Fr. Augustine Baek, SDB – RIP

by | Jan 2, 2023 | Obituary, RIP - Requiescat in pace, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB - RIP, Wake and Funeral Arrangements

Fr. Augustine Baek, SDB (1958-2022) went to the Salesian Garden! Rest in Peace: Fr. Augustine Woon Taek Baek, SDB, died at 2:10 p.m. on December 30 at home, the Salesian Provincial Center, in New Rochelle. He was 64 years old and had been a professed Salesian of Don Bosco for 35 years and a priest for 27 years.Widely known as Fr. Gus, he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020. The cancer spread in spite of treatment, including several hospitalizations and several forms of chemotherapy. After another Anointing of the Sick by Fr. Provincial on December 26, surrounded by the confreres of the community, Fr. Gus began hospice care.Fr. Gus was very much beloved in the Korean community of the New York metro area, whom he had faithfully served for most of his priestly life, and they attended him tenderly in his last months—as did his Salesian confreres.Woon Taek Baek was born in Kwangju, South Korea, on September 19, 1958. His parents were Nam-Sik Baek and Kwi-Ja Lee. The family was prosperous as owners of a factory that made coal briquettes at a time when every Korean household used them for cooking and heating. The family included two sons...

Funeral of Sr. Inez Molano, FMA

by | May 12, 2021 | Events / Calendar, Facebook LIVESTREAM, FMA, In Memoriam, internet, Salesian Sisters, Wake and Funeral Arrangements

May 12, 2021 For Sr. Inez’s Mass, the you can either go to our Facebook page or this direct link to the live-stream:https://boxcast.tv/view/mass-of-christian-burial-for-sr-inez-molano-496192Our Facebook Page (the video will be the top thing on the page when the video is live after 4:45pm):https://www.facebook.com/Salesian.Sister Here is the video version of the slideshow that Sr Maryann  prepared about the life of Sr...

Br. Joseph Tortorici, SDB – RIP

by | Feb 11, 2020 | Events / Calendar, Obituary, SDB - RIP, Wake and Funeral Arrangements

                          Brother Joseph Tortorici, SDB (1936-2020) Bro. Joseph Vincent Tortorici, SDB, died early on Monday morning, February 10, 2020, at St. Philip the Apostle Residence in Tampa, Fla. He had been in hospice care for a few days, suffering from pancreatic cancer. Bro. Joe was a professed as a Salesian coadjutor brother for more than 62 years. Joe was born in Manhattan on March 27, 1936, to Francesco and Francesca Neri Tortorici. He was baptized at Our Lady of Peace Church in Manhattan on January 24, 1937, and confirmed there ten years later.  His father worked for the city parks department; his mother was a housewife. Joe placed them as a lower middle class family. He was the fourth of five children, all boys; one of his four brothers died early. After his parents’ deaths, he lived with relatives in Scranton, Pa., attending Minooka Grade School (1948-1951) and South Scranton Catholic High School (1951-1955). Handicapped already in his youth by very poor vision, he specialized in musical training. In later years he explained to one of the staff in Tampa that he decided to become a Salesian after a Passionist priest encouraged him to go to the seminary...

Fr. Paul Grauls, SDB – RIP

by | Dec 6, 2019 | Obituary, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB, Wake and Funeral Arrangements

Fr. Paul Grauls, SDB (1935-2019) – Requiescat in pace                Fr. Paul Grauls, SDB, died on Saturday morning, November 30, at Suncoast Care Center, a hospice, in Palm Harbor, Fla. He was 84 years old and had been a professed Salesian of Don Bosco for 66 years and a priest just short of 57 years. Fr. Grauls was hospitalized at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg for pneumonia for a few days before transfer to hospice. He received Anointing of the Sick from Fr. James Horan, SDB, the night before he died. Fr. Grauls was born in Etterbeek, a suburb of Brussels, Belgium, on June 27, 1935, the son of Peter and Augusta Van De Schoor Grauls. He was baptized the following day in the parish church. Paul entered the Salesian seminary at Woluwe, Belgium, in 1947, and was admitted to the novitiate at Groot-Bijgaarden in August 1953. He made his first profession of vows on September 2, 1954, at Groot-Bijgaarden. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1957 to complete his philosophy studies at Don Bosco Seminary in Newton, N.J., graduating in 1958 with a B.A. He later earned an additional Bachelor’s degree in...

Sr. Stella Tafoya, FMA – RIP

by | Sep 23, 2019 | RIP - Requiescat in pace, Salesian Sisters, Wake and Funeral Arrangements

Sr. Stella Tafoya, FMA, the 6th child in a family of 10 children, and native of Riverside, CA, died peacefully at the age of 93, September 22, 2019 at the Provincial House of the Salesian Sisters in San Antonio, TX.  She is survived by two brothers and one sister, numerous nieces and nephews, and her religious community, the Salesian Sisters. Sr. Stella was a quiet, peaceful soul whose presence always brought a sense of serenity to everyone.   She will be remembered by those she dedicated her life to as a catechist, especially to the little ones and as an arts and crafts teacher.  Her ministry was mainly in California and Texas.  Her devotion to Jesus and Mary was life-giving for herself and for everyone who was blessed to have known her. Visitation begins Monday, September 23 at 5:00 P.M.  The rosary will be at 7:00 P.M.  The Mass of Resurrection will take place on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at 8:00 A.M.  Commitment services and interment will follow at San Fernando Cemetery No. 2 in San Antonio.  All services will be held at the Salesian Sisters’ Provincial House, 6019 Buena Vista St., San Antonio. In lieu of flowers, donations may...