St. John Bosco Today December-February 2018

December 2017-February 2018 | St. John Bosco Today

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Contents St. John Bosco Today

Volume 47 I Number 3 December 2017-February 2018 a Magazine of Information and Religious Culture of the Salesian Family in the Philippines

Message of the Rector Major .............................3 Editor’s Note......................................................4 MAIN FEATURES

EDITORIAL TEAM Owner Salesian Society of St. John Bosco Printer Don Bosco Press, Inc. Publisher Don Bosco Press, Inc. Editor Fr. Bernard P. Nolasco, SDB Associate Editor Fr. Joel Camaya, SDB Copy Editor Fr. Mario Baclig, SDB Coordinators Fr. Fidel Ma. Orendain, SDB (FIS) Sr. Rachel Flor, FMA & FMA Past Pupils, Sr. Sophia Akiko Oshita, SCG, Imelda Benitez-Domitita ASC, Dr.Victor B. Endriga DBAPNF, Maria Junifer Maliglig, ADMA, Evangeline Dolliente FADS Art Director Early Macabales Graphics & Design Studio DBPI-Multimedia Section Circulation Commission on Social Communication For subscription, please contact Commission on Social Communication 3/F Don Bosco Provincial Office,Don Bosco Compound,C. Roces Ave. cor. A. Arnaiz Ave. Makati City, Philippines Tel (02) 893-8227 loc. 114 | Telefax (02) 892-8174 Annual subscription (4 issues) P300.00 Send your comments and suggestions to salesianbulletinphilippines@gmail.com Visit us at www.sdb.org.ph Copyright© 2017 by Don Bosco Press, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission from the publisher.

The Senior High School Bosconian.................. 5 A Joyful Accompaniment with the Young ...... 10 Senior High School in FMA Schools ................13 SPECIAL FEATURE Bishop Leo Drona, SDB, DD

Celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Priesthood ...........16

Outstanding Math Teacher in New York: A Bosconian! ...............................................19 Wilderness No More!

25 Years of Salesian Presence in Borongan ............. 22

Grace Filled Return

Don Bosco Academy is Back in Bacolor .................. 25

FIN-FIS NEWS Don Bosco TVET Launched ................................. 28 Word And Life Publications Honored at the 39th Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) ...........................................................30 MARIAN CORNER Mary was Here! .................................................31

LET US CELEBRATE LIFE! Each new day is a blank page presenting us with a host of possibilities on the horizons of our life. This is the incredible gift that we call time.

Without doubt, time, or better, life—which has time as its measure—envelops a host of possibilities, relationships, and experiences.

Not long ago, I was speaking with a Brother in his 80s. He was advising me to live my life with passion—squeezing out of it all I could, just as one would squeeze a lemon or a bunch of grapes to get out all the juice. This is what this Brother, who has excellent intellectual, academic, and religious formation, told me. He did not mean to say that one must live a crazy life, running from one place to the other, or seeking this or that because one is dissatisfied. No. He was referring, rather, to the impassioned exercise of taking control of one’s life, of this true gift received from the Lord of Life.

I wish to offer you some reflections about time and its possibilities. Let us imagine that there exists a bank that adds to our personal account 86,400 dollars every morning. This unique bank does not carry over our funds from one day to the next, but every night takes out of our personal account whatever we have not used. Every one of us has an account in one of these banks! What is the name on this bank? Time!

Each day this bank, beyond adding new funds, removes whatever is left over from the day before. It never keeps a balance. If the full amount is not used up in one day, what remains is lost. It cannot be reversed.

You cannot make any credit card charges to your account for the income of the following day.You must live in the present with the funds for today. Therefore:  To understand well the value of an entire year, we can ask a student who has had to repeat a course.  To understand the value of a month, we can ask a mother who gave birth to her baby prematurely.  To understand the value of a week, we can ask the editor of a weekly publication.  To understand the value of an hour, we can ask the help of those who are in love and who expect to see their loved one at any moment.  To understand the value of a minute, we can ask someone traveling who missed his or her plane or train by just one minute.  To understand the importance of a second, we can ask someone who avoided an accident by one second.  To understand the value of a millisecond, we can ask the athlete who earned a gold medal in the Olympics by this margin.

SUCH IS THE VALUE OF TIME!

Thus, we should wish that each of us treasure every moment of our lives. Let us give more importance to this treasure by sharing it with others who are most dear to us, especially by dedicating our time to them.

Let us not forget: time waits for no one. Let us also remember what is most important of all. As believers, we know that time is only a means, but the gift is life itself, given for us to share. In this sharing we become truly happy.

My wish for you, dear readers, is that we do not let life just pass us by or live it in any old way. Once we have had the experience of living life fully, enjoying all the beautiful and wonderful things that surround us, and even the difficulties that weigh us down at times, we realize that accepting this challenge of life becomes a passion.

May you be happy!

Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime, SDB Rector Major

Message of the RECTOR MAJOR

Thus, we should wish that each of us treasure every moment of our lives.

Let us give more importance to this treasure by sharing it with others who are most dear to us, especially by dedicating our time to them.

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EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear Readers,

O

ur country formally welcomed the Senior High School last school year 2016—2017. This school year 2017—2018 will produce the first batch of Senior High School graduates. This recent development in our country’s educational system is here to stay even if it was welcomed with so much criticism and opposition from various sectors in society.

Not to be left behind in this development, the different Salesian Educative-Pastoral communities of all Don Bosco schools nationwide prepared seriously for the two-year Senior High School program in their respective institutions. This December-February issue of St. John Bosco Today wishes to present to you, readers, how these two additional years can be a “uniquely Salesian experience” for both senior high school students and educators in every Don Bosco school.

We congratulate Bishop Leo Drona, SDB, DD, as he celebrates his Golden Jubilee of Priesthood. We accompany him with our prayers and join him in thanking the Lord for all the blessings God has bestowed on him.

We are happy to include in this issue the re-opening of Don Bosco Academy in Bacolor, Pampanga, this school year 2017—2018. Indeed, God is gracious!

Another good news that we wish to let you, readers, know is the recently launched Don Bosco-ONE TVET Philippines. With all its noble intentions and goals for the welfare of the poor and marginalized youth, all those involved in this movement deserve our congratulations!

As you receive your copy of this issue, allow me to greet you a Blessed Christmas and a grace-filled New Year! God bless you always.

