- Editor, Salesian Bulletin
- 1100 Franklin St.
- P.O. Box 640009
- San Francisco, CA 94109
It is not often that we have a chance to celebrate a one-hundred-year-anniversary. First, we were not around in year one. Second, the ones who were, are not around either. So we cannot take credit for the accomplishment and those who could cannot enjoy the accolades they richly deserve.
Nevertheless, celebrate we will. The Salesians of Don Bosco [S.D.B.] and the entire Salesian Family wave fondly as they pass the century mark of the Salesians’ arrival in the United States. As in life, growth was tenuous at the start and spurted and waned as the years progressed. It may seem to some that the accomplishments of one hundred years is at best modest. Yet this growth cannot be gauged terms of property, buildings and numbers of people. It is in the religious and spiritual realms that development was and is to be most noted. It is in the lives of the youth served by the Salesians and their collaborators that the spirit of Don Bosco and, consequently, the love of the Catholic Church was and is most visible.
Today, we find in those youths, grown to adults, dedicated men and women who have a fondness for Don Bosco and things Salesian, a spirit that far out-strips the modest efforts of those who went before them. There is a determination and a sense of "rightness" in those alumni and alumnae of Don Bosco that characterizes their devotion to God and Country.
But as we celebrate this great milestone of time we realize that we are passing it and it is receding into the distance behind us. We have now become the pioneers of the Second Century. The challenge is obvious. The youth of the United States and, of course, all the world, are facing new and increasing threats to the serene growth of their spirits, minds and bodies. Realistically, it was similar in Don Bosco’s day. He saw and felt the risks that young people of his time were succumbing to. To the wonder of all, he did something about it.
This is our challenge in the second century of Salesian activity in our country. Don Bosco’s main philosophy [and theology] was to contact youth before they were corrupted or negatively influenced by the machinations of evil, moral or physical. We must not wring our hands at the items in the daily papers or nightly news. We must do something to actually walk the journey of our youth and offer them alternatives to self-destructive choices and guide them along roads that lead to self-fulfillment helping them to be good, faithful Christians and good, productive citizens.
We, religious and laity, are the new evangelists of the Spirit of St. Francis de Sales [hence Salesian] so fundamental to St. John Bosco. We are the new heralds of hope for the youth of America. If there is any anxiety or concern, it is due to our inability to answer all the calls that come to us. But those we can answer, even at great sacrifice or in small daily efforts, we will answer with heart and soul guided by the Apostle of Youth: St. John Bosco.
It is to this end that the Salesian Bulletin has been resurrected after a hiatus of several years. Something is being done for youth and we want to tell you about it. In fact, so much is being done by the Salesian Family here in the United States and throughout the world this magazine is the unifying instrument for all our efforts as we read about one another’s exploits and thus receive mutual encouragement to fire up out enthusiasm.
Please send us a note to inform us of your activities for youth and your opinions. We want to hear from you. We need your comments and questions. We can be reached at
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