Dear Salesian Sisters and Brothers,

USA West Province Newsletter • San Francisco, California

December 18, 2016

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK

Dear Salesian Sisters and

Brothers,

I am presently in Orange, New Jer-

sey, visiting our brothers living here

at Don Bosco Residence. Three of

our brothers from the Western Prov-

ince are living here in the post-novi-

tiate and attending classes at Seton

Hall in South Orange.

Last Friday, I took a red eye from

San Francisco to Boston and on to

Newark, New Jersey. I didn’t sleep

much on my ight and landed in

Boston at 6:30 am, greeted by a

heavy snow storm. After a short de-

lay we boarded once again in Boston

for our ight to Newark. Because of

the snow, we were further delayed

with the usual de-icing process and

ight congestion.

My original plan when taking o

from San Francisco was to arrive in

Newark at 8:30 am and after being

picked up to head to Fr. Vince Pac-

zkowski’s Mom’s funeral half an

hour away. But, not only was I an

hour late and waited until the Mass

was over for our Western Brothers

to pick me up, but as soon as Br.

James Nguyen arrived at the curb

where I was waiting, he realized he

had a at tire. So, for another hour,

in snow and slush, we (he) changed

the tire with two NY police ocers

parking their patrol truck in the next

lane to keep trac from either hit-

ting us or splashing us with slush.

But, after all these adventures, I

made it home safely to Orange and

have enjoyed being with our young

brothers in formation. Fr. Tom

Br. Alphonse Vu..................01

Fr. Thinh Nguyen................06

Br. Peter Duoc Le...............08

Fr. Ted Montemayor...........13

Fr. Al Mengon.....................19

Fr. Emanuel Camilleri........24

Br. Albert Chavez...............30

DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

Doris Roche

(Mother of Fr. John Roche who is

in a critical condition)

Connie Boenzi

(Mother of Fr. Joseph Boenzi)

Br. Bruno de Pretto, SDB

Fr. Mario Rosso, SDB

Fr. Armand Oliveri, SDB

Br. Jerry Weirich, SDB

Fr. Leo Baysinger, SDB

Fr. Rafael Saiz, SDB

Fr. Ted, SDB, the provincial, and our brothers in Orange, NJ.

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

Dunne is the temporary Director of

the community until Fr. Mike Pace

is able to return from Tijuana where

he has been waiting to receive his

visa to re-enter the United States

and is helping out with the Haitian

immigrants who are there.

On Tuesday I return to San Fran-

cisco to spend a few days before

Christmas and Christmas Day at the

Provincial House.

Last Thursday, December 14th, I

nished my visitation of Don Bosco

Technical School in Rosemead and

St. Joseph’s Novitiate and Retreat

Center in Montebello. I spent al-

most a week with the community in

Rosemead. I am appreciative and

thankful for all the work my broth-

ers are doing both at Don Bosco

Tech and at the Retreat Center.

While the community has a number

of brothers and priests who are in

their retirement age, they continue

to give what they can whether it is in

teaching, tutoring or being present

among the young people and sta.

I found the school environment

very positive and friendly. There

is a hunger for Salesianity and for

our presence. Unfortunately, we are

few and not so young. But, we do

what we can. I have challenged the

community to be open to possibili-

ties of making our Salesian presence

and spirit more visible and stronger.

Don Bosco Tech has struggled in the

last few years but there are many

good and positive signs of hope and

growth. We see and hear of more

and more recognitions of excellence

from Industry, the world of science

and other areas of education. So,

congratulations to the Tech com-

munity and thank you for your hard

work and welcoming spirit.