By Fr. Bernard P. Nolasco, SDB Editor

SALESIANITY FamilyHIGH Ministry MAIN FEATURE | 101 FIN|SENIOR SCHOOL

The Senior High School

BOSCONIAN We educate for life.

By Fr. Joel Camaya, SDB

Don Bosco Academy, Mabalacat Pampanga

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”- Socrates

“O

ur schools just got bigger!” This was the common remark of Salesians as they saw the two levels of the Senior High School—Grades 11 and 12— complete with students. Last year the Don Bosco schools welcomed the first batch of Senior High School students.

As in every endeavor, the opening and initial operation of the Senior High School departments had their share of birth pains. This year, the schools look forward to the end of this school year 2017—2018, and hope to see the first batch of students graduate from Senior High School!

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Don Bosco Technical Institute, Makati City

K TO 12 AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

As early as June 2013, the educational sector in the Philippines—and in fact, the whole archipelago, in formal and informal settings—was abuzz with conversations and discussions on the introduction of the K to 12 program of education. This program was meant to put the country at par with international standards in terms of the number of years devoted to basic education. Two more years, Grades 11 and 12 (tagged as “Senior High School”) were added to the ten or eleven years of study.

These additional years, according to the Department of Education, were meant “to prepare the young for employment, entrepreneurship, skills development, or higher education.”

Naturally, there were pros and cons. For the students, that meant more years of study. For the parents, added expenses for education. For the schools offering basic education, there was the need to expand and invest in infrastructure and personnel. For the institutions of higher education, there would be one to two years of zero enrollment and a change in the different programs offered.

THE SALESIAN RESPONSE TO THE CHANGING EDUCATIONAL SCENARIO

The Salesians of the Philippines North Province (FIN), who are very much involved in the educational apostolate, had their share of questions, along with apprehensions and reflections. Plans were drawn up. Since 2013, the Office of the Educational Apostolate, led by Fr. Onofre Inocencio Jr., SDB, put Senior High School matters in the agenda of the 6

numerous meetings. The FIN Province called for a reflection on the changing face of Philippine education and, in August 2015, came up with the Salesian Assembly on the Educational Apostolate. The Provincial Superior, in his visit to the different school communities, always recommended that the Salesians and the lay mission partners prepare well for the beginning of the Senior High School.

And prepare, the schools did. Construction—both in masonry and curriculum, and development—both in structures and personnel. The buzzwords were “Senior High.”

After all the apprehensions and anxieties of the first year of implementation, there was a sigh of relief from everyone. “We survived the beginning! Furthermore, the Salesians continue talking about the Senior High School.

Presently, the Senior High School programs of the Don Bosco schools of the FIN Province are in full swing. They offer various tracks—STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), ABM (Accountancy, Business, and Management), DMT (Digital Media Technology), and TECH-VOC (Technical, Vocational, Livelihood). Don Bosco Technical Institute, Tarlac, and Don Bosco Technical Institute, Makati, offer STEM and ABM. Don Bosco Technical College, Mandaluyong, offers STEM, ABM, and DMT. Don Bosco Academy, Pampanga, offers STEM and ABM. Don Bosco College, Canlubang, STEM and

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SALESIANITY FamilyHIGH Ministry MAIN FEATURE | 101 FIN|SENIOR SCHOOL

This is a welcome development in the Salesian educational ministry, for it is an opportunity for longer contact with the young, hence, more time to instill human, Christian, and Salesian values.

TECH-VOC. For next school year, Don Bosco Pampanga and Canlubang are planning to offer the HUMMS (Humanities and Social Sciences) track.

A SCHOOL THAT PREPARES THEM FOR LIFE.

The Don Bosco schools have been advertising their programs for the Senior High School, targeting primarily their very own Grade 10 students. But they also opened the gates of their schools to non-Bosconians. Moreover, since the Junior High schools have been catering exclusively to boys, there was novelty in having girls among the Basic Education Bosconians.

Fr Joel Camaya, SDB, with some SHS Bosconians of DBC Canlubang

Don Bosco College, Canlubang Laguna

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Don Bosco Technical College, Mandaluyong City

One ad, of Don Bosco Canlubang, read, “Be a Senior High Bosconian today. Be educated for life.” The statement actually refers to the motto of the Don Bosco educational centers (DBECs): “We educate for life.” More significantly, the tagline is linked with the Senior High School program, as enunciated by the Department of Education: “To prepare the youngster for employment, entrepreneurship, skills development, or higher education.”

For Salesians then, the formative years of the Senior High School fit in perfectly with genuine Salesian Youth Ministry. In fact, the permanent criterion of every Salesian ministry is the oratory or youth center of Don Bosco.

For the young, it is “a home that welcomes, a parish that evangelizes, a playground where they meet new friends, and a school that prepares them for life.” Here then is the privileged Salesian setting of Senior High School that ensures this preparation for life.

This is a welcome development in the Salesian educational ministry, for it is an opportunity for longer contact with the young, hence, more time to instill human, Christian, and Salesian values. In days past, Salesians lamented that after young people were carefully formed— from the childhood days in kindergarten and grade school, all the way to what was then called fourth year high school—they would get lost when they entered college. An irony, that Salesians were letting go of the young right at the crucial stages of the adolescent years—17 and 18 years of age. With the Senior High School, Don Bosco would continue to be there for the young people.

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THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Now Don Bosco schools have grown in population with this new wave of Bosconians. They move around the campuses with an air of dignity, in elegant school uniforms, and in a respectable demeanor, worthy of their status as elder brothers and sisters to the younger Bosconians in Grade School and Junior High School.

Mr. Erwin Go, Assistant Principal of the Senior High School of Don Bosco College, Canlubang, noticed that the coming of this new group of Bosconians has brought about the beginning of a new culture in the school. It is a group that is heterogenous, with students of the STEM and TVL tracks—albeit from diverse financial situations—coming together in one department.

Fr. Robert Paul “Bob” Zarate, SDB, Principal of Don Bosco Academy, Pampanga, describes the Senior High School Bosconians, as “tired, busy, and complacent.” “Tired,” because of the demands of their studies. “Busy,” because the Performance Tasks Assessment (PeTA) covers 50% of their grade. “Complacent,” perhaps just for this time, since these first batches are aware that they could have been in college already at this time. However, this complacency may

St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

disappear when the Senior High School Program would have become a fixture in Philippine education. Today, Senior High School student Cyrihl Velasquez of Don Bosco, Canlubang, can still remark: “Our research subject is difficult!”

