Salesians Blog

What We Did: The Facts

"Willingness to rough it" was the phrase that called out to me during the lead up to a two-day refugee simulation, experiential learning visit to Lee House organised by CAFOD. A leap into the unknown- a new adventure! Armed with sleeping equipment, lots of warm clothes (as instructed) and a bundle of mixed emotions, I arrived at Preston train station to be greeted by Sarah (CAFOD youth coordinator), Joe (Lee House Host) and a group of seven other youth ministry volunteers from all corners of the country. Lots of smiles and joyful greetings put me at ease and we began our transfer to Lee House kindly provided by Lee House volunteers. Once we arrived at Lee House, situated in a remote area of the Ribble Valley, we had a quick wander around the beautiful grounds before eating lunch together outside. After lunch the icebreakers began and we all got to know each other a whole lot better, laughing and joking as we shared experiences that brought us closer as a group. We then had a short time for reflection in the attic of the house, which used to be a hidden chapel during the time of Catholic persecution. Joe asked us to be open-minded and challenge ourselves to enter fully into the experience; this was followed by some time of silence and personal reflection. He also told us of the role we would play: an indigenous community based in the Amazon rainforest, Brazil. We left the chapel, our last place of indoor warmth for the evening and headed outside to the tepee and fire area to learn some basic skills to prepare us for the night ahead. Herbal medicine, water collection and purification, wood collection and shelter building were the skills the Lee House volunteers taught us- it was really interesting and were of great use to us throughout the evening.

The simulation then began with a prayer to the spirits and a tribe council meeting where we thought about the different elements of nature and how humans cause harm and damage to the surroundings. We each gave voice to a certain aspect of nature imagining what it would say to mankind if it could have a voice. This ritual was interrupted by the noisy arrival of Delta Logging Company and their chainsaw. The representative informed our community that we had to leave the land (which was our home) as his company had bought it for logging. We were left in a field with some resources to build shelters. Midway through constructing our shelter for the evening the local (Brazilian) police arrived to force us into a detention centre in an attempt to identify us. This was very scary as we were pushed and pulled around as well as being separated from our fellow community members; we were shouted at in Portuguese in an attempt to get us to fill in identification forms, which were in a foreign language. After this experience we were all blindfolded and marched through the grounds into a dimly lit basement cell. Gradually all members of the community arrived in the cell and we were left for a while.
After half an hour (ish) we were released and sent to the courtroom where we were put before a judge who outlined the charges against us. Our community was deemed to be trespassing on Delta Logging Company's land as they had recently made a claim to it deeming in uninhabited. We were then sent back to our shelter building and given the rest of the evening to formulate our defence of the land in order to reappear before the court the following morning. The evening was cold so after celebrating mass with the visiting missionary priest (local parish priest) we ate a few pancakes, the ingredients provided by the priest, briefly discussed our plan for the trial the following day and tried to get some sleep. The night was windy and cold but we all stayed dry and huddled together. We rose with the sun at dawn and made some nettle tea over the fire to warm up before meeting to discuss our defence for the trial to follow. We came up with two main approaches:
1. Legal- The logging company had no right to fence and claim the land as we inhabited it. According to the law the Logging company could only claim the land if no one inhabited it.
2. Environmental- Recognising the detrimental long term effects of deforestation linking to issues such as pollution and the chain of cause and effects relating to local plant and wildlife population.
Following our discussions we spent an hour in the courtroom building upon, and fighting our case from the point of the indigenous community. One of the volunteers Chris acted as our barrister and, supported by a CAFOD representative, we won our argument by emphasising our habituation of the land in question.

This signalled the end of the refugee simulation, and, after some food we were given time to reflect on our experiences and learn more about CAFOD's campaigns surrounding climate change and sustainability. We had time to share some ideas and learn new activities to share with our youth teams before departing for our home communities.

