DON BOSCO'S MADONNA · 2016. 2. 1. · February 2016 4 Don Bosco’s Madonna February 2016 5 Don Bosco’s Madonna CEL SERIES LIFE: AN EMPTY PICKLE JAR? Fr. Erasto Fernandez, sss

2 3February 2016 Don Bosco’s Madonna Don Bosco’s MadonnaFebruary 2016Fr. Ian Doulton sdb

From The Editor's Desk:Lent: A Time to be (Re)Born.....3

Life: An Empty Pickle Jar- Fr. Erasto Fernandez. SSS....4

Youth on the Move: I’m Going To Be Thankful - Melanie D’Souza...................7

Salesian Saint: Bl Joseph Kowalski.................11

Witnesses In And For Our Times:St Miguel Febres Cordero.......12

Lectio Divina: Transfiguration of the Body- Ian Pinto, sdb.....................16

Quietspaces: Entrust Your Trials to Mary- Pope Francis............................18

Dark Is The Valley- Fr. Ian Doulton's Collection...20

Don Bocso’s Identity: The Human Faceof Don Bosco (11)

- Fr. Elias Dias, SDB..................24

Reflecting on Mary: Pope Francis and Our Lady - Mario Morra.........28

Walking With the Church: No Perfect Church, Will All be Saved?......30

NewsBits.....................................31In a Cheerful Mood......................15The Devotion of

the Three Hail Marys.............33Loving Children to their

Loving Mother........................34They Are Grateful to

Our Lady & Don Bosco..........34Thanks to Dear

St. Dominic Savio...................35

CONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTSCONTENTS

DON BOSCO'S MADONNA Mumbai FEBRUARY 2016 vol.17 No. 10

LENT: A TIME TO BE (RE)BORNBack in the days of my high school Latin, I figured out that the word

“Lent” was derived from the ancient word lentus. The word means“slow,” and that seemed to reflect the sombre and more reserved natureof the period. At about the same time, I discovered the musical termlento, which was a direction that a piece should be played in a slow,deliberate tempo. For a high school student struggling to make itthrough six and a half weeks without sweets or desserts or whateverelse I had given up, that seemed a very fitting and accurate descriptionof the time period. Over the years I came to develop a theology of Lentas a time to sobre up things in my life, a time for rumination and quiet.That felt like an appropriate theme for this special season.

Logical though that may have been, I learned quite a few years laterthat I was wrong! The name Lent is not derived from Latin at all. Itcomes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, which means the season ofspring. (A related word, lenctentid, is the Anglo-Saxon word for March,the month in which most of Lent usually falls.) It reflected the changein climate, in the Western world but not for us in the Tropics. Here wewere being ushered from comfortable temperate weather to searingheat and there was no doubt about that. (What with Climate Changeand Global Warming) Lent, therefore, wasn’t and isn’t about slowingdown at all. Quite to the contrary, it is a time of resilience and work, ofcommitment and determination. Think of youngsters getting readyfor their boards or reaching the end of an academic tenure and for therest of humankind getting into the humdrum of life after the din andtinsel of Christmas and New Year has absolutely vanished. In thehistory and theology of the Christian Church, Lent is most closelyrelated to the new life that comes in baptism.

Today, the season of Lent is still a time of renewal for us all,considering that with the festivals we’ve come through barely a monthago and the rest of year gone by before that, we have rested on the leesand gotten our hearts drugged by the monotony or mediocrity thateventually set in. That is why here comes a time to shake us out of thisstupor and sense the Spirit that is moving within our own lives,prompting us to cultivate and devise new strategies to live vibrantChristian lives here and now. It is a time when, through the classicaldisciplines of prayer, fasting, repentance, and reflection on God’spresence, we can develop and strengthen our spiritual lives and energiesin order to enliven the vocation and responsibilities to which God hascalled us.

May your Lent this year be a time of blessing, renewal, and rebirth asan individual and for us all as a community in Christ, that our livesmight be enriched as we come to know Him more and more in prayer,in witness, in worship, and in service of one another. For in each of usis born anew the power of God’s grace during this blessed time.

Sion,adorn your bridal

chamber and welcomeChrist the King;

take Mary in yourarms, who is the gate

of heaven, for she herself

is carryingthe King of glory

and new light.(From the Entrance Procession Riteof the Solemnity of the Presentation

of the Lord - 2nd February)

4 5February 2016 Don Bosco’s Madonna Don Bosco’s MadonnaFebruary 2016

CEL SERIESCEL SERIESCEL SERIESCEL SERIESCEL SERIES

LIFE: AN EMPTY PICKLE JAR?LIFE: AN EMPTY PICKLE JAR?LIFE: AN EMPTY PICKLE JAR?LIFE: AN EMPTY PICKLE JAR?LIFE: AN EMPTY PICKLE JAR?Fr. Erasto Fernandez, sss

This day, as the professor stoodbefore his eager and expect-

ant philosophy class he had someunusual items in front of him. Hebegan the class silently yet deli-berately by ceremoniously pick-ing up a very large empty picklejar and proceeded to fill it withseveral golf balls he produced asif magically. Having stuffed inthe lot into the jar he asked thestudents if they thought the jarwas full. They readily agreed thatit was. The professor next pickedup a box of pebbles and pouredthem into the jar. As he shook thejar gently the pebbles rolled intothe open spaces between the golfballs. Holding the jar up for allto see, he once more asked thestudents if the jar was full. Andagain, they wholeheartedlyagreed that it was.

The professor continued bytaking a box full of fine sand andemptied it into the jar. Needlessto remark, the sand granulesfilled up the remaining emptyspaces. He once more asked if thejar was full. The students respon-ded with an unanimous ‘yes.’ Henext produced two big glasses ofchocolate milk from under thetable and poured the entire conte-nts into the jar - effectively fillingthe empty space between the sa-nd. Seeing this, the students laug-hed heartily, still not sure whatexactly he was trying to get at!

The Moral of the StoryWhen the laughter subsided,

the professor spelt out the moral

of the enacted story. “I want youto recognize that this jar rep-resents your life. The golf ballsstand for the important things...your family, your children, yourhealth, your friends, your favou-rite passions. Things that, ifeverything else was lost and onlythey remained, your life wouldstill be full! The pebbles representthe other things that matter signi-ficantly in life like your job, yourhome, your car… The sand iseverything else...the small stuff.

“Now, if you put the sand intothe jar first, there will be no roomfor the pebbles or the golf balls.The same is true for life. If youspend all your time and energyon the small stuff, you will neverhave room for the things that arecritical to your happiness… first,take care of the golf balls - thethings that really matter. Setyour priorities, the rest is justsand.” This story is a wonderfulreminder that life is too short forus to waste it on frivolities. Weneed to learn how to focus onwhat is most important in ourlives, specifically on the very

purpose for which God sent usher – our God-given mission.

First Things FirstMost of us hurry through life

going from one place to the next,focused on conquering the high-est mountain, making the higher,more profitable deal, running theerrand awaiting our attention,and believing we will never haveenough time to do all the thingswe need to get done! Yet, there isall the time in the world if we justrealize that we are the ultimateshapers of the life we choose tolive. Like it or not, life is a seriesof choices and being free fromunwanted consequences is one ofthose choices we need to attendto. More importantly, is being atthe service of others as breadbroken for a new world, the keychoice we made at and throughour Baptism? If so, then all thro-ugh our lives, we would need toseek out the less travelled roadand dance to the beat of a diffe-rent drum!

While most people wouldclaim that this is ordinary com-mon sense, yet it is surprisinghow few of us pay real attentionto whether the items we give toppriority to in our crowded livesare really worth that much im-portance. For example, do per-sons always take priority overthings in our day-to-day activity?Or again, when dealing with thepeople closest to us, does a lovingstance always come first? Howoften does ‘being right’ eclipseeverything else before we regretour hasty decisions to prove oursuperiority? How often wouldwe remember Jesus’ sayingswhich should characterize a trueChristian: “if anyone strikes you

on the right cheek, turn the otheralso; and if anyone wants to sueyou and take your coat, give yourcloak as well; or if anyone forcesyou to go one mile, go also thesecond mile. Give to everyonewho begs from you, and do notrefuse anyone who wants toborrow from you! (Mt 5:39-42)

Needed - Deep Inner SecurityAnyone who seeks to walk the

straight and narrow path thatJesus recommends will soonrealize that most of his recomm-endations do not make senseunless one has first experiencedin a truly personal way, the al-most magical touch of Christ’sredeeming and transforminglove. No one who still doubts hisown self-worth deep down with-in himself could ever be able toturn the other cheek to an offen-der. He may not retaliate openlyand immediately, but undoubt-edly he would be seething withinhimself, waiting perhaps for anopportunity to get even with theaggressor. We will have passed thereal test only when we can genu-inely rejoice at being treated withscorn or disrespect because weknow for sure that we are prec-ious in the eyes of our Lord andMaster, who will never fail us.


Have You Tried Eucharist?Yet, the million dollar question

remains: how does one get to thatlevel where such a deep experi-ence of God’s personal love foroneself is a habitual thing in life?Perhaps the easiest recipe is, bel-ieve it or not, a meaningful wayof celebrating each Eucharist weparticipate in. This, very simplymeans that we actually do ineach Eucharist what Jesus calledus to do! At the heart of theEucharist, we hear his challenge:‘Do this as a memorial of Me!’ Butwhat do we do in actual practiceon hearing these enigmaticwords? At most we bow downreverently and worship the Lordpresent before us, but fail to hearhis message welling up from deepwithin us. For, more than beingpresent before us, he takes birthwithin us in each Eucharist justas truly as he did at Bethlehemof old.

