Querida Familia Salesiana:

In the name of all the Salesian Cooperators of USA West, I wish to share with you news of renewed hope. Worldwide, the Association of Salesian Cooperators is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2026 and has prepared to “relaunch” our apostolic commitment for the next 150 years.

Here in our province, we have much to be thankful for in the past year. A new Cooperator Center, St. Michael the Archangel, has been established in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is a vibrant group whose numbers continue to grow. There are many centers with future Salesian Cooperators in formation, including young people. This past October, we gathered together for our Provincial Congress in San Antonio, Texas. We elected a new Provincial Council (see the attached picture for all the new members). Many of our Local Centers have also elected new Local Center Councilors.

The Cooperators continue their support of the Salesian presence in Tijuana. Through fundraising efforts in our Local Centers, Cooperators raised $1,780 for the Proyecto Salesiano. This amazing Salesian work consists of 5 oratories that also function as youth centers, where religious, cultural, and sports activities are offered; in addition, there is the Desayunador Salesiano “Padre Chava” breakfast room and hostel, where more than 1,500 poor, migrants, and refugees are served each day.

In today’s Gospel reading (12/19), Luke recounts the story of Zechariah and his visit from the Angel Gabriel. Even though Gabriel brings to him the great news that he and Elizabeth will have a son in their old age, Zechariah responds with “How shall I know this?” (Lk.1:18). Gabriel hears the doubt in that response and responds: “But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words…” (Lk.1:20). Wow, at first, I thought that was a bit harsh but then I came to reflect on the difference between knowledge and faith. Zechariah wants the clarity that knowledge provides. We humans often want that surety and clarity so we can then trust.

There is a story that may explain this in a better way: the Jesuit John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at “the house of the dying” in Calcutta, and he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning, there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, “And what can I do for you?” Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him.

“What do you want me to pray for?” she asked. He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States: “Pray that I have clarity.”

She said firmly, “No, I will not do that.” When he asked her why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So, I will pray that you trust God.”
So there lies our Christmas message. Trust in the Child born of Mary, who will reveal to us the coming of the Kingdom. This Kingdom will be one of peace and justice for all people, where love and forgiveness will reign. We will not have certainty or clarity about how all this will unfold, and often we see only darkness. Yet, we are called to believe and trust in the light emanating from the humble stable in Bethlehem, where we meet the young Holy Family, surrounded by farm animals, poor shepherds, wise foreigners, and angels.

Yours in Don Bosco,
Michael Alvarez
Province Coordinator