Featured: People of the Archives

The records in the archives are grouped around the province entities that created them. The province entities are either province level offices like the provincial’s office, local community offices like St. Francis School, Watsonville or province members like Fr. Louis Galli’s personal diaries. Only the first two types of province entities are dealt with here.

Local communities are divided into those that we still operate today (May 2020) like St. Francis School, Watsonville and those that we no longer operate like St. Mary’s, Edmonton.

Below you will find these entities named and numbered and each represented by one of the many individuals who were assigned to them at one time or another.

A photo and a personal interest note are added for each to try to provide some small insight into just a few of the many fascinating persons who, in carrying out their assignments, are together responsible for all the records we now have in the archives. NB: For the significance of the numbers preceding titles below contact this archivist. [email protected].

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Province Level Entities

1:0 – Provincial’s Office (Provincial)
1:1 – Province Administration (Provincial) 
1:2 – Province Animation (Provincial)

Fr. Orestes Trinchieri, our first Provincial but just Fr. “Trinc” to the kids who surrounded him, held this office from 1927 to 1934.

2:0 – Provincial Secretary’s Office (Secretary)

Fr. Arnold Buja proudly chauffeured the Provincial (Fr. E. Tozzi) around in a green 1947 Hudson Commodore and held this office from 1947 to 1949.

3:0 – Province Finance Office (Treasurer)

Fr. Gabriel Zavattaro who could pinch a penny better than most (and could sing while Venerable Vincent Cimatti played organ) and who signed us up for Social Security held this office from 1962 to 1980

4:0 – Formation Office (Delegate)

Fr. Arthur Lenti, though never Formation Office Delegate, was celebrated author, professor and gourmet chef at Don Bosco Hall (post-graduate formation community), Berkeley from 1984 to 2016.

5:0 – Youth Ministry Office (Delegate)

Fr. Thomas “Tom” Prendiville, in the first class at St. John Bosco, Bellflower (1940), twelfth Provincial and cool- handed even with popes, held this office from 1981 to 1985.

6:0 – Vocation Office (Delegate)

Fr. W. L. “Larry” Byrne, confidant of the Minneapolis Lakers, US Marine chaplain in WWII at Iwo Jima, held this office from 1951 to 1979.

7:0 – Mission Animation Department (Delegate)

Mr. Juan Carlos “JC” Montenegro, at times a missionary taking volunteers to Tijuana, Mexico, has held this office since 2009

8:0 – Care Ministry Department (Delegate)

Sheila & Louis Kun, Care Coordinators since 2012. Sheila, RN, is named the first Delegate of Care Ministry in the 2013-2014 North American Directory. See Sheila’s many INTOUCH articles on the Province website, www.donboscowest.org

9:0 – Social Communication Department (Delegate)

Fr. Thien Nguyen, accomplished and spell-binding magician, held this office from 2015 to 2018.

10:0 – Education Office (Coordinator)

Mr. Bill Goodman, longtime (1964) friend of St. John Bosco High School, was teacher, athletic director, principal and president there then headed the Province Education Office from 1985 to 2016.

11:0 – Salesian Family Commission (Delegate)

Fr. Chris Woerz, puppeteer and ventriloquist extraordinaire (Linus-the-Lizard!),held this office from 2010 to 2016.

13:0 – Archives Office (Archivist)

Br. Larry King, born the eighth of ten children (thanks, mom), has held this office since 2010

Local Level Entities We Presently Operate

L1: – Provincial Residence, San Francisco (Director)

Fr. Tom Juarez, six years in frigid Canada followed by six years in balmy Peru to thaw out, held this office from 1987 to 1989.

L2: – San Luis Rey Church, Laredo (Pastor)

May 23, 1990 blessing of the renovated church. Fr. Rafael Sanchez, a Salesian from Spain, barred from Mexico, detoured to Santo Domingo then spent ten years in Cuba until, expelled by Fidel Castro, he settled in Laredo where to him the church “looked like a ranch (house)”. He completely renovated it. Pastor from 1981 to 1990.

L3: – St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower (Director)

L3:1 – Salesian Religious Community

L3:2 – St. John Bosco School

Fr. Ernest. Giovannini, first Director of SJB, affable, enterprising, down-to-earth, held this office from 1940 to 1944 and then became Provincial of the Eastern Province from 1944 to 1958.

L4: – St. Dominic Savio Church, Bellflower (Pastor)

Fr. Dave Zunino (left), who as a boy learned to play basketball at SS. Peter & Paul Boys Club, SF, held this office from 1960 to1970. (right) 1933 SS. PP. Boys Club team with Joe Aliotto, future SF Mayor, standing 3rd from left.

L5: – Don Bosco Hall, Berkeley (Director)

Fr. Jim Collins, a double bass player from Oakland with an Irish brogue, held this office (when it was at St. Paul’s Parish, SF) from 1972 to1973

L7: – Salesian High School, Los Angeles (Director)

Fr. Roger Luna, musician and choir director, (Junior Seminary choir, Watsonville 1967), held this office from 1969 to1972

L8: – Salesian Boys & Girls Club, Los Angeles (Director)

Fr. Charles “Charlie” Farina, “They picked me up in a yellow Cadillac”, first to hold this office (informally), from 1958 to 1959. “Charlie’s” first ride
to the club, 1958.

L9: – St. Bridget’s Church, Los Angeles (Pastor)

Fr. Joseph Cheng, from Hong Kong,first Salesian at St. Bridget he produced the “Warm Front” a substantial parish newsletter. He held this office from 1994 to 2006 and formed its first Cooperator group in 2003.

L10: – St. Mary’s Church, Los Angeles (Pastor)

Fr. Albert Negri, off to the missions in India at the young age of 15. Spoke 8 languages including 3 Indian. First Salesian pastor at St. Mary’s he held this office from1965 to 1968. In photo on Cardinal Raul Silva’s left.