While at Don Bosco Tech, on my

last day of the visitation, the Alum-

ni organized a beautiful Christmas

meal for the faculty and sta. I wish

to thank the Alumni Organization

for their generosity and thoughtful-

ness. The meal was delicious and

plentiful. As I travel around the

province I have become very aware

of the many alumni who love the

Salesians and are extremely grate-

ful for their Salesian training and

the dedication of so many during

their formative years and now. I en-

courage all our SDBs in our works

to continue to cultivate this spirit of

Salesian family and belonging. We

must reach out to them and continue

to invite them to help us reach out

to more young people. We want

to continue to make a dierence in

young people’s lives as others have

done so beautifully in the past. In

my visits to communities I have

spoken of “Institutional Memory”

and the lack of it. I have been made

more aware of how we are losing

our Institutional Memory. As new

people come into leadership we are

forgetting those who have gone be-

fore us and have given so much to

our Salesian Institutions. Donors,

friends, alumni are pushed aside

by some new people in leadership

because they are new and have no

connection to the past. These good

friends of ours are forgotten and

many do not receive appreciation or

a “thank you.” This lack of Insti-

tutional Memory is causing many

hurts and a loss of those who can

help us continue our mission. We

need to reect deeply and honestly

where we might have been responsi-

ble for this lack. We must continue

to cultivate these relationships and

friendships, not just with those we

presently know, but with those from

the past. Don Bosco was a master in

maintaining these friendships.

These days, here at Don Bosco Res-

idence in Orange, we have begun

singing the beautiful Christmas No-

vena. I cannot help but go back to

my memories of Don Bosco College

in Newton, New Jersey where this

novena was sung by close to one

hundred men in formation. This no-

vena continues to be sung in many

of our communities, not by a hun-

dred young men, but by many broth-

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

Province Calendar

December, 2016

1-3 TH-SA NCYN, San Jose

4-6 SU-TU Provincial Council Meeting,

Camp St. Francis, Aptos

5 MO Blessed Philip Rinaldi, Priest

8 TH Immaculate Conception

9 FR Board Meeing at 10:00 AM,

Bosco Tech

9-14 FR-WE Provincial Visitation, Bosco Tech,

St. Joseph’s, Rosemead

12 MO Our Lady of Guadalupe

17-21 SA-WE Visit Don Bosco Residence, Orange, NJ

25 SU Christmas Day

ers and priests who have worked

hard and untiringly for the young.

As we pray this novena (and, sing

when we can), we remember all of

our benefactors and friends who

have and continue to be so good to

us. This Christmas time is a beauti-

ful season to remember their kind-

ness and goodness to us.

As we enter this holy season of

Christmas, I wish to extend to all

of you best wishes and prayers for a

beautiful and holy Christmas. May

this time of joy, peace and love truly

be a reality in your hearts, home and

communities. We will be strongly

reminded this Christmas, through

the Scripture readings, beautiful lit-

urgies, reunion of family and friends

and abundance of food, drink and

special pastries and meals, of God’s

merciful and abundant love for us

by becoming esh through his son,

Jesus. In many visible ways we will

be reminded of Emmanuel, God is

with us. God has loved us so much

that he desires to live among us and

shower us with love and grace. He

shows us the way to an abundant life

here and in eternity.

May this Christmas not only bring

us all our desired wishes and bless-

ings but also be a moment of trans-

formation. May we in turn become

that visible presence of God among

us. Through our kindness, forgive-

ness, prayers and inclusivity, may

we make God incarnate in our lives.

God took on esh because he loved

us so much; may we also make his

esh our own. May we turn from

indierence to a style of life which

is lled with empathy, compassion

and mercy. As we gaze in wonder-

ment and amazement at the child Je-

sus this Christmas, may our hearts

burst forth in praise and thanksgiv-

ing for the blessings of our lives and

share those blessings with others

who are less fortunate.

Be assured of my prayers for each

one of you. A very blessed Christ-

mas to you! May the new year 2017

be lled with beautiful and amazing

surprises.

With warm regards,

Fr. Ted Montemayor, SDB

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

Happy December from the novi-

tiate! The year of 2016 is about to

come an end. Wow, this reminded

me that three and a half months of

the novitiate in Richmond have

gone by! See how time ies! There

have been many exciting and joyful

moments.

Now I would like to share how my

novitiate experience has been so far.

