The

Biographical Memoirs
of
Saint John Bosco
by

REV. EUGENIO CERIA, S.D.B.

AN AMERICAN EDITION
TRANSLATED
FROM THE ORIGINAL ITALIAN

REV. DIEGO BORGATELLO, S.D.B.

Editor-in-chief

Volume XIV
1879-80

SALESIANA PUBLISHERS
NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK

1985
 IMPRIMI POTEST: Very Rev. Dominic DeBlase, S.D.B.
Provincial
New Rochelle, N.Y., January 31, 1985 Feast of St.
John Bosco

Copyright © 1985 by the Salesian Society, Inc. Library of

Congress Catalog Card No 65-3104rev ISBN 0-89944-14-2

All Rights Reserved

Manufactured in the United States of America

FIRST EDITION
 - Erbiratrb
WITH PROFOUND GRATITUDE
TO
THE LATE, LAMENTED, AND HIGHLY ESTEEMED
VERY REVEREND FELIX J. PENNA, S.D.B.
(1904-1962)
TO WHOSE
WISDOM, FORESIGHT, AND NOBLE SALESIAN HEART
THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION
OF
THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS
OF
SAINT JOHN BOSCO
IS
A LASTING MONUMENT
 This Volume is Fondly Dedicated

to the memory

of

REV. JOSEPH PEROZZI, S.D.B.

(1919-1983)

His pioneering efforts

to spread the Gospel message

through the resources of the mass media

have effectively promoted

the Ministry of the Word

in the Salesian Congregation

 Editor's Preface

/AINT JOHN BOSCO, the central figure of this vastly extensive

biography, was. a towering person in the affairs of both Church and State
during the critical 19th century in Italy. He was the founder of two very
active religious congregations during a time when other orders were being
suppressed; he was a trusted and key liaison between the Papacy and the
emerging Italian nation of the Risorgimento; above all, in troubled times, he
was the saintly Christian educator who successfully wedded modern
pedagogy to Christ's law and Christ's love for the poor young, and thereby
deserved the proud title of Apostle of youth.
He is known familiarly throughout the world simply as Don Bosco.' His
now famous system of education, which he called the Preventive System, was
based on reason, religion and kindness, and indicated by its descriptive name
that, also in education, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. He
always sought to place pupils in the moral impossibility of committing sin,
the moral disorder from which all evils flow.
To ensure the continuation of his educational mission in behalf of youth he
founded two worldwide religious congregations, the Society of St. Francis de
Sales (Salesian Society) and the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of
Christians (Salesian Sisters) which today number more than 40,000 members
conducting 2,800 educational institutions throughout the world.
To help in the difficult art of educating the young, Don Bosco planned to
expound his method of education in a book but, absorbed as he was in the
task of firmly establishing his two religious congregations and in unceasing
other labors, he had to content himself with a simple outline of his ideas in a
golden little treatise entitled The Preventive System in the Education of
Youth.

'Don is an abbreviation of the Lath dominos, master. It is used in Italy as a title for priests; it stands
for Father.
X EDITOR'S PREFACE

Fortunately, the Biographical Memoirs of St. John Bosco are ample

compensation for a book which, if written, might have given us only theories.
These memoirs,_ a monumental work in nineteen volumes, until recently
reserved exclusively to Salesians and published only in the original Italian,
are now available in this American edition not only to his spiritual children,
devotees and admirers, but also to all who are interested in education.
In these volumes Don Bosco is shown in action: not theorizing, but
educating. What he said and did in countless circumstances was faithfully
recorded by several of his spiritual sons, chief among them Father. Giovanni
Battista Lemoyne. From the day he first met Don Bosco in 1864 to his own
death in 1916, Father Lemoyne spent his life recording words and deeds of
Don Bosco, gathering documents,2 interviewing witnesses, and arranging raw
material for the present nineteen volumes of the life of Don Bosco, eight of
which he himself authored besides readying another volume for the press
before his death.
In the compilation of the Biographical Memoirs of St. John Bosco, Father
Lemoyne's primary sources were the Memorie dell'Oratorio dal 1835 al 1855
(Memoirs of the Oratory from 1835 to 1855) written by Don Bosco himself,
the diaries and chronicles of various fellow Salesians who daily recorded what
Don Bosco said or did, numerous letters of the Saint, the Cinque lustri di
storia dell'Oratorio de S. Francesco di Sales (The History of the First
Twenty-five Years of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales) written by Father
John Bonetti, S.D.B., and personally checked by Don Bosco, the proceedings
of the diocesan process of beatification and other unimpeachable
contemporary documents and testimonies. Above all, Father Lemoyne,
intelligent, conscientious and well-informed, not only used reliable sources,
but was himself an eye witness. He recorded what he personally saw and
heard from Don Bosco. This enabled him to write a true history, even though
not according to modern critical methods. He concerned himself principally
with presenting chronologically his vast selected material and therefore his
narrative is somewhat fragmentary and may lack scientific method. It is
nevertheless true history, even Volume I which deals mainly with Don
Bosco's youth
2A11 the documents in the archives at the Salesian Motherhouse in Turin, Italy are now being
microfilmed and stored in the Don Bosco College Libraryin Newton, New Jersey.
EDITOR'S PREFACE Xi

and the training he received from Mamma Margaret, his mother. 3 When
gifted writers and scholars of the future will produce a critical biography of
Don Bosco, the Biographical Memoirs will still not be surpassed because
Father Lemoyne lived at Don Bosco's side, wrote what he saw and heard,
and eminently succeeded in giving us a living portrait of Don Bosco.
In editing the translation of the Biographical Memoirs accuracy and
readability were the goals we set. This was not easy and occasionally, as
regards the latter, we may have fallen short of the mark. Nineteenth-century
Italian does not readily lend itself to an agile version that strives to be an
accurate translation and not a paraphrase.
May the reading of these Memoirs portraying the life of a man whom Pope
Pius XI called "a giant of sanctity" inspire his spiritual children, to whom this
work is primarily directed, and all men and women of good will to walk their
own path of life in a spirit of service to God and man.
FR. DIEGO BORGATELLO, S.D.B.
Editor-in-Chief
New Rochelle, N.Y. June 5,
1965
124th Anniversary of Don Bosco's Ordination

EDITOR'S NOTE

As with Volumes VI through X and Volumes XII and XIII, we have omitted
material from the original text that is of little interest to American readers and of
no direct consequence to these biographical memoirs. Such omissions will
always be pointed out in the footnotes.
Fr. Diego Borgatello, S.D.B.
Editor-in-chief
New Rochelle, N.Y.
January 31, 1985
Feast of St. John Bosco

3Cf. Francis Desramaut S.D.B., Les Memorie I de Giovanni Battista Lemoyne, Etude d'un ouvrage
fondamental sur la jeunesse de saint Jean Bosco, Lyon, 1962, pp. 411ff.
 Author's Preface

T IME and again in going through these pages, the readers may
feel that Don Bosco is visibly bleeding as he walks beneath the arbor
described in his now well-known dream.' It was a magnificent rose arbor:
roses above him, roses under his feet, roses on every side, but all of them
bristling with sharp, unseen thorns which ripped his flesh at every step.
Casual onlookers watched with wonder or envy as he unhesitatingly moved
along that flowered path, but those who drew nigh to follow in his footsteps
instantly experienced at what price of pain this man of God gained every
inch of ground.
In this volume, as in others, we have recounted events and produced
documents covering a two-year period which could not be broken up without
detriment to our narrative. As we moved step by step through the various
periods of Don Bosco's life, we have gathered and coordinated as much
material as we possibly could that is relevant to our founder, not only to serve
for the edification of our confreres, but also to prepare the raw content which
a future biographer will need for a stirring summary account of Don Bosco's
exceptional personality as seen within the framework of his time.
Within this two-year period Don Bosco never slackened his laborious
diligence in the running of his growing Congregation, in his sacred ministry,
his management of countless business matters, his frequent journeys and his
countering of the attacks of his adversaries, despite the relentless deterioration
of his physical strength. Some timely comments of Blessed Claude de La
Colombiere will help us understand and better appreciate such intense activity
on his part. At a moment of feverish apostolic activity which was .almost
overwhelming, Claude wrote to his sister, a Visitation nun:2

1See Vol. In, pp. 25ff. [Editor] Letter In.

2

[Author]
xiv AUTHOR'S PREFACE

The problem is being constantly surrounded by people while seeking only God;
forever having three or four times more work than one can possibly handle and yet
never losing that peace of mind without which it is impossible to hold on to God; to
have hardly more than a few moments to withdraw into oneself for prayer and yet,
despite this, to keep one's mind from wandering away. All this is possible, but not so
easy.

That it is truly possible is clear enough from the lives of both these holy
men, with the difference, however, that this feverish pace lasted scarcely
two years for Blessed de la Colombiere, during his first stay at Paray-le-
Monial, but Don Bosco experienced it for at least twoscore years. That both
of them achieved what La Colombtere called a possibility—a statement
which proved true for both of them—is due to the fact that they took upon
themselves all kinds of tasks for supernatural ends only in fulfillment of
God's will.
The statement made by Pope Pius XI at an audience of June 17, 1932 to the
pupils of both major and minor pontifical Roman seminaries casts new light
on Don Bosco's spirituality. Among other things, the Pope said of him:3

Every moment of his life was a constant sacrifice, a continual withdrawing into
prayer. The most striking impression on anyone talking to him was his alertness to
whatever was taking place before him. People came from everywhere to see him
about one thing or another, and in a flash, as though he saw it all at once, he would
listen, see the entire picture, and offer an answer to every question without losing
contact with God. One might have said that he was paying no attention to anything
being said around him, his thoughts being elsewhere, and so it really was. In spirit he
was one with God, yet, in a manner truly surprising, he replied to all questions,
finding the exact word to say, causing astonishment and then wonder. This was Don
Bosco's life of holiness, contemplation, and assiduous prayer in the hours of the night
and at every hour of endless, unyielding work through the day.

From this reservoir of spiritual life Don Bosco drew unlimited trust in
God, so that nothing he ever put his hand to seemed too difficult, nothing
in the future threatened him. He knew how to

3 Osservatore Romano, June 19, 1932. [Author]

AUTHOR'S PREFACE Xv

imbue this same sense of trust in his co-workers and cooperators who, never
overly worried by spiritual or material problems, followed the trail he blazed,
the former sharing his daily labors, the latter supplying the daily funds he
needed for his religious family and for his multiple enterprises.
Another concern which never escaped Don Bosco despite his many
preoccupations was his zeal in guiding his Salesians to God. His secret of
success in this was to love them dearly, each and every one of them so that
they willingly did what was expected of them. This overall fatherly spirit—
neither generic nor abstract—gave him that sense of moderation which is the
mark of enlightened and truly superior men, enabling them prudently to adjust
to various temperaments and move firmly but gently wherever need and duty
so requires.
This leads us to anther important observation. Don Bosco's intense efforts
to train those who were to form the first nucleus of his Society were long and
arduous. For at least thirty years he toiled to choose them, rear them, shape
them, and win them over to himself and to his mission. How often his hopes
were crushed by sad defections. But in the end he reaped the harvest of his
undaunted constancy, particularly in two matters: the close bond of the first
members with each other and with their head, and, secondly, the firm unity
which they have passed down to us. In fact, to this day, over a period of sixty
years, none of the deplorable schisms which afflicted other religious families
at their origins have as yet shaken our enviable unity. What more shining
proof of this brotherly harmony can we have than the recent election of Don
Bosco's fourth successor? Over eighty electors from all four corners of the
globe unanimously and with no previous collusion chose Father Peter
Ricaldone in such marvelous unanimity, so promptly welcomed by thousands
upon thousands of non-electors that it did not escape the keen eye of Pope
Pius XI. In his first audience with the newly elected rector major, he
remarked on the significance and merit of the event with pleasure: 4

Walls will crack when their foundations are loose—he said—but solid walls tell
us that the architect erected them on solid rock. God, we hope,

'Acts of the Superior Chapter, June 22, 1932. [Author]

XVi AUTHOR'S PREFACE

will never allow harmful agents to draw near to such a substructure, but if in the
course of time destructive forces should assail it, we are confident that they will not
manage even to scar it, let alone break it up. The thorough understanding of Don
Bosco's life, works, and spirit will perpetually exercise a sovereign influence to weld
together ever more firmly all the units of the great structure he created.

And now we come to ourselves and our own task. Despite the factual
evidence of Don Bosco's achievements found also in the period covered by
this volume, we must still deplore a sad, extensive lack of understanding
on the part of even intelligent people. While the overwhelming evidence of
fact forced most people to proclaim "The finger of God is here," for others
that finger was hidden in the humility of His servant. Such is the fate of
those who work the hardest to sow in the evangelical field, for generally it
is not the sower who reaps. The seeds whose harvest gives joy to the
reaper are watered.by the tears which usually go with the work of sowing.5

5"One man sows, another reaps" [7n. 4, 37]. "Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing" [Ps.
125, 5].
 Acknowledgments

For the publication of The Biographical Memoirs of Saint John Bosco

we owe a debt of gratitude to the Reverends August Bosio, S.D.B., John J.
Malloy, S.D.B., and Salvatore Isgro, S.D.B., Provincials emeriti of the
Salesians in the eastern United States and sponsors of this project, and to
the Very Reverend Dominic DeBlase, S.D.B., their successor in office.
As regards this volume, we wish to express special thanks to Rev. Paul
Aronica, S.D.B., Provincial Councillor for the Salesian Family, for his very
valuable editorial assistance. We are also grateful to those who have helped
in one way or another, in particular Mr. Joseph Isola of the Paulist Press in
New York City.

Fr. Diego Borgatello, S.D.B.

Editor-in-chief

EDITORIAL BOARD

Rev. Diego Borgatello, S.D.B., Chairman

Rev. Paul Aronica, S.D.B. Rev. Emil Fardellone, S.D.B.

Rev. Joseph Bajorek, S.D.B. Rev. William Kelley, S.D.B.
Rev. Peter Lappin, S.D.B.

DECEASED

Rev. Hugh McGlinchey, S.D.B.

Rev. Joseph Perozzi, S.D.B.
Rev. Chester Wisniewski, S.D.B.
 Contents

DEDICATION ...............................................................

EDITOR'S PREFACE .................................................................... ix

AUTHOR'S PREFACE ................................................................ xiii

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS........................................................... xvii

SALESIAN GLOSSARY ............................................................ xxi

1 Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France ...........................1

2 The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales ..............................24
3 Four Weeks in Rome ..........................................................................46
4 First Steps Toward Closing the Oratory's
Secondary School ..........................................................................61
5 Return Trip to Turin ...........................................................................70
6 The Soul of the Oratory ....................................................................85
7 Shutdown of the Oratory School ..................................................... 108
8 The First Triennial Report to the Holy See
on the State of the Congregation .................................................. 156
9 The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri ................................................. 170
10 Conversion of a Young Jewess ...................................................... 191
11 Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia ............................................... 209
12 Unrealized New Foundations in 1879 ........................................... 234
13 Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 .................................................. 248
14 Gleanings from the Year 1879 ....................................................... 271
xx CONTENTS

15 At the Beginning of a New Year ............................... 298

16 Don Bosco's Second Journey to France ..................... 307
17 To Rome and Naples from Liguria ............................ 338
18 Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome .................... 374
19 At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to
December 1880 .................................................. 390
20 Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing
Dream ............................................................... 410
21 Cooperators at San Benign() and Borgo San Martino 427
22 Precious Documents about the Spiritual Life ............. 434
23 Looking Through Don Bosco's Letters ....................... 442
24 The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome ...... 455
25 The Salesians in France during the Religious Persecution . . 475
26 The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia ........ 494
27 The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians ................ 524
28 Foundations in 1880: Refused, Delayed or Hardly Begun . 534
29 Predictions, Reading of the Heart, Cures and Bilocation . 546

APPENDICES ...................................................................................... 557

INDEX ................................................................................................. 589

 SALESIAN GLOSSARY
(For the General Reading Public)
ARTISANS: trade school students.
ASSISTANCE: Salesian method of supervision of boys and students, friendly and informal in
manner, stressing the prevention of disorders rather than the punishment of offenders.
ASSISTANT: a Salesian engaged in supervising boys.
CLERIC: a member of the Salesian Society training for the priesthood.
COADJUTOR: a lay member of the Salesian Society.
COMPANION OF -YOUTH, THE: a prayer book composed by St. John Bosco for the use of
boys, originally entitled II Giovane Provveduto.
COOPERATORS: Christians (laymen, lay religious or priests) who, even if they have no
religious vows, follow a vocation to holiness by offering themselves to work for the young
in the spirit of Don Bosco, in the service of the local church, and in communion with the
Salesian Congregation.
EXERCISE FOR A HAPPY DEATH: a monthly practice of piety that promotes spiritual
recollection and fervor by meditation on one's eventual death. It stresses the reception of the
sacraments of confession and Holy Communion as if for the last time.
FESTIVE ORATORY: a Salesian work which offers boys and young men organized
recreational, educational, and religious activities, mostly on Sundays and festive days.
The Festive Oratory was St. John Bosco's first work and, for a good many years, his only
one. He called it "oratory," that is, a place of prayer, because its primary purpose was to teach
boys to go to church and pray. "Its objectives were the practice of religion and virtue, the boys'
moral education, and, consequently, the salvation of their souls; recreation, entertainment,
singing, and schooling, which followed in due time, were only the means." (The Biographical
Memoirs of St. John Bosco, Vol. II, p. 71. See also Vol. III, pp. 670
GOOD NIGHT: a short talk immediately after night prayers, given by the Director or
someone in his stead. It consists of advice, exhortations, or occasional remarks.
ORATORY: see Festive Oratory, Oratory of St. Francis de Sales.
ORATORY, THE: abbreviated form of "The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales" (See below)
ORATORY OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, THE: the first festive oratory and the first
boarding school for boys founded by St. John Bosco in a district of Turin known as
Valdocco; the motherhouse of the Salesian Congregation.
On a rainy night of May 1847 a hungry youngster, drenched from head to foot, knocked at
Don Bosco's door. Don Bosco's mother fed him and prepared a place for him to sleep. (See
The Biographical Memoirs of St. John Bosco, Vol. III, pp. 14111) Thus, side by side with the
festive oratory there began a hospice that eventually grew into a large boarding school and
became the motherhouse of the Salesian Congregation.
PREVENTIVE SYSTEM: the Salesian method of education and discipline, based on reason
and religion. It stresses vigilance, guidance, and sympathetic understanding in the training of
the young.
VALDOCco: a district of Turin.
The name is probably a contraction of the Latin mills occisorum, the valley of the slain—
i.e. some soldiers of the Theban Legion who were martyred under Emperor Maximian. The
Salesian motherhouse stands on the site of their martyrdom. (See The Biographical Memoirs
of St. John Bosco, Vol. II, pp. 233ff, 268)
 THE

BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS

OF

SAINT JOHN BOSCO

 CHAPTER 1

Don Boseo's Visit to the Salesian

Houses in France

T HE rapid growth of the Salesian houses in both Italy and France

kept Don Bosco from the Oratory for increasingly longer and more frequent
periods, as he visited newly opened houses and conferred with promoters and
benefactors. Above all, he could not lose touch with Rome, where the most
vital interests of the Congregation's future were under discussion. Luckily he
had in Turin the efficient Father Rua' on whose good judgment he could fully
rely, as the experience of the past few years had amply convinced him. Truly,
he could not have asked for a more devoted son, a more loyal interpreter of
his every wish, a more tireless and intelligent worker, a more enlightened
mind and a superior of more unchallenged authority. Nor could he have found
a man so fully dedicated to his mission, so totally imbued with his ideas and
so amply qualified not only to keep the reins of the Oratory in hand, but also
to be the founder's worthy spokesman at all levels and in all matters.
Therefore also in 1879 on several occasions Don Bosco left the motherhouse
for a considerable length of time, without the slightest worry of what might
happen in his absence. In the next four chapters we shall follow him through
France, Liguria, Tuscany and Rome and homeward to Valdocco by another
route.
Had he sought his physician's advice, he would certainly have been told not
to risk the discomfort, fatigue and rigors of such an extended winter's journey,
but when God chooses certain men to accomplish spectacular feats for His
greater glory on earth, we may safely say, in a certain sense, that "though
weak, they were made

'See Appendix 1. [Editor]

2 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

powerful" [Heb. 11, 34], so undaunted did they hold up under every adverse
situation.
He left Turin on December 30, giving Father Rua little money, but leaving
a circular2 describing a lottery of paintings 3 which he was to mail on January
1. He also gave him a letter for the cooperators to be published in the
forthcoming January issue of the Salesian Bulletin, in which he was
appealing to their charitable assistance.
Father Cagliero4 accompanied Don Bosco. They spent a few days at
Sampierdarena and then on January 3 went on to Alassio, where they found
the director ailing and the house staff in a state of exhaustion. As the feast of
the Epiphany was at hand, they all begged Don Bosco to let his talented
companion stay behind for a few days to help their young students celebrate
the feast and to revive their good spirit with his pleasant humor. "I remained
there," Father Cagliero wrote, "working a good deal. 5 My stay served as a
pastoral visit to the Salesians and as a formal visit to the sisters." On this
occasion Don Bosco formally appointed Father Louis Roccas vice-director,
which actually meant director, since Father Cerruti's 7 weak health and recent
appointment as provincial made such a move necessary.
Don Bosco left almost immediately for Nice, taking with him three clerics
who had joined him at Sampierdarena. Though no one there had any inkling
of his coming, somehow or other the confreres seemed to feel that something
extraordinary was in the air, for during dinner they heard a very loud train
whistle, an unusual occurrence, and laughingly remarked, "Something's going
to happen!" After dinner as the director took his hat to go out on business, the
doorkeeper came dashing up to him, exclaiming: "Don Bosco! Don Bosco!"
At the news, the boys rushed out and surrounded Father Ronchail 8 at the gate.
Calmly he stood there, thinking that they were either dreaming or joking, but
as he opened the door he saw Don Bosco himself step out of a coach. The

2Ornitted in this edition. [Editor]

3See Vol. XBI, pp. 544f. [Editor]
4See Appendix I. [Editor]
sLetter to Father Rua, Nice, January 11, 1879. [Author]
6See Appendix 1. [Editor]
'See Appendix 1. [Editor]
8See Appendix 1. [Editor]
Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 3

heartiest welcome was hastily improvised for him. On entering the house,
Don Bosco asked the director about the health of Baron [Amato] Heraud.
That, too, was a strange coincidence, for at that very moment, though
uninformed [of Don Bosco's visit], the baron himself suddenly appeared,
bowing and presenting Don Bosco with the keys. Then, no sooner had Don
Bosco finished his dinner than the telegram which he had sent from Menton to
announce his arrival was delivered.
Everyone felt sad at Don Bosco's frail appearance. Train rides were usually
hard on him, his eyesight was as always giving him trouble, and he felt
queasy and close to vomiting. "Nevertheless," Father Ronchail wrote, "he has
great faith in the prayers of his sons and wants everyone to receive Holy
Communion devoutly for his intention." Father Cagliero in turn wrote: "We
must pray for Don Bosco. Both his eyes and his stomach constantly pain him,
and we must realize that he is no longer the man he used to be. His traveling
companions must be especially thoughtful and alert, for, unaccustomed to
asking, he now never makes his needs known. We have to anticipate them."
During those days he dictated three letters [to Father Rua].9
He spent Sunday, January 5, and the solemnity of the Epiphany at Nice,
leaving for Marseille on January 7 and taking Father Ronchail along as his
secretary, so that Father Cagliero arrived at Nice to find instructions that he
was to fill in for the director of St. Pierre's Hospice during his absence. The
French ecclesiastical hat and clerical bib which Don Bosco wore on his
departure provoked a few laughs, since his sons thought it quaint of him to
dress that way. He laughed too, remarking, "Carnival begins today, and we've
all got to do something funny!" But his humor covered up a far wiser attitude
of his: as he dressed like a French ecclesiastic in France, so he wore Spanish
clericals in Spain. That same love of God and neighbor which made him all
things to all people in order to draw all to Jesus Christ prompted him to
present a fitting external appearance that would break down and rid minds of
all harmful prejudices, such as, for example, that he meant to imprint a
distinctly Italian nationalism on his work outside Italy. Such fears

One was written by Father Joseph Bologna (Marseille, January 8), another by Father Joseph Ronchail
9

(Marseille, January 9), and a third by Father John Cagliero (Nice, January 11). [Author]
4 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

could only irritate the sensitivities of those countries which hosted him and
raise doubts as to the sincerity of his zeal.
He and Father Ronchail went by rail to Frejus where they were most
graciously met by Bishop [Ferdinand] Terris; later that evening, they
continued on to Marseille. There they were greeted by the first blasts of the
mistral, an extremely cold northwest wind blowing from the mountains,
which persisted for two days and at times threatened to overturn the house.
Certainly it was not the best weather for Don Bosco's delicate health.
But the chill was not just in the air. At the start almost no one paid Don
Bosco any heed, since he had come to Marseille without prior announcement;
the only joyful welcome he received was at the parish festive oratory. Even
[Canon Clement Guiol]l the pastor of St. Joseph Church seemed to have
changed, so indifferent was he to Don Bosco's presence. On his various visits
to people Don Bosco met only cold politeness, and on one occasion, when
calling on an important religious community, it was even worse. On asking
the concierge for the superior, he was pointed the way to a staircase, corridor
and room. Father Bologna" was with him. They went upstairs unescorted,
looking about for the correct room. In it they found three priests seated on a
sofa, engaged in conversation. Don Bosco humbly introduced himself.
"What do you want?" the superior asked.
"I'm looking for Father Superior," Don Bosco answered. "Wait in the
antechamber."
"I would only like to tell Father Superior. . . ."
"Wait in the antechamber. We are busy just now."
Don Bosco obliged and waited for some time. Finally the superior
appeared and curtly, in a standoffish way, asked, "What is your name?"
"I am Don Bosco."
"What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to recommend the new boarding school I have just opened here in
Marseille to your kind attention."
"Nothing else?" '
"No, Father. Only this, and to pay my respects." "Well, then . .
I understand. Good day."
''See Vol. XIII, p. 410. [Editor] "See Appendix
1. [Editor]
Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 5

And he withdrew, leaving Don Bosco to find his own way out. Father.
Bologna staggered behind him, seething with resentment and chagrin. "Don't
fret," Don Bosco told him, totally unruffled. "They will be more
embarrassed than we when they realize how rudely they have treated us."
Indeed years later, when wonders revealed the hand of Providence in Don
Bosco's works, those same priests were quick to call on him and pay their
respects.
Shortly we shall point out what had caused such a radical shift of sentiment
among the people that Father Bologna felt very uncomfortable and had to
press Don Bosco to come to Marseille. Undismayed, Don Bosco tried to
reassure the young director. His small room overlooked a hillock topped by
three grand oak trees, but from below an upward slanting courtyard made it
possible to look into the rooms of the house. One day, Don Bosco, pointing to
the hillside through the uncurtained windows, told the director, "You will see
that we shall soon be freed of this clumsy setup, and up there we will have a
large, handsome residence with a spacious, level playground." These words
cheered up the director somewhat, but did not fully put him at ease, especially
when Don Bosco exclaimed, "I am wasting my time here!" The fact was that
there seemed to be no chance of getting anywhere.
Then Providence stepped in to help Don Bosco out of the deadlock with an
event which changed hearts and minds in the twinkling of an eye. A
Piedmontese woman from the Asti district brought her son to him. The young
boy was a pitiful sight—frail, bent almost double with rickety limbs, propped
up on two crutches. He could have been no more than eight years old. Several
day students attending the Salesian school and members of the St. Joseph
choir saw him pass by. When mother and son were ushered into Don Bosco's
room, he said a few words to each and then, blessing the little cripple, ordered
him to drop his crutches. The transformation was instantaneous and total: the
boy straightened up, threw down his crutches and ran off. Beside herself, the
mother snatched up the crutches and dashed out after him, shouting that it was
a miracle. Neither one of them was ever seen again.12

12Huysmans recounted this episode in his well-known sketch of Don Bosco, but with two mistakes: one
of place and one of time. He wrongly states that the event took place in "Rue Beaujour," and he assigned it
to January 29, on which day Don Bosco was actually at Saint-Cyr. Our account is based on the testimony
of Father Bologna as given to Father Lemoyne,
6 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

It was just eight months later, during the spiritual retreat, that Father
Bologna ventured to ask Don Bosco privately what had happened, he himself
not having been present at the time. Don Bosco replied confidentially, "You
see, Don Bosco felt that he was just getting nowhere in France, and so he told
Our Lady, 'Come now let's get started!' "
And a great start it was. The news of the marvel spread like wildfire
through the city, creating such a furor that people flocked to Don Bosco in
endless lines. It cannot be said that Don Bosco ever mastered French, but he
spoke it with an engaging frankness that lent a charm even to his inevitable
mistakes. Then, too, his unshakable serenity, all the more striking in its
contrast to the usual vivacity of the French, deeply impressed the people. His
concerns in those days centered upon the need to enlarge the building, and
many of his visitors, knowing this, vied with each other in forecasting how
rapidly that expansion would be made. Already they were talking. about
sheltering two hundred and fifty boys within six months. Don Bosco let them
talk, but then with a down-to-earth remark, uttered in a tone which sounded
phlegmatic by contrast, he brought his speakers back to the world of reality.
On January 12 Father Bologna wrote to Father Rua: "Enthusiasm has been
aroused." That day the bishop invited Don Bosco to dinner and seated him at
his side, flanked by ten parish priests. On January 14 Father Ronchail again
wrote to Father Rua: "We never dreamed that we would find such generosity
and so much good will. Looking at all that is happening about us these days
makes us feel that we are living a fairy tale. Don Bosco is beside himself
and can't figure out how all his hopes and wildest dreams have been
surpassed. The events of this week will find a glorious page in our
Congregation's entire history." That same day Father Bologna also wrote to
Father Rua, "The movement is spreading in a fantastic way." The endless
stream of visitors kept surging in such great numbers that his acting
secretary, unaccustomed to meeting the demands of his duties under these

and on the witness of Father [Louis] Cartier, then stationed in our house at Marseille, whose several
statements on this matter were recorded verbatim by our confrere Father [Frederick] Riviere. As for the
date, we are of the opinion that this event took place on either January 10 or 11. Readers will agree to this
if they will check out the dates cited in our subsequent narration. [Author]
Don .Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 7

circumstances, wrote to Father Rua on January 20, "His name has flashed
through Marseille like a bolt of lightning! If he stays here any longer, we
will have to get Father Berto 13 to come and keep the crowds under
control." Don Bosco personally informed Father Rua on January 27: "As
the world would say, our works are moving fantastically, but we say
prodigiously. May God's goodness be ever praised and exalted!"
All this enthusiasm gave rise to the idea of a public conference to be given
by Don Bosco either in a parish church or in a public hall to a select audience.
Don Bosco had to oblige. However, he managed to arrange for a meeting of
his friends in one of the school's dormitories converted into a hall. The flow of
visitors which gave him no respite made it impossible for him to give any
thought to what he was to say and how to say it.
The bishop also attended the conference. Father Bologna marveled to hear .
Don Bosco speak French with such ease, as did others of his listeners, one of
whom, replying to an inquisitive friend on how Don Bosco had managed with
the language, wittily replied, "He spoke French as though he knew it."
Such unanimous acceptance of his plan to expand the boarding school
soon began to bring in the first funds for financing the project. To stimulate
the generosity of Marseille's citizens further, Don Bosco lost no time in
calling in a builder and contracting for the project at a cost of fifty thousand
francs, the building to be completed by August and large enough to
accommodate two hundred boys. One morning, as he was reviewing the
blueprints with Itier, the architect, Canon Timon-David14 showed up and
spent some time with them, examining, advising, approving, objecting and
finally disapproving. At last he left. Don Bosco, though a cautious mover
who coupled caution with a native acute intuition, remarked to the architect,
"I am afraid that when good Canon Timon goes to heaven, he will find
something there not entirely to his liking."
Don Bosco would gladly have given a dinner for his most

See Appendix 1. [Editor]

13

See Vol. XIII, p. 75. We must correct an inauccuracy on that page. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart
14

mentioned there were not those of Puy, but a local clerical congregation, known as Oeuvre du Saeri-
Coeur de l'Enfant Jesus, founded by Canon Tinaon-David and approved by the Holy See a few years ago.
[Author]
8 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

prominent -friends in Marseille, but the premises were hardly suitable.

