Fall 2012

This Month’s Child

safe and happy home forchildren like Anil. It’s a placewhere hungry and tiredyoungsters are welcomed withopen arms … a place for a hotmeal, a comfortable bed andthe loving attention of caringadults.

On any given day, the shelterradiates with laughter, dancingand games – a heartwarmingtestament of how theSalesians are making a mean-

ingful difference in the lives ofeach and every child.

This year, Shelter Don Boscocelebrates its 25th Anniversary.In that time, an entire generationof street children have turnedtheir lives around and are nowhappy, productive young adults.Just like Anil. He’s thriving in the12th grade and wants to be amath teacher someday.

Shelter Don Bosco Provides A SafeHome For Street Children In India

Name: Joseph

Age: 5 Years Old

Home: Sierra Leone

At the age of six yearsold, a little boy named Anilwas separated from his familywhile traveling to Delhi,India. In a tragic turn ofevents, the youngster foundhimself suddenly living onthe streets.

But Anil was not alone.Sadly, he shared the backalleys, street corners and trainplatforms with hundreds ofother homeless boys and girls.

The plight of street childrenin India – as well as throughoutthe world – is dismal. Many turnto drugs in a desperate attemptto dull their pain and escapefrom the harsh realities of theirlives.

Begging for food, clothes andmoney is not enough to make endsmeet. Inevitably, most childrenturn to crime as a way to secure

When the Salesians first metJoseph a few years ago, helooked very sad and despondent.He never knew his parents –they abandoned the family whenJoseph was a just a baby.

He and his brothers wereinitially raised by their grandmother.But she suffered an illness that lefther paralyzed and unable to carefor the young boys. Instead, thebrothers banded together, quitschool, and devoted all their energyand time toward helping theirbeloved grandmother while alsofending for themselves.

The ordeal was more thanJoseph could bear and he hoped

and prayed for something better.Thankfully, he discovered a

Salesian center with programsand activities for impoverishedchildren while wandering throughthe neighborhoods. It was anencounter that saved his life!

Today, Joseph is back in schooland spends much of his free timeat the center. He is very intelligentand brings much happiness and joyto everyone around him.

His life story is one of amiraculous transformation madepossible by the dedication andlove of the Salesians and thegenerosity and kindness of caringfriends like you.

their basic necessities.The desperate struggles of

street children in India aresobering reminders that many ofsociety’s most precious andvulnerable citizens have been leftbehind during the country’s rapidexpansion and rise of wealth.

But the Salesians have notforgotten!

Shelter Don Bosco provides a

Prepared Exclusively for Special Friends of Salesian MissionsA Written Testimony Of How You Bring God-Saving Grace To A Troubled World

This Month’s Call For PrayerPlease pray that poor and needy children and families around the world areblessed by the Christmas miracle of the birth of Jesus. In this season of giving,we must not forget those who need our gifts the most.

Students and staff at the DonBosco Technical Centre in Lahore– which consists of Christians andMuslims learning and workingside-by-side – have joined togetherto construct a new building thatwill expand opportunities foreveryone involved.

The steel structure is 1,400square meters in size, large enoughto accommodate 100 people and awide variety of metalworkmachinery.

The project delighted everyonein the small Salesian communitybecause i t demonstrated howstudents from different religiousbackgrounds can accomplish acommon goal.

It also provided proof that theSalesian investment in trainingand equipment over the last fewyears is paying off in a big way, asgraduates become well-qualifiedtechnicians, obtain good jobs, andlead productive, responsible lives.

In Malta.. In Pakistan... In Sudan...

Missionary of the Month: In Memory of Fr. Alvino Beber

May God Bless You this Christmas… and Always

We mourn the recen tpassing of Fr. Alvino Beber,but we honor and celebratehis inspiring life as a SalesianMissionary.

Fr. Beber was completelydedicated to those less fortu-nate, even later in his vocation.

While in his late 50s, hefounded the first Salesian housein Angola at Dondo, where hewas directly involved in itsconstruction.

During times of violent civilwar, Fr. Beber opened hisdoors and provided safety for400 refugees. He also suppliedwater, food and medicine tothe innocent victims.

Many families credit Fr.Beber for rescuing them fromcertain death.

In his half-century of service,Fr. Beber touched the lives ofcountless poor and sufferingpeople. Today, his legacy is

preserved by the Salesian cen-ters he helped build and theexpressions of gratitude by thechildren and families he saved.

Dear Friend,You make Christmas special

for so many needy children andfamilies around the word. I speakfor all our missionaries inexpressing my deepest gratitudefor your kindness and generosity.

Thanks to you, ChristmasDay will bring live-savingmedicine to a sick child,nutritious food to a starvingfamily, and the opportunity to

a t t e n d s c h o o l f o r a y o u n gstudent looking to break freefrom the grip of poverty.

Of course, these and othergifts made possible by yoursupport are not limited to oneday – they occur 365 days a year.

But in this season of giving,as we prepare to celebrate thebirth of Jesus Christ, I want towish you and your loved ones

Young people struggling to makethe transition from impoverishedchildhood to productive adulthoodhave a better chance thanks to thenew Mamma Margaret House inSliema.

The building – which wasdonated to the Salesians from theMaltese government – containsseven apartments which will providea home and stability for a group oftroubled youngsters with nowhereelse to turn.

“We are not open to anyonewho decides to leave home to findcheap lodging,” explains Fr. SavioVella. “We have to be sure thatthese young people intend to buildtheir own future and to prepare tolive independent lives.”

If all goes as planned, andenough donations are raised, neces-sary renovations to the buildingwill be completed by 2014, just intime to celebrate the bicentenary ofthe birth of Don Bosco.

the warmest wishes for a blessedChristmas and prosperous,healthy New Year.

The Salesian community inTonj is expressing its heartfeltappreciation for a l ife-savingshipment of essential suppliesmade possible, in part, through thegenerosity of caring friends likeyou who support our work.

The large container – aboutthe size of a tractor-trailer truck –was filled with food and medicinebadly needed by impoverishedvillagers.

The Salesians overcame manyobstacles during the delivery of thecontainer, including difficult roads,treacherous weather and the threatof hijacking and theft.

“We are very glad that thefood and medicines arrived at thiscrucial time when the demand is atits peak,” wrote Fr. RayenFerrington. “I am very grateful toyou for this kind and generousgesture shown toward us.”

104

2 LEFEVRE LANE • NEW ROCHELLE NY 10801-5710

TEL: (914) 633-8344 Visit our Website: www.salesianmissions.org