The studies have helped me to be

more open and they have widened

my knowledge. In Constitutions

classes, I have learned how I apply

the Constitutions in practice and live

out my vocation in the Salesian spir-

it. In Liturgy class, which is one of

my favorite classes, I have learned a

lot and enjoyed it very much. This

class has helped me understand

why we celebrate the feast days and

holidays in certain seasons and their

signicance. Along with studies, I

also take time out daily to discern

my vocation intensely and seriously

through prayer and reection.

In the months of November and

December there is a lot going on in

our society as everyone prepares for

Christmas. To prepare for Christ-

mas at our Conrmation classes at

St. Ambrose Parish, the rst year

and second year classes gathered

for a retreat. The retreat was an op-

portunity for them to experience

and share God’s Mercy as the Year

of Mercy ended. In this Advent sea-

son, the students also had a chance

to prepare themselves to receive Je-

sus on Christmas day.

I have seen the young working for

the young here at Salesian Prep

Richmond. The Campus Ministry

Team and all the students annually

host Project Santa which this year

took place at the Salesian Boys and

Girls Club. Many students came to-

gether the night before to prepare

and decorate the Club. The next

day, they welcomed about 500 kin-

dergarteners and rst grade students

from the area grammar schools. One

could feel the excitement and joy of

everybody who was present. I was

happy to see the involvement of our

young people and the fun they ex-

perienced in sharing their time and

talents.

NOVITIATE EXCLUSIVE

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

I have felt and continue to experi-

ence the Salesian family spirit in

many ways. Besides the family spir-

it of the community and the family

spirit at Salesian Prep, I have also

experienced this family spirit by

sharing our Thanksgiving dinner

with the community in Stockton and

the Salesians of the north. Finally,

I shared the family spirit gathering

together with Fr. Mel’s family to

celebrate his birthday. I am always

reminded that I am living our family

spirit daily through the support of

the community and those surround

me.

In this season of Advent, as

we prepare and wait for the coming

of our Lord Jesus Christ on Christ-

mas day, I would like to wish you

and yours a Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year!

Quang Nguyen, Novice

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

ROSEMEAD, CA. – Decem-

ber 16, 2016 – A senior high school

student at Don Bosco Technical In-

stitute (Bosco Tech) who interned at

The Boeing Company this past sum-

mer developed an idea that has the

potential to save costs in the factory.

Jacob Lovi originally mentioned

his concept to a test and evalua-

tion engineer involved in the sum-

mer internship. That engineer stat-

ed “Jacob presented the material

in a very clear manner, explained

the potential benet of the change,

and approximately how much it

would cost to implement. Although

his numbers were preliminary, the

thought process helped identify po-

tential savings.” The engineer came

to Bosco Tech on Dec. 15 to present

Lovi with a certicate of apprecia-

tion from the internship program.

“We’re extremely proud of Jacob,”

said Bosco Tech President Xavier

Jimenez. “Not only does he epito-

mize the 21st century skills that are

instilled in all Bosco Tech students-

-resourcefulness, problem solv-

ing strategies, and technological

competency--but he was able to use

those skills to identify and clearly

present to his internship mentor a

new, more ecient approach to a

complex process.”

Through Bosco Tech’s unique cur-

riculum, students major in one

of ve STEM programs; Lovi is

currently studying Materials Sci-

ence, Engineering and Technology

(MSET). After graduation, he plans

to major in materials engineering at

the university level. While in high

school, he has served as junior and

senior class president, YMCA camp

counselor, and a youth ministry

leader at his church.

Celebrating its sixty second year,

Bosco Tech is an all-male Catholic

high school that combines a rigor-

ous college-preparatory program

with a technology-focused educa-

tion. The innovative STEM cur-

riculum allows students to exceed

university admission requirements

while completing extensive inte-

grated coursework in one of ve ap-

plied science and engineering elds.