Fortunately, Monsieur Jules Rostand, chairman of the Beaujour Society, had
the bright thought of inviting the most outstanding people of the city to a
grand testimonial dinner in Don Bosco's honor. While sipping their wine, the
dinner guests discussed the boarding school to be built and the big hostel for
artisans to be entrusted to Don Bosco's care. Two problems stood out, both
very challenging: collecting enough cash to finance the actual construction
and setting up a trust fund whose annual interest would provide for the boys'
needs. All agreed that it was a bold project whose outcome was rather
uncertain. Choosing the apt moment, Don Bosco said with a grave smile,
"Yes, of course it's an ambitious project but only the people of Marseille can
measure up to it." His words electrified them, so much so that he himself
could never have imagined their striking effect. The cash problem gradually
disappeared and construction never had to be suspended for lack of funds.
When recounting the affair at Alas sio, Don Bosco admitted that then and
there he had no idea of the effect his words had produced since they had just
poured out of the fullness of his heart. It was Canon Guiol who told him of it
later, and facts bore him out. Be that as it may, we must recall Don Bosco's
masterly skill in saying the right things to his listeners.
Callers flocked in endless sequence. An account of one visit in particular
has come down to us, that of a certain Monsieur Olive, one of Marseille's
wealthiest citizens. He was suffering from an incurable disease and asked
Don Bosco for his blessing and intercession for a healing. Our saintly father
suggested a sure means: he was to go to his bank, draw a sum proportionate
to his wealth, and give it to Don Bosco; it might not be a great sacrifice but,
should it be, he was to acquiesce, since it involved obtaining a true miracle.
Monsieur Olive asked for some time to consult with his wife. "If you think
it is too much," Don Bosco replied, "do what you think is best, but I
consider it an absolute condition. However, God sees the heart, and He
knows what sacrifice would be adequate. Should you not wish to give that
sum to me, you may donate it to some other pious undertaking or to the
bishop to use it as he may judge best, but this is what you must do in order
to recover."
Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 9

Although the gentleman returned to Don Bosco several times, he never

got around to making up his mind. Finally one day while Don Bosco was
calling on the bishop, the latter handed him two thousand five hundred
francs on behalf of Monsieur Olive, who lost no time in visiting Don Bosco
again, convinced of his own generosity. However, the sum was a mere trifle
compared to what he could afford. It would appear that God wanted to help
him detach his heart from his riches.
Don Bosco naturally thanked him for the donation, but to his insistent
queries as to whether he might hope to receive the yearned-for favor, he
replied, "When I made you that proposal a few days ago, I knew that the Lord
would grant your prayer, but now I no longer feel so sure. Keep praying. He
may still grant your wish in His vast goodness, but the chances are slim. The
moment passed and it will not return. Scripture says that Jesus 'went about
doing good' [Acts 10, 38]. He did not 'remain.' Do you understand the
difference?" The man realized that he would not be cured, and so it was.
Besieged by visitors, Don Bosco was no less pressed by business matters.
"Great projects are in the offing," he wrote to Father Rua, "and much prayer is
needed if everything is to turn out successfully." A grave concern of his was
to establish clearly and precisely the Salesians' relationship to St. Joseph's
parish, since the director and the pastor had had a falling out. The latter
wanted St. Leo's Oratory to train both the choir and the altar boys for the
parish. In all reality, no one had ever mentioned this matter during the
negotiations for a boys' hospice; it came up only after Father Bologna became
director of St. Leo's Oratory. An unforeseen need had made Canon Guiol turn
the training of his choir and altar boys over to the Salesians, who agreed to do
it with great inconvenience to themselves and without stipend, in order to
please the man who had so befriended them. They did their best, relying on
the help of the day boys, whereas it was expected that a better training would
be provided by the boarders. But this would only have jeopardized the
boarders' formation because, doubtless, they could not be properly supervised
if they had to leave the premises frequently and no longer be under their
director's full control. "We have a special educational method, known as the
'Preventive System of Educa-
10 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

tion,' " Don Bosco later explained when the controversy over this matter
reached a climax,15 "and it is impossible to apply it if the
pupils are not totally under our control. We never use repressive methods,
relying at all times on supervision, reason and religion. It is therefore
indispensable that the parish choir provide its services to the parish without
involving the boarders in any way,__although, if needed for solemn
occasions, the boarders will willingly strengthen the ranks of singers and
serve as altar boys."
Besides the choir, the parish priest regularly demanded as his due the
service of priests to help him in the care of the parish—something unheard of
in Italy. The first time Canon Guiol brought this up, he had suggested it to
Don Bosco as a source of income for the house. Once the priests had
celebrated Mass, they could devote the rest of their day working at the festive
oratory. No mention of any other obligation had been made until Don Bosco
went to Marseille, and good Father Bologna could have obliged even in this
without endangering the smooth running of the hospice. In this regard we
quote a remark contained in the cited letter which touches upon the life of our
Society, "which," it states, "is dedicated to the moral and temporal welfare of
youth. The assistant priest's duties of funerals and escorting the deceased to
the cemetery are so distasteful to the members of this Congregation that some
of them might well choose to leave it rather than alter the purpose for which
they pledged themselves to the Lord."
These two situations, we think, suffice to explain the ill feelings arising
between the hospice and the parish, the director and the pastor, once the
"honeymoon" was over. A side effect was the chill which consequently fell
over the relations between the latter's friends and the Salesians. The suddenly
restored enthusiasm, heightened by the miraculous healing of the boy, helped
to ease the tensions, but the ill feelings had to be put to rest completely and
matters set aright. In all of this Don Bosco's magnanimity shone forth.
Always grateful to Canon Guiol, who had done so much to bring his sons to
Marseille, he kindly discussed the situation with him, and, after a lively
exchange of letters between Marseille and

'5Letter to Monsieur Rostand in reply to a letter of his of September 8, 1879. We still have the rough
copy in two different handwritings, possibly because it was written under dictation. The additions and
alterations in the text are by Father Rua and Don Bosco. Don Bosco signed it. [Author]
Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 11

Turin, our saintly father finally agreed to sign an agreement of sorts with the
pastor of St. Joseph's as a tangible proof of his genuine gratitude. However,
to keep matters in perspective, he had a clause inserted which stated that St.
Leo's Oratory would offer its services to the parish as required, "in a manner
compatible with the oratory duties to which each individual is committed." 16
There was another serious matter for which Don Bosco requested special
prayers in his letter to Father Rua on January 21: "Much prayer is badly
needed. If the boys really want to do something to please me, let them
offer a triduum of Communions and prayers for my intentions and for the
successful outcome of our affairs." A new contract had to be drawn up
with the Beaujour Society to replace the old, no longer adequate for a new
and very important need: guaranteeing the existence of our houses at La
Navarre and at Saint-Cyr. To achieve this, the Beaujour Society was to
purchase the two farms owned by Father Vincent and his tenants, paying
only the liens on them with funds donated by benefactors and then leasing
land and buildings to Don Bosco under terms to be arranged. The latter
were worked out in painstaking discussions and drawn up into a contract."
which was to be signed within three months and become effective four
months later. When all was ready, Don Bosco informed Father Rua by
letter on January 27: "Today at two o'clock we shall have to make two
important decisions. Everything is set in our favor. Let us hope that all will
be concluded in accordance with God's holy will." Just a few days before,
he had written to him on this very matter: "These decisions are very
important, morally, materially, and spiritually."
The Auteuil undertaking's also called for his attention. Father Roussel,
long anxious to confer with him, took advantage of his presence in Marseille
for a personal meeting. His intent was to register objections to the plan
drawn up in Turin by the superior chapter and signed by Don Bosco, which
had been sent to him some months before. However, once he saw the
enthusiasm of Marseille's people for Don Bosco, he felt overwhelmed and
signed

We are omitting the full text in French. [Editor]

16

0n]itted in this edition. [Editor] uSee Vol. XIII, pp.

17

565ff. [Editor]
12 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the agreement as it was, insisting that it 'go into effect

immediately.' 9
We have .documentary proof of Don Bosco's activities in Marseille also in
his letters to Father Rua, of which we possess five. More aptly they should be
called memos of items done or to be attended to. Their sketchy wording and
listing show us how in accord these two minds were. We re cord them in an
Appendix to this volume. 2 ° Perusing them, the reader will notice how Don
Bosco, regardless of being bombarded on every side by problems of all kinds,
gave his attention to everything and everyone with the solicitude of a superior
general and the loving care of a father. Nor was he concerned only about his
vicar. In fact, in writing to the novice master, for instance, he expressed his
thoughtful concern for
the novices:

Marseille, January 10, 1879

My dear Father Barberis:
A few matters to keep between ourselves. I trust that our beloved novices, the
apple of my eye, are all enjoying good health and warmly vying with each other to
drive off the chill we usually feel at this time of year. Please assure them that they
are my joy and my crown. Roses, of course, not thorns! May there never be a
Salesian candidate who by his bad conduct thrusts a thorn into the heart of his most
loving father, Don Bosco! God forbid! Indeed, I am sure that all will outdo each
other in their prayers and Holy Communions in order to comfort me by their
exemplary behavior.
Of the three novices I brought with me I assigned Boyer to La Navarre, whereas
Taulaigo, who is writing this letter, and Turin are here to edify the people of Maison
Beaujour. This house, now a seedling, needs a great deal of initial care, but it will
grow into a tree whose boughs and gentle shade will extend their beneficial effects
to far distant lands. This is my hope in the Lord. On Saturday Foglino and Quaranta
will board ship for Montevideo. They are happy and content and want nothing more
than to fly to the aid of their confreres in Uruguay.
Father Ronchail will send you more news. Tell Father Depert to sanctify the
sacristy and everyone in it; tell Palestrino, the sacristan, to be good and Julius to be
cheerful; tell Father Rua to look for money and Count Cays to care for his health as
he would for mine.

19ibid., pp. 570f. [Editor]

20
C/flitted in this edition. [Editor]
Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 13

God bless you all and may He grant you all the grace of a good life and
a happy death. May He grant it especially to the one whom I will not see again
when I return to the Oratory.
Believe me always in Jesus Christ,
Your most affectionate friend, Fr. John
Bosco

The one whom Don Bosco would not see agpirt on his return was one Of
Father Barberis' helpers, Father Remondino, a postulant who died on
February 1.
He did not forget the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, to whom he
sent a message through their director at Mornese, Father Lemoyne.
Unfortunately we have not been able to trace it until now.

[No date]
My dear Father Lemoyne,
I write this letter to the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians while in the diocese
of St. Lazarus, perhaps from the very spot where St. Mary Magdalene passed her
days in prayer and penance. Either mother superior or, better, you yourself should
read it publicly with such timely comments
as you judge best. I would very much wish that copies be sent to all the other
convents of the sisters.
Here I am very busy with many grave matters. When you will learn about them
you will be astounded to see the Lanzo dream21 fulfilled. Next Wednesday I go to
La Navarre by way of Saint-Cyr, where we have our house. God willing, I shall be
at Nice by the end of the week. I do not know how the question of my friend
Musso's ordination is doing; please give him my regards. Give my best also to the
others in the house, the pastor, all our friends, and the Salesian cooperators.
God bless you, dear Father Lemoyne. Pray for me, who am always in Jesus
Christ,
Your most affectionate friend, Fr. John
Bosco
Another thoughtful concern of his was for the artisans at the Oratory,
whose best wishes he reciprocated in a very affectionate and fatherly note
addressed to their catechist.

21
See Vol. MI, pp. 413ff. ]Editor]
14 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Marseille [No date]

My dear Father Branda,
Were I personally to visit my beloved artisans every time I think of them or pray
for them, I would be spending a lot of time in talking to them and encouraging
them. Still, I want to prove to them in deed that I really do particularly remember
them. Tell them that I am most appreciative of their best wishes for Christmas and
New Year's and that I reciprocate from the bottom of my heart. I have heard good
things about them and pray that God will grant them good will and the grace to be
virtuous. Here I am at St. Leo's Hospice, where some sixty lads will gradually
follow in the footsteps of the Oratory artisans. In fact, several are already
determined to outdo them in obedience and piety, though I've told them that they'll
never succeed. We shall see.
Meanwhile, tell them that I earnestly recommend frequent confession and
Communion, but they must receive both sacraments with proper dispositions so that
on each occasion some progress in virtue may be perceived. I wish I could say,
please God, that each and every artisan is a model of good conduct to the others. It
all depends on you, my beloved boys, to give me such utter consolation.
I know you are praying for me, and I attribute my improved eyesight to your
prayers. Continue to pray. I thank you and God will reward you.
Give me the gift of one Holy Communion offered for my intention.
God bless you, dear Father Branda. May He also bless all our assistants, workers
and artisans and grant us the grace of forming a single heart and soul to love and
serve God here on earth, so that one day we may sing His praises and eternally
enjoy Him in paradise.

Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John

Bosco

At the time when contacts with France were becoming ever more frequent
and relevant, God inspired Count Cays to embrace the austere life of the
Oratory, despite his already advanced years. 22 This virtuous nobleman,
who had perfect mastery of French, which he wrote impeccably, and who
so thoroughly understood the French temperament, rendered outstanding
services to Don Bosco both personally and by his writing. The following
letter witnesses to Don Bosco's lofty esteem for him.

22.rbid., pp. 157ff. [Editor]

Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 15

Marseille, January 20, 1879

My dear Count Cays,
I was delighted to receive your letter and I thank you for your news. Father
Rousse122 did in fact come to Marseille and after some discussion did
unconditionally sign the project we had outlined for him. I shall bring it along with
me on my return to Turin. I hope we can meet at Alassio by next February 3 so that
we can discuss some practical details.
See if you can sell part of the farmland at St. Ann's Villa 24 before we go bankrupt.
I am still here in Marseille to settle some rather important matters which I hope will
greatly benefit our Congregation. We shall talk about them at Alassio.
Monsieur D'Yeard26 came to ask about you and was delighted to learn that you are
already a priest. He had hoped to find you here.
My health has improved, thanks to God's goodness.
When you can, drop in on Marchioness Fassati and give her my regards and news
of me.
Give my best also to your whole family. Tell Father Ghivarello to be good, Father
Fusconi26 that I miss hearing from him, and Father Angelo Savio to be a real angel.
Take all possible care of your health. Look after yourself as you would look after
me.
May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always, and may He help us
ever do His holy will.
Pray for me. Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

Don Bosco also wrote to Mrs. Matilda Sigismondi, wife of Mr. Alexander
Sigismondi, whom we have often encountered in Don Bosco's journeys to
Rome. His letter is a proof of the lasting devotion of this pious couple for
our saintly father. How they loved him! In the summer of 1931, as Father
[Philip] Rinaldi [third successor of Don Bosco] 27 was at the office of our
procurator general in Rome, a gentle elderly woman, leaning heavily on her
cane, barely managed to climb the not too steep stairs to pay her respe cts
and give him a charitable donation. It was Matilda Sigismondi, now a
widow. She had by chance heard that Don
 p. 565. [Author]

 p. 632. [Author]
25
Monsieur Jean-Victor D'Ycard de Barbarin was Marseille's first Salesian cooperator and the
first benefactor of St Leo's Oratory. He died on February 24, 1979. [Author] See Vol. XIII, p.
26
499. [Editor]
See Appendix I. [Editor]
27
16 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Bosco's third successor was present in the office and could not resist her
overwhelming eagerness to call on him and talk to him about Don Bosco.
Marseille, January 21, 1879
Most esteemed Mrs. Matilda,
Your letter caught up with me here at our house in Marseille. Father Rua has
already had a Mass celebrated at the altar of Mary, Help of Christians in Turin
for your intention. I too offered Mass here, and our orphan lads prayed and
offered their Communions for you.
This house was inaugurated last year when I came to Marseille from Rome. It
was named St. Leo's Festive Oratory in tribute to our new
Pontiff.
My dear Mrs. Matilda and Mr. Alexander, how much we shall have to
talk about!
Since my stay in the Holy City will be brief, we must really set aside a
whole day just to chat together.
God bless you and dear Mr. Alexander and Mrs. Adelaide. Asking a
remembrance in your prayers, I am happy and honored to be,
With filial love, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. My acting secretary wrote this for me since my eyes, notwithstanding

some improvement, still pain me.

Along with Canon Guiol, pastor of St. Joseph's, Don Bosco went to Aix on
January 27 "for a very important matter," as he wrote to Father Rua. It seems
that on this occasion he delivered a fund-raising sermon which was followed
by a collection.28
A strange event took place in this ancient Roman city as Don Bosco
himself narrated and Father Lemoyne recorded. Don Bosco called on Baron
Martin and was hosted at a luncheon with his family, who enjoyed his deepest
confidence. While crossing the parlor on his way to the dining room, Don
Bosco spotted on a table silverware and platters of sterling silver. He stopped
to admire that small treasure. Then, with feigned gravity and great calm, he

28A sympathy letter from Father E. Vinson, a Vincentian, to Father Rua, February 6, 1888, on the
death of Don Bosco, reads: "Should the Holy Father ever assign a patron saint to our Institute for the
Young, and to other institutes, I hope that they and all the Salesian cooperators will entreat him that this
patron be St. John Bosco!" [Author]
Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 17

reached out and put piece after piece into his pockets, stowing away the rest
in a bag which stood in the corner. The baron and the others stood by
watching the game. When he was through moments later, Don Bosco asked
the baron how much that table service might be worth. "Ten thousand francs,
if you were to buy it new," the baron replied, "but you would probably get no
more than one thousand if you were to sell it."
"Well, then, since my dear baron is so wealthy and I have such a hard time
easing the hmiger of my poor boys," Don Bosco said, "why don't you give
me one thousand francs and I will give you back your silverware?"
As though it were the most natural thing in the world, the baron handed
Don Bosco one thousand francs, and, just as simply, Don Bosco returned
every piece to its place.
Still escorted by Father [Joseph] Ronchail, he left Marseille on January 29
for Saint-Cyr, where Father Cagliero had preceded him two weeks earlier on
his return trip from La Navarre, whither he had accompanied two Daughters
of Mary, Help of Christians. He had rushed back, he said, because there was
no one at St. Pierre's Hospice to be the community's confessor."
Although Don Bosco arrived at Saint-Cyr on the feast of St. Francis de
Sales, supper that evening was not very lavish: lentil soup, a lentil salad, and
two fried sparrows which the boys had caught during the day and which had
to make do for three persons.
They were expected at Toulon the following morning to look over the
choir-school which was to be entrusted to the Salesians. We must add that
in some places these so-called choir-schools were really small junior
seminaries. Don Bosco's inspection was long and thorough. During his stay
he blessed a very sick young woman, who recovered almost instantly and
lived five more years. We have no other details of this recovery, but we do
know that as a result the young person's aunt became a most fervent
Salesian cooperator for the remainder of her life."
Since the inspection was taking more time than expected, Don Bosco
whispered to his secretary to look for a trattoria for their noon meal.
However, the overly polite hosts who were escorting

28LO:ter to Father Rua, Nice, January 16, 1879. [Author]

"Letter from Mrs. J. Thomas to Father Rua, Toulon, February 8, 1888. [Author]
18 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

them would not leave their side and insisted on walking them to the railway
station. They got there just in time to catch the train to
Hyeres. Nagging hunger pains were not the only upsetting thing
that severely tested their patience. Night had fallen, and the coach that Count
Buttigny was supposed to have sent was not there. They
had telegraphed him from Toulon, but Father Perrot 31 had sent a second
telegram to him from La Crau to inform him of their arrival. Certain of the
coach's coming and spying some distance away a pair of lanterns looking
very much like a coach's headlamps, Don Bosco did not avail himself of the
local bus. The town was some twenty minutes' walk from the railway station.
The two travelers began heading for the two lamps, but hardly had they gone
a few steps when the lights suddenly went out. They turned out to be street
gas lamps lighting the road to the station.
They had no choice but to walk through ankle-deep mud since it had been
raining all day at Hyeres. The night was pitch-dark and their luggage weighed
them down. Making a virtue of necessity, they set out in the Lord's name.
When their arms ached too much for them to continue, they rested their
suitcases on roadside posts or gravel heaps to catch their breath. Don Bosco
would then tell funny stories, encouraging Father Ronchail to do likewise.
Thus, after many such stops they finally trudged into Hyeres. Meeting a
woman, they asked for Monsieur Buttigny's home, but she, a native of Cuneo,
had no idea where it was. They stopped at a cafe, only to be told that there
were three families with that name in town. So they walked the empty streets
in an aimless search until they met a man and asked for directions to the home
of a certain Buttigny who owned an estate near La Navarre. He called a young
lad over, gave him directions, and asked him to take them there.
Meanwhile, the count was on pins and needles, having sent his coach to
meet Don Bosco at La Crau instead of Hyeres. The count, in formal dress
for a meeting he was to attend, insisted that he had received two telegrams
about their arrival, and so kept heaping unkindly words on the luckless
coachman. Just then Don Bosco and Father Ronchail appeared. "Here I am,"
Don Bosco said, dropping his valise wearily, but still smiling. The travelers
were mud-stained to their waists, having walked a good hour from the

31 See Appendix 1. [Editor]

Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 19

station to the house. The count welcomed them warmly, and, seeing their
messy clothing, ordered his servants to have it cleaned. "Count, we've had
no dinner today," Don Bosco said. "Please get us something to eat first."
A hot fire was crackling on the hearth. A meal was soon prepared, and they
did it great credit. When they finally went to bed, they left their clothes with
the servants who, after letting them dry, had a hard time cleaning them.
At eleven o'clock the next day, Dr. [Charles] D'Espiney, the local
physician, came to escort Don Bosco to Count de Villeneuve. Father
Ronchail went with them. The count had fallen from a horse and struck his
head against a tree, sustaining a severe brain injury that threatened to impair
his mental faculties. To add to his problems, death had deprived him of his
wife, whom he dearly loved, and it was almost driving him out of his mind.
Though not violent, he was so disoriented that his doctors had decided to put
him into a nursing home that very week.
Dr. D'Espiney, a man of the old faith, suggested that they first have
recourse to heavenly aid. Don Bosco found the patient smoking. "Count, this
is Don Bosco who has come to visit you," the doctor said. The count stared
blankly at Don Bosco and then called out to his maidservant, "Madeleine, it
is time for my stroll."
"But, Count, please delay it a bit," the doctor begged. "Don Bosco would
like to give you his blessing."
With serious mien, the count resumed his seat. Don Bosco gave him a
medal of Mary, Help of Christians which he accepted, and then blessed him.
From that moment a perfect calm came over him, replacing his usual
nervous restlessness. Toward evening he had someone fetch Don Bosco
from the house of Count Buttigny and kept him engaged in conversation for
a long time. Don Bosco urged him to trust in Mary, Help of Christians,
asked him to say some prayers, and then told him that he expected to see
him in Turin, fully recovered, for the feast of Mary, Help of Christians in
May. The count went to Turin a month earlier, no longer showing any signs
of his former illness.
Don Bosco's visit to La Navarre and Saint-Cyr enabled him to learn at first
hand the material and moral condition of both houses. He found that La
Navarre had more fertile land than did Saint-Cyr, though here, particularly in
early spring, the first crops of fruits and
20 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

vegetables and the evergreens which could be woven into funeral wreaths, so
popular in France, brought a good income. He had to
choose between leasing the land in both places or hiring men to farm it or
establishing two agricultural schools. These institutions were well liked by
all and everyone would have helped them.
As to the religious life of the communities, he found carry-overs from the
past which he did not like. At La Navarre he picked up stories of the former
owner's moral life which made him shudder, so that he had to use every
possible means to erase the memory of such moral squalor. Some fifty boys
were living there, of whom ten showed strong signs of a priestly calling. But
at Saint-Cyr he found a veritable bedlam. There were some forty people
there, ranging from three to thirty years of age. The so-called nuns, of whom
we spoke in the foregoing volume,32 supervised the dormitories; boys and
girls worked side by side in the workshops, mostly without supervision. It
was urgent, therefore, that he speed up negotiations with the Beaujour
Society and assume full charge of the normal operation. 33 At his superior
chapter's meeting in Al assio, Don Bosco reported, "Let us ask God to bless
us and keep His hand upon us. Surely, had I known about this situation
before signing the contract, I would have been much slower to accept it, but
I was told that the school was doing badly only because of incompetent
administration."
With these and similar remarks, Don Bosco preventively silenced those
who might in days to come be tempted to regard him as a visionary who
chased the illusions of his own fantasy. Certainly he had not forgotten the
glowing dream he had had in 1877 at Lanzo,34 and so how could he now state
that, had he known what he later discovered, he would not have signed the
contract? We see here once again that, regardless of his dreams, Don Bosco,
in the nitty-gritty of daily life, felt that he was in no way excused from
following an enlightened prudence. In the long run, Providence always guided
events.
We have no further information on this, Don Bosco's first journey to
southern France, where his name stirs hallowed echoes

See Vol. XIII, p. 555. [Editor]

32

"Letter to Canon Guiol drafted and written by Father Rua and signed by Don
Bosco, Sampierdarena, February 15, 1879. [ Author] See Vol. XIII, pp. 41311.
34

'Editor]
Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 21

even today. He was back at Nice on February 2, on his way home, and here
again God graciously honored His servant in a miraculous cure which we
related on the basis of a signed report submitted by the person concerned35
and on the lengthy testimony of her attending physician.
Countess de Villeneuve had suffered from acute peritonitis in 1876 and
had nearly died. She managed to recover, but never got over its
consequences. Intermittent fevers which assailed her in the past now
persisted obstinately despite every medication, becoming at times so violent
that they threatened her life. Throughout 1878 her strength kept failing
daily and her case was considered hopeless.
In November a friend of hers happened to mention Don Bosco and the
favors he obtained through the intercession of Mary, Help of Christians. She
became keenly anxious to meet this man of God and request his prayers. Her
physician, Dr. D'E spiney, advised her to go to Nice for its mildness, and she
was there in January 1879. Her condition showed no improvement. Rather,
an overall weakness, loss of appetite, insomnia, and inability to exert the
slightest effort—even to go up a few steps—made life unendurable. On
hearing that Don Bosco was in Nice, she sought and obtained an audience
with him on February 3. Her first sight of him made a deep impression upon
her. He asked her to be seated and tell him of her illness, listening with
fatherly concern. Then he rose and said, "Certainly there is nothing on earth
more precious than good health. But we do not know God's will in these
matters. Nevertheless, He promised to open to all who would knock, and so
we shall knock so loudly that He will be forced to keep His promise and
open to us. You will be healed, so that you may give your children a
Christian education."
The countess knelt for Don Bosco's blessing. Having blessed her, he asked
about her children and suggested she go to Turin for the May 24 celebration.
In her statement she wrote, "I returned home full of hope, with hardly a
thought of having been sick an hour earlier. That evening I walked some six
kilometers with my sons. I no longer have problems in climbing. My appetite
is fine, and I sleep well. I feel no trace at all of my prolonged sufferings.

35 Letter of the countess of Villeneuve to Count Cays, Nice, June 6, 1879. [Author]
22 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Instantaneously I felt strength restored to my limbs, so much so that soon

afterward I was able to walk twelve kilometers with a friend of mine in less
than three hours, hardly resting at all along the way." Her physician issued a
statement of recovery in a detailed report.36
Two other incidents most likely took place during Don Bosco's stay in
Nice. The first we heard from Cardinal Cagliero37 when he was relating the
power of Don Bosco's glance and words. Don Bosco had just finished a
sermon and was leaving the sanctuary to walk to the door, his passage
blocked by people crowding about him. A dangerous-looking man. stood
stock-still, staring at him as though deliberating a violent move. Somewhat
concerned, Father Cagliero kept an eye on him as Don Bosco slowly drew
nearer to him. Finally they stood face to face. On seeing him, Don Bosco
asked, "What do you want?"
"I? Nothing!"
"You look as though you have something to tell me."
"No, not at all!"
"Would you perhaps like to make your confession?"
"I? How silly!"
"Why are you here then?"
"Because . . . well, because I cannot walk away.. . ."
"I understand. Friends, leave us alone for a while," Don Bosco said to those
about him.
When they pulled back, Don Bosco whispered briefly into the man's ear. He
fell to his knees and made his confession then and there in the middle of the
church.
The other episode is related in D'Espiney's Life of Don Bosco. The author
heard it from the well-known Parisian publisher Josse. Monsignor Postel, a
learned prolific writer and a deeply pious man, went to Nice to visit Don
Bosco. As they were conversing, he abruptly asked Don Bosco, "Tell me,
now, is my conscience clear before God?" Smiling faintly, Don Bosco made
as if to walk away, but the other cut off his exit, double-locked the door and
slipped the key into his pocket. "Don Bosco," he said, "you are not leaving
this room until I know how I stand in God's eyes."

33 0mitted in this edition. [Editor]

37 Father Cagliero was created cardinal on December 6, 1915. [Editor]
Don Bosco's Visit to the Salesian Houses in France 23

So determinedly did he speak that Don Bosco became very serious, clasped
his hands upon his breast as he usually did, looked at the priest kindly, and as
determinedly answered, "You are in the state of grace."
"I have the feeling you are saying that out of kindly consideration."
"No, my dear Monsignor," Don Bosco assured him. "I say what I see."
 CHAPTER 2

The Annual Conferences of St.

Francis de Sales

D ON Bosco's extended stay in Rome during 1878 kept him from

holding these yearly conferences. However, determined not to omit them
the following year, he planned well ahead of time. "We must convene the
St. Francis Conference," he wrote to Father Rua from Marseille on January
11. "I suggest we hold it at Alassio or at Sampierdarena, possibly on
February 3. You could come over with Father Durandoi and others who you
think are competent. Tell me what you think about its opportuneness.
Personally, I'd like to meet in Turin, but then I would have to change my
plans." Father Rua had to leave it to Don Bosco, only expressing a
preference for Alassio. On January 21, Don Bosco replied, "Let's set up the
conference at Alassio on February 3." The date was later moved to
February 6.2
With Father Cagliero and Father Ronchail Don Bosco left Nice on February
5, stopping briefly at Vallecrosia to give the confreres a word of
encouragement and reaching Alassio at dusk. The following midday Father
Rua, Father Lazzero, Father Ghivarello, Father Barberis and Count Cays,3
who had spent the night at Sampierdarena, arrived from Turin. Their
encounter with Don Bosco in the dining room was very touching. They
entered separately, having been detained by clerics and boys outside, and Don
Bosco welcomed each very warmly as they came in to greet him. He inquired
about their health, about the clerics and boys, and about individual confreres.
"Excellent!" he kept exclaiming. "I

See Appendix 1. [Editor]

1

We are following Father Barberis' notes, taken during the conference. [Author] For these
2 3

priests see Appendix 1. [Editor]

The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 25

must get in touch with them. . . . I must drop a line to so and so. . . . When you
write to your boys, tell them that I am thrilled to know they are all healthy and
doing well and that I am longing to see them. Ask them to pray for the success
of the pressing matters we have in hand at this time."
The conference opened at four o'clock on the afternoon of February 6.
Besides the above-mentioned, the directors of the houses in Liguria were all
present. The first session was devoted entirely to discussing our work in
France. Don Bosco told them of his warm welcome in Marseille and spoke in
detail of the houses of La Navarre and Saint-Cyr. He mentioned proposals he
had received at Frejus, Aix, Toulon, and Hyeres. "Canon Guiol," he said, "has
been more than generous in giving material and moral support to our
Salesians in Marseille. We must also be generous in meeting some of his
requests." The public reading of two letters from Father Bologna prompted
him to comment, "I am sure that no Frenchman who had come to Turin, even
if he worked miracles [upon his return], would ever have received the offers
that were made to us in France, especially in Marseille, a city so averse to
foreign interference." Later they went over the agreement co-signed by Father
Guiol and Don Bosco regarding the choir-school of Marseille, as well as the
main clauses of the Beaujour Society contract. Two ad hoc committees were
set up, one headed by Father Rua to provide personnel for the house of
Marseille, the other to complete the staff at Sampierdarena. Don Bosco and
Count Cays reserved to themselves the handling of correspondence,
particularly with France. The last topic of discussion was Auteuil, which we
have already treated at length in Chapter 19 of Volume XIII. The very fruitful
meeting closed late that night.
The two personnel committees worked separately through the following
morning. In the afternoon three provinces were created—Piedmont, Liguria,
and South America, with headquarters respectively at Turin, Alassio, and
Buenos Aires. Houses in Italy outside the two Italian regions were assigned to
one of them. Father Francesia4 was appointed provincial of Piedmont, though
he was to finish out the school year as director at Varazze; Father Cerruti
became provincial of Liguria, since he already had a. vice-director,

4
See Appendix 1. [Editor]
26 , THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Father Louis Rocca; Father Bodrato,5 who was acting superior of the houses
in South America for the last two years, was appointed provincial. The
superior chapter met alone with Don Bosco in his office while appointing
provincials. At the end of their meeting, they joined the directors, and Don
Bosco announced the erection of provinces and the appointment of
provincials, stating that he hoped they would relieve the superior chapter of
much responsibility and be a big help to the individual directors.
We must note, as Father Barberis pointed out, that Don Bosco did not
consider this setup permanent but wanted it merely as an experiment so that
shortcomings which might surface could be remedied. We note too that at
this conference in Alassio central Italy was not even mentioned, probably
because there would soon be only one house there, the seminary at Magliano
Sabino; later, however, this was changed, as we learn from the official
communications sent to the houses under the Turin dateline of March 10,
1879, when Don Bosco was in Rome. From it we learn too of another matter
which had been brought up confidentially at the Alassio conference. The
members of the superior chapter were reaching the end of their six-year term
and a general chapter would have to be summoned for elections. However,
since it would disrupt the flow of the school year, Don Bosco appealed to
Rome for a delay of elections to the next general chapter. The petition was
granted.
The second part of the session was devoted to one of Don Bosco's favorite
themes—vocations. He dwelt on these concepts:

We must first consider how we can foster vocations; we shall draw up proposals
for the forthcoming general chapter about this. The source of all vocations we already
possess: the frequent reception of the sacraments; let US hold firmly to this sacred
premise and make sure that confession and Communion are properly received. But
we must go further and build on this premise: directors are to give talks on vocation
several times a year. We are not to state bluntly, "Be a priest," or "Don't be a priest."
Rather, boys are to be taught that there are two paths of life they are to choose from.
One may save his soul by taking one path, another by taking the second. Urge
frequent prayer that the Lord may enlighten them as to

sibid. [Editor]
°Omitted in this edition. [Editor]
The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 27

which choice they are to make, for there He has strewn His graces for their taking.
Urge them° also to consult their confessor.
Some excellent ways of arousing or safeguarding a priestly vocation or even
kindling a desire to become a Salesian are:
1. Treat boys with kindness.
2. Be kind to one another. No boy will want to become a Salesian if he sees that
we do not treat each other kindly, bicker among ourselves, and are critical of the
superiors' directives.
3. Another effective means is to foster an understanding and an appreciation of
our regulations and of the deliberations of the Lanzo general chapter. Each Salesian
should have his copy of our school regulations and study them, so that when
questioned he may give the correct answer concerning the particular rules of his
office. Even if a director were to accomplish no more than succeed in having each
member of his staff carry out properly the tasks assigned to him, he would be doing
well enough. He would be ensuring orderliness, and orderliness prevents many evils
that cause the loss of vocations.
I also wish that all Salesians have a copy of the general chapter's deliberations, not
only to know them, but especially to suggest what could be added. Directors, prefects
and all who hold office should insert blank sheets into their copies for those
suggestions and emendations they consider advisable from their own experience. We
aim at refining our rules as much and as soon as we can. The basic principles that we
establish now with everyone's consent shall last. The boys who are with us now will
easily absorb our ideas and traditions as they grow up. Once this first generation of
students leaves us, any further changes will not be accepted, even if they are
necessary, or at best they will be accepted only begrudgingly. So we must bring the
task to completion. We know what has happened in other religious orders; they soon
found that they had need of reform, or they splintered into factions to the scandal of
all.
The general chapters which will take place thirty or fifty years from now, when we
shall all be dead, will have little value.
But let us get back to vocations. Another factor in fostering vocations and
promoting the overall well-being of our houses is the choice of the boys' confessors.
It is essential that all our boys be guided by confessors who are animated by the same
spirit Sometimes excellent diocesan priests come to stay in our houses, and they hear
confessions. Some may be truly holy men, but, not knowing our spirit, they advise
the boys differently from us, and a youngster may lose the trust he has in his regular
confessor and in his director. There are few things that can harm a lad as much as
this. During the Lanza retreat one boy sought my counsel on some delicate, personal
matters and then asked the advice of another
28 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

priest, a non-Salesian, who gave him advice diametrically opposed to mine. It was the
beginning of the boy's downfall, and now his life is in shambles. Let it be a policy in
our boarding schools that no one is to hear the boys' confessions without the director's
personal permission. Priests not belonging to our Congregation are not to be regular
confessors in our houses, even should they be as holy as Monsignor [Anthony]
Belasio and Father [Joseph] Persi. We would always stand to lose. Be cautious, too,
in assigning our newly ordained priests as the boys' confessors_
A second grave threat to vocations and overall discipline comes from those who
try to set themselves up as leaders among the boys. It must be stressed that in each of
our houses the center of unity is the director. When asked for counsel, one is to reply,
"What did the director say? Ask Father Director, seek his counsel, trust in him, and
you will see that you will be glad you did. The Lord has appointed him to understand
your needs and help you out. He is especially enlightened to tell you what you are to
do or avoid."
Two centers of unity in a house are disastrous. They are like two pitched camps—
if not in conflict, at least always divisive. Love centered on one will detract from love
for the other. That trust which is won from a youngster is taken away from the person
who properly should have it totally. Such coolness leads to indifference, to lack of
respect and finally to dislike. A kingdom divided against itself is self-destroying.
Therefore, let the director strive to preserve the unity of his house.
On this matter let us not now set up any hard and fast rule; rather, let us leave it to
the discretion of each director to act along the lines set forth above. At any time he is
entitled to say, "As bishops have the right to authorize priests for confessions in all
institutions, so our rule holds that a director exercises that same right in regard to
those entrusted to his care. This is his exclusive right. Everyone else must apply to
him." If we have good diocesan priests residing with us, we may allow them to hear
the confessions of day students, but the day-by-day confessor of the boarders is to be
the director of the house. On Sundays, however, he should offer them a wider choice
of confessors.
What policy should we follow as regards frequent Communion? Let reception be
frequent, but take note of a few points:
1. Confession for the boys should be only once a week. If they need to go to
confession more often in order to receive Communion, I think it wiser that they
abstain. This is a general rule which admits of exceptions for particular individuals
and particular circumstances.
2. If boys ask for permission to receive Communion whenever their conscience
does not reprove them, that permission should be granted. How about venial sins?
Bear in mind that one who confesses weekly and
The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 29

during that time keeps committing many venial sins does not give much promise.