Fr. Abel de Ocampo, SDB, Spiritual Moderator of Don Bosco, Canlubang, who looks at the Senior High Bosconians as animator of pastoral affairs, describes the students as innovative, spontaneous, and deep: innovative, since they are creative and talented, spontaneous, since they are open to express themselves, and deep, for they are inquisitive on matters of the faith and life concerns.

He notes that they ask questions of a more profound level, many of which have to be addressed individually, on a case-to-case basis. “The students of this age are more individuated,” he says. Hence, this is the time when we should be more present to them!

Don Bosco Academy, Tarlac City

THE CHALLENGE FOR EDUCATORS

For Fr. Bob, the greatest challenge for educators is where to set the line, since these Bosconians are already eighteen years old, and therefore, of legal age, yet at the same time are youth whom we cannot consider totally independent.

Fr. Jeffrey Mangubat, Principal of the Senior High School Department of Don Bosco, Canlubang, adds that among the challenges for educators is the attitude of the students regarding the seriousness of studies, the discipline that we should instill in them, and the understanding of the millennial and postmillennial culture.

Adding two more years is not so bad after all, especially when we consider what education should be. We are not simply filling a vessel or a pail. We are kindling a fire!

Senior High School brings more opportunities to provide the sparks for such fire, when educators lead the students to more mature and more realistic decisions. St. John Bosco already saw this in the young people he formed, and strove to provide the bridge from early adolescence to young adulthood. In this new stage in Philippine education, the Salesians are continuing the path of their Father and Founder.

With the Senior High School, Don Bosco would continue to be there for the young people.

A Joyful Accompaniment

WITH THE YOUNG Senior High School of Don Bosco Visayas and Mindanao

By Fr. Joriz Calsa, SDB Head–FIS Commission on Youth Ministry

T

he former Dep-Ed Secretary, Bro. Armin Luistro, in the context of establishing the Senior High School said, “It (SHS) is much more than a change in curriculum.

It requires a change of perspective. It requires a change of heart of those who will implement it and bring that to fruition.” Even though in haste, the schools responded to the government’s mandate to set up Grades 11 and 12 and labored to implement a program that would prepare students either for college or for the world of work.

The current school year 2017–2018 will produce the first batch of SHS graduates nationwide. Multi-level evaluation tools are expected from the Department of Education (Dep-Ed) and its stakeholders especially because both public and private schools pointed out several grey areas in the implementation of the program.

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St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

101SENIOR | Family Ministry MAINSALESIANITY FEATURE | FIS HIGH SCHOOL Across the Salesian Philippine South Province (FIS), spanning Visayas and Mindanao, the SHS Program is in full swing in four schools and one TVET center: 1. DON BOSCO TECHNICAL INSTITUTE (DBTI),Victorias City (Negros Occidental): Technical Vocational and Livelihood (TVL) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) tracks with 278 enrollees.

2. DON BOSCO TECHNICAL COLLEGE-CEBU (DBTC), Cebu City: TVL and STEM tracks with 245 enrollees.

3. ST. LOUIS SCHOOL-DON BOSCO (SLS-DB), Dumaguete City (Negros Oriental): STEM, General Academic Strand (GAS), and Accounting, Business and Management (ABM) tracks with 162 enrollees.

4. LILOAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL-DON BOSCO CAMPUS (LNHS-DB), Liloan (Cebu): TVL and GAS tracks with 137 enrollees.

5. DON BOSCO TRAINING CENTER (DBTC), Mati (Davao Oriental): TVL track with 231 enrollees.

For this school year, there are 1,053 students in Grades 11 and 12, with the majority in the STEM track and the least in the ABM track. With the exception of Don Bosco-Mati, the TVL track has a surprisingly low turn-out from the Bosconians. In their stead, students from non-Don Bosco junior high schools have filled the classrooms.

Four years prior to the start of the SHS program, the Salesians entered into a one-of-a-kind private-public-partnership between the Dep-Ed and Don Bosco-Liloan (Cebu). This has affected positively the SHS-program implementation. Don Bosco-Liloan, being primarily a Boys’ Home catering to a combination of street children, as well as abused, neglected, abandoned, and economically poor boys, took a strategic stance of building a school within the three-hectare land donated by the Aboitiz Family. This undertaking, which was fully supported by the donors, had the official nod of the erstwhile DepEd Secretary, Bro. Armin Luistro. Don Bosco Boys Home became an extension campus of the Liloan National High School and started offering SHS TVL courses. The initial success of the partnership in Liloan inspired Don Bosco-Mati’s multi-year MOA with the DepEd Region XI for their stand-alone SHS. The effort of the Salesian community of Mati and its Technical Director, Fr. Rex Carbilledo, SDB, has produced for their institution an average of 200 students each year with a very high employability rate.

With the SHS running mid-stream, the joint FIN-FIS meeting of Principals included an interim evaluation on the trends of the SHS program. The Principals saw that the key to a successful SHS program was not in the multiplication of course offerings but in the unique and enriching educative-pastoral experience that the Don Bosco senior high schools can offer.

Even in these early years of the SHS program, notwithstanding the fine-tuning that is foreseen on country-level, the Salesians see the blessing of two more years of journeying with the students during a most crucial stage of their lives and more opportunities of joyful accompaniment to insure their future.

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The Principals saw that the key to a successful SHS program was not in the multiplication of course offerings but in the unique and enriching educativepastoral experience that the Don Bosco senior high schools can offer.

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St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

SALESIANITY 101 |SENIOR FamilyHIGH Ministry MAIN FEATURE | FMA SCHOOL

Senior High School

in FMA Schools

By Sr. Pinky R. Garza, FMA

Forming young hearts rooted in rich human, Christian and Salesian values

L

ong before the Philippine government signed Republic Act 10533 into law last May 2013, the Commission on Education (ComEd) of the Philippine-Papua New Guinea (FIL-PNG) Province of the Salesian Sisters has already been making the necessary steps to prepare for the implementation of various Senior High School (SHS) programs in 4 of its basic education (Basic Ed) and 3 technical vocational livelihood (TVL) schools

in Manila, Pampanga, Laguna, Cebu, Mindoro and Negros.

One with the government’s vision of enhancing the country’s education system by moving from a 10-year to a 13-year system which includes Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education, the ComEd Basic Ed and TVL sectors opened senior high school programs in the academic and technical-vocational tracks that will make the foundational years of

students in their schools truly at par with globally recognized standards and continue to immerse the young in a real school for life. To these ends, the educational and auxiliary programs were designed not just to enable students to assimilate skills and values needed to pursue tertiary education, seek for employment or become entrepreneurs but also to instil in them attitudes and dispositions needed to choose and act always according to a

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SHS students from MOHTIW-Pampanga and MHTIW-Cebu enrolled in the TVL strand hone their skills in pneumatics and electronics.

