| 10/15/2008 10:20:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
|
| Salesian Brother Tom Sweeney teaches a theology class at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park.
CS PHOTO BY RAFAEL CRISOSTOMO |
|
Salesian Brother hopes studying Bible will help youth come to know God
MARK ZIMMERMANN
Editor
That day in Rome, about 250 bishops from around the world met at a synod convened by Pope Benedict XVI, to examine, "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church."
Half a world away, at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Salesian Brother Tom Sweeney stood before a class of about 25 freshmen, holding the Catholic Youth Bible.
"This book in a very special way is going to speak to you during the year. Allow God to enter," he said, addressing the young men and women in the theology class, one of four freshman religion classes he teaches at the school.
A native New Yorker, he speaks to the students in an easy, conversational style, encouraging them and challenging them as the class unfolds. Brother Sweeney always wanted to be a teacher, and he seems right at home as a Salesian, an order founded by St. John Bosco, the patron saint of youth. Cristo Rey, which opened last year, is cosponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington and the Salesians of Don Bosco, and features a college preparatory academic curriculum and a work study program, where students from varied backgrounds gain real-life professional experience and help pay for their education.
"Go to Genesis, read the first three chapters, the story of creation. Read it slowly, take your time at it," he said, before quickly asking students how many books there are in the Old Testament (46) and how many there are in the New Testament (27).
Projected on a screen in front of the class, a definition of the Bible describes it as "a collection of books that tell of the saving acts of God in human history."
The classroom at the Catholic high school reflects the school's religious identity, with a simple crucifix hanging in the front, near a dry erase board that has the words "FAITH" written on it, and not far from a poster of the Blessed Mother.
Brother Sweeney opened the class that morning with a prayer for peace, noting that his younger brother (Army Lt. Col. John Sweeney) is currently deployed in Iraq. He prayed that all the students would come to know God's peace, especially those who had experienced any kind of violence in their lives.
The students began the theology class with an extra credit exercise, discussing how their view of God had changed since they were young children. One student talked about once thinking of God as "mean," but later coming to know "He loves everybody." Another student held up a picture of Christ the teacher, and said, "I still believe He's a teacher."
The Salesian brother noted that this was the third class to think about that topic. "A lot had questions, they're still trying to find out who God is," he said, later adding, "By your senior year, you've got to know who God is, and where He is in your life." That knowledge, he said, will help them as they go out into the world.
After the class had spent time quietly reading Genesis, Brother Sweeney commended them. "That's how God talks to us, in the quiet of reading. If you can do that in a class of 25, imagine what you can do alone at home... I can read (the Bible) without any noise or gadgets, and let God enter my life."
During the class, Brother Sweeney encourages the youth to talk about what they just read in the Bible. As they discussed God creating the world, he noted that God saw what He had created was good. "Let's take it a step further. God created you. Does God make junk?" Then he added, "Is there a purpose in your life?" After students answered, "yes," he responded, "God has a plan for you."
Thirty-six years ago, the future teacher entered the Salesians of Don Bosco. He had grown up in a family of 11 kids, with parents who "supported us in whatever we wanted to do." One of his sisters became a Daughter of Charity.
Entering religious life after being part of a large family was an easy transition for him, he said. "We all had jobs to do" growing up, he added. Now he regards his community "like an extension of my own family." Brother Sweeney lives at Nativity Parish in Washington with six Salesian priests, including two who work with him at Cristo Rey.
As a religious brother, "I can be Tom Sweeney," he said. "We're all called to be holy."
Talking about his community, he said, "I have a second family. I know they're always there for me, and I'm growing in my relationship with God, and we're supporting each other."
In his early years as a Salesian brother, he taught at Don Bosco Technical High School in Boston, helping students learn various aspects of the printing trade. Later, he received a master's in religious education from Fordham University in the Bronx, and since then he has worked in youth ministry or taught in New York, Louisiana, Ohio, and at the new Cristo Rey High School in suburban Maryland. In addition to teaching religion at Cristo Rey, he serves as a program assistant, helping to monitor the students' work at their job sites, and encouraging them when he hears they are doing a good job. "The teachers care for them here, and the students realize that," he said.
Reflecting on his vocation, Brother Sweeney said, "I enjoy being among the kids... It's challenging. They see I'm not a fake, this is who I am," he said. "...I hope that by my example, they see God working through me to reach them, to change their lives in order to know Him better. That means I have to be open to Him all the time."
This past spring, Brother Sweeney had the special honor of being a gift bearer at Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Nationals Park. During the Mass, he leaned over to another brother and asked, "Is this for real?" Walking up to and then meeting the Holy Father was like "an out of body experience," he said. "I'm meeting the successor of Peter, the vicar of Christ!"
As a gift bearer, Brother Sweeney represented men religious, along with a Benedictine Brother. A Missionary of Charity and a Little Sister of the Poor representing women religious as gift bearers. "I knelt (before the pope), kind of speechless," he said, adding that he thanked the Holy Father for coming and for his support of the Salesians. "Pray for us at Cristo Rey," he asked the pope.
The next day at Cristo Rey, Brother Sweeney wore a black glove on his hand, and joked to students, "This hand touched the pope!"
On a more serious note, he will never forget meeting the pontiff. "He was down to earth, gentle." The Holy Father gave him a rosary that the brother carries in his pocket every day, as a special keepsake. Early last week, he showed the rosary to students during an assembly the school had on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
In his free time, Brother Sweeney enjoys photography, taking walks, and going on educational tours with students. He begins each day with meditation, morning prayer, and Mass. "That gives me the grace and energy to approach the day," he said.
Day by day, his students inspire him and deepen his faith, he said, explaining they help teach him about God, just as he tries to help them know and love God.
"He (God) and I are a team, we work together," Brother Sweeney said. "He's the one in charge. He leads me where He wants me to go."
|
Article Comment Submission Form
|
| VATICAN | CATHOLIC RESOURCES | Parishes of the Archdiocese