He then went on to offer two recommendations about admitting outsiders to

live with the confreres. No outsiders were to be allowed to live. in our houses
either as craftsmasters or in any positions of some influence unless they
intended to join our Society. Nor was any salaried craftsmaster to be
permitted to live with us. On hiring outsiders, lodging in our house was never
to be included; they were to be considered as outside staff members and were
to live elsewhere.
The last item of business was the admission of several novices to final
vows. As regards some who had applied for triennial vows, Don Bosco
reiterated a viewpoint he had often stated, that a three-year commitment was
too tempting a prospect for young men, who saw it as a provisional position
from which they could easily be shaken and therefore found it hard to reject
the allurements of the world. On the other hand, perpetual vows gave them a
feeling of stability for the future and they looked nowhere else. "When we
introduced the triennial profession," he clearly stated, "my idea of the
Congregation was quite different. I intended to found something far different
from what we have today, but I was forced to do things this way, and so be it.
Life being what it is today, a three-year commitment creates risks. We will do
better to admit only to perpetual profession those candidates who we see meet
our requirements and have the necesary virtues and to exclude the rest." The
meeting was closed late that night.
Don Bosco had voiced the same view on the subject of triennial vows the
evening of October 18, 1878 while strolling in the corridor by his room with
Father Barberis and Father Guidazio.7 After stating his opposition to a three-
year profession, he added, "I went along with three-year vows because my
original plan was to found a Congregation which would assist 'the bishops.
Since this was not possible and I was forced to do otherwise, a three-year
commitment is now more of a hindrance than a help."
This reiterated assertion calls for some clarification. The definitive form
which the Congregation took on did not spring up in

7
See Appendix 1. [Editor]
30 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Don Bosco's mind all at once. The idea of enlisting collaborators came very
soon to hi-m, and his mysterious dreams artfully instilled
it and kept it alive. The concept was vague, but it gradually became clearer
and more well defined. In 1855 he determinedly began to seek the knowledge
he needed to draft a rule. This he did in 1857, submitting it that year to eight
volunteers who were to examine it and judge whether they felt they could
follow it. Two elements in that original rule stand out which later underwent
considerable modifications. One concerned the vows: "The vows," it read,
"shall be renewed twice consecutively for three-year periods. After six years,
one is free either to keep renewing them for three-year periods or to
pronounce final vows, that is, to obligate oneself to keep them for the rest of
his life." This statement makes one regard the triennial profession not as a
preparatory step to perpetual vows, but as an entity in itself, a simple means
of binding for a time the will of the members while they helped Don Bosco
with his festive oratories and with fostering priestly vocations. This was
primarily the help he wished to extend to the bishops. The second element
linked to the above is to be understood in its light: "The vows bind one as
long as he remains in the Congregation. Those who leave the Congregation
for any reasonable motive or on the advice of their superior may be released
from their vows by the superior general." Another significant article touches
on relations with bishops. "If a new house should be founded," it reads, "the
superior general shall first come to an understanding with the ordinary of the
diocese in which it is to be opened as regards both spiritual and temporal
matters in accordance with our regulations." Since the new houses needed to
have but two members, of whom one was to be a priest, it appears that Don
Bosco was looking toward setting up more festive oratories outside the
archdiocese of Turin, but all of them under his direct control and in the
service of the bishops. It was only after the papal audience of March 9, 1858 8
that the work of organizing the Salesian Congregation and giving it definitive
form took place, although the practice of triennial profession continued for
more than a decade, when it became the exception rather than the rule until
the promulgation of the new code of canon law.
The morning of February 8 was taken up in studying the

See Vol. V, pp. 558-562. [Editor]

The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 31

situation at Saint-Cyr and seeking to provide for the orphanage. We need not
add to what we recounted in the previous volumes except to report Don
Bosco's concluding statement: "Let us take comfort, for this is truly a
vineyard which Divine Providence has opened up to us. Much good will be
done for souls, thanks to these two works. We have good hopes of priestly
vocations, for among these boys there are many well-brought-up lads who are
priestly material. Several have told me they want to become Salesians; one
shall also join the Sons of Mary, and there will be a few who will stay with us
as coadjutor brothers. France today has very few congregations of men who
serve the working people. Such as there are have become inactive or have
gone into schools for children of the upper classes. There is no one who does
the educational work we do. All love our spirit and the class of boys whom
we care for. This is why we find so much affection wherever we go, and why
I hope we shall never be interfered with." This statement included our works
both at Saint-Cyr and at La Navarre.
The afternoon session was shorter than the others. The first item on the
agenda was a tour of Italy to be made by Father Durando and Father Cagliero
to check out the most important localities which had been offered to Don
Bosco. The tour had been delayed several months by various circumstances.
The itinerary was now marked out: by rail to Naples, then by ship to Catania,
Randazzo and Palermo. They were to return to Naples by sea and go on to
Brindisi, where the bishop anxiously awaited them. From there they were to
follow the Adriatic coast by train to Venice. Their return to Valdocco was to
be through Milan. Principally their aim was to conclude negotiations at
Randazzo, Brindisi and Cremona. At Randazzo they were to get acceptance
of the contract already made with the township of Varazze, and at other
places where they were being sought they were to promise that they would
come once they had sufficient personnel. In addition, Father Cagliero was to
make a decision for a girls' home which the duchess of Carcaci wished to
entrust to the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians in Catania. Don Bosco
closed the discussion by saying: "Go, but since time is pressing make sure
you get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow you can meet again and get many
things done. In the

9
See Vol. XIII, pp. 408, 418;Kchtor]
32 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

places you visit call on the bishop and civil officials and give them my
greetings."
The reference to the sisters drew the assembly's attention to a sad state of
affairs. The number of sisters was growing considerably from year to year,
but so too was the number of the sick and dying. Something had to be done
to better the living conditions of their communities. The problem was given
detailed attention, and Father Cagliero was asked to make an in-depth study.
Meanwhile, since he was more acquainted with their communities, he
promptly suggested some simple improvements which were easy to carry
out: more physical exercise, lots of fresh air, frequent change of kitchen staff,
a courtyard or garden for each convent where the sisters could have
recreation and relax in privacy. He felt also that they should rid themselves of
crushing mental anguish; he believed that many of them were suffering
internally from scruples and inner fears which made them ill. Don Bosco
closed the session by inviting all to thank God and declaring the conference
at an end.
Those three days of meetings with Don Bosco afforded the chapter
members and directors an opportunity of carefully observing his manner of
living, as they did on every possible occasion, and of greatly admiring his
virtues. For our benefit Father Barberis has reported the impressions they
shared with each other. Above all they were struck by his heroic spirit of
sacrifice. Anyone who did not really know him and judged him solely by
his exterior would never have guessed the extent of his suffering, for,
despite all he had on his mind and the difficulties he had to contend with,
he never showed harshness to anyone or betrayed frayed nerves even for an
instant. Rather, he manifested a graciousness and tolerance of others' faults
which one would take to be his second nature.
He fully appreciated good health and would not neglect the means to
preserve it, but it was very edifying to see how calmly he adjusted to change
of weather and other unavoidable discomforts. On a cold day he would say,
"Well, we need the cold every year. Just keep well covered and take care of
your health." In summer's
sultry heat he would react by saying, "Very good! The farmers need this hot
weather," and he would extol the season's blessings. When he was weary, he
would say with a smile, "I am a little tired, but one of these days, when I have
free time, I'll rest." Yet he would
The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 33

not let others overtax their strength. His eyes were still paining him, his right
eye being practically blind. "True," he would say, "I see less with one eye
than two, yet I trust that the Lord will leave me this good eye, because, I
would otherwise have to stop working. Well, the Lord knows how to put
things right." When he sat in on meetings in which proposals were discussed
which he had already thoroughly examined, it must have cost him endless
effort to listen to half-baked plans, groundless objections, and unreasonable
opposition. It must have been hard for him to have a clearly designed plan in
mind and know positively how to realize it but still not be free, with good
reason, to explain more than part of it, while having to listen to lengthy
arguments why the whole thing was tenuous and impossible. In such cases
he would merely state his viewpoint with no defense and then and there
would defer to their decision, even if contrary to his wishes. Later on, at an
opportune time, he would again introduce the case and show that the
impossible was really possible. Yet he did so without the slightest hint of
triumph.
During his stay at Alassio he was kept so busy that he had no chance to talk
to the boys individually except for confessions during community Mass. Still,
on walking out of the chapel after eight o'clock, it never took him less than
twenty minutes to cross the playground, for, as soon as the boys spotted him,
they would dash up to him and he would stop to make a funny comment or to
say a kind word. He had a stock of questions and answers for all situations.
He did the same witli teachers and assistants.
Several prominent people met with him to offer him schools and houses. He
won them all over with his attitude, calm, and genuine goodness. They were
taken by his depth of purpose and wise advice, his friendly dealings, and his
loving smile. A delegation from the municipality of Port Maurizio came to
ask him to assume the direction of the municipal schools and to open a
boarding school which the city would erect and pay for. Though the proposal
was turned down, the gentlemen left with the feeling that their interview with
Don Bosco had been a blessing.
While at Alassio, Don Bosco gave two talks, one to the boys, the other to
the Salesian cooperators. He gave the boys the "Good Night" on Saturday,
February 8, addressing himself particularly to the upperclassmen and lyceum
students. He recommended
34 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

cheerfulness, stressing that it came from peace with God. He suggested they
share their cheerfulness with the holy souls in purgatory by praying for them
and receiving Holy Communion on their behalf on the morrow, a Sunday.
Lastly, he exhorted them to prolong their happiness by praying for
enlightenment about their vocation during Holy Communion, for thus they
would find happiness for the remainder of their lives. He closed by saying
that he wanted them to rejoice not only in heart but also in body—hence, he
had asked Father Director to make sure they were given something special at
dinner. "By being good and joyful now," he concluded, "you will be storing
for yourselves eternal happiness such as I wish you with all my heart and
pray that God will grant to you."
He also made time for a conference to the local Salesian cooperators, who
filled the central aisle of the spacious church. It was not the first conference
of this kind to be given. One had been delivered the previous year by Bishop
[Cajetan] Alimonda of Albenga, who was one of the very first cooperators.
Warmly attached to the school and its director, with whom he loved to
converse, he held the Salesians in the highest esteem and regarded Don
Bosco, whom he had known even before becoming a bishop, as a man of
God. Hoping that he had returned from his trip to France, the bishop had
gone to the school to deliver the panegyric of St. Francis de Sales on
February 2. On that occasion he had spoken lovingly of Don Bosco. Shortly
before, on January 29, he had eulogized St. Francis de Sales, who was named
a Doctor of the Church in 1877, to his own seminarians. He had also
emphatically stated:
What shall I say of you, Don Bosco, my dearest friend, revered father of our clergy?
You first came to know of St. Francis de Sales when you were a young boy, and you
drank in his gentle wisdom, his charming holiness, his full array of kindly Christlike
virtues which do you such great honor. From him you drew the concept of the Salesian
Congregation and its spirit. I saw its birth and its first growth, like that of a heavenly
flower transplanted on earth so closely resembling the development and spread of the
Visitation convents. In you St. Francis de Sales lives on and multiplies himself, as he
does throughout the world of our laity. This homage of praise I owe you to give vent
to my gratitude, for in the dedicated work of your sons my dearest diocese finds both
benefit and joy. The Catholic
The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 35

Church itself reserves far more precious praise and worthier thanks for you, for
through the Salesian apostolate it has become throughout Europe and America the
mother of countless children reared in virtue, of converted barbarians and
sanctified Christians."
As soon as he found out that Don Bosco had returned, he sent to ask for
time for a friendly chat. On his part Don Bosco was planning to forestall
him by calling on him at Albenga, but the bishop acted faster, came to
Alassio and talked with Don Bosco at length. When he finally took his
leave, Don Bosco and all the superiors escorted him to the railroad
station.
Before the chapter members and directors departed, Don Bosco called all
the Salesians of the house to a conference. However, feeling too tired, he
asked Father Rua to speak in his stead, while, with the chapter members, he
presided over the meeting. This was the first time he had ever asked anyone to
speak for him in such a gathering.
He gave Father Rua two letters and a note to deliver when the latter left for
Turin. The letters were addressed to his dear friend Father Vallauri and to his
ailing sister.

Alassio, February 9, 1879

My dear Father Peter,
Please give the enclosed letter to your sister Teresa. If she cannot read it, please
read it to her and assure her that all of us keep her in our personal and community
prayers. You too, my clear Father Peter, take good care of your health. I always
commend you to God. I am on my way to Rome at the Holy Father's request. If I can
be of any service to you while I am there, please let me know. Pray for me and for all
our poor boys (forty thousand of them). Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

Alassio, February 9, 1879

My dear Miss Vallauri,
Father Rua has told me about you. Indeed, I am very grieved to learn that your
pains have worsened. God knows how much we have prayed for

°Cardinal G. Alimonda, II Mio Episcopato, Vol. II, p. 444, Torino Tipografia Salesiana, 1886. [Author]
1
36 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

your recovery. We have not been heard, but we shall not give up, trusting that our
community prayers will benefit your soul. Put your faith in Jesus and in Mary, Help
of Christians.
You have been very generous to us, and as long as the Salesian Congregation lives,
prayers shall be offered for you morning and evening.
God bless you. May His holy grace comfort you. Pray for me too. Always
in Jesus Christ,
Yours devotedly, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. As soon as I get to Rome I shall ask the Holy Father to send you a
special blessing.
The note, meant for the cleric Eugene Annelonghi, a teacher at our junior
seminary in Borgo San Martino, was written [in Latin] on a visiting card:
"Annelonghi, my son: if you love me follow my teachings, i.e., our
constitutions. I am glad to know that you are well and that your young
charges are growing in learning and piety. God bless you. Pray for me. Fr.
John Bosco, Alassio, February 9, 1879."
On leaving Alassio, he stopped off briefly at Varazze and then went on to
Sampierdarena, where he stayed until February 19. From Alassio he sent to
Monsieur [Jules] Rostand of the Beaujour Society a report of his visit to La
Navarre and to Saint-Cyr, detailing personnel conditions and the value of the
estate. It proved to be of inestimable value to the society's administrative
board in promoting a successful financial drive then being planned for
launching new undertakings. Meanwhile the Beaujour Society scrupulously
complied with all legal formalities concerning their project, so that all might
proceed in perfect order. The chairman sent a long, affectionate reply to Don
Bosco at Sampierdarena, hailing him as a messenger of Providence and
expressing the hope that the work at Marseille would develop as fully as
possible, now that the city would have-the triple blessing of a Salesian
novitiate, a secondary school for the fostering of priestly vocations, and a
technical school. The Beaujour Society was ready to support his endeavors
enthusiastically and would help him fund them.
Don Bosco, having just then to write to Canon Guiol, expressed the
pleasure this letter had brought him with its glowing sentiments. Father Rua
wrote the letter under his dictation and in his name: "I
The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 37

have just received a marvelous letter from Mr. Rostand. I shall treasure it as a
precious souvenir of a man who is a model of charity, faith and sound
wisdom. I hope to answer him from Rome. Should you see him before then,
let him know that his ideas are precisely those which have always been and
still are uppermost in my mind. A novitiate, an orphanage, a school to foster
vocations: this is what, God willing, we hope to accomplish at the Maison
Beaujour. The time, the place and the people all counsel us to go forward
with greatest caution and equal steadfastness."'"
While at Sampierdarena he imparted a blessing which had an amazing
effect. Mrs. Anna Chiesa's daughter Pia suffered from very persistent
headaches. On hearing that Don Bosco was at St. Vincent's Hospice, she
brought Pia to him for his blessing, but, since he was busy with others, she
could not get to him. Not giving up, she waited very patiently some four or
five hours. Several times Don Bosco stepped out of his room escorting
someone but did not glance in her direction. Finally, on passing by her, he
asked, "What can I do for you, Madam?" Briefly the woman told him of her
daughter's plight. "It is but a matter of a moment," Don Bosco replied, resting
his hand gently on the girl's head. Instantly the pain vanished, never to return.
This episode gave rise to another equally extraordinary event. After Don
Bosco's death, a certain Mrs. Casanova, who had sadly neglected an ailment
in her foot, was told, when she finally consulted a doctor, that she had no
choice but to lose the entire leg. In utter desolation, the poor woman could
not resign herself to such a fate: When her friend, Mrs. Chiesa, heard of it,
she told her about her daughter's instant healing and urged her to commend
herself to Don Bosco. She also gave her a relic from cloth used by him,
which was in such demand after his death. Mrs. Casanova thanked her and
prayed to Don Bosco, placing the relic on her leg. On the day set for
surgery, the doctors prepared their instruments and unbandaged her leg. To
the astonishment of all, they could see clear signs of healing, which
progressed until the leg was perfectly normal.
It was understood that Count Cays was to join our saintly

ilSampierdarena, February 16, 1879. The letter was written by Father Rua and signed by Don Bosco.
[Author]
38 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

founder at Sarni:). ierdarena and accompany him to Rome as his secretary,

along with Father Berto. The count, now a humble Salesian, had said that he
would gladly share a room with Father Berto, even sleep on a mattress on top
of chairs if he had to, just so that he might be privileged to travel with Don
Bosco. The latter therefore had sent him from Alassio back to Turin to take
care of some matters before rejoining him a week later at Sampierdarena.
Father Cays went to the Oratory, got his things ready, and said his good-byes
to his many friends, accepting errands to do for them in Rome. The day before
his departure, however, a telegram from Don Bosco instructed him to remain
in Turin and to be replaced by Father Bonetti. Serenely the count unpacked
his bags and told everyone he saw, "I am not going to Rome after all. Don
Bosco has sent me word to stay here."
Escorted by his trusty Father Berto, Don Bosco boarded the train at
Sampierdarena for La Spezia, where he stayed two days, writing and making
visits. He was hosted by Chevalier [Joseph] Bruschi, who was later to become
a Salesian priest, and celebrated Holy Mass in his family private chapel. A
chevalier's nephew, who was the city's mayor and lived in the same building,
could not bear the sight of priests and had openly declared his hostility on
several occasions. Don Bosco, paying him a call, found him sick in bed, and
stayed to chat a while with him. From then on the mayor was a changed man.
He personally admitted to his friends that Don Bosco was not at all like
anything he had expected, and on and on he talked, lavishing high praises
upon him.
Don Bosco invited the pastor, the vicar forane, several canons, and a few
other priests to dinner at the Salesian day schoo1.12 Chevalier Bruschi and
other laymen were also invited. It created a real problem for poor Father
Rocca, who had only a would-be cook and not a single room where he could
properly accommodate his guests. Still, Father Rocca tells us, all went well,
and everyone was as delighted as they would be at a king's table, so honored
did they feel to eat with Don Bosco.
After visiting the school and speaking to the confreres, he went on to
Sarzana on the morning of February 27 to pay his respects to the bishop who
invited him to stay for dinner. That evening he went

See Vol. XIII, pp. 512-519. [Editor]

12
The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 39

on to Lucca." The director, Father Marenco,14 and several gentlemen of Lucca

gave him a warm reception at Pisa's railroad station. Then, although it was
raining when his train pulled in at Lucca, the boys were there to give him a
rousing ovation—a welcome not usually accorded a priest in those days.
Three handsome coaches drove him and his friends to the town where, after a
brief visit to the Burlamacchis, he continued to the Holy Cross Festive
Oratory. Here several distinguished citizens paid their respects and then,
noting the hour, withdrew, "leaving us alone in pleasant talk with our father,"
as Father Marenco wrote.
The following day, a Sunday, people jammed the Church of the Holy Cross
to see him and attend his Mass. His visit to Lucca was marked by a vast array
of requests for his blessing on behalf of the sick. It was precisely at midday
that he imparted his first blessing to the eighty-eight-year-old Marquis
Burlamacchi, at the request of his wife. The elderly man, burning with fever
and exhausted by insomnia, could not utter a single word. Don Bosco blessed
him and almost instantly he fell asleep, to awake feeling much better and to
rise from his bed on Monday. Further appeals that afternoon brought Don
Bosco to other bedsides, and that evening he imparted Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament upon the entire congregation. In spite of the darkness and
foul weather the boys stayed up to greet him and, as their director put it, "to
hear a few words from our good and wonder-working father."
The following day, Marquis Massoni also sent for him to receive his
blessing. Don Bosco found him confined to his bed by paralysis, a condition
that had persisted through six years. At this time the poor man could not move
a finger. So advanced was the paralysis that, unless someone kept supporting
his head, it would drop heavily upon his chest and cause him to fall to the
floor. His family had to do everything for him as for an infant. His wife and
daughter and one of his sons wept pitifully. "Heal this poor unfortunate man!"
his wife kept pleading and sobbing. Kneeling before Don Bosco, she kept
begging, "Heal him for me, Father!" Don Bosco sat down and began to speak,
but his words stressed patience and

12From this point to his return from Rome we have only the laconic diary of Father Berto to guide us.
For his stay at Lucca we have an account sent to Father Rua by Father Marenco. [Author]
See Appendix 1. [Editor]
14
40 ME BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

resignation and gave no ray of hope. When the family had somewhat
calmed down, he blessed the sick man and asked him to make the sign of
the cross. Wonder of wonders, he raised his right hand and did as he was
told. Don Bosco told him that he was to make the sign of the cross daily
and call upon the most holy names
of Jesus and Mary.
Despite the amusements of the carnival season, Don Bosco's name kept
echoing throughout the city. When he walked down the
street, people stopped to look at him respectfully. Some followed
him or asked him for his prayers. Even the masked holiday revelers would
momentarily forego their waggery and reverently greet him
as they passed by. Many people delayed receiving Communion until the
8:30 Mass so as to receive from his hands. No one will ever know what
transpired between him and the persons who sought his counsel. Father
Marenco saw many of them leave Don Bosco's room so lost in thought
that they could not even find the way out. "Such a stream of people in
those days!" he exclaimed. "Our Salesian house looked like everybody's
home."
On February 25 the crowds broke all records; by evening he was so
exhausted and tormented by such a severe headache that he had to cancel
further interviews and withdraw to his room. The weather of those days was
brutal, with heavy winds and rain. The morning of February 26 was marked
by thunderstorms, snow, and then unrelenting rain. Using a coach kindly
lent him by a lady of Lucca, Don Bosco visited several well-deserving
townspeople who were in poor health. Among them was Count Sardi who
later recounted how his little son, at the point of death, was instantly healed
at Don Bosco's prayer and was now in perfect health.
Toward three o'clock he spoke to the Salesian cooperators in the little
Holy Cross Church. The procedure was the usual one. Some one hundred
and fifty people attended, including the archbishop. Don Bosco described
the running of the schools and festive oratories and explained the meaning
of the Association of Salesian Cooperators. His listeners hung upon his
words religiously.15 Later, a large crowd poured into the sacristy and house,
pressing

1511 Fedele, Catholic newspaper of Lucca, Number 51, 1879. [Author]

The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 41

around him to whisper their needs and to hear from him some word that
could help them cope with their temporal and spiritual needs.
The report of one particular incident spread like wildfire through the
city. With the [ Salesian] director at his side and a crowd of prominent men
about him, Don Bosco was making his way to the cathedral to venerate the
Holy Face—a miraculous sculptured crucifix venerated in Lucca since the
eighth century and said to have been commissioned by Saint Nicodemus. It
was rarely displayed to public veneration and never unveiled, even
privately, save for very important people, and then behind doors. Don
Bosco gave no thought to being allowed that privilege. While he and his
party were walking to the shrine, a shout of "A blessing!" suddenly was
heard. A twenty-year-old young man—the victim of palsy which had
afflicted him for years—was being propped up by his parents. He could
hardly even drag his feet and could not stand erect unaided. "Am I to bless
him in the middle of the street?" asked Don Bosco. Then, raising his gaze to
heaven, he added, "Yet God can bless us here too!" He lifted his hand in
blessing, and all about him knelt. A crowd was pressing on all sides. After
the blessing, the young man's parents helped him to his feet. "Can't you
take even one step?" Don Bosco asked him.
"No, I have no strength."
"Are you in pain?"
"No, Father."
"Come, let's see you take a step or two."
The young man tried and managed to totter. "Come on, walk with me,"
Don Bosco coaxed him. "I am going to see the Holy
Face." And he kept talking to him as they went along. The young
man took some two hundred steps with no support of any kind. When the
shock wore off, the crowd began to voice its wonder. The
parents, recovering from their surprise, veered away with their son,
followed by a number of people. Lost in wonderment, the young man made
his way home, never to be seen again, just as had happened in Marseille.'
An unexpected welcome awaited our saintly founder. He was grandly
received at the cathedral entrance by the canons in their choir robes and by
four clerics bearing lighted candles. They escorted him to the chapel of the
Holy Face, uncovered the holy
42 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

image and accorded him the very special favor of kissing the feet of Jesus
crucified.' 6
Even the devil experienced in his own way Don Bosco's presence in
Lucca. A woman, about thirty-five years old, who lived in St. Leonard's
parish, was possessed and afflicted with bewildering diabolical vexations.
On learning that Don Bosco was on his way to Lucca, Father Cianetti, her
pastor, consulted with Church authorities to have her exorcised, keeping his
intention secret. Still, one day, the poor woman suddenly burst out into a
scream: "Let that sack of coal come, the protégé of that woman .. ." and she
spit out a horrible blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin. It was quite an
ordeal to drag that unfortunate woman to Don Bosco. He blessed her as soon
as she came into his presence, but, when he tried to trace the sign of the
cross on her forehead with a picture of Our Lady, no one could hold her
down. She struggled wildly and writhed like a serpent. This happened on the
morning of February 25. On leaving, Don Bosco stated that she would be set
free on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. And so indeed it happened,
for on December 8 the woman was suddenly shocked by a deafening
thunderclap in her room and at that moment she was freed from her
diabolical possession.
Don Bosco was deeply comforted by the sight of so many well-behaved
boys in the festive oratory. So much had been done with those lads in less
than a year. Shocking blasphemies, once resounding throughout the day, were
no longer heard. Once so dead set against going to church that they even
scaled walls to escape on the first sound of a bell, now when it rang the boys
would immediately stop their games and quickly line up. In their frequenting
of the sacraments, their devout behavior in the church and their love for their
little priests, Don Bosco's experienced eye spotted the joyous spontaneity
which characterized the educational
16
Father Berto thus describes the crucifix: "The countenance is truly noble, a blend of quiet dignity
and unspeakable tenderness, whose very sight overwhelms the spectator with religious awe; he is filled
with a holy fear and is held spellbound by those sparkling, tear-glazed eyes, while some unseen power
forces him to his knees, making him admit his nothingness and bewail mankind's sinfulness. Something
more than human emanates from that countenance; it is the divine which is harbored there. A
magnificent, precious crown of gold truly makes Him the Rex tremendae maiestatis [the King of awe-
inspiring majesty]. Since the image is made more venerable in that it is blackened by the smoke of
incense and candles, one can have an idea of the miraculous crucifix which the people of Lucca showed
Don Bosco." [Author]
The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 43

system he practiced and taught. On one occasion he was delighted to preside

at an assembly, as they all gathered about him with song, declamation, and
poetry. He was happy to see among them cobblers, tinkers, tailors, carpenters
and cloth dyers—all young men—attending evening classes. He noticed that
the church was well serviced by the Salesians and very well attended by the
people. In a word, he said he was so pleased with the work at Lucca that the
director was to write and tell Father Rua about it.
He wrote to Father Rua himself just four days before leaving Lucca:

Lucca, February 25, 1879

My dear Father Rua,
Burlarnacchi17 insists that he has to change climate. His family does not want him
at home. Shall we send him to Alassio? Think about it. Let Father Barberis know.
You may publish the biographies of our Salesians after looking them over; just
make a brief notation of those of Arata and Father Gamarra. These may be printed
separately later with human interest stories to be contributed by Father Scappini,
Father Albera, Father Notario, Father Barberis, myself, and others. This way we will
have two fine issues of Letture Cattoliche. Turin too may add something to them.
As regards Cinelli, talk it over with Father Barberis. Father Bonetti is waiting for the
parcels from Turin,18 and here in Lucca I am waiting for parcels and Bonetti.
Tomorrow I will address the Salesian cooperators; the archbishop will attend. The
following morning, February 27, we leave for Rome. I'll write from there. My
heartiest gatherings to all the boys. Tell them I wish them well, that I love and bless
them in the Lord, and that I hope to send them the Holy Father's special blessing, and
see to it that they enjoy some treat at table. Remind them to be good and pray for the
success of our affairs.
Father Bologna insists on having Grosso for music. If it is all right with you and it
doesn't overly inconvenience the house of Lanzo, I think we can go along with him.
Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

A clerical novice, of the noble Lucca family of that name. [Author] 18Father Bonetti
17

had stayed behind at Sampierdarena. [Author]

 44 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Almost as a postscript he included a note for Father Barberis. We can

readily see how, loving father that he was, he was - concerned not only
with the community but with individuals as he tried to meet each one's
needs and condition.

Lucca, February 25, 1879

My dear Father Barberis:
I have already Answered Father Rua on some matters you wrote me about. See
him.
I anticipate with joy the excellent marks which the novices will receive on
their term examinations. Tell the clerics the same, particularly Gresino and Aime.
I see no problem with the outing to St. Ann's. Just make sure the weather is
good and the roads in fair condition. Take great care of their health.
Tell Father Bertello I realize how well he bears the cross, but he must do so if
he is "to enter the kingdom of God." Assure Father Notario that I do care for him.
Tell him I rely a great deal on his gentleness and firmness; I know he will not fail
me.
Hearty regards to my dear Ghiglione, Pelazza, Bandino and Lisa. Chide
Father Savio for not having yet written me a long, long letter. God bless
you, my dear Father Barberis, and with you all our dear
novices. I wish them abundant health and holiness for this life and the
next.
Keep praying for me. Always in Jesus Christ,
Your loving friend, Fr.
John Bosco

He also enclosed a third letter for a cleric, Alexander Mora, one of

those entrusted with handling the correspondence for the lottery to be run
at the end of the year. 19 Though far from home and busy with so many
different concerns, Don Bosco had not forgotten about it and wrote for
tickets to sell in Rome, encouraging the cleric and his helpers to work for
the lottery's success.

Lucca, February 25, 1879

My dear Mora,
I know you are working. May God reward you. I am awaiting tickets for lgSee

Vol. XIII, p. 544. [Editor]

The Annual Conferences of St. Francis de Sales 45

Rome. Do your best and try to recruit others to help you. This lottery should net us a
hundred thousand francs. Just remember that you will have no peace of mind until we
hit that figure.
My best wishes to your helpers. Best regards to Valentini, Marcellus Rossi, and
Palestrino, and to Father Deppert for the fine letter he wrote me. May God keep all of
us in His holy grace. Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

Father Bonetti, long awaited, finally arrived from Sampierdarena on the

evening of February 26. Don Bosco had planned to leave for Rome the
following day, but he was so exhausted that he feared he could not endure the
trip and so spent two more days in Lucca, staying indoors all the time and
handling details for the purchase of a building. Father Berto's letters about
Don Bosco, read to the Oratory boys by Father Lazzero, stirred keen
enthusiasm for the father they so dearly loved. 20

20
Letter from Father Lazzero to Father Berto, Turin, March 4, 1879. [Author]
 CHAPTER 3

Four Weeks in Rome

S we learned from Don Bosco himself in the preceding chapter, he

was about to set out for Rome "at the request of the Holy Father." From Rome
Father Bonetti wrote: "Don Bosco has already had two audiences with
Cardinal [Lawrence] Nina and other prelates on important matters. The
secretary of state assured him that the Pope wishes to see him about things
which I cannot mention here."' It is a reasonable surmise that one such thing
concerned the exequatur which the Italian government had refused to grant
Cardinal [Lucido] Parocchi for his archdiocesan see of Bologna; we shall
come back to this in Chapter 5.
We can reasonably conclude that the sudden substitution of Father Bonetti
for Count Cays as traveling companion to Don Bosco was prompted by
something that had happened to the former in those days: on February 12 a
decree of Archbishop Gastaldi had suspended him indefinitely from hearing
confession anywhere in the archdiocese and had demanded that another priest
take his place at the St. Theresa Festive Oratory for girls in Chieri. Being out
of town, therefore, would prevent suspicions, and being in Rome would make
it easier for him to take defensive measures.
A week after receiving this injunction from the chancery, the Oratory had
an unexpected visit which roused much comment and conjecture; detailed
reports reached Don Bosco in Rome shortly before and shortly after he got
there.2 On February 20 a performance of a sacred play featuring the
martyrdom of St.

