{"id":25319,"date":"2025-09-26T23:55:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T06:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=25319"},"modified":"2025-09-29T14:31:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T21:31:18","slug":"in-honor-of-national-immigration-week-a-salesian-call-to-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2025\/09\/26\/in-honor-of-national-immigration-week-a-salesian-call-to-action\/","title":{"rendered":"In Honor of National Immigration Week: A Salesian Call to Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By Alex del Carmen, Provincial Coordinator, Salesian Cooperators USA Wes<\/em>t<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(San Antonio, Texas)<\/strong> &#8211; <em>Note: This letter is offered to the Salesian Family in honor of the USCCB&#8217;s National Immigration Week.  It was initially sent to Salesian Cooperators in July 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dear Salesian [Family],<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I invite you to pause and reflect on a vital aspect of our Salesian vocation: our&nbsp;love for the poor and for immigrants, and how this love is at the heart of our duty as [Salesians]. From the very beginning, Saint John Bosco understood that loving the poor was not optional but essential. He founded the Salesian Society in 1859 specifically to help poor and&nbsp;migrant&nbsp;youth who were lost amid the upheavals of industrializing society. He walked the streets of Turin seeking out&nbsp;the abandoned, the orphaned, and the immigrant&nbsp;youth, offering them a home, an education, and above all, love. In 1876, Don Bosco extended this mission to the laity by establishing the Association of Salesian Cooperators with the&nbsp;same mission of educating and caring for the poor. [Cooperators and the Salesian Family]are heirs of this legacy of active charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the heart of Don Bosco\u2019s ministry was the&nbsp;recognition of Christ in every young person, especially in those most destitute or far from their native home. He often reminded us that&nbsp;\u201cConstantly love the needy and the poor\u201d\u2013 not in word only, but in concrete action. Don Bosco saw in the face of each poor boy the face of Jesus Himself. No one was a stranger to him; no child or youth was deemed \u201ctoo poor\u201d or \u201ctoo foreign\u201d to embrace. In every&nbsp;vulnerable young person&nbsp;he served, he recognized an immortal soul and a precious life loved by God. This conviction gave birth to his tireless efforts: from sheltering homeless boys to teaching them skills, Don Bosco\u2019s whole life proclaimed that&nbsp;true religion is lived through charity. For Don Bosco, charity was a school of virtue. He demonstrated humility by living poorly himself, joy through simple encounters with youth, and total trust in God\u2019s providence to supply the needs of his mission. He created environments where young people could experience safety,&nbsp;the joy of being loved, and hope for a future full of purpose and grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don Bosco\u2019s example teaches us that&nbsp;genuine love transcends all boundaries. In his time, many of those he helped were migrants from villages or other regions, feeling lost in a big city. Today, we encounter similar faces of Christ in&nbsp;immigrant families and refugee children&nbsp;who arrive in our communities seeking hope. The Gospel calls us to see them with the eyes of Christ:&nbsp;\u201cI was a stranger, and you welcomed me.