But his saving birth becomeseffective only when we heed St.John’s message in his prologue:“He was in the world, and theworld came into being throughhim; yet the world did not knowhim. He came to what was hisown, and his own people did not

accept him. But to all who didreceive him, who believed in hisname, he gave power to becomechildren of God, who were born, notof blood or of the will of the flesh orof the will of man, but of God. Andthe Word became flesh andmoved into our neighbourhood,and we have seen his glory, theglory as of a father’s only son,full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:10-14). It is only when we allowJesus to be born once again intoour lives that we will experiencethe grace and truth he brings usin all its fullness.

For this to happen our recep-tion of Jesus must become muchmore personal and down-to-earth. Just as Jesus never comesto us empty-handed – he alwaysapproaches us loaded with innu-merable blessings leading to thefullness of life that characterizeshim (“I come that they may havelife, and have it abundantly” Jn10:10), so also he never comeswithout a personal request hemakes of us. No matter whatform this request might take, thecore of it is, “Can you drink theCup that I am to drink, and bebaptized with the baptism withwhich I am to be baptized?”

Jesus is first and foremost theMessiah God the Father sentamong us. “God our Savior, …desires everyone to be saved andto come to the knowledge of thetruth” (1 Tim 2:3-4). But, howmany of us hear this plea of Jesusas we receive him in Eucharisticcommunion? While we usuallyseem to be preoccupied with ourown little aches and pains, heagonizes over the suffering of thewhole of humanity and hiscompassionate Heart wants toreach out to each single sufferingmember of his Body!

But for this to have an impactin a redemptive yet tangible wayJesus needs our collaborationand hence his urgent requestwhich unfortunately falls on deafears most often. Where he meetswith a Francis of Assisi or anIgnatius of Loyola, or even aMother Teresa of Kolkota, onesees the difference immediately.Why doesn’t this happen withmost of us? Is it because our jarsare too full with inconsequentialitems? How would you want to

celebrate your next Eucharist?What practical difference wouldyou want it to have in your life?

At your next Eucharist, youcould resolve to listen carefullyafter you return to your seat hav-ing received Communion. Recallthe gist of the readings of the day– what do they challenge you todo for Jesus today? In which waywould he want you to drink of hisCup of suffering? Don’t try toforce this answer beginning withwhat you think would pleaseJesus present to you. Rather, re-main silent and listen to whatwells up within you – most likelythis will be truly what Jesus asksof you! As you continue commu-ning with him in silence, youwould need to prepare yourself forthe occasions which will surelycome up during the ensuing daywhen you will be challenged topractice precisely this quality thatJesus spoke to you about.

You can be sure of one thing: ifyou can sincerely and seriouslylive up to your offer made duringthe Eucharist, your life, almost un-known to you, will become unclut-tered of all the less importantthings that most others are sad-dled with. Wouldn’t life then belight and happy, worth living, inspite of the crosses that dog yoursteps all through the day? “Lord,make me an instrument of yourpeace” would be your constantprayer all through such an app-roach! And each night as youcount your blessings before reti-ring to bed, you can be sure thatyou will find several pleasant sur-prises, “for his great love is with-out end!” And your gratitude willbe personal, joyful and exuberantfor God has been close to you allthrough this day!

You can be sure of onething: if you can sincerely

and seriously live upto your offer made duringthe Eucharist, your life,almost unknown to you,

will become uncluttered ofall the less important

things that most othersare saddled with.


I’M GOING TO BE THANKFULI’M GOING TO BE THANKFULI’M GOING TO BE THANKFULI’M GOING TO BE THANKFULI’M GOING TO BE THANKFULMelanie D’Souza

Years roll by from teenageworld to young adulthood

and some of us may or may notlearn the virtue of gratitude.While I agree that it may be a tou-gh cookie to crumble as we growold, for a variety of reasons - thebiggest being pride, learning tobe thankful is a grace in itself,which can transform the likes ofus, for the better.

I do not know about you, butmy earliest memories of theword ‘Thank you’ was one ofmany cloud-outlined cut-outs pin-ned up on my first grade class-room softboard, as a ‘Magic Word’– “a word we use when someonedoes something nice for us”. It’sgetting harder and harder to cre-ate or feel the magic with thesewords today, though. Eitherwe’re complacent of the fact thatthe favour we received was moreof a duty by the person who didsomething for us, or we’re justnot quite aware of the favouritself.

Well, well. How do we staythankful and make it work for us?Gratitude comes with awarenessis what I’d like to believe, and sothe one thing we could try tokeep in mind is to start becom-ing highly aware of what we arefortunate to have and receive.

Then again, it is easier said thandone to not focus on things wedon’t have: like that new PSP, orclassy dress or fulfilling intern-ship or even things as serious asa life partner or a good relation-ship with a sibling or an absentparent, etc. But everyone lives anexistence that seems incompleteto themselves in their own way.So we must not drive ourselvescrazy while attempting to huntfor the missing pieces, butinstead realise and be gratefulthat life’s puzzle can still be sol-ved with the remaining pieces.

That’s the beauty of our life. Itbecomes more liveable when wecan be grateful for all things bri-ght and beautiful; all creaturesgreat and small. When we canappreciate anyone and everyonewho comes our way and the gooddeeds they do for us, it heightensour overall satisfaction with theway we view ourselves in theworld. No doubt it can be down-right difficult to be thankful foreverything, but our faith groomsus to give thanks in all circumst-ances because whatever comes ourway is simply God’s will! (I Thess5:18). And yes I mean everyone!That 1st grade Hindi teacher whoreprimanded you for not learn-ing the language fast enough and

spanked you on your knuckles;well, she sure taught you disci-pline. That ex you never want toface; once shelled out a lot on youto make you happy and taughtyou how to love. Your father mayhave once forgotten to pick youup after school and left you in thesweltering sun; but if it weren’tfor him, you would have nevermet your childhood best friend.

So basically the more thankfulwe learn to be, the less likely weare to complain about our situa-tion. And if we can keep this atti-tude of gratitude for a while,then we can beat the stereotypeof being old and grumbling allthe time.

In my short time at the Statesso far, I’ve gotten to celebrateThanksgiving, a typical Ameri-can holiday, during autumn. It isat Thanksgiving, when familymembers get together and anno-unce what they have been thank-ful for. On school softboards,you’ll even see Thanksgiving treecut-outs, where folks are invitedto pin to the tree ‘what they havebeen thankful for’ during that sea-son. -Although modern Thanks-giving celebrations don’t alwaysremember to cherish this true rea-son for the season, I think this is agreat move for the society to exp-ress their gratitude towards oneanother, for their favours exch-

anged or good deeds performed.Such a spirit is also prevalentwhen we throw parties or treatothers for some good news wereceive or dedicate a Thanks-giving Mass at our local parish.It’s giving that encouragesgratitude after all.

It’s during our own season ofLent when we suddenly becomeaware of what we have or don’thave, and start to become thank-ful for the former. However, wemust guard ourselves againstbeing grateful for the fact thatour situation is better than thatof others we know of. In otherwords, instead of thanking Godthat we have more stable incomeand technological amenitiesthan the slum-dweller who livesclose by, we can express ourvirtue by action and do our littlebit by thanking those for theirdaily service to us. Like the chai-walla who brings your daily cupof tea or coffee at the office, orthe milkman or newspaper boy inthe morning. Everyone deserves athank you for the service theyrender. It’s something I learntfrom my boss back in the U.S.,who never fails to thank me, eachtime I go to his cabin to clarify aconstruction detail. At first, itcaught me off guard, but later Irealised that the feeling his sim-ple and regular ‘Thank you’ gaveme- was worth spreadingaround.

Giving thanks, at the end of theday for the good and the bad isextremely hard, but if they wereall sent by God, it gives us themotivation to keep seated in thetheatre hall of life and watchmore blessings and lessonsunfold!


SALESIANSALESIANSALESIANSALESIANSALESIANSAINTSSAINTSSAINTSSAINTSSAINTS

JOSEPHJOSEPHJOSEPHJOSEPHJOSEPHKOWALSKIKOWALSKIKOWALSKIKOWALSKIKOWALSKI1911 - 19421911 - 19421911 - 19421911 - 19421911 - 1942

Early lifeJoseph Kowalski was born at

Siedliska near Rzeszów, inPoland, on the 13th March 1911,to Wojciech and Zofia Borowiec,the seventh of nine children. Hisparents, practising Catholics,were farmers and owners of amodest farm.

After his primary schooling, heentered the Salesian College atOswiecim (Auschwitz). Josephimmediately distinguish-edhimself for his commitment tostudy and service, and for hischeerfulness. He joined theImmaculate Conception Soda-lity and the Missionary Asso-ciation, becoming its President.He literally fell in love with theSalesian charism and its Foun-der, from whom he sought totake his example in everything:involvement in happy leader-ship of religious and civic feasts,an apostolic presence amongsthis companions and, inparticular, the primacy of thespiritual life.

Desire to be a saintAs a young student he began to

keep a diary, from which welearn of his devotion to MaryHelp of Christians and theEucharist: “Oh Mother Mary”,he wrote, “I have to become asaint because this is what I am

intended for. Oh Jesus, I offer youmy poor heart …. May I never beseparated from You and may Iremain faithful until death: mayI die rather than offend You, noteven with the slightest sin.