'Letter to Father Rua, March 10, 1879. [Author]

2
Letters from Count Cays to Don Bosco (Turin, February 21, 1879) and from Father Lazzero to Father
Berto (Turin, March 4, 1879). [Author]
Four Weeks in Rome 47

Pancratius was held. That very morning a messenger of Archbishop Gastaldi

called at the Oratory and, after learning from the doorkeeper the exact hour
of the performance, informed him that the archbishop would attend.
Everyone was astonished. Since he arrived at the Oratory somewhat late, the
band could not be on hand to receive him since it was already performing
for the audience, which consisted entirely of outside people. However, the
superiors of the house met him and escorted him into the auditorium. From
the stage one of the boys read a welcoming address with great finesse, and
His Excellency seemed quite pleased. The interest he showed during the
performance, his frequent applause and his generous compliments reassured
those who had feared that he might frown upon the drama's subject matter.
The boys and young clerics were absent, because, as customary when stage
plays were open to the public, they were out on a walk. The head superiors,
too, were away on business. Some days later the archbishop made another
surprise appearance at Valsalice. Don Bosco merely sent word that they
were to try to learn the reason for so unusual an occurrence, but, apart from
more or less plausible possibilities, no one could discover anything tangible.
From March 1 to March 28, the entire duration of Don Bosco's stay in
Rome, we fund little more in Father Berto's diary than a long monotonous
list of names of people on whom Don Bosco called, visitors and persons he
met by chance, and places he visited. 3 Standing out on this list are numerous
cardinals and prelates with whom Don Bosco conferred at length. He also
had several extended interviews with the [papal] secretary of state. Bishop
Charles Laurenzi, auditor to His Holiness, and Monsignor Marzolini, his
personal secretary, both of whom had come from Perugia to the Vatican
with the new Pope, were very anxious to meet Don Bosco. One day, when
they had been able to have him all to themselves for two and a half hours,
the bishop was heard to exclaim in great admiration, "What a man! He really
deserves his renown!"
Distinguished ecclesiastics who were not yet Salesian cooperators

3
We have also gleaned information from the letters which Father Bonetti and Father Berto sent to the
Oratory. [Author]
48 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

asked to be enrolled in the association as soon as they learned of it in their

talks with him. Wherever he went, our founder usually returned with more
names for the membership list.
At the Vatican, where he was fairly well known, he so impressed the Swiss
Guard and gendarmes that they saluted him as they would a prelate. On one
occasion, in St. Damasus Court, Commander Lambertini showered him with
kindness, kissing his hand repeatedly, claiming that he was blessed to meet
and know him personally, and asking to be enrolled as a Salesian cooperator.
And the dinner invitations! On March 17 he celebrated St. Patrick's feast
at the Irish seminary, where the rector, Monsignor Kirby, as usual made
sure that he was surrounded by a distinguished gathering of guests. He was
warmly welcomed by the Benedictines of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-
the-Walls on March 21, feast day of their founder. Some forty guests were
present: Cardinal [Dominic] Bartolini, their cardinal protector, Cardinal
Chigi, with a fair number of Roman patricians and distinguished guests
from outside Rome, among them the famous archeologist John Baptist de'
Rossi and others. Don Bosco was always at ease in such company and was
able to mix well with everyone present. While he was in private
conversation with Cardinal Bartolini after the banquet, a cluster of
gentlemen looked on, and one of them remarked, "How venerable he looks!
He is truly a saint!"
As always, the Sigismondi spouses surrounded him with loving care,
having him and his two secretaries at dinner several times. On one occasion
he told them that on a morning of December in 1878 he had observed a boy
kneeling near his confessional rise to a noticeable height, while another lad,
while in the midst of his companions, was likewise lifted more than a meter
high. The secretary cites their names, but it does not seem probable that he
heard Don Bosco mention them at that time.
We mentioned Don Bosco's audiences with Cardinal Nina, secretary of
state, who had been appointed to that high office by Leo XIII seven
months before, upon the death of Cardinal [Alexander] Franchi. Don
Bosco was anxious to pay his respects, but for two consecutive days he
found it impossible to obtain an audience. On his third try, on March 5, he
had an endless wait since so many others were ahead of him. When finally
his turn
Four Weeks in Rome 49

came, the cardinal remarked, "I am sorry you had to wait so long because I
know you have work to do." He received him and spoke to him with a
friendliness which he had always shown him. Forty-five years later, the
secretary who was the receptionist that morning wrote this touching account:

The waiting room was already full when I saw two priests come in. Like the rest,
they were asked to take a seat and await their turn. Accustomed to studying visitors'
faces, I was instantly struck by the rare modesty, serenity and rapt composure which
shone from them, especially from the older—Don Bosco. I kept looking at him all
through his long wait and had to wonder at his calm and his total lack of anxiety as he
appeared absorbed in serious thought, intent on reading or jotting something into a
notebook. Meanwhile the time of audiences was running out, and many of the visitors
that morning would have to leave without an audience, among them Don Bosco, who
had arrived rather late. However, he made no attempt to be received before the others.
Always at ease, he just sat and waited. Never before had I seen anyone wait so calmly
in such circumstances, when the audiences were drawing to a close. I was convinced
that Don Bosco had to be a man of God, a saintly soul, for his singular calm stemmed
either from an unshakable serenity and sweetness or from a certainty heavenly
inspired that he would surely be received.
Filled with reverence and admiration, I decided that nothing would keep him from
being received. When the time for audiences was over and those who had not been
received were leaving, I told Don Bosco to wait. Then I went to the cardinal and
earnestly begged him to grant him an audience, explaining how much he had
impressed me by his holiness. The cardinal consented, and Don Bosco was well
received. As he was leaving, I could see that he had been given a favorable
audience, and I detained him, asking him to tell me something about himself. He
amiably obliged, telling me about his Congregation, quite unknown to me, and about
his cooperators, among whom he gladly enrolled me.
I recall another detail. When Don Bosco took his leave of me and walked through
the entrance hall, he gave a gratuity to the cardinal's servants, who gladly accepted
it. I believe that this was the way he wanted to repay them for having to wait beyond
the regular closing time. This gesture too, with such delicate thoughtfulness of
others, revealed the man of God in him.4

4 Letter from Father Raphael of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, C.P., La Spezia (Bugnato), December
1, 1924, Bollettino Salesian°, February 1925, p. 26. [Author]
50 THE BIOGRAPHICAL. MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Ecclesiastics and lay persons vied for his rare free moments at his lodgings
at Tor de' Specchi. The nobility also visited him and invited him respectfully
to their palaces. Count Charles Conestabile and Marquis [Angelo] Vitelleschi
both went to visit him, and from them he learned that the Pope had spoken
with genuine enthusiasm about him. Prince Gabrielli, who called while Don
Bosco was at table, would not let anyone disturb him but left his visiting card
with a note that he would return a half hour later, as he did. At the home of
Duchess Salviati, who was anxious to speak to him, Don Bosco spent three
hours; Marquis Patrizi was present to talk with him.
Don Bosco met also with cabinet ministers and high government officials.
We know of only one matter discussed in these circles. A threat which, if
carried out, would close the secondary school [at the Oratory] had been
hanging over him for the last five months. It was a very grave situation, of
which only the first phase was then unfolding. We shall describe it in detail in
two distinct chapters.
Though caught up in the midst of these many trying situations, Don
Bosco never forgot the needs of the Oratory. He tried to scrape a little
money together for Father Rua, who was in need. At one time he sent
twelve hundred and fifty lire, at another nineteen hundred lire, and six
hundred lire a third time. One day he said to Father Bonetti: 5 "Tomorrow or
the next day we shall receive word that money is pouring into Father Rua's
purse." When the prediction came true Father Bonetti asked him how he
had known it. "Yesterday, when I told you that," he answered, "I seemed,to
see white wine being poured into Father Rua's glass, and assumed that he
must be celebrating his joy in the help he had received." Apparently a
donation of five thousand lire had been sent in by an anonymous donor.
While in Rome, Don Bosco liberally disposed of lottery tickets to provide
for the Oratory's needs. He advertised the lottery in a circular dated March 7,
1879, addressed to Salesian cooperators.6
Membership in the Association of Salesian Cooperators in Rome, though
already large, grew considerably after the conference of 1878, and kept
growing every day, thanks to Don Bosco's

5
Letter to Father Rua, March 10 1879. [Author] EThis sentence is
a condensation. [Editor]
Four Weeks in Rome 51

propagandizing efforts. On March 177 he held a conference prescribed for the

feast of St. Francis de Sales in the church of the Noble Oblates at Tor de'
Specchi. Cardinal Vicar Monaco La Valletta presided over the meeting, which
was remarkable for its attendance and the high standing of the participants.
Don Bosco related the Salesian Congregation's achievements over the past
year, with the help of God and the support of cooperators, particularly those
benefiting poor, homeless boys of Italy, France, and South America. When
speaking of these houses in Italy, he singled out those opened in localities
threatened by Protestant influence, especially the day school and night classes
at La Spezia, which were due to the generosity of Pius IX and his successor.
Some two hundred boys had been rescued there from Protestant influence. He
was asked by many of those present why he had not founded a technical
school also in Rome. In reply he stated that some one hundred boys from
Rome and its suburbs were already being taken care of at the Oratory in Turin
or in other hospices, and that he too was anxious, as was everyone else, to do
something for Rome. He hoped to succeed in this with the help of God and of
the cooperators. Then the cardinal vicar spoke, confirming Don Bosco's words
about the need of founding a house in Rome for poor boys. He went on to
describe how recent events had wrought havoc among the charitable
institutions of Rome, and he urged the cooperators to support new endeavors
which necessity made imperative, especially in view of everyone's bounden
duty to take a stand against Protestant influence. In the very heart of
Catholicism every possible means of offering material assistance was being
used in order to destroy the soul, as Pope St. Sylvester had once deplored in
regard to certain foreigners.
This time toe some steps were taken to open a house in Rome, a very strong
wish of the cardinal vicar. When Don Bosco called on him one day, he bade
him sit at his right, saying affably: "Don Bosco, I want you to sit at my right.
That is highly significant. Do you understand? I want you to be my right-hand
man at all times." Cardinal [Louis] Oreglia too was pressing Don Bosco,
arguing that
7
Father Bonetti was also present and sets the date as March 18 (Bollettino Salesiano, April 1879), but
Father Berto's diary leaves no room for doubt. [Author]
8
0ther attempts had already been made in 1877. See Vol. XIII, pp. 105f, 502-506. [Editor]
52 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the Salesians would be far more esteemed if they had a house in Rome.
Archbishop [Ludwig] Jacobini, secretary of briefs, and Chevalier [Adolph]
Silenzi, president of St. Peter's Club, both suggested a building owned by
the Augustinian nuns near the Basilica of the Santi Quattro Coronati. Don
Bosco checked out the premises and found everything in excellent
condition. He could house five hundred youngsters there at a yearly rental of
three thousand lire. He gladly accepted a dinner invitation from Chevalier
Carosio, a Piedmontese, who was a councilor of the prefecture, so as to have
some idea how he could circumvent bureaucratic red tape. This official had
already promised him full support in this endeavor; in fact he himself had
introduced him to the prefect as a first move in preparing the way for further
negotiations. They readily came to an understanding, but as for the actual
negotiations, nothing concrete ever came out of them, as we have elsewhere
already explained.9 Had any firm financial guarantee followed upon the
generous verbal offers made to him, Don Bosco would never have left Rome
without a positive start of negotiations.' °
A second splendid proposal was made to him: Prince Gabrielli offered him
nothing less than St. Michael's Hospice, of which he was chairman. This vast
charitable institution, which had been founded by Popes and expropriated by
the Italian government, was going from bad to worse. 11 The moral tone left
much to be desired and two-thirds of its income ended up in the pockets of
officials. As usual, Don Bosco agreed on principle, but first and foremost laid
down three preliminary conditions: absolute freedom of action in

9lbid., pp. 504-506. [Editor]

1°We may infer this on the basis of Don Bosco's manner of speaking on April 16 when briefing the
members of the superior chapter about unsuccessful attempts. [Author]
"Ile liberal scandal sheet Dovere of May 10, 1879 described the conditions of this lay-administered
hospice as follows: "In the boys' arts and trades section imorality is rampant and breaks out into unheard-
of perversions. There are frequent robberies at night, thanks to picklocks and false keys. Recently three
cases of these criminal tools were found—clear evidence of the evil tendencies and pastimes in which the
pupils indulge. Again and again dishes and food are hurled in protest across the cafeteria, down the stairs,
and even into the offices of the board of directors. Furthermore, all this was accompanied by wanton and
malicious vandalizing of doors and walls. For five consecutive days also, a fierce riot broke out with rock
throwing and the smashing of over twenty large stone slabs." Further on, the newspaper deplored the
administration of a certain Lovatelli, the director, who succeeded in "destroying, discrediting and
undermining such an old and respected institute." [Author]
Four Weeks in Rome 53

everything pertaining to internal discipline; dismissal of all personnel and

families which had somehow managed to install themselves on the premises;
a free hand over two-thirds of the revenue. With the best of intentions the
prince told Don Bosco that he would summon the board immediately and
give him an answer should a decision be made. Meanwhile Don Bosco asked
Turin to send him a copy of the Oratory house rules When a month went by
and the members of the board were still talking, it was fairly obvious that the
prince's good will would not prevail. No answer came.
In the meantime Don Bosco was completing a report on the spiritual and
material conditions of the Salesian Society to be sent to the Holy See. We
pass over it now and will return to it later.
Not content with this general report to the Holy See, he submitted two
further reports to the cardinal secretary of state with the avowed purpose of
obtaining a subsidy. The first listed all the Salesians' efforts to counteract
Protestant intrigues, especially in Turin, La Spezia and Vallecrosia, stating
that if they were to strengthen and develop the good work they had begun,
they needed appreciable financial and moral assistance, since in all three cities
they had to set up churches and hospices. The bishops of Italy were at that
time sorely distressed by Protestant propaganda. Liberal laws had let loose a
horde of Protestant propagandists who operated with no restraint whatever. It
is no small matter that among the works of charity entrusted by his rule to the
Salesian Society, Don Bosco listed counteraction against heresy, for he saw
all too plainly in how many ways the Protestants sought to influence the
simple and the ignorant. The tide of Protestantism rushed upon the city of the
Popes through the breach made at Porta Pia' 2 and reached out far and wide.
The Protestants fell just short of setting themselves up in the Church of the
Spaniards in Piazza Navona only because the Belgian Missionaries of the
Sacred Heart fortunately intervened in time. At the Salesian cooperators'
conference, the cardinal vicar commented: "These enemies of the faith of
Jesus Christ have not only built churches and opened schools of error here,
but charitable institutions as well, and they use every possible deceit to make
converts, especially among the

12 Italian troops entered Rome through this gate on September 20, 1870. [Editor]
54 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

lower classes, among inexperienced, underprivileged youth." Publicizing

what the Salesians had already accomplished in this field helped to confirm
the urgency of calling upon them to exercise the same zeal in Rome.
In his second report, Don Bosco stressed the needs of the South American
missions, pointing out that the Sons of Mary Program which he had founded
at Sampierdarenai3 offered an abundant source of [adult] vocations for the
missions. Here too he requested donations of sacred vestments, books and
money. He had already mentioned the South American missions in his first
audience with Cardinal Nina. "The Holy Father knows you are in Rome," the
cardinal remarked. "When I see him tomorrow morning, I'll tell him what you
have said to me. Meanwhile, go to Cardinal Simeoni, the prefect of
Propaganda," and tell him in my name to take up this matter with me so we
can see how we can help your missions." Don Bosco discussed the matter
with the prefect of Propaganda on the evening of March 8 for more than an
hour and a half. He also conferred twice with one of the clerks, Monsignor
Zitelli, but we do not know the outcome of these talks. Always with this same
intent, Don Bosco addressed a petition to the Holy Father, describing the
Oratory in Turin and the hospice at Sampierdarena as seminaries for the
foreign missions, asking for a favorable recommendation to the prefects of the
sacred congregations concerned.
He also addressed three other petitions for spiritual favors to the Holy
Father. In the first he asked that Salesian priests approved for confessions by a
diocese might be assigned as confessors of students and residents of Salesian
houses by their respective directors, and that these same priests, when
traveling in missionary territories either on land or at sea, might also be
allowed to hear the confessions of the faithful. The second petition requested
that indulgences and other spiritual benefits granted by Pius IX on May 9,
1876 be extended to residents of Salesian houses and to the Salesian
cooperators. In the third he again raised the question of privileges, asking that
the two which had been already granted by Pius IX on April 21, 1876—
namely that covering confessions and

13 See the Index of Volume XII under "Sons of Mary." [Editor]

"The Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, now known as the Sacred Congregation
for the Evangelization of Peoples. [Editor]
Four Weeks in Rome 55

that of ordinations extra tempora [outside the appointed time]—be renewed.

He left this last petition with Attorney [Constantine] Leonori when he left
Rome.
He also petitioned the Pope for honorary titles for four distinguished
benefactors whom he wished to acknowledge publicly in token of his
gratitude. They were Monsignor Jules Rostand, Canon [Clement] Guiol,
Baron Aime Heraud, and Signor Benedetto Pela of Este. Three of the titles
were granted, as were the indulgences and spiritual favors requested in the
second petition.15
We do not know the outcome of the other petitions. We should bear in
mind, however, that Don Bosco did not aim such petitions exclusively or
even mainly at obtaining favors or benefits. He used these means simply
because they were the easiest and most natural to draw the attention of the
Pope and the Roman Congregations to his work and thus to strengthen his
Society and counteract erroneous reports. This explains why he inserted into
his petitions detailed information which at first glance would seem irrelevant.
Don Bosco had but one audience with the Pope, and then he had to wait until
March 20, since papal audiences had been suspended for two weeks and of
some five hundred applications only four were said to have been granted.16 His
name had also been on the waiting list from March 8, when he wrote to
Monsignor Macchi. Anxious for this audience and planning to go to Magliano
and then leave for home, he appealed on March 20 to Monsignor [Gabriel]
Boccali, the Pope's private chamberlain, begging him to get him a few
moments' audience. This prelate, born in Perugia, was a confidant of the Pope
and had met Don Bosco the previous year.17 He replied almost immediately
that Don Bosco was to report that same afternoon at 3:15 to the Pope's
antechamber. Don Bosco complied. Punctually the Pope appeared, alone,
wearing his red cloak and hat for his daily walk. Don Bosco, who was waiting
for him in the throne room, saw that the Holy Father was listening to him with
pleasure. He asked that the Pope's secretary of state be cardinal protector of the
Salesian Congregation, and the Pope replied that this had already been done.
Don Bosco spoke about his South

"This paragraph is a condensation. [Editor]

"Letter from Father Bonetti to Father Rua, Rome, March 21, 1879. [Author] -"See Vol. XIII, p.
532. [Editor]
56 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

American missions and requested papal blessings. He mentioned other

matters too, but only Father Bonetti and Father Berto, who were standing at
some distance away, knew about this. Leisurely Don Bosco moved with the
Holy Father toward the litter which was waiting to take him to the Vatican
gardens for his walk. The Pope's manner of reception, as well as his far from
usual friendliness, confirmed what he had already heard from several prelates
about the Pope's favorable attitude toward him. Though he had no other
private audience, he did again confer often and at length with the secretary of
state and with other heads of the Sacred Roman Congregations—about what
other matters it was never known, and we may probably never know, at least
in their entirety.
Six days after his audience with the Pope, Don Bosco was officially
informed that his cardinal protector had been appointed in a communication
from the secretariat of state, signed by Monsignor Seraphim Cretoni, and
couched in words of praise: "The Salesian Congregation daily merits greater
thoughtful consideration from the Holy See because of its works of mercy and
its accomplishments in evangelizing various areas of the world. It is the Holy
Father's wish that it be granted a special protector, and he has graciously
appointed Cardinal Lawrence Nina, his secretary of state." At the time of Pius
IX, Cardinal [Louis] Oreglia had been the nominal protector of the Salesians
since that Pope had taken the Salesian Congregation under his personal
protection because at its origins it needed his special fatherly assistance. Now
it had a true cardinal protector as did the other religious congregations. Nor
could his choice have fallen on a more benevolent prelate, for, having known
Don Bosco before he became cardinal, the secretary of state had a lofty
admiration and a warm love for him, having declared himself more than
willing when Don Bosco had first asked him to be the Salesians' protector. "I
could not volunteer for this to the Holy Father on my own," he told Don
Bosco, "but if he asks, I shall accept immediately." He gave eloquent proof of
his good intentions when Don Bosco proposed that, in view of His Eminence's
responsibilities, he might appoint an official of his with whom Don Bosco
could deal in matters concerning the foreign missions. "No," the cardinal
replied, "I want to handle this myself. Come tomorrow at half past four so we
can discuss this at greater ease. It is a wonder that your Congregation can
thrive in such times as these, while
Four Weeks in Rome 57

others fall to pieces and everything is threatened."

Don Bosco frequently experienced the benefits of such a loving
patronage.16 After he returned to Turin and told the superior chapter that the
Pope had appointed a protector, he wrote a letter of thanks to the cardinal on
behalf of the entire Congregation, paying him a most cordial tribute and
soliciting his help for the Salesian missions and perhaps also for the granting
of privileges. This seems to be brought out by His Eminence's reply dated
April 29, 1879. Among other things, he stated: "I did not fail to represent you
without delay to the Holy Father in the matter you requested, and I am glad to
assure you that he received it very favorably." 19
We have so far made no reference to Don Bosco's health. It seems to have
been fairly good, except for his eyesight, concerning which we find some
indications in his two secretaries' correspondence with Father Rua. On March
2 Father Bonetti wrote, "We arrived safely yesterday; Don Bosco is well, and
there is no worsening of his eye condition. Could this last until the end of the
century, it would be a bountiful favor. You little saints of the Oratory have to
obtain it from Mary, Help of Christians." On March 7 Father Berto stated,
"Our dear Don Bosco's eyesight still leaves much to be desired. Pray and ask
others to pray." Two days later he added, "Yesterday and today his eyesight
has been better. He did some wRiking, no more than that. Obviously, his best
cure would be to get away, and that he cannot do." That same day his
chronicle states, "Sunday, feast of St. Francis. Mass at the Oblates' church at
Tor de' Specchi. Cardinals Bilio and d'Avan7o were present. We stayed
indoors all day. Toward evening we took a walk, reaching the foot of the
Campidoglio just as the Angelus was

isCardinal Lawrence Nina was born at Recanati May 12, 1812, and died in Rome on July 27, 1885.
The son of a notary, he studied in Rome, where he was ordained in 1845 and where for many years he
served as a non-certified attorney. Later he became assistant secretary to the Congregation of the
Council, dean of the chapter of St. Mary Major, and canon of St. Peter's. Pius IX appointed him assessor
to the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office and prefect of studies in the lyceum of St. Apollinaris. In
1869 he became a member of the preparatory committee for the Vatican Council, and on March 12,
1877 he was created cardinal and appointed administrator of the Sacred Congregation for the
Propagation of the Faith and of the funds raised through Peter's Pence. After the death of Cardinal
Franchi (on the night between July 31 and August 1, 1878) Leo XIII appointed him secretary of state. In
1880 he was replaced by Cardinal Jacobini and retained only the office of prefect of the Apostolic
Palaces. [Author]
I gExcerpt from Cardinal Nina's letter. [Editor)
58 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

ringing.20 The sky was clear, and after strolling around the Campidolglio we
returned home." Don Bosco's lodgings,21
recently demolished, faced directly the convent of the Oblates of St. Frances
of Rome near the slope of the Campidoglio, not very far
from the spot where the Rarpeian Rock juts out. On March 10,
Father Bonetti wrote, "Don Bosco is fairly well; his eyes have been
somewhat better these last two evenings. Tell the boys to make the
novena to St. Joseph devoutly that our dear Don Bosco's eyesight
may be preserved and that the spiritual eyes of a few unfortunate persons
may be opened. Poor Don Bosco keeps praying for them
and keeps also recommending them to their good companions'
prayers. We may ask whether these poor lads are students or artisans. Don
Bosco has seen a few from each group." Finally on
March 24 Father Berto wrote, "Don Bosco feels quite well, but his
eyes are not getting better. We must pray and keep praying. Tell this to the
boys." Don Bosco's eye affliction pained his friends. On
March 18 Osservatore Romano translated a long article from
Semaine Liturgique on Don Bosco. Among other things, it stated: "The
admirable Don Bosco, whose health has always been frail, is
now in danger of [completely] losing his eyesight; one eye is
already unseeing, and the other is clouding up. This good priest keeps saying,
'I feel that I will soon be called to render an account
to God. I would like to give some last touches to the Salesian Congregation.'
Meanwhile, he continues to work with the enthusiasm of twenty years ago."
A visit of Don Bosco to our seminary at Magliano was advisable, if not
actually needed. Arguments stemming from misunderstandings
made life difficult for Father [Joseph] Daghero, who went to Rome with
three board directors of the seminary. A conference with Cardinal Bilio, at
which Don Bosco was present, cleared the air, and his visit to Magliano set
things right. He left in the afternoon of March 24 with Father Bonetti and
Father Berto, arriving at Magliano at one in the morning. Some forty
seminarians and boarding students were waiting for him at the station at
Borghetto. Father [Peter] Guidazio, who had come purposely from Montefi-

2°At Angelus time, the ringing of the bells from the top of the capitol fills the air with
mystic harmonies, flooding the soul with tender emotions. [Author] "See Vol. XIII, pp.
36DE [Editor]
Four Weeks in Rome 59

ascone, was also there. Don Bosco spent the entire day visiting friends in
town and stayed indoors throughout March 26 so as to give the confreres a
chance to talk with him. The following clay he returned to Rome with Father
Berto, leaving Father Bonetti behind. In Rome all he had to do was hastily
wind up some business and pack his bags.
This time he did not visit Albano but made up for it in a most satisfactory
manner, as Father [Francis] Piccollo22 tells us in a report from which we now
glean this colorful episode.

During my last year at Ariccia, the confreres at Albano and those of us who lived
in a little house nearby received a wonderful happy surprise. Father [Joseph]
Monateri got a letter from Don Bosco saying that he was in Rome and wanted his
sons of both houses to go to Rome as soon as possible so that he could visit with
them. Can you imagine how thrilled we were? The first free day we had we set out
for Rome in several train coaches. We were bursting with rare joy, and our hearts
were throbbing when we arrived at the modest apartment of Tor de' Speechi,
knowing that we were close to the longed-for moment when we would see and
welcome our dearest father again. When we entered his room, we saw him smiling,
looking almost rejuvenated by his pleasure at seeing us. We spent the full day with
him as he listened to us all and gave us whatever advice he thought was useful. At the
simple lunch we ate with him we had the feeling that we were in heavenly bliss.
Smiling, he spoke to each one of us in turn. Never had I ever seen him so cheerful.
After dinner he told Father John Rinaldi to send a gift to Cardinal Nina, who was then
our protector, and I was chosen to accompany him. It was a very modest gift: a bottle
of wine eighty years old. The cardinal accepted it with open pleasure, detecting
behind the actual gift itself Don Bosco's heart, and he asked us to convey his thanks.
When evening came, Don Bosco repeated his counsels, added encouraging words
and blessed us. On our part, we felt that the joy which had flooded us all day was
fading away because we had to leave him, and we deeply felt the separation. I must
admit that while he was blessing us he too grieved that he had to say good-bye.23

"See Appendix 1. [Editor]

23Under that day's date we read in Father Berto's diary: "March 23, Fourth Sunday of Lent. Mass at Tor

de' Specchi. Seven people—priests, clerics and laymen—came from Albano and Ariccia to see Don Bosco
and also stayed for dinner. Then Don Bosco went back to the Pope's secretary of state with Father [John]
Rinaldi; he also called on Archbishop [John Baptist] Bianchi, secretary to the Congregation of Bishops
and Regulars, and again on the cardinal secretary of state, who agreed to become the protector of the
Salesian Congregation. Finally, Don Bosco met with Monsignor Boccali and brought him a
60 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

We have three letters from Rome signed by Don Bosco, all dictated to his
secretaries because of his poor eyesight. The first one was addressed to
Canon [Clement] Guiol, the second to Chevalier Charles Fava, an old friend
and benefactor. The third letter was one of thanks and counsel to Father
[John] Marenco and the students of Lucca. We also have a letter, probably
dating from 1879, which seems to have been drafted in French by Count
Cays and addressed to the superior general of the Carthusian grand
monastery at Grenoble.24
After a papal audience Don Bosco would usually have his secretary write a
personal notification to distinguished benefactors of the special blessing he
had obtained for them from the Holy Father, and he would sign it. He did
not have to state every name, since the Pope gave his blessing to all whom
the petitioner had in mind. Don Bosco did the same on this occasion. Our
files contain replies indicating the sincere delight of the persons to whom
this communication had been sent.

bottle dating back to about the year 1800. He delivered three memoranda to the cardinal secretary of
state—one on our South American missions, another on our European missions in their struggle against
Protestant influence, and finally a petition for some privileges.
"When he came home, he blessed the confreres from Albano and Ariccia, and then with the cleric
Varvello he went to dine at about eight o'clock at the home of Chevalier Carosio, underprefect of Rome.
Chevalier Gilardini, official reporter to the Council of State, was to have been there also, but could not
come. This enabled Chevalier Carosio to speak more freely with Don Bosco about the plans for opening
a Salesian house in Rome. This gentleman is Piedmontese; perhaps he comes from somewhere near
Ovada."
Father Berto remarks that Don Bosco "again called on the secretary of state" because he had been with
him only the day before, besides several other times. He sent the gift to the cardinal after his visit in the
morning through Father Rinaldi since he was already known to His Eminence; he personally handed the
gift to Monsignor Boccali. These were Don Bosco's usual ways to express his gratitude. On this occasion
he wanted to thank the cardinal for accepting the position of protector and to the monsignor for having
obtained a papal audience for him. Those bottles of old and choice wine had been sent to him by noble
families of Turin for his own health, but he turned them to other purposes. [Author]
24
Tlais paragraph is a condensation. [Editor]
 CHAPTER 4

First Steps Toward Closing the Oratory's

Secondary School

T HROUGHOUT the long, shameful campaign being waged

against the Oratory School, the government officials acted more or less
knowingly as tools of the [Protestant] sects. Once the ruling power passed
into the hands of the parliamentary left wing, it multiplied its sneaky attacks
on the ever increasing numbers of private schools being opened and directed
by the priests and religious. We shall probably keep returning to this theme
again and again, but here we will restrict ourselves to events which
threatened our motherhouse. Therefore, delaying our account of Don Bosco's
return to Turin, we will relate the first sallies directed against the secondary
school at Valdocco and Don Bosco's defensive reaction during his stay in
Rome.
The first decree, signaling the opening salvo, was dated October 10, 1878,
and came from the provincial school board, warning Don Bosco that his
teachers had to be properly certified to teach their classes and threatening
severe measures, not excluding the shutdown of his school, should he not
comply with the law. It also demanded that a list of teachers for the school
year 1878-79, specifying each one's qualifications, be sent to the provincial
superintendent of schools.
Don Bosco ignored this injunction; the reason was that he was trying to
obtain a three-year period of grace from the Department of Public Education,
during which uncertified teachers might still be allowed to teach the Oratory
classes. To this end he petitioned Minister [Michael] Coppino with the
following letter:
62 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Turin, November 1, 1878

Your Excellency:
Your obvious dedication in fostering and supporting schools for the children of the
poor has encouraged me to plead for an outstanding favor. I place my hopes solely
on your well-known clemency and power. It will benefit the Oratory of St. Francis de
Sales in Turin, which has accepted several hundreds of poor boys, sent by various
government departments, and trains them in arts and trades or in academic subjects,
thus preparing them to earn an honest living in later life. The Oratory has no steady
income but relies solely on God's providence. Hence, the education department has
always shown us consideration, looking upon our school as a type of family
institution—as it truly is—and has never raised any difficulties with teacher
certification. Now, however, the provincial superintendent of schools has notified me
that all our teachers must hold personal certification in each subject.
This would spell disaster for these poor boys, many of whom, well talented, would
never be able to achieve honorable positions in business, the military, or the
teaching profession.
In this my grave need I appeal to your Excellency that you graciously allow our
present teachers, all well experienced, to be authorized to continue their free
services in their respective classes for at least three years. During that time, these
same teachers will have reached the required age to take the state examinations and
obtain the needed certification.
I request this favor in the name of my underprivileged boys and ask God to
brighten all of your days with happiness.
Deeply gratefuly, I am honored to remain,
Fr. John Bosco

A note written originally by Don Bosco, but copied and signed by

Father Durando, was attached to the petition. It stated:

As dean of studies in this hospice, the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, I knowingly
and freely declare that the following teachers (here followed their names and
respective classes) have taught their classes diligently, with notable profit to their
pupils, and have given unquestionable proof of their ability and skill in their
respective areas. I attest to their self-sacrifice in teaching the poor youngsters of this
school without salary. I also appeal to His Excellency the Minister of Public
Education that he graciously allow these teachers to keep their positions in their
respective classes as they have done for so many years, etc. Rev. [Celestine]
Durando_
First Steps Toward Closing the Oratory's Secondary School 63

Unwilling to leave any stone unturned in his efforts to avert this

disaster, Don Bosco also appealed to a Jewish friend of his who was
general secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Chevalier [James]
Malvano.