Gospel mentality and make them and active citizens in the church and in the world.

The four basic education schools, namely, Don Bosco School – Manila, Mary Help of Christians CollegeLaguna, Mary Help of Christians School (MHCS) -Cebu and MHCSPampanga offer the STEM, ABM and HUMSS strands of the academic track for college-bound boys and girls. The three Technical-Vocational Livelihood (TVL) schools in Cebu, Pampanga and Negros cater to young women who wish to find employment or start their own careers immediately after senior high school armed with their training in consumers electronics servicing, mechatronics servicing, travel services, tourism promotion services, local guiding services, front office services, housekeeping, bartending, dressmaking, tailoring, bread and pastry production and commercial cooking. Mary Our Help Technical Institute for Women (MOHTIW) in Minglanilla, Cebu, one of the 3 TVL schools, also offer the ABM and STEM strands, with the latter also attached to the school’s ladderized Electronics Engineering degree program.

Undeniably, for all these basic education and TVL institutions, the pressure and the demands entailed by the move to add 2 more years of senior high school were great and, at some point, seemingly unsurmountable.

If not for the unwavering commitment 14

of the FMA Educating Community to the welfare of the young in their care, it was easier to opt to remain as K-10 schools or for the TVL schools to choose to become assessment centers for TVL courses of other institutions which was also a promising endeavor.

However, choosing the easier path meant not just remaining in a more comfortable and secure position in the midst of all the hullabaloo that accompanied the preparations and the initial roll out of the senior high school program all over the nation. It also meant letting go of the precious opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people in the 16-18 years of age range. The Salesian heart of the Sisters and their lay mission partners saw and understood that a senior high school will bring them in closer contact with adolescents who are at the threshold of making major life’s decisions and choices. Personal accompaniment of young people is most meaningful in this particular stage and time of their lives. This is a key feature of FMA senior high schools and Salesian Sisters are currently teaching the SHS Christian Living Education (CLE) classes as one way to ensure this goal.

The senior high school curriculum being implemented in FMA schools now was drawn up by an ad hoc curriculum committee formed by the Province in the year 2010, way before

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the Department of Education came out with its curriculum contents and learning guides. The academic track in the basic ed schools follows an interdisciplinary approach and boasts of benchmarks and standards developed from the existing K-10 program at that time and the programs of international school systems relevant to the Philippine setting. In this way, SHS students in FMA schools receive a continuous and systematic presentation of contents, skills and values training which do not overlap with the junior high school program. During the 2-year period, students are guided and formed to develop inquiry and critical thinking through research undertakings supplemented by visits to actual laboratories and relevant work places such as the International Rice Research Institute and Biotech labs in UPLB, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa, Enchanted Kingdom, GMA-7 and Ayala Museum, Asian Transmission Corporation and other engineering companies, tourist spots, local government offices and schools. In these places, they get to interact with and learn from real professionals and experts in the fields they are preparing themselves for as SHS students.

To help new students who did not come from FMA Junior High Schools, a transition program is provided to enable them to be successfully mainstreamed into the designed SHS curriculum by the 2nd semester of their Grade 11 year. Teachers are likewise given the necessary training to help them deepen their identity as Salesian educators, successfully implement the curriculum and become, together with and like the FMA, real companions of the young in their life’s journey. TVL senior high school students also profit from actual hands-on opportunities they receive from reputable TVL partner companies that offer them onthe-job trainings following the required number of hours for work immersion mandated by the K-12 law.

This kind of education modelled on the style of St. John Bosco and St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello and enriched by co-curricular and extra-curricular programs for developing skills and talents and of growing in the spirit of

volunteerism and service allows the FMA and lay educators to discover enormous potentials in young people and to guide them towards the fullness of life.

Indeed, venturing into the senior high school arena is no walk in the park for the Salesian Sisters and their lay mission partners. Aside from curriculum concerns and the demands for infrastructure and equipment needed to carry out the programs, most FMA schools also contend with the challenge of keeping their Junior High School completers or attracting new enrollees as most senior high schools of tertiary institutions capitalize on the promise of a “seamless” transition into their degree programs and many other forms of financial assistance given to students who enroll in their SHS. To this, the FMA Educating Community can only continue to strengthen their SHS offerings and engage the parents and students in talks, dialogues and career counseling programs to make them understand and appreciate the benefits of the SHS program they offer and realize that SHS is an integral part of the new K-12 basic education curriculum, hence, completing the full K-12 curriculum in one and the same school offers them the possibility of a more coherent and integrated basic education program.

In a few months, the 1st batch of SHS graduates will be receiving their much-awaited high school diploma and march towards the universities and college of their choice to pursue higher studies. The TVL graduates will surely find employment or start making a name for themselves as entrepreneurs, just like the other TVL graduates of the pre-SHS era.

They may not be armed with a diploma from “the more famous schools” in the country known also for their school fees that only the rich could afford, they will, nonetheless, leave their schools ready to embrace their future with hope, equipped with knowledge and skills of global standards, but with hearts rooted in rich human, Christian and Salesian values and ready to find their niche in the Church and in society as “Good Christians and honest citizens.”

(Photo above) SHS students in the HUMSS strand from MHCC pose after an encounter with renowned Filipino television and radio newscaster, Mr Miguel Castro Enriquez, known as Mike Enriquez, at the GMA-7 station during their work exposure experience.

(Photo below) Grade 12 MHCC STEM students experience DNA extraction first-hand at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Laguna, under the tutelage of professional IRRI scientists.

This kind of education modelled on the style of St. John Bosco and St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello and enriched by co-curricular and extra-curricular programs for developing skills and talents and of growing in the spirit of volunteerism and service allows the FMA and lay educators to discover enormous potentials in young people and to guide them towards the fullness of life.

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W

e asked the bishop how long he had already been staying in the post-novitiate house of Canlubang, Laguna, and he quickly responded: “One week!” In truth, that was the first night of Bishop Leo Drona, SDB, DD, in Don Bosco Canlubang where he was warmly welcomed by the Salesian community.

It was July 29, 2017, and he had just transferred from the retirement house he himself had built for the clergy of the Diocese of San Pablo (Laguna).

