SUE Province Celebrates 21 Jubilarians

By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB, and Julia St. Clair, Province Communications Director

(New Rochelle, NY – October 17) – On Saturday, October 15, the SUE Province honored 21 confreres who have accumulated 1,045 years of religious profession or priestly ordination—ample reason to celebrate. The Eucharistic celebration took place at the Marian Shrine chapel in Haverstraw with Fr. Provincial Tim Zak presiding and preaching. More than 200 SDBs, FMAs, family members, and friends of the 12 jubilarians were present in person.

Besides the 10 priest jubilarians present, 24 other priests concelebrated, and Dcns. Branden Gordon and Josh Sciullo assisted.

Four coadjutor brothers have served the young for a total of 205 years of profession, and seven priests for a combined 445 years of profession. Ten priests have served the Church and the Congregation with 395 years of priestly ministry.

The jubilarians have enriched the Province of St. Philip the Apostle through their origins in not only the U.S. and Canada, but also Argentina (one confrere), India (three), the Philippines (one), Poland (one), Spain (one), and Uruguay (one)—the internationality of the Salesian Congregation on display. As for the "native" members of the province, by birthplaces, they represent the Canadian province of Quebec (two) and the U.S. states of Indiana (one), Massachusetts (one), New Jersey (two), New York (five), Pennsylvania (two), and Rhode Island (one).

Fr. Tom Brennan is the only jubilarian observing a double anniversary, 50 years of profession and 40 of ordination.

Fr. Zak opened the Eucharistic liturgy by welcoming all the participants, then noting that we were celebrating the unique relationship with the Lord that the jubilarians entered so many years ago and have faithfully maintained.

Among the group, Fr. Javier Aracil has been a Salesian for the longest, 70 years. He tells Salesian News that the way the director of the Salesian school in his hometown treated him and his peers influenced him to want to join the priesthood. “I wanted to be like him by becoming a priest to deal with young people and help them in the process of making life choices the way my director helped me,” Fr. Javier recalls. Trailing him by five years are Fr. Raul Acosta and Br. George Marquis. Fr. Joe Hannon is a 60-year jubilarian. Besides Fr. Brennan, half-century jubilarians include Br. Bill Hanna, Fr. Luc Lantagne, and Br. Tom Sweeney. Br. Bill Hanna shared that he has been encouraged and inspired throughout his life by "fantastic great Salesians and Don Bosco himself."

The senior priest jubilarian is Fr. Waclaw Swierzbiolek, 60 years ordained. Frs. Tom Dunne and Tito Iannaccio were ordained 50 years ago. Joining Fr. Brennan at 40 years of ordination are Frs. George Atok, Jay Horan, and John Serio.

"I was taught and cared for by religious in high school. I wanted to be for young people who they were for me," Fr. Jay Horan reminisced. "When I looked into various religious communities that taught in high schools, they told me how many other things they did besides caring for young people." During that time, Fr. Horan felt called to a group that works for young people. "When I visited the Salesians, they told me not to apply unless I wanted to spend my life with young people," Fr. Horan exclaimed. "I knew I found my home."

Additionally, Fr. Greg Fishel, Br. Robert Metell, and Fr. Eric Wyckoff made their first professions as Salesians 40 years ago. Fr. Eric Wyckoff beamed that his greatest joy in these 40 years of Salesian life has been to see God's power at work, which he has seen firsthand "in teenagers from Savio, LaSalle, Shaw and Belle Glade, who have become good parents, fine Catholic educators, or fellow Salesians" and "in young theology students in Tlaquepaque and Jerusalem, who have gone on to serve the Church and Don Bosco in many ways."

In addition, three priests are silver jubilarians (25 years): Frs. Adaikala Raja John, Sathiaseelen Kulandaisamy, and Franco Pinto.

Fr. Zak began his homily by noting that the Salesian Family had just celebrated the canonization of St. Artemides Zatti in Rome. Pilgrims from our province who took part in that experienced a sense of family and tremendous enthusiasm. Likewise, he continued, St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians (the day’s first reading, 1:15-23) extolling the richness of God’s glory among his holy ones. Paul offered a prayer of thanks for the faithful of Ephesus and professed a creed to them. He acknowledged the calling they had accepted from Christ and the hope they held based on God’s power. They had become members of Christ’s body and sharers in the hope of his glory.

Both St. Paul and St. Zatti centered their lives on Christ, Fr. Zak said. St. Zatti’s service to the sick and his life in the Salesian community were expressions of the Easter life of Christ. The jubilarians have witnessed to the Easter life of Christ in various ways such as caring for the sick, prayer, sharing meals, and telling jokes. They’ve spent themselves for the Salesian mission with smiles on their faces.

Fr. Zak noted that St. Zatti was just a little member of Christ’s body as he lent himself to the service of others, seeing in each patient he treated the person of Christ. His life was one of service, communion, and witness. The jubilarians have given the same witness in many ways, using their different talents to build up the body of Christ.

He concluded the homily by reminding the congregation that in this world Christ has nobody but us to do his work. He appended his homily by wishing the FMAs a happy feast of St. Teresa of Avila, one of their patron saints.

"As you hear Jesus call you—Come Follow Me—in the spirit of St. John Bosco, hold nothing back," Fr. Greg Fishel advised to men in formation and anyone called to the Salesian mission.

"Stay close to Jesus and give yourself and everything in your life to the Lord. Say 'O Jesus, I surrender myself to you. Take care of everything.' He will—and He does."

View photos on Shutterfly and read the jubilarians' short bios.