SUE Province Celebrates 21 Jubilarians

By Fr. Mike Mendl, SDB

(New Rochelle, NY – September 28) – On Saturday, September 30, the SUE Province will celebrate the jubilee anniversaries of 20 priests and 1 coadjutor brother.

Fr. Waclaw Szierzbiolek has accumulated the most years of religious profession, 70. He’s followed by 3 confreres celebrating 60 years of profession: Frs. Bruce Craig, Bill Keane, and Tom Ruekert. Four men have been professed 50 years: Frs. George Atok, Dennis Donovan, Jay Horan, and John Serio. Next are Frs. Mike Conway and Tim Zak and Br. Charles Thenier, professed for 40 years. Finally, Frs. Iguintz Calixte, Abe Feliciano, and Pierre-Celestin Ona Zue are marking 25 years as Salesians.

The priestly jubilarians are fewer: Fr. Jan Bernas, 65 years ordained; Fr. Javier Aracil, 60 years; Frs. Henry Bonetti, Joe Hannon, and Tom Ruekert, 50 years; and Frs. Bill Bucciferro, Dennis Donovan, Joe Vien Hoang, and John Nazzaro, 40 years.

If you read carefully, you noted that two of our confreres are observing double jubilees: Frs. Tom Ruekert and Dennis Donovan.

Fr. Tom Ruekert professed on August 16, 1963, at Newton and was ordained on March 24, 1973, at Columbus. He has spent his Salesian life mainly as a DRA/CYM, director, and pastor in such diverse places as Ipswich, East Boston, Marrero, Harvey, Paterson, Orange, Port Chester, and Haverstraw. Asked what has given him the greatest joy as a Salesian priest, he responds: “The authentically good people whom the Lord has allowed me to encounter over the years, and the opportunity for the Lord to use me to help youths and others by way of the sacraments, preaching, and personal encounters. The call to minister to others has actually been a reversal for me. Others have ministered to me. Others have given more to me than I have given to them.”

Fr. Dennis Donovan professed on September 1, 1973, at Newton and was ordained on May 21, 1983, at Columbus. In addition to serving as province treasurer for 9 years and development director for 4 years, he has been director of the Tampa, New Rochelle, and Stony Point communities and worked extensively in Boys and Girls Clubs. What has given him the greatest joy as a Salesian “is the way Don Bosco’s work includes everybody in my family—my parents who sacrificed much to support my vocation, my sister and brother-in-law who not only supported me but even got involved themselves, my nieces and their husbands. They were clearly sent by Mary Help of Christians so that together we can do great things. The call came from God but was made clearer by my parish family at St. Anthony in Nanuet, NY, where the seed was planted, first by the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, but also by the many fine priests who served there over the years.”

Fr. Waclaw “Vat” Swierzbiolek came to our province from Poland in 1982 to minister to Polish immigrants through parish service and Scouting, operating out of Haverstraw and Goshen until illness slowed him down in recent years; this year he moved to a Polish nursing home in Woodbridge, NJ.

Fr. Bruce Craig and Fr. Bill Keane both professed on August 16, 1963, at Newton. Fr. Bruce Craig was ordained in Columbus in 1974 and worked in schools for 17 years (East Boston, Marrero, New Rochelle, Weston, ON, and Miami), briefly in the Club at East Boston, and in our 12th Street, Paterson, and Tampa parishes. He’s now the coordinator of the St. Philip Residence in Tampa.

Fr. Bill Keane also was ordained in 1974 at Columbus and served mainly in schools as principal or director: Goshen, Tampa, Ipswich, Ramsey, New Rochelle, Marrero, and Paterson. He was master of novices in Manhattan, Port Chester, and Rosemead for 12 years, vice provincial for 6 years, and director in New Rochelle for 2 years. Following his service at the Club in East Boston, he has just retired to Tampa.

Professed for 50 years are Frs. George Atok, Jay Horan, and John Serio. Fr. George Atok began his Salesian life in his native Philippines, professing on April 26, 1973. He was ordained in 1982 in Manila. In the Philippines, he served as a youth minister in several parishes. When he came to our province in 1990, he worked in schools (Tampa, Boston, Marrero) and parishes (Elizabeth, 12th Street, and Surrey), as well as serving on the retreat team in Haverstraw. He has just returned to service in Tampa.

