Don Bosco Among Us!

Don Bosco In India

2011-05-08T12:43:00.001-07:00

Holy Fools

2011-04-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco's Relic in New York

2010-10-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco's Relic Tour in Washington DC

2010-10-10T05:52:00.001-07:00

Don Bosco and the Youth of Surrey!

2010-10-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the B.C. Catholic site:

Some 200 youth from parishes all over the Lower Mainland worshipped, sang hymns and songs, joined in study sessions and a talent show, listened to speakers, and joined in discussions in preparation for the visit of the relics of St. John Bosco Oct. 8 to 10.

They were all at the Don Bosco Youth Centre in Surrey Sept. 18 for a whole-day "Don Bosco Among Us" youth symposium. The day was capped by Holy Mass.

The sessions were led by Father Dave Sajdak, SDB, who performed "Soul Man" and wowed the audience with his singing and dancing abilities in the tradition of the founder, Don Bosco (Father Bosco), of his religious order.

The letters SDB after Father Sajdak's name stand for "Society of Don Bosco." The Italian Don Bosco chose St. Francis de Sales as the patron of the congregation he founded, now one of the largest in the world, so its members are often called Salesians.

In the morning Father Sajdak discussed "Holiness is Happiness," and how we are all called to be holy. His afternoon talk, on "Don Bosco's Way to Youth Holiness," discussed how the saint used his talents to make the youth recognize their talents and use them for God's work.

After each session the youth divided into groups for discussions facilitated by members of Youth for Christ (YFC), who also led the day's registration, ice-breaker, and worship activities. Meals were prepared by a group led by Eric Coronado. They not only organized the symposium, but are planning the upcoming activities for the visit of the relics of Don Bosco.

"We are excited about this big event coming to our parish," said Coronado. "Having the youth here knowing more about our Salesian founder is a great way for them to know more about how they can be workers for God, the way Don Bosco was."

Most of the organizing committee are alumni of Don Bosco schools in the Philippines.

"Seeing the Salesians and the YFC working together in this effort is a wonderful testament to God's power of moving the youth to do his work. This is truly amazing," said Father Sajdak. "We hope to see more of these gatherings in the future."

Don Bosco's relics will be at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Surrey from Oct. 8 to 10. The relics will then move on to 17 other countries in East Asia.

Don Bosco's Relic Tour in Toronto

2010-10-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the InsideToronto site:

Local students were in the presence of a saint recently.

Pupils of several Catholic schools converged at St. Benedict Church in north Etobicoke Tuesday, Oct. 5, where the relics of St. John Bosco arrived the night previous.

A wax replica of the patron of youth, a Catholic priest who dedicated his life to educating young people, is encased in an urn made of a glass box atop a wood and metal cart. It was trucked into the city from Chicago the night before, and a crane was needed to get the more than 800-kilogram urn into the church.

"With the help of the Knights of Columbus we were able to lift it into the sanctuary," said Father George Harkins, director of the Salesian Community of Toronto, who was at the church Oct. 5 to greet visitors.

While Bosco's body mostly disintegrated from contact with the air when his tomb was opened in 1929 in preparation for him to become a saint, the bones survived, with most of the skeleton in Turin, Italy, explained Harkins. "Not everyone can go to Turin, so we'll send Don (an Italian term of respect) Bosco to the people," he said.

The bones and tissues of the saint's right hand and arm are within the replica.

"It's very symbolic that it be his right hand; he blessed people with his right hand, he wrote with his right hand ... forgave sinners through his right hand and he was also a tailor, a carpenter, a magician, he was many, many things to many people," said Harkins.

Schools were invited to see the relic throughout the day, with a mass in honour of Bosco scheduled later that evening.

During the visit students delivered 'petitions' to the saint; for Bosco to pray for their families, to give hope to children fighting for freedom, and for just being a good role model.

The relic has already travelled through South America, Central America, and the U.S., noted Harkins. "But certain cities were chosen, they couldn't choose every city," he explained. "Financially, each place (that receives the relic) has to pay ... to make the pilgrimage a success. So we take care of it at a local level."

Susan Almonte, a teacher with Mary, Mother of God school in Parkdale, called the event a "once-in-a-lifetime" chance for those in attendance.

"We have a real devotion to St. John Bosco," she said. "Our teachers are trained in his philosophy of education."

Harkins confirmed the relic would only be at the church for one day on its worldwide pilgrimage. The following day it was headed to Montreal, then to Surrey, British Columbia, then to Asia, he said.

Lourdes Narciso, a Grade 8 student at Holy Child Catholic School in north Etobicoke, was impressed by the replica.

"I think it was really great to see a saint and a relic, it looked real," she said, noting her school had prepared for the day.

The relic's journey began on Jan. 31, 2009, the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Congregation. "It prepares us for the 2015 celebration of the 200th Anniversary of Don Bosco's birth near Turin, Italy on Aug. 16, 1815," reads the official website of the pilgrimage, donboscoamongus.org

Relic Tour Heads to Montreal, Canada

2010-10-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Strength of an Arm!

2010-10-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Headline Bistro site:

Don Bosco’s blessing arm is still hard at work in the name of salvation.

When a relic of the 19th-century Italian saint made a stop by the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at The Catholic University of America – my alma mater - in Washington, D.C., this past week, it was hard not to be drawn in by the words inscribed on the glass casket the relic was contained in: “Give me souls, take away the rest.”

These words, in Latin, are displayed on the 1,800-pound urn traveling the globe with remains from the body of Saint John Bosco.

These physical remains of the saint, who died in 1888, have been on the move since January 2009, which marked the beginning of the Salesian Congregation’s 150th anniversary. His body was exhumed in 1929, and his right arm — his blessing arm — has been to 130 nations and is currently traveling in the United States.

Remains of an arm, you may be thinking, how weird. I’ll be the first to admit that I had no idea how powerful an arm it still is.

But that was before I saw people of all races and classes gather to celebrate, venerate and give thanks to the Lord for his goodness in giving us great men and women, making it possible for us to be follow their models, reminding us that all of their greatness came from He who is all Good.

Archbishop Donald Wuerl, of Washington, D.C., described it in his homily: “When we look upon the relic of John Bosco, we see a physical remembrance of his bodily presence and a reminder of his spiritual greatness. When we look upon those young people entrusted to our care, those young people in need, those young people in poverty, those young people with no other avenue for an education, what we should see is what John Bosco saw — the face of Jesus.”

He continued: “Tonight then, as we venerate the relic of Saint John Bosco, we do so in a spirit of awe at his holiness and achievements, but also in a spirit of encouragement that we, too, like the Salesian family, are called to see in the young people entrusted to our educational care, the face of Jesus, the future of our community and the signs of the kingdom of God in our midst.”

His words echoed the recent letter on the new evangelization he issued for the archdiocese. Further, the celebration was in no way about the past, about the dead. It was about the living, the living communion of saints, our living communion with Christ.

“Let us therefore be devoted to the saints whose name we bear and have recourse to them in our spiritual and temporal needs.” Don Bosco once said. “They will always be ready to help us.”

For the Salesians present, it was a re-energization the rest of us were blessed to be included in. Father Steve Safran, principal of Don Bosco Cristo Rey in Tacoma Park, Md. — the newest high school in the archdiocese of Washington — described the visit to me afterwards: “To have that very strong physical reminder in our midst spoke powerfully that Don Bosco’s spirit is very much alive today. He is a saint that is accessible, that loved the young, and who brought them to holiness.”

Speaking specifically as principal, he said, “For Don Bosco Cristo Rey it has been historic. It is the first year in our history that we have seniors, and we will have our first graduating class. Don Bosco’s presence has affirmed our mission. We pray that we can continue to grow and get the funds needed to expand. It was so fantastic to see our young people so excited about the relic.”

Father Safran added: “The Salesians of Don Bosco are not well known in the U.S. as we are in Latin America, even though we are the second largest order in the world. The visit of the relic to the U.S. has been an opportunity for us to remind the Church of St. John Bosco, our charism and work for youth.”

There is an unmistakable power in the Bosco relic tour for the Salesians, of course, but also for anyone in its presence and for the Church itself. It was only weeks after Pope Benedict XVI celebrated another holy man with a love for Saint Francis de Sales, Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman. All signs point to integrity and catechesis as the key to making the life and work of Don Bosco the portrait of the Catholic Church in America.

Archbishop Wuerl noted, “What made his teaching so effective was his communion with the Lord Jesus. Over the years of his life, so evident was his holiness, so apparent was his self-giving and so complete was his dedication that within 20 years of his death, he was declared venerable and then beatified within 40 years and canonized in just over 46 years from the day of his death.”

In Bosco’s physical presence, the universal call to holiness was made real. Not for the first time. Not for the last. But on a weeknight in Washington, D.C., when all kinds of supposedly important things were going on, it was a physical reminder of what actually does matter: our souls. Take away the rest. Of course, God will. But will we be prepared? Will we have treated every child as Christ, every child of God as Christ? Did we approach each day with the pure love of a child, in His service?

Don Bosco, pray for us.

Don Bosco's Relic Tour Visit to Miami

2010-10-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco's Relic Arrives at St. Patrick's Cathedral

2010-10-04T18:07:00.001-07:00

Don Bosco Relics Arrive at St. Ferdinand's in Chicago

2010-10-04T16:32:00.001-07:00

Relic Tour on Brooklyn's Currents TV Program

2010-10-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

The Diocese of Brooklyn has their own television station and their own news program. The relic of Don Bosco made it on to Currents and the coverage begins 9:36 into the half hour program. Check it out!

Archbishop Dolan at Marian Shrine with the Relic of Don Bosco

2010-10-04T10:33:00.001-07:00

Relics of Don Bosco Coming to Toronto, Canada

2010-10-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Catholic Register of Canada:

On Oct. 5, St. John Bosco will be closer to Canadians than ever before — his relics will be on display at St. Benedict parish in Toronto.

