguishing

It is important to make a distinction between "spiritual theology" and "spirituality". The reason is that there are a lot of folks who think that "spirituality" has nothing to do with theology. It is sort of a code word, at times, for non-affiliations. How many folks say "I'm not religious but I'm spiritual". I don't say that in judgement, but if I've heard this from one person, I've heard it from 100. Spirituality can be the code word more than a way of life… and in a Christian perspective, Spirituality is really "life in the Spirit" and a responsiveness to God who calls. Sprituality as spiritual theology is a serious study of how God calls and the many ways that human beings can truly respond to that call. Spiritual theology leads to spirituality if it is true; spirituality seeks its grounding in spiritual theology if it is authentic.  


In Christian terms, and certainly in Catholic terms where the Incarnation is so real a principle, all our other preparation comes into play. This is where we become "interdisciplinary", etc. Still, the methodology will be theological for the spiritual theologian.

June comes in like a lion!

Rained all afternoon yesterday, and on the southside of Rome there was hale. Vatican Radio this morning said that yesterday was the coldest June 2nd since 1976. In fact, the temperature when we went to breakfast this morning was hovering around 10°. There is snow in mountains at 500 meters. At the present moment there are new editions of clouds building up, and rain is predicted again today. That hasn't stopped the pilgrimages. Streets around the Vatican will be closed all weekend. 300,000 pilgrims already have "ticket" to the mass for Pentecost in St Peter's Square.