Fr. Jay Horan made his profession on September 1, 1973, in Newton and was ordained in 1982 in Columbus. For most of his Salesian life he was a schoolman, serving as DRA/CYM in Tampa, Paterson, Marrero, and Ramsey. He has also assisted at the Clubs in Columbus and East Boston and been on the retreat team at Haverstraw. He is currently assisting our retired confreres in Tampa. He writes: “When I was a senior in high school, one of the teachers celebrated 50 years of religious life. The principal planned a surprise ‘Sr. Estelle Day.’ We celebrated Mass, had a presentation on her life, and concluded with her renewing her vows before her provincial. They asked her if she wanted to say anything. She simply said, ‘I have served God for 50 years as a religious, and I have cherished every one of them. I would do it all over again.’ I had already been accepted as a candidate by the Salesians, and I wondered what I would say after 50 years. I can only echo Sr. Estelle’s words.”

Fr. John Serio also made his first profession on September 1, 1973, at Newton and was ordained in 1982 at Columbus. He, too, has been a schoolman for most of his Salesian life, especially as principal or director: Tampa, New Rochelle, East Boston, Ramsey, St. Petersburg, and Takoma Park. He also taught at Don Bosco College and was province superintendent of schools. His current assignment is in Ramsey, working with the prenovices and on various province projects. He says that his “greatest joy as a Salesian has been helping young people ‘find their voice,’ meaning helping them to learn who they are as they mature into young men and women—intellectually, spiritually, socially, and emotionally. Then, help them to find ways to express and communicate the persons they are becoming. I’m always gratified to see the transformations of our young people years after they’ve finished school.”

Fr. Mike Conway, Br. Charles Thenier, and Fr. Tim Zak made their first profession on August 25, 1983, at Newton. Fr. Mike Conway was ordained in 1992 in Nanuet, NY, and is another schools veteran, having been CYM, principal, director, and president: Tampa, Marrero, St. Petersburg, Paterson, New Rochelle, and Takoma Park. He was also executive director of the Club in East Boston and is currently completing 2 years as province treasurer while assuming leadership at Salesian Missions in New Rochelle. One of his “greatest joys as a Salesian priest has been watching former students grow up and mature into outstanding men and women. Many have established themselves in some type of career and have formed beautiful families. Watching them and their families grow up together as honest citizens and good Christians has validated my vocation as a disciple of Jesus Christ and as a son of Don Bosco.”

Br. Charles Thenier’s Salesian life has brought him to both schools and parishes as a youth minister or teacher: Belle Glade, Marrero, Elizabeth, and Chicago. He also served on the vocation team at Haverstraw and South Orange and in the province development office in New Rochelle. Now a healthy 91-year-old, he resides at the Marian Shrine in Stony Point.

Fr. Tim Zak just completed 8 years as provincial and has begun ministry as a pastor in San Juan, PR, as requested by the Rector Major. He was ordained in 1991 in Boston. He has a lot of previous parish experience as both a parochial vicar and pastor in Port Chester and Chicago. He also served a few years in schools and on the formation staff in South Orange.

Professed 25 years are Frs. Iguintz Calixte, Abe Feliciano, and Pierre-Celestin Ona Zue—all from different parts of the Salesian world. Fr. Iguintz Calixte joined the SDBs in Haiti, professing on September 8, 1998; he was ordained there in 2007. Since coming to our province in 2016, he has ministered in Sherbrooke, Montreal as director, and Etobicoke.

Paterson native Fr. Abe Feliciano graduated from DBT and professed on August 15, 1998, in Rosemead, Calif. Most of his ministry has been in schools as teacher and CYM: Ramsey, Marrero, New Rochelle, and Takoma Park. He was province delegate for youth ministry and provincial councilor for 9 years and is currently the director in Ramsey. He writes: “The greatest joy of my Salesian life has been the privilege of journeying with so many young people who have shown me the face of Jesus every day. They and their families have been God’s instruments in shaping me into the Salesian I am today.”

Fr. Pierre-Celestin Ona Zue is fairly new to the province, having arrived at Sherbrooke in 2018, where this year he became director. His native land is Cameroon, and he made his first profession on September 8, 1998, in Togo. He was ordained in 2007 for the Tropical-Equatorial Africa Province, where he served in both schools and parishes as director or pastor in Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, and Gabon. He also has experience with radio ministry and prison chaplaincy.