It’s the first stop in Canada for the Don Bosco Among Us Relic Tour through 130 countries that kicked off on Jan. 31, 2009, the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The tour will make its way on to Montreal Oct. 6-8 and then to Surrey, B.C., Oct. 8-10, before continuing elsewhere until 2015, the 200th anniversary of his birth in Turin, Italy.

“In this case, there are two relics travelling the world,” said Fr. George Harkins, director of the Salesians, the order he founded, of Toronto and Hamilton. “The hand is coming to the Americas... and the arm is going to Asia.”

Displayed in a glass box mounted on a large wood and metal cart, the bones and tissues of the right hand and arm have been placed within a wax replica of the Italian saint. They have been recomposed from the urn that contained his remains since 1929 when his body was exhumed for his beatification and canonization.

But Harkins said it must be remembered that a relic is an object for religious veneration, not adoration.

“We don’t honour a body part or clothing. We don’t venerate that in itself but what it represents.”

In this case, Canadians will be able to see the special meaning behind St. John Bosco’s hand, he said.

“We have his hand and it’s to remind us that it’s the hand with which he blessed everything and everyone,” said Harkins. “It’s the hand of baptizing, the hand of absolution, the sacrament of Reconciliation, the hand of giving communion, the hand that he wrote with, that he taught with, tailored, did carpentry work, shoe making and bricklaying with. It signifies something important in his life since he is the apostle of young people.”

Harkins quotes the new Catechism of the Catholic Church to show that relics do not break any commandments, through the example of images.

“Christian veneration of images is still not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, the honour rendered to an image passes to its prototype and whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it.”

He likens it to having pictures of our grandparents we respect very greatly.

St. John Bosco’s whole body is to be found in the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians in Turin, Italy.

Harkins said that this relics’ tour is important because instead of people having to travel to see relics, the relics are coming to the people.

“He’s coming to all his young people and especially the young and the poor whom he has devoted his whole life to. It’s a great honour that he’s coming to us. People can’t all go to him so he’s coming to them.”

Students at Toronto’s St. John Bosco Catholic School will be some of the young people in attendance.

Principal Waldo Aristizabal said that the school will be sending both a primary and a junior class to St. Benedict parish on Oct. 5.

“The relics are important to our school given the fact that our school has the name of St. John Bosco… Because of that, we want to be as close as possible to these relics by visiting them and sending a couple of classes representing us.”

For more information, see www.stbenedicts.ca.

Thousands turn out to Stony Point shrine to see Saint John Bosco's relic

2010-10-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

The following comes from LoHud.com:

Hector Morales pressed his hands against the bronze and glass casket and knelt quietly in front of the life-size statue of St. John Bosco enclosed inside.

Morales stood up and crossed himself. Behind him more than a hundred worshippers stood patiently in line. Some had pulled out cell phones and were snapping photos.

"This is an amazing experience," said Morales, 16, a student at Salesian High School in New Rochelle. "Don Bosco is like a father to us. At school we pray to him every night."

Morales was one of an estimated 5,000 Roman Catholic faithful and clergy, including Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who traveled to the Marian Shrine and Don Bosco Retreat Center on Thursday to catch a glimpse of the religious object, which contains parts of the saint's right hand.

The actual relic is enclosed in a silver-plated box placed inside the statue.

The founder of the Salesians, John Bosco, also known as Don Bosco, devoted his life to helping neglected and exploited boys in Turin, Italy. He lived from 1815 to 1888 and was canonized in 1934.

Addressing the packed church pews, Dolan said his own veneration of Don Bosco dated to his days as a student growing up in Ballwin, Mo., in the 1950s. Dolan asked visitors to use the opportunity of seeing the relic to declare and reaffirm their faith.

"Don Bosco saw everybody as good even when they looked bad," he said. "What an inspiration to us today."

Modern Salesians focus on the needs of youth through teaching and the operation of recreation clubs in conjunction with parish work. Several visitors to the shrine said the relic was a powerful symbol of their devotion.

The nun who taught Dolan in grade school, Sister Mary Bosco, had flown in from Ireland for the occasion. She described Thursday as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pray in front of her saintly namesake.

"I'm grateful," Bosco said. "This is my first time to see him."

Mary Wolff came wearing a T-shirt with St. Bosco's image emblazoned on it. The Westchester native said her veneration of the patron saint of youths had started early — at a Catholic summer camp.

"It's sort of like getting together with an old friend," Wolff said. "I was so impressed with St. Bosco's joy and goodness."

The St. Bosco relic is on a five-year worldwide tour that will end in Italy in January 2014. The relic is headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on Friday and Saturday.

Don Bosco's Relic and The Chicago Youth Rally

2010-10-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Catholic Chicago Blog:

Fr. Tim Zak, SDB, pastor of St. John Bosco Parish in Chicago, called me a few months ago with a curious request. “Tom, I need your help and counsel. You see, the relic of St. John Bosco is coming to our parish in October. This is going to be a huge event and we need to get started right now!”

The first thoughts that came to my modern, Western mind were, “Why make such a big deal about viewing a relic? Wouldn’t time be better spent working on a more worthwhile project?”

However, after meeting with Fr. Zak and an enthusiastic group of Salesian Cooperators from St. John Bosco Parish, I quickly identified several tangible benefits for the Archdiocese of Chicago stemming from the world tour of the relic of St. John Bosco.

First, Salesians are loved by many ethnic communities in Chicago. Thousands of Asian, Polish, Italian and Hispanic immigrants have fond memories of being ministered to by Salesians in their homeland. Having these groups gather together with their families would be tremendous. Second, St. John Bosco is the official Patron of Young People. Hosting thousands of young people and their families at St. John Bosco Parish will certainly build enthusiasm for other Archdiocesan youth events such as the Bread of Life Retreat and World Youth Day.

And finally, young people in the Archdiocese do not normally turn out in droves for popular devotions such as Corpus Christi processions, rosary, Eucharistic adoration and relic visitation. Our modern, secular culture has pretty much replaced our youth’s enthusiasm for these practices with other more ‘entertaining’ events such as concerts, movies and video games. However, during their initial presentation, I was quite impressed with the dynamic and captivating ideas that the Salesian cooperators had for the October 2nd-4th event— a youth & family rally, catechetical talks, concerts, music, clowns and games. If any group could pull off making a relic visitation youth friendly, the Salesians could!

Every day since I received that curious call from Fr. Tim I have been amazed by how the Holy Spirit has worked to bring people together to make a difference in the lives of at-risk youth in our community. The committees have organized two days of activities and events for people of all ages. The Catholic Cemeteries of Chicago is the principal sponsor for this event. Simply put, it has been a privilege to be a part of the planning committee for this extraordinary event.

Yes, St. John Bosco is just one parish in Chicago, and popular devotion to St. John Bosco is not for everyone. Nevertheless, this event is an ecclesial celebration for the entire Archdiocese of Chicago. Bishops John Manz and Gustavo Garcia-Siller, M. Sp.S, along with many other religious and diocesan clergy, will be a part of this celebration. Please consider coming out for one or all of the events.

Don Bosco Takes New York!

2010-09-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

Unlike most pilgrimages, which usually involve an individual going to a sanctuary to venerate a saint, the Pilgrimage of Don Bosco’s Relic is actually bringing the relic to the people! The relic of Don Bosco has been transported to the United States to grant individuals an opportunity to honor and respect St. John Bosco. Archbishop Timothy Dolan formally invites the faithful of the Archdiocese to celebrate his favorite saint—Don Bosco.

Come see the relics of St. John Bosco at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Friday, October 1! There will be veneration of the relic from 10 AM to 11 PM. There will be a mass with Archbishop Dolan at 7 PM.

On Saturday, October 2 there will be veneration of the relic from 6:30 AM until 10 AM when the relic departs for Chicago. Come join us as we celebrate Don Bosco among us!

Don Bosco Relic Tour in Belle Glade, Florida

2010-09-30T14:31:00.001-07:00

Sunday Night Live with the Salesians of Don Bosco

2010-09-29T20:15:00.001-07:00

EWTN Global Catholic Television Network: Sunday Night Live – Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR – Fr. Pat Angelucci, SDB, Director Salesian High School and Brother Michael Leschinsky, Salesians of Don Bosco – The Relic Pilgrimage of Don Bosco

Don Bosco Relic Tour in St. Petersburg, Florida

2010-09-29T19:38:00.001-07:00

Don Bosco Relics Visit DC and National Shrine

2010-09-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

The following comes from 9 News Now:

During his life, St. John Bosco pushed to change the idea that young people did not matter. He founded the Salesians of Don Bosco, the international organization of priests and men devoted to helping youth.

Monday, Sept. 27, 2010, St. Bosco's wax figure and urn traveled safely to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The public will be able to view the relic Tuesday starting at 8:30 a.m. A special Mass will be held at 6:30 p.m.

St. Bosco (aka Don Bosco) was born near Turin, Italy in 1815. He made it his business to look out for young people suffering during the cholera-rampant age of the Industrial Revolution.

Father Steve Shafran coordinated the arrival of the relic's stop in Washington. The relic has been on a world-wide tour since April, 2009 for St. Bosco's upcoming 200th birthday in 2015.

"Young people were treated like trash and abused and also really repressed. And so he wanted to come up with a system where young people can be respected," says Shafran, president of the Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Md. The school was founded to provide high school education for youth facing financial hardship.

"This Saint's message was powerful when he was alive and it's even more powerful today," says Shafran.

"Despite the world around them, despite war, despite difficulty and a lot of addictions, that [young people] are respected and loved and we want them to have a successful future no matter what religion, no matter who they are, no matter their background," he says.

The saint is also known as Don Bosco. He is buried in Italy, and his relic contains actual bones and tissue from his body.

"To have St. John Bosco's remains travel around the world is very exciting, because many people don't have the opportunity to go to Italy," says Shafran.

"To welcome the founder which is my hero, an inspiration for young people which I've dedicated my life to...is a blessing for me and my own vocation," says Shafran.

The wax figure rests inside a glass urn and surrounded by a cart made of wood and metal. The urn weighs over 1800 pounds.