The war“I must become a holy

Salesian, like my Father DonBosco was“. He made his firstprofession in 1928 at Czerwinskand was ordained a priest on the29th May 1938 at Krakow. Hewas appointed provincial secre-tary. In the parish he looked afterthe youth choir and becameinterested in young people withproblems. Poland had beenoccupied, but the Salesianscontinued on with their educa-tional activity. This was why hisdramatic arrest came about onthe 23rd May 1941: The Gestapocaptured Fr Kowalski along witheleven other Salesians working

in Krakow.It was precisely this zealous

priestly activity among youngs-ters that, in the view of the Nazisseemed subversive, so they weremotivated to arrest him. He wasprovisionally held in Krakow atMonte-lupi and after a month hewas transferred to Oswiecim. Inthe Lager he took up an apos-tolate: he heard confessions,celebrated Mass, said the Rosary,gave clandestine conferencesalso about Don Bosco to hisfellow prisoners strengtheningthem with the will to struggle forsurvival. He underwent suffer-ing and humiliation. Here hewitnessed the martyrdom of fourof his confreres among themwas his rector Fr Joseph Swiercand his confessor Fr IgnazicDobiasz. He became N2 17350and spent a year of hard labourand mistreatment in the so called“Lager of Rigour” where hardlyany one survived. He was due tobe transferred to Dachau but atthe last minute his transfer wasstopped in circumstances thatwere described eloquently byeye-witnesses who testified tohis trial at his process of beatifi-cation and which seemed similarto the trial of Father MaximilianKolbe. He was sent back to the“Lager of Rigour.”

His Last DayPerhaps the most tragic day

was the last day of his life, July3, 1942. Every action and everyword of the last 24 hours had aparticularly important signifi-cance. “After work” said one ofthe accounts, “they brought thepriest Kowalski to the blockwhere he was abused by theguards. When he returned I had

a chance to spend his last mom-ents with him. We realised thatafter the assassination of ourcomrades (of the five, three hadalready been killed), it was nowonly us. Fr Kowalski was pray-ing. At one point he turned to meand said: “Kneel down and praywith me for all those who areabout to kill us.” The two of usprayed and late in the eveningwhen we finished we went tobed. A short while later Fr Kow-alski was called and he camedown from his bunk serenelybecause he was prepared for hisimpending death. He gave mehis portion of the bread that hehad received for supper saying:“Eat it. I won’t need it anymore.”After saying this he walked outknowing he was going to die.”

Put to deathFrom careful reconstruction of

the event it has been shown thathe was killed in the night bet-ween the 3 and 4 July 1942. Hewas drowned in the sewer of thecamp. Testifying under oath hisco-prisoner Stephen Boratynskisaid he saw his corpse all dirtyabandoned in front of the blockof the so-called "punishmentcell." His body was at firstthrown into a refuse dump, thenwas burned in the camp’s crem-atorium. His countrymen beganto venerate his memory,maintaining that his sacrificemade vocations in Poland morefruitful. Pope John Paul IIbecame personally interested inthe cause of various Polishmartyrs. He was beatified by himin Warsaw on the 13th June1999. His memory is kept on May29


PROFILES

ST MIGUEL FEBRES CORDERO(FEBRUARY 9)(1854 - 1910)

When Francisco Febres wasborn on November 7, 1854

his parents were very upset thattheir child was deformed andunable to walk. He never took astep even at the age of five but tothis day there are very feweducators who have achievedmore than he has and touched somany lives as he has.

Lover of MaryFrom his earliest years little

Francisco was accustomed tohave a great devotion to theVirgin Mary, taking all histroubles to her. One day hehappened to be watching a rosebloom in the garden when hesuddenly shouted: “Look howbeautiful the lady is above theroses!” The family heard him butsaw nothing unusual. But theyoungster kept saying: “Look howbeautiful she is. She has a whitedress and a blue cape and she iscalling to me.” Everyone wasamazed to see that the child stoodup and started walking. He wascured! The Blessed Virgin hadbegun to assist him dramatically.

The great president of Ecuador,

a Catholic and a Martyr, GabrielGarcia Moreno invited thoseformidable educators, theChristian Brothers, to his country.In 1863 they started a school inCuenca (Ecuador). Francisco wasenrolled there. The little boy wasenamoured by the teaching andthe methods of the Brothers andhe excelled in everything butabove all he had a great thirst forlearning. At the end of the daywhen the other students wenthome, he stayed in schoolreviewing his lessons. TheBrothers on their part developed

a great admiration for him and aspecial affection too. Taken up bytheir example Francisco earnestlydesired to become a ChristianBrother but his family wasopposed to his wish because theywere well-to-do and in those daysmembers of religious congrega-tions lived very poorly in Ecuador.In order to distract him they senthim to another school but hebecame ill and had to be senthome. It was through his greatdevotion to the Blessed Virgin thathe finally obtained permission toenter the novitiate of the Brothers.On the eve of the feast of theAnnunciation he donned thehabit of the Christian Brothersand took the name BrotherMiguel. He was sent to Quito sothat his family would not lure himback to Cuenca and to a worldlylifestyle.

Zealous ReligiousThere Brother Miguel worked

very intensely in that communityuntil his death. He refused towaste his time in frivolous con-versation or idle chatter. Instead,he dedicated all his waking hourshelping others, available at allhours of the day to lecture andteach catechism, to even care forthe sick. He studied and spoke fivelanguages and wrote books inGerman, English, Italian, Frenchand Latin.

Brother Miguel was convincedof the influence that goodliterature had on people. In hisestimation he believed that formany people it would be moreprofitable to read a good book thanto listen to a sermon. He used tosay that there were people towhom the Lord would speak

through a good book. In the pagesof a book one could receivenecessary guidance and divinegrace necessary for a change oflife. That was why our Saint wasunbelievably zealous in spreadinggood and wholesome literatureamong the people.

A Self-Made ManIt is interesting to note that

Brother Miguel, withoutattending any special courses butonly through his own efforts andself-training was able to write andpublish more than a hundredbooks in that small country ofEcuador. Many of his books wereadaptations of works that wereenjoyed and popular in othercountries too. The young teacherexcels in the teaching of Spanishlanguage and literature and, in theabsence of appropriate manualsand text books, decided to com-pose himself. The Ecuadorian gov-ernment would soon adopt themin all their schools. With the pass-ing of the years, Brother Miguelwould press on with other works,especially in the field of poetry andphilology, which will open thedoors of the National Academy.

His method of teaching waspopular and enjoyable and thatwas the same style he employedin the books that he wrote andpublished which pleased thecommon folk immensely.

He was admitted to theEcuadorian Academy ofLanguages and the Academy inVenezuela and in France too. Butthe title that was closest to hisheart was that of a “FirstCommunion Teacher.” For 26years he taught batch after batchof children preparing them to


IN A CHEERFUL MOODreceive Jesus for the first time inthe Holy Eucharist. Those whohad been prepared by himremembered him with gratitudeand great veneration.

His Last DaysIn 1907 he passed through New

York on his way to Belgium,where he had been called totranslate texts into Spanish for theuse of the Brothers recently exiledfrom France. His health, alwaysdelicate, did not easily adjust tothe rigours of the Europeanclimate. Transferred to the juniornovitiate at Premia del Mar inSpain, during a revolutionaryoutbreak in 1909 he supervised adramatic evacuation of his youngcharges to the safety of Barcelonaacross the bay. In late January of1910 he contracted pneumoniathat his weak body could not with-stand. After an agonizing threedays and comforted with thesacraments, Brother Miguel ren-dered his soul to God on Feb-ruary 9, 1910 leaving behind a re-markable reputation as scholar,teacher, and saint. The news ofhis death was received withemotion and tears. The Republicof Ecuador proclaimed a day ofnational mourning.

Useless ServantsWhen the brothers told him of

the great influence that his pro-digious activity would have onthe Congregation he responded:“Others will do better than me”and he reminded them of theLord’s advice: “When you havedone what has been entrusted toyou, say ‘we are useless servants,we have only done our duty.”(Luke 17:10)

Brother Miguel’s brothers and

the entire body of alumni were inadmiration and praise of hisvirtues. Graces and favours attri-buted to his intercession quicklymultiplied. In 1923 both in Quitoand Cuenca his process forbeatification began. In 1936 duringthe Spanish Revolution his re-mains were transferred to hishomeland and received their intriumph.

To the Glories of the AltarOn October 23, 1977 Pope Paul

VI beatified Brother Miguel andthe Belgian Brother Mutien-Marie.There was a large contingent fromBelgium and Ecuador and Italy.And as the day’s festivities cameto a close there was another mir-acle: Beatriz Gomez Nunez, afflic-ted by incurable “myastheniagravis” was completely cured.Earlier, together with her familyshe entrusted herself to the inter-cession of the holy brother. Shehad wanted to come to Rome forthe beatification. This healing,recognized as miraculous,reopened the case, and in theconsistory of June 25, 1984, thePope John Paul II set October 21of that year as the date of thecanonization when Saint JohnPaul II declared him a saint.

Dear Saint Miguel FebresCordero, we pray for all those whowork in the field of publishing or areinvolved in disseminating goodliterature. May they imitate you andspend themselves tirelessly to bringthe message of salvation through thereligious literature they disseminate.Remind everyone that a good bookis be to read and remembered; and toopen and read a religious book is tobegin to hear God speaking to usfrom heaven.

Problem solved“So you’re not bothered anymore with relatives coming andstaying?” asked Jim.“No,” answered Tom withsatisfaction. “I borrow moneyfrom the rich ones and lend it tothe poor ones, and none of themcome back.”

Toning down a littleTwo ardent fishermen met on

their vacation and beganswapping stories about thedifferent places they had fished,the kind of tackle used, the bestbait, and finally about some ofthe fish they had caught.

One of them told of a viciousbattle he once had with a 300pound salmon. The other manlistened attentively. He franklyadmitted he had never caughtanything quite that big.However, he told about the timehis hook snagged a lantern fromthe depths of a lake. The lanterncarried a tag proving it was lostback in 1912. But the strangestthing of all was the fact that itwas a waterproof lantern and thelight was still lit.

For a long time the first mansaid nothing. Then he took onelong last draw on his cigarettebefore rubbing it out in the ashtray. “I’ll tell you what I’ll do,”he said slowly. ”I’ll take 200pounds off my fish, if you’ll putout the light in your lantern.”

