Very Reverend Nicholas Reina, new Provincial of the San Francisco Province.
San Francisco, CA
When Fr. Nick Reina, President of Don Bosco Technical Institute in Rosemead, California, received a call from Rome last December, he admits feeling very nervous. Sure enough, the Rector Major, Fr. Juan Vecchi, was on the other line. Don Vecchi came right to the point: "Fr. Reina, we would like you to be the next provincial of your province." When Nick recounted this call to the other members of the Provincial Council in January, he remarked with a laugh that it was quite clear to him at that moment that "No" would not have been an acceptable answer. It was decided to wait until this occasion of the centenary, while in the presence of the Rector Major, that the public announcement would be made.
Fr. Nick grew up in St. Benedict's Parish in Montebello, California. He entered Don Bosco Technical Institute in Metallurgical Science in 1961 and graduated in 1965. He began his novitiate training for the Salesians in 1966 and made his first profession of vows on August 15, 1967. He studied theology at the GTU in the Jesuit School in Berkeley and was ordained in April of 1978. During the summer of 1978 Nick studied in France toward the completion of his doctoral studies. He worked on his doctoral research from 1978-79. He interrupted this research to become part of the founding community to open De Sales Hall in Bellflower as the pre-novitiate phase of formation. In 1980 he went to the Provincial residence to work on his dissertation and received his doctorate in Systematic Theology from the GTU in 1981. From 1981 until 1985 Nick served as the CYM [Campus Youth Minister] of Don Bosco Tech. In 1985 he became the Tech President. Since 1994 he has served as Director/President of the Tech. He has served on the Provincial Council for five years.
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