Understandably, many of his age, and even younger, would have similar lapses of memory.

The members of the community could not but be amazed at the keen Salesian eye of him who was the philosophy and mathematics professor of many. He remarked: “Two brothers were missing for dinner.” Indeed, one was in the hospital because of dengue and the other was with the sick confrere.

At dinner, he commented: “That article of the Constitutions was already read yesterday evening.” The brother should have read the next article. He observed: “The drawing on the bulletin board does not look like Bl. Augustus Czartoryski at all.” And he was right!

Now that he is living with the Salesian community once again, Bishop Drona enjoys the sight and the fruits as well of the many trees he planted when he began as Rector of Don Bosco Seminary College way back in 1974.

He recognizes the perimeter fence of the sixteen-hectare campus every time he crosses over to the nearby mall on a wheelchair. He had it built in 1981.

Everyday, he goes around the school

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SPECIAL FEATURE | GOLDEN JUBILEE

BISHOP LEO DRONA, SDB, DD Celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Priesthood

By Fr. Eli Cruz, SDB compound, escorted by his dedicated caregiver and his pet Pomeranian dog.

He was Dean of what was then only a college of education from 1968 to 1973; today it is a complex educational institution of elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

Fifty years ago, on December 22, 1967, he was ordained a priest in Rome, where he completed his Licentiate of Sacred Theology at the Universita Pontificia Salesiana (UPS).

He celebrated his first Mass in the Philippines in Don Bosco Technical College (Mandaluyong City), where he spent his high school years. Born in faraway Pangil (Laguna) on October 18, 1941, the boy Leo Murphy Drona grew up in Sta. Ana (Manila), and finished his grade school at the Thomas Earnshaw Elementary School.

He completed the Bachelor of Science in Education and in Philosophy at the Salesian Seminary College in Hong Kong.

Bishop Drona stayed in the Canlubang campus for thirteen years.

This was his first assignment after his ordination. In 1981, the thirtieth year of Salesian presence in the Philippines, he was appointed Provincial Vicar, the first Filipino Salesian to be given such responsibility.

While serving as parish priest of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians in Parañaque City, he was appointed by the Pope, St. John Paul II, as Bishop of the new Diocese of San Jose (Nueva Ecija). Another first, as the first Filipino Salesian to be appointed bishop!

Archbishop Bruno Torpigliani, then Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, presided over the consecration rites at the National Shrine, thus linking Bishop Drona to Pope St. Pius X, a Salesian Cooperator, in episcopal lineage. He succeeded Bishop Florentino Cinense, then coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Tarlac, and remained in Nueva Ecija for seventeen years.

In 2004, Bishop Drona was called to the province of his birth and was

appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of San Pablo (Laguna). In the midst of the rapid urbanization of the province, Bishop Drona lent his voice to protect the welfare of the dispossessed farm tenants. He was the first to offer temporary food and shelter for months to hundreds of families transferred from squatter areas in Manila to Laguna, because of the government’s efforts to clean up the Pasig River. He welcomed without second thoughts the establishment of a new Salesian community in Calauan (Laguna) in 2010, in order to share the lot and raise the hopes of these displaced people.

Bishop Drona had the bishop’s residence for himself, but he chose to stay in a smaller room on the ground floor and reserved the grand bedroom on the second floor for guests. After eight years, he resigned from the ministry because ailments in both eyes and heart were slowing down his work

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as pastor of the Church. Pope Benedict XVI, who himself resigned as pope for health reasons, accepted his resignation on January 25, 2013. Immediately, he transferred to the retirement house for the clergy, while signifying his desire to return to a Salesian community.

The Salesian coat of arms was a part of his own coat of arms as bishop of San Jose and of San Pablo. His episcopal motto read: “Pro Mundi Vita” (For the life of the world). The Biblical context presents the image of Jesus, offering himself as the bread of life: “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51). As a Salesian, Bishop Drona can look back to his ministry as an offering of self for the life of the young.

In Nueva Ecija, his spirit of compassion and reconciliation inspired those hiding in and fighting from the mountains to give their young children the opportunity for a good technical education, a dignified job, and a better life away from fighting and violence. In Laguna, his observant eye, discerning mind, and quick practical response saved the youth and children of families displaced by urban development and forced migration.

As head of the Episcopal Commission on Youth, during the historic event of the Tenth World Youth Day in Manila in 1995, he inspired youth ministers and youth alike because of his humility and dedication—indeed a son of St. John Bosco, Father and Teacher of youth.

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In his battle against the anti-life provisions of the Reproductive Health Bill of the government, he came to the defense of the Church derided as being “bankrupt of reasons” by asking people to reflect on the paradox of the cross of Christ: “The message of the cross is folly for those who are on the way to ruin, but for those of us who are on the road to salvation it is the power of God... Since in the wisdom of God the world was unable to recognize God through wisdom, it was God’s own pleasure to save believers through the folly of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:18, 21).

We celebrate the golden anniversary of Bishop Drona’s priesthood, welcoming him into the Salesian community of the Post-Novitate (Canlubang). This is the real gold: his presence among us and the many memories and discoveries that we enjoy.

St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

SPECIAL FEATURE | A BOSCONIAN EDUCATOR

Outstanding Math Teacher in New York:

A Bosconian!

Salesian education, inspiring the youth to come up higher.

By Maridol Bismark

M

ath is no man’s land for many, both young and old.

But not in the class of New York-based Filipino teacher Ramil ‘Ram’ Buenaventura. Students are all eyes and ears as he sways and dances in front of the white board to teach equations. Those who used to hate Math are suddenly interested in numbers.Yawning, doodling, and staring out the window or on the floor are unheard-of in his classroom at Renaissance Charter School, Jackson Heights. Even cellphones are welcome in his class because some of the apps aid learning. Moreover, students have fun playing games as a reward for a job well done. Parents and fellow teachers know how Ram’s singing and dancing in the classroom catches everyone’s attention and helps them learn, and even love, Math.

Success did not come easy for Ram. He had to eat humble pie and let his tears fall before he earned back-toback honors: the Big Apple Award for educators who inspire students, model great teaching, and enrich their school communities, and the Hometown Heroes in Education Award for teachers who touch students’ lives.

Ram’s journey as a teacher in the Big Apple began in early 2002. Demand for English-speaking international teachers was on the rise. Ram’s wife Jane saw an ad in Bulletin Today and urged her husband, who was then teaching Math in La Salle Greenhills, to apply. With a wife, a son (Raphael, now 17) and daughter (Julienne, now 15) to support, the family man was looking for greener pastures.