Turin, October 19, 1878

Dear Sir:
I am truly in need of your help. I have filed a petition with the Minister of Public
Education, asking that the school in this hospice for poor boys be regarded as "a
charity school conducted by the children's wards" and therefore not be required to
employ legally certified teachers. My petition will come up possibly on Monday or
Tuesday. I have requested that our present teachers be given temporary authorization
or that they be allowed to take the state examination with a waiver of age
requirement as required by law.
A word of yours on my behalf will help very much, especially since the minister
is new in his office and may not be aware that our school is a true orphanage and
that the greater part of our pupils have been sent to us by the state.
I rely on your goodness, my dear sir, and let this be a further debt of gratitude we
owe you.
Please accept the regards of Professor Pechenino and Professor Durando, both of
whom are with me now and ask to be remembered to you.
God grant you good health and a life of happiness! With heartfelt thanks,
Most gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

The Minister of Public Education instructed the prefect [of the province of
Turin] to express his regrets to Don Bosco that, as on a previous oc casion, no
exception could be made to the common law and that the provincial school
board's decision was to be implemented in every detail. The prefect followed
orders and also, on his own, requested Don Bosco promptly to send him a list
of the teachers and their certifications, warning him that legal sanctions
would follow should he not comply with the request. On November 15, Don
Bosco sent in the names of Father Rua, Father Durando, Father Bonetti,
Father Bertello, and Father Pechenino. To the list of th ese certified teachers
he added the names of teachers' aides in
64 ME, BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

each class who had not yet received certification. A man of bold initiative
himself, Don Bosco apparently hoped thus to win implicit
approval of the teachers' aides. He always had in view that the
Oratory should be regarded as a family institution. Two weeks later,
[Joachim] Rho, the provincial superintendent, came unexpect-
edly to conduct an inspection of the Oratory school and its premises with the
school superintendent of Novara. Two of the certified teachers who were in
that day barely managed to rush into their classrooms; all the other classes
were covered by teachers' aides. The superintendent made no attempt to hide
his dissatisfaction on leaving, but, having been a fellow student of Don
Bosco,' it was hoped that no drastic measures would be taken because of their
friendship. However, it was commonly known that he looked askance at
Salesian institutions, though he was equally capable of usually wearing a
smiling countenance to cover up his real intentions. The surprise inspection
had expressly been ordered by Turin's school board to ascertain whether the
teachers were really certified and whether the people on the list did in fact
make up the teaching staff. The superintendent's report was devastating. In
consequence, the school board stiffened its demands, threatening severe
penalities if matters were not all put right before January 30, 1879. Very
shortly after this warning, Don Bosco received another official memo, this
time a request in the prefect's name, to take a poor boy into the Oratory.
A second inspection on March 7, also conducted by the superintendent,
was even more disastrous, so that Don Bosco was forced to take vigorous
countermeasures himself. A reliable source had assured him of two
particulars very important to him: the communication of the Minister of
Public Education to Turin's
superintendent had called for compliance with the law, but had not urged
severe sanctions; evidently, then, the initiative had not been
taken by Rome but by Turin's local authorities, citing disciplinary
measures prescribed at a higher level. This information made it easier for
Don Bosco to act. When pressured by the [local]
authorities, he bypassed them and carried the issue directly to the top. On
March 15 he wrote for an audience with Premier [Augustine] Depretis, and
was answered by the cabinet director,

'He had first met Don Bosco in 1840. See Vol. I, p. 373. [Editor]
First Steps Toward Closing the Oratory's Secondary School 65

Baron Celesia of Vegliasco, that His Excellency would receive him that same
afternoon at two at the Department of the Interior. Don Bosco arrived
punctually but had to wait a half hour for the minister to appear. When he
did, Don Bosco stood up, and the minister, doffing his hat, immediately
ushered him into his office. They opened their discussion by recalling their
meeting at Lanzo2 and then spoke for forty-five minutes. Don Bosco first told
him about the [Salesian] missions, and the minister expressed his wish to
extend his support. Then Don Bosco broached the hot topic of his visit,
alluding vaguely to obstacles thrown up in his path, whereupon the minister
remarked that, since public opinion was now on his side, he had nothing to
fear. Don Bosco replied by recalling the "fickle crowd" of Sallust and then
launched into his topic. Depretis was sympathetic and promised to
recommend his school to the Minister of Public Education. The sailing was
smooth enough and so Don Bosco made a further move. With the help of his
friend, Mr. Ferdinand Fiore, an employee of the Department of the Interior,
he drew up a memorandum for the premier, so that he might have at hand all
that he needed to justify his approval of Don Bosco's request to have
uncertified instructors teach at the Oratory school. Don Bosco summed up
the matter to him as follows:
MEMORANDUM
Our aim is to come to the aid of an institution which strives to improve the lot of
society's most needy group—our morally endangered youth. Bearing in mind that
this hospice, the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales in Turin:
1. has always been regarded by state and municipal authorities as a
charitable institution, being declared such by both the senate of the realm
and the Chamber of Deputies;
2. has time and again come to the public aid by sheltering homeless boys and
has consequently won the continued favor, commendation, and financial support
of the aforesaid authorities;
3. has been exempted by the school authorities for over thirty-six years from the
requirement of having certified teachers in its secondary school classes;
4. would run into prohibitive expense of paying teachers because it has no
income of any kind, and the financial burden would gravely harm its pupils, whose
numbers would have to be cut down if it is to survive;
2
See Vol. XII, pp. 301ff. [Editor)
66 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

5. [also bearing in mind] that the present Department of Public Education,

willing to continue the support enjoyed by the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales
under previous cabinets, is now being requested to recognize this institution, as
it has already been, as a charitable home or family in which the Reverend John
Bosco is considered a father to the youngsters he has charitably taken in;
6. that it is our intent to lend a kindly interpretation to the laws on public
instruction, so as to have them benefit rather than harm the most needy class
of society;
7. that it is our desire, finally, to cooperate with and to support obligatory
education for the poorest underprivileged classes of society:
We authorize Father John Bosco to impart personally or through others a
secondary education to the poor boys of his charitable institutions without being
obliged to have certified teachers in the classes.

This petition was to be accompanied by a covering letter3 which was

meant to serve as both a presentation and a timely reminder.
However, the premier did. not think it wise to go along with this memo,
feeling that he might more effectively act unofficially. He added in a friendly
manner: "Whenever you wish to see me, you don't have to request an
audience. Just come and have yourself announced. I would like to have us act
like friends. Tell me the next time you are sending a band of missionaries so
that the government may help at least by financing their transportation." He
also asked Don Bosco to mention several things to the Pope, which Don
Bosco promised to do. While leaving the Braschi palace where the
Department of the Interior was then located, he happened to pass by a group
of deputies. One of them greeted him in Piedmontese. Just before that, Father
Berto had overheard a loud remark in one of the corridors: "He looks like a
saint."
Mr. Fiore had singled out a certain "grim Commendatore
Barberis," director general of secondary schools, as a man of very great
influence in that department. However, characterized as a
dyed-in-the-wool autocrat, he was loftily distant and deaf to all
suggestions. Don Bosco had gone to school with him, and so, trusting in this
former association, he went to see him. He was
quickly ushered into the office and remained there some two hours. Since we
are mainly writing for our confreres who are familiar with

3 0mitted in this edition. [Editor]

First Steps Toward Closing the Oratory's Secondary School 67

Don Bosco's way of describing all sorts of encounters, we shall not refrain
from reporting the focal point of his conversation in a lively dialogue of
question and answer. Father Berto and others heard it from his lips and
jotted it down for posterity.
Don Bosco began by addressing the Commendatore politely in the third
person, as did the latter with him, but once the ice was
broken the official inadvertently broke in with, "Let's put niceties aside.
You know very well we are old schoolmates. Let's just address each other
as friends do, so we can talk more trustfully. Understand that in my
position I speak without regard to persons."
"But you could really help me," Don Bosco interrupted. "There's the
law, my friend. That's the only thing I must consider.
"But you see that the right [is on my side]."
"The school board has taken a stand, and so the right is on their side."
"But do me a favor. See if you can bend the minister to less drastic
measures. . . ."
"I can't."
"Look, I am not here to make demands on you. I only beg you to help me,
to give me some advice."
"Obey the law. That's all I can say."
"Listen, I can handle a pen," Don Bosco said somewhat facetiously.
"History will tell how you treated a poor man whose only intent was to help
destitute, homeless youngsters."
"Write whatever you wish. Once I'm gone, I couldn't care less about what
others will say of me."
"Look, my dear Commendatore, you now hold this office, but not forever.
Your interpretation of the laws makes you odious, and when you will be out
of office people will curse your memory."
Barberis became quite thoughtful and then said, "But the law must be
upheld."
"True, but laws are also open to a kindly interpretation, not just to a harsh
one."
"Enough! You will never have anything to fear from me. It is Turin that is
yelling .. . the school board .. . they have sent us protests. . . . Get in touch
with the heads of that board." Then he told him how to keep within the law
and concluded: "Later on try to
68 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

see Minister [Michael] Coppino directly, or at least the secretary general,

Commendatore Bosio."
Certain remarks of the director general of secondary schools affirmed a
strong suspicion of Don Bosco. Every year at least some thirty Oratory pupils
used to report for state examinations, vying with pupils of the public school,
whom they often surpassed. Their success irritated some of the bigwigs and
stirred up envy, creating jealousy and resentment among people who could
not tolerate that public schools should cut such a sad figure when compared
with Don Bosco's schools. This was one reason for their hostility.
Following Barber-is' advice, Don Bosco called on Commendatore Bosio,
secretary general of the Department of Public Education, since any attempt to
approach Minister Coppino himself would have proved useless; past
experience had taught him that. Bosio was delighted to have Don Bosco visit
his office, for he was very anxious to meet him. He conferred with him for
two hours, giving Don Bosco some helpful advice concerning his teachers.
While Don Bosco was busy in Rome going up and down the stairs of
government buildings, the school superintendent of the providence of
Turin filed this report of his second visit to the Oratory school with the
provincial school board.

I found discipline and perfect order in all the classrooms, but as was foreseen, all
the classes, save the first year, were being taught by young Salesian clerics and
priests who, in the previous inspection, had been listed as teachers' aides for the
regular school staff. The fourth year teacher was definitely present on campus but
did not appear in his classroom until he learned that I was visiting the classes one
by one to see for myself who was really doing the teaching. A third teacher,
apparently warned of my visit, showed up all flustered after my inspection was
finished and his class was over.

The teacher who had "showed up all flustered" was Father Mark
Pechenino, noted for his Greek dictionaries and his highly praised Forme
verbali [Verbal Forms]. When he left the Oratory after that visit he
imprudently remarked to an acquaintance of his, whom he considered a
friend, "We tricked the superintendent this time!" It was this trivial Bost
which his gossipy friend rushed to repeat that enraged the grumpy official.
After studying the superintendent's report, the school board
First Steps Toward Closing the Oratory's Secondary School 69

decided to propose to the Department of Education the shutdown of the

secondary school of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales. Assuring himself
that no hostile campaign was being waged against his schools in Rome, Don
Bosco imitated the delaying tactics of Fabius Maximus and kept the
question open while playing for time. The school year was coming to an end
in the meantime. If his school was shut down, he had time to find some way
of opening it the next year.
We must mention that as this storm brewed in Turin a few honest voices
were raised in Don Bosco's defense, even in the liberal ranks. Attorney
Giustina, whose journalistic name was Ausonio Liberi (he was the editor of
the Cronaca dei Tribunali) published an article entitled Un po' di pieta . . . e
di giustizia [A Little Compassion . . . and a Little Justice] throbbing with
admiration for Don Bosco. It described him as an "upright citizen," a credit to
the city of Turin, before whom he bowed respectfully "not as a priest, but as
the angel of public concern, the apostle of Christ." He appealed to the media
and added: "Let's not make this a party issue. Before the public welfare all
factions must disappear. Let there be only a united front of volunteers who
are intent on working in the public interest and are concerned with public
mores." It's too bad that this Mr. Giustina was not always so fair-minded.
Regardless of all these anxious cares which swelled the tide of his other
problems in Rome, Don Bosco calmly remarked that this too would
somehow be settled. "He has the serenity of a saint!" remarked Father
Bonetti when writing of these matters to Turin.4

4
Letter to Father Rua, Rome, March 10, 1879. [Author]
 CHAPTER 5 Return Trip

to Turin

E would find it hard to understand how Don Bosco could calmly

absent himself from the Oratory for months at a time, were it not that he left a
man there who did much and did it unobtrusively—the providential Father
Rua. He was Don Bosco's masterly creation as well as a kindred helper whom
God Himself had given him, lest his mission be hindered in any way from its
achievement. Without being repetitious, we call the reader's attention to one
item. The report to the Holy See, already cited,' on which we shall soon dwell,
merely touches upon the financial situation [of the Congregation]. "We have
debts," it reads, "but also some property whose sale will settle them." Quite
true! There was, for one, the highly priced estate bequeathed to Don Bosco by
Baron Bianco of Barbania. The trouble was that no sale had as yet been made,
nor was there any satisfactory prospect in sight. In the meantime the financial
situation kept worsening. Father Rua did not conceal from his closest friends
that the Congregation had never before found itself in such a tight situation.
The lottery brought in daily returns, so that Don Bosco decided to keep it
going until it netted a hundred thousand lire, but this daily trickle of funds
could at best momentarily plug a few of the many holes. In such straitened
circumstances the economic pinch could have devalued the Oratory's credit
and lowered its spirit, eventually bringing about bankruptcy and the breakup
of the Congregation had it not been for the calm, capable control of a man like
Father Rua. Insiead, all went tranquilly about their duties, their thoughts with
the distant Don Bosco. Even those who best knew the true situation

'See p. 53. [Editor]

Return Trip to Turin 71

never realized how much credit was due to Father Rua for this calm
environment. While his prudence taught him to administer wisely, his virtue
led him unobtrusively to the quiet accomplishment of his desired goals.
Don Bosco was always very anxious not to be absent from the Oratory
during Holy Week which was now at hand, but the route he planned for his
return was rather long. He left Rome for Florence [with Father Berto] on the
morning of March 28, being met at the railroad station of Orte by Father
Bonetti, who had remained behind at Magliano. The Tuscan capital had its
citizens whose names merit a place in the annals of the Salesian cooperators:
people like Nerli, Uguccioni and the lesser known Dominican Father Verda
who staunchly promoted Letture Cattoliche and Italian Classics for the
Young .2 Don Bosco and his two traveling companions were guests of
Marchioness Nerli, who sent her coach for them. He comforted the pious,
ailing Marchioness Uguccioni by his visit, celebrating Mass in her own
private chapel and speaking with her of spiritual matters. He also offered
Mass in the convent of St. Mary of the Angels, where the body of St. Mary
Magdalen de' Pazzi is preserved, and after Mass he said a few uplifting
words to the sisters living there who had been dispossessed of their goods by
the sects. At the Nerlis, many people called on him, among them Countess
Digny. Without delay he paid his respects to Archbishop [Eugene] Cecconi,
who cordially welcomed him, saying, "I entrust you with opening a home
for poor boys here in Florence. Just tell me what you expect of me and I
shall do as you say." Negotiations were thus opened for a Salesian hospice
of that city.
In Florence he finally found time to pen a letter to Canon Guiol, who had
sent him while in Rome a brief pamphlet on Don Bosco and his
Congregation put together by his assistant, Father Louis Mendre.3
Florence, March 29, 1879
Dear Father:
I received Father Mendre's paper, a classic in its genre. Its lavish praise
2See Vol. IX, pp. 51, 195f, 391f. [Editor]
Mendre, pretre, Don Bosco Pretre, Fondateur de la Congr4ation des Salesiens. Notice sur son
Oeuvre. L'Oratoire de Saint Leon a Marseille et les Oratoires Salesiens fond& en France. Marseille,
1879. [Author]
72 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

of my humble person often caused me to blush. May it redound to God's greater

glory and profit the work it commends. My thanks to him and to you. The Holy
Father was delighted with the two copies presented to him and sends you both his
special blessing.
His Holiness spoke at length of St. Leo's Oratory and often voiced his thanks
to its sponsors with a cordial blessing. He also promised me a holy card4 for you
and another for Monsieur [Jules] Rostand. Once they are ready, I'll mail them to
you.
I am now on my way to Turin. As soon as I get there I will supply for the
needs of Marseille and of our two agricultural schools at Saint-Cyr and La
Navarre.
I have many things to say to you personally; I hope I will be able to next May.
I owe urgent letters to Messrs. Jacques and Prat and others. In the meantime,
please inform them of the Holy Father's special blessing. If our pamphlet is on
sale, please mail ten or so copies to Turin for me. Those you sent me at Rome
went like hotcakes.5
Pray for me, dear Father. With all esteem, affection and gratitude in Jesus
Christ, I am
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco P.S. This is the first letter I have personally
written in four months.

Having received and paid a number of visits, Don Bosco left Florence for
Bologna on March 31. He was met by Countess Mary Malvasia, who
brought him to her own residence and provided private, comfortable quarters
for him and his two companions. Don Bosco's first thought was to pay his
respects to Cardinal Archbishop Lucido Parocchi, who was delighted by his
visit and asked the three to his palace on the following day. There was good
reason for such a gracious reception, for the cardinal well knew of Don
Bosco's mediation in Rome at the request of Leo XIII and the secretary of
state, and how much effort was still being exerted to ease his painful
situation. Having been promoted from the see of Pavia to become
archbishop of Bologna on March 13, 1877, and having been formally
installed in his cathedral, he had not been able to obtain the [government's]
exequatur. In the senate session
',This is a humorous allusion to honorific papal titles he had sought for each of them. [Author]
5We are omitting a detailed description of Father Mendre's pamphlet given by the author of this

volume immediately after this letter. [Editor]

Return Trip to Turin 73

of January 23, 1879, Senator [Charles] Pepoli again demanded a reason for
denying the cardinal's request. Minister Taiani replied that, since "a milder
wind was now blowing from the Vatican," the rigorous refusal of the
exequatur could be eased, but he shamefacedly added that "this was not to
imply that Pius IX's death had also buried all anger and rancor." Then, citing
this particular case, he justified the government's action against Bologna's
archbishop by alleging the opposition of the local authorities, the prefect,
police commissioner, and magistrates in particular. It is quite probable that
Leo XIII summoned Don Bosco to Rome to make it easier for the secretariat
of state to handle the trying and delicate negotiations. The Italian government
had really been more conciliatory with the other bishops, but it maintained a
hard stand with the archbishop of Bologna. Aware that this opposition was
deeply rooted in the local political parties' portrayal of Cardinal Parocchi as a
dangerous, unyielding opponent, Don Bosco hoped that he might break down
the opposition by speaking personally to the provincial prefect. The cardinal
was completely won over to him and consequently, as later events proved, he
dropped certain prejudices he had harbored against him. Marquis [Prospero]
Bevilacqua, still determined to give Bologna a home for destitute youth, had
so moved forward with his plans that he was ready to head for Rome and turn
the whole thing over to Don Bosco. However, when he brought the matter up
to the cardinal, the latter refused his consent and offered the project to
another congregation, which declined it for lack of personnel. It was then that
he learned of Don Bosco's intervention for him in Rome and in Bologna, and
so he totally reversed his attitude.
Determined to act directly with the prefect, Don Bosco called on him.
The first time he went he was told that the prefect was out. The second
time he found him in the office and was given an audience. The prefect
acted as if Don Bosco had come to beg for funds and, after opening
remarks, commented, "Don Bosco is always at work begging for his
boys."
"True," was the reply. "This time however I am not here to beg, but to
offer my respects to authority."
"Why should you? You rank higher than the deputies and cabinet ministers
themselves. Whenever your name is mentioned, we all bow to you."
74 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Whether this exchange was subtle irony or just an excuse to avoid the
issue, it went on for some time, and Don Bosco got nowhere.
Anticlericalism would not back down. Five years later, Leo ME summoned
Cardinal Parocchi to Rome as his episcopal vicar to end the painful
situation. There, we shall see, he encountered Don Bosco again in a matter
deeply touching the Salesian Congregation.
Don Bosco regularly celebrated Mass in the private chapel of Countess
Malvasia who generously hosted him; many distinguished persons attended,
among them Marchioness Marianne Zambeccari who consulted him
extensively about setting up the institutions she envisioned, as we have
already mentioned.6
On the afternoon of April 2 he arrived in Este and was immediately
escorted to the home of his dear benefactor, Benedict Pela, who was
observing his seventy-ninth birthday that very evening with a grand banquet
for all his friends. At all costs he insisted on waiting for Don Bosco's arrival.
On seeing him, this worthy gentleman's happiness knew no bounds; yet, he
could never guess what surprise awaited him. In the midst of the dinner,
Don Bosco arose to offer a brilliant toast in praise of the zealous charity of
Este's people for the poor Salesians and in a hearty expression of thanks.
Then he made an announcement which thrilled his host. "On this happy
day," he continued, "I joyfully bow to our dear Benedict Pela, Knight of the
Order of St. Sylvester—an honor which the Holy Father has bestowed on
him in token of his pleasure for all he does for the new Salesian boarding
school and the care of Christian youth." The guests were all deeply moved,
and Mr. Pela himself wept with joy. No one could have asked for a warmer
and more joyful gathering.
From the Pela residence, Don Bosco went to the Salesian school,
where the kind-hearted Benedict Pela had thought of
everything, even to furnishing Don Bosco's bedroom with soft-
toned curtains to ease his hurting eyesight. The next day Pela called on him
with a friend, Anthony Venturini, and, taking from
his wallet an IOU for eight thousand lire which Father Sale had given him, he
offered it to Don Bosco as an outright gift, saying that

See Vol. XII, p. 351. [Editor] 'See

6

Appendix 1. [Editor]
Return Trip to Turin 75

he was prepared to shoulder any expense to equip the school properly. This
dear benefactor was always a real father to the Manfredini Salesian school.
At this writing [1933] a certain Dr. Francis Venturini, nephew of the
above-mentioned Anthony Venturini, still lives at Este. Having attended the
school from 1878 to 1886, he is an unquestionable witness of an
extraordinary event occurring at his home in 1879. His mother was
suffering from a serious womb infection. Her attending physicians, as well
as Dr. Vanzetti of the royal university at Padua, who was called in for
consultation, diagnosed her case as very serious. 8 On the second day of
Don Bosco's stay in Este, her father-in-law begged Don Bosco to see her
and he obliged. Taken to the sick wman, he asked her if she had faith in
Mary, Help of Christians. With deep feeling she replied that she had the
greatest faith. He gave her a picture of Mary, Help of Christians to keep
beneath her pillow and asked her to say a Hail Mary with him. He blessed
her and assured her that Our Lady would obtain her recovery. In fact, a few
days later, she felt perfectly healed and was back to her usual work. 9
A howling wind and a downpour of rain forced Don Bosco to stay an extra
day at the school, keeping him from journeying to Padua and paying his
respects to the bishop, as he had previously planned. However, he was able to
hold a meeting with the Salesian cooperators of Este. He addressed a large
gathering of priests and nobility in the school auditorium. After the meeting,
they adjourned to the chapel for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. All
left after kissing Don Bosco's hand and receiving his special blessing or an
encouraging word. Many kissed even his cloak or cassock.
Until then the conferences of Salesian cooperators had always been
personally planned and chaired by Don Bosco, as in Este, Rome, Turin,
Marseille, Nice, Alassio and Lucca. Now, however, he learned from a
newspaper article dated March 25 that a conference of the Modena
cooperators was held in the usual form in the Church of Our Lady of Paradise.
This was a noteworthy event, marking the first time that the cooperators in a
metropolitan area organized on their own initiative—a clear indication of how
firmly

8 This sentence is a condensation. [Editor]

9 Report by Dr. Francis Venturini, Este, August 29, 1931. [Author]
76 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

established they were—and we will dwell upon it.

Archbishop Joseph Guide]li, a Salesian cooperator for several years, sent
his vicar general, Monsignor Prospero Curti, to represent him. The prior of
St. Agnes Church, Father Henry Adami, was the keynote speaker. After
citing the new perils threatening young people, he hailed Don Bosco as a
man sent by God to save them through the Salesian Congregation, whose
history he briefly outlined. He went on to talk about the Salesian cooperators
and their work. He answered questions such as: "Did Modena have places
caring for boys of working families? Did it have zealous laymen willing to
help the clergy? Why, then, this new association?" His answer was: "The
Association of Salesian Cooperators aims at inviting you to join forces in a
holy league so as to make your efforts more effective. It also offers you
spiritual benefits in recompense for your work; it begs you to do your best
for the welfare of boys by encouraging others to join you in supporting,
promoting and fostering with all your strength our city's educational
institutions." He closed with a rousing appeal to his listeners' goodness,
urging them to do their bit as individuals and, as Don Bosco stressed, by
joining forces with others. A telegram from Cardinal Nina brought the Pope's
blessing, as it stated, on "that first meeting of Salesian cooperators."
Don Bosco was thrilled by all this, but his words of special praise were
prompted by the conclusion of the newspaper report that properly grasped the
spirit which should inspire the Salesian cooperators. It read:

In keeping with the regulations, Don Bosco was always to be considered as their
superior. The local officers, approved by Don Bosco and by the bishop, were as
follows: Monsignor Severino Roncati, president; the pastor of St. Peter's Church and
the prior of St. Barnabas Church, vice presidents; Dr. Louis Marchia, secretary, and
Marquis Julius Campori, treasurer. The secretary then read an appendix to the
regulations for the Modena chapter of the cooperators, and there followed a brief
discussion of the chapter's promoting of Christian education of youth. It was agreed
that, in keeping with the regulations, a donation was to be sent to the superior in Turin
for Salesian houses and missions at least once a year; also that members should
actively volunteer to teach Christian doctrine in parishes and festive oratories, and that
the Modena chapter's funds should be used to support the Sons of Mary Program, a
free popular library for
Return Trip to Turin 77

the young, recreational activities on Sundays and holy days, and the maintenance of a
meeting hall. Meanwhile, a fund-raising drive was to be started with a lottery, a
collection at every meeting, and the payment of monthly dues of at least twenty-five
centesimi from benefactors among the cooperators.

The meeting ended with the singing of Iste Confessor and a blessing with a
relic of St. Francis de Sales which had been venerated on the altar with a
picture of the saint.
Late after supper that evening, Don Bosco set out for Padua where Bishop
Frederick Manfreclini, eighty-six, had stayed up to welcome him to his
residence. The following morning Don Bosco went with Father Bonetti and
Father Berto to say Mass in the cathedral. The only town visit he made was
to Countess Da Rio. At eleven o'clock that evening he arrived in Milan and
stayed at the home of his good friend Attorney [Charles] Comaschi. That
same day, April 5, Father Cagliero and Father Durando returned to Valdocco
from their trip to Sicily and other towns in Italy.
During the four days he stayed in Milan, Don Bosco comforted several of
the sick with the blessing of Mary, Help of Christians, among them a former
pupil of our Valsalice College, Bonola by name. He had fallen from a trolley
car and fractured his leg which later had to be amputated. His condition
turned critical. After Don Bosco blessed him and gave him a medal of the
Blessed Virgin, he quickly began to improve, but by the following evening
his condition again worsened.1° Don Bosco called on Father Usuelli, pastor
of the Church of the Incoronata, only to find him out, but he met his
housekeeper, who for the last four years had been unable to move about
without help. He blessed her and told her to stand up on her own; she obeyed.
When told to walk into the kitchen, she did so, ecstatic with joy.
The following day Don Bosco again called on Father Usuelli, who gave
him a thorough tour of his boarding school in the hope that Don Bosco would
take it over, starting with the arts and trades section. The archbishop, who
was most cordial toward Don Bosco and spent two hours with him, was very
favorable to the idea. "At least I shall have friends by me!" he exclaimed. But
his preference

'ile youth died before the month of August, as we gather from a sympathy letter written by Don
Bosco to his mother on August 19, 1879. [Author'
78 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

was that Don Bosco should first take care of the students. Don Bosco was of
the same mind, but the artisans were to be a foil for the students, since the
school authorities were too hostile to private schools. It was agreed that a
contract would be signed by the end of May, but " 'twixt the cup and lip is
many a slip." Father Usuelli could not make up his mind. When the time came
to close the deal, he wanted to prolong negotiations. He was politely informed
in time to forget about having the Salesians there.
Milan was the final stage of Don Bosco's journey. The news that he would be
arriving on the evening of April 9 set the Oratory afire with joy. He had been
away for three and a half months. That day,
Wednesday of Holy Week, after the evening service, the boundless
expectation overshadowed everything not connected with preparations for
his reception. When he arrived at supper time, the clamor of the boys
drowned the strains of the band. The two long, deep rows of boys through
which he was to walk broke down in no time, and there was no way to
contain their rush toward Don Bosco and their crowding about him. In vain
did Father Lazzero, Father Cagliero and Father Barberis try to restore some
kind of order. Don Bosco took at least a half hour to cross the playground,
go to his room and immediately come down again for supper. Then an air of
serenity descended upon the house, as over a family which knows that father
has safely returned. This exchange of loving feelings which link a father to
his children peaked at two special moments of mystic silence and joyous
liveliness. At dusk on Maundy Thursday Don Bosco performed the
ceremony of the washing of feet in the Church of Mary, Help of Christians
before the entire community, a service which, repeated every year, never
lost its freshness, tenderly moving all hearts. Then, on Easter Sunday, an
assembly, carefully planned to celebrate his long-awaited homecoming, was
an hour of genuine exultation with song, music and recitation, delighting
everyone.
His poor eyesight made it impossible for Don Bosco to extend his
Easter wishes to his benefactors by personal mail, but he dictated a letter
for Chevalier Fava to his secretary:

Turin, April 10, 1879

Dear Chevalier,
Having just returned from Rome, I hasten to inform you that the Holy
Return Trip to Turin 79

Father has again sent a special blessing to you, your wife and your
little girl. May God keep you all in good health. Please accept my
greetings for a Happy Easter.
Most gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

Father Rua substituted for Don Bosco with a circular inviting friends and
benefactors to the welcome-home entertainment and giving them the whole
Oratory's Easter greetings.11
It was still a custom at the Oratory to take no important decision without
first consulting Don Bosco verbally or in writing. His arrival had been
pending for some time and decisions had been delayed, so that no sooner did
he get back from his long, toilsome journey than he found himself engulfed
in a sea of things. We will recount the little we know about them.
His first concern was the house. He asked Father Lazzero and Father
Barberis about the boys and clerics: was anyone sick, had anyone
misbehaved seriously, who were those outstanding in good conduct, did the
students and artisans attend to their duties? The director singled out three
boys whose conduct hurt their companions and asked for permission to
send them home. Don Bosco inquired if they were older or younger boys,
and when he learned that they were upperclassmen, with no evident hope of
improvement, he told him to send them home immediately. Ordinarily, he
had strong hopes for younger lads doing better. Even in an instance of
serious misconduct, such as insolence or public defiance, he would be
understanding, because he considered it an isolated incident within the
context of an overall satisfactory behavior. But when an older lad, not
altogether bad, consistently was half-hearted and lazy, he set no great hopes
on him and told the superiors to take in his name whatever action they
judged necessary.
The novice master also had two problems for Don Bosco. He had a
novice—a Frenchman, a subdeacon and former Carthusian—who had been
recommended by the superior general of the Grand Chartreuse at Grenoble.
Though pious, talented, and ready to admit his faults, he had a somewhat
fiery temperament which had

"This sentence is a condensation. [Editor]

80 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

twice exploded into quarrels and even fights during Don Bosco's absence.
Convinced that he would be dismissed because of this, he
had gone to the novice master and asked leave to pack up and go, but the
latter decided to wait for Don Bosco's return. Don Bosco listened to the case
and suggested they wait in the hope that the young man's good will might
prevail. At times such generosity of heart caused others to wonder, but in
these matters Don Bosco followed his Divine Teacher's instruction not to
smother the smoking wick. Scandal made him adamant, but he was patient
with young clerics whose conduct was mediocre, as long as there was no
danger of their ending up badly. Such was his reaction to a cleric from
Lucca who, during his absence, had seriously misbehaved, although
basically he was not a hopeless case. This gave Don Bosco an occasion to
express his views on clerics whose behavior was mediocre. "Let such clerics
stay on," he said. "There will always be mediocre persons in every religious
congregation and in every community. If one were to be unduly severe and
dismiss everyone who is mediocre, I am afraid that even some of the better
religious would become mediocre too, for it seems to be the way of Divine
Providence that perfection is not of this world, at least among most of us."
More than anyone else, Father Rua was the person most needing to see
Don Bosco. He was the Oratory's treasurer—a word denoting an
administrator who only too often had no treasury at his disposal. The
[Oratory] chronicle reports an amusing dialogue between Don Bosco and
Father Rua in the presence of Father Lemoyne, Father Barberis and several
other priests on one of the first evenings after Don Bosco's return.
"Father Rua," Don Bosco said, "everyone asks for money, and I hear that
you send them away empty-handed."
"That's because our coffers are empty."
"Then sell the bonds that we have so we can meet our most pressing
debts."
"I have sold some already, but I don't think it advisable to sell the rest,
because every day unforeseen, serious needs arise, and we would be left
without a penny."
"So be it. Then the Lord will provide. In the meantime, let's pay the most
urgent debts."
"I have already earmarked the little money at my disposal to pay
Return Trip to Turin 81

a debt of twenty-eight thousand lire falling due within two weeks. That's why
I have been putting aside all the money coming in these last few days."
"No, no, it is sheer folly to neglect debts which we can pay today so as to
meet those which fall due two weeks from now."
"But today's debts can wait. The other debt is a heavy one."
"In due time the Lord will provide. Let's start by settling today's debts.
Earmarking money for future needs closes the door to Divine Providence."
"But prudence says we are to think of the future. Haven't we been in enough
serious trouble before? To pay one debt we were forced into another. This is
the shortest way to bankruptcy."
"Listen to me. If you want Divine ProvidenCe to take us fully under its
wing, go to your room, gather all the money you have, and
pay off all the debts you can. Leave future needs in God's hands."
Then, turning to the others, he went on, "I simply can't find an
administrator who will fully back me up in this, who will have
unlimited faith in Divine Providence and not store up funds for a rainy day.
I fear that we are in this critical financial situation because we rely too
heavily on ourselves. When we do, God holds back."
Still, despite his firm reliance on Divine Providence, he did not neglect to
do all he could to find material aid. One of his first
actions on returning to the Oratory was to eke out some more funds
from the still unexhausted lottery; he reprinted the circular of January 1,
sending it out with a liberal supply of tickets. He even
mailed packs of them to his cooperators for distribution to others.
Then, to avoid any possible waste of money, he directed that the Oratory find
some way to set up an office exclusively to make
decisions regarding expenses. At first, everything depended on him;
later, when he could no longer handle so many disparate matters personally,
he entrusted to individual members of the superior
chapter the more urgent problems as they surfaced. But this system
proved harmful financially. "Things went along haphazardly," he
commented, "but where important matters are at stake, this
procedure is bad." At this point, Father [Joseph] Leveratto, the Oratory
prefect, offered a plan which would organize the various offices and their
respective responsibilities in a scheme that would link everything under the
one person who had to get things moving.
82 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Don Bosco then directed that a committee be set up to study this plan. It
included Father Rua, Father Lazzero, Father Sala and Father Leveratto.
In another effort to improve the financial situation, Don Bosco decided to
resume visiting charitable, wealthy families who were always willing to
help him. In most cases, he would skillfully inject into the conversation the
topic of charitable undertakings which would draw God's blessings on those
helping the needy. He would draw God's blessings on those helping the
needy. He would cite examples showing that almsgiving was a sure means
of obtaining favors from God. He would also point out that the Oratory was
one of the needy institutions and that it stood under the special protection of
Mary, Help of Christians, who in so many ways had shown how much She
appreciated the assistance given to the boys. Father Barberis, who often
accompanied him in his visits, remarked that Don Bosco always spoke
calmly, mentioning benefactors and impressively describing in various
ways the importance of material charity motivated by a spiritual purpose.
People enjoyed listening to him on this subject.
Having but recently returned from Rome, he was frequently questioned
about the situation there. In those years of transition from the old to the new
political order, people devoted to the Pope took a passionate interest in any
news from Rome, and there were many such people among the Piedmontese
aristocracy. They paid scant attention to the newspapers, relying rather on the
confidential reports made from mouth to mouth because they held such news
to be closer to the truth. Since Don Bosco was thought to be a party to secret
matters, he was avidly questioned, at times somewhat to his embarrassment.
This happened, for example, at the home of the De Maistre family in Borgo
Cornalense where he had gone with Father Barberis to visit the duchess of
Montmorency and Count Eugene de
Maistre who was there spending Easter with his children. In a conversation
both the duchess and the count heatedly attacked
Italy's terms to the Pope and the Church, but Don Bosco, letting them talk
animatedly, only made a few serene remarks here and there. So calm, in fact,
was he that he somewhat irritated the noble lady, who was prompted to ask
how he could remain indifferent to so vital a question.
Return Trip to Turin 83

"Of what use is it to bewail these evils?" he replied. "It is better to do all
we can to offset them. Then, too, people presently in power merit our
compassion because their reckoning with God will be a heavy one."
The reports made by his two envoys—Father Cagliero and Father
Durando who had returned to the Oratory a few days ahead of him—were
very encouraging. Both men were happy to have completed their long
journey in so short a time, seeing so many places and dealing with so many
matters. We shall speak of this later. Noteworthy are two long letters of
Father Cagliero from Sicily. They had been astonished to find how well the
bishops and clergy of Acireale, Catania and Randazzo knew Don Bosco and
his Congregation, and how much trust they had in the Salesians' work on
behalf of young people. One remark which very deeply impressed both
priests and led them to interpret Don Bosco's instructions to them somewhat
broadly was: "The Salesian Congregation was the first to be called upon to
rebuild the horrible destruction wrought by the recent suppression and
banishment of religious orders."'2
One of the first things on which Don Bosco focused his attention on
returning home was Marseille. Father Angelo Savio had been at St. Lea's
Oratory since April 5, having been sent there to supervise the new
construction to make the newly purchased house comfortable. Since the
money raised in Marseille was insufficient, he asked Turin for financial help.
It so happened that a former schoolmate and intimate friend of Don Bosco
while he was at Chieri—Hannibal Strambio of Pinerolo—was stationed in
Marseille
as Italian consul. Don Bosco mentioned him in the first of his writings in our
possession." Could not this intimate friend help
Don Bosco obtain a substantial subsidy from Rome? Don Bosco
wrote to him on April 15, 1879, earnestly begging him to take the
matter to heart, pointing out lengthily the benefits which would
accrue to Italian immigrants14 from Salesian action in the city.

