Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Salesians Make Final Vows!


The Salesians of Don Bosco are blessed this summer with two brothers who on Saturday, August 9, made their perpetual profession: Br. Manuel Gallo and Br. Michael Leschinsky. They both have shared our life and work for several years now, and have reached the level of spiritual maturity necessary to make this definitive commitment in our Salesian Congregation. I want to stay with Don Bosco, they each proclaim!

Br. Manny is 28 years of age and was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He lived for some years in Nicaragua before moving with his family to Miami, where he went to La Salle High School and was a parishioner of St. Kieran’s Parish. He entered the Salesian formation house of Orange, New Jersey in 1998 and, after three years, made his novitiate on 12th Street in Manhattan, professing as a Salesian of Don Bosco in 2002. Upon completion of postnovitiate with an undergraduate degree in Religious Studies, Manny did his practical training at Salesian High School in New Rochelle, New York. He has since completed two years of theology, one in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, and one in Jerusalem, Israel.

Br. Michael is 32 years of age and was born in Youngstown, Ohio. He attended Cardinal Mooney High School and Bowling Green State University, from which he obtained an undergraduate degree in secondary English education. Drawn to the teaching aspect of Don Bosco’s charism, he entered the Salesian formation house of Orange, New Jersey in 1999 and the novitiate on 12th Street in Manhattan in 2000, professing as a Salesian of Don Bosco in 2001. Returning to Orange, Mike completed his post-novitiate with a graduate degree in education, which he put to good use in his practical training experience at Salesian High School in New Rochelle. He completed 1 year of theology in Tlaquepaque, Mexico before returning to the States and sharing in the work of the retreat team at the Marian Shrine in Stony Point, New York this past year. Br. Mike will complete his theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary in South Orange, NJ.

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