“We took the risk,” recalls Ram in an interview at the office of his friend, Family Matters adviser Fr. Drans Nolasco, SDB. The couple spent almost $6,000—a fortune then and now. Fortunately, Ram’s brother who owned a lending agency lent him money sans interest, of course.

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Ram gives much of the credit to his long-time training as a Bosconian who learned to love Math and Science as an elementary and high school student.

Don Bosco-Mandaluyong also taught him that mingling with the young and speaking their language would be the surest way to their hearts.

Ram’s apprehensions vanished when a member of the school board came all the way from New York to interview him in the Philippines. He passed the interview. But his fears returned because Jane and he had to wait a long time for Ram’s work visa to be delivered. He finally arrived in the USA in September 2003, shortly after the new school year opened. His baptism of fire in the classroom came soon after.

True to its tough neighborhood, the public school in Hollins, Queens, proved to be a test of patience even to the resilient and mild-mannered Ram. “It was 50% Afro American, where the likes of rapper 50 Cent and Nicki Minaj grew up,” Ram describes the site of his first job. Thirteen years of teaching in the Philippines had not prepared him for his first day of school.

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“It was back to zero, even negative.

Students wouldn’t listen.They were telling stories to each other.They could hurl a notebook at you behind your back. Scold them and they would ignore you. It was a class of 30 students, but I felt I was in front of 150 people.You were happy if two students did the homework you assigned.”

Ram, a product of the Don Bosco Seminary, Canlubang (Laguna), asked for divine intervention.

“I prayed for snow so classes would be canceled.” He could have marched to the Principal’s office and report the problem, but he would have had to wait for some time before help could arrive. “Members of the NYPD (New York Police Department) come over.They have metal detectors with them. And you can’t touch the students.”

The thought of his family, his passion for teaching, and his huge debt

St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

kept Ram from walking out of his class even if his whole being wanted to. He went on as if nothing happened, and consoled himself with the thought that no student stepped out of class.

But even the best of people have their vulnerable moments. He realized that students in the USA are not totally to be blamed for their indifference to education.Young people could always get a job even without a college degree.

“Education is not a priority. So they lack family support. Media also plays a big role,” observes Ram. Moreover, understanding his students and suffering at their hands were two different things. After a week, Ram could not take it anymore. He broke down and found himself asking for help at the assistant principal’s office. The school administrator understood. For a time, a big-bodied

SPECIAL FEATURE | A BOSCONIAN EDUCATOR mentor stayed in Ram’s class and checked bad behavior. But all hell broke loose again as soon as the guy left the room. Later, Ram found out that even American teachers went through this kind of agony. So non-Americans like him were bound to suffer the same fate.

The school must have appreciated Ram’s patience. It hired ten more Filpino teachers after a year. But the stress in teaching remained. It was only after four years that God heard Ram’s prayers. By then, Jane and the children had already joined Ram in New York.

On that fateful day, Jane got a call from Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, right across their apartment.

Unknown to Ram, Jane had sent his resume to the school in a bid to ease her husband’s burdens. She set the interview appointment, and the rest is history.

Ram bloomed in Jackson Heights.

Given free rein to run the class, the 47-year-old teacher connected with his students by incorporating what they loved best—singing, dancing, and rapping—in his lessons. He ordered the books he wanted, and did videos inspired by music icons like Psy of Gangnam Style, Justin Bieber of Despacito, and Silento of Nae Nae fame to teach Math. It was so successful that some of his students volunteered to star in the videos. They imagined that they could become famous stars because of Ram gives much of the credit to his long-time training as a Bosconian who learned to love Math and Science as an elementary and high school student. Don BoscoMandaluyong also taught him that mingling with the young and speaking their language would be the surest way to their hearts.

In the seminary (He thought of becoming a priest but realized later that he was meant for something else.), he learned to play the guitar and appreciate music, the lingo of the young. Furthermore, Salesian education taught him to discover the world of young people. What kind of music do they listen to? What apps do they download? What are their favorite techie toys? Getting the answers endears Ram to his students and enhances their learning curve.

Today, Ram is as much at home in the classroom as he is in getting honors for a job well done. He received his Big Apple Award from former New York mayor Bill de Blasio himself. His photo is in a place of honor at Renaissance Charter School.

ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol announced his twin victories—with a videoclip of him in action—for all the world to see.

The future looks just as bright for Ram’s fellow Filipino teachers. He says: “When she visited New York, I told DepEd (Department of Education) Secretary (Leonor Briones) that in ten years, we will see a demand for almost 10,000 teachers.

My advice for the young is to take up college courses and pursue masteral degrees in Education. Focus on Math, Science, and English.We Filipinos have a good track record.”

Today, Ram is as much at home in the classroom as he is in getting honors for a job well done. He received his Big Apple Award from former New York mayor Bill de Blasio himself.

December 2017-February 2018 | St. John Bosco Today

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Wilderness no more!

25 Years

of Salesian Presence in

Borongan

By Fr. Mario Baclig, SDB

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St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

SPECIAL FEATURE | GRATEFUL AT 25

H

istory has recorded the words of American General Jacob H. Smith, in retaliation for the Balangiga massacre in 1901: “The interior of Samar must be made a howling wilderness.” The continued clamor for the Balangiga bells attests to destruction wrought on the island.

A century later, the island of Samar continues to remain a wilderness, because of Nature’s fury by way of typhoons, as well as Nature’s glory in the form of lush virgin forests, deep unexplored caves, and wide unconquered rivers. In fact, the name “Samar” comes from “samaran,” or wounded, in reference to the many rivers cutting across the island.

The Salesian priests, Frs. Pedro Porio and Felix Rotor, were the pioneers of Don Bosco’s presence in the island. In those days, travel from Cebu meant a whole day’s journey into the “wilderness.” They embarked on the journey, arrived in Borongan in October 1992, and took residence in the old Gonzales house, a stone’s

basic ecclesial communities. The young, they invited for the Youth Encounter (Virac model), which became the backbone of their youth ministry. In time, they enlarged the chapel in Bato and built a training center in Catian.

Today, Borongan is a wilderness no more! It is a city, complete with shopping malls and coffee shops, and the latest digital gadgets. Travel time to Tacloban is easily three hours on a first-class highway through the towns of MacArthur and Balangiga. Even the ancestral home of Eugenio Daza, architect of the Balangiga battle, has been conquered by Jollibee. Bishop Crispin Varquez, DD, heads the diocese, blessed with more than a hundred priests.