Letter to Don Bosco from Acireale, March 9, 187 9. [Author]

12

See Vol. I, pp. 262-267, 337f. [Editor] 1 4 This sentence is a

13

condensation. [Editor]
84 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Just then Don Bosco received a piece of heartening news: Bishop

Cajetan Alimonda, who had been so benevolent toward him at Alassio,
was elevated to the cardinalate. A great prelate, he had always shown Don
Bosco open proof of his affection. However, the strongest proof was yet to
come when Don Bosco's life would approach its end.
 CHAPTER 6

The Soul of the Oratory

I F charity was Don Bosco's realm, then the Oratory of Valdocco

was his palace. Here he set up the home he loved, personally guiding it
through so many years. From it radiated the beneficial works he kept ever
expanding in a worldwide apostolate. But such growth unavoidably
compelled him to relinquish little by little the day-by-day management of
house affairs and to entrust it to reliable confreres. We have now reached that
point in our narrative when the Oratory attained self-government under Don
Bosco's watchful eye.
The committee we spoke of in the preceding chapter carried out its
mandate. Its major deliberations were approved and implemented as follows:
the prefect was to be the sole top administrator of all the Oratory's finances,
with responsibility for direct supervision and control of the printshop, the
bookstore and the workshops. The economer general was freed from that area
of concern, except insofar as the Oratory was a house like the others of the
Congregation. The Oratory's director had the authority of the directors of the
other houses though he was always careful to keep Don Bosco informed of
serious matters, as he wished that no major decision be taken without his
knowledge. The members of the superior chapter were not to butt into the
director's responsibilities, since all important matters, particularly the
admission of pupils, were exclusively his responsibility. The assistant prefect
for externs, whose office was by the doorkeeper's post, was to serve as his
secretary and assistant, acting in concert with him, his main duties being to
receive visitors, give information about the Oratory and process new pupils by
checking out their papers and records. However, he could take no decision
without first conferring with
86 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the director. If a boy did not meet entrance requirements but was
recommended by a bishop or an influential civil official, such as the prefect of
Turin who had just then recommended a boy barely eight
years old, he was to refer the matter immediately to the director,
who could authorize an exception to avoid offending people in authority. If a
boy was too young for the Oratory, he was to be sent to Lanzo or elsewhere,
even though tuition-free. The assistant
prefect then had but a subordinate role in registration and wa s
always to follow the regulations; free or reduced tuition, overdue notices,
and admission or dismissal of pupils were reserved to the
director. The same rule applied to provincial houses: provincials
kept the overall supervision of their houses and were the liaison with the
superior chapter, but they were not to interfere in routine
local administrative matters. The new setup at the Oratory was
underscored also by the fact that the superior chapter moved to separate
quarters. Their offices, until then shared by the local
superiors, were moved to a complete section of the second floor in the
main building adjoining the Church of St. Francis [de Sales]. Each chapter
member was given two rooms. Likewise, the chapter's dining room was set
up on the same floor; formerly they had eaten their meals with other
confreres on the main floor.
A ministry at the Oratory which Don Bosco never relinquished was that of
hearing confessions. Nearly all went to confession to
him. During the students' spiritual retreat in late April, though
there were plenty of priests, he heard many confessions. One evening he was
so totally drained of strength that he could not eat.
His right arm was so numb after many hours of resting his elbow on the
kneeler and of giving absolution that he could not hold his spoon between the
fingers of his right hand, and after four tries he had to use his left hand. Don
Bosco regularly heard a large number of penitents in a relatively short time
because his advice was brief and forthright.' In valuing the effect of his terse
comments we must appreciate the unction with which he spoke—a factor
which all who experienced it praised to the skies.
The prevailing belief that he could read consciences served greatly to draw
boys to his confessional. Though this happened

'Some wrote down the advice they had been given, and we still have a few such documents. See the
notes taken by a young cleric, whose name naturally is not revealed, in Appendix 2. [Author]
The Soul of the Oratory 87

rarely, the mere realization that it was possible was enough to swell the
number of his young penitents. From time to time, however, his reading of
consciences did take place and was not always kept a total secret. One day in
1879 he stood among some twenty lads crowding about him in the
playground, one after another kissing his hand. Unexpectedly one lad felt
Don Bosco pull him aside to show him a long, red scratch mark on his arm.
"Do you see what you have done to me?" Don Bosco asked. The boy looked
at the scratch and instinctively at his nails, which he had trimmed that very
morning. Don Bosco kept his gaze riveted upon him, and a silent
understanding came between them. The youngster was stung to the quick.
Normally a well-behaved lad, he had been listening to a rather indecent
conversation and had later yielded to temptation. The next morning he made
his confession to Don Bosco, convinced that he knew all about it, as indeed
he did. Stunned and deeply contrite, he avoided all evil occasions from then
on and conceived an even deeper horror of sin. Eventually he became a priest
and declared that he was ready to swear to the truth of this incident: that Don
Bosco had clearly read his conscience.
Don Bosco's eyes still gave him much trouble. While some feared cataracts
and others wondered whether total blindness could be averted, Dr. Raynaud,
a highly esteemed eye specialist, stated categorically that there was no hope.
During this period Don Bosco was trying a cure of his own which he had
mentioned to Father Berto while journeying from Florence to Bologna. On
March 31, just as they were about to arrive at Pistoia, Don Bosco confided
that several nights before a mysterious lady had appeared to him in a dream,
holding a small bottle of a dark green liquid in her hand. "If you wish your
eyes to be healed," she told him, "use a few drops of this chicory extract
every morning for fifty days." On their arrival in Turin, both Don Bosco and
Father Berto forgot about the dream. However, one evening at the beginning
of May, Don Bosco, while in the dining room with Father Rua and Father
Berto, suddenly asked Father Lago, who had been a pharmacist, 2 "Tell me,
Father Lago, is an extract of chicory good for the eyes?"
"It is a recommended medication," he answered.
"Fine. Prepare me some."

'See Appendix 1. [Editor]

88 THE BIOGRAPHICAL. MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Father Lago promptly obliged. From the first application Don Bosco felt
an improvement. On May 22 he stated that his eyes were markedly better.
After the prescribed fifty days, his improved eyesight remained stable,
regardless of his increasing desk work from morning to night. Some two
years later, however, he lost the sight of his left eye.3
Think as we may of this particular dream, Don Bosco had another dream
which he narrated on May 9. In it he saw the fierce battles which faced the
men called to his Congregation, and he was given several valuable
instructions for all his sons and sound advice for the future.

[I saw] a hard-fought, long-drawn-out battle between youngsters and a varied

array of warriors who were armed with strange weapons. Survivors were few.
A second fiercer and more terrifying battle was being waged by gigantic monsters
fully armed, well-trained tall men who unfurled a huge banner, the center of which
bore an inscription in gold, Maria Auxilium Christianorum. The combat was long and
bloody, but the soldiers fighting under the banner were protected against hurt and
conquered a vast plain. The boys who had survived the previous battle linked forces
with them, each combatant holding a crucifix in his right hand and a miniature of the
banner in his left. After engaging together in several sallies over that vast plain, they
split, some heading eastward, a few to the north, and many for the south. Once they
all left, the same skirmishes, maneuvers and leavetskings were repeated by others.
I recognized some boys who fought in the first skirmishes, but none of the others,
who nevertheless seemed to know me and asked me many questions.
Shortly afterward I witnessed a shower of flashing, fiery tongues of many colors,
followed by thunder and then clear skies. Then I found myself in a charming
garden. A man who looked lie Saint Francis de Sales silently handed me a booklet. I
asked him who he was. "Read the book," was the reply.
I opened it, but had trouble reading, managing only to make out these precise
words:

3
In another version of this dream the person who appears to Don Bosco was a man rather than a lady.
This was stated by Attorney John Baptist Gal of Torgnon (Aosta Valley) in a letter to the Bolletino
Salesiano. The attorney was a close friend of Don Bosco from whom he heard the dream. His letter is
listed as Document 16 in the Appendix of Volume XIV of the Memorie Biograftche del Beato Giovanni
Bosco. !Editor]
The Soul of the Oratory 89

"For the Novices: Obedience in all things. Through obedience they will deserve
God's blessings and the good will of men. Through diligence they will fight and
overcome the snares set by the enemies of their souls.
"For the Confreres: Jealously safeguard the virtue of chastity. Love your
confreres' good name, promote the honor of the Congregation.
"For the Directors: Take every care, make every effort to observe and promote
observance of the rules through which everyone's life is consecrated to God.
"For the Superior- Total self-sacrifice, so as to draw himself and his charges to
God."
The book said many other things, but I couldn't read any further, for the paper
turned as blue as the ink.
"Who are you?" I again asked the man who serenely gazed at me. "Good people
everywhere know me. I have been sent to tell you of future events."
"What are they?"
"Those you have already seen and those which you will ask about." "How can I
foster vocations?"
"The Salesians will harvest many vocations by their good example, by being
endlessly kind toward their pupils, and by urging them constantly to receive Holy
Communion often."
"What should we bear in mind when admitting novices?"
"Reject idlers and gluttons."
"And when admitting to vows?"
"Make sure that they are well grounded in chastity."
"How are we to maintain the right spirit in our houses?"
"Let superiors very often write, visit and welcome the confreres, dealing kindly
with them."
"What of our foreign missions?"
"Send men of sound morality and recall any who give you serious reason to
doubt; look for and foster native vocations."
"Is our Congregation on the right path?"
"Let those who do good keep doing good. [Rev. 22, 11] Not to go forward is to go
backward. 1St. Gregory the Great] The man who stands firm to the end will be
saved." [Mt. 10, 22]
"Will the Congregation grow?"
"It will reach out so that no one will be able to check its growth, as long as the
superiors meet their obligations."
"Will it have a long life?"
"Yes, but only as long as its members love work and temperance. Should either of
these two pillars fall, your entire edifice will collapse and crush superiors, subjects
and followers beneath it."
90 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Just then four men showed up bearing a coffin and approaching me. "Whom is
that for?" I asked.
"For you."
"How soon?"
"Do not ask. Just remember that you are mortal."
"What are you trying to tell me with this coffm?"
"That while you are still living you must see to it that your sons practice what they
must continue to practice after your death. This is the heritage, the testament you
must bequeath to them; but you must work on it and leave it [to your sons] as a well-
studied and well-tested legacy."
"Can we expect roses or thorns?"
"Many roses and joys are in store, but very sharp thorns also threaten. They will
cause all of you acute distress and sorrow. You must pray much."
"Should we open houses in Rome?"
"Yes, but not hurriedly; proceed with extreme prudence and caution." "Is the end
of my mortal life near at hand?"
"Don't be concerned. You have the rules and other books. Practice what you preach
and be vigilant."
I wanted to ask more questions, but muffled thunder rumbled through the air with
flashes of lightning. Several men, rather horrid monsters, dashed toward me as if to
tear me to pieces. But then a deep darkness enveloped me, shutting everything out. I
felt that I must be dead and started to scream frenziedly. I awoke and found I was still
alive. It was a quarter to five in the morning.
If we can draw some good from this dream, let us do so. In all things let honor and
glory be given to God forever and ever.

He spoke again in June on the theme of vocations in an important letter to the

upperclassmen of our juniorate at Borgo San Martino.

Turin, June 17, 1879

My dear upperclassmen at Borgo San Martino:
I wish I could have promptly answered your brief letters and those of your good
teacher, but since I cannot do so individually, let me write to all of you as I look
forward to speaking privately with each of you on the approaching feast of Saint
Aloysius.
Keep in mind that in this life we must take the road to heaven either in the clerical
or in the lay state. If one's vocation is to the lay state, he should select those courses
of study or those professions which will not block him from meeting his obligations
as a good Christian and which are
The Soul of the Oratory 91

in accord with his parents' wishes. As for the clerical state, you must go by the
norms which Our Divine Savior gave us: forego earthly comfort, glory and pleasure
so as to give yourself to God's service and to be better assured of unending heavenly
joys. Before reaching a decision, you must each listen carefully to your confessor's
advice without heeding those above you or under you, relatives or friends, and then
choose whatever makes it easier for you to follow the path of salvation and feel
tranquil at the point of death. A young man who chooses the priestly state with such
intentions can be morally certain of doing what is right for his own soul and the
souls of others.
The clerical state has many branches; to be genuine they must stem from and tend
to the same source—the desire to serve God. Evangelical laborers can work for God's
glory in three ways: as diocesan or religious priests or as missionaries. You are all
free to choose which you prefer or that which is more in keeping with your physical
and moral capabilities, after seeking the counsel of a prayerful, learned and prudent
person. At this point let me clear up for you many knotty areas concerning life in the
world—a world which would have all the young in its service, while God wants them
totally for Himself. I will do so in person and will explain the obstacles each of you
will face in choosing a state of life.
Frequent reception of Holy Communion and saying every Saturday the prayer to
the Blessed Virgin Mary for the choice of one's calling are the foundation of a happy
future. You will find the prayer in The Companion of Youth.4
May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you always, and may He
grant you the precious gift of perseverance in virtue. I shall pray for you every day.
Please pray for me, too.
Yours always in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

At the beginning of May Don Bosco had another occasion to verify the
helpful influence of his evangelical charity over misled politicians. Senator
Siotto-Pintor of Cagliari, a worthy lawmaker, was a militant ultra -liberal
who even in 1871 5 had published a book imbued with heresy and
anticlericalism. 6 In 1879, however,

4A boys' prayerbook compiled by Don Bosco and first published in 1847 under the title of iI
Giovane Provveduto. See Vol. III, pp. 6-18. [Editor]
5After the seizure of Rome by Italy. [Editor]
6Fuori la Francia. Pensieri di Giovanni Siotto-Pinthr [Away with France. Reflections], Torino,
1871. [Author]
92 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

"troubled in mind and body,"' he had a change of heart and again called on
Don Bosco to ask for a special papal blessing. Don Bosco wrote to Rome and
obtained it. This gracious gesture of the Pope led the senator to reconsider and
recant his former views on the makeup of the Church and its leaders as
expressed in several books of his. He returned therefore once again to the
Oratory on May 4 together with Professor [Joseph] Allievo of the Royal
University of Turin to thank Don Bosco cordially. After a detailed tour of the
entire Oratory, he left with a deep sense of satisfaction, and from then on,
until his death on January 24, 1882, he gave repeated proof of his sincere
affection for Don Bosco, as we shall later see.
The novena of Mary, Help of Christians in May 1879 was marked by four
singular events: a pilgrimage, two conferences and, between the latter, an
abjuration.
Two hundred French pilgrims concluded their Roman journey at the
Oratory. The scene of 18778 repeated itself. Arriving on the evening of May
15, the first day of the novena, they immediately joined the boys and faithful
for the Marian services, listening to the fervent words of Monsignor
Stanislaus Schiapparelli, canon of Corpus Domini Church, who addressed
them in French. Afterward they streamed into the Oratory playground where
they were rousingly welcomed by the brass band and Don Bosco. They were
served refreshments by the members of the Turin chapter of Catholic Youth,
headed by Count [Prospero] Balbo. The reception was held in the arcade
which was festively decked for the occasion, with the participation of
cheering boarders and day boys. Several speakers addressed the pilgrims;
Count Cays spoke on behalf of Don Bosco. The last talk was given by Father
[Francis] Picard, second superior general of the Assumptionists, who thanked
everyone eloquently and affectionately; he spoke highly of the Pope and
then, recalling previous speakers' words of praise, turned to Don Bosco with
the exclamation "Here is the king of pilgrims!" He then went on:

Don Bosco can be rightfully called a pilgrim. He frequently visits the Salesian
houses in Italy and France and he multiplies his presence by sending his sons where
he cannot go. These substitute pilgrims of his we

?Letter to Father Margotti in Unita Cattolica, June 6, 1879. [Author] BSee Vol.
XIII, pp. 101f. [Editor]
The Soul of the Oratory 93

see all over the world; crossing oceans, they penetrate even into the hostile domains
of the Pampas and Patagonia. I conclude by expressing two wishes on behalf of my
fellow pilgrims. It is my ardent hope that pilgrimages will continue, increase and
spread. France too has its many holy places, precious relics and renowned shrines,
and so I invite the Turin chapter of Catholic Youth to promote pilgrimages to our
country. We shall look forward, my brothers, to seeing you in Paris, which,
notwithstanding its reputation as today's Babylon, still boasts, as of old, zealous
followers of the true God, courageous worshipers of Jesus Christ, and deeply
devoted sons of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Yes, we shall expect you, so that we may
repay the charity and courtesy of your welcome to us in the devout city of Turin.
Secondly, we wish that God may soon send a band of Salesians, led by Don Bosco,
to our own city of Paris, to open a boys' home such as this. We on our part shall
pave the way for them by word and prayer.

They left the Oratory late that night, escorted to their hotels in different
groups by members of the Catholic Youth chapter.9 A news release of May 16
[1879] from Turin to the Univers of Paris described the welcome given to the
French pilgrims "at the Oratory" as "an admirable reception."
Three letters, of which two were written in 1880 and the third in 1883,
testify to the deep impression which the visit to the Oratory made on these
good Catholics. A gentleman from Bordeaux and a priest from Lille,
thanking Don Bosco for enrolling them as Salesian cooperators, recalled with
emotion their meeting with him on May 15, 1879. The gentleman wrote: "I
have not forgotten the brotherly, affectionate welcome you gave us at your
blessed house in Turin and have the fondest memories of the delightful
evening we spent among your boys and their well-loved superiors. I find no
Words to thank God for the grace I received to savor a few precious moments
in the presence of His great servant, who has done such wonders for His
glory." "As a pilgrim from Rome," the priest wrote, "I saw the magnificent
works God has accomplished through you. I feel highly honored to be
enrolled as a Salesian cooperator." In the third letter, Viscountess de
Lagregeoliere, née de Beauregard, after reiterating her request that he pray
for a hospice she had very much at heart and which had run into

9
Bollettino Salesian, June 1879. [Author]
94 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

obstacles and difficulties, informed him that since her visit things had taken a
decisive turn for the better.
The warm concluding wish of Father Picard vibrantly echoed the hope that
the Salesians would soon go to Paris. Other matters concerning France,
which we have already seen, surface in this letter of Don Bosco to [Canon
Clement Guiol] the pastor of St. Joseph's [in Marseille].

Turin, May 20, 1879

Dear Father:
Last winter you gave me some hope that you would visit us on the feast of Mary,
Help of Christians. Shall we really have the pleasure? We all heartily await you.
Would you know whether there is any likelihood that the bishops of Marseille and of
Frejus might drop in for a brief visit on their return from their pilgrimage to Rome?
I often receive news of our [festive] oratory,1° but I would like to learn what you
have noticed: good, mediocre or bad. You know I have full trust in you and wish to
follow your prudent advice. Six weeks from now it will be a year since we began our
pious undertaking, and by then I'd like to know that we have taken some root.
The house at Auteuil is too much of a problem for us, and so, following your
counsel, I have definitely terminated negotiations. Other proposals have come from
Paris, but for the time being I am not taking any decisions. Just now, La Navarre and
Saint-Cyr are in an organizational phase. As for Saint-Cyr, we have no contract and
without it we cannot take possession. Still, a few of our priests will go there next
week to size up the situation and take up what is more urgent.
If you have a chance to talk to the members of the Beaujour Society, please tell
them that we shall be saying special prayers on Saturday at the altar of Mary, Help
of Christians for God to keep them and their loved ones in good health. All the
Salesians send you their regards, and I pray that God will shield you. Pray for me
too.
Respectfully and affectionately yours, Fr. John
Bosco

Salesian cooperators attended the first of the two conferences mentioned a

while ago; their limited number—some forty in all—was due to bad weather.
Don Bosco's talk in substance followed the

1
°St. Leo's in Marseille. See Vol. XIII, pp. 558f. [Editor]
The Soul of the Oratory 95

same pattern: new foundations of that year in Italy, France and South
America; the role of the cooperators and encouragement to continue their
help. He particularly singled out the Church and hospice of St. John the
Evangelist, with a stress on their beneficial purpose.
The feast of the Ascension marked the adjuration of a boy, a Waldensian,
Concourda by name, son of Catholic parents, who had been enrolled as a
child in a Waldensian hospice near Ventimiglia. A bright lad, he did well in
school while absorbing at the same time the poison of heresy and arousing
great hopes in the Waldensian leaders. By nature a good thinker, as he grew
up he began to harbor strong doubts, which had been provoked and
strengthened by the endless invectives and abuse he constantly heard
directed at the Catholic Church and the Mother of God. One day, while he
was conversing with the director, the latter's wife and some of his teachers
and schoolmates, the talk turned to Mary's virginity. For some time he let
them have their say, but finally he interjected, "You keep maintaining that
Mary was not a virgin. If so, why does the Apostles' Creed you make us
recite say that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary?" A slap in the
face—which he warded off—was the answer the director's wife gave him.
"That's no answer," he protested quite rightly. His doubts became so strong
that he began thinking of becoming a Catholic. But how could he escape the
hands of his tutors? And where could he find shelter? Both parents were
dead, and his only relatives were Waldensians. Divine Providence came to
his aid. A pious Catholic who had an idea of what he was going through
helped him to escape and brought him to Don Bosco. He was then fifteen.
He received instruction in the Catholic faith, and on May 22, 1879, before
the usual novena service, he publicly renounced his former allegiance and
was conditionally baptized in the crowded Church of Mary, Help of
Christians. Monsignor Tammi, vicar general of Piacenza, then a guest at the
Oratory, administered the sacrament in the presence of the godparents,
Marquis [Ludwig] Scarampi and Marchioness [Mary] Fassati. His baptismal
name was Leo, that of the reigning Pope. After the ceremony, Monsignor
[Anthony] Belasio" went up to the pulpit and, taking his cue from the

"See VoI. XII, pp. 230f, 240f. [Editor]

96 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

baptismal event, extolled the Catholic apostolate from the day of Our Lord's
ascension to the current apostolic activities of the Salesians. He later
developed this twofold theme more extensively in the August 1879 issue of
Letture Cattoliche, which he dedicated to both godparents as a lasting
remembrance of the rite in which they had taken part.
The Waldensians did not take their humiliating defeat quietly. The
Protestant minister and the director of the Waldensian hospice where the
youth had boarded free of charge for five years published a scurrilous booklet
in which they declared that the superiors of the Turin Oratory had exploited
the boy's poverty to pervert his mind, as they had previously tried to do with
three other boys of the same hospice. Furthermore, their periodical, Le
Temoin, viciously attacked the young convert and heaped such abuse on him
as to surpass even a maddened vixen. In an open letter which Don Bosco
helped him to write, Leo set the facts straight.12
A new first was a conference for Salesian women cooperators on the eve of
the feast of Mary, Help of Christians. Two hundred ladies were present. The
procedure was the usual one, except that the reading from the life of St.
Francis de Sales was replaced by a reading from the biography of St. Jane
Frances de Chantal that described her husband's tragic death and her heroic
patience as she dedicated the rest of her life entirely to God's service and to
works of charity. In his address, Don Bosco told them that in planning the
Association of Salesian Cooperators he had at first intended to limit its
membership to men only, but that Pius IX himself, wishing to extend its
spiritual favors to women, had personally added these words to his rescript:
"To all the faithful of both sexes." He then went on to acquaint them
minutely with what the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians were
accomplishing—under the guidance of the Salesians—on behalf of girls with
God's grace and the help of women cooperators. After describing the
frightening perils to which girls were exposed in Italy and particularly in
South America, he urged his listeners to aid the Salesians and Daughters of
Mary, Help of Christians in bringing the benefits of a Christian education to
an increasing number of girls. How was this to be done? Here are a few
suggestions Don Bosco offered to them.
12
Bollettino Salesiano, July 1879. [Author]
The Soul of the Oratory 97

First, make great efforts kindly to instill love of virtue and horror for sin into your
children's hearts and those of your neighbors, relatives, friends and acquaintances. If
you come to know that some young girl's morals are being threatened, promptly
strive to save her and put her beyond the reach of rapacious wolves. Should you
know or hear that some family has boys or girls of school or work age, be quick
enough to suggest, advise and exhort their parents or family to place them in
schools or shops where, as they learn knowledge and skills, they may also absorb the
holy fear of God in a morally safe environment. Bring Catholic books and
publications into your own homes, and when the family has read them, pass them on
to as many people as you can. Give them as gifts to boys and girls who faithfully
attend catechism class. Above all, whenever you come to know that a girl can be
saved from moral dangers only by placing her in a boarding school, make every
effort to do so.
I most earnestly commend to your care well beloved, pious boys who give signs
of a priestly vocation. Yes, esteemed ladies, take these hopes of the Church to your
hearts and do all you can—even the impossible, I'd say—to cherish and bring to
blossom the precious seed of a vocation in their young hearts. Direct them to a
school where they can continue their studies and, if they are poor, help them with
whatever means Divine Providence has put into your own hands, or as your own
piety and love for souls suggests to you. How fortunate you will be if you provide
the Church with priests in these times when they are so scarce that some of our own
villages have no Sunday Mass or worship service. You will have the thanks of God,
His angels, the Church and the souls you have saved for your noble efforts, and even
here on earth your action will be rewarded a hundredfold with God's blessings in
anticipation of the glorious crown which He keeps in trust for you in heaven.
Some might say, "But money is needed to do all these things, and I am not in that
position." My answer is that a pious woman who loves God, His Church and souls
can always find a way to contribute to works of mercy. I realize that you are doing so
and that you give evidence of it every day. But let me deplore—in fact let us all
deplore—the utter blindness of many people in this day and age. They can always
find money for a pleasure trip, for fine clothes or whatever will enable them to shine
at some party or other. They have wealth enough to buy not one but two-or more
teams of fine horses and magnificent coaches, but when they are asked for a donation
to build or restore a church or an orphanage, to feed and clothe destitute youth or to
provide one more priest for the Church, they have a thousand excuses at hand and end
up doing little or nothing for the Church or to relieve human suffering.
Some time ago someone threw a party here in Turin. One person told
98 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

me that it was stupendous, magnificent, princely. "How much did it cost?" I asked.
"Seventy thousand lire." Seventy thousand lire for one evening! What blindness!
That money could have sheltered and educated seventy boys, and possibly have even
provided seventy priests who, with God's grace in due time, could have saved
thousands of souls. Note, too, that just weeks before that same person had been
asked to fund the board and tuition of a poor boy for three months, and he refused!
God will certainly in His time ask him for an account of that party. This is an
excellent example of how some people become deaf to the call of charity.
What I have said about squandering God's gifts on a large scale is true also on a
smaller scale. If repeated often enough, it will have the same effect: it will keep
families from supporting institutions and activities most beneficial to the Church and
society.
My dear cooperators, I do not mean to raise scruples in your minds and tell you
that it is wrong to live in a manner befitting your station. I only wish to urge you not
to let the deadly scourge of luxury pervade your hearts and households in greater or
lesser measure. Shun that scourge, and you will always have something to contribute
to charitable endeavors, to dry compassionately the tears of many a poor family, and
to save many lads who have found refuge in institutes supported by your charity... .

There are indeed numerous proofs that the women cooperators were
contributing generously to Don Bosco's charitable work. As at the Oratory in
its first days, every new house which Don Bosco opened found a mother in
some good-hearted lady. A recent case in point was that of Madame Jacques
at St. Leo's Festive Oratory in Marseille. Nor did these pious women limit
their charity to a nearby Salesian house, but they reached out also to the
motherhouse. We have some touching documents of such motherly love
which well deserve to be handed down to posterity. We have mentioned Mrs.
Susanne Saettone [nee Prato] 1 3 as the Salesians of Varazze called her. Born
in Celle [Liguria], she had married and made her home in Albissola, where
she gave incalculable aid to the local Salesian house from its very
beginning. Such was her influence with Genoa's civil authorities that several
times she was able to ward off hostile measures being planned against the
school she loved so dearly. Following is a letter of hers to Father Rua for the
feast of Mary, Help of Christians:

13 See Vol. X, pp. 125, 128; Vol. XI, p. 114; Vol. XII, p. 293. [Editor]
The Soul of the Oratory 99

May 22, 1879

Dear Father Rua, my dear adopted grandson:
Tomorrow morning I will be very happy to send you by the first train leaving for
Sampierdarena a fruit basket for our dear, wonderful and thoughtful Don Bosco,
your loving papa. At the bottom of the basket you will find a package containing
four handkerchiefs: three are of fine cambric, ten lire each; the fourth has my name
embroidered on it. I do not care to use them or just leave them in a drawer. They are
brand-new, and Don Bosco can put them to good use. I hope that the peaches and
oranges, sent to me yesterday from Finale, are ripe and sweet and that the apples
which I purposely saved for the forthcoming feast are tasty. Please pray that the
Blessed Virgin Mary will obtain for me the grace of a good, holy death.
Father Angelo Riello, a Vincentian in the boarding school for the nobility at
Savona, has written to me that he did not receive the May issue of the Salesian
Bulletin. I have already sent him my own copy. Please do not forget him; he is one
of those who contributed the most for the first expeditions of your missionaries. He
collected substantial sums of money which I handed over to Don Bosco.
My fondest regards to you, to him, to Father Cagliero, Father Durando, Father
Lazzero and Father Pechenino.
Your devoted and grateful self-named grandmother, Susanna
Saettone, nee Prato

That year's feast of Mary, Help of Christians was marred by a downpour

from morning to night. Still, the church was packed throughout the day.
Bishop Garga, auxiliary of Novara, officiated with permission from
Archbishop Gastaldi. The previous day Bishop Berengo, who had been
transferred twelve days earlier from Adria to Mantua, had also pontificated
with his permission. Two casual remarks made by Don Bosco in a letter to
Father Bologna reveal his happiness for the successful outcome of the
festivities.

[No date]
My dear Father Bologna:
Enclosed are a few letters for you to address and forward to their destination.
If you succeed in persuading [Canon Guiol] the pastor at St. Joseph's to come with
you for the feast of St. John the Baptist, you will make it a first-rate celebration. Tell
him that his last letter was excellent and I shall reply
100 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

to all points. Madame Jacques should take heart in her concern for her health; the
sisters are preparing themselves and will be ready at a simple request. What a
spectacle was the feast of Mary, Help of Christians: over six thousand
Communions on the day itself Take care.
Fr. John Bosco

Though Father Guiol did not go to Turin for the feast of St. John the
Baptist, Don Bosco's name day offered his sons another treasured
opportunity to express their love for their father in personal notes, group gifts
and public demonstrations of affection and respect. A song written by Father
Lemoyne and set to music by our young composer Joseph Dogliani 14
symbolically portrayed the four recently established Salesian provinces and
Don Bosco's four major achievements: the Salesian Society, the Institute of
the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, the Sons of Mary Program and
the Association of Salesian Cooperators.
In addressing the public, Don Bosco stirred vibrant chords of enthusiasm
in the hearts of boys and of guests when he announced in a voice moved
with emotion that he had that very morning received a letter from Father
Costamagna bringing him from the very heart of the Pampas heartening
news about the evangelization of the natives. How could anyone looking
upon his serene countenance ever imagine that on the very eve of that
festive day the police vice-commissioner had handed him the decree
shutting down his school?
Dogliani's musical composition was a superb delight. He made use of the
rich variety of lyrics which called for a fantasy scenario and of the excellent
voices at his disposal. The general public thoroughly enjoyed the
performance. Then, when supper time came around, Dogliani resumed his
routine task of waiting on the superiors' table. At this time they still ate in the
community dining room. When everyone had finished and had left, he
cleared the tables and then went up to Don Bosco to kiss his hand before
leaving, but Don Bosco, firmly gripping his right hand, told him to stay. He
was about to have coffee, a sign that he had a bad headache. The tray held
two cups. "Here, Dogliani, have some

14 See Appendix 1. [Editor]

The Soul of the Oratory 101

coffee too!" Don Bosco said. Father Cagliero was there, and Dogliani looked
at him as if to say that such an honor was for him, and not for himself. But
Don Bosco poured the coffee and handed Dogliani the cup. He drank it,
thanked him heartily and left. To this day [1933] he is still moved by the
remembrance of Don Bosco's gracious gesture.
Baron [Amato] Heraud of Nice had sent Don Bosco a box of candy to
grace the table on his name day along with a generous donation.
Affectionately Don Bosco sent him a thank-you note.