Reflection: How I felt

On a personal level, there was a transformative experience when we were all sat together in the cell after being forced through the detention centre. Once all the nervous laughter had settled and we became less aware of our participation in a simulation we began to recognise the difficulties that we had faced and felt able to empathise with other communities in similar situations. There were several moments of silence during this period where we reflected on our experiences and how they had made us feel. Many of us felt dehumanised, venerable and therefore incredibly challenged. Sat on the floor of the cell we spoke about these feelings and began to fell the pain and suffering of others. This gave me an alternative perception and seemed to hit a nerve deep within emphasising a need to, and a want to, change this and encourage a more sustainable, respectful lifestyle towards local communities.
Once the simulation had come to an end many of the group voiced their views on the experience, particularly highlighting the ways that it had been worthwhile and made a difference to their life. For me this time helped me to get a grip on the scale of environmental issues and the great effect that they will have on future generations. It confirmed the absurd need of humankind to attain material possessions over spiritual or community connections. An increase in individualism and capitalism has encouraged these wider issues concerned with global justice and through this experiential learning visit my eyes have been opened, in a very real and visceral way, to the dangers associated with environmental issues, particularly those concerning local communities.

The Lord has risen, Alleluia Alleluia- Easter is my favourite time of year!

Hi all, hope all is well in the motherland. It's been a good few months since my last update, things have been busy here! From Bi-centennial celebrations, to province training/workshops, to vocation events, to school events, to archdiocesan events, madness has hit the novitiate!

Im going to try and keep this as short as possible, so I may miss some points but I can tell you about them when I come home. First thing I should probably mention is Fr Martin's visit - oh sorry it was an official visit so, the visit of the Fr Provincial! Joking aside it was an amazing breath of fresh air to have a fellow kingsman in the house (side note, kingsman, great film- go see it, so too is Fast and Furious 7- go see it, oh and American sniper!) Anyway, sorry Martin, seriously it was great to have him here telling us about the growth of the province and the updates for the summer celebrations, all sounds very exciting, I'm really gutted that I'm going to miss most things! We also had a good catch up, the guys here were shocked at how well myself and Martin get on- I told them in our province we respect each other for who we are not what we are- titles can be very important in certain parts of the world- actually even in our own country! We forget that behind the title there is a child of God who deserves more respect than any title! It was also great fun to have Fr Michael Casey (Irish provincial), he was a great laugh!

Once they left we started preparing ourselves for the LA religious education congress! What an amazing production. If you have never been I strongly recommend going. It is a really powerful, thought provoking celebration of Religious Education worldwide! The Salesians this year took over a section of the market space- Salesian stickers and Don Bosco faces were everywhere- Br Al Vu and his team really know how to get a show rocking! The LA congress brought me another gift- Gerry O'Shaughnessy came over! Again it was great to see him and have a good number of catch ups- talking about the Promised Land that is Bootle! Not forgetting one of the most beautiful Salesian parishes in the world (of course im biased) - St James'. A quick note to thank publicly all those that sent gifts through Gerry, you really shouldn't have, but thank you none the less.

A few other events that have happened are:

Helping to lead retreats at the centre here
Provincial leadership meeting- hosted in our community
A number of vocation talks
A media workshop given by Fr John Roche- director of Don Bosco hall, Berkley where Kevin O'Donnell is at the moment.
Camp St. Francis assignments and planning meeting and so on
As you can tell during our time here in the Novitiate, I have had a number of life changing experiences; having the courage to say yes and be here is one, two trips to San Francisco, visiting a number of the Serra Missions on the coast line of the state, partaking in retreats, workshops, province events etc but nothing will compare to the unforgettable time we've just had in Tijuana, Mexico.

Sitting down to write this reflection has been hard; so many say, ''why is it hard, you sit and reflect all day anyway?'' However those that have been to Tijuana, have experienced the gifts so willingly given by the people there who do not have much, but all they do have they give, will fully understand where I'm coming from. My word for the week was Surrender, two reasons why;

Firstly - very practical - we had no idea what was happening! JC (Missions delegate) didn't tell us anything- the situation was very simple, when I know and you need to know, I'll tell you! Now for a person like me who knows things in advance, the idea of not having a clue what was going on should have killed me. It didn't - this is where the second reasoning behind my word comes in. It didn't kill me because we were being guarded by an overwhelming sense of peace therefore we didn't need to know exactly what was going on, the Holy Spirit took care of it. To be in Tijuana was a gift, however, to be in Tijuana during Holy week - no words can describe. As followers of Christ, holy week is the most painful but also most joyful week in our whole calendar - we celebrate the gift of family through our Eucharistic feast - we are filled with pain and suffering from the death of our brother - we mourn - then we praise and rejoice as our family is once again complete! I got to experience this great sense of YES during this Holy week in this beautiful place.