The hired construction workers built special scaffolding to prepare for the transportation of the relic inside the Basilica. The workers had previous experience moving pieces of marble and artwork at the National Shrine.

"So they have the unique expertise in bringing very large, very heavy, very fragile works of art, and in this case an actual saint into the Basilica," says Jacquelyn Hayes, Director of Communications at the Basilica of the National Shrine.

St. Bosco's relic will prepare for travel to New York City at the end of Mass Tuesday.

Don Bosco's Relic Tour Comes to DC

2010-09-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

The relic of Don Bosco is making its way around the world and it is headed to DC! For more information on this beautiful and grace filled event please click here or here.

The following comes from the CNA:

As part of a worldwide tour, relics of St. John Bosco will be hosted by Washington, D.C.'s National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in order to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the patron saint of youth and students.

A portion of Don Bosco’s right arm bone is encased in a 1,800 pound reliquary and is currently undergoing the North American tour which began Sept. 11 in San Francisco and will end Oct. 7 in Montreal, Canada. The saint's relics will eventually make their way to 130 countries by his 200th birthday in 2015.

The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will host the reliquary on Tuesday, Sept. 28.

Auxiliary Bishop Martin Holley of Washington is slated to welcome the relics in the morning at the Basilica’s Great Upper Church and lead an opening prayer service that will begin a day of veneration. That evening, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl will be the principal celebrant and homilist of a commemorative Mass.

In a press release for the event, the shrine reported that Pope Benedict XVI granted a plenary indulgence to those who make a pilgrimage to see and pray before the relic of St. John Bosco, in accordance with the usual conditions of partaking in Confession, the Eucharist and prayers for the Holy Father’s intentions.

Don Bosco in Miami

2010-09-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

The following comes from El Nuevo Herald of Miami:

Las reliquias y el espíritu de San Juan Bosco llegaron el domingo a su hogar de Miami, la Iglesia San Juan Bosco, en La Pequeña Habana, donde miles de fieles le dieron la bienvenida al santuario con cánticos de alabanza, expresiones de fe y fervor religioso.

"¡Esto es un momento histórico!'', exclamó Marianela Amador, quien lloró emocionada al ver la urna con una réplica en cera del cuerpo incorrupto del santo italiano al que se han integrado huesos y tejidos de la mano derecha. "Nunca imaginé que iba a ver las reliquias de un santo. Pensé que para verlas habría que viajar; no que las reliquias vendrían a mí''.

En la procesión, la urna fue precedida por la imagen de la Virgen María Auxiliadora, a quien San Juan Bosco atribuía sus acciones humanitarias. Una barca de madera como símbolo de la Iglesia Católica representando el sueño principal del santo reposaba sobre los pies del altar.

Miembros de la Orden de Malta, que durante años han prestado servicios caritativos a los pobres de la parroquia, cargaron la urna hasta el altar. El sacerdote Thomas Dunne, provincial de la Provincia Este de los Salesianos, que abarca el sur de la Florida, pronunció la bendición inaugural de la misa.

Venerado por millones de católicos alrededor del mundo por su labor religiosa y educativa con los niños marginados, San Juan Bosco es conocido como patrón de los jóvenes, maestros y desempleados.

"Don Bosco, rogamos por tu gloriosa intercesión para que logremos conseguir un trabajo'', oró uno de los feligreses escogido por la iglesia en representación de la gente sin empleo.

Las reliquias salieron de la Basílica María Auxiliadora en Turín, al norte de Italia, en enero del 2009, en un peregrinaje por 130 países con motivo del bicentenario del natalicio de Bosco en el 2015, y el 150 aniversario de la Familia Salesiana, una coalición de 27 grupos religiosos y laicos dedicados a la educación y el cuidado de la juventud.

La urna llegó a Miami el sábado por la noche y partirá hoy lunes rumbo a Washington. D.C. Las reliquias de un santo, veneradas por los católicos como símbolo de conexión con Dios, no visitaban el sur de la Florida desde 1999, cuando vinieron las de Santa Teresa de Lisieux.

‘‘Las reliquias llegan en el mes de septiembre, cuando se abren los colegios públicos y privados y las escuelas catequéticas en las parroquias. Creo que son una llamado a las familias a no olvidar la educación religiosa y secular de sus hijos'', declaró el retirado obispo auxiliar Agustín Román de la Arquidiócesis de Miami.

La homilía estuvo a cargo del obispo misionero salesiano Mario Fiandri, proveniente de Guatemala, quien hizo un descriptivo recuento de la historia de San Juan Bosco y de su filosofía pedagógica.

Relató que, en una ocasión, entró Don Bosco a una barbería de Turín para afeitarse y vio a un niño aprendiz limpiando. Para ganárselo como amigo, le pidió que lo afeitara. El dueño del negocio le dijo que el muchacho no era capaz de afeitar ni a un chivo. "No importa, señor'', respondió Don Bosco. "Si el chiquito no hace la prueba, nunca aprenderá''.

El niño, Carlos Gastini, germinó lo que después se dio a conocer como la Asociación de Antiguos Alumnos Salesianos.

"No basta amar a los jóvenes, es necesario que los jóvenes se sientan amados. Ahí está toda la teología de Don Bosco'', precisó Fiandri.

A María María Rincón, estudiante universitaria de 21 años, le simpatizó el mensaje refrescante de Don Bosco.

"Me encantó oír que Don Bosco decía que una casa sin música es como un cuerpo sin alma'', comentó Rincón, feligresa de la parroquia Little Flower, en Coral Gables. " A mí me gusta mucho escuchar música''.

Photos of The Relic Tour in Miami

2010-09-27T06:13:00.001-07:00

Check out the images from the Miami Herald site on the visit of Don Bosco's relic to Miami!

Miami welcoming relics of `patron of youth'

2010-09-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Miami Herald:

Sister Teresa Gutiérrez has lived her life in the footsteps St. John Bosco, a poor, 19th century Italian priest whom fellow clergy mocked for his ministry to downtrodden kids and his belief that God's work begins outside, not inside, the church.

Like Bosco, Gutiérrez is a teacher -- of students at Immaculata-La Salle High School in Coconut Grove and underprivileged children at a Little Havana after-school program -- and she finds joy in helping young people navigate everyday problems and spiritual doubt.

Now, the 59-year-old nun and her brothers and sisters of the Salesian order will finally get to show those kids their inspiration.

For the first time, the relics of St. John Bosco -- pieces of bone and tissue from his right hand and arm -- have left their church home in Turin, Italy. Their 130-country tour includes a 2 ½-day stop in Miami that begins Saturday with a mariachi-band welcome, a blessing by Archbishop Thomas Wenski and an all-night veneration at Immaculata-La Salle.

``It's amazing what this little guy -- he was five-foot-six -- could do by just following God,'' said Gutiérrez, whose religious order was founded by Bosco. There are 14,000 Salesian nuns, the largest order in the world, and 16,000 priests, the second largest after the Jesuits.

``He is the patron of youth, of magic,'' said Gutiérrez, who lives with two fellow nuns in The Roads neighborhood of Miami. ``He attracted kids to the church with magic tricks because he knew they saw church as boring, while other priests never left the church building. He said his motto was religion, reason and kindness.''

The relic tour, the first to visit Miami in a decade, will move Sunday to St. John Bosco church in Little Havana, where Gutiérrez works in an after-school program. It's expected to attract thousands of Catholics.

They will see a wax replica of Bosco's body at the time of his death in 1888 set in a glass box that's mounted on a wood and metal cart. The bone and tissue that were exhumed from his grave when he was beatified in 1929 are inside the wax figure.

``I believe that through the veneration of his relics, and faith we have in the Lord, we are going to receive many blessings in this place,'' says the Rev. Juan Carlos Paguaga of St. John Bosco Church.

``We are praying for all those who have no work. All those who are not legally in this country. The poor, the youth, the church. Our parish owes a lot of money to the bank.''

Relics -- typically a body part or piece of clothing -- are venerated as a physical connection between a saint and God. The practice dates to the beginning of the church, when Roman authorities persecuted and put to death early Christians.

``Among people in the early church there was a devotion to those people as witnesses to their faith,'' said James O'Toole, a professor at Boston College who studies Catholic devotion.

``For the surviving community these martyrs become important figures, but not to be prayed to in the same way one would pray to God. The same applies today.''

Relics rarely leave the churches and shrines in which they are housed, and it's not uncommon for Catholics to make long pilgrimages to venerate them.

Bosco's relics left Turin January 2009 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Salesians and the 200th birthday of Bosco in 2015. They've been viewed throughout Latin America and in San Francisco, New Orleans, St. Petersburg and Belle Glade, and will go on to Washington, D.C.

The last major tour to stop in South Florida brought out more than 10,000 people in 1999 to see the relics of St. Therese of Lisieux.

Bosco, who was 72 when he died, was both humble and controversial. He frequently clashed with the Archbishop of Turin, who saw Bosco's efforts to set up Salesian schools as a threat to the archdiocese's seminaries.

Bosco's teaching method was unusual and controversial for his time, relying on positive reinforcement rather than punishment.

``He wanted the kids to be in an atmosphere where they knew they were loved,'' said Gutiérrez, who applies the same methods as a teacher.

His own childhood was likely an inspiration. Bosco was born in 1815 to a family of farmhands in the northern Italian village of Becchi, and his father died when he was 2. A playful boy, he juggled and did magic tricks, often requiring audience members to say prayers to be admitted to his street shows.

The family couldn't afford formal schooling, but when Bosco was 14, a generous priest saw his potential and paid for his education.

When he was only 9, Bosco is said to have had the first of a series of dreams that shaped his life's work.

``In the dream, he saw kids that were fighting and cursing. He wanted to stop them, he got in there and started punching, and got punched back,'' said Gutiérrez, who learned the story as a child in Salesian schools in Camagüey, Cuba, and New Jersey.