Not the right sort“Why don’t you play golf withGeorge anymore?” Pete’s wifeasked him.“Would you play with a fellow

who puts down the wrong scoreand moves the ball when youaren’t watching?” replied Pete.“No,” she replied, “I certainlywouldn’t.”

“Neither will George.”

OverjoyedThere was a grandmother who

was so delighted to learn that hergrandchildren were coming fora week that she put a $50 bill inthe collection plate at church.

When they went home at theend of the week, her joy musthave been double because thatSunday she put a $100 bill in theplate.

How could there be“Yes,” asserted the big gamehunter at a cocktail party, “Iused to shoot tigers in Africa.”One of his listeners protested,“But there are no tigers on thatcontinent.”“Of course not,” glibly replied thehunter, “I shot them all.”

Who’s drivingA woman in the back seat of acar was annoying her husbandwho sat behind the wheel.“And furthermore, Henry,” shefinished, “when you are driving,it is not necessary to prefaceevery remark with ‘Pilot toNavigator.’”

Good newsMaid: “Your husband, ma’am, islying unconscious in the hallwith a piece of paper in his handand a large box by his side!”Mrs Green (joyfully) “Oh, thenmy new hat has arrived!”


THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE BODYby Ian Pinto sdb

The account of the Transfigu- ration is found in all the threesynoptics (Mt 17:1-9, Mk 9:2-10,Lk 9:28-36). The three accountsdiffer from one another in certainreported facts but neverthelessgive us the kernel of truth. Jesustakes Peter, James and John up amountain to pray (Lk 9:28). It isinteresting to note that only Luketells us that Jesus and the threeapostles went up to pray. Mat-thew notes that they went up ahigh mountain where they werealone (Mt 17:1) and Mark simplystates that He led them up a highmountain (Mk 9:2).The Gospelsrecount to us incidents whereJesus prayed (Mk 1:35, 6:46,14:32 ). While Jesus would usu-ally retire to pray alone, here wefind him taking along three of hiscompanions. Nowhere in theGospel until this point has Jesussingled out few persons fromamong his band. The probablereasons for this are: firstly, heforesaw the decisive role thesethree apostles would play afterhe left; secondly, he wanted themto have a glimpse of the nature

of his prayer; thirdly, he wantedthem to understand his identityand fourthly, he wanted toconfirm and strengthen theirfaith. The transfiguration is avery important event in the lifeof Jesus but it is even more impor-tant in the life of the Church.

A Revelation of Truth

The Transfiguration revealsthe truth about Jesus, that he isthe Son of God. The voice fromthe cloud affirms this truth in thewords, “This is my Son, thebeloved” (Lk 9:35). In Jesus, we

are made children of God (Gal3:26) and hence, the transfigu-ration reveals our identity too.The incarnation reveals to us aGod who became man (Phil 2:7)and also reminds us of human-kind’s exalted status: being fash-ioned in the image and likenessof God (Gen 1:26). At the incar-nation, God took on human fleshand in doing so He sanctified it.The transfiguration like the in-carnation reveals God’s majestyin a human body and indicates theglory of the body when united toGod, i.e. Resurrection. Our bodiesare not shackles of the soul as themedieval Church believed; ratherour bodies are the mediumthrough which the soul manifestsitself. St. Paul reminds us that ourbody is the temple of God (1 Cor3:16), the earthen vessel that car-ries a precious treasure (2 Cor 4:7).

A Sign of the FutureThe Transfiguration also indi-

cates to us the glory that awaitsus, if we live according to theWill of God. God in His wisdomand love carefully fashioned ourbodies (Ps 139:13-15) and breat-hed His very own spirit into us(Gen 2:7). Our bodies and soulsare His gift to us and define whowe are. God’s salvific plan en-compasses our whole being, bodyand soul. Our bodies await thetransfiguration that will bewrought when Jesus will makethem like his own body (Phil3:21); the same body which at thetransfiguration changed inappearance was the one that wasscourged, spat on and mal-treated and which was resur-rected. Jesus’ transfigura-tion

reveals to us the future of ourbody. At the present moment itmay be a cause for pain andsuffering but it will become asymbol of God’s glory. It isthrough the body that weexperience death but it is alsothrough the body that we willexperience life (cf. 2 Cor 4:10).

ConclusionThe transfiguration besides

possessing theological signifi-cance also has a strong cateche-tical significance. It tells us aboutJesus but at the same time tellsus about ourselves. It gives us aglimpse of the glory and majestyof Jesus, while at the same timerevealing to us the future thatawaits us. The Gospel tells usthat Peter and his companionsslept and were awoken suddenlyto witness the glory of Jesus (Lk9:32); may we have a similarexperience of awaking to thereality of our true identity andour role in the plan of God.


ENTRUST YOUR TRIALS TO MARYENTRUST YOUR TRIALS TO MARYENTRUST YOUR TRIALS TO MARYENTRUST YOUR TRIALS TO MARYENTRUST YOUR TRIALS TO MARYIn his message for the 24th World Day of thh Sick, Pope Francis asks us: How often do

we see families praying to the Mother of God at the bedside of a loved one?

Let us entrust to the Virgin Mary our trials and tribulations,together with our joys and consolations. Let us beg her to turn

her eyes of mercy towards us, especially in times of pain, and makeus worthy of beholding, today and always, the merciful face of herSon Jesus!”

The Pope said this in his message for the 24th World Day of theSick, released by the Vatican this morning, which hasthe title, ”Entrusting oneself to the merciful Jesus like Mary: ”dowhatever he tells you.” The World Day of the Sick is celebratedanually on Feb. 11, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes. Thisyear, its main Eucharistic celebration will be in the Holy Land, inNazareth.

The Holy Father reflected on the Gospel account of the WeddingFeast at Cana (Jn 2: 1-11), in which Mary observes the wine has runout. Reacting to the problem, she tells the servants: “Do whateverhe tells you,” Jesus performs the miracle, turns water into wine, andthe celebration continues.

Francis asked: What teaching can we draw from this mystery of thewedding feast of Cana for the World Day of the Sick?

Saying the wedding feast of Cana is an image of the Church, hestressed this account illustrates Jesus and His mission of coming to helpthose in difficulty and need. In Mary’s concern, Francis alsounderscored, we see the tenderness of God, that same tendernesswhich ”is present in the lives of all those persons who attend to thesick and understand their needs, even the most imperceptible ones,because they look upon them with eyes full of love.”

“How many times has a mother at the bedside of her sick child, or achild caring for an elderly parent, or a grandchild concerned for agrandparent, placed his or her prayer in the hands of Our Lady! Forour loved ones who suffer because of illness we ask first for their health.Jesus himself showed the presence of the Kingdom of God specificallythrough his healings.”

Francis said the World Day of the Sick offers him an opportunity todraw particularly close to “you, dear friends who are ill, and to thosewho care for you.”

“Illness, above all grave illness, always places human existence incrisis and brings with it questions that dig deep. Our first responsemay at times be one of rebellion: Why has this happened to me? Wecan feel desperate, thinking that all is lost, that things no longer havemeaning,” the Pope acknowledged.

In these situations, he noted,faith in God is tested, but italso reveals all its positiveresources.This is the case, thePope said, ”not because faithmakes illness, pain, or thequestions which they raise,disappear, but because it offersa key by which we can discoverthe deepest meaning of whatwe are experiencing; a key thathelps us to see how illness canbe the way to draw nearer to Jesus who walks at our side, weigheddown by the Cross. And this key is given to us by Mary, our Mother,who has known this way at first hand.”

On this World Day of the Sick, the Pope prays that Jesus in hismercy, through Mary’s intercession, grants to all of us this samereadiness to serve those in need, and especially our infirm brothers andsisters.

At times, the Pope recognized, this service can be tiring andburdensome, but we are certain, he assured, “that the Lord will surelyturn our human efforts into something divine.”

“We too can be hands, arms and hearts which help God to performhis miracles, so often hidden. We too, whether healthy or sick, can offerup our toil and sufferings like the water which filled the jars at thewedding feast of Cana and was turned into the finest wine.”

When we quietly help those who suffer, as in illness itself, we takeour daily cross upon our shoulders and follow the Master, Pope Francissaid.

“Every hospital and nursing home can be a visible sign and settingin which to promote the culture of encounter and peace, where theexperience of illness and suffering, along with professional andfraternal assistance, helps to overcome every limitation and division.”

He urged all those who assist the sick and the suffering to drawinspiration from Mary the Mother of Mercy. ”May the sweetness ofher countenance watch over us in this Holy Year, so that all of usmay rediscover the joy of God’s tenderness” (ibid., 24), allow it todwell in our hearts and express it in our actions! “

Before concluding, the Holy Father assured the sick and those whocare for them of his prayers and imparted his Apostolic Blessing.


DARK IS THE VALLEYDARK IS THE VALLEYDARK IS THE VALLEYDARK IS THE VALLEYDARK IS THE VALLEYFrom Fr. Ian Doulton's collection of stories

Every visitor to the Scatacooklake district of Maine hears

sooner or later about Fr. Rasp-berry’s miracle. Well, some-thing wonderful did happen inour part of the woods but FrRaspberry didn’t have anythingto do with it. I should knowbecause I’m Fr Raspberry.

My name is really Framboise,the reverend Felix Framboise,some visitors there translated it.It means raspberry in French. Idon’t mind that but I do have tosmile when I hear what I am sup-posed to have done. I’ll tell youexactly what did happen to Jac-ques and Marguerite Le Grandeand you can decide for yourself,who brought it about. Perhaps itmay even bring the touch of Godto your own heart which is thebest reason for telling it.