The fruits of twenty-five years of Salesian presence are just as evident.

The Don Bosco Training Center leads the way in contributing to the growth of many young people, in partnership with the government agency TESDA. Several trainees finished the one-year course in Borongan, did

company for further training in Japan. At present, he works in Westlock, Alberta, Canada. Ismael Esposa is employed by Toyota Motors in Al Sayer, Kuwait. Rene Rivera joined the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The list is long.

In Borongan itself, graduates have become successful entrepreneurs.

Tomas Diga, a graduate in the basic welding course, is an inspiration to many. After typhoon Ruby, he reported for work in the welding shop where he was employed, only to be told that there was no longer work for him. He gathered the little savings he had, borrowed from an aunt, and put up his own shop in Borongan. It was a big gamble, but today, he is able to assemble at least three tricycle cabs every month, each worth Php 48,000.

He has five employees. He has gained a name for himself in the city. Tricycles proudly carry his trademark—TJ for Tomas and his wife Jennylin—and the many innovations he has introduced.

He remembers basketball and Fr. Porio: “Mabigat kung maglaro!” Likewise the little chapel where they would pray.

The Don Bosco Training Center leads the way in contributing to the growth of many young people, in partnership with the government agency TESDA. throw from the cathedral. Fr. Zanissi, a veteran Canossian missionary in Samar, had generously donated this piece of land to the Salesians. Salesian Brother Stephen Giubergia followed later. By 1993, the Don Bosco Training Center was in operation.

The pioneering priests celebrated Mass regularly in the Santisima Trinidad Chapel in Barangay Bato, taught catechism in the public school, and went from house to house organizing

additional training with Bro. Elmer Rodriguez in Makati, then returned as instructors. They have moved on to greener pastures. Joel Ablay from Giporlos now works in Southampton, United Kingdom. Llan Alea Claro is now with Accuform Fabricators, Dasmarinas, Cavite. Jessie Asebias from Bato now works in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Michael Ganaba from San Gabriel did his OJT at the Isuzu Motors in Makati. Later, he was sent by the

He has four children, one of them an Auxilium member in the Youth Center.

To the present trainees, he can say: “Magseryoso kayo sa training.”

Gino Ganaba took up motorcycle and small engine repair and now has his own motorcycle repair shop in Maydolong. “Para walang amo. Pantaypantay lang. Kung gusto mong magsara, OK lang.” He began with the little savings he had. “Dahan dahan lang.

Mababa ang singil ko, kaya medyo mahina

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ang kita. Pero marami ang customer.”

He can handle even ten motorcycles a day, from the simple task of engine tune up to a complete engine overhaul.

“Kailangan sigurado ang quality. May disiplina. Kailangan talaga ang disiplina sa trabaho. Ito ang sekreto ko: dapat honest ka sa customer. Gusto kong baguhin ang pananaw ng mga tao, na mayroong mga mekanikong maayos at tapat.” He is already planning to move on to a busier town of Balangiga so that he could serve more customers. What he can never forget are the prayers in Don Bosco every afternoon.

The Don Bosco Youth Center has spearheaded the Salesian charism by opening its gates to children and youth for these past twenty-five years.

There are sports and music activities, scholarship grants, summer camps, and the daily recitation of the Rosary. Bro. Alex Abelgas is the only Salesian who has been teaching ordinary children how to play the accordion. Maxine, Anielyn, Mariel can already carry a tune for cultural programs, while the beginners Irish, Gelyn, Tanya, and Mickaella take turns to practice on donated accordions.

Fr. Julius Sanchez has brought in saxophones, keyboards, bandurias, and guitars, and spends the afternoon teaching the children.

Raprap (for Rafael) is a Grade 10 student who discovered and developed his musical talents in the youth center.

He comes from a family of five. He plays the keyboard and any other instrument he can get hold of. He leads a band of young musicians—among them, Plangplang, Bonbon, Liklik, Moymoy, Sedsed!—with his leadership skills developed through the many youth programs.

After the super typhoon Yolanda, Don Bosco Borongan shared in the task of rebuilding damaged houses of the people. Working hand in hand with the diocese, it organized thirty-five teams of carpenters, who built almost seven hundred houses in the adjoining areas.

Danny Basilia of Barangay Balobo recalls how, with his six children, they had to live outside for some weeks.

“Barong-barong muna. Halos walang natira sa bahay dahil sa hangin.” He was fortunate to be among the beneficiaries.

“Libre ang lahat. Hindi kami makakabahay nang ganun.” Almost a hundred houses were built in Balobo, and Danny was among the carpenters.

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Aileen Bajado proudly points to their house, now improved and enlarged. “Sirang-sira ang bahay namin. Kay sobrang saya namin na nabigyan ng bahay.Tumulong pa kami sa pagbuo. Ngayon, may negosyo na ako, tindahan.Walang tulo ang bahay.

Titulado ang lupa. May munting palayan pa kami sa likod,” St. John Bosco is at home with the young and the poor.

For them, we can proclaim: “Wilderness no more!” The horizon looks bright for many more years of Salesian presence in Borongan. In fact, the path is leading further on… to Palanog in Tacloban City.

St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

SPECIAL FEATURE | HOME SWEET HOME

GRACE FILLED RETURN! Don Bosco Academy is back in Bacolor

By Ms. Ericka Awat

D

on Bosco Academy is back in Bacolor (Pampanga) after twenty-one years of absence.

It had to close last October 1, 1995 after it was overrun and submerged by a ten-foot river of lahar caused by the earlier eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.

Last August 15, 2017, the Solemnity of our Lady’s Assumption, the renovated buildings and facilities of the school were blessed. Fr. Paul Bicomong, SDB, Provincial Superior of the Philippines-North Province, presided over the Eucharist, with Salesian priests from different Don Bosco schools concelebrating. Alumni, past educators, parents, Salesian Cooperators, and friends joined the Bosconians in the celebration.

Fr. Ditto Gueco, SDB, Director of Don Bosco Academy–Bacolor, welcomed everyone, and extended the deepest gratitude of DBA– Bacolor to the persons who contributed effort and finances in order to reopen the school. Two Bosconians narrated the journey of DBA–Bacolor through the years, accompanied by a video presentation showing the school, before, right December 2017-February 2018 | St. John Bosco Today

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d Levy Laus

Gen. Christie Datu an

after, and twenty-one years after the lahar flood. Fr. Provincial led the wreath-laying in front of the statue of St. John Bosco, assisted by Mr. Levy Laus, DBA Alumnus, Batch ‘66. Finally, the renovated buildings were blessed, with selected parents standing at every classroom and office.