\u201d&nbsp;Our Salesian charism likewise&nbsp;challenges us to see Christ in the young and the vulnerable, to accompany them with the tenderness of Mary, and to inspire them with the hope and trust that Don Bosco himself placed in God\u2019s plan. We are called to promote what has been called a \u201cgospel culture of welcome, encounter, and healthy integration,\u201d ensuring that those who knock at our door find not just services, but a family and a home in our presence. In Don Bosco\u2019s words to his first missionaries,&nbsp;\u201cTake special care of the sick, the children, the aged, and the poor, and you will gain the blessing of God and the goodwill of people\u201d. This advice rings true for us today\u2014our care must extend to all who are hurting or marginalized, including those who have left their homeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let us also remember the special role of&nbsp;Mary Help of Christians&nbsp;in our spirituality. Don Bosco was an ardent devotee of Mary under this title, and he placed every project under her maternal guidance. He used to say that&nbsp;our Blessed Mother has done everything&nbsp;in his work. Just as Mary guided and supported Don Bosco in his mission to the poorest youth, she guides us in our mission of loving service today. In her, we find the strength and courage to persevere in this work. She who once experienced the hardship of being a refugee in Egypt with Joseph and the child Jesus knows the sufferings of the displaced. We can imagine&nbsp;Mary walking with each immigrant family, whispering comfort and hope. We trust that she intercedes for us and blesses our efforts, so that even our small acts of service bear great fruit in Jesus\u2019 name. When the work is tiring or when discouragement creeps in, let us turn to Mary Help of Christians\u2014our mother, teacher, and guide\u2014confident that she will obtain for us the grace to love as&nbsp;Jesus calls us to love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we look around our communities, we see so many opportunities to practice this charity. The&nbsp;young immigrant student&nbsp;struggling to learn a new language, the single mother in poverty, the teenager without guidance or friendship \u2013 all of them are&nbsp;entrusted to us. Don Bosco would tell us that in&nbsp;serving them, we serve Jesus Himself. What a beautiful and challenging responsibility this is! But we do not bear it alone. We carry it together as a family, strengthened by the Holy Spirit. And we carry it with the support of Mary, who continues to&nbsp;pour out the grace of her Son&nbsp;upon our Salesian Family. Remember that&nbsp;our Founder believed in working together&nbsp;\u2013 Salesian priests, sisters, and cooperators, along with the young people themselves, all collaborating to build the Kingdom of God. In that same spirit of family, let us encourage one another in this mission. When one of us grows weary, let another lift them up. When one initiative struggles, let us all rally to support it.&nbsp;Unity in spirit and purpose&nbsp;will give us strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">May God bless each of you abundantly as you carry out this beautiful mission.&nbsp;May He fill your hearts with peace and renew your zeal&nbsp;to serve Him in the young and the poor. Remember that in serving those most in need, you are&nbsp;serving Jesus Himself and sharing in the Church\u2019s deepest calling. And remember that&nbsp;Mary Help of Christians walks with you; she will obtain every grace you need to persevere with joy. Don Bosco is surely smiling upon your efforts, and he intercedes for us from heaven as we press on in this work of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wishing you and your families an abundance of grace and joy as we live out our calling. Let us continue to support each other in prayer and action, so that our Salesian family may be a living sign of God\u2019s loving presence among the young, the poor, and the stranger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Don Bosco,<br>Alex del Carmen, Ph.D.<br>Province Coordinator, Western U.S. Province of Salesian Cooperators<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-coblocks-dynamic-separator has-background has-medium-gray-color is-style-line\" style=\"height:50px\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Querida Familia Salesiana:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Los invito a hacer una pausa y reflexionar sobre un aspecto vital de nuestra vocaci\u00f3n salesiana: nuestro amor por los pobres y por los inmigrantes, y c\u00f3mo este amor est\u00e1 en el centro de nuestro deber como Cooperadores. Desde el principio, san Juan Bosco comprendi\u00f3 que amar a los pobres no era opcional, sino esencial. Fund\u00f3 la Sociedad Salesiana en 1859 precisamente para