``A man stopped him. He said, `Who are you? Why are you doing this? You will have to win these friends of yours not with blows, but with gentleness and kindness. So begin right now to show them that sin is ugly and virtue beautiful.' ''

Don Bosco's Meets the Young in Louisiana

2010-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Amazing! This is a beautiful video! Check out the part 2 below!

Catholic faithful stream to Belle Glade church to view saint's relics; bishop holds Mass

2010-09-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

The picture above and the following comes from the Palm Beach Post:

With drums and guitars and a Caribbean beat, a working-class parish honored a saint who was truly one of their own.

St. Philip Benizi parish was filled Friday night with parishioners who came to witness a rare spectacle, the relics of St. John Bosco, an Italian saint who came from poverty and made it his mission to help the poor and especially the young.

From 5 p.m. onward, a steady stream of people entered the church to see the glass, metal and wood casket of the saint, to lay hands on it and to pray for his help.

Barbara Fox, her husband Don and their two sons drove down from Fort Pierce.

"For 13 years, I have been praying nightly to St. John Bosco to please take care of all the children," said Fox, who had tears in her eyes and a holy card in her hand. "Seeing him is a very big thing for me."

Ray Jaworski of Stuart was wearing his red sweater with a Don Bosco High School Crest. He was snapping photos for his brother John, who went to the same school in Ramsay, N.J., and plans to view the saint's remains at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

"It's really neat to touch a piece of history," said Jaworski, who credits the influence of the saint in his own long career as a Boy Scout leader.

The parish has a large number of Hispanic and Haitian parishioners, so hymns and readings were in Spanish and Creole as well as English.

Bishop Gerald Barbarito, head of the Palm Beach Diocese, praised St. John Bosco's commitment to the young and the poor.

"If Don Bosco lived today, he would live in a place like Belle Glade," said Barbarito, winning a loud round of applause. "He showed us that love makes the difference. Don Bosco is truly present among us."

Earlier Friday, a truck delivered the 1,800-pound reliquary from St. Petersburg. The saint's remains visited Belle Glade as part of a worldwide tour coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the Salesians, the religious order he founded,.

The case has been touched and wept over and prayed to by thousands of the faithful since it started its trek around the world in 2009. At its last stop in St. Petersburg, an estimated 20,000 viewed it in two days.

"There were people waiting until 4 in the morning," said the Rev. Bruce Craig, a Salesian priest from Tampa, who has accompanied the reliquary on the southern U.S. leg of the tour, from New Orleans to Miami. "It has been incredible how people came out."

He will fly to Washington, D.C., and be replaced by another Salesian priest in the saint's honor guard. Two trucks with two-man crews have driven the reliquary on all its land-based stops. A videographer accompanying the group is documenting the tour.

What the crowds in Belle Glade will see is a life-size fiberglass image of the saint. His serene facial expression is authentic, made from his death mask. He wears ornate priestly vestments embellished in gold and lace. Inside the fiberglass effigy and not visible is a sealed metal box containing bones and tissue from his right arm.

More News Coverage From the Tampa and St. Petersburg Visit of the Relic

2010-09-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

Here is some more great coverage of Don Bosco's relic tour in Florida! The video comes from Bay News 9.

Don Bosco's Relic Reaches St. Petersburg, Florida

2010-09-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Salesians on Sunday Night Live!

2010-09-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Fr. Pat Angelucci and Deacon Mike Leschinsky will be on EWTN telecast Sunday night, Sept. 26, at 7:00 P.M. (Eastern Time) to speak about the relic of Don Bosco. They will be guests of Fr.Benedict Groeschel on his weekly program: Sunday Night Live.

Youth Rally at Alario Center on the Westbank

2010-09-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

The picture and the following come from NOLA.com: The Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, the Archbishop of New Orleans, bows his head in prayer beneath a banner with the image of St. John Bosco during a viewing of the relics of St. John Bosco, youth rally and mass at the Alario Center in Westwego Tuesday, September 21, 2010. More than 2,500 students from New Orleans metro area Catholic schools attended the event which is part of a journey through 130 nations which began in January 2009 on the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian order and is part of a five year pilgrimage preparing for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Don Bosco's birth near Turin ,Italy in 1815. The relic consists of tissue and bone from the right hand and arm of the saint , which are encased in a life sized effigy of the saint. Don Bosco is the patron saint of young people and founder of the Salesian order, which locally operatesArchbishop Shaw High School.

The Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans, second from right in red accented robe, and other priests bless the gifts before communion during a viewing of the relics of St. John Bosco, youth rally and mass at the Alario Center in Westwego Tuesday, September 21, 2010. More than 2,500 students from New Orleans metro area Catholic schools attended the event which is part of a journey through 130 nations which began in January 2009 on the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian order and is part of a five year pilgrimage preparing for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Don Bosco's birth near Turin ,Italy in 1815. The relic consists of tissue and bone from the right hand and arm of the saint , which are encased in a life sized effigy of the saint. Don Bosco is the patron saint of young people and founder of the Salesian order.

WWL News Covers the Don Bosco Among Us Tour in Louisiana

2010-09-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Father Jim McKenna of St. Rosalie Church in Harvey discusses the visit of the relic of St. John Bosco at his church this week.

St. Rosalie Church is located at 600 Second Avenue in Harvey.

Don Bosco's Relic Arrives in Louisiana!

2010-09-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

The relic of Don Bosco has arrived in Harvey, Louisiana and will at St. Rosalie Parish for veneration all day on Monday, September 20. Take some time to say a prayer for the good work of the Salesians on the Westbank!

Don Bosco's Relic In California 2010

2010-09-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

You can keep up with all of the activity of Don Bosco's relic tour visit to California by clicking here!

Don Bosco is Coming to Corpus Christi Parish

2010-09-16T16:09:00.001-07:00

From the Relic of Don Bosco's visit to Cuba!

2010-09-12T11:26:00.001-07:00

Don Bosco de visita en la Habana
Uploaded by picasoft. - Discover videos of people, family and friends.

Don Bosco's Relic Arrives in California Tomorrow!

2010-09-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

The relic of Don Bosco will arrive in California tomorrow! For detailed information on the schedule of events in California this week please check out their website.

Itinerary for the Pilgrimage is clarified now as follows:

• Saturday, 11 September 2010: arrival of the relics at SFO from Guadalajara, with a stop-over at Corpus Christi Church, and transport to SS. Peter and Paul, North Beach (remaining until 14 September)

• Tuesday, 14 September 2010: journey from San Francisco via East Bay (Richmond, Berkeley) to Watsonville (Our Lady Help of Christians Church).

• Wednesday, 15 September 2010: journey from Watsonville to Los Angeles (St Mary’s Parish, Boyle Heights).

• Thursday, 16 September 2010: journey from Los Angeles, to St Brigit's and Bosco Tech, arriving at Rosemead (St Joseph Youth Renewal Center).

• Friday, 17 September 2010: journey from Rosemead to Bellflower (St Dominic Savio Parish, remaining until 19 September).

•Sunday, 19 September 2010: transport by air to New York.

Don Bosco Relic to Visit Surrey, Canada

2010-09-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco's relic is coming to Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Surrey, British Colombia,Canada!

Schedule of Activities:

September 18, 2010

Don Bosco Among Us Youth Conference

October 9, 2010

11:00 AM - Concelebrated Mass

3:00 PM - Children's Mass

7:00 PM - Youth Mass

October 10, 2010

11:15 AM - Mass with Archbishop Michael Miller

Don Bosco's Relic to Visit in Montreal, Canada

2010-09-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

The relic of Don Bosco will visit the parish of Marie Auxiliatrice in Montreal, Canada on October 7.

To contact the parish for more detailed information please call 514-648-9424.

The Relic of Don Bosco to Visit Toronto, Canada

2010-09-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

In the tradition of pilgrimage, the relics of St. John Bosco are being carried into the towns and villages, neighborhoods and centers where the Gospel is announced among the young and the poor today. This pilgrim journey through 130 nations began on January 31, 2009, the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Congregation. It prepares us for the 2010 celebration of the 200th Anniversary of Don Bosco’s birth near Turin, Italy on August 16, 1815.

The relics of Don Bosco have been recomposed from the urn that contained his remains since 1929 when the body was exhumed for his beatification and canonization. The bones and tissues of the right hand and arm have been taken and placed within a wax replica of St. John Bosco's body, whic in turn is enclosed in a large urn.

The urn was constructed specially for this pilgrimage. It is composed of a large glass box in which the wax replica is placed, and easily viewed. The box is mounted atop a large wood and metal cart. Among the urn's decorations are the words, "Da mihi animas, ceatera tolle," which translates to, "Give me souls, take away the rest," one of Don Bosco's many quotes that guided his ministry from its earliest stages through today. Images of young faces also surround the urn, as well as maps showing where the Salesian Family is present today. Finally, the years 1815 and 2015 are places near the base, serving as a reminder of the purpose of this Relic Pilgrimage: in 2015, the Salesian Family, and the Church as a whole, will celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Don Bosco's birth in 1815.

The urn weighs 820 kilograms (over 1,800 pounds!). The glass box, containing the relic, is 253 centimeters long (almost 100 inches), 108.3 centimeters wide (over 40 inches), and 132 centimeters tall (over 50 inches). The full urn is tranported via two specially designed and built trucks.

In September 2010, Don Bosco's relics will arrive in the United States of America from Mexico. The pilgrimage through the USA will begin on September 11, in California, where Don Bosco's sons began their work in the United States. After several stops in California, the relic will travel to the West Bank of New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 19, 2010. From there, it will go to St. Petersburg, Belle Glade, and Miami, Florida. From Florida, the relic will travel to Washington, DC, where it will be visible at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The relic will then visit New York for several days, including a stop at the Salesians' Marian Shrine for a large Youth Rally and another at St. Patrick's Cathedral. From NY, the relic will travel to Chicago, from where it will prepare to cross yet another international border into Canada! The Relic will visit Toronto (St. Benedict Parish - Oct 5, 2010), Montreal, and Surrey, before it departs for the Far East on October 10, 2010.

