Province Celebrates 2024’s Jubilarians

By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB

(New Rochelle – October 14) – On Saturday, October 12, the SUE Province celebrated 20 priest and brother jubilarians. The 13 profession jubilarians have accumulated among them 750 years of Salesian life; the nine ordination jubilarians, 405 years of priesthood. (Two of the jubilarians celebrated double anniversaries.)

Since the first coverage of these confreres last week, two more jubilarians appeared on the province radar, so to speak: Fr. Mike Pace, ordained 25 years, and Fr. Chinnapparaj Desam, professed 25 years. Fr. Mike currently serves at the motherhouse in Turin; Fr. Chinna is from the Chennai (Madras) Province and is serving at Edmonton.

Only seven of the 20 jubilarians were able to take part in the celebration at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw and Town & Country Caterers in Congers: Bro. Henry Van der Velden, professed 70 years; Bro. Richard Pasaik, professed 65 years; Fr. Frank Twardzik, professed 65 years; Fr. John Blanco, ordained 60 years; Fr. John Nazzaro, professed 50 years; Fr. Steve Ryan, professed 40 years; and Fr. Jim Heuser, ordained 40 years. The other jubilarians were impeded by age, distance, weekend duties, or Hurricane Milton.

Of his Salesian life Fr. Frank Twardzik writes: "The vow of obedience has been my peace and joy and my love of Jesus crucified—[who is] obedience perfected. This crown of obedience has sent me to serve in the beautiful, holy Byzantine Rite to people I have loved forever—young, old, sick and suffering and our dear deceased and all the several bishops—all of whom I remember daily in my Divine Liturgies! The truly wonderful parishioners and our beloved young people are what I treasure in my old age."

Fr. Hugo Orozco, regional councilor for Interamerica, presided at Mass. The five priest jubilarians and another thirty Salesians concelebrated. Also participating were fourteen other Salesians and candidates, one Salesian sister, numerous Cooperators, and families and friends of the jubilarians. Catherine Ramirez provided sacred music.

Fr. Dominic Tran, provincial, preached a three-point homily on the theme of covenant. His first point was that God takes the initiative in making a covenant with humans. His second, that God always keeps his side of the covenant. He promises to save us from our sins, and he’s done that through Jesus Christ. As the responsorial psalm acknowledged, he remembers his covenant forever.

Fr. Dominic’s third point was that we aren’t perfect in keeping our part of the covenant. Nevertheless, in his faithfulness God gives us saints as examples of how we can respond to him.

Then he pointed to St. John Bosco, noting his dream at age nine but zeroing in on the 1847 dream of the roses, with its crowd of boys and of helpers—many of whom he didn’t recognize. Don Bosco believed in God’s promise that helpers would come.

On this Saturday, we’ve celebrated Mary as a disciple of the Lord, Fr. Dominic continued. He cited several gospel passages relating to her faithfulness in keeping her covenant with God.

Our jubilarians also have heard God’s promise, Fr. Dominic stated, and they’ve joined Don Bosco’s helpers by responding “yes” to God. The preacher made particular note of the four 70-year jubilarians: Bros. Marcel Gauthier, Henry Van der Velden, and Jim Wiegand and Fr. Georges Parent. He affirmed that God has made an individual covenant with each jubilarian. For that, we’re grateful to God and to them.

At the end of the jubilee Mass, Fr. Dominic made a significant announcement: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has granted formal recognition to the Marian Shrine as a national shrine of Our Lady Help of Christians. He presented the certificate of recognition to Fr. Manny Gallo, director of the Shrine community.

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