To be with the people of the Salesian places, young and old- SDB and lay gave me a rounded understanding of who I am, and what I am to do. My vocation is simple - to love. Tijuana has given me so much more than I could ever give for that I am sincerely thankful.

So that's it, for now - a number of months compiled into this brief note. This past week we have had the chance to settle during the spring break, we are entering into the final stages really - at the moment we are in the process of writing our evaluations of each other for the spring term, but more importantly we are in the very crucial stage of discernment as on May 24th - the feast of our Lady Help of Christians - we are due to hand in our letters of acceptance to profession. So please, continue to keep myself and all my brother novices and candidates (aspirants) in your prayers.

Love and prayers to all

The Lord has truly risen- Alleluia

This blog is from Michael Thompson and his blog "Every Clour & Every Sound" 

If you would like to have a look at other blog posts here: http://everycoloureverysound.co.uk/

Growing up as an opinionated teenager in the 2000s, I always felt passionate about engaging with issues of social justice. Amidst the buzz of the Make Poverty History campaign in 2005 and dreaming of joining the marches in Edinburgh during the British-hosted G8 summit (only the sixth formers got away with skipping school to attend!) I knew that I wanted to do something to make a difference in a world that seemed crippled by poverty, famine and greedy corporations. I remember learning that around 20% of the world's population lives on less than $1 a day (around 65p) which shocked me so much it pushed me towards wanting to get involved in the work of development organisations like CAFOD.

To add to this, in our high school geography lessons we had classes on how huge global corporations rip off farmers in the developing world, paying them a pittance for the cocoa, coffee and fruit that they may produce. I wanted to find out what organisations were doing to pay farmers a fair price for their goods and so I became obsessed with looking for the Fairtrade mark in supermarkets and ate more Fairtrade chocolate than I care to remember. That year I bought all my Christmas presents from the Traidcraft catalogue and I became actively involved in setting up a Fairtrade stall in school which sold chocolate and fruit juice to the student body every Friday break time.

And then the reality of leaving school happened and my bubble burst. I became a volunteer for a year before I headed to university and ever since then, the words "budgeting", "sale" and "Tesco Everyday Value" have rested eternally on my lips. I no longer was conscious about where my clothes were made (I boycotted Gap no longer out of anger for the sweatshops but because I didn't want to spend a fortune on a pair of jeans) and I only managed a small smile when I noticed one day that Cadbury Dairy Milk, arguably the biggest chocolate brand in the UK, had become a Fairtrade Certified product. The only economic development issue I was concerned about was the economic situation of my own wallet.

So, imagine my surprise when last week I found myself high in the mountains of the Zambales province, Philippines tagging mango trees to aid the work of the Fair Trade Project here at the PREDA Foundation.

PREDA (People's Recovery, Empowerment and Development Assistance) have been working in Fairtrade now for over 40 years, originally by helping older youth gain skilled training and getting them into job placements. Many of these youth had been unjustly jailed and rescued by PREDA social workers because of their inhumane living conditions on the streets and in jails. Since then, PREDA Fair Trade has fully evolved into a fully certified Fair Trade Organisation which has helped set up livelihood projects in far-flung communities giving opportunities to indigenous Filipino people by providing a fair price for their mangos and other fruits.

Last week, I was lucky enough to visit one of these indigenous villages and meet the Aeta people as it coincided with a visit PREDA were making to take some solar-powered lights for their community (which would save them almost 4,000 pesos a year – around £55; a huge saving!). The houses, which weren't so big, were made exclusively of bamboo and had pointed thatched roofs. Plants adorned the areas surrounding the homes and there was a real warm feeling to the community which had houses dotted, almost randomly, around the area. And unlike the slum areas in Manila, there was a lot of space for the kids (and chickens) to run around. In what seemed to be the centre of the village, a large mango tree rose from the ground: a landmark and a perfect sanctuary out of the sun to discuss just how much the support of PREDA is helping in their lives.