We invite you to browse the official website for more information about the Relic's visit to the United States of America and Canada.

Maybe you are asking yourself "Why do Catholics venerate relics anyway? Is there any basis in the Bible for this tradition? Are relics just superstion?" To read more about the meaning and importance of relics in our Catholic tradtion, please click here.

Don Bosco's Relic to Visit St. Petersburg, Florida!

2010-09-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

From September 22 - 23, the relics of St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco will be visiting the Diocese of St. Petersburg as part of a world-wide pilgrimage to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian community and the 200th anniversary of John Bosco's birth. This is a unique opportunity for us to gather as local church for prayer and to be inspired by the life of this great saint of the Church.

n contrast to a traditional pilgrimage in which one would travel to Italy to venerate the relics of St. John Bosco, the relics are traveling to the faithful around the world. This allows for those who have benefitted from the ministry of the Salesians of Don Bosco or have a devotion to St. John Bosco to make a pilgrimage without having to travel to Italy. This is truly in keeping with the work of John Bosco who always felt it important to go to the people to whom he ministered.

The relics will be located at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle and there will be a series of prayer services and presentations as well as opportunity for quiet prayer and reflection throughout the relics' visit. Highlights include the welcoming prayer service and a Mass to be celebrated by Bishop Lynch at 8:15 AM on Thursday, September 23 in the Cathedral.

For more information about the schedule of events please click here.

Don Bosco's Relic in Louisiana

2010-09-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

The relic of Don Bosco is set to visit our Salesian Family in Louisiana! Fr. Jim McKenna, SDB has written a letter for the Salesian Family of the Westbank and all those who would like to come and share the grace and joy of the visit! Here is a link to the dates and times.

St. Rosalie Church 608 First Ave. Harvey, LA Monday, Sept. 20, 2010 7:00 a.m. til 9:00 p.m.

(504) 340‐1962

Alario Center 2000 Segnette Blvd. Westwego, LA Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010 10:00 a.m. til 12:00 p.m.

(504) 340‐6727

St. John Bosco Church 2114 Oakmere Dr. Harvey, LA Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010 5:00 p.m. til 10:00 p.m. (504) 340‐0444

Don Bosco is coming to Chicago!

2010-09-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the Schedule for the visit to Chicago:

October 2
5:30 pm
Gathering at Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe for prayer and fellowship while preparing for arrival of Relic at O'Hare Airport. Upon arrival, a procession of cars will accompany the Relic to St. Ferdinand Parish.

7:00 pm
Reception of the Relic at St. Ferdinand Parish
Procession of Relic along McVicker Ave to St. John Bosco Parish

8:15 pm
Welcoming Ceremony at St. John Bosco Parish:

Prayer Service presided by Bishop Garcia

Music led by Polish Highlanders

9:00 pm
Relic is placed inside the Church, where the faithful are welcome to Venerate the Relic

9:30 pm
All-Night Vigil Begins

October 3
7:00 am
Parish Mass in Spanish

8:30 am
Prayers, led by those in Consecrated life and seminarians

9:00 am
Rosary for Vocations

9:30 am
Parish Mass in English

11:00 am
Parish Mass in Spanish

1:00 pm
Outdoor Mass

2:30 pm
Youth Rally
schedule coming soon!

3:30 pm
Break-Out Sessions

5:00 pm
Youth Rally continues

6:00 pm
Outdoor Prayer, "Good Night", and Blessing

7:00 pm
Parish Mass in Spanish

8:30 pm
All Night Vigil Begins

October 4
8:00 am
Parish Mass in English

9:00 am
Closing Prayer Service

10:00 am
Relics Depart for Canada

Don Bosco Among Us in Washington D.C.

2010-09-08T05:26:00.000-07:00

The Salesian Family in Washington D.C. are preparing for the visit of Don Bosco's relic! You can check out the site here.

Basilica of the National Shrine

of the

Immaculate Conception

(Upper Church)

September 28, 2010

Schedule

8:30 am

Welcoming the Relic

Opening Service

9:30 am – 6:00pm

Continuous

Veneration of the Relic

6:30 pm

Eucharist

concluding the day of Pilgrimage and Veneration of the Relic

Archbishop

Donald W. Wuerl

Celebrant and Homilist

Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepcion

(Iglesia principal)

28 de septiembre 2010

Horario

8:30 am

Bienvenida Oficial de la Reliquia y Servicio de Apertura

9:30 am – 6:00 pm

Veneración continúa de la Reliquia

6:30 pm

Eucaristía concluyendo el día de Peregrinaje y la Veneración de la Reliquia

Arzobispo

Donald W. Wuerl

Celebrante y Homilista

Bishop Barbarito of Palm Beach Speaks about the Visit of the Relic of Don Bosco!

2010-09-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

A casket containing relics of St. John Bosco is scheduled to visit the United States and Canada beginning in mid-September, 16 months after a world tour reaching 100 nations. The pilgrimage of the relics began April 25, 2009, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesians of Don Bosco and is to continue until shortly before the 200th anniversary of the saint's birth near Turin, Italy, on Aug. 16, 1815.

The relics will arrive for a two-day visitation in Belle Glade, FL on Friday September 24, 2010 at St. Philip Benizi parish, 710 South Main Street, Belle Glade. All are invited to attend a Mass which will be celebrated by Most Rev. Gerald M. Barbarito, Bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Friday September 24, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Immediately following the Mass, the public will be invited to remain in prayer as the church will be open until 11:00 p.m. for continued devotion and veneration. On Saturday September 25, 2010 all are invited to participate in a Mass celebrated by the pastor, Fr. Joseph Santa-Bibiana S.D.B. at 8:00 a.m. Following the Mass there will be once again an opportunity for the public to prayerfully venerate the relics throughout the day. At 3:30 p.m. there will be a special time of prayer for Salesian “alumni” (*those who have attended Salesian schools and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christian Schools and all friends of St. John Bosco). Joining in the day’s devotion will be retired Salesian auxiliary Bishop from Boston, MA, Most Rev. Emilio Simeon Allue. All events are open to the general public. For the tour, the bones and tissues of the right hand and arm of the 19th-century Italian saint have been placed within a wax replica of St. John Bosco's body, which is being displayed in a glass box mounted on a large wood and metal cart.

The display -- weighing more than 1,800 pounds and measuring approximately 8 feet long, 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall -- has been transported around the world by plane and in specially designed and built trucks.
The veneration of relics is an important aspect of the devotional life of the Catholic Church. It connects the people of God with the sanctified remains of holy men and women who now intercede for the Church in heaven. The scheduled stops in North America include: California, New Orleans, Florida, Washington, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and Surrey, British Columbia.

For more information about Saint John Bosco and the “Pilgrimage of Relics” to the Diocese of Palm Beach and other regions in Florida please visit http://www.donboscoamongus.org or contact the parish of St. Philip Benizi at 561-996-3870.

"His heart remains here!"

2010-08-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

On 23 August the journey involving Don Bosco`s relics in Querétaro in southern Mexico came to an end after visiting 19 different places.

The common feature everywhere the casket went was the number of faithful who wanted to see, albeit briefly, the, the relics of the Father of youth, and who wanted to pray before him.

The Casket will continue its journey through Mexico until 11 September, and is now in the region covered by Mexico-Guadalajara (MEG), the Salesian province and Mexico-Monterrey (MMO) which is the Sisters` province.

The first stop along this second part of the pilgrimage was in Celaya where many people spent the night praying and thanking God while waiting to venerate Don Bosco`s relics, which arrived at 4 a.m. Then, briefly, in Guanajuato State, the Casket came to Irapuato and thence to León.

In León there was a huge crowd. Civil Protection authorities estimated there to be around 60,000 people who filed past at the various points where the Casket stopped. Most were at the National San Juan Bosco Shrine, then the Metropolitan Cathedral in León and the Salesians` Don Bosco Boys Town.

The manifestation of faith and devotion of the people who “visited” Don Bosco made one think of the undeniable truth of something said by Fr Renato Ziggiotti, 5th successor of Don Bosco, when he visited the city: “His body might be in Turin, but his heart is here in León!”.

At the moment the Casket is in Guadalajara where it will remain two days before proceeding through other parts of the country.

Further information can be found on www.donbosco.mx.

The Latest Info on Don Bosco's Relic and the Youth Rally at the Marian Shrine

2010-08-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

Wednesday - Sept 29, 2010

Morning-set up tent and prepare all arrangements for check in
Set up stage
3:00 set up sound systems
5-7pm-check in for all team leaders and groups who are staying
8:00pm-team meetings-final run throughs
Welcome of the relic
10:00- Reflection on Don Bosco and night prayers (Chapel)
11:30 -retire

Thursday - Sept 30, 2010
8:00am-- relic to Outdoor altar
8:00-9:30am-- all will view relic
Breakfast- pavilion
Some animation by Becchi House
Procession of Relic
10:00am-Youth Rally ---music -animation-skit---prayer
Rector Majors taped address, Provincial welcomes

Schedule for 1-Hour Youth Rally during Relic Day

Opening Medley
Intros of Meg and Mike (aka Mag Dee) as MCs (1 min)
(Salesian Scene It Question - 1 min?)
Icebreaker - How to say hello around the US (about 5mins)
Shout-outs (about 1 min)
Rector Major (about 4mins)
(Salesian Scene It Question - 1 min?)
Skit/Entertainment (about 5 mins)
Fr. Provincial welcomes
(Salesian Scene It Question - 1 min?)
YouTube Who is Don Bosco? (about 4 mins)
Witness Talks (about 20 mins)
(Salesian Scene It Question - 1 min?)
Closing Song (about 3 mins)

11:00am-Holy Mass with Archbishop Dolan
12:30 lunch (visit-relic)
1:00-2:00 more music, some school bus departures,
2:00-5:00 music under the tent
3:00-Ultimate Frisbee tournaments
5:00 Dinner
6:30 Candle light Rosary
7:30 - 8:30 Korean Prayer Service
9:00PM - 10:00 PM ---Hispanic praise and worship
Stories of Don Bosco and Camp Fire

Miami Preparing for Don Bosco's Relic!

