Other Ministries

Our Mission

Other Ministries

Salesians

In addition to Youth Retreat ministry, St. Joseph Salesian Retreat Center is home to several other ministries and organizations. Included are those showcased below.

Salesian Formation

Every religious community has a formation program, which is divided into stages. The Brothers and Priests of the Salesians of Don Bosco follow a 7-stage formation program: Application, Candidacy, Pre-novitiate, Novitiate, Post Novitiate, Perpetual Vows, and Professional Development and Theological Studies. Both the Candidacy and Pre-novitiate stages of the formation process are completed at St. Joseph Salesian Retreat Center.

The application process begins with the applicant contacting the Vocation Director who will interview him. The applicant will fill out and submit an application form. The formation team, made up of three or four Salesians, will review the application along with the recommendation of the Vocation Director and decide the admission of the applicant into the Candidacy Program.

The Candidacy Program is a six-month to a year-long experience of living in a Salesian Community. During that time the candidate will follow a program of study, ministry and prayer, which will give him an experience of the Salesian life. He may attend college courses. The program begins in September of each year.  The Pre-novitiate program follows the Candidacy program and lasts three months. It is a time of discernment preparing the candidate for entry into Novitiate.

For more information about the Salesian Formation Process, click here.

Salesian Cooperators

The Salesian Cooperators are Catholics who are living the gospel message in the spirit of Saint John Bosco while choosing to live in the world, rather than in a religious community.

The Salesian Cooperators are actually the first group of youth ministers established by Don Bosco. He began his work in 1841 by gathering street kids and young workers on Sundays. He brought them to Church for Mass and a catechism lesson with lots of time for games and play. He enlisted the help of several men and a few local priests, and with the help of Pope Pius IX he formed what he called a "Pius Society". There were no vows and only a simple "rule" which described how these volunteers would live as good Christians and Catholics. These "Cooperators" were single and married men and women who dedicated themselves to the welfare of young people, and lived guided by Don Bosco’s Salesian Spirit.

Today, Salesian Cooperators are generally affiliated with a local Salesian school, parish, or ministry. Some Cooperators do not work directly with any particular ministry but bring the Salesian Spirit to their work place, profession, and family. The core commitment of the Salesian Cooperators is to live his or her life as a good Christian and a good Catholic. The Salesian Cooperator embraces a Gospel way of life sharing in the Church's mission to bring Christ to society especially the young.

Meetings: The St. Joseph Salesian Cooperators' group takes its name from the 9:30 am Sunday Mass at St. Joseph Salesian Retreat Center. Gathering to celebrate Mass together begins their meetings, which are held every 2^nd Sunday of the month.

Group Activities Include:
Support of the children in Tecate, Mexico… through toy drives each year during the Christmas season
Fundraising… Car Washes, Rummage Sales, and the annual Sunday Brunch

For further information, please click here.

Chaplaincies

Brother Phil Mandile, SDB has lived in the Los Angeles area for over 30 years. He has been a Chaplain for numerous law enforcement agencies, among them: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Maywood-Cudahay, Monterey Park, Los Angeles, San Pablo, and Alhambra Police Departments. In addition to his ministry as Chaplain, Brother Phil spends much of this time working in the Special Projects Office for St. Joseph's and the Salesian Boys and Girls Clubs.

For his past service to the Church and his Salesian community, in October 2003 Brother Phil was among 100 men and women inducted into the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. The Order traces its origins to the knights who guarded Christ's tomb after the First Crusade captured Jerusalem from the Moslems in 1099. Membership in the Order is the highest papal award open to both clergy and laity and bears with it the responsibility of helping maintain and strengthen the Christian presence in the Holy Land.  Male members are known as Knights, and given the honorary title "Sir" along with a full-length white cape emblazoned with the red "Jerusalem Cross" of the medieval Crusaders. The cross consists of five smaller red-and-gold-trimmed crosses, representing Christ's five wounds and the virtues of gentleness, charity, courtesy, loyalty, and generosity.

Marian Shrine

You are invited to join a continuing celebration of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, every Sunday evening at St. Joseph Salesian Retreat Center- Immaculate Conception Outdoor Shrine.

7:00 pm - Praying the Rosary
              The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also available during this time.

7:30 pm - Mass, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Adoration, Benediction

Please remember… This is NOT meant to be a substitute for Sunday Mass. This should be a Marian “extra”!

Italian Catholic Community

The ICC will celebrate their 25th anniversary of its establishment in 2007. They celebrate an Italian language Mass together on the first and third Sunday of each month in St. Joseph's Chapel. The group gathers again on the Friday following the Mass for spiritual and social sharing "Incontri Spirituali" (Spiritual Encounter) either at St. Joseph's or at the home of one of their member. They pray, read scripture, and discuss the Bible message under the guidance of Father Paul Caporali, SDB.

Los Angeles/San Gabriel Valley Search Community

The Los Angeles/San Gabriel Valley Search is a community of young adults within the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese that is sponsored by the St. Joseph Salesian Youth Renewal Center. We are a small, but powerful part of the larger body of Christ. Each community member is on a journey seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. The Search community provides opportunities to give and receive support through fellowship, prayer, and service. A key aspect of our young adult ministry is offering a weekend retreat every three months.

If you are interested in experiencing a Search weekend, please click here.