ayudar a los j\u00f3venes pobres y migrantes que se encontraban perdidos en medio de los cambios de la sociedad industrial. Recorri\u00f3 las calles de Tur\u00edn buscando a los abandonados, hu\u00e9rfanos e inmigrantes, ofreci\u00e9ndoles un hogar, educaci\u00f3n y, sobre todo, amor. En 1876, Don Bosco extendi\u00f3 esta misi\u00f3n a los laicos al establecer la Asociaci\u00f3n de Salesianos Cooperadores con la misma finalidad de educar y cuidar a los pobres. Somos herederos de este legado de caridad activa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">En el coraz\u00f3n del ministerio de Don Bosco estaba el reconocimiento de Cristo en cada joven, especialmente en aquellos m\u00e1s necesitados o lejos de su patria. Nos recordaba con frecuencia: \u00abAmen constantemente a los necesitados y a los pobres\u00bb, no solo con palabras, sino con acciones concretas. Don Bosco ve\u00eda en el rostro de cada muchacho pobre el rostro mismo de Jes\u00fas. Nadie era extra\u00f1o para \u00e9l; ning\u00fan ni\u00f1o o joven se consideraba \u00abdemasiado pobre\u00bb o \u00abdemasiado extranjero\u00bb para abrazarlo. En cada joven vulnerable que atend\u00eda reconoc\u00eda un alma inmortal y una vida preciosa amada por Dios. Esta convicci\u00f3n dio origen a sus esfuerzos incansables: desde acoger a muchachos sin hogar hasta ense\u00f1arles oficios, toda la vida de Don Bosco proclam\u00f3 que la religi\u00f3n verdadera se vive mediante la caridad. Para Don Bosco, la caridad era una escuela de virtudes: demostr\u00f3 humildad viviendo pobremente, alegr\u00eda mediante encuentros sencillos con los j\u00f3venes, y total confianza en la providencia de Dios para abastecer las necesidades de su misi\u00f3n. Cre\u00f3 ambientes donde los j\u00f3venes pod\u00edan sentirse seguros, experimentar la alegr\u00eda de ser amados y albergar la esperanza de un futuro lleno de prop\u00f3sito y gracia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">El ejemplo de Don Bosco nos ense\u00f1a que el amor aut\u00e9ntico trasciende todas las fronteras. En su tiempo, muchos de los que ayudaba eran migrantes de aldeas u otras regiones que se sent\u00edan perdidos en la gran ciudad. Hoy, encontramos rostros similares de Cristo en las familias inmigrantes y los ni\u00f1os refugiados que llegan a nuestras comunidades en busca de esperanza. El Evangelio nos llama a verlos con los ojos de Cristo: \u00abFui forastero y me acogisteis\u00bb. Nuestro carisma salesiano nos desaf\u00eda igualmente a ver a Cristo en los j\u00f3venes y en los vulnerables, a acompa\u00f1arlos con la ternura de Mar\u00eda y a inspirarlos con la esperanza y la confianza que Don Bosco depositaba en el plan de Dios. Estamos llamados a promover una \u00abcultura evang\u00e9lica de acogida, encuentro e integraci\u00f3n sana\u00bb, asegurando que quienes tocan a nuestra puerta encuentren no solo servicios, sino una familia y un hogar en nuestra presencia. Como dec\u00eda Don Bosco a sus primeros misioneros: \u00abCuidad con especial esmero a los enfermos, a los ni\u00f1os, a los ancianos y a los pobres, y obtendr\u00e9is la bendici\u00f3n de Dios y el aprecio del pueblo\u00bb. Este consejo sigue siendo v\u00e1lido hoy: nuestra atenci\u00f3n debe extenderse a todos los que sufren o est\u00e1n marginados, incluidos quienes han dejado su patria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recordemos tambi\u00e9n el papel especial de Mar\u00eda Auxiliadora en nuestra espiritualidad. Don Bosco fue un ferviente devoto de Mar\u00eda bajo este t\u00edtulo y pon\u00eda cada proyecto bajo su gu\u00eda materna. Sol\u00eda decir que nuestra Madre bendita lo hab\u00eda hecho todo en su obra. As\u00ed como Mar\u00eda gui\u00f3 y sostuvo a Don Bosco en su misi\u00f3n con los j\u00f3venes m\u00e1s pobres, ella nos gu\u00eda hoy en nuestra misi\u00f3n de servicio amoroso. En ella encontramos la fortaleza y el valor para perseverar. Ella, que experiment\u00f3 la dureza de ser refugiada en Egipto con Jos\u00e9 y el Ni\u00f1o Jes\u00fas, conoce el sufrimiento de los desplazados. Podemos imaginar a Mar\u00eda caminando con cada familia inmigrante, susurrando consuelo y esperanza. Confiamos en que intercede por nosotros y bendice nuestros