Dear Salesian Family and Salesian Young People:

The Rector Major, Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime, the 10th Successor of Don Bosco, is officially coming to visit us here in California from November 15-20. I say officially because, for those of you who may not know, we have been preparing for his visit for close to a year now but it took some working behind the scenes to get him an expedited interview for his Visa to enter the United States. Thanks to Mr. Randy Demartini, the Executive Director of the Salesian Boys’ and Girls’ Club in San Francisco, we were able to connect with the San Francisco Office of the Speaker of the House, Ms. Nancy Pelosi. Her Office assisted us in getting an expedited interview for Fr. Angel in Madrid on the 2nd of November. Two weeks to spare and thank God he was granted a Visa. Praise the Lord!

There has been excitement in the upcoming visit of the Rector Major, and rightly so. He was supposed to visit us in 2018 but Visa issues prevented that from happening. And now we have the opportunity to welcome him as Rector Major to our part of the Salesian world. As Father of the Salesian Family he is Don Bosco for us today. I do hope that many of you will be able to celebrate his presence among us and can participate and join us for some of the events surrounding his visit in both the Los Angeles area and the Bay Area. In this issue of InTouch we once again share the itinerary of the Rector Major’s visit to our Province.

Aside from the visit of the Rector Major there are other significant events happening around us..  Today, on this 4th of November, I begin the Provincial Visitations of each Salesian community and ministry during this 2022-2023 year. I ask for your prayers so that I can reflect and dialogue with the communities and the ministries how we, as a Province, can better animate the Salesian Mission in the local sites and better serve the young people and the people of God in our midst. My first Provincial Visitation will be at Sts. Peter & Paul Church in San Francisco, which includes the Sts. Peter & Paul Elementary School and the Salesian Boys & Girls’ Club.

Also, next week, there is the National Catholic Youth Conference taking place in Long Beach. I know that young people from our sites are participating in the conference. I also know that our Province, through the Youth Ministry and Vocation Offices, are sponsoring the Reconciliation Space as well as a Salesian booth at the exhibit hall. Let us pray for the safety of all the young people in the conference and that many young Catholics who attend may be inspired to serve and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to others.

Finally, let us remember to pray during this special month for all those who have gone before us. And let us be grateful for all of god’s blessings as we celebrate Thanksgiving with our families and loved ones. God bless you all.

Sincerely in Christ and in Don Bosco,