I performed the marriageceremony for Jacques andMarguerite. It was the secondyear I was pastor of the littleFrench Canadian church. It wasa very homely affair. The familyof Marguerite was there, alldressed to the nines as they do atvillage affairs, all misty eyed andsmiling. What a contrast theymade at the altar: Jacques, withhis great build like an ox andMarguerite, small and tremblingbut her face sweet and full ofbliss as an angel. After theservice, when we gathered on thefront porch to see them off, oldAunt Louise did manage a fewtears. Grandfather Pierre onlylaughed. He shook his headwondering why women alwayscried at weddings. “Becausewe’re happy,” said Aunt Louise.

I congratulated Jacques andMarguerite. They looked veryhappy, little Marguerite clingingto Jacques and looking up intohis big face as he looked downand smiled at her.

He had waited twelve years forthis happy day. That was howmuch he loved her. He watchedher grow and come throughschool. In the meantime he hadbought himself a piece of land,farmed it, paid off his mortgageand was going to build Margue-rite a big new house. “I have $40in the bank too!” He said proudly.

The community was small andthe people, poor but they caredfor one another like a largefamily. Jacques Le Grande wasrespected for the fact that hekept to himself and helped thosearound him. There was no doubthe was a hard worker. He dideverything on his own.

It was getting dark and the fewfestivities after the weddingwere over. Everyone made offhome. It was time for the bridalcouple too, to leave.

Someone suggested that sinceJacques had $40 in the bank heshould take Marguerite toPortland…but she would havenone of it. She just wanted to gohome with Jacques.

I patted Jacques on his backand said: “Goodbye Jacques andMarguerite and God bless youboth.” Jacques was beamingfrom ear to ear as he hoisted hislittle Marguerite on to the wa-gon. He turned and told me:“This time next year, I make herfine cradle, eh Marguerite? I willhave plenty of work for good

strong boys to do on the farm.Come Marguerite…” and theywere off.

Everyone was shouting as thewagon trotted off into the dark-ness with only the sounds of“goodbye” rending the eveningair.

The next morning I drove in mywagon across the hills to sayMass at a roadside shrine. It waswindy and fresh snow had fallenduring the night. As my teamplodded up the steep incline,they suddenly threw up theirheads and whinnied. Then thewind brought me the sound thatraised the hair on the back of myneck. “Help! Help!” It was Jac-ques Le Grande. From the top ofthe hill I saw him down in a deepgully. His face was matted withblood and he was clinging to theside of the overturned wagon.He was in agony and moaning inpain: “Father!”

The first thing I asked him was:“Jacques…where is Marguerite?”Looking over he said that shewas under the wagon.

I was frightened, expecting theworst. The horses had run off inthe night and as the wagon over-turned Jacques’ leg got caught inthe wheel and it was broken.

What was more important wasto find Marguerite and that waswhat we did. I asked Jacques tohelp me. And though he was inpain he took one end of thewagon and I took the other andwe upturned the wagon. Therebeneath it was Marguerite, stillin her wedding gown. I called toher. Her eyes were shut. Jacqueswas frightened at what he saw. Ibent over her and found she wasstill breathing. It was a relief! Isaw it written all over Jacques’

face. Jacques came over and ten-derly lifted her head a little. Sheopened her eyes and said in shortgasps: “Jacques, Jacques…”

“Marguerite… I am here…”“Jacques… there is mud on my

wedding dress!” She was in tears.

For a month Marguerite lay inthe hospital and not even thedoctors could tell whether shewould live or die. When I triedto comfort Jacques, he onlyglared at me. There was acoldness in his eyes.

One day on a visit to the hospi-tal, I met Jacques in the corridor.

“The doctors have just toldme…”

“What did they say aboutMarguerite?” I was impatient.

“She will live.”“Thank God!” I blurted out.His face turned dark and twis-

ted: “Thank him? For what sho-uld I thank God? Marguerite isparalysed. She will be crippledall her life!”

I tried to find the right words.I stumbled over phrases aboutthe will of God and resignationand hope. But I might as wellhave talked to the wall.

The day at last came whenJacques brought Margueritehome. I drove over to see her. AsI secured the horses I saw Grand-father Pierre struggling to liftsomething out of the wagon. Heasked me for a hand. I hurriedover to the old man: “Certainly,Pierre, what have you here?”

“It is for Marguerite…I hadhoped to make her a cradle. Ihave made her a wheelchair ins-tead.”

The little Marguerite washappy to sit up, even if it was ina wheelchair. She sat with a blan-


ket over her poor legs looking assweet and patient as an angelwho suffers. But for Jacques therewas no pain or patience. He hadbitterness written across his faceas he watched her. At onemoment in our conversation herushed out of the house and Ifollowed him.

He was angry at the fact thatMarguerite would be sitting in awheelchair all her life: “…a finething the good God does! GiveJacques a wife and then break herback.”

I tried to get through to him:“Jacques, God is good, even whenhe seems to harm someone welove.”

“God is good eh? Does Mar-guerite walk, dance with me atthe harvest…is it because God isgood to her, eh?”

“Jacques, you don’t know whatyou’re saying.”

By now the broad Jacques wasfuming: “God doesn’t knowwhat he’s doing! He couldn’teven stop the horses when theyran away, that night.”

I told him that God could dowhatever he wanted. He couldhave kept the horses there butJacques fought back asking mewhy couldn’t he have preventedMarguerite being hurt so badly.

“Jacques…if it was his will, hecould cure her in one minute. Ifit was for the best, he could worka miracle!” I tried to reason withhim.

Suddenly his face changed.There was a strange light in hiseyes: “A miracle?”

“God can work a miracle! Ofcourse, but his ways are notours.”

He knew of the famous Shrineof St Anne de Beaupré. He had

the bright idea to take her there.“God will cure her there,” he saidfirmly as if that was his chanceto test God.

Almost immediately I realizedthat I had made a mistake. In themind of Jacques, the miracle wasas good as accomplished.

Soon the whole parish wasbuzzing. Everyone was talking:One said: “Jacques Le Grandeworks all the time, Sundays andholy days too. He thinks of nothingexcept getting money to paydoctors, pay off a mortgage and payfor trip to the shrine of St Anne.”

Someone added: “That fire inthe woods burned down Jacqueshouse and his barn. And its fiveyears now and he still hasn’t goneto St Anne’s.”

Someone genuinely scepticalprodded: “Ah, that Jacques…all hetalks about is St Anne, St Anne…hethinks he can go up there, snap hisfingers and God will work amiracle.”

For seven, eight, nine years, Ihad to watch the soul of JacquesLe Grande shrivel up withbitterness. Again and again Italked to him, trying to lift hissoul out of that dark valley ofstubbornness which he mistookfor deep faith. But the wordsdropped from my lips as flat andas cold as stones.

In the tenth year that Margue-rite spent in the wheelchair,Jacques Le Grande strolled oneday into the little bank: “Here’sthe last installment for themortgage. I paid the doctors andI’ve paid the bank. Now I savedenough money for a trip to Shrinewhere the good Saint Anne willcure my Marguerite.”

He would go, there would be no

miracle. He would lose what faithhe still had. I made one sup-remeeffort to stop him. “Jacques, wait,”I pleaded.

“Father, don’t tell me to wait!Ten years that’s how long I’vewaited.”

I still tried: “Jacques, you mustwait…you must wait until you arein the right condition of soul. Godworks miracles only when we arewilling that there should be nomiracle.”

He looked hard at me and ask-ed me if he should pray that Mar-guerite remain in the wheelchairfor the rest of her life. Then heraised his voice: “No! God tried tokeep me away from St Anne deBeaupré but now I will go. He willwork the miracle.”

I was afraid that Jacques wouldbe frustrated: “Jacques, you can’tput yourself on a level with God.You don’t beat him in a game andsay I won, pay me.”

Here was a very angry man:“What do you know you funnylittle priest. You’ll see,” and hestomped out of the presbytery thatmorning.

I closed up, sick at heart. Whatkind of a priest was I that Icouldn’t persuade one poor soulto trust in the Providence of God?Six months later, Jacques LeGrande carried Margueriteaboard the train headed for theshrine.

A week passed, another week, amonth. The parish hummed withgossip; predictions of the terriblethings which Jacques Le Grandewould do when he finallydespaired.

I was glad when a friend invitedme to Quebec for a few days. Onthe way home, I took the day train.I was just entering my coach when

I stopped suddenly. In the middleof the car sat a woman wrappedin shawls, she looked familiar yetsomehow, strange. But there wasno mistaking the man who satwith his back toward me. Thatwild shock of hair, that stiff un-compromising neck: Jacques LeGrande and Marguerite. Margue-rite looked strangely alive. Therewas colour in her face. My heartpounded as I walked down theaisle.

I called to her: “Marguerite!”“Father!” and turning to her

husband she said: “Jacques, it isFather.”

“Marguerite, how are you?”“Father, I’m so happy” she said

smiling softly.Jacques seemed more quiet and

soft. He had a strange look on hisface as he nodded his big headand said: “Yes, father, Margueriteand me, we’re happy.”

“Marguerite can walk?” Iasked.

“No. She will never walk, but wewill make up, Marguerite andme…Life is short. St Annetaught me that it was the will ofthe good God.”

So you can see how mistakenpeople are in calling it Fr Rasp-berry’s miracle. I had nothing todo with it. I didn’t even believeit would happen. But just whenwe say: ‘this case is hopeless, no-thing can be done,’ God acts inthe way we least expect. There isnothing more mysterious thanthe mercy of God. There is nogreater miracle than the touch ofhis grace. Silent and unseen, itcan bow down the most rebel-lious head; it can make the moststubborn lips speak those wordsthat bring his peace to the heart:“Thy will be done!”