Each year for the past several years,

BOSCO TECH STUDENT’S

IDEA SPARKS POTENTIAL

COST SAVINGS

FOR INTERNATIONAL

AEROSPACE COMPANY

High School Senior Spotted Cost

Savings Potential While Interning

at the Corporation

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

one hundred percent of the graduat-

ing class has earned college accep-

tances. Visitwww.boscotech.edu for

more information.

According to Niche.com, Bosco

Tech ranks in the top three of all-

boys schools in the Los Angeles

metro area and among the top 100

all-boys high schools in America.

Founded in 2002 by Carnegie Mel-

lon University students as Col-

legeProwler.com, Niche provides

reviews from everyday experts on

neighborhoods, colleges, and K-12

schools to provide students, families

and professionals with insight into

important life decisions.

Bosco tech and Boeing--Left to right: Xavier Jimenez (Bosco Tech president), Jim Curiel (Bosco Tech Materials Science Engineering

& Technology chairman), Pat Sandoval (Boeing--BDS-Satellite Systems-Engineering Resources), Jacob Lovi, Robert Stefan, Jr. (Chief

Engineer for Boeing Test and Evaluation), Manuel Franco (Bosco Tech Board of Trustees Chairman)

Bosco Tech and Boeing--Boeing’s representatives with Bosco Tech senior Jacob Lovi.

Left to right: Pat Sandoval (BDS-Satellite Systems-Engineering Resources), Jacob Lovi,

Robert Stefan, Jr. (Chief Engineer for Boeing Test and Evaluation)

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

Bishop of San Pedro Region, Oscar Solis, at the

installation of Fr. Chinh Nguyen, SDB.

St. Dominic Savio, Bellower, CA., Dec. 4, 2016.

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

St. Mary’s Chronicles

FEAST OF OUR

LADY OF

GUADALUPE

After the nine day novena to

Our Lady of Guadalupe, the

feastday itself began at 5

A.M. with the Mañanitas, a

“Good morning” salutation to

the virgin. After a musical

interlude, the Grammy

Award winning Javier

Rodriguez led his Mariachi

orchestra through the Mass.

After Mass, the priests and

parishioners congregated in

the parish hall for

champurrado (a

thick but tasty

hot drink) and pan dulce

(Mexican sweet bread).

The day and evening services

were organized by Fr. Beto

Chavez and the Guadalupana

Society of St. Mary’ Church

with other church groups.

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

A candle light procession, a living shining star, tens of colorfully bright

costumes, lighting effects, silhouettes, and many more theatrical

effects charged up an already electrifying presentation. This year’s

show was marked by its tight organization, a unifying story line, and

therefore, a shorter program that left the audience wanting more.

The program was organized by the teaching faculty and staff under

the guidance of Mr. Jonathan Medina, principal, Mrs. Ann Retana, the

vice principal, Sr. Debra

Walker and Sr. T. A. Khong.

The many parents who attend-

ded were elated with the

performances.

The children are now getting

ready to audition for next

year’s musical, Beauty and the

Beast.

St. Mary’s School Christmas Program

“THE YOUNGEST PERFORMERS IN

THE SCHOOL CHARMED THE

AUDIENCE WITH THEIR MUSTACH-

WEARING BOYS AND SARAPE

WRAPED GIRLS”

ON THE 15

OF DECEMBER A

THRONG OF PERFORMERS

ENTERED THE PORTALS OF ST.

MARY’S CHURCH AND PUT ON

ONE OF THE BEST ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS.

Remember whose birthday

we are celebrating!

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

THE DEVOTION TO THE THIRD MOST VENERATED VIRGIN IN ALL OF MEXICO HAS

ORIGINATED FROM THE OAXACAN REGION OF MEXICO. THE INDIGENOUS

NATIVES HAVE CHOSEN ST. MARY’S AS THEIR CENTER OF VENERATION.

Salesian Brother Sergio Paredes Gonzalez, S. D. B.

visiting from Paraguay recently dropped by the St.

ominic Savio Salesian Community. He was on his

ay to Berkeley to check out the English courses

aught at a nearby night school. Fr. Jesse Montes

ok him on a tour of Los Angeles.

t. Mary’s Priests, Sisters, Staffs, the various

hurch ministers, church groups, catechetical programs,

CIA group and all of the parishioners wish all of

our readers a holy and safe Season.