Lunch was served for the guests.

More than food for the body, it became an opportunity for catching up and bonding together for the Salesians, alumni, parents, and former educators. Cameras kept clicking to record the happiness in everyone’s face.

DBA–Bacolor aims to continue the dream of St. John Bosco after the forced hiatus. It even goes further by opening its doors to coeds. It partners with DBA–Mabalacat, that offers Kindergarten to Grade 10 in an exclusive-for-boys setup, and Grades 11 and 12 in a coeducational set-up.

Pampanga is fortunate to have two academies carrying the Don Bosco banner. But the vision and mission of the Salesian presences are one; in the Founder’s words, “to form good Christians and upright citizens.”

Pampanga is fortunate to have two academies carrying the Don Bosco banner. But the vision and mission of the Salesian presences are one; in the Founder’s words, “to form good Christians and upright citizens.”

Viva Don Bosco!

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St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

SPECIAL FEATURE | HOME SWEET HOME

Fr. Provincial with confreres coming from various Salesian houses, before the Holy Mass

Fr. Ditto and some members of the school administration together with Archbishop Emeritus Paciano Aniceto of the Archdiocese of San Fernando, Pampanga.

Some members of the David Family

Past and present Salesian educators of DBA Bacolor

Fr. Remo Bati, SDB, with some Alumni of DBA Bacolor

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DON BOSCO-ONE TVE FIN and FIS Together as One

“

We have many excellent universities and engineers but we also have many very good skilled workers. Our country considers both systems of education of equal importance but at times, vocational training is even more important than university education.

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St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

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FIN-FIS NEWS | FIN-FIS ONE TVET

ET LAUNCHED Don Bosco Technical Institute– Makati witnessed the launching of the first ever Don Bosco-One TVET Philippines last August 9, 2017 at the Braga Building.

Fr. Jose Dindo S. Vitug, SDB, Executive Director of the organization, headed the ceremonies.

In his opening remarks, Fr. Vitug explained how the founding of Don Bosco One-TVET would help raise and improve the standard of all Don Bosco TVET centers in the Philippines. Fr. Ronald Guiao, SDB, Director of TVET-FIS, recalled how a talk on synergy between the two Salesian Provinces of North and South gained momentum in 2012. It progressed year by year until the dream finally became real—a one-country movement that aims to address head-on the social exclusion of marginalized youth.

In his keynote speech, Dr. Andree Buhl described how education in Germany is not only about schools or universities but also about vocational education.

“We have many excellent universities and engineers but we also have many very good skilled workers. Our country considers both systems of education of equal importance but at times, vocational training is even more important than university education.” Later, Dr. Buhl led the ribbon cutting for the blessing of Don Bosco One-TVET offices.

Several distinguished guests, sponsors, and benefactors from different business sectors graced the event. In varied ways, they have been contributing to empower the poorer through technical-vocational training.

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FIN-FIS NEWS

WORD AND LIFE PUBLICATIONS HONORED AT THE 39TH CATHOLIC MASS MEDIA AWARDS (CMMA)

BY FR. DRANS NOLASCO, SDB

Pasay City, the Philippines, 26 October 2017 -- The 39th Catholic Mass Media Awards Night held last October 25, 2017, Wednesday, at the Star Theater, Pasay City, saw Word And Life Publications, Inc winning in various categories in the Print Media. We especially congratulate Fr. Salvatore Putzu, SDB and his team for the following awards: WORD&LIFE MAGAZINE by Word And Life Publications, Inc. - CMMA BEST YOUTH MAGAZINE for the Fifth Time “ROWENA’S CHOICE” by Fr. Remo Bati, SDB, Glady Ramos and Dann San Miguel (Featured in Word&Life Magazine) CMMA BEST COMIC STORY “WORD AND LIFE BARKADA” by Ms. Glady Ramos (Word&Life Magazine Regular Column) - CMMA BEST ENTERTAINMENT COLUMN The CMMA also gave a Special Citation for Best Local Community Newspaper/Magazine to “ST. JOHN BOSCO TODAY” (The Salesian Bulletin). The Salesian Family is grateful for this special citation.

Congratulations to all our winners in this year’s CMMA. May they continue to be active in the media ministry just like St. John Bosco.

VIVA DON BOSCO!!!

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St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018

MARIAN CORNER | MIRACLE

Mary was here!

Our Lady’s most powerful intercession as the Help of Christians

M

ary was here! I believe it, because she healed me of an attack of gouty arthritis a couple of weeks ago. I came to her Shrine with a cane because I could hardly walk. In fact, last June and July, I could not get out of my bed because of the excruciating pain in both my feet and knees.

Those were seven weeks of pain: six at home and one in the hospital. I lost a total of 20 pounds.

I thank God for my wife who was always there, day and night, attending to my needs. What a pain it was. Even going to the bathroom took me 30 minutes. I went home from the hospital after a week, on a wheel chair. And thanks to the good doctor, I was temporarily relieved of the pain.

Then, there I was, at the Marian Center. Lo and behold, a good priest (who would like to remain unknown) came by and saw me with a cane and in such a desperate condition. He volunteered to heal me through the intercession of Mary and I answered, “Yes, Father.” And so we went inside his office. I made my confession and confided to him the “crisis” I was going through, not only physically but spiritually. Then, the healing began.

The moment he touched my head with his hands, I felt warmth all over my head. I felt dizzy for a couple of minutes. He continued to pray, using words that I could understand. I thought he was “speaking in tongues” just like the apostles during Pentecost. After praying, he asked me to walk. I walked without a cane, slowly at first, and then more confidently. The pain was gone.

I jumped for joy and began crying. I thanked him, but above all, I thanked Jesus for the gift of healing. I knew that inside that room was Mary. She prayed for me before her Son. I was so happy when I went home. I was no longer using my cane.

Thank you Jesus! Thank you my dear Mother, Mary, Help of Christians, for interceding for me before your Son. Now I am healed, and being continuously healed–physically and spiritually, through Mary’s intercession.

By Alfred Cruz

After praying, he asked me to walk. I walked without a cane, slowly at first, and then more confidently. The pain was gone.

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St. John Bosco Today | December 2017-February 2018