esfuerzos, para que incluso nuestros peque\u00f1os actos de servicio den mucho fruto en nombre de Jes\u00fas. Cuando el trabajo se haga pesado o surja el des\u00e1nimo, acudamos a Mar\u00eda Auxiliadora\u2014nuestra madre, maestra y gu\u00eda\u2014seguros de que obtendr\u00e1 para nosotros la gracia de amar como Jes\u00fas nos llama a amar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Al mirar nuestras comunidades, vemos muchas oportunidades para practicar esta caridad. El joven inmigrante que lucha por aprender un nuevo idioma, la madre soltera en pobreza, el adolescente sin orientaci\u00f3n ni amistades: todos ellos nos han sido confiados. Don Bosco nos dir\u00eda que al servirlos a ellos, servimos al mismo Jes\u00fas. \u00a1Qu\u00e9 responsabilidad tan hermosa y desafiante! Pero no la llevamos solos; la llevamos juntos como familia, fortalecidos por el Esp\u00edritu Santo y sostenidos por Mar\u00eda, que sigue derramando la gracia de su Hijo sobre nuestra Familia Salesiana. Recuerden que nuestro Fundador cre\u00eda en el trabajo en conjunto: sacerdotes, hermanas y cooperadores salesianos, junto con los propios j\u00f3venes, colaborando para construir el Reino de Dios. En ese mismo esp\u00edritu familiar, anim\u00e9monos unos a otros en esta misi\u00f3n. Cuando uno se canse, que otro lo levante; cuando una iniciativa flaquee, un\u00e1monos para apoyarla. La unidad de esp\u00edritu y prop\u00f3sito nos dar\u00e1 fortaleza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Que Dios los bendiga abundantemente mientras realizan esta hermosa misi\u00f3n. Que llene sus corazones de paz y renueve su celo para servirle en los j\u00f3venes y en los pobres. Recuerden que al servir a los m\u00e1s necesitados, sirven al mismo Jes\u00fas y comparten la llamada m\u00e1s profunda de la Iglesia. Y recuerden que Mar\u00eda Auxiliadora camina con ustedes; ella obtendr\u00e1 todas las gracias que necesiten para perseverar con alegr\u00eda. Don Bosco sin duda sonr\u00ede ante sus esfuerzos e intercede por nosotros desde el cielo mientras avanzamos en esta obra de amor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dese\u00e1ndoles a ustedes y a sus familias abundantes gracias y alegr\u00eda mientras vivimos nuestro llamado, sigamos apoy\u00e1ndonos mutuamente en la oraci\u00f3n y en la acci\u00f3n, para que nuestra familia salesiana sea un signo vivo de la presencia amorosa de Dios entre los j\u00f3venes, los pobres y los forasteros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">En Don Bosco,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alex del\u202fCarmen, Ph.D.<br>Coordinador Provincial, Provincia del Oeste de los EE.\u202fUU. de los Salesianos Cooperadores<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Alex del Carmen, Provincial Coordinator, Salesian Cooperators USA West (San Antonio, Texas) &#8211; Note: This letter is offered to the Salesian Family in honor of the USCCB&#8217;s National Immigration Week. It was initially sent to Salesian Cooperators in July 2025. Dear Salesian [Family], I invite you to pause and reflect on a vital aspect of our Salesian vocation: our&nbsp;love for the poor and for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2025\/09\/26\/in-honor-of-national-immigration-week-a-salesian-call-to-action\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continuar leyendo <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">In Honor of National Immigration Week: A Salesian Call to Action<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":25331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20310044,4639169],"tags":[35890],"class_list":["post-25319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-province-news","category-salesian-family","tag-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/150-anniversary-pastpupils-friends-donbosco-1.jpg-copy-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-6An","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10336596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25319"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25415,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25319\/revisions\/25415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}