Salesian Brother Visits St. Mary’s

FOOD PROGRAM CONTINUES

Even though the Cathedral Lunch Program has

been discontinued, we at St. Mary’s continue

to bag lunches for the less fortunate. There is

no scheduled time for distribution. Our

philosophy is feed the hungry when they feel

hunger. And, that is any time of the day that

the office is open. Even in the after hours,

when the doorbell rings and a person asks for

food, the priests are there at their service.

FEAST OF

UR LADY OF

JUQUILA

Bro. Sergio with Jesse Ortega and Pedro Cantos.

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

2228 E. 4

Street ● Los Angeles, CA 90033 ● Phone: (323) 950-8551 ● Fax: (323) 980-8594

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Salesian Boys and Girls Club

Dear Salesian Family!

Greetings from all the children, staff and volunteers that makes the Salesian Boys and Girls Club of Los

Angeles.

My name is Juan Carlos Montenegro; I am the new Executive Director of our Salesian Club. First of all, I

would like to thank you so much for all the support that you have given to us during all these years. After

looking at our financial statements, I honestly can say that without your support we will not have been

able to make it. So, THANK YOU SO MUCH for believe in our mission!

I am so excited to share with you some good news about our club, since September 2016 we have

improved the club experience in the following points:

x We have increased our staff with 3 full time volunteers, these volunteers are coming from the Salesian

Volunteer Program.

x We have adopted a new after school program called “We Care”. This program focuses on helping the

children to improve their academically by building a communication bridge between the children,

parents and the school.

x We have opened our new “Saturday Oratory”. Where children from the community come to enjoy

each other’s company and to learn about God’s love.

x We have hired a new part time custodian. He is coming two times a week. This has helped us to keep

our clubs clean for our children.

x Among others…

As you can see the Salesian Boys and Girls Club is moving forward. I can’t deny that we have many

challenges, but for those we have created a strategic plan that will help us to overcome them. If you would

like to know more about our strategic plan, please let me know and I will be more than happy to share it

with you.

In this time of Christmas, I would like to wish you all the blessings upon you and your family. May God,

protect you and keep you healthy. I promise we will do a prayer for you and your family in our Christmas

celebration.

In our next page, I would like to share with you some pictures that talk about what we have done since

September!

Sincerely,

Jc Montenegro

Executive Director

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

2228 E. 4

Street ● Los Angeles, CA 90033 ● Phone: (323) 950-8551 ● Fax: (323) 980-8594

Some important moments since September 2016

Bro. Tom farewell

Playing foosball table!

Learning to play chess!

Afterschool program

Clean-up day!

Oratorian’s Leaders

Lego Competition

Snacks time

Arts and Crafts

Thanksgiving dinner

Cooking class

The friends!

More special moments that will help our children grow as

healthily human beings are coming soon, thanks to your

support, love, care and prayers!

Positive reinforcement

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

2228 E. 4

Street ● Los Angeles, CA 90033 ● Phone: (323) 950-8551 ● Fax: (323) 980-8594

How can you be part of this social transformation?

If you would like to be part of this movement, you can do it by helping us with…

1. Actively praying for the success of our Salesian Club and for the well-being of our children.

2. Help us to cover the cost of running the Salesian Oratory on Saturdays

Stipends per year 2,400.00

Food for the children 4,000.00

3. Help us covering the medical insurance of one volunteer 3,000.00 per year.

4. Help us hire one tutor for our afterschool program 14,000.00 per year. To be at the level

that we want to be, we need two more tutors.

5. Help us to paid our monthly utility bills which are about 3,000.00 dollars per month. Total

36,000.00 dollars per year.

6. By adopting one children in our club. The cost to keep one children in our club is 300 per

year.

