Chat with Fr. John Bosco

By Joseph Ng and Russell Chander

We interview the spiritual director of the Youth Ministry and find out his plans and views for the youth of Holy Trinity, his experiences as a priest, and just how funny a person he can be.

Joseph : A lot of people feel that you are rather serious in person but very entertaining during mass, so can you tell us what the real you is like?

Fr. Bosco : Serious, and yet entertaining? I think we need to project, at different places and different times; there is a time to play, and a time for seriousness. Even if you look at the mass we celebrate. When it comes to the Eucharist, there is no playing on my part. We take it very seriously. Preaching I try to find a different approach, maybe with a little bit of humor to get the message across, but I think if one gets to know me, one will find that I'm not that serious all the time. I have a weird sense of humor, like to play pranks, and basically have fun.

Joseph : Since coming to this parish, have you had any future plans, like anything in store for the youths?

Fr. Bosco : I first have to meet with the people to know where we are going, rather than project my own plans without consulting the others, because what I may have may not be in tune with the others here, so I need to discuss first to get a feel from the rest before anything can be launched. It is pointless for me to "hey, let's go in this direction, but then nobody wants to or is in tune to go in this direction so I have to meet them first, and then move in that particular direction.

Joseph : From being in the church with us for the past few months, what do you think of the youths, in our church, judging from the activities going on, such as the carnival?

Fr. Bosco : I think that the bonding is pretty good, but personally I think that there is a lot of potential that is not tapped on yet, and hopefully in the near future, once I establish or they establish or we establish a relationship we can get going somewhere.

Joseph : Do you think the faith has dropped in priority for the youth today? If so, what do you think are the main causes?

Fr. Bosco : When you say faith has dropped what do you mean?

Russell : That the youth do not hold God as high a priority as we should.

Fr. Bosco : Maybe to a certain extent. There are many reasons causing this. One is the social education system in Singapore itself. Peer pressure. What we gain in the classrooms and in the catechism syllabus might not be something personal. It may be too much an obligation rather than a love for wanting to know more about God, because at the end of the day, how we live our lives is a reflection of what we learn in catechism and so on. If we can't take it out and just leave it in the church, then we are just what I call "Supermarket Catholics". We pick and choose what we like and "don't talk to me about religion here. Here I listen, here I do this", in that sense. Perhaps we as the leaders of the church have to look at the catechism syllabus itself and see how we can inculcate a different style of faith. I think that (catechism) would be the main source of re-educating and rekindling the faith into the youth.

Russell: Outside catechism and outside the classroom, is there anyway a youth can rediscover his or her faith?

Fr. Bosco: In so many ways! You see, living the Christian or Catholic life is not just in the church. Outside the church is where the whole regiment of witnessing comes in. we come to church to get the instructions actually… The guidelines… But the living out is actually in your everyday life. In your homes and in our schools, with friends etc. So it is putting into practice actually what we have learnt. More often than not, because of, as I have said, peer pressure, you don't want to be seen as a holey moley, you don't want to be seen as this or that, you shy away from the true witness. Even saying prayers before meals. How many of us do it?

Russell & Joseph : Well, we do J

Fr. Bosco : Ah good good. But you see there are a good number of youths embarrassed about it, because others may take offense. And so they shy away to a certain extent. But if everyone can come follow what they have learnt, people will look. And even then, more so will we be on our guards. To be a light rather than continuing to hide in the dark, because once they know we are Catholics, or Christians, and we start doing bad, people will point and say, "What's this? You call yourself a Catholic? You are a hypocrite." And if we don't want to be characterised in such a way, then we should live in the best ways we can.

Joseph : How can the youth seek solace and reprieve in the midst of their demanding studies and activities these days?

Fr. Bosco : The reality of the situation is: the troubles outside will not change. But our source of hope is Christ himself. Take for example the weekday Gospel reading a while back. Jesus invites Peter to walk on the water. Peter starts. Halfway, a storm comes. The wind blows, the waves get stronger. He panics. He loses his focus on Jesus and starts focusing on things around him, and that's when he starts to sink, and he yells, "Lord, save me! Save me!" And Jesus pulls him up. The message here is: that's what happens to all of us in our lives. We will have all the troubles, trials and burdens, but if we focus on Christ, we will find our rest. We will find our source of life in him. But the main thing is to completely have that focus on him.

Joseph : You once accounted to the parish about your rocky road to choosing priesthood. What can the youth learn from it?

Fr. Bosco : Not to be afraid. I think one of the main things that cause most of us to delay or choose not to respond or answer to a call is fear. We shy away from this. Our responsibilities. Whether is it to our priesthood, or to anything about holding responsibilities. We are always afraid. And I think this is where our prayer life needs to come in also, because in order to embrace something, we need to have strength. Christ himself was afraid to take up the Cross. He went to the Garden of Gethsemane, and prayed, "Father, if it be your will." And God gave him the strength. So I think one of the main things we can learn from it is to deepen our own prayer life, first of all. And then we will be able to embrace whatever is in front of us.

Russell : You were saying that some do not choose to respond to a calling because of fear. What is the fear about?

Fr. Bosco : Fear of responsibility. It can be something overwhelming. Fear that "I'm inadequate", "I don't know my faith," fear of taking that first step. Or the fear of "being a disappointment to my parents." Fear that "I may be laughed that." Fear that, because of "my lifestyle now, I have to transform and change." So there are so many different factors that contribute to this fear.

Russell : Is there anything one can do to better prepare oneself mentally if one feels oneself inadequate to take on priesthood?

Fr. Bosco : Inadequacies will always be there, because no matter what we read or learn, we cannot exhaust everything. I think one of the first things is to recognize our own limitations. And not be afraid. Again it's back to fear. Not to be afraid or embarrassed to admit that, "I'm only human. And these are my limitations that surround me. But what can I do with the gifts that have been given to me? And use it to the best of my ability".