Turin, July 19, 1879

Dearest Baron:
Your brother, or, should I say, your good friend, Baron Felix Arnaud, is leaving
for Nice, and I take this opportunity to send you some news. The matter you know
about15 is constantly considered as settled, but I am still waiting for what makes it
final. We shall see.
Your candy was delicious! Personally, I discovered that the donor's
sweetness and goodness were blended into the gift which made an excellent
majestic appearance at table.
As I wrote before, your one thousand francs were duly received and
immediately spent on behalf of Father Joseph Fagnano," who will be leaving
Buenos Aires at the beginning of August to open our first parish in Paraguay as
ordered by the Holy Father.
I'll tell you more some other time. I have some problems and badly need
your prayers.
God bless you and the baroness and keep you both in good health.
Yours gratefully and affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

It had been hoped at the Oratory that Attorney [Charles] Comaschi of

Milan, whose veneration for Don Bosco is well known to our readers, would
be present on Don Bosco's name day. Since he did not show up, Don Bosco
hastened to write to him.

'5The baron had a case pending in Rome_ Writing to Father Ronclmil, director at Nice, Don Bosco
had asked him to convey this message to the baron: "Tell him that Cardinal Bilio, prefect of the Sacred
Congregation of Rites, has informed me that he has already given his case serious consideration and has
entrusted it to one of his secretaries for further study and a report." [Author]
See Appendix 1. [Editor]
16
102 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Turin, June 29, 1879

Dearest Chevalier:
Your letter gave me hope that I would welcome you in our midst any time during
these last few days, but as yet we haven't seen you. Are you ill, perhaps, or is there
any problem at home? I sincerely hope not and pray God it be not so. At any rate,
you know perfectly well that we are all yours and that our home is yours too. God
bless you and your family.
Most gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

Some of the Oratory's festive preparations for Don Bosco's name day
were also used to honor Bishop Gerlando Genuardi, first bishop of
Acireale. He had hosted Father Cagliero and Father Durando on their tour
of Sicily with "rare finesse and kindness," summoning all his clergy to the
episcopal residence and solemnly introducing them to the diocesan senate;
he had wholehearted praise for Don Bosco and his Salesians, of whom he
claimed to be "a confrere."" Don Bosco was very anxious to have him
pontificate in the Church of Mary, Help of Christians on the feast of Sts.
Peter and Paul, but Archbishop Gastaldi set down such restrictions that they
were very much a refusal of permission, with the result that, far from
pontificating, he could not even assist pontifically at the solemn High Mass.
As we have seen, there was an endless line of illustrious guests at the
Oratory, and it is always gratifying to know their impressions. One such
testimony came to Don Bosco at the end of May, and we shall add it to those
we have already presented elsewhere. Father Leonard Guerra of the Friars
Minor wrote: "I always fondly and gratefully recall the happy days which,
thanks to your goodness, I spent at the Oratory, a haven of genuine virtue, of
most kindly and courteous hospitality. I really needed a rest when I returned
from my mission in Algeria, and, thanks to your charity, I also had the
opportunity of being edified and enjoying some spiritual insights."
Don Bosco's name day was also the stage for the alumni's annual
testimonial dinner which was generally held within the last few weeks of the
school year. That year it took place on August 17.

17 Letters from Father Cagliero to Don Bosco from Acireale, March 3 and 9, 1879. [Author]
The Soul of the Oratory 103

More than sixty alumni, all united as brothers regardless of rank, social
position or merit, sat in the dining room honoring Don Bosco. Their toasts
recalled the early days, extolled the progress, forecast the future, or just
reminisced about incidents in Don Bosco's life. In words pouring straight
from his heart, Don Bosco thanked God for having granted him the joy of
seeing himself surrounded by a crown of his earlier pupils, and he exhorted
them to persevere in virtue, wishfully inviting them to return for these
heartwarming gatherings for at least another hundred years.
It is indeed true that Don Bosco's former pupils loved to return to the
Oratory, for which they cherished fond memories. "Truthfully, I was really
fortunate to spend part of my youth under Don Bosco's guidance at the
Oratory," a former pupill8 who could not be present wrote to a classmate of
his. "There is something special about the Oratory, a totally unique system of
educating young people not to be found anywhere but in Don Bosco's
schools."
The day after Don Bosco's name day marked the end of a contest which
had been going on for two years with Don Bosco's active participation. It had
been sponsored by Unita Cattolica in 1877 at the closing of another contest
for a book on St. Joseph. On that occasion, the newspaper had expressed the
hope that someone might soon sponsor a contest for a book on St. Peter. At
this time Monsignor Peter Ceccarelli, pastor at San Nicolas de los Arroyos in
Argentina, was in Turin with his archbishop. He read the article and,
recalling that he had celebrated his own first Mass on the centenary of the
prince of apostles, whose name he bore, went along with the idea. He offered
a prize of one thousand lire to the author of the best book on St. Peter in a
simple, popular style. This did not mean, however, that the author could not
include in the text or in an appendix two studies dealing with St. Peter's
coming to Rome and papal infallibility. Monsignor Ceccarelli entrusted the
matter to Father [James] Margotti, editor of Unita Cattolica, on the
condition, however, that Don Bosco head a committee of competent
Salesians appointed by him to evaluate the entries according to the rules
followed in similar contests: an identifying motto on the manuscript and the
author's name in a sealed

isLetter from Father Frederick Mulattieri, Clavesana, March 24, 1879. [Author]
104 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

envelope, not to be opened until after the winner had been chosen.
Shortly afterward, an anonymous devout Catholic of Mantua made a
similar proposal to his bishop regarding a book about St. Paul, and put up
equal prize money for the best work submitted. The bishop, knowing of the
previous offer, asked Father Margotti to combine both contests and also
submit the second entries to the committee to be formed in Turin. Father
Margotti gladly acceded to his wish and announced the contest in his
newspaper.
The manuscripts soon began to arrive. The deadline had been set for June
29, 1878. Don Bosco appointed the committee on August 1 and its
members19 began to evaluate the manuscripts. Their verdict was to be
announced on January 18, 1879, but the number of manuscripts and their size
forced the committee to move the date to June 29 [1879].
Only four manuscripts were submitted in the contest on St. Paul, and the
prize was awarded to Father James Murena, a Vincentian born at Piacenza
and resident in Ferrara.
The other contest, for which ten manuscripts had been submitted, required
a longer time, and judging was slow in the final weeks. After a thorough
check of all the entries, the committee decided to exclude those manuscripts
which did not fully meet the required conditions, thus bringing the
contestants down to three. Questions and problems arose as to the lesser or
greater merits of each and opinion was divided. Noting that the majority
leaned toward one entry, Don Bosco ordered that the final verdict be shelved
and that all three manuscripts be sent to Bishop [Peter] Rota, former bishop
of Mantua, who was now titular archbishop of Carthage. A high-ranking
prelate esteemed for his learning and virtue, he was the one to make the final
decision. The committee

0fficial list of the nine committee members: Rev. John Bosco, chairman; Count Charles Cays, doctor
19

of both civil and canon law, secretary; Rev. John Boned, professor of literature and theology; Rev. John
Cagliero, doctor of theology; Rev. Francis Cerruti, doctor of literature, professor of history and theology,
director of the lyceum at Alassio; Rev. Francis Dalms7zo, doctor of literature and director of the
secondary school and college at Valsalice; Rev. Celestine Durando, professor of literature; Rev. John
Baptist Francesia, doctor of literature, professor of theology, and director of the municipal secondary
school at Varazze; Rev. Michael Rua, professor of literature, biblical hermeneutics and theology, and
prefect of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales. Substitutes: Rev. Julius Barberis, doctor of theology; Rev.
Joseph Bertello, doctor of theology, literature and philosophy; Rev. Dominic Belmonte, professor of
philosophy, director of St. Charles Junior Seminary at Borgo San Martino. [Author]
The Soul of the Oratory 105

members unanimously agreed, setting aside their preferences in their desire

to be scrupulously honest in their judgment, as Don Bosco wanted them to
be. Bishop Rota agreed to act as arbiter, and on May 13, 1879, he wrote to
the committee secretary as follows:

I have read the three biographies of St. Peter. Not relying fully on my own
judgment, I asked other competent people to evaluate them. The work which should
be declared winner seems to be the biography made up of five chapters, whose
identifying motto is Tu es Peters et super hanc petram aeclificabo Ecclesiam Meam
[You are Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church—Mt. 16, 18], and this
quotation from Origen: Nec adversus Petram, super quoin Christus Ecclesiam
aedificavit, nee adversus Ecclesiam Aortae inferi praevalebunt [The gates of hell
shall not prevail against this rock upon which Christ established the Church, nor
against the Church itself—Origen on St. Matthew's Gospel].

The bishop's readers thus summed up their verdict: "In our modest opinion
it would seem that the author of the Life of St. Peter in five chapters has met
the objectives of the contest. The book's clarity, simplicity and persuasive
tone should both please and help the readers for whom it was written." Then,
after noting a few flaws in language and style, they went on: "In conclusion,
we unhesitatingly assert that St. Peter's accomplishments are presented here
in a manner which will be of great help to the majority of ordinary readers."
The evaluating committee went along with this verdict and so the prize
money offered by Monsignor Ceccarelli was unquestionably awarded to the
author of the manuscript which bore the two mottos mentioned above.
The committee met on June 25 to open the envelopes bearing the
inscriptions identifying the authors of the lives of St. Peter and of St. Paul
which had been declared winners. Father Margotti was also present and was
asked to open the envelopes. The name in the one bearing the two texts from
St. Matthew and Origen was: Father John Bosco. Don Bosco immediately
explained that he had had no intention to strive for the prize, but, since the
contest aimed at glorifying the prince of the apostles, he had not been able to
resist his desire to share in singing his praises. By privately adding his own
manuscript to those entrusted to the committee, he had only wanted to
reassure himself that his own work might be as beneficial
106 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

to the general public as had been the intention of the contest's sponsor. He
declined the prize in favor of whatever charity Monsignor Peter Ceccarelli,
the sponsor, might choose 20
The contest rules did not specify unpublished works, and so Don Bosco had
simply touched up his own Lffe of St. Peter, published for the centenary of
the apostle, with proper deletions and modifications. 21 The book was not
published until 1884.22
We have often mentioned in these pages a small lottery initiated toward the
end of 1878. Don Bosco's attempts to get as much money from it as possible
advised that he defer the drawing as long as there was hope of selling more
tickets. He sent out a further circular on May 24. 23 The persistence with
which he pursued his undertakings once he had decided to initiate them was
truly admirable.24
Between mid-September and midi October he visited the Salesian houses in
Liguria, probably on the occasion of the spiritual retreat at Sampierdarena,
but, except for an allusion to this journey in a moving sympathy note to
Count Eugene de Maistre who had just lost his wife, we would know nothing
at all of this journey.

Turin, October 15, 1879

Dear Count Eugene:
I do not know how to begin this letter. Upon my return home from a visit to our
houses in Liguria, I received the very sad news of your wife's death. I can well
understand the grief and sorrow that has fallen upon you and

20Unita Cattolica, August 17, September 2, October 6, 1877; January 16, June 27 and 29, 1879.
[Author]
21
Our own Father [Albert] Caviglia made a thorough comparative study of this manuscript and of
the original manuscript in his work entitled Don Bosco, Opere e scritti edit( col inediti, Volume II,
Part 1: Le bite dei Papi, Series 1: Da San Pietro a San Zerino, pp. 11f. Remarkably he noticed that
in his re-edited work Don Bosco deleted all the quotations which he had previously included from a
manuscript by Canon Lawrence Gastaldi. [Author]
22 Vita di San Pietro, Principe degli Apostoli raccontata al popolo, Father John Bosco, Second Edition,
Sampierdarena, 1884. The front cover bears the imprint of Letture Cattoliche without the issue number.
[Author]
23
O3nitted in this edition. [Editor]
24
We are omitting three pages detailing the progress, extension and results of this lottery. Suffice it to
say that the royal family of Italy accepted five hundred tickets and that numerous bishops and cardinals
gave their support. Don Bosco sent also a circular to French benefactors, and part of the lottery proceeds
were given to the Salesian houses in Nice, Marseille, La Navarre and Saint-Cyr. [Editor]
The Soul of the Oratory 107

your entire family. I only regret not being able to do anything but pray. This we
have already done, and are still doing both for you and for your loved ones. When
she was seriously ill, the duchess informed us and asked us to pray. We did pray in
all our houses, but God did not see fit to grant our prayer, or perhaps He judged that
that rose had attained such beauty in His eyes that it was ready to be culled from
this earthly garden and transplanted in the heavenly garden of eternal delight. We
bow to His divine will and say "Thy will be done!"
But, my dear Count Eugene, you have several consolations in your affliction. You
have lost a devoted wife on earth but have acquired a patroness in heaven, and you
may rejoice at the thought of joining her one day, perhaps soon, in a life far better
than this on earth. Furthermore, all through our lives we can help her, if needed, by
prayer and good works. Better still, we may enhance her glory in heaven in the
event that she is there already.
God bless you, ever beloved Count Eugene, and with you your whole family_
May He inspire you and guide all of you safely along the road to heaven. Amen.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

We were forced to omit from this chapter the account of Don Bosco's
struggle in 1879 in defense of the Oratory. Since the narrative is rather
lengthy and cannot be interrupted, we have left it out. However, we already
saw its first indications in the controversy over the teachers' certification.
The most stormy phase of it was still to come. Don Bosco said that the
Oratory had been born and had grown under siege; it also survived it.
 CHAPTER 7

Shutdown of the Oratory School

T HE temporizing techniques to which Don Bosco resorted' in his

controversy with Turin's school board over the Oratory's teachers did nothing
to stall the course of events, much less to halt it. Lest some reader
misinterpret the stand he took and maintained unyieldingly throughout the
confrontation, we must clearly explain Italy's school laws of those years as
regards private secondary schools which were not certified as on a par with
public schools. Education throughout Italy, both public and private, was then
governed by the law of November 13, 1859, the so-called Casati Law, named
after its author, Gabrio Casati. It was a liberal law that, along with public
education, allowed several other forms of private education, of which only
two need concern us. Article 246 stated: "Any citizen over twenty-five who
meets established moral standards has the right to open a secondary school,
either boarding or day." Three specific conditions were laid down, the main
one being that all classroom subjects be taught by state certified teachers.
These were the so-called "private schools" which, according to law, the
minister of education was to supervise but not run—this supervision meaning
the safeguarding of good morals, health, discipline and the very existence of
the schools.
A second type of private secondary education was covered by Articles 250
and 251 [of the Casati Law]—i.e., schooling imparted "in the privacy of the
family by the father or legal guardian to his children or to the children of
relatives"; it also applied to schooling "imparted to children under the
supervision and responsibility of

'See pp. 66ff. [Editor]

Shutdown of the Oratory School 109

several parents who join together for that purpose." This was the so-called
"parental school" which by law was "exempted from all state inspection." It
also applied to hospices set up by generous philanthropists to house poor and
abandoned youth, for whom they could, therefore, be [logically] considered
as "parental schools." The truth was, however, that directives from the
Department of Public Education, interpretations given by school
superintendents, and regulations issued by school boards kept whittling down
the legal principle of private secondary education to mere pretense.
Undoubtedly no executive can rightfully set himself up as law; likewise, no
citizen who tries to counteract arbitrary interference and enforcement may be
charged with civil disobedience.
Knowing the statutory law, let us now see how it was applied in Turin by
the responsible officials, primarily by the prefect of the province who
distinguished himself as the most zealous campaigner against the Oratory.
The prefect was Minghelli Vaini, whose career was described by the then
celebrated city counselor, Dupraz, in a long confidential letter to Don Bosco.
Here is a brief summary. In 1848 Vaini was a very militant revolutionary in
Modena, a member of the provisional government of that duchy, and, after its
annexation [to Italy], a minister. In 1849 he was appointed chief warden of the
new prison at Oneglia, in which position he showed that he had no talents of
organization or governance. After an investigation and hearing he was
transferred to Turin as warden of the women's prison and of the syphilitics'
hospice. Later on, he became a member of parliament, superintendent of
prisons, prefect of Cagliari, and, filially, prefect of Turin. Another member of
the ex-duchy of Modena, Nicomedes Bianchi of Reggio Emilia, assessor of
public education in Turin, was really the driving power in this controversy,
injecting into it that sectarian mentality which he abundantly evidenced in his
historical studies. Superintendent [Joachim] Rho was backed up by his priest-
brother, a simple elementary school teacher who illegally acted as school
inspector. Both brothers had been schoolmates of Don Bosco at Chieri, and
both harbored a long resentment against him from the time that a nephew of
theirs had been expelled from the Salesian boarding school at Mirabello. The
priest, a hot-tempered individual, had actually threatened to avenge what he
termed an affront, and in
110 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

1879 he went about blustering against the Oratory and predicting as certain
the shutdown of its secondary school—manifestly, of course, an occurrence
that he would not regret. Returning from Rome, Don Bosco paid a visit to the
superintendent and, alluding to his inspections, remarked: "I hope that you at
least will treat me fairly." The other's reply was that he totally abided by the
law. Don Bosco continued to insist, citing their years of friendship and
alleging his reasons, only to be told repeatedly, "Keep within the law!"
Inadvertently, the superintendent had let out a reason for his adamant stand
while talking with someone in the Oratory playground: he feared being
transferred as superintendent to Palermo or even losing his job.
Let us now line up the facts. During the novena of Mary, Help of
Christians, the secretary of the provincial school board sent Don Bosco a
copy of the education minister's injunction of May 16 mandating the
shutdown of all secondary classes at the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales; the
order was signed by the prefect as chairman of Turin's school board. This
drastic measure was based on two reasons: non-compliance with existing
laws regarding teacher certification and Don Bosco's alleged repeated
duplicity in sending to the local board a list of certified teachers while
employing non-certified ones. The minister's injunction, however, was not
yet a formal order, but rather a notification to take the
necessary steps to comply with the law. The prefect took this step because
most of the board members favored Don Bosco and agreed
that the order was not to be formally issued until the day before the pupils
began their vacation. Don Bosco had to act swiftly to avert the disaster. He
called on the prefect to thank him for his thoughtfulness and to state his case
through the following memorandum.

Turin, May 18, 1879

Dear Sir:
Allow me to bring a few things to your attention concerning the poor youngsters
who are being sheltered at the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales.
I offer some clarifications concerning the decree issued by the minister of public
education to shut down the secondary school of this institute, the Oratory of St.
Francis de Sales.
Shutdown of the Oratory School 111

BACKGROUND HISTORY
In 1841, keenly anxious to do something for so many unfortunate lads whom
neglect drives to a miserable future, I endeavored to draw as many as I could to
suitable recreation centers. In 1846 I opened a hospice for the most destitute and
theatened youngsters, and government officials made it a point to send unfortunate
boys there. My aim was to teach them some skill or trade which would one day
enable them to earn an honest living. Among the young lads I took in there were
some who had a natural talent for studies as well as others of middle-class or
aristocratic families who had fallen upon hard times, and they were given a chance
to get a secondary school education. The results were good: a sizable number
achieved honorable careers in business, in the military or in the teaching profession;
a few even managed to obtain professorships in state universities. Several, anxious
to enter the printing trade, were taught at our own graphic arts shop. At all times the
city school authorities considered this school as a work of charity, a hospice, a
parental school, conforming to articles 251-252 of the Casati Law. Furthermore, the
school superintendents as well as the -ministers of public education and the reigning
sovereign himself, Humbert I, have always been our most distinguished benefactors
through counsel and financial support. This past year, 1877-78, was the first time
that the provincial superintendent of schools demanded certified teachers for all
classes, and he even threatened to shut down our secondary school for these
underprivileged boys. This would be disastrous for so many poor lads who would
be deprived of a chance to earn an honest living; perhaps some might even have to
return to their former tragic destitution.
On the other hand, anxious as I am to comply to the best of my ability with
government regulations, I assigned duly certified teachers to classes. However,
some of them holding administrative offices in the school availed themselves of
qualified teachers' aides for the supervision and instruction of their classes at such
times when they could not do so themselves. Such was the state of affairs when,
during my absence from Turin, the provincial superintendent (see his letter of
January 2) appeared unannounced for a second school inspection. He found nothing
amiss in terms of cleanliness, sanitary conditions, discipline and good conduct his
only complaint was that three of the certified teachers were taken up with
administrative duties and their classes were being taught by substitutes. For this
reason, and this reason alone—as you may see in the above-cited letter—he
threatened to close the whole hospice if the teachers we had listed [as certified]
were not always in their classrooms. Let me point out that the school year in our
hospice runs from October 15 to the following September 15 and that we manage to
adjust the school timetable
112 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

to meet the teachers' needs. So, while at certain hours on certain days all teachers may
not actually be present in their classrooms, they do not in any way neglect their
teaching. If their multiple responsibilities keep them from following the regular class
schedule, they more than make up for that time whenever they are free of their
administrative duties. Let it be further observed that no law obliges private
institutions to follow the schedule of public schools. I know of no law which forbids a
teacher's aide from taking over a certified teacher's class when the latter cannot be
there, particularly when instructors are used who hold equivalent diplomas. There are
many such instances: here in Turin, one instructor has been teaching in a top-rate
lyceum even though he holds no certification of any kind, unless the superintendent's
approval is rated as a certification. Be this as it may, it is my desire not only to submit
but also to be deferential to school authorities. Hence I request, as a personal favor, a
reasonable time extension to allow me to make arrangements to follow not only the
law's requirements but also the wishes of the superintendent. In the meanwhile, I beg
you, dear sir, as father of the children of our poor citizens, to use your kindly offices
with the provincial school board of Turin and, if needed, with the minister of public
education, to grant this extension not so much to me as to these young people whom I
care for.
It is my hope that I will be granted the favor I ask. However, should it not be
forthcoming, rather than endanger the future of my poor boys and throw them out
into the street, I will at the cost of grave sacrifices modify the school's administrative
policies so as to guarantee each certified teacher's presence in his classroom at the
required time.
I am,
Yours respectfully,
Fr. John Bosco, Petitioner

Aiming at the withdrawal of the decree, Don Bosco sent copies of this
memorandum to influential people in both Turin and Rome, among them
Commendatore Barberis, Premier Depretis, General de la Roche, minister of
defense, who was a friend of Father [Francis] Dahnazzo,2 and several other
important officials. On June 8 he told the members of the superior chapter:
"Minister Coppino will at least realize that we have champions in high places,
and that, despite his evil intent, the Lord will make sure that we will overcome
even with only human means. It is not worth my while to write to him because
whenever I have done so or spoken to him in

'See Appendix 1. [Editor]

Shutdown of the Oratory School 113

the past he always promised me the moon while in reality he did his best to
entangle me in all sorts of ways."
Convinced that the crisis was not imminent, he dropped in to see
Nicomedes Bianchi,3 who wielded weighty influence over Turin's provincial
and local school board. They knew each other well. In the above-mentioned
chapter meeting, Don Bosco updated the members on the situation and
reported the highlights of this interview, as we find in the minutes of the
meeting. On seeing Don Bosco, Bianchi, without giving him a chance to say
a word, immediately exclaimed, "Don Bosco, you are here because of that
decree."
"Precisely."
"Have no fear. The council has decided not to serve the decree until the
eve of your pupils' departure for vacation."
"That is all well and good, and I heartily thank all who extended me this
kindness. But you understand, sir, that such a decree is a slap in the face and
a sign of mistrust in me. I don't think I deserve that."
"What can we do? It has been issued."
"What would you advise? I would like to have it rescinded by presenting
pertinent documents."
"I have studied the situation, and I believe that you have enough arguments
to get it legally rescinded, but I advise against it for two reasons. First,
should they be forced to withdraw it, they will with set malice make things
much worse for you. Second, though you may have strong arguments, they
would counterpose arguments of their own, and willy-nilly the order would
stand. You must realize that this matter involves the Turin school board, city
hall and the Department of Public Education."
"So I must submit to this act of mistrust?"
"Look, finish up this year and next year get yourself certified teachers for
your classes."
"I do have certified teachers and they do teach. . . . Are we being forced to
follow government school hours? We certainly are not bound to do so."
"The report made to the provincial school board states that the Oratory
does not have certified teachers."

3 See Vol. VII, p. 311. [Editor]

114 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

"But we do."
"Then send immediately a list of their names to the prefect, showing him
that you really have these teachers and citing their degrees. One more thing:
neither as a city councilman nor as a school board member, but as a friend,
I can tell you that indeed you are not obliged to keep government school
hours. [Do this:] To forestall future difficulties with importunate visits, let
them know that for the greater convenience of your teachers and pupils you
are not following the government's school schedule. Tell them that you run
early morning and late evening classes or that your own method calls for
morning and evening classes at certain hours. Thus, if the school
superintendent drops in on you unannounced in the morning, you can claim
that the students are having a study period because classes are held in the
evening, and should he come in the evening, you can say that they have
already had their classes in the morning."
"Thank you for your kind suggestion. However, I assure you that I have
never tried, and never will, to dodge the law or infringe it. I am firmly
determined to abide by it. All I can say is that, in the overall picture, it is not
always feasible to follow a rigid timetable, and at times a substitute teacher
has to be used."
Don Bosco was anxious to know more about his standing with the school
board and the city authorities, and he kept asking questions to find out what
else had put him in a bad light. He was assured there was nothing else. The
assessor even made it clear that the school board's lengthy discussion had
words of highest praise for Don Bosco's institute, for his charitable
enterprises, and for the poor boys whom he was taking in. However, he
stated, it was charged that Don Bosco wanted to dodge the law and deceive
the authorities by putting uncertified teachers in his classes (the Oratory still
had elementary classes for day students) under the pretense that they had
certification.
"This is the only black mark against you," Nicomedes Bianchi said,
continuing: "The superintendent personally went to inspect your school and
did not find certified teachers in the classes. A second time he came and
found the same situation. Furthermore, one of your teachers or someone else
told somebody after this second visit, 'We really fooled him this time!' This
was because one
Shutdown of the Oratory School 115

or two of your certified teachers managed to dash into their classrooms just
before the superintendent entered. He found out about this and told the
school board, which became distrustful and led them to propose that the
Department of Public Education issue a decree for the closing of the
school."
Don Bosco remonstrated how ungrounded and unfair the board's order
was, having been issued because some unknown person had made a
disparaging remark about the superintendent to some other unknown person.
However, he did appreciate this lengthy interview. Later he declared,
"Outwardly Nicomedes Bianchi acted kindly with me and disclosed things
that it was important I should know. Without doubt he is the board member
who most poses a threat for us, and probably he is the one who gave us the
coup de grace. However, the Lord sometimes speaks to us even through
Balsam's donkey."
The Oratory's top superiors were told all about the school problem, but no
one else in the house knew. Don Bosco kept hoping for a two-year
extension, which was allowed by law; in two years he could get much done.
Hence he earnestly appealed his case to Father [Peter] Baricco, a city
councillor and close friend of his, whose only answer was, "I have every
intention of supporting the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales which you
founded and have been maintaining to the great advantage of the public, but
I see that it is problematic, not to say impossible, that the school authorities
will ever grant you a two-year extension to comply with regulations. For
years now the Department of Public Education has been insisting with
provincial school boards to bring all private schools into line with the law,
and so at this late stage such an exception is unthinkable. Should an
exception be made for the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, which is well
known for its large enrollment, smaller schools would all be clamoring for
the same. As things are going today, I think it is wise to urge you to do all
you can to put full-time, qualified teachers in your classrooms. You will thus
guarantee your school's smooth running without fear that anyone will disrupt
it. The Providence in whom you place your trust will provide the means you
need to do this."
In view of the situation, Don Bosco clarified his position with the
following letter to the prefect:
116 THE BIOGRAPHICAL. MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Turin, June 20, 1879

Dear Sir:
Although I have already given you orally the names of the teachers in
our secondary school, I think it proper to give an official record to the
school authorities over whom you so worthily preside.
The teachers who are currently teaching the classes for these few
remaining weeks of the school year are as follows:
5th year Father Celestine Durando
4th year: Father Michael Rua
3rd year: Father John Bonetti
2nd year: Father Mark Pechenino
1st year: Father Joseph Bertello
Their certifications are on file in the offices of the provincial
superintendent; if necessary, I will send a copy also to you.
Some changes will be made next year, 1879-80, and I shall duly inform
you in good time. I assure you that they will all have proper certification.
I am honored to remain,
Yours sincerely,
Fr. John Bosco
But there was not the ghost of a chance for a two -year stay. Once [Michael
Coppino] the minister of education heard that plans were afoot to propose
delaying the school's closing to the end of the school year, not only did he
reject the proposal, but he peremptorily ordered the provincial
superintendent to shut down the school no later than June 30. The
superintendent unofficially forewarned Don Bosco in a friendly manner,
adding:
Our personal friendship over the years compels me to suggest that you
resignedly accept the order in unfeigned and sincere compliance. After that, you
can send the minister an appeal in which you declare that, as a good citizen, you
have carried out the government's directives and are requesting permission to
reopen your secondary school for 1879-80, promising to staff it with certified
teachers who will personally and regularly conduct their classes. Such a request,
backed up by some influential person, will, I think, be favorably received. On the
contrary, your former, twice refused appeal to the prefect to be allowed to use
uncertified teachers for at least two or three years will, in my opinion, fall on deaf
ears.
The lightning was followed by a clap of thunder! At ten o'clock in the morning, on
the day before the feast of Saint John the Baptist,
Shutdown of the Oratory School 117

Don Bosco's name day, a police officer called at the Oratory and delivered
the order into Don Bosco's hands, requesting and receiving a receipt. Then,
the following morning, Don Bosco found in the mail a letter, dated the prior
day, asking him to admit a boy named Michael Gabbero to the Oratory on
the request of Mr. Angelo Boggiani, a member of the Council of State, a
sector of which had voted in favor of the closing of the secondary school.
How was anyone to think that Don Bosco could "resignedly accept the
order" which would force him to shut down his school so suddenly? The
Oratory was no tiny school furtively hidden in some lost corner of the land.
Its head superior was a respected household name throughout Italy and half
the world. Nor could so many boys be cast out into the streets so abruptly. He
thought it best to change his mind and write immediately to Minister
Coppino. He drafted a letter but hesitated to mail it, doing so only three days
later after some rewriting. It read:

Turin, June 26, 1879

Your Excellency:
I have been served with a copy of the decree of the Department of Public
Education ordering the shutdown of the secondary school in this Salesian Oratory.
Please allow me to bring to your attention that the deliberation of closure reached by
the provincial school board, on which your decree is based, has no legal basis
(please see the enclosed document) for two reasons: first, the various courses offered
in this school are assigned to certified teachers as Article 246 of the [Casati] law,
cited against me by the decree without reason, prescribes; second, none of the
serious reasons specified by Article 247 concerning the closure of any school exist.
That certified teachers of secondary school classes have substitutes to replace them
when they cannot be present in the classroom is no reason to authorize an enforced
closure of a secondary school, primarily because this practice contravenes no article
of the law; secondly, it takes place in all schools, public and private.
I therefore request that out of justice you rescind the order to close this school. I
await your courteous response so that, should you reject my request (which I believe
improbable), I may use legal means to protect my poor pupils.
I am honored to remain,
Your humble servant, Fr. John
Bosco
118 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

If nothing else, Don Bosco saw this letter as gaining him some time, since
every moment counted. He then wrote to the prefect of the province, as
follows:
Turin, June 26, 1879
Dear Sir:
I have received your courteous letter with the enclosed decree of the Department of
Public Education ordering the shutdown of our secondary school. Since it is quite
impossible for me to comply with the order in the brief span of only four weekdays,
and because the reasons for such a measure have no foundation in law, I have decided
to carry my appeal to higher authority.
I am informing you of this so that you may suspend action on the above order until
you receive further clarification, which is sure to come.
I am honored to remain,
Your humble servant, Fr. John
Bosco

Since he had to leave Turin, Don Bosco asked Father Rua and Father
Durando to call on the prefect and hear from him directly what he intended to
do with the order to shut down the school. Things went from bad to worse. In
their interview they were informed that the boys had to leave the Oratory. He
would not retreat from his adamant stand, and so they pleaded with him at
least to give them time both to end the examinations—which was impossible
by the terms of the order—and to make some provision for those boys who
were orphans. The prefect seemed inclined to agree, and so they felt that the
school could go on without any fear of disruption for a few days beyond June
30.4
But their wishful thinking was soon shattered. On the very day of their
interview the prefect replied to Don Bosco's letter stating that in no way
would he suspend the implementation of the order and that should Don Bosco
fail to do so by June 30, he would resort to legal force to safeguard the respect
due to the government department which had issued the order. "You were
given not four days, as you erroneously stated, but eight to obey the order," he
wrote, "since you were served the decree on June 23." Don Bosco justifiably
excluded the two festive days of Saint John's Nativity on

'Teter from Father Rua to Don Bosco, June 28, 1879. [Author]
Shutdown of the Oratory School 119

June 24 and Sunday, June 29; nor did he count the day of issuance and the
day of closing. Unshaken, he calmly and frankly wrote back:
Turin, June 30, 1879
Dear Sir:
Having appealed to higher authority for grave and justified reasons, I believed that
action on the order to shut down our schools for poor boys would be deferred until
the competent authority could rule on it. Your note of yesterday makes it clear that
you are demanding immediate compliance as of today, June 30.
Your order leaves no alternative but full and unquestioning compliance. I therefore
inform you that as of today all secondary school classes in this hospice have ceased.
I shall endeavor to place the students in some trade or craft suited to their age and
condition. Those who have parents will most likely be returned to their families.
Lastly, some fifth year students will have to stay here until they can take their state
examinations.
I am honored to remain,
Your humble servant, Fr. John
Bosco
The prefect got in touch with the city magistrate to ask for his cooperation
in forcing the Oratory's evacuation, but the magistrate had no stomach for
such ruthless measures against so many impoverished youngsters. He was
mindful of the many orphaned and destitute lads who were showing up at the
prefecture seeking food and shelter. Finally, on July 2 a few days' stay was
granted to hold examinations. What had happened to temper the animosity?
The government was tottering and its fall seemed imminent. At such times,
smart public officials often recall Talleyrand's dictum: Surtout, pas de zele
[Above all, no zeal]. But Don Bosco's zeal gave him no rest. Again he
drafted a defense of his position for the minister of public education, more
clearly proving that his schools fell in the category of "parental schools," as
described in the Casati Law. In an eloquent outburst of holy indignation, he
also let his heart refute the allegation that he had willfully deceived the
school authorities.5

5
We are omitting this memorandum which substantially repeats and somewhat amplifies the
"Background History." See pp. 111f. [Editor]
120 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

By the time this document got to Rome, the government had fallen. Unita
Cattolicae neatly characterized the notorious order to shut down Don Bosco's
schools as "the government's last glorious accomplishment."'
On July 5, his usual serenity unruffled by these worries, Don Bosco opened
a bird museum at the Valsalice College and invited Senator Siotto-PintOr to
preside. It was a small collection, well ordered and in excellent condition, the
patient labor of Canon John Baptist Giordano, a priest widely admired
throughout Turin as a speaker and as a man of virtue. A dedicated,
knowledgeable naturalist, he devoted his spare time in his retreat at Rivalta to
searching out rare birds which he then stuffed and classified. A room in his
villa served as a museum, which displayed national and foreign birds in glass
showcases. When he passed away in 1871, his heirs offered the collection to
Don Bosco, who purchased it for his Valsalice College. This dedication
ceremony promoting culture was his reply to the insult of having the Oratory
schools shut down.
Siotto-Pintor took a very keen interest in the Oratory's crisis, and his speech
was filled with allusions and fairly caustic quips comprehensible only to those
who knew the facts. Some are still alive 11933] who recall the sharp contrast
between Don Bosco's serenity and the Sardinian senator's vehemence in
attacking the troublemakers in his private conversation with Don Bosco. Nor
did he limit himself to noisy but ineffective talk. He made his voice heard in
Rome in defense of the "incomparable" Don Bosco. Though he was to set out
for Cagliari, he did not leave Turin until he had fired a letter to the resigning
minister of public education, who merely replied that if the Salesian hospice
really found itself in the legal entanglement he claimed, its director should
submit a legal protest to the provincial school board to have the closure order
rescinded, since that was within its competence.8
However, there was little to be had from the local authorities, and so the
day after the museum's inauguration, Don Bosco sent a letter to King Humbert
I, imploring His Majesty to come to the rescue of the Oratory boys.

