SUE Province Assembles to Consider Our Future

By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB

(New Rochelle, NY – May 6) – All 123 confreres serving in the SUE Province were invited to take part in an assembly at the Don Bosco Retreat Center in Haverstraw, N.Y., on Friday, May 1. About 45 came in person (including three candidates from the house of formation), and another dozen or so took part via Zoom.

The assembly followed a separate day-long meeting of the province’s directors and provincial council in New Rochelle on Thursday, April 30.

Fr. Dominic Tran, provincial, presided at the assembly, which lasted about three hours, including a mid-point break.

In the first session, Matthew Schmerber of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students explained what FOCUS is and how it carries out its mission to form young leaders to evangelize on college campuses and, more recently, also in parishes. Its program begins with forming friendships that can lead young adults to Christ, then strengthens their faith by way of instruction, and finally sends out disciples who can continue the mission on campuses or in parishes. Over 1,000 missionaries are currently active at 259 locations. Since its founding in 1988, the program has inspired some 1,400 religious vocations.

In their approach to evangelizing, FOCUS uses Bible study groups, retreats, team-building programs, international mission trips, summer projects, and an annual conference called SEEK. The 2025 SEEK conference took place in three U.S. locations and drew over 21,000 young participants; SDBs and FMAs were present.

Some Salesians of the SUE Province have already assisted on mission trips and summer projects and taken part in SEEK conferences. Mr. Schmerber has dialogued with Fr. Provincial and Fr. Sean McEwen, vocation director, about a deeper Salesian involvement based on our shared charism of evangelizing the young in the spirit of St. Francis de Sales.

In the second session, Fr. Dominic presented to the confreres the present state of the province’s futuring plans. He began by pointing to the 2026 Strenna and its picture of Jesus changing water into wine, and observing that we bring to Jesus whatever we have for his service, and he transforms that.

He added that our futuring plans call us to respond to God’s invitation by drawing closer to him and to the young, and this is accomplished most effectively through the Eucharist.

Key questions are: What are the needs of the people in our communities? Where is God calling us to be tomorrow? Our answers have to be all about bringing the Gospel to people.

The province assembly last year determined that our priorities are evangelization and mission; vocations; caring for the confreres; and a lay project (forming SDBs and lay people to work together for the mission). These priorities remain our guide.

Questions and comments followed from both those in the room and those online.

Fr. Dominic spoke of some immediate province plans and some that are still evolving. He urged the local communities to continue to discern the ministerial needs and opportunities in their area.

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