Celebrating a Century of Accomplishment

by Fr. Steve Whelan, S.D.B.

As mentioned elsewhere, not many of us celebrate 100 years of anything. First of all very few of us were around when this string of years started. And those who were, are not around now.

Feast of Saint John Bosco, Jan. 31st., SS. Peter and Paul Church. Main Celebrant: Pio Cardinal Laghi. Kneeling: Archbishop William J. Levada of San Francisco. Behind Card. Laghi, in back: V. Rev. Juan E. Vecchi, SDB, Rector Major of the Salesian Society.

However, when 100 years of anything in some way touches us personally we want and need to make a big deal out of it.

And so it is with the Salesians of Don Bosco [SDB] who this year celebrate a century of work in the United States. The arrival of the first four sons of St. John Bosco in the United States was on the golden shores of California in the city of San Francisco. Actually, they came by boat from Italy to New York City and by train via Chicago to Oakland. Thence by ferryboat to the City. One has to admit that the other description sounds better.

Arriving on the 11th or 12th of March 1897 [the exact day is in some dispute] they were met by the pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul church, Fr. Franco De Carolis, at the ferry building and escorted them to the church on Filbert St. and Grant Ave. in North Beach. The next day he accompanied them to the chancery to meet Archbishop Patrick J. Riordan. The day following, Fr. De Carolis left town! It was up to the newly arrived Salesian priests and brothers to introduce themselves to the congregation especially at the following Sunday Masses.

Thus began the century of work among the Italian immigrants of North Beach, who were described by Fr. Rafael Piperni in a letter to Blessed Michael Rua, Don Bosco's successor, as follows: Sad to say, Italians are held in very low esteem everywhere here, so much so that the good ones are ashamed of being so identified. Italian is a term of revilement. The charge against them is that they are uncivilized, irreligious, impious, blasphemers. There are a lot of good people among them, glory be to God, but they have much to suffer. [Letter dated March 15, 1897.]

The first four were the aforementioned Fr. Piperni, S.D.B. [†1930], leader of the band who came to San Francisco via Palestine, Mexico and Italy. He was a learned man, speaking several languages and a skilled orator. Anther priest was Fr. Valentino Cassini; who came by way of Argentina and began the mission church of Corpus Christi in San Francisco's Outer Mission district in 1898. The third was Bro. Joseph Oreni who was a seminarian and was the first Salesian priest ordained in the United States in 1900. Last, and much beloved, was the coadjutor [lay brother] Bro. Nicholas Imielinski. He was a Polish Salesian in his early 20's whose only assignment was Saints Peter and Paul. He worked there for fifty-one years until his death in 1948. In charge of the church, the sacristy and altar boys, he was affectionately known as "Bro. Nick."

The Salesians rapidly expanded their presence, first working in minority churches for Italians and Portuguese then staffing and developing schools in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. From the small beginning the Salesians are now found throughout the United States and Canada.

Friday, Jan. 31 [continues]