They told us that the commercial buyers would charge as low as 5 pesos (around 7 pence) per kilogram of Pico mango, whereas PREDA pays between 10-12 pesos (15-18 pence) per kilogram of Pico and around 17 pesos (25 pence) per kilogram of Carabao mangos. Unlike the commercial buyers who would select the best looking fruit and reject half the crop, PREDA Fair Trade buy all the mangos produced (provided they aren't unusable or damaged), giving love to all the weird shapes and sizes that might fall from the trees each harvesting season. Even the skins and stones have a useful purpose: the skin is eaten by the animals and the stones are replanted. Everything is used, and nothing is lost!

The foundation also pay all of the money immediately upon delivery of the mangos and a bonus or profit-share is given back to the farmers for every kilogram of mangos sold. All of these fair, ethical business practices completely help to empower the farmers, providing employment and the vital funds to help send their children to school and buy food; things which I know I sometimes take for granted.

Following the visit to the community, I went with the Fair Trade team to tag some trees which is a requirement to receive 'organic status'. This had me up in the mountains, jumping and diving over wild crops to get to the trees in order to put a small number plate on each one. There are 8,000 trees to be tagged, so every volunteer who comes through the doors of PREDA is recommended to spend some time getting involved! It was a highly enjoyable day of beautiful scenery and seeing the actual trees which bear the fruit that will be eventually exported to Europe and beyond was something I never thought I'd see. I couldn't believe that I was right at the beginning of the chain and it made me see Fairtrade in a new and updated light.

Seeing how Fairtrade can affect people so directly has helped me to appreciate just how important it is. It is so easy to forget about the producers and farmers when purchasing goods at home; an invisible workforce who won't know that the coffee I'm drinking wasn't fairly paid for. Meeting real people who harvest real trees makes Fairtrade real. It's real because I have seen it; it makes a difference because the farmers themselves told me it makes a difference, not because The Fairtrade Foundation or Cadbury tells me it makes a difference. It is completely, utterly and without a doubt restoring the dignity of these human beings, like you or I, who have been struggling for decades against companies ripping them off. It is empowering them and it is helping them live their lives to the full.

From an overzealous teenager, to a penny-pinching student, I am happy to have had the flame lit once more inside of me. I am thankful to PREDA for letting me experience the wonderful work they are doing, and I can only hope that I can return home with a renewed consciousness of Fairtrade and slowly begin to phase out purchasing from the less-than-savoury companies seeking to make a quick buck from their "desperate" producers.

This next two weeks is known as Fairtrade Fortnight which is an annual, international campaign aiming to raise awareness of Fairtrade and encourage people to buy their goods. Perhaps over the coming days, look out for PREDA products (branded as Forest Feast) in stores. I am told they are stocked in Sainsbury's, Waitrose and in other shops nationwide. If you decide to purchase them, or indeed any Fair Trade product, simply take a moment to think about the man, woman or child living in a remote village thousands of miles away who would thank you over and over again for helping them to proudly support themselves in dignity and for making that one, simple but life-changing choice.

1.INTRODUCTION: following my last report time has moved very quickly. I had some sickness during the week and hardly ate for three days but am much better now thank God. I resisted the temptation to visit the hospital because I had medicines with me- need I say more. I will try to give you a flavour of life here in Moshi.

2.TYPICAL DAY: the Brothers rise at 6.00 most days followed by meditation, morning prayer then mass. I have been sleeping longer than usual – must be the heat- so I usually join them for mass. I then go up to the school to meet the children before their Assembly which is at 7.55am. I have already had a couple of inputs. I then return to the college for some breakfast- usually toast and tea but on Fridays we get a boiled egg for some reason! I then do some prep work for my English teaching lessons to the 21 First Year Brothers. I have three lessons each week for 1.5 hours each. I have had to plan a programme helped by an initial self assessment exercise I gave them. I give a weekly test and a weekly homework on Fridays. Marking and prep takes up most of my time. Their scores will count towards their final degree so I have to be pretty conscientious.

