East Boston: Spring Break and Being a Brother

By Bro. Bob Metell, SDB

(East Boston, MA – April 30) – April showers bring May flowers. We have had plenty of April showers, and some of the spring flowers have arrived!

Last week was spring break for Massachusetts schools. It was also the Club’s spring vacation camp. This year we had 80 campers. These included some regular club and summer camp members, along with many new faces.

Campers had daily field trip options to video arcades, movie theaters, wall climbing gyms, and a crafts center. Field trips for specialized activities were available to designated age groups on different days due to limited transportation, while movie trips were open to everyone. Those who chose to remain at the Club were able to partake in a broad range of games and competitions in the activity areas, such as the games room, art center, angel’s room (for children ages 5-8), and outdoor fields. The Club’s annual summer camp begins on Monday, June 30, and runs for eight weeks. Our vacation camps are offered as a day care program while parents are at work. The campers are generally younger children. The camps offer volunteer opportunities for teens who need to complete service hours required by their schools or churches. Many teens simply volunteer during the camps just because they like being at the Club and like helping.

On Thursday, May 1, we honor St. Joseph the Worker, model for everyone who works for a living. Don Bosco placed the Salesian brothers under the care of St Joseph. When Don Bosco founded the Oratory, the majority of brothers were artisans, who entered religious life with a variety of skills in the trades, such as baking and construction, which they taught to youngsters.

Often, I am asked why I became a brother and not a priest. The only brothers I knew were the Franciscans and Dominicans, who were often seen on the Boston subways or on the Boston Common with the poor. There was a Dominican brother who lived in our parish for several years. He wrote a book about his missionary experiences in Central America, which really touched me. It was the example of these brothers, who worked with the poor, that attracted me to the religious brotherhood.

I have been a Salesian brother for over 40 years and have enjoyed every second of it. Yes, there have been difficult times and challenges, but even those times were learning experiences and periods of growth and joy.