English
# 9 - Weekly communique from SAFCAM
# 9 - Weekly communique from SAFCAM
28 June 2020
Dear Subscribers
Another week has passed and the first half of this anno horribilis is over! May the second half of 2020 see a positive outcome to the painful experience of these past 6 months.
In the week following Father’s Day… some focus was put in the media on champion dads as well as the problems of youth growing up without a father figure. One lovely example of a good dad is Rob Kenney, who like Don Bosco grew up without a father, but is trying to be an “online-dad” for modern youth. Google his name, or just search for “Dad, how do I” on YouTube!
Besides the Covid-19 pandemic, there are a multitude of causes of suffering in the world today:
Poverty, corruption, injustice, racism, crime, violence & war, illiteracy, addictions, GBV, child abuse, teen pregnancies, unemployment, human trafficking, mental illness, gender dysphoria… and so many more. These social ills have existed through the ages in various forms and appear to be on the increase. That is a general perception, but in fact the world has been getting better. It is mainly because the number of people on the planet is larger than ever before that it seems that problems are growing worse. But proportionally, citizens are happier, safer, know more, and enjoy a better quality of life than 100 years ago and anytime before that. Search the internet about that and you will find that studies agree on that.
But this does not mean that the challenges which face us are diminishing. And one of the causes of many forms of modern misery, is the breakdown of the natural family unit, and the absence of fathers or crisis in fatherhood. Despite the constant condemnation of “patriarchy”, more and more social scientists agree that “fatherlessness” is the root of a plethora of social problems.
Statistics show that in nearly all countries, between 30% and 50% of children under the age of 18 live in single-parent households. In most of these cases, the missing parent is the father.
The absence of fathers is a principal cause of the lawlessness undermining family life. Sometimes it was the result of a tragedy rather than a deliberate decision, but too many men who have fathered children do not take their responsibilities as fathers seriously. Moreover, the social and legal structures that once encouraged men in responsible fatherhood no longer function to buttress fatherly dedication. And the result of that, are troubled and insecure children, increases in mental instability, over-dependence on psycho-therapeutic medication, and especially lawlessness! A Kenyan survey in 2019 reported that 78% of currently incarcerated prisoners had grown up without a father figure. And that is the likely average in all modern societies.
That is why there is so great a “prospect” for the Salesian Family in the sense of urgency of a response in being fathers and mothers to “fatherless” young people!
Fatherlessness need not be the most determining factor.
Don Bosco grew up in a single-parent home! Giovanni’s earliest memory was the day his father died.
“Why doesn’t daddy speak to me?” he wanted to know. “Why doesn’t he say something? I won’t leave the room if he doesn’t come with me.”
“Your father is dead,” his mother told him. “What does ‘dead’ mean?”
“It means that God has taken your daddy to heaven.”
As she said this she burst into tears. On seeing his mother cry, John joined her weeping and was led wailing from the room as his mother said to him, “Now you have no father.”
This was John Bosco’s earliest memory and it occurred when he was only two years old. But for the rest of his life he would remember those words: “Now you have no father.”
The death of a father or mother has a profound effect upon a child. So John understood what it was to be fatherless and was able to empathize with any kid who felt lonely or frustrated because they suffered the loss of parental affection. In John's case, instead of leading to despair, it motivated him to prepare himself for what he felt called to do with his life.
Fatherless, he would help any young people who were fatherless. From the loss that John Bosco had experienced as a child, he developed that predilection and aptitude to help poor young people who are marginalized. Fortunately, he also had a solid faith foundation in God the Father to build his life's work, and a saintly mother, Mama Margaret, who despite being illiterate and a single parent, guided him so well. She had the wisdom of the holy.
From an early age he developed a terrific talent and skill in guiding, teaching and leading youngsters. The death of his dad and growing up fatherless actually produced a fruitful reaction: - it gave him the energy to give himself completely to loving God, his Heavenly Father, and in serving needy young people particularly. If we suffer painful experiences, loss and death, maybe God has a reason for it. It may be that God will use that to help us fulfil our life's mission. If we have been fortunate to have grown up with both parents alive and in love, and able to secure for us a stable and loving family context, then we too have a reason to strive to provide a ‘substitute’ family for the young deprived of such and at risk! YouTuber Rob Kenney can be an inspiration to us too in these Covid-19 days!
For those who missed the announcement this past week…
(ANS - Rome) - The new app "Salesians@prayer" is already available in 8 languages - French, UK English, US English, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Latin American Spanish; only Brazilian Portuguese is missing and will be made available as soon as possible. The app is a tool that puts all the prayers that the Salesians pray throughout the day at special weekly, monthly and during liturgical times at the disposal of communities and confreres.
The Italian text of In Dialogue with the Lord is already available on the sdb.org website and will soon be available in other languages. Each Regional Councillor, with the Provincials, will decide on the printed version.
The revision project also includes a new edition of the "Proprio Salesian" - Missal, Lectionary and Liturgy of the Hours. These texts will be printed in various languages and will eventually be available both on the "Salesians@prayer" app and on the sdb.org website.
The video tutorial clearly explains how to download the app from the iOS and Android stores and how to use it. Thanks to Fr Ivo Coelho and team!
The website - www.formed.org which is full of great resources for evangelization and faith education is unfortunately not free - it cost $10 a month - but there is this one video which currently is offered as a promo/taster... Really worth watching!
Click on the link below and reach a fantastic 35 minute on the Church, from the series "THE SEARCH"
Watch the final Episode 7 for Free on FORMED!
In Episode 7 of the new series from the Augustine Institute Studios, The Search, Chris Stefanick answers the big question:
"Why a Church?" - https://watch.formed.org/carousel/videos/the-search-episode-7-why-a-church
If you like statistics!...
Click on the link below and reach a fantastic site providing so much information, on not only life expectancy across the countries of the world but also what are the chief cause of death in every country. Click here: https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/tanzania-life-expectancy
There is soooo many wonderful resources on internet! And on www.safcam.org too!
God bless, have a great week.
Camiel and Francois