7. Help us to maintain our club buildings

8. Help us by being part of our Board of Directors.

If you choose to help with any of this points, please let us know so we can restrict the money to

respect your wishes.

Donation chart!

Name:

Donation amount:

I would like to collaborate with

the…

x Salesian Oratory

x Volunteer Medical Insurance

x We Care tutor

x Utilities

x Adopting a child

x Club building Maintenance

Note:

Please make the check payable to “Salesian Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles”

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

GONE HOME TO THE SALESIAN GARDEN

For many years the Institute of Salesian Studies (ISS)

included as a nal course, you might say, a four week trip

to the Salesian cradle and other sites that were the foun-

dational SDB places. It was always a thrill and a spiritual

experience to visit the Becchi, Castelnuovo, Chieri, the

cascina Moglia, Mondonio, Valdocco, the Oratories, and

Annecy in France and the birthplace of St. Francis de

Sales. The visit to Valdocco, particularly the three cha-

pels/churches left to us by Don Bosco, was for many the

highlight of the trip.

Another highlight was the tour of Chieri where Don Bos-

co continued his studies, eventually entering the semi-

nary. The Congregation is deeply indebted to Secondo

Casale who had been mayor of that historical city and

had a deep devotion to the Saint. It was he who delved

into the city archives to map out all the places where the

young John Bosco lived, worked, learned several trades,

eventually understood what his calling in life was. For

the Congregation his work proved invaluable and his-

torically correct. It was he who guided the ISS students

through the City. Even at his advanced age he was an

exciting and gracious guide.

When he was no longer able to continue as guide he was

succeeded by Beppe Ferrero, another devotee of Don

Bosco, so willing to guide us through Chieri. I enjoyed

him as much as I had enjoyed Secondo Casale. He had a

treasure of history to share with us together with his love

for Don Bosco and his joy to share with us his knowledge

and admiration for the Saint.

He died on December 4, 2016, one month short of his

90th birthday. May he rest in Peace.

DECEMBER

SALESIAN MISSIONARY INTENTION

For the consolidation and the fecundity of Project Europe in

everyProvinceoftheRegionofEuropeCentre–North.

The profound and rapid social and cultural changes in Europe often cause

in people, and even among some confreres, discouragement and lack of

confidence. We pray that Europe may not forget its Christian roots and

continue its missionary and evangelising commitment with optimism, hope

and beauty rooted on Christ.

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

I am approaching the subject of weight gingerly. Why? I

don’t want people to think that I am critical of you just

because you might be on the “heavy” side. I want to

have a deeper understanding of weight and how that

aﬀects your health. For the coming weeks, we will

unravel how our weight could change our health and

more importantly what can we do about it. I dare not

oﬀend you by making broad statements about weight

or obesity. Hence I was extremely happy to come across

this website “Weight Matters” in their introductory

statement about why weight matters. It begins with an

opening statement which reﬂects my belief and my

motivation to begin our conversation on weight.

The issue of weight matters to people in many diﬀerent

ways. It evokes many diﬀerent emotions and can often

be diﬃcult to talk about with your healthcare provider,

spouse, friend, loved one or others.

The most important reason why weight matters is

because of your health.

There are many health implications that accompany

excess weight, such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep

apnea and others. Sometimes weight can even aﬀect

emotional health as well. It is not uncommon for some-

one dealing with weight issues to be aﬀected by

depression or a lack of self-conﬁdence.

Gaining excess weight and realizing the health implica-

tions is not always the easiest thing to recognize. In fact,

most Americans do not realize that they are aﬀected by

Weigh In On

Your Health

By Sheila Kun RN, BA, BSN, MS

(Salesian Cooperator)

excess weight or obesity, or even at risk for weight-

related conditions. This is why it is so important for you

to realize that YOUR WEIGHT DOES MATTER!

Let me begin by going into the physiological compo-

nent of a fat cell this week. From Wikipedia in its deﬁni-

tion of Adipocyte: Adipocytes, also known as lipocytes

and fat cells, are the cells that primarily compose

adipose tissue, specialized in storing energy as fat.