THE HUMAN FACETHE HUMAN FACETHE HUMAN FACETHE HUMAN FACETHE HUMAN FACEOF DON BOSCOOF DON BOSCOOF DON BOSCOOF DON BOSCOOF DON BOSCO

1111111111by Fr. Elias Dias

In the days of yore a Saint wasseen as a man of God with

extraordinary powers, simple andwith a holy aspect, a man ofpenance and lived ascetically,who lived in an imperfect worldwith mystical phenomena ofmiracles, visions and demands,awe and fear of God. Today how-ever we are less eager about theseexceptional manifestations ofChristian life. We prefer to under-stand the human aspect of theSaint rather than his mystical orascetical side. We like to see whatthe Saints have in common withus rather than what differentiatesthem from us.

The life of Don Bosco aboundsin the supernatural and extraordi-nary and at the same time he wasa man just like us, almost one am-ong us. He had his human limit-ations and a human face like allothers. Don Bosco was not born aSaint.

Even as a young boy he wasgifted with rare human qualities,John Bosco was not by birth thepatient, meek and sweet DonBosco we know him to be. Wewould say that of the two sons ofMamma Margaret, Joseph andJohn, the first one was moreSalesian, compared to the second,Joseph is referred to as patient,meek, affectionate and gentle, andhe would remain so all his life. Hewould make the first move to meetguests, would speak willingly

with them and easily makehimself loved. John on the otherhand was rather serious, littletaciturn, and almost a distrustingof others. In his Memoirs he said,“Though I was still pretty small Iwas studying my companions’characters. When I looked closelyat someone, I could usually gaugewhat he was thinking. This giftwon me many friends.”

His dream at the age of ninereveals that he was a generousand thoughtful boy, sensible andzealous in defending the honourof God. He rushed violently at thelittle blasphemers to silence them.A similar story occurred when hewas in Chieri and Comollo wasmaltreated by his companions. Onthat occasion Don Bosco said, “Atthat moment I completely forgotmyself. I knocked four of them tothe floor, and the others lost notime in taking to their heels.”

His good qualities naturallyinclined him to pride. His quali-

ties of strong will, superior intelli-gence, tenacious memory andphysical strength easily gave himascendancy over his peers. Hewould say, “Though I was not verybig, I was strong and brave eno-ugh to stand up even to older com-panions. Whenever arguments,questions or quarrels of any kindarose I acted as arbiter and every-one accepted my decisions withgood grace.”

Little John learned to love fromhis mother. Though she was anilliterate widow she gave him anexample of a tenderly maternaland fatherly demanding love.Don Bosco shared this love withthe young. With his loving wayshe took pains to make them openhearted, candid and frank. He didhis best to gain their love andconfidence and they in turnreciprocated his love. Neverthe-less, it would be wrong to thinkthat his love and gentleness wasthe result of weakness orindifference. When God’s honourwas at stake, or when there wasdisobedience and scandal he wasvisibly annoyed.

One day his friend, Don Giaco-melli came to the Oratory. He sawDon Bosco all red in the face,

chasing a group of boys who weretrying to slip away at the time ofprayer. “This is the second timethat I see you excited”, he toldhim. “These blessed boys,” was hisanswer, but it spoke volumesabout his disappointment. Everyyear on the feast day of St. Cecilia,Don Bosco allowed the band boysto go for a picnic. In 1859, due tovalid reasons he discontinued thepractice. Some boys wilfully dis-obeyed. Don Bosco dismantled theband and expelled the guilty onewith salutary advice.

Don Bosco admitted that he hadat least three defects, three appe-tites which sought only their ownsatisfaction. He was prone topride, anger and excessive play.From his earliest youth, he kept awrathful eye on these defects.

We often hear that Don Boscohad certain reserve regarding wo-men. However, it is good to consi-der the society and culture inwhich he lived. At that time influ-enced by Jansenism much import-ance was given to the virtue ofpurity. Any sin of impurity wasconsidered as a grave misfortune.Many saints and preachers of thattime insisted on this subject. Awoman was looked upon as anoccasion of sin rather than amasterpiece of God’s creation.Familiarity with women wasfrowned upon.

There is also another reason forhis reserve from women. John hada firm conviction that he had acall to the priesthood. Thus girlsdid not form part of his dream.This conviction of his vocationspontaneously thwarted naturalaffection and made him avoidgames with girls at his age.

As he began the work atMarchioness Barolo, he worked


for girls but his preference was forboys who were abandoned. Hebegan his apostolate for the youngboys but did not think of girls. Itwas only later on, he thought ofgirls and the sisters. We do notknow when Don Bosco got an ideaof working for girls. He had adream on July 5, 1862 in which hetold Marchioness, “Didn’t ourLord come into this world to re-deem both boys and girls? Then Imust take care that His Blood benot uselessly shed for eithergroup.”

In 1862, Don Bosco met DonPestarino who spoke to him allabout his Sodality at Mornese. OnOctober 7, 1864, Don Bosco visit-ed Mornese and on that occasionhe spoke to the members of theDaughters of Mary Immaculate.He was moved by the kindnessand spirit at Mornese. Don Boscoasked Don Pestarino to preparethe Daughters for their investitureand profession. August 5, 1872eleven candidates made theirprofession in the presence ofMonsignor Sciandra of Aqui.

Towards 1874 speaking to Rua,Cagliero and others, Don Boscosaid, “I would not go into this typeof apostolate (for girls), but sincethe requests have been insistentand come from very worthy per-sons, I fear to thwart God’s plansby not giving this matter seriousconsideration. Hence, I put it to youand urge you to ponder it before theLord, weighing the pros and cons,so as to reach a decision that willredound to God’s glory and thegood of souls.”

He showed precaution evendealing with little girls. In 1883, atthe end of a banquet a littledaughter of the host came to kissthe guests around. People were

wondering what Don Boscowould do. When his turn came hetook a medal of Mary Help ofChristians and gave it to her tokiss it and put it on her neck. Thegesture evoked an overall feelingof deep admiration.

Don Bosco worked with womenin his apostolate. In the Oratorythere were women who worked indifferent capacities. Besides thesethere were many benefactresseswho worked in close collaborationwith Don Bosco.

One of the temperamentalcharacteristics of Don Bosco washis extreme reserve about hisfeelings and interior life. From hiscopious writings, many discour-ses, prodigious activities andrelationships one finds it difficultto gauge the exact position of hisaffective life. Don Bosco himselfwrites, “Many a time I have beenurged to write my memoirs con-cerning the Oratory of St. Francisde Sales. Though I could notreadily say no to the authority ofthe one who advised me to do this,I found it hard actually to setabout the task because it meanttoo often speaking about myself.”

The biographers of Don Boscooffer very little help regardingthis aspect of his life, from an earlyage when John wept over the lossof his blackbird and thereaftermaking a resolution “never toattach his heart to the things ofthis world.” The perspective of thebiographer is clear, Don Boscokeeps a distance from every“disorientate affection” i.e. fromevery possible attachment thatdistracts him from the “total-izing” reality of God. Such a pers-pective would appear today,however, as insufficient.

Don Bosco loved his boys and

followers tenderly, heartily. Thiscan be seen in his letters and hisrapport with his boys and follow-ers. His boys would repeat, almostmonotonously, “He loved me”.Luigi Orione, one of them wrote,“I am ready to walk on burningcoals to meet him once again andthank him”. It is true that affecti-vity is a very significant part ofthe history of the first group ofyoungsters who, monks or nomonks, decided to remain foreverwith Don Bosco.

Don Bosco lived at a time whenthere were many controversies inthe Church. There was theinfluence of Jansenism, Walden-sian sect, Conciliarism and liber-alism with an anticlerical bent.Don Bosco, due to his formation,remained Ultamontist, alwayswith the Pope. In return he gotmany privileges and favours fromRome. This was the crux of theproblem with Don Bosco andArchbishop Gastaldi. From thenceall problems and conflicts crept inbetween Don Bosco and the Arch-bishop of Turin. For ten long yearsthe battle was fought between twogreat protagonists in the Church.

Don Bosco’s paternity wasproverbial. His way of dealingwith youngsters to jump and playmay give an impression of dis-order and indiscipline in thehouse. In the initial stages ofValdocco, family spirit ruled theplace. Those who have anothermentality of formation of theyoung could see the chaos in thesystem.

Monsignor Tortone was theofficial representative of the HolySee to the government. He sent hisreport on the running of theOratory to the Congregation forBishops and Religious on August

6, 1868. He could not hide his“unfavourable impression” ofwhat he saw during the recrea-tion,“boys and clerics running about,playing, jumping, and even givinga pat on the head, with littledecorum on the side of the clericsand little or no respect on the partof the boys. Good Don Bosco issatisfied that the clerics are in thechurch but does not care for the trueformation of their ecclesiasticalspirit”, which was also the remarkof Archbishop Gastaldi.

Don Bosco was certainly happywhen things were done well, buthe was not a perfectionist. Hewould tolerate with patience andgoodness the youthful exuberanceof his collaborators provided hesaw true piety, love for work andfully proven morality in them. Hewas firmly convinced that peopleare not born mature or perfect,they gradually achieve perfection.

Don Bonetti wanted thateverything should be in perfectorder in his school. Don Boscowrote to him, “Our aim is thebest,” but added realistically,“unfortunately we must be satis-fied with the mediocre, in themidst of so much evil.”

Going through these few pointswe realize that Don Bosco was ahuman being just like us. In everyhuman being there is wheat anddarnel, there is the dove and theserpent. Who thrives at the end isthe one whom we feed most.Saints and sages had their virtuesand weakness. They all struggledto be saints. The difference bet-ween a saint and sinner is that thesinner becomes a victim of hisweaknesses, and remains in them,while for a saint the weaknessesbecome stepping stones to a holylife.