2010-08-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Miami is preparing for the relic of Don Bosco! To check out there very cool link please click here!

Don Bosco Relics in Mexico

2010-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

The video is of the second day of the visit of the relics of Don Bosco in Mexico.

Relics of St. John Bosco to Visit San Francisco

2010-08-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the CNA:

Relics of St. John Bosco will stop in San Francisco on Saturday, Sept. 11 as part of a worldwide tour commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of the patron saint of youth and students.

A portion of Don Bosco’s right arm bone is encased in a 1,800 pound reliquary. It will be driven to San Francisco’s Sts. Peter and Paul Church from Tijuana, Mexico, a press release from the church reports.

Receiving the relics will be an honor guard including members of the Knights of Malta, the Knights of Columbus, the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, the San Francisco Fire Department and the San Francisco Police Department. After the relics arrive at 11:30 p.m., the church will be open all Saturday night for veneration by the faithful.

On Sunday, Sept. 12 there will be five Masses at the church to emphasize a particular aspect of Don Bosco’s ministry: as a model of service, as an apostle to the young, as a missionary to the world, as a model of holiness, and as someone faithful for the kingdom.

Don Bosco founded the Salesian religious order to minister and to serve young people orphaned and dispossessed by the industrial revolution. He is recognized as the patron of young people, Mexican youth, boys, schoolchildren, apprentices, laborers, stage magicians and editors.

The saint is particularly revered in Latin America and news of his relics’ visit has reportedly generated great enthusiasm, especially among the Latino population of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sts. Peter and Paul Church was the first place the Salesians established a presence in North America, but the Salesians are not numerous in the United States. However, they serve an important role in other countries. Because of their work, the Salesian founder’s relics were received in some countries by government dignitaries such as the presidents of Nicaragua and Honduras.

The relics have also visited Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, El Salvador, Bolivia, Guatemala and Mexico.

The Salesians are now the third largest men’s order in the Catholic Church, with over 20,000 members in 130 countries. The Salesian Sisters, known as the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, are the second largest order of women religious with 14,000 members in 89 countries.

Don Bosco at Tehuacán

2010-08-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

The relic of Saint John Bosco left the city of Puebla do los Ángeles on Wednesday 10 August for Tehuacán, where it was welcomed in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

The casket of Don Bosco was welcomed with a solemn Mass in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, in the presence of a great crowd of the faithful. The main celebrant was past pupil Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar Martínez and the concelebrants included Don Miguel Agustín Aguilar Medina, Provincial of the Mexico City Province (MEM), Don Jesús Ambrosio Ramírez Aragón, director of Unità Educativa Benavente, Don Abel Jorge Morales Cedillo, Don Crisóforo Chaves Ramírez, Don Alberto Domingo Chávez Durán, director of the liturgy, and other priests from the diocesan clergy.

In the homily, Bishop Aguilar gave a brief account of the life of Don Bosco and how he had trained his boys to be good Christians and honest citizens. He described him as “A prudent man, who had chosen St Francis de Sales and Mary Help of Christians as his patrons. A shepherd for the young, whom he considered always loved by God.”

“Don Bosco lent his attention to the rejected... the Word of God was his light, something very present, in a situation and a society which, having distanced itself from God, had need of models. May the witness of St John Bosco enable us to become yeast, fermenting the masses, and a source of change in a situation which seems impossible to transform”, the bishop insisted.

After the homage of the faithful and various spiritual activities, the relic of the Saint of Youth left Tehuacán for Mérida.

Don Bosco in Mexico (Day 1)

2010-08-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

Pilgrimage Tour of Don Bosco's Relic Arrives in Mexico

2010-08-04T05:56:00.000-07:00

You can follow Don Bosco's visit to Mexico here! Viva Don Bosco!

Relics of St. John Bosco to tour US, Canada in September, October

2010-08-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

In the tradition of pilgrimage, the relics of St. John Bosco are being carried into the towns and villages, neighborhoods and centers where the Gospel is announced among the young and the poor today. This pilgrim journey through 130 nations began on January 31, 2009, the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Congregation. It prepares us for the 2010 celebration of the 200th Anniversary of Don Bosco’s birth near Turin, Italy on August 16, 1815. For more information on the tour please click the Don Bosco Among Us site.

The following comes from the CNS:

More than 16 months after it began a world tour touching over 100 nations, a casket containing relics of St. John Bosco is scheduled to visit the United States and Canada beginning in mid-September.

The pilgrimage of the relics began April 25, 2009, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesians of Don Bosco and is to continue until shortly before the 200th anniversary of the saint's birth near Turin, Italy, on Aug. 16, 1815.

For the tour, the bones and tissues of the right hand and arm of the 19th-century Italian saint have been placed within a wax replica of St. John Bosco's body, which is being displayed in a glass box mounted on a large wood and metal cart.

The display -- weighing more than 1,800 pounds and measuring approximately 8 feet long, 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall -- has been transported around the world by plane and in specially designed and built trucks.

Its scheduled stops in North America include California, New Orleans, Florida, Washington, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and Surrey, British Columbia.

According to the Salesian News Agency, the relics have been receiving an enthusiastic welcome and yielding spiritual fruits at every stop.

"The presence of the relics among us (Salesians) has made it very clear that Don Bosco is very much alive among us, through us and in us for the benefit of many," wrote Father Horacio A. Lopez, former provincial of the La Plata province of Argentina, in a letter thanking Father Pascual Chavez Villanueva, the Salesian rector major, for the tour.

The relics were in Haiti to mark the six months that had passed since the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation. In a video message in the Creole language that accompanied the relics, Father Chavez expressed solidarity with the people of Haiti and prayed that "this tragedy may be transformed into a blessing for the country."

"Let us rebuild the country; Haiti must be reborn," he said. "Young people, don't be discouraged but work to bring new life to the country."

The itinerary for the pilgrimage thus far has included Italy and most of the Latin American countries. On July 29, the relics were traveling from Honduras to El Salvador; they were scheduled to arrive in California from Mexico Sept. 11.

Here is the schedule for the relics in the United States and Canada:

-- Sept. 11-13, San Francisco.

-- Sept. 14, Richmond, Berkeley and Watsonville, Calif.

-- Sept. 15, Watsonville and Los Angeles.

-- Sept. 16, Los Angeles and Rosemead, Calif.

-- Sept. 17-18, Bellflower, Calif.

-- Sept. 19-20, Harvey, La.

-- Sept. 21, Westwego, La.

-- Sept. 21-22, Harvey, La.

-- Sept. 22-23, St. Petersburg, Fla.

-- Sept. 24-25, Belle Glade, Fla.

-- Sept. 25-26, Miami.

-- Sept. 26-29, Washington, D.C.

-- Sept. 30, Stony Point, N.Y.

-- Oct. 1-2, New York City.

-- Oct. 4-6, Toronto.

-- Oct. 6-8, Montreal.

-- Oct. 8-10, Surrey, British Columbia.

After the relics leave Canada, they are scheduled to travel through 17 countries of East Asia for about a year.

Father Vaclav Klement, Salesian general councilor for missions in Rome, said the relics will tour Asia in three forms -- a casket, reliquary and statue -- "for culture-specific reasons."

"South Korea, Philippines and Thailand will get the traditional life-size casket containing a statue of Don Bosco similar to the one preserved in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians" in Turin, he said in a statement. "Japan will have an ostensory of the relics in a monstrance-type reliquary. Other Asian countries will have a near-life-size statue of Don Bosco with his relics."

"Everywhere the casket has received overwhelmingly grand reception beyond our expectations and calculations," said Father Pier Luigi Zuffetti, relics tour coordinator and director of Don Bosco Missions in Valdocco, Italy.

"In Asia, we expect the same enthusiasm, not only from Christians but also from thousands of past pupils and friends of Don Bosco coming from religious traditions other than Christianity," he added.

Honduras: Don Bosco always present

2010-07-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

On Monday 26 July coming from Managua, Nicaragua, Don Bosco’s casket arrived in Tegucigalpa. Landing at the International Airport of Toncontín, it was welcomed by a guard of honour from the Salesian schools and accompanied on its journey.

Religious, civil and military Authorities, Salesian pupils and past-pupils took part in the welcoming ceremony for the saint of youth. Placed on a mobile platform, the casket began its journey accompanied by Bishop Luis Alfonso Santos Villeda SDB bishop of the diocese of Santa Rosa de Copan, by Fr Luis Corral, Provincial of Central America (CAM), and by the Provincial of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) Sr Sandra Yela.

From the airport the casket went to the parish of Mary Help of Christians among the hills of Comayaguela, a twin city of Tegucigalpa, where Bishop Santos presided at Mass.

Next morning Tuesday 27 July, Don Bosco’s casket made its triumphal entry into the Saint Michael the Archangel Institute in Tegucigalpa, where it was welcomed by hundreds of pupils from various Salesian Institutes; here with hymns and songs the young people accompanied the Mass celebrated by the Salesian Archbishop Oscar Julio Vian Morales, of Los Altos Quetzaltenango-Totonicapán and concelebrated by Bishop Santos and various Salesian priests.

Early in the afternoon the casket was taken to the city Cathedral, filled with thousands of the faithful, are ready to stay in prayer close to Don Bosco. After being among them for three hours the casket was taken to the church of the “San Miguel” Institute where there was Mass for the local Salesian Family. During the Mass at which Archbishop Vian presided, three Salesians-Cooperators made their promise.

At the end of the Mass the young people expressed their joy and affection for Don Bosco and then there was a prayer vigil with hymns until mid-night.

Yesterday, 28 July, the relics of Don Bosco went to the Mary Help of Christians Institute and then to the Basilica of Our Lady of Supaya, Patron of the country, where Mass was said. The pilgrimage now passes to El Salvador.