Lunch is at 1.15 and supper at 8.00. In between these times a variety of things can happen. There is a chance for a little rest ( yes believe it or not) and maybe a little walk then a bus ride into town, maybe a beer on the way back. There is Rosary together early evening and evening prayer before dinner. After dinner we have night prayers and the traditional Salesian "Good night" – which I was asked to give twice last week.

This week the 3rd year Brothers went to Dar as Salaam including a day trip to Zanzibar staying with the Salesians in Oyster Bay. On Saturday they had a Salesian family day as we had in Chertsey as part of the Bi Centenary Celebrations of Don Bosco's birth. The 2nd Year Brothers are all on teaching practice during this semester so this week I have got to know the First years quite well. We have had the Novena to Don Bosco and they copied my leaflet for the purpose. On Friday the school had its weekly mass and the big surprise was a first year girl reading the First Reading. Her English was perfect. Fr. Philip, the Administrator saying mass complimented her at the start of his homily and we all clapped for her. Later in the day I gave her a gift of a spare white Rosary Beads I had been given. This morning in Assembly, Fr. Delphinus, the Head praised her and gave her some exercise books and pens

3. SPORT: as you might expect the brothers are sport mad – they each have their favourite English premier team- one in particular supports Liverpool so you can imagine my delight and his dismay when Bolton drew 0-0 in the FA Cup which I managed to watch live At the moment though it is all about the African Nations Cup with great rivalry being displayed as they get to watch most of the games in between times

I did suggest that the school organised themselves into the 16 nations but the numbers have been slow to pick up since they returned on 13th January so it has not taken off. Today it looked as though most are now back –they were not allowed until fees had been paid.

4.FEASTDAYS: this month has really been one Feast after another including Blessed Laura Vicuna and St Francis of Sales. We still have Don Bosco's Feast day on Saturday 31st – more about that later.

5.GIFTS TO THE SCHOOL: I have been waiting for my two DHL boxes to arrive after several days delay. The small one containing 300 mass leaflets in English from the CTS arrived today but we had to pay custom duty on them – fortunately there was money to pay from the cash I gave the Rector from the monies I had received in Truro and elsewhere. It has been a learning curve dealing with DHL- I have made 3 visits to their depot in Moshi only to be told the box was in Dar. If I had to do it again I would only bring what my 2x20kgm allowance would allow me and then use the money to buy things here – hindsight is a wonderful thing.
The other big box is another story! It arrived in Belgium eventually and then was sent back to my home address because some powdered paint was leaking from the box. My wife, Maria, has kindly had to handle the situation and is claiming the money back because the staff in Staples Truro supervised the packaging so we have a good case ( I hope). If so then Maria will send the box again.

6. THE RECTOR: Fr. Augustine has been away a few days for a holiday and for the wedding of his niece in India, We expect him back before Don Bosco's Feastday. He and I will need to have a meeting soon regarding the planned extensions to the school so that I have a very clear picture in order to assist my fundraising when I return to the UK.

7. CONCLUSION: I will finish now hoping you are all well whatever the weather, We do not talk about the weather here as it is always the same – we have to look for other ice breakers ( if you will pardon the pun).

So cheerio for now and take care. Let us keep each other in our prayers.

1.BACKGROUND: this is my 4th visit to Don Bosco, Moshi my first being in June to September 2012. On that occasion I was asked to fundraise for them so that the secondary school could have two Science Laboratories. To date we have raised over £10,000 for this account but we still have a long way to go. Over the visits I have contributed in a variety of ways to the life of the school including teaching Mathematics, Bible Knowledge and English. Other activities have included drama productions, sports competitions, sports days and draughts competitions.

During this time there have been two Rectors, three Administrators and two Headteachers but throughout there prevails a deep love for Don Bosco and the mission to the young. I feel very comfortable here and very much "at home" as a Salesian Cooperator who feels called and privileged to work in a missionary way.

