Brs. Mukuye and Taylor to Make First Profession

By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB

(New Rochelle, NY – August 8) – Brs. Pascal Mukuye and John Taylor are to make their first religious profession as Salesians of Don Bosco on Wednesday, August 16. Br. John’s uncle, Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock, AR, will preside at the Mass, and Fr. Dominic Tran, SDB, provincial, will receive the new brothers’ vows in the name of the Rector Major.

The Mass of Religious Profession at the Marian Shrine chapel in Haverstraw- Stony Point, NY, will be the culmination of Br. Pascal and Bro. John’s year of novitiate, which they made at the Salesian house in Richmond, CA, under the guidance of Fr. Joseph Thinh Nguyen, SDB, master of novices.

Brother Pascal Mukuye, SDB

Pascal-De-Madeleine Maitela Mukuye was born on April 2, 1986, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His father, Duniani Maitela, is deceased. His mother, Salima Zawadi Madeleine, lives in a refugee camp in Zimbabwe. He has four older brothers and three older sisters; one of his brothers and one of his sisters are deceased.

Pascal became acquainted with the Salesians while he was in high school, but the acquaintance was slight and he forgot all about them. After emigrating to Newfoundland (Canada) in 2009, he belonged to Mary, Queen of Peace Parish in St. John’s, and he began seminary studies for the St. John’s Archdiocese. During his discernment, he had some discussions with a fellow seminarian who thought he might be a good Salesian and gave him Teresio Bosco’s biography of Don Bosco. When a new archbishop didn’t allow Pascal to continue his seminary studies, he turned to Don Bosco and contacted the Salesians in Etobicoke, ON, in 2018.

In mid-2019, Pascal moved to Ottawa as a preparatory step to joining the Salesians as a "pre-candidate" (Pascal’s term) at Sherbrooke, which he did in September to explore further what the Salesians are about. In August 2020, he came to Orange, NJ, as a candidate, followed by prenovitiate at Ramsey in 2021-2022. He served at summer camp in Tampa in 2022.

Pascal entered the novitiate on August 15, 2022. He found his study of the Constitutions particularly enriching and valued Fr. Joe Nguyen as a good spiritual guide. He writes, "I have found much joy in living the rule as a way that leads to love; living with Don Bosco; and this desire continues to burn in my heart."

Br. Pascal will profess as a "cleric" and continue studies toward ordination in the pre-theology program at Seton Hall University. Besides his studies, he looks forward to working with young people, bringing them his own gifts and experiences; and to meeting the confreres of the province of St. Philip. He’s developing a social media presence that will enable him to reach youngsters more widely.

Eventually, Br. Pascal hopes to specialize in spiritual direction and retreat work so as to help youths "discover the beauty of the Church; facilitate an encounter with God with these young people; and accompany them on their spiritual journey as they strive to respond to God’s call."

For himself, Br. Pascal says: "The gift of the Salesian vocation that our generous, good God has bestowed upon me continues to be the most precious gift that I continue to be thankful for. For the past four years, living the Salesian vocation has been a source of great joy in my life; a path that continues to bring me closer to God in holiness."

Brother John Taylor, SDB

John Lawrence Taylor was born on January 24, 1985, in Fort Worth, TX. He’s the third child of Joseph and Lynnice Taylor, with an older brother and older sister. Their home parish is St. Andrew in Fort Worth.

John’s vocational inspiration has been his Uncle Tony, who was a priest of the Oklahoma City Archdiocese until he became bishop of Little Rock in 2008. John used to spend parts of the summers of his youth attending Fr. Taylor’s vacation Bible school and accompanying him to various parish events and services.

In 2010, John became a Salesian Domestic Volunteer (part of the lay missioners program) and spent August 2010 to August 2011 serving at St. John Bosco Parish in Chicago. This interested him in youth ministry and a Salesian vocation. In August 2020, he became a candidate at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, NJ, contributing to the school’s ministry; he became a prenovice there the following year. He ministered at St. John Bosco Parish in Port Chester, NY, teaching catechism to Confirmation students and assisting at teen nights and a Penance service for youngsters preparing for first confession. This year Br. John will continue formation as a "cleric" in the community at Orange while taking pre-theology courses at Seton Hall. He aspires to "keep learning about myself and to grow as a Salesian with the support and help of the Salesians" of the community and the province.

The part of his novitiate year (2022- 2023) that made the biggest impression on John was being at Camp St. Francis in Watsonville, CA (see Salesian News, 8/3/23): "I really enjoyed spending time at summer camp with the young. In this apostolate, I was able to get a full perspective of what the young are living. I was able to know their dreams and interests and what bothers them. I got to share in their true joy."

As a Salesian, Br. John "would like to specialize in promotion of social justice advocacy and service to those in need together with the young."