Your homework assignment from the Care Ministry this

week: get your weight and height ready. Next week we

will need these measurements to know your BMI (Body

Mass Index).

The Care Ministry welcomes your

comments/suggestions: [email protected]om

The Other Holiday Day

Drink

The holiday season is here. For

those of us who work, you are see-

ing home-made cookies, chocolates

and all kinds of sweets sprinkling

around. Trying to watch my waist

line, I tend to pass up on these

sweets, but acknowledge my col-

leagues’ good will to bring in the

Christmas cheer. I was thinking out

loud: “What if we serve something

that is healthy and conveys our

good intention as well?” For those

who want to serve Eggnog, perhaps

you want to take a look at this recipe

and provide this alternative drink as

well.

In Asia, this drink is very popular

and it is believed that this drink will

give your immune system a daily

boost.

Simple recipe:

Apple, cucumber, bitter melon, cel-

ery and bell pepper.

How to x this drink? Easy; cut and

mix these vegetables and fruit into a

Bullet. In less than one minute, the

drink is ready. You can use your own

taste bud to decide how much more

or less to make this drink palatable.

Let us look at the nutritional values

of the ingredients. First of all, there

are no trans fat or saturated fat in

these vegetables and fruit. That is

a good thing. I am going to spend

more time on the bitter melon or

gourd as many of you might not be

familiar with this ancient Chinese

vegetable.

Apple: needs no introduction – we

believe that “An apple a day keeps

the doctor away.” A fruit rich with

ber, carbohydrates, calcium, iron,

Vitamin A and C

Cucumber: Cucumbers are an ex-

cellent source of vitamin K and

molybdenum. They are also a very

good source of the pantothenic acid.

They are also a good source of cop-

per, potassium, manganese, vitamin

C, phosphorus, magnesium, biotin

and vitamin B1. They also contain

the important nail health-promoting

mineral silica.

Bitter Melon (Gourd): Native to

tropical Asia, the bitter gourd has

a long history dating back to about

600 years in China. The Chinese

By Sheila Kun, Cooperator

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016

associated the bitter gourd as a

benecial vegetable for medicinal

purposes, particularly for those suf-

fering from diabetes. It has hypo-

glycemic action, and toxic cleaning

eect: acts as an antidote for alcohol

intoxication and promotes purica-

tion, restoration, and nourishment

of the liver. With high levels of

beta-carotene and other benecial

compounds, bitter gourd juice is re-

garded as the best drink for alleviat-

ing eye disorders and strengthening

eyesight. Further, it is recommended

by herbalists for normalizing rest-

less sleeping patterns.

Additionally, it was used as a folk

remedy for curing tumors, asthma,

skin infections, GI problems, and

hypertension. Not just China, the

medicinal benets of bitter gourd

were highly treasured in India, Af-

rica, and southeastern US as well.

Bitter Melon is known as Calabaza

(Spanish), and Courge (French).

Celery: Celery is an excellent source

of vitamin K and molybdenum. It is

a very good source of folate, potas-

sium, dietary ber, manganese and

pantothenic acid. Celery is also a

good source of vitamin B2, copper,

vitamin C, vitamin B6, calcium,

phosphorus, magnesium and vita-

min A (in the form of carotenoids).

Bell pepper: Bell peppers are an

excellent source of vitamin A (in the

form of carotenoids), vitamin C and

vitamin B6. They are a very good

source of folate, molybdenum, vi-

tamin E, dietary ber, vitamin B2,

pantothenic acid, niacin and potas-

sium. They are low in calories and

exceptionally rich in vitamin C and

other antioxidants, making them an

excellent addition to a healthy diet.

(Source of nutritional facts from

www.whfoods.com)

Try it and see if you like it.

Your homework assignment from

the Care Ministry this week: Test

out this recipe, come on, you can do

it.

The Care Ministry welcomes your

comments/suggestions:

[email protected]

INTOUCH • December 18, 2016