By Noah Tumibay ’23
Published June 7, 2022
RAMSEY, NJ Father Sasika Lokuhettige, a beloved member of the Don Bosco Prep community and someone whom many would describe as an integral part of the functioning of our school, is continuing with his ministry elsewhere and bidding farewell to his home of seven years, feeling bittersweet with mixed emotions. I sat down with Father Sasika in an interview and learned how much the school has really meant to him, with his ordination as a priest and with the second family that the students, parents, faculty, and staff became.
Brought up in a Salesian Parish in Sri Lanka, Father started pursuing his vocation from a young age, joining the Salesians when he was just sixteen years old. After moving to the United States, Father was sent to Don Bosco Prep. It was a nerve-racking experience for Father, but his doubts subsided immediately because of the welcoming spirit of the Salesian community. He described his first day here, settling in at Bosco:
“The first day I stepped on this campus, the Salesians welcomed me as a brother with open arms and a lot of joy. Everybody was cheerful and with a smile. I said, ‘Wow, this is a cool place,’ and I never felt like an outsider.”
From that initial experience, Father Sasika’s appreciation of the Salesian community has only deepened as he has come to see the Salesian community at Don Bosco Prep as a “Salesian House with its own uniqueness.”
Father keeps in touch with his parents in Sri Lanka as well, talking to them almost every day through social media and calls. They were able to visit him in 2018, but with the recent pandemic, traveling has been very restricted. Sadly, his parents were unable to be physically present at one of the most important events in his Salesian Life – his ordination to priesthood, but Father explained how Don Bosco Prep was able to give him his needed support:
“The most memorable experience for me was becoming a priest. A Salesian Priest. Why? Because my family, my parents, could not be here for me. Because of the pandemic, I was here. But, I received overwhelming support and love and affection from the Don Bosco family. The boys, teachers, staff, faculty, and the parents, when I had my first Mass here, set up an outdoor Mass in the Quad. They did everything for me. So, of course, I felt the absence of my parents, but the Don Bosco Prep family became such a big part of my life.”
“[The community] did everything for me. . . . [T]he Don Bosco Prep family became such a big part of my life.“
In his Salesian ministry, Father Sasika doesn’t directly decide where he is needed, but rather his superiors and the Rector Major of the Salesians discern with Father where God wants him to be at a certain time in his life, after dialogue and conversation to conclude if it’s God’s will. This past Spring, Fr. Sasika was informed by the Salesian Provincial, Fr. Tim Zak, of his assignment to the retreat center at the Marian Shrine in Stony Point. When asked if he had any plans following his future service as part of the Salesian retreat team in Stony Point, Father explained:
“Well, I don’t have a plan, except for God’s plan for me. Following God’s plan is my plan. First of all, I would like to serve as much as I can in this province, in the United States, but I would like to go back and serve the people in Sri Lanka with the Salesians in Sri Lanka. So, when and how, I’m discerning. When the time is right and God wants me to go back to my country, I will definitely go, and I’m looking forward to that day.”
Before finishing up the interview, I asked Father Sasika if he wanted to give some parting thoughts to the Don Bosco community and share his knowledge of the full experience of his seven years of ministry here. What would Father Sasika want us to know before he leaves?
“This is a beautiful place and a home. Of course, it is a playground, church, and a school, but most importantly, it’s a home where you are loved, cared for, and can be yourself. Please know that you are guided and protected by Jesus Himself and our Blessed Mother in a very special way. Stay close to how blessed we are. She is walking around this campus here at Bosco.
“Be Don Bosco when you go out to the world; you are formed in the spirit of Don Bosco, so absorb that spirit as much as you can, being involved in athletics, academics, theater, music, youth ministry, or whatever activities you want.
“Be holy, and try to be happy. I know life is challenging. There are a lot of obstacles and challenges in life, but know that you have a family here, and you can always come back. Find a home here, especially in difficult times of your life. Kids come back to find that hope and route. This is your home. You take your cap off. You’re still part of this even though you do graduate from school. You’re still part of this family, so keep the family spirit alive. It has so much joy and gratitude.”