St. John Bosco's Relics now in Honduras

2010-07-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Zenit site:

Now in Honduras, soon to be in El Salvador, the relics of St. John Bosco are being taken to communities throughout Central America.

The year 2015 will mark the 200th anniversary of John Bosco's birth, and his relics have been on tour since June as part of the celebration. St. John Bosco is the founder of the Salesians and well-known for his work with youth.

A glass urn with a life-size statue of the saint contains the relics: bones from his right hand and forearm. The statue is a model of the one in the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians in Turin, Italy, where the remains of the saint rest.

Salesian Father Tadeusz Rozmus reflected that the right hand of this saint is significant because with it he "blessed, wrote the [Salesian] constitutions, the Catholic letters and absolved sins."

The saint's relics are in Honduras until Wednesday, when they will travel to El Salvador.

The urn was already in Costa Rica and was also taken to Nicaragua. There, President Daniel Ortega and Cardinal Miguel Obando Bravo, retired archbishop of Managua, participated in a ceremony with the relics.

The relics will be in Mexico from Aug. 4 to Sept. 11, and from there go to the United States. In Mexico, the relics will be taken to 30 cities.

Don Bosco's relics were blessed on April 25 in Turin by the Salesian superior-general, Mexican Father Pascual Chávez Villanueva. During their five-year pilgrimage, they will be taken to some 130 countries.

Don Bosco's Relic arrives in Costa Rica

2010-07-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

Early in the afternoon of 20 July, Don Bosco’s casket arrived at the “Tobías Bolaños” aeroport in San José, Costa Rica; waiting for it was a large crowd of students, in the uniforms of the Salesian institutes and many people waving welcoming banners.

A long procession of vehicles then accompanied to casket to the “La Sabana” Park, where Don Bosco was officially welcomed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Leonardo Garnier, who underlined the importance of Don Bosco, as the patron of technical education and the model for every kind of formation.

Then the casket was taken to the Mary Help of Christians Sixth Form College of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians where the arrival was greeted with great joy and the sports hall was not big enough to accommodate all the youngsters who wanted to be near the saint. The FMA were the first to have the privilege of approaching the casket and venerating Don Bosco.

Then the crowd filed past and all wanted to touch the casket with a handerchief or some other object to receive a blessing. Not even the rain was able to dampen the youthful enthusiasm and silence the songs and prayers to Don Bosco which were the dominant notes of the festive occasion.

At 18.30 the casket was taken to the Institute of the “Colegio Don Bosco”, in the “El Zapote” district. Here inside the school chapel Mass was said by Bishop Guillermo Loría Garita of San Isidro de El General.

During the night there was a prayer vigil in the Salesian Institute led by the young people and which featured their prayers, hymns, joy and enthusiasm all in honour of Don Bosco.

Panama – Great procession for the Patron of the city

2010-07-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

On Sunday 18 July, at the end of Mass celebrated in the Basilica of Don Bosco in Panama City thousands of people took part in a procession of the Patron Saint of the city. The celebration which started from the Basilica, also ended there.

18 July was a day never to be forgotten for the people of Panama. Midway through the mornng the casket of the relic of Don Bosco was carried into the Basilica dedicated to the Patron of the city, Saint John Bosco. However, before it entered the church the casket stopped at the festive oratory at the side of the Basilica, where the children were waiting. By a curious coincidence, ther meeting which even more significant: on Sunday in Panama they were celebrating childrens’ day. The little artists began their performances and one can imagine how at ease Don Bosco would have felt in their company on this occasion.

At midday there was the solemn Mass at which Fr Luis Corral, Provincial of Central America presided and at which a number of Salesian priests concelebrated. In spite of the huge size of the church not everyone managed to get in. When the Mass was over, the people were able to express their affection for Don Bosco as they were able to approach his casket and have direct contact with the saint who is so much loved in this country.

In the afternoon at 16.00, the procession began: thousands of the faithful accompanied Don Bosco’s casket with hymns and prayers, in a triumphal procession through the streets of the city, and those who were not on the streets gazed down from the windows and balconies many taking photographs. Finally the procession returned to the Basilica, where there was a firework display as a sign of joy and general satisfaction.

At midnight, in a solemn ceremony, the casket was changed. Now Don Bosco’s relics will continue their journey in Central America in a heavier and more elaborately decorated casket.

Haiti – Don Bosco, a presence and a source of hope

2010-07-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

On Thursday 8 July on its way from the Dominican Republic, Don Bosco’s casket arrived in Haiti. The Provincial of the Antilles (ANT), Fr Víctor Pichardo, solemnly handed it over to Fr Ducange Sylvain, Superior of the “Blessed Philip Rinaldi” Vice Province of Haiti.

Don Bosco arrived in Haiti six months after the earthquake devastated the country, and was welcomed by a people full of life, of joy, of hope, in spite of all the difficulties of the recent months.

Emphasising the importance of the presence of Don Bosco’s casket in Haiti, especially for the young, Fr Sylvain said: “My dear friends we are here to welcome to our country the relics of Saint John Bosco. It is a great joy for the Salesians and the Salesian Family to savour this moment, a dream which today has finally become reality. With Don Bosco, you too are all welcome to this country so beautiful and so loved, where Don Bosco has been at work since 1935, with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, and since 1936 with the Salesians.”

Addressing Don Bosco he said: “You are here in this Haiti so terribly wounded, exploited, humiliated abandoned by her own children; this Haiti which seemed to collapse, but which little by little is picking herself up thanks to the efforts of those who love her only because they love God and their neighbour.” Referring to the words of the Rector Major Fr Pascual Chávez, who was in Haiti between 12 and 15 February Fr Sylvain renewed the appeal: “Haiti must be born again”.

Presiding at the welcoming ceremony was Archbishop Louis Kebreau SDB, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cap-Haïtien and President of the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti.

The presence of Don Bosco’s relics in Haiti, which will end on 17 July, is a sign that is meant to nourish the hope and the faith of the people and above all of the young. The Salesian Family has been preparing spiritually for the arrival of the casket since 29 June, organising in every community a novena in honour of Saint John Bosco.

Relic of Don Bosco Heads for Haiti

2010-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

The following comes fromt the Salesian News Agency:

At the end of the very intense pilgrimage in the Dominican Republic, Don Bosco’s casket has arrived at the frontier with Haiti. Don Bosco’s relics, which have already been enthusiastically received by many Salesian communties in south and central America, come to Haiti as it continues to try to cope with the effects of the earthquake on 12 January.

Th casket spent its last days in the Dominican Republic visiting Salesian centres in the region of Cibao, where it was admired by thousands of people especially children and young people from Salesian centres in the north of the country. At Jarabacoa, the most important centre of the Salesians in the Antilles (ANT), with two formation houses, a school, a parish, a retreat centre and other social activities, the people flocked to the Salesian centres to see the casket and to spend some time in prayer close to it. Then it was the turn of the technical and agricultural school in La Vega, and Moca, near the sanctuary dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus where the charism of Don Bosco has been warmly welcomed over the years that the Salesians have spent in this central region of the Dominican Republic.

For the last two days the casket was at Santiago de los Caballeros, where in addition to being taken to the Salesian house in the city, it was on display for the faithful inside the Cathedral. On Wednesday 7 July, the final day in the “Saint John Bosco” Province of the Antilles, it was venerated by hundreds of people gathered at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Salesian house in the city of Mao. Yesterday morning, 8 July it set out on its way to Haiti.

Fr Hiram Santiago, President of the Central Commission for the visit accompanied the casket as it was transferred to the Salesians in the neighbouring Haiti. The first community to be visited in the country struck by the earthquake will be Fort-Liberté, about 200 kilometres from Port-au-Prince, the epicentre of the quake.

Don Bosco in the Dominican Republic

2010-07-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

The Relic of Don Bosco arrives in Santo Domingo

2010-06-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

Having arrived last Friday 25 June from Puerto Rico, Don Bosco’s casket was welcomed in Santo Domingo, in the Antilles Province (ANT), by Fr Víctor Pichardo, the Provincial with members of the Provincial Council.

In front of the monument of Fra Antón de Montesinos, one of the first Christian missionaries in the Americas, on the road from the port to the capital, there was a welcomng ceremony, which was followed by a procession to the Cathedral of Saint Mary Minor’s where the Metropolitan Artcbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez, presided at Mass.

At the Mass as well as a large number of Salesians, various bishops and the Nuncio Apostolic were also the Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Dr Rafael Alburquerque, representing the President and the President of the Senate, Mr. Reinaldo Pared Pérez, a Salesian Past Pupil.

At the end of the Mass Dr. Alburquerque said: “Don Bosco, whose relics we are welcoming today is still alive, not only because he is remembered with respect and veneration by the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, but also and above all on account of the works which he planned and created which continue to operate and to educate the young throughout the world, giving protection to the poor and to the suffering and instilling the love of God and the Christian faith through oratories and parishes.

Here, in the Dominican Republic his heritage is immeasurable. Bearing witness to his great love for the poor are Don Bosco’s young women and me who with twelve centres around the country, provide care and education for girls and boys from the most vulnerable sections of our society. Youth Centres, Schools, Health Centres and Projects for human development have accompanied the progress of Don Bosco in this part of the Caribbean.

There is no doubt that Don Bosco is still alive, and alive for the benefit of the young, who can take advantage of his works. As Vice President I share in the joy we all feel in welcoming Don Bosco, and at the same time I express to the whole Salesian Family the gratitude of the Dominican government and people for all the great help they give to the young in spreading and continuing to practice the ideals and good works of the one who in the past conquered the hearts of the humble ones and who continues to do so today.”

After being made available for the veneration of all those present, the casket was taken to the Don Bosco Institute in the city, by way of the Provincial House, where for the rest of the day, that night and the following day Saturday the public were able to venerate it.

Celebrate: Don Bosco Among Us!