POPE FRANCIS AND OUR LADYPOPE FRANCIS AND OUR LADYPOPE FRANCIS AND OUR LADYPOPE FRANCIS AND OUR LADYPOPE FRANCIS AND OUR LADYNo knots are hopeless!

by Mario Morra

Pope Francis will certainly godown in history as a “Pope of

Surprises.” His quick election wasa surprise beyond all predictions;he was elected at the fourth ballotof the conclave. The name hechose reminded us of the poor andhumble “St Francis of Assisi.” Theway he greeted the faithful fromthe loggia of St Peter’s: “goodevening!” was another surprise.When he requested the people topray and invoke the Lord’s bless-ing on him as he bowed his head,they were surprised. After amoment of silent prayer he in turnblessed the faithful. And it was awelcome surprise on the morningafter his election that his first visitwas to the Basilica of St Mary Maj-or to offer her, in homage, a bouq-uet of flowers, placing the start ofhis ministry as Bishop of Rome,under her protection.

He continues to surprise every-one by his cordiality towardseveryone he meets: babies, theelderly and the humble, insistingthat he proclaims the goodnessand mercy of God “always readyto forgive our weakness and towelcome us back!” He urges us all

to trust and to never lose hope! Tofully understand the tendernessand compassion that characterizethe style of Pope Francis, weshould remember his devotion tothe Mother of God whom he lovesand venerates and invokes underthe title of the One who unties allknots. Even this devotion is asurprise! It is little known in Italybut it is very much alive in SouthAmerica, particularly in Argen-tina, thanks to the efforts of Arch-bishop Bergoglio.

As a young student in Germany,in the eighties, Father Bergogliocame to know of this devotion tothe Madonna at the Jesuit churchof St Peter in Perlach in the city ofAugsburg where the image ofMaria Knotenloserin (Mary whounties the knots) is venerated.

On returning to Argentina hebegan to spread this devotionwhich was enthusiastically em-braced by the faithful. Later whenhe became the auxiliary bishop ofBuenos Aires he dedicated ashrine to her and on December 8,1996 at the church of San José delTalar Portena, a reproduction ofNuestra Senora la que los Desata

Nudos, was mounted for theveneration of all.

The ImageThe original picture dates back

to the 1700’s and is the work of theGerman artist Johann MelchiorSchmidtner (1625-1705). It repre-sents the Immaculate Virgin cru-shing the serpent’s head and shehas in her hands the tangle of ropewith knots which an angel holdsout in one hand and a secondangel shows a knot to her. With asmile on her face she undoes theknots which are unravelledthrough her intercession.

The picture and the gesture ofMary are rich in allegoricalsignificance and refer to thewords of St. Irenaeus which areincluded in the Conciliar docu-ment on the Church LumenGentium. “The knot tied by thedisobedience of Eve that disgra-ced the human race was unravel-led by Mary’s obedience.”

Mary is always present as theone who unties the knots of ourfaults and our sins. MonsignorBergoglio repeatedly commentedon the significance of that image:“We all have knots in our hearts,we have our short-com-ings, and we go thro-ugh difficulties. Ourgood Father, showershis grace on all hischildren and wantsus to confide in Maryand entrust all ourknots to her, theknots of our prob-lems, our confusionand the miserieswhich prevent usfrom coming closeto God. She willunravel these knots

and bring us closer to her sonJesus.”

So reads the prayer to Marythat the Archbishop of BuenosAires disseminated: “Evil wasnever able to trick you with itsconfusion… intercede with yourSon for us in our difficulties. Withall simplicity and patience yougive us an example of how tounravel the tangle of our lives.”

We should pray to the Virginwho unties knots for Pope Francisso that she may guard and protecthim as he unravels the severalknots that he encounters in hisministry, that she may supporthim with her maternal solicitudebecause of the task that has beenentrusted to him.

Holy Mary, full of the Presence ofGod, during the days of your lifeyou accepted with all humility thewill of the Father, and the Evil onewas never able to trick you with itsconfusion.Holy Mary, Mother of God and ourMother, you who with maternal heartuntie the knots that bind our lives,save us from the bonds and theconfusion with which our enemytorments us.

By your grace, deliver usfrom all evil and untie the

knots that prevent usfrom approachingGod. Free us from allconfusion and error,that we can see youin all things, keepingyou in our heartsand serve you inour brothers andsisters. AmenThis prayer to Mary hasthe imprimatur of thethen Archbishop ofBuenos Aires Arch-

bishop Jorge Bergoglio.


NEWSBITS

No Perfect Church Here, Will All Be Saved?From St Martin’s Messenger, Ireland

NEW YORK

Jim Gaffigan, an Americanstand-up comedian, actor, authorand a proud Catholic father liveswith his beautiful wife, actressJeannie Noth, and their 5 childrenin a two-bedroom apartment inNew York City. He is known forhis routines relating to being lazy,and eating food, especially HotPockets, cake and bacon… justanother everyday comedian?

Besides his gift of comedy, Icouldn’t help but notice a beau-tiful sense of Catholic humanityin Gaffigan, a certain sense ofcalm calamity. Like many ofus, allured by worldly control, hewent for “suit” success. But hefailed miserably. Even now as asuccessful comedian, one look athis apartment confirms his apti-tude for chaos is still going strong.

Gaffigan is a normal guy thatsought happiness in worldlycontrol. Thank God he was hor-rible at! (Be wary, those who aregood at it!) He was miserable,reality struck him. It hurt. He waslost. Then he allowed himself to

get carried away by somethinggreater, a Plan greater than hisone, a thing, or a person, calledLove: love for himself (reconcilingwith himself, with his owngoodness and talents) love for abeautiful woman, love for anawesome family, and at the foun-dation of it all, love for a some-times crazy-seeming God. Manytimes God’s Plan for our livesseems crazy and disordered.When saying our, “yes”– our fiat– to Him, we almost can’t help butthink, “I can’t believe I am sayingthis, but yes!” Yet amongst thecraziness, there is a deeper ordis anda deeper joy. Love that comesbefore everything else. Love thatshatters so as to put the pieces intheir authentic place; that is order(Mt 10:39). It’s crazy enough tolaugh at, but beautiful enough toleave myself asking if maybe Ishould be a bit more Jim Gaffigan.(Catholic Link)

KENYAA 40-year-old priest from tiny

Eritrea, north of Ethiopia, hasopened a centre to help migrantstrapped in the North Africandeserts and rickety wooden boatsdrifting across the sea, reports theReligion News Service.

“It is my duty and moralobligation as a priest to help thesepeople. For me it’s simple: Jesussaid we must love one another aswe love ourselves,” says FrMussie Zerai in a telephoneinterview.

The little-known priest, nowbased in Rome and Switzerland,was among this year’s nomineesfor the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize,

Q. Will we ever have a perfectChurch? I am now in myseventies and while I can see a lotof goodness and a lot of goodthings in the Church there are alsoa lot of bad and distressing thingshappening. Malcolm

A. Thanks for your letter, Malcolmof which the above is a summary.The simple answer to yourquestion is that we will never havea perfect Church here on thisearth, just as you will never find aperfect society or a perfect family.As you point out there is an awfullot of good in the world but thereis also a lot of evil. The Church ofGod is made up of saints andsinners and many degrees inbetween. And from Christ’steaching about the last judgmente.g. – the weeds among the wheatleft to grow until the harvest andalso the dragnet taking in all kindsof fish and then separated after itis drawn ashore – it is clear thatwe will always have sinners in theChurch. We need go no furtherthan ourselves. We know we sinand sin frequently and while wemay and do improve in someaspects of our lives and ourrelationship with the love of God,there are always some dark areasin our lives, some sins that weseem to be unable to overcomedespite our prayers. It isimportant to remember that God

deals with all with compassionand love. There is no limit to hisforgiveness. Knowing this is asource of great encouragementand consolation for all of us andhelps us to persevere in our effortsto improve and grow asChristians.

Q. What happens to non-Christians when they die? Arethey lost because they don’tbelieve in Christ or are theysaved?

A. Thank you for your questionwhich is answered in theCatechism of the Catholic Church(no. 847) “Those also can attain tosalvation who through no fault oftheir own do not know the Gospelof Christ or his Church, but whonevertheless seek God with asincere heart and moved by grace,try in their actions to do his Willas they know it through thedictates of their conscience . . .these too may attain salvation.”So non-Christians are notdeprived of salvation. Anyoneacting in good faith can attainsalvation. However that does notabsolve the Church fromcontinuing its mission, receivedfrom Christ, of preaching thegospel to all people. Why? BecauseChrist, who died on the cross forall mankind, is the source ofsalvation for the whole world.


THE DEVOTION OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS

The devotion of the THREE HAIL MARYS isa very simple yet most efficacious devotion.Everyday, recite Three Hail Marys, adding theinvocation: "O Mary, My Mother, keep me frommortal sin." Many people recite the Three HailMarys as part of their morning and night prayers.To practise this devotion in time of danger, stress,special need or temptation, is a sure means toobtain Our Lady's help.

along with Pope Francis.Zerai runs a centre that receives

calls from distressed migrantswho have fled their countries inhopes of finding a better life inEurope. He relays refugees’ GPScoordinates to coast guard andnaval authorities so they canlaunch rescue operations.

Most of the migrants are fromSyria, the Horn of Africa and sub-Saharan Africa and are fleeingpolitical and social situations intheir countries of origin. Eritreans,Ethiopians and Somalis make upmost of their numbers. Theyusually attempt to cross to Italythrough Libya, Egypt andMorocco. Religion News Service

VIETNAM

Across Ho Chi Minh City,Catholic churches dot thelandscape. The largest ones serveas popular landmarks, drawing in

My son was unemployed for months. Manyapplications and interviews were of no avail. He

continued with his applications while I prayed the three Hail Marys toour Blessed Mother to intervene. Last week he was called for aninterview. This time he was successful I wish to proclaim my thanks toMama Mary and Bl. Alvaro. Glory be to God our mighty and lovingFather! Tony Fernandez, MalaysiaI had fallen sick and due to some problem I was depressed. Throughthe intercession of the 3 Hail Mary's, and the live Mass I would watchalmost everyday on Vailankanni shrine network at 10 am on http://www.vailankannishrine.tv/ I am better now. My sincere and gratefulthanks to Our Lord Jesus, Our Mother Mary also to the saints and theHoly Souls. Lloyd Parakh – SholapurI prayed for a wart that was on my neck and I pleaded for the PreciousBlood of Jesus to cover me and heal me of the pepper-sized wart andafter nearly four months of hot fermentation, I was able to squeeze itall out. I also prayed the 3 Hail Marys together with the intercessionand now want to thank my Mother Mary who interceded for me at atime such as this. I am at a loss for words to thank our Lord JesusChrist and His Mother who is also my Mother.