2.THE COLLEGE: there are 54 Salesian Brothers studying here for their Degree in Philosophy which is part of their preparation for Salesian Priesthood.(25% increase on last year). Three or four of the brothers are not clerics and they will work as Brothers in the rich field of youth ministry. There are 22 in year 1, 16 in year 2 and 16 in year 3. They come from eleven different countries as follows: Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Swaziland, Lesotho, South Africa, Republic of Sudan, South Sudan, Malawi, Sri Lanka and Japan. After their studies here they will go back to their own Salesian Province for 2 or 3 years before returning to Nairobi to start their 4 year course of Theology prior to ordination to the priesthood.

3. THE SCHOOL: it caters for disadvantage children mainly, many of whom are supported financially. However several of the families who can pay have not done so for the last academic year let alone this year which started on 13th January. The fees are equivalent to £360 a year. At the moment only about 50% of the children have returned to school as they are not being allowed in until fees are paid. The school is currently carrying a deficit of over 20 million TZS (Tanzanian Shillings) which is roughly equivalent to £7000.

The nominal roll of 250 students follow a 4 year secondary course with ages ranging from 12 to 22. Even in the same class there can be a wide age range as many cannot continue from Primary school until they have enough money. Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton is currently sponsoring two young people aged 22 and 20 who both have two more years to go. One wants to be a Doctor and one a Banker. They have been performing well and in their Form 2 National Exam they have achieved A Grade with Distinction.

The school day starts with Assembly at 7.55 and finishes at 4.00pm. Given the hours of daylight, many leave home in the morning to walk to school in the dark and return home in the dark later. Given that, it is amazing how clean their clothes are and the first thing they do on arrival is clean their shoes under the water tap prior to assembly.

4.GIFTS TO THE SCHOOL: in the past I have brought stationery items and a set of draughts boards with milk bottle tops for counters. This time after consulting with the Headteacher, Fr. Delphinus, I offered to bring some art equipment as there is no art on the curriculum. The response from my parish of Our Lady of the Portal and St. Piran in Truro, Cornwall,Truro High School for Girls and Truro Arts Centre was overwhelming. Apart from items eg. Paints, brushes, art books etc. Over £800 was donated. This was fortunate because I had to send in advance by DHL two boxes which have yet to arrive! I was allowed 2 x 20kgm cases with Turkish Airways-1.5 contained art materials. I have checked where the boxes are-one is still in the UK and one is in Dar as Salaam requiring custom payment of about £60. Fortunately enough money was donated to pay for these extras but lessons have been learned through this experience.

In addition to the art materials I bought 48 bicycle repair kits from Poundland- a real bargain. We plan to start a cycling club with self help maintenance.
I also purchased from CTS 300 glossy mass leaflets in English which will be a great help at the weekly school mass on Fridays and on Sunday mornings when several people attend the College Mass.

5. CONTRIBUTING TO COLLEGE AND SCHOOL LIFE: for the first time I am having a formal input to the College. As one teacher told me I am now a "Professor" and it comes with a room which is en suite, with a study, hot water and the internet! I teach English to the First Years which is proving challenging but great fun. Four of them I knew as aspirants or pre pre Novices when I first came here in 2012 when they were in Moshi for one month before going to Nairobi for 12 months pre Novitiate training.
At the moment I have been going up to the school each morning for the assembly but have not had any input yet. I have discussed ideas with Fr. Delphinus and hopefully will report on activities later.

6. CHRISTMAS: the decorations have only just been taken down but they were lovely. They had flashing lights everywhere and a very basic crib based on a bed of soil.

7.PROVINCIAL VISITATION: I caught the tail end of the provincial Visitation by Fr Gianni Rolandi, an Italian. In his final report about the community he acknowleged the 12,000 euros that have come in from the UK by way of fundraising for the School Science Laboratories. The entire Community have expressed appreciaition and gratitude for the support to date.They keep us in their prayers.

8. CONCLUSION: I will finish now otherwise you may be wondering did I actually arrive! Please keep me in your prayers as I will you. I do think of you all and thank you for your support so that I am able to do something I really enjoy but also helps other less fortunate than us. God bless and take care