2010-06-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco arrives in Venezuela

2010-05-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

Don Bosco began his travels around the “Saint Luke” Province of Venezuela, starting from “San Antonio de Táchira” and then heading for Caracas, where he will stay until today Friday 28 May.
On 25 May at 06.00 in the Salesian community of Cúcuta, Fr Leonardo Gomez, Economer of the Province of Bogotà, handed over the keys of the Don Bosco’s casket to the Salesian Family in Venezuela, represented by the Provincial Fr Luciano Stefani, who in his turn handed them to Fr Elias Kasrin, guardian of the casket.

Because of the bad weather encountered on the way to Caracas the plane had to change course and so quite unplanned Don Bosco passed over the lake of Maracaibo, a very significant place geographically which recalls the missionary dream of Don Bosco: oil, water Venezuela...! His dream in 1883 became reality.

Don Bosco finally arrived in Caracas accompanied by Fr Luciano Stefani, Fr Luis G. Prato, Mrs Beatriz Saira, and two Past Pupils. Waiting for him were the Provincial of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians Sr Maria Eugenia Ramos, Sr Inmaculada Hurtado, Fr Raul Biord, Mrs, Director of Religious Affairs for the Ministry of Justice and a group of children from the Don Bosco house in Sarria.

From there with a police escort and accompanied by young people along the road dedicated to St John Bosco the relic was taken Institute of Mary Help of Christians in Altamira. Along the way drivers and pedestrians could not avoid observing the joy and enthusiasm with which Don Bosco was accompanied on the first stage of his journey in Caracas.

The courtyard of the Institute was filled with children and young people who sang and danced in honour of Don Bosco. The welcoming ceremony was organised by Sr Mariela Ojeda, Superior of the Institute and a team of teachers and other staff.

Later in the "San José de Tarbes” Centre, a group of children welcomed Don Bosco to their school; the casket stayed for only 30 minutes but there was sufficient time for the children to sing the National Hymn and other songs in honour of Don Bosco.

The casket was then transferred to the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians in Sarria. There in a religious ceremony Bishop Jesús González de Zarate Salas, auxiliary bishop of the city, greeted and welcomed Don Bosco, and invited everyone to reconciliation and to be authentic disciples and missionaries of the Church in Venezuela. Also present was Bishop Pedro Nicolás Bermúdez Villamizar, another auxiliary bishop of Caracas.

Also present at the ceremony were the Mayor Antonio Ledezma and the Prefect of Caracas, Richard White. The songs, prayers and dances and magic tricks enabled everyone there to have a real meeting with Don Bosco.

The Pilgrimage of Don Bosco Finishes in Columbia

2010-05-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

The city of Cúcuta was the last place in Colombia to host and pay homage to Don Bosco’s casket with crowds of youngsters and the faithful taking part in all the activities organised for the occasion.
The presence of Don Bosco’s casket in Cúcuta brought everyone together for a great celebration on the night of Sunday 23 May when all the Catholics in the capital of the Department of Norte de Santander welcomed the saint of youth with a Mass at which the Bishop of the city Jaime Prieto Amaya presided in the Cathedral of St Joseph.

At the end of the welcoming Mass for the relics, thousands of youngsters from the various institutes in the city together with the faithful lined up for a torchlight procession to accompany the casket from the Cathedral to the Salesian Institute. Here, during the night there was a firework display expressing joy at the presence of the relics of Don Bosco and honouring them.

“The very impressive special welcome given by the people of Cúcuta to Don Bosco, makes us feel really appreciated. The welcome given in other places the casket has visited has been great, but this one in Cúcuta is bigger, not only because of the number of those present but also because of the crowds of youngsters we have found” the Salesian Fr Edgar Palacios declared. The presence of the youngsters with their songs and joyful excitement made the whole city aware of the presence of Don Bosco in Cúcuta.

Today, 25 May Don Bosco’s casket begins its travels around Venezuela, in the city of San Antonio di Táchira, and from there it will go to the various Salesian centres in the “Saint Luke” Province until 17 June. Present at the handing over ceremony for the casket will be Fr Luciano Stefani, Provincial of Venezuela.

Don Bosco's First Dream

2010-05-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco continues in Medellín, Columbia

2010-05-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco in Medellín, Columbia

2010-04-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco's Relic Arrives in Columbia

2010-04-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Don Bosco's Relic Departs from Ecuador

2010-04-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

Among the solemn events held yesterday 27 April, the final day of the presence of Don Bosco’s casket in Ecuador, was a Mass celebrated in the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians in Guayaquil attended by the President of Ecuador Rafael Correa. The Mass which came at the conclusion of the visit of the casket to the “Cristobal Colón” Institute was also attended by various religious and civil authorities.

When he spoke, the Head of State, who spent some minutes in front of the casket referred to the work of the Salesians and to how he had learned from them a commitment to the poor, to young people and to the native peoples. “Don Bosco is my favourite saint,” he said as he thanked the Salesians, in the name of the people of Ecuador, for their work in the country: “Thanks to you Salesians for what you have done and for what you continue to do.”

In conclusion President Correa asked the young people to pray for the government and especially for him so that he might remain faithful to Don Bosco. His final words, “Don Bosco stay with us” were repeated by the many faithful present who also applauded the President.

Rafael Correa received from the hands of the Provincial of Ecuador, Fr Marcelo Farfán, a small statue of Don Bosco and, led by Fr Luciano Bellini, Rector of the Salesian community he visited some parts of the “Cristobal Colón” Institute where he had been a teacher.

At the end of Mass the casket was taken to the “Dominic Savio” Institute and then in the evening to the “Voltaire Paladines Polo” Square where there was a farewell Mass before it left for Colombia.

The Pilgrimage of Don Bosco to Us!

2010-04-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

Pilgrimages usually mean that people travel to a sanctuary or holy ground to pray… and pilgrimages have been part of the movement of all the great religions.

This is a reverse kind of pilgrimage where, instead of people going to the sanctuary where a saint is venerated, the saint will go to the people. The relics of Don Bosco transported to us have all the meaning of a pilgrimage, even though it is the saint who travels to our sanctuary instead of us traveling to his.

In recent years, the relics of St Therese of the Child Jesus have been transported around the globe, and the relics of Blessed Piergiorgio Frassati were venerated in Melbourne for WYD 2008.
This is not the first time Don Bosco’s remains are transported in pilgrimage. This happened in 1929 (from Valsalice to Turin, when the remains of the saint were enshrined in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians) and in 1959 (when Pope John XXIII requested that the relics be brought to St Peters along with those of St Pius X for days of prayer among children and youth). The movement on those occasions, however solemn, was quite minimal.

From 2009 to 2014, the relics of Don Bosco are being transported worldwide, to over 100 countries. People in Italy and Latin America have received the urn with great enthusiasm and devotion.

How will the relics be met in the USA, and specifically in the USA and Canada?

Significance of Pilgrimage

2010-04-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

As Christianity is born in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so from the earliest times the Christian community has honored the mortal remains of the martyrs and saints, recalling how their lives mirrored the Gospel, and how their passage to Glory is an encouragement to the living to persevere in faith and witness.

The pilgrimage of the casket of Don Bosco recalls the ancient devotion of the faithful to the cult of the martyrs and saints as ultimately a devotion to Christ Resurrected. This event introduces the Salesian Family to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Don Bosco in 2015 (as the pilgrimage is ongoing from 2009 through 2014.

The pilgrimage is an occasion to study Don Bosco’s life and mission, so that testimony of his life will help us to imitate his faith, his love of the Lord and his zeal for all people, but above all for the young and the poor.

The pilgrimage is a worldwide event. The 3 weeks that the relics will be in our province is part of a larger journey. In a real sense, then, Don Bosco’s “visit” to the US and Canada is a visit to the churches and societies today, that would become an invitation to a renewed sense of faith among youth and young adults, and the wider Catholic population in solidarity with the rising generations.

Don Bosco is Coming to the USA and Canada!

2010-04-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Check out the Don Bosco Among Us website for the latest information!

The Friend of the young and the poor is coming to the US and the world! The urn of Don Bosco's relic is on pilgrimage around the world. Here is the schedule for DB's relic tour in our provinces in the USA:

US West: Saturday, Sept. 11 -- Tuesday, Sept. 14 : in northern California
Wednesday, Sept. 15 -- Sunday, Sept. 19: in southern California

New Orleans: September 19-20 veneration at St. Rosalie Parish in Harvey, La.
September 21, Youth Rally at Alario Center in Westwego, La.
September 21-22 veneration at St. John Bosco Parish in Harvey, La.

Florida: September 22-23 at St. Jude Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Florida
September 24-25 veneration at St. Philip Benizi Parish in Belle Glade
September 25 veneration at Immaculata/LaSalle High School in Miami
September 26 veneration at St. John Bosco Parish in Miami

Washington, DC: September 26-29 veneration at the National Shrine

New York Schedule
Thursday, September 30, 2010*Marian Shrine - Stony Point, NY
7:30 am - All committee members and team leaders be ready
8:20 am - Casket of Don Bosco to outdoor altar

8:30 am - Group arrives and see casket and go eat breakfast

9:30 am - Parade or procession between outdoor altar and stage

9:45 am - Stop at Becchi house for photo

10:00 am - Youth Rally

11:00 am - Mass

12:30 pm - Lunch

1:15 pm - Departure for some

3:00 pm - Ultimate Frisbee

5:00 pm - Barbecue dinner

7:00 pm - Candle Light Rosary

8:30 pm - Adoration All night - other - devotion and activities

Friday, October 1, 2010*St. Patrick's Cathedral
Veneration of the Relic (10:00 am - 11:00 pm)
Welcoming Ceremony (10:00 am)
Mass with Archbishop Timothy Dolan (7:00 pm)
Cathedral Stays Open to 11:00 pm

Saturday, October 2, 2010*St. Patrick's Cathedral
Veneration of the Relic (6:30 am - 10:00 am)

Toronto: October 4-6 (Veneration at St. Benedict's Parish)
Montreal: October 6-8 veneration at Maria Ausiliatrice Parish

Surrey: October 8-10 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish

More details will follow as they become available!