Maureen de Zilwa, Sri LankaMy most sincere thanks to Mother Mary for helping my daughter tosecure good marks in her HSC examination and admission to MBBScourse. I always recite the Three Hail Marys and guided my daughterto faithfully do the same. I am deeply grateful for your shower ofblessings on me and my family. Continue to intercede for us, I pray.

Sabina Braganza, GoaMy sincere thanks to Mother Mary for interceding with the Holy Trinityto heal my father from stomach cancer. I used to say the Three HailMarys daily in the morning and after the Divine Mercy chaplet.Thankyou Father, thank you Jesus, thank you Holy Spirit. Melita FernandesDearest Mother belated thanks for helping me to secure good marks inmy Std 10th exams. Please bless us with good health and peace of mind.Guide and protect us during our trials and tribulations. We offer thisprayer through the devotion of three Hail Marys. Lovelyn Pinto

gaping tourists by the busloads. Atthe small ones, locals quietlycrowd in for Mass and services.For dedicated parishioners, thechurch remains a bedrock of theircommunity.

"We teach people to do goodthings, to open themselves. Andyou can see other people and helpother people, making your lifemore meaningful every day," saidFather Joseph Giang.

Though precise figures are hardto come by, the population app-ears to be growing. In 1954, Cath-olics made up approximately 1.9million of the roughly 30 millionpopulation, according to researchpublished by Father Peter Hansen,a lecturer at Australia's CatholicTheological College. Today, thereare 6.2 million Catholics — 7percent of the population.

Unlike China, which continuesto follow the model of govern-ment-appointed bishops, appoint-ments in Vietnam are left in thehands of the Vatican.

The greater difficulty for theCatholic Church today is hand-ling a mercurial and far frommonolithic government. What ispermissible in some areas may bemet with jail time in others. Autho-rities who look the other way foryears might suddenly decide tocrack down without warning.

"We can organize catechisms,it's OK. We can accept new peo-ple, it's OK,” said a Jesuit leaderspeaking on the condition ofanonymity, explaining that thecurrent situation was a poorpredictor of how things could goin the future.

In the face of such challenges,clergy and laypeople alike striveto accept obstacles withequanimity.


APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYERFEBRUARY 2016

THANKS TO DEARST. DOMINIC SAVIO

LOVING CHILDREN TOTHEIR LOVING MOTHER

THEY ARE GRATEFUL TOOUR LADY AND DON BOSCO

Universal: Care for CreationThat we may take good care of creation - a gift freely given - cultivatingand protecting it for future generations.

Evangelization: AsiaThat opportunities may increase for dialogue and encounter betweenthe Christian faith and the peoples of Asia.

My belated thanks to Our Lord, Mary Help of Christians, St. JohnBosco and St. Dominic Savio for the succesful kidney operationsof my niece & sister. E.Mascarenhas, PuneOur sincere thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mary Help ofChristians and all the saints for helping my son get married onJuly 12, 2014. Olga D’Souza, MumbaiDear Mary Help of Christians I thank you for the many favoursreceived through your powerful intercession and most especiallyfor getting a job of his choice for my son and for the good health ofmy grandson. Philomena D’Souza, MumbaiThank you Jesus and Mary Help of Christians for curing me ofbreast cancer. Joyceline AMy sincere thanks to Mother Mary, Don Bosco and Dominic Saviofor the safe and normal delivery of my daughter and the gift of ababy boy. Thanks to Dominic Savio for answering my daughter’sprayer during the delivery. Kathy M. Martins, MumbaiI prayed to Our Lady in my difficulty and she answered me. I amgrateful. F. Rodrigues, LondonMy sincere and heartfelt thanks to Our Lord Jesus Christ, MotherMary, Don Bosco and Dominic Savio for blessing me and myfamily with many favours. I am immensely grateful. Mrs. Philomena D’Souza, Goa

I had high blood pressure from the 20th

week of my pregnancy and a urinaryinfection. The doctor had given up hopefor a healthy baby. When I startedwearing the Dominic Savio Scapular andpraying the expectant mother prayer, myblood pressure almost returned to normaland I delivered healthy baby girl on 30th

July 2015 through Cesarean without anycomplications. I thank wholeheartedlyDominic Savio for a safe delivery of ahealthy baby girl.

Josephine Kumar, BangaloreThank you dear dear Jesus, MotherMary, and St. Dominic Savio for granting

all my petitions. My daughter Agnes, after six years of marriage gavebirth to a baby girl on July 24, 2014 and my other daughter Mariagave birth to her second child a baby boy on February 14, 2015. Iask our Mother Mary and St. Dominic Savio to keep Hannah, AvaSara and Ethan and all our family members in their care and protectus always. Mrs Mary Stella, MysoreLast year, 2014 in the month of April my child Ana Severina wasseriously ill with a urinary infection and high fever. She had to behospitalized. When the fever subsided she was advised a DBSA scanrelated to her urinary infection. As a mother I wanted to avoid it as itwould be painful for her. I prayed to Mother Mary and St. DominicSavio for their help to avoid the test. By their intercession the test wasavoided and my child is fine now and free from the infection. I continuepraying the three Hail Marys and I thank Dominic Savio for hisintercession. Manuella FernandesThank you dearest Jesus, Mary Help of Christians, Don Bosco andSt. Dominic Savio for the gift of a healthy baby boy and all the favourstoo. Rachel Francis, Sydney, Australia

Thank you Our Lady of Carmel for hearing my prayer. Ms. JosephMy sincere thanks to the Risen Lord and Mother Mary for all thefavours received. M. Dodd, PunePraise be to Jesus and Mother Mary. On February 7, 2015 mypregnant daughter and I were relaxing on the sofa under a fan.Suddenly the fancy lamp attached to the fan fell on me and shatteredinto pieces. I started bleeding as it had split my index finger. AlthoughI had three stitches it was a miracle that my head was protectedand my daughter was safe without a scratch. I always pray thethree Hail Marys and the invocations every morning and evening.Thank you Blessed Mother. Zenita Corera, TuticorinMy sincere and heartfelt thanks to Jesus and Our Lady Help ofChristians for a successful cataract operation. I was able to drivemy 2-wheeler and join duty 10 days later. Jesus and Mother Maryplease continue to bless and protect me and my family.

Colleen Scott, JabalpurThank you Mother Mary for helping me in a difficult situation andfor helping to secure good jobs for my sons. Mrs. G. Gomes, ThaneThank you Mother Mary for blessing me with a baby and for all theother graces and favours received. Mrs. F. K. Mumbai

36February 2016 Don Bosco’s Madonna

Regd RNI no. 9360/57;Postal Regn. MH/MR/North East/089/2012-2014posted at Mumbai Patrika Channel Sorting Office

on 1st & 2nd of every monthSubs: (one copy Rs. 20/-); Inland Rs. 200p.a; Airmail: Rs 500 p.a.

MARY WAS THERE

Don Bosco's Madonna, has developed to its present form from a folder published in 1937,by late Fr Aurelius Maschio, on behalf of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Bombay.

The magazine is sent to all who ask for it, even though there is a fixed subscription(Rs 200/- India & Rs 400/- Airmail)). We trust in the generosity of our readers/benefactors.Whatever you send us will help cover the expenses of printing and mailing; the surplus ifany, is devoted to the support of orphans and poor boys in our schools and apostolic

centres.To help a poor lad to reach the priesthood, is a privilege

You can help by establishing a Perpetual Burse with:Rs 5000/-, 10,000/-, 15,000/- for a boy studying for the priesthood;But any amount, however small, will be gratefully received.

Send your offerings by Payee cheque or Draft on Mumbai banks;MO/PO/INTL MO/BPO/Bequests, Wills, Perpetual Burses, all favouring Don Bosco'sMadonna or Bombay Salesian Society or Rev. Fr. Edwin D'Souza, (Trustee).Please address all correspondence to:

Rev. Fr. Edwin D'Souza, sdb.,SHRINE OF DON BOSCO'S MADONNA,Matunga - MUMBAI - 400 019 - INDIA

Phone/Fax: 91-22- 2414 6320, email: [email protected]

We were on a family trip to Ooty andheading out to our next destination-Virajpet. My wife and I, along withmy daughter, son-in-law and their 2kids were driving around the mean-dering roads along the hillside. As wewere descending the hill-slopes along36 hairpin bends, my son-in-law wasdoing fine job navigating. But as weapproached the end of the slopes hefound a loss of brake pressure. Unableto stop the car, he used the gears andthe hand brake judiciously to controlthe car and avoid falling off theprecipice. We reached the foot of thehills and were blessed to find amechanic who fixed our car brakes.We thanked Our Blessed Mother andrecited the Hail Mary. She saved usfrom danger. Praise the Lord! Andthanks to Mother Mary for keepingmy family out of harm’s way.

Avelino Dias, Goa

Documents

DON BOSCO'S MADONNA · 2016. 2. 1. · February 2016 4 Don Bosco’s Madonna February 2016 5 Don Bosco’s Madonna CEL SERIES LIFE: AN EMPTY PICKLE JAR? Fr. Erasto Fernandez, sss