This year’s senior jubilarian of priesthood is Fr. Jan Bernas, ordained on August 8, 1958, in Krakow. Orphaned as a teenager and impoverished by the German occupation of Poland, he was taken in by the Salesians and joined them because he wanted to assist the young. He professed in 1950. After 18 years of parish ministry in his native Poland, he volunteered as a missionary to Zambia and served there for 10 years. In 1997 he came to Woodbridge, NJ, as chaplain for a Polish nursing home, where he resides now in retirement. His pride is in the vocations he fostered in Zambia. He tells his life story in a book, Vocation with obstacles, where one can discern how God guided him.

Fr. Javier Aracil was ordained on February 11, 1963, in Turin. A native of Spain, he came to the U.S. in 1952 immediately after his first profession. He taught and served as DRA in Ramsey, New Rochelle, Goshen, Haverstraw, Boston, and East Boston, was academic dean at Don Bosco College, and served as a parish priest at 12th Street, Miami, Elizabeth, Port Chester, and Orange. He was the province secretary and councilor in New Rochelle for 6 years. He resides now at the Marian Shrine in Stony Point.

Celebrating golden jubilees of ordination are Frs. Henry Bonetti and Joe Hannon, both ordained on March 24, 1973, in Columbus. Fr. Henry Bonetti has spent his entire Salesian life after profession (Newton, 1961) as a missionary to the Korea Province. He has worked in schools and Salesian formation, including priestly formation in the Philippines for the East Asia- Oceania Region. For 15 years he was director of youth ministry for the diocese of Kwangju. He gives a lot of retreats in the region, as well. The ministry he has found most rewarding “was being a professor of theology and rector of the studentate of theology for EAO Region for 9 years. To live with and form young Salesians could be called the culmination of my years of priesthood. That was the hardest assignment to leave.” His greatest joy, on the other hand, was being a Salesian missionary priest. “Salesians are known for spreading joy. Here in Korea whenever there is a gathering of religious congregations, they always ask the Salesians to organize it because they know that by outsourcing the event to us, they can be sure they will have a joyful time! As a missionary, I practice the apostolate of the smile. Joy is what attracts people to the Church.”

Fr. Joe Hannon professed in 1962. His Salesian ministry has been almost evenly split between schools (Tampa, Paterson, Ramsey, East Boston, and St. Petersburg) and U.S. Army chaplaincy for 20 years; he retired as a lieutenant colonel and has returned to teaching in Tampa. Chaplaincy was the highlight of his priestly life. In both stateside and European assignments, he acted as a youth minister and trained his parishioners for youth ministry. He received an award from NCYM for organizing the first civilian Catholic youth ministry in the Army parishes in Heidelberg, Germany.

Frs. Bill Bucciferro, Joe Vien Hoang, and John Nazzaro are celebrating 40 years since they were ordained on May 21, 1983, at Columbus. Fr. Bill Bucciferro professed at Newton in 1976 and has spent his priestly life in parishes: Port Chester, Chicago, and Washington; in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus and East Boston; and in youth ministry at Haverstraw and campus ministry in Champaign.

Fr. Joe Vien, a native of Vietnam, professed in Hong Kong in 1965 and came to the U.S. in 1980. He taught in Vietnam, New Rochelle, and Marrero and has been a parish priest in Harvey and Port Chester. He is grateful “to God for the gift of my priesthood. This gift did not come to me easily at the beginning but with anxiety and some difficulties,” but God gave him this gift “through the blessings of Mary Help of Christians.” That’s why he took as his priestly motto Mary’s Magnificat: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. The Almighty has done great things for me.” Fr. Joe states: “After 40 years of my priesthood, I still feel that Jesus and Mary Help of Christians continue to bless me.”

Fr. John Nazzaro professed at Newton in 1974 and has spent most of his priesthood in schools as DRA, principal, or director: Goshen, Marrero, Tampa, and New Rochelle. He was community director and Club executive director in East Boston for 11 years, and he has engaged in Salesian formation at Orange as CYM and director for 7 years and counting. Confreres appreciate his hard work, generosity, sense of humor, and spiritual guidance.