6
Unita Cattolica, Tuesday, July 8, 1879. [Author] 'This
paragraph is a condensation. [Editor]
BLetter of Minister Coppino to Senator Siotto-Pintar, Rome, July 10, 1879. [Author]
Shutdown of the Oratory School 121

Turin, July 6, 1879

Your Royal Majesty:
Most fervently and humbly I commend to your sovereign clemency a work of
charity which your parents and you have often generously subsidized. I mean the
Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, whose only purpose is to shelter the poorest and
most needy sons of the people. Last June 23 the Department of Public Education
ordered the shutdown of its schools, which have existed thirty-five years, thus
forcing me to drive some three hundred boys back into hopeless destitution. With
but a year or two of further schooling, they might be returned to society as self-
sustaining, law-abiding citizens.
I am sick at heart. Your Majesty is my last recourse to aid and rescue this poor
band of unfortunate lads.
I plead with you to read the enclosed short, factual account of the situation as it
stands. I have neither blame nor disapproval for the school authorities. I only ask
that, if Your Majesty were to decide that the order of closure should stand, you
would at least grant a period of grace within which I can make some provision for
the future of my unfortunate boys, who reach out their shaking hands to Your
Majesty's heart for thoughtful consideration.
They all pray to God with one voice that He will graciously grant protection to
your Royal Majesty.
Your most humble subject, Fr. John
Bosco

Since time was pressing, on July 8 he telegraphed Count Visone, minister

of the royal palace: "Forced to turn three hundred poor boys into the street.
Urgent. Immediate action needed." That very day the count wired Chevalier
Crodara Visconti, head of the royal household in Turin, from Rome: "Please
advise Father John Bosco, director of St. Francis de Sales Oratory, that His
Majesty has ordered his appeal to be taken up by the Department of Public
Education." Don Bosco's immediate reply telegram to Count Visone read:
"Boys and superiors gratefully offer heartfelt thanks in undying gratitude for
the king's kindness."
Because of this series of events the dismissal of the secondary school
students seemed to be indefinitely postponed. With all classes suspended, they
took long walks by class groups into different parts of the countryside and
there sat around their teachers for open air lessons. Apparently they had no
idea that their school
122 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

was threatened with a shutdown. Don Bosco, convinced at the time that the
respite was genuine, notified [Cardinal Lawrence Nina] his cardinal patron,
who congratulated him on July 11, writing: "My deep regret at the news that
your hospice was to be closed has yielded to genuine pleasure on receiving
your note of July 8. Hoping that the delay order will soon bring about a
definite end of aggravation against you, I rejoice with you and your homeless
students for this happy step."
But the painful succession of troubles was not to end so soon. Don Bosco
brought Chevalier Crodara's telegram to the prefect, who gave it no heed
and refused to delay the execution of his order until action had been taken
on the royal appeal. His only concession was a ten-day deferment for those
boys who had no home to go to. Don Bosco was not to be put off; he was
set on getting a deferment at any cost, and so he wrote 9 to the minister of
the royal household to hasten the king's help.
Following the example of Unita Cattolica, another Turinese school
periodical, It Baretti, edited by Professor Perosino, commented on this
lamentable incident as follows:1° "In his downfall Minister Coppino chose to
leave Turin a souvenir of himself by shutting down Don Bosco's schools at
Valdocco. Further comments in our next issue."
Unita Cattolica returned to the charge in an article which substantially
rephrased in journalistic style Don Bosco's report to Minister Coppino,
concluding: "There is still someone in Turin, a man of eminent rank, who has
a human and loving heart, and that man is King Humbert I." Then followed
Don Bosco's appeal to the king and his reply." A third newspaper, Lo
Spettatore, Milan's Catholic journal of politics and business, likewise entered
the fray with two sharply critical articles, of which we quote the second as
remarking ironically:12

In a desire to safeguard these poor youngsters' education and to eliminate

imaginary deficiencies, they will all be turned out into the street, where many of
them, deprived of any semblance of education, will
We are omitting this letter informing the minister of the prefect's refusal to wait until the
9

appeal had been acted upon. [Editor]

.11 Baretti, July 10, 1879. [Author]
19

"Unita Cattolica, July 12, 1879. [Author]

Lo Spettatore, July 12-13 and 14-15, 1879. [Author]
12
Shutdown of the Oratory School 123

necessarily have to turn to the trade of vice and licentiousness. And this is supposed
to be in keeping with the aims of the law! Even supposing that this strange concept
of education—which apparently can be meaningful only when sanctioned by the
minister's certification—cannot be given to these youngsters, why should they be
evicted? Does inadequate teaching preclude the charitable mission of rescuing
homeless youngsters from the streets and providing for their daily care?

Now, Father [Angelo] Rho, as self-appointed defense lawyer for his

brother, the provincial school superintendent, wrote Don Bosco a very long
letter, whose beginning and end are worth quoting. The opening was not too
bad:

I must say that I have always held you in high esteem, as does everyone who has
come to know your excellent character and your wonderful work for the poor in
particular, but I must tell you quite honestly that I find you very wrong in the matter
of your school's closing. I believe—pardon me if I talk as a sincere friend, wearing
my heart on my sleeve and hiding nothing—that your love for your institute may
have slightly blinded you about its drawbacks, much as a parent's somewhat
excessive love can make him overlook his children's shortcomings.

The charges which followed were totally based on Don Bosco's inability or
refusal to see the difference between a private secondary school and a
parental school. All the grave evils he complained about stemmed from the
lack of certified teachers. The heart of his long-winded diatribe is in the
lengthy postscript, amply watered with crocodile tears.

I assure you—he went on—that my brother was very much grieved at having to
enforce the law, as was his duty, and he still grieves at your refusal to grasp this and
comply once and for all with the law. However, law and duty come first. Things had
gone too far; though others may have closed an eye to it in the past, he could not in
good conscience do so. Can you blame him for that? Doubtless, you are honest
enough not to blame an old friend for what he did; upon serious consideration, you
will have to admit that my brother simply did his duty, neither more nor less, and that
you should comply with the law, so as not to have any problems in the future and
avoid compromising others. It is certainly true that your institute, as you say, is well
trained in morality, but is that enough? The answer is an emphatic, everlasting no!
Teaching must be well ordered and
124 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

in keeping with the law, which no one must ever dodge, supersede or resist. Then all
will be well. Don't you agree? My dear friend, I speak in all honesty: certain people
advise you, but their motives are not always just or honest.

This last insinuation was aimed at Father [James] Margotti, editor of

Unita Cattolica, and at Joseph Allievo, professor of pedagogy at the
University of Turin. Apart from all this, one can sadly see how even a
good priest can become legalistic when he allows himself to be tainted
with bureaucracy.
Rather Rho restated his opinions [on July 17, 1879] in an acrimonious
letter to Father Margotti, who disdainfully ignored it and forwarded it to
"his deeply revered Don Bosco," remarking that he might help the cause
and certainly do him a favor if he would "privately" answer the
superintendent's brother. Don Bosco took his advice.

Turin, July 20, 1879

Father Rho:
Father Margotti has sent me your letter to him, asking me to reply to the section
which concerns me.
I do so gladly because our disagreement calls for some clarification, without which
everything is distorted.
Had you come to the Oratory I would have shown you that the charge of our
teachers' not being certified is false.
Your brother, the superintendent, has on his desk the complete list—names,
surnames, and certificates—of our teachers: Michael Rua, Celestine Durando, Joseph
Bertello, John Bonetti, and Mark Pechenino, all of whom are duly certified. The order
to close the school, therefore, citing uncertified teachers as the reason, is founded on
an error of fact.
You claim that I am using older pupils to teach in the classrooms. By older
students [I suppose] you mean the above-mentioned teachers who are in fact former
pupils of mine.
So too are Professor Rinaudo at the University of Turin and Professor Marco at the
University of Rome, and others elsewhere. Why couldn't I avail myself of their
services in our school? Furthermore, since private schools are free to set up their own
daily schedule, no one can object if classes are held when it's more convenient for the
teachers. The law also plainly states that no hospice may be shut down unless public
order, morality, or the health of the pupils is gravely affected. No one can say
Shutdown of the Oratory School 125

this of our schools for poor boys. Indeed, the superintendent himself, reporting to the
provincial school board after his visit, affirmed that he found nothing to be desired in
cleanliness, discipline, moral behavior, and scholastic proficiency.
Furthermore, the law states that even in the face of some abuse, the hospice may
not be shut down before the director's observations are presented to the provincial
school board. This was not done. The superintendent dropped in during my absence,
dashed through the classrooms, and found nothing lacking in sanitation, moral
behavior, cleanliness and scholastic progress.
On my return to Turin, I found a letter from the superintendent insisting that the
certified teachers had to be in their classrooms throughout the school hours set for
public schools. The law does not call for this. However, to please the authorities, I
asked for an extension of time lest the school administration be set topsy-turvy, and I
concluded, "Should this favor be refused, please inform me, so that I may change the
school's nil-ministration schedule and make sure that the certified teachers are in
their classrooms during the hours the education department may require." I received
no reply until last June 23, when I was told that the secondary school was being
closed down. You keep appealing to the law as above everyone and everything. I
would rather say that justice must govern the law.
Which article of the law have I violated? I keep asking and waiting for an answer,
but all in vain. And again, how can the superintendent or anyone else order the
eviction of poor boys from a hospice, as he is doing in this case?
You also add that for the past three years the superintendent has been insisting
that I comply with the law. My reply is that all superintendents, all ministers of
public education, have always commended, approved, assisted and subsidized this
hospice over the past thirty years. It had to be a friend, a schoolmate of mine, to
propose that it be shut down in spite of the fact that I was going out of my way to
comply fully with the law. See, I too write with my heart on my sleeve, and you will
be doing me a real favor by reading the Casati Law and citing the articles I have
violated. I have written all this to protect the poor lads who are sheltered in this
hospice. Apart from that, I assure you that I wish to be on good terms with you and
your brother and would consider it a pleasure if I could ever be of service to you.
With due esteem,
Your affectionate friend, Fr. John
Bosco
126 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Father Rho took offense. He was waiting for an answer to his eight-page
letter to Don Bosco, opening with "My dear, good friend Don Bosco," but
there was no answer. Then the letter he had sent to Father Margotti had been
passed on to Don Bosco for a reply, and, in courtesy to Father Margotti, Don
Bosco had obliged with a cold salutation: "Father Rho." Peppery by nature,
Father Rho felt that he had to fight back. Following is Don Bosco's calm,
dignified reply to his second letter:
Turin, July 24, 1879
My ever dearest friend:
When an honest man is disbelieved, he must withdraw in strict silence. You have
not understood me and have not replied to a single one of the points raised in my
letter. Then, too, the contempt with which you speak of the priests in this house
makes it impossible for me to respond in decent terms. So it is quite useless for me to
discuss the matter, as I ardently wished. Apart from this, we shall always be good
friends, and I shall continue to rely on your kind offices and those of your family,
particularly the superintendent. I shall always gladly be of any service to you and to
your dear ones. In Jesus Christ, always and unalterably,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

Father Rho wrote again on July 24, 1879, fretting and fuming, and
urging Don Bosco to search for grounds of reconciliation, but Don Bosco
kept his peace. It apears from the above that it was the superintendent
himself who had engineered these maneuvers, but he miscalculated the
results and so now sought to save face. After all, Father Rho had no ill
feelings for Don Bosco; probably he may have been pressured from without
and by the fear of losing his job. 13
An obvious comment arises from the perusal of the priest's two letters. In
each he praises Don Bosco's sterling character. "No one doubts your
honesty," he writes in the second letter. "I would be the first to rise in your
defense (as I assure you I have done and more than once), for, indeed,
everyone acknowledges the immense good you have done and are doing. Let
me say that you even try too hard. That is when (forgive me, my friend)
trouble may arise. Am I
13 See pp. 109f. [Editor]
Shutdown of the Oratory School 127

wronging you by saying that you do too much good? I think not." How could
he hold Don Bosco in such high esteem and yet believe that he was
knowingly stubborn in pursuing a line of conduct contrary to duty and
justice? Wasn't there something seriously questionable in this priest's
reasoning, and would not the zeal of the others deserve a worthier cause?
When the new government was formed under Premier [Benedict] Cairoli,
the Department of Public Education was entrusted to Francis Perez, a
Sicilian. Immediately Unita Cattolica published an article [on July 16,
1879] headed "A Plea for Justice," authored by "a renowned person, neither
a cleric nor clerically minded." It proved that the closing of the secondary
Oratory school was illegal. Its author was none other than Joseph Allievo,
professor of pedagogy at the Royal University of Turin. The editor prefaced
the article as follows:

We are sending a copy of this article to the new minister of public education. It
would be an excellent start for him to redress a gross injustice and prevent a grave
violation of moral rightness and law. Just a few days ago we were honored to greet
here in Turin an illustrious bishop." from Sicily, who came to our city expressly to
request Don Bosco to open schools on his island. Soon afterward it was our lot to
witness, in our own Turin, the harassing of the Salesian Oratory and its schools. How
fitting it would be for a Sicilian minister to repair the harm done by a former
Piedmontese minister upon the education of the good youth of Turin.

Professor Allievo not only hi • blighted the illegality of the shutdown

order, but also excoriated the arbitrariness of its execution by the prefect of
the province.

The minister of education—he declared—had decreed the closing of the private

secondary school. Since a school is a place where pupils are taught, the closure order
is implemented as soon as instruction ceases—as it actually did at the Oratory school
on June 30. But he arbitrarily decided to strike out against the charitable hospice as
well by ordering the eviction of all the boys, children of the people, who were
peacefully attending to their studies in that institute. Tell us: by virtue of what law
and by whose authority is he entitled to wrest so many poor boys from the protection
of a hospice and throw them destitute into the streets?
i4Bish
op Gerlando Genuardi of Acireale. See p. 102. [Editor]
128 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

The author closed with a fierce defense of Don Bosco's honor.

In this dismal instance of illegality and raw power even the manner in which it
was presented is outrageous.
Don Bosco wanted (so alleged the superintendent and the prefect in the ministerial
decree) to deceive the Turin school authorities repeatedly. And so this good priest
who in the name of Christian charity cares for so many poor children is said not
merely to deceive, but to intend to deceive the authorities. His enemies were not
satisfied with attacking everything he holds dearest, his boys' school; they had to
assume the role of inquisitors and probe his motives, charging him with bad faith,
with devious and deceitful conduct.

The newspapers now pitched into the fray. Bypassing the scurrilo us
remarks of the anticlerical press, we go directly to the promised article of Il
Baretti which appeared in the July 17 issue and surprisingly put the school
board on the defensive.

We demand to know who counseled, ordered, and executed the aforesaid school
closing just because one day someone was found teaching who was not duly certified.
We ask the school board if Turin's currently employed public school teachers have all
received their degrees and certification. And let it be known that such uncertified
teachers—the same as those in Don Bosco's school—are being paid a salary,
rightfully so, while the Oratory teachers are donating their services in a commendable
spirit of charity, just as do all who belong to that charitable institution. We might add
that from the so-called illegal schools of Don Bosco have emerged learned teachers
and authors of highly valued books, as well as distinguished college and university
professors. To this day, these same schools turn out students all of whom nearly
always pass the state examinations and stand out as the top students in the
universities. But let us pass that by. Let's just say that when it comes to Minister
Coppino's involving himself in legal matters as judge, we rightfully question his
competence because of his far too many past and present performances.

Since it is difficult to resolve conflicts swiftly and properly at a distance or

by mail, and since the change of government suggested an on -the-spot
investigation, Don Bosco was wisely advised to send Father Durando and
Professor Allievo to Rome to seek the government's deferment of the
shutdown order and especially of the eviction of the pupils. He gave them a
letter of introduction to Attorney Aluffi, secretary to the Department of the
Interior.
Shutdown of the Oratory School 129

Turin, July 20, 1879

Dear Sir:
Commendatore Allievo, professor of the Royal University of Turin, and Reverend
Professor Durando are in Rome for matters concerning our
schools. It is most urgent that they meet with Commendatore Villa, minister of the
interior, who has always been a friend of ours.
Please help them find the quickest way of setting up this meeting.
Should you have acquaintances in the Department of Public Education, please
introduce them to those parties.
I trust that you are in good health and pray that God will keep you so. Thank you.
Your humble servant, Fr. John
Bosco

The Honorable [Thomas] Villa, former deputy of Castelnuovo d'Asti, was

then minister of the Department of the Interior, having succeeded Depretis
in the new cabinet. He had personally known Don Bosco since 1859, 15 and
their contacts had been frequent and friendly. Don Bosco's envoys were to
hand him this letter:

Turin, July 20, 1879

Your Excellency:
Forever grateful to you for the kind support you have so often given the poor boys
of this home, I feel encouraged to seek your help at this time.
On June 23 of this year, I received an order from the minister of public education,
dated May 16, shutting down our schools on the sole basis of lack of certified
teachers. The charge is unfounded, since the school
superintendent himself stated that a list of our certified teachers had been handed to
him on November 13, 1878.
Nevertheless, we complied with the order and shut down all secondary school
classes on the prescribed date, June 30. But what overwhelmed us with consternation
was the order of the prefect of this city that the pupils themselves be dismissed
immediately from the home and, consequently, turned out into the streets and their
former sad life of destitution. I appeal to Your Excellency as Minister of the Interior,
as a well-deserving citizen of this city, and as the representative of my own native
Castelnuovo d'Asti that you countermand the order and allow these unfortunate boys
to continue living here, where they can learn a trade that

15
See voLvvi, p. 140. [Editor]
130 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

will someday help them earn an honest living. You would thus ease their
present anxiety and their families' trepidation. We will all unite in thanking you
and calling heaven's blessings upon. you.
The bearers of this letter are Reverend Professor Durando, director of our
schools, and Commendatore Allievo, professor at the Royal University of Turin,
who freely lends his assistance to our boys. They will gladly supply any further
information which Your Excellency may seek, should you make time for them in
the midst of your many duties.
I am honored to remain,
Your most grateful servant, Fr. John
Bosco

Don Bosco also compiled a summary report of the incident for the minister
of public education."
On the very day of the departure of Father Durando and Professor
Allievo for Rome, the Catholic Emporia Popolare pointed out to parents
that in shutting down Don Bosco's school, the radical left had committed
one of the worst arbitrary actions ever inspired by left wing animosity since
it had seized power in 1876. The paper made three points in view of such a
monstrous abuse: the self-styled liberals were clamoring for education of
the masses while callously closing down Don Bosco's parental schools
which had been precisely set up for the poor; the officials had not acted for
justice's sake but in blind envy and hatred for Don Bosco, whose schools
were patently more successful than many public schools; Minister Coppino,
a Piedmontese, disgraced himself when in his loathing for religion he did
not hesitate to strike down an institute which all regarded as one of his
native Piedmont's finest assets. 17
The two professors had a surprise encounter in Rome as heartening as
unexpected. At the Vatican, upon calling on Monsignor Ciccolini," private
papal chamberlain and president of the Arcadia in Rome, they immediately
obtained a papal audience through his good offices. Leo XIII, who was pacing
in a nearby hall, agreed to receive them without further ado in order to hear

15TES report substantially repeats a previous one sent to the prefect of the province of Turin, and
we refer the reader to pp. 111f. [Editor]
l'Emporio Popolare, Corriere di Torino, July 20, 1879. [Author]
'8See Vol. X[1, p. 109. [Editor]
Shutdown of the • Oratory School 131

first-hand the actual details of what had happened at Valdocco even though
he had already been briefed by Cardinal Nina. "Waste no time," he told
Father Durando. "Call on the minister of public education and on the minister
of the interior, seek the king's support, enlist people of influence!" When the
Pope was told that
this was precisely Don Bosco's strategy, he expressed his satisfaction.
Both ministers received them promptly and with heartening words,"
which the Honorable [Francis] Perez [minister of public education] later
confirmed in writing on July 24 as follows: "In answer to your note of July
15,2° I sincerely hope that your institution will prosper ever more for the
benefit of the poor. I am sure that it will not suffer from the last setback
given it by the former minister of public education because your
administrative board, by staffing your secondary school with certified
teachers, will not only abide by the law as the Department of Public
Education desires, but will also guarantee your students' sound instruction
and intellectual proficiency." This prompted Don Bosco to write to
Attorney Aluffi:

Turin, July 26, 1879

Dear Mr. Aluffi:
My sincere thanks for helping my two envoys. This morning I received a letter
from the minister of public education, assuring me that the decree of closure of our
schools has been voided. However, the prefect's order to dismiss all our boys from
the Oratory still hangs over our heads. No one can see any reason for such an order.
The decree we received referred mainly to the teaching and not to the eviction of the
pupils. Hence, I am
requesting an assurance from the minister in the enclosed note. Please see to it
that he receives it safely.
I shall again thank you when all this is over.
Yours gratefully, Fr. John
Bosco

Meanwhile, Superintendent Rho, very imprudently venturing into the

journalistic fray and attacking the Oratory, left himself wide open to public
criticism of his action as a school official when

"Telegram from Father Durando to Don Bosco from Rome, July 22, 1879. [Author] "Probably a
courtesy note to the new minister. [Author]
132 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

he requested that Unith Cattolica publish a letter of his on the matter. The
newspaper, legally bound to honor such a request, gleefully declared that it
was doing so "most willingly." Basically his pet argument had not changed:
the Oratory was a "private institution," not a "parental school." Since at the
start of the school year 1877-78 Don Bosco had directly petitioned the
minister of public education for permission to avail himself of uncertified
teachers for at least the next three years, the superintendent claimed that he
had caught him in flagrant contradiction; this, he said, was proof that Don
Bosco himself acknowledged the "private" but not "parental" nature of his
school.
He further went on to charge him with deceit because, having been
cornered, Don Bosco had sent a list of teachers who taught little if at al1. 21
Father Joseph Bertello, as principal of the Oratory schools, 22
counterattacked in two articles published in the same newspaper. In the first
he proved that Don Bosco's institution was "parental" and as such exempt
from regulations governing "private" institutions. Though not an association
of parents, as the law prescribed, it was open to fatherless boys and housed
them with fatherly love and care. For well over thirty years, until 1876, the
government had given him free rein to do as best he could with his means, as
charity prompted him. Had he begun a private secondary school, his intent
should have been stated in writing to the provincial school superintendent,
under Article 247 of the Casati Law. He had never done so, nor had he even
been called to order. How strange that an illegal school had been allowed to
run undisturbed for thirty years! As for the claim that Don Bosco had
requested temporary license to employ uncertified teachers, it was true, but
only when the Department of Education had abruptly left him no alternative.
It was either/or: either submit a list of certified teachers or close down the
institution. Under these circumstances, as a last remedy Don Bosco had asked
for a three-year period of leniency during which he could get certification for
his teachers or otherwise provide for his boys' future. In the second article
Father Bertello contended that the superintendent could not prove that the
certified teachers

Unita Cattolica, July 22, 1879. [Author] /bid., July

21 22

24 and 25, 1879. [Author]

Shutdown of the Oratory School 133

were shirking their duties and passing them on to young priests and clerics,
as the superintendent's report to the school board had stated. Admittedly, at
this point the argumentation became casuistic, and he would have done
better to simply reiterate his former position, for herein lay the Achilles'
heel, but he made it easier for the superintendent to counter him in another
article.23 Father Bertello replied by literally dissecting the argument which
the superintendent had cleverly passed over by stating offhand that Father
Bertello's first article had contained nothing worthy of attention. 24
It was high time that Don Bosco spoke out. He broke his silence in a letter
to La Gazzetta del Popolo in its issue of August 4, 1879.

Turin, August 2, 1879

To the Editor:
In several issues, particularly number 211, your paper has commented
on the shutdown of the schools in the boys' home known as the Oratory of St.
Francis de Sales.
For the sake of truth and the well-being of the poor boys who are sheltered
here, several statements must be corrected, and so I ask you, in all courtesy, to
publish the following factual account.
The Oratory has always been considered a hospice, a shelter for poor boys,
never a private secondary school.
A good number of these boys are learning various trades and crafts, while others,
either because they are intellectually gifted or because they come from formerly
affluent families, are given a secondary school
education, lest their talents go to waste and they be thwarted from achieving
their goals.
The Boncompagni Law of 1848 and the Casati Law of 1859 both backed these
schools, and for the past thirty-five years all the provincial superintendents and
ministers of public education favored this home as a shelter for poor boys, as a
parental institution in which the real father was the superior in accordance with
Articles 251, 252 and 253 of the Casati Law. It must also be borne in mind that this
house subsists entirely on charity, that the students are given a free education, and
that the teachers are not paid for their work. In spite of all this, the superintendent
chose to

23
Thid., July 31, 1879. [Author]
24
We are omitting excerpts from the notoriously anticlericals 11 Fischietto and La Gazzetta del
Popolo siding with the provincial superintendent of schools and hoping that the shutdown of the
Oratory would be permanent. [Editor]
134 'TEE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

apply regulations governing private schools to this home and to force its superior to
provide certified teachers at grave sacrifice on his part.
Wishing to show respect not to a law which did not apply to me, but to its
representative which so demanded it, I provided five certified teachers and assigned
them to the various classes as required by Article 246 [of the Casati Law].
The superintendent was not satisfied, but demanded the hours set by him. This
violates the law, which permits private secondary schools to set up a schedule that is
more convenient to them.
Because we did not follow public school schedules and because some of our
certified teachers occasionally availed themselves of teachers' aides as substitutes, the
Turin provincial school board, acting on the superintendent's report, decided to shut
down our school.
The minister of public education, believing the report to be based on fact, ordered
the closing on May 16, though I was not notified until June 23.
Others will judge the legality of this act. I will only say that the above is a correct
report of the facts and nothing can change it or cause the facts to be interpreted in any
other way.
There is one thing that those who love justice will not be able to swallow: the party
most concerned was never given a hearing. Civil law
and school regulations everywhere allow the accused to state his case. I was not
allowed to do so, to the harm of these poor children of the people, who deserve the
protection and earnest efforts of honest citizens to better their lives.
It is my unwavering hope, however, that the new minister of public education will
redress the harm done to the public good in conformity to the freedom of education
granted by our current laws.
I thank you in advance, sir, for the courtesy that you will extend to me in
publishing this letter.
Gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

More and more convinced that Don Bosco was right, Professor Allievo no
sooner arrived from Rome than he published a pamphlet entitled The Casati
Law and Private Secondary Education. This was precisely what Don Bosco
needed. His own name never appeared, but sound arguments were stated in
his favor. He immediately put it to good use by sending a copy to Minister
Perez with a covering letter of his own. 25
25Omitted in this edition. [Editor]
Shutdown of the Oratory School 135

The newspaper debate spread. Between August 5 and August 9 four more
dailies joined in, one firing a double salvo. On August 5, Unita Cattolica
carried Don Bosco's letter to La Gazzetta del Popolowith this comment:
"Don Bosco is a living example of that charity which gives life; his enemies
stick by the word that kills. The cry once raised against Jesus Christ is now
directed against Don Bosco: 'We have a law, and according to that law he
must die:' The law is now being just as brutally applied against Don Bosco
as it was against the Divine Redeemer. Be this as it may, we now call an end
to this debate. A man of charity has no wish to stir up dispute." That same
day La Gazzetta del Popolo published two letters, both from priests, but how
different! The first came from Father Rua and consisted of a brief resume;
the other came from a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, Father Mongini, whose only
merit was that he was so outspoken that he kept disclosing the ene my's
secret strategy. The legal aspect of the problem was merely a pretext; the
crux was political in nature. Mongini wrote:

Operating schools in Italy and elsewhere, even in [South] America, Don Bosco has
a political clout which he hides under the cloak of humanitarianism, so-called "doing
good." His clout consists of the education he imparts, imbued as it is with the
principles of the Syllabus,26 and under whose guise he is training generations hostile
to Italy and to worldwide civilization. Don Bosco, who seems to have the gift of
being everywhere at the same time, may well be called "the traveling Syllabus."
Coated with honey he doles out the Syllabus to his pupils in small spoonfuls to make
it more tasty and easy to go down, much as a mother gives her children pills. He is a
genius in inflaming people with love for the papacy, and in this he is far more
successful than a thousand priestly teachers or a thousand Catholic journalists, even
the extremists. Woe to Italy if its hundred cities harbored a Don Bosco in their midst.
At the very least, the government would be embarrassed without end, and the
consequences would be clearly in evidence. All this is to say that even if the law
cannot correct all the blunders plaguing secondary education, it must still be severely
applied to institutions of this kind, with regular inspections, and, if necessary, they
must be shut down.

26A series of propositions condemned by the Congregation of the Holy Office, an action ratified by
Pope Pius X. It denounced the tenets of Modernism and repudiated its errors. The basis of these false
doctrines was the pseudo-scientific theory of evolution in human knowledge and belief. [Editor]
136 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

A fine example of interpretation of a law according to ultraliberal

principles! On August 6 Father Rua replied to a few queries raised by the
Gazzetta Piemontese which published the letter quite impartially. On
August 7, Father Bertello refuted a few minor allegations in Unita Cattolica
which he had sidestepped in a previous reply to the superintendent on
August 3, but they contain nothing new Finally, on August 9, L'Osservatore
Romano in a double column entitled "An All Too Loyal Defense"
juxtaposed Don Bosco's case with that of Father Ferrari. When Father
[Angelo] Secchi, S.J., the world-renowned astronomer and mathematician,
died in 1878 he was residing in the wing of the building housing the
Vatican Observatory, his brainchild and his sole care, where the Italian
government had left him undisturbed, as a final lingering tribute to human
decency, after confiscating the Roman College. His brother Jesuit and
assistant, Father Ferrari, however, who should have inherited the position
because it was right and proper, was expelled, once the master was gone.
So, too, Coppino, seeing his own arbitrary action to be in his party's best
interests, hastily rushed into action. According to the Vatican paper,
Minister Coppino had acted in the selfsame sectarian interest in deciding on
the "arbitrary closing of such a distinguished and well deserving Catholic
institution as Don Bosco's secondary school." It hit the nail on the head. In
the confusion of this newspaper melee Don Bosco once more intervened in
a letter to Father Margotti, a letter "truly worthy of him," stated the editor,
who gladly brought it to the public's attention. "Some may still persist in
doubting whether or not Don Bosco's schools can be called 'paternal,' but
no one will refuse to acknowledge that his is truly a fatherly heart."

Turin, August 9, 1879

Dear Father Margotti,
Your kindness to me and my boys calls for sincere thanks from me and from the
children you have benefited. Let me now request a different favor from you in this
controversy of the Oratory with Turin's provincial superintendent of schools. The
legal issue has been amply addressed, and now the debate has turned to personal
attacks.
Since this house relies upon everything and everybody and since I wish to do my
own little share in cooperating with the government for the
Shutdown of the Oratory School 137

community's well-being, I request that you kindly put off any further consideration
of this issue, so as to make room for that active charity which should unite all groups
of our citizenry.
However, I think it opportune to single out the error which caused this entire
regrettable controversy. It was claimed that this home had a private secondary school
attached to it. Such was never the case. If any Turinese, even those living in this very
house, had been asked where such a school was located, no one would have been
able to give any information because no private secondary school exists in this
hospice. What we have here, instead, is a free school where selected lads who are
especially gifted or who come from upper but impoverished families are charitably
given a secondary education.
Despite the groundless assertion for the verdict passed against us and despite the
fact that there was no reason whatever that the shutdown order should include the
dismissal of the boys, I obeyed not only the law, as in the past, but also its local
representatives. And so, complying totally with the minister's order, I halted all
secondary school teaching on the prescribed date and shortly afterward sent the
pupils home to their families, friends or benefactors who would charitably give
them temporary shelter.
My dear Father, it is difficult for you to understand with how heavy a heart I had
to summarily break off the studies of some three hundred of my adopted children, to
whom for years I had given my undivided attention, at the cost of no little material
sacrifice, and—what hurts me even more—to dismiss them under the cloud of a sad
future.
Still I fully trust that the school authorities, once they have recognized the nature
of this institution vis-a-vis the law and civil society, will allow me to recall my boys
with all haste, so that they may continue their education and be enabled to live as
honest citizens and earn a decent living.
Meanwhile I gladly keep the doors of this home open to any destitute lad whom
the government may choose to send me for training in a skill or trade. I close with a
hearty thank you.
Your humble servant, Fr. John
Bosco

On August 10 II Risorgimento, another of Turin's liberal papers, taking no

side, frankly wrote: "It seems to us that the strict enforcement of a law
sometimes operates as a great wrong when it goes after an institution which is
not only educational but charitable as well in providing for the physical and
spiritual well-being of
138 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

hundreds of poor boys." Then, after the usual liberal reservations about the
spirit prevalent in Don Bosco's many institutions, it went on, "Despite all this
we cannot help but be dumbstruck by these wonders of faith and charity
which no one else has ever surpassed, let alone achieved." With this
preamble to justify the length of its article, the paper, abstracting from the
legal points of the matter, went on to describe the true status of the much
discussed Oratory, an understanding of which was indispensable "to pass fair
judgment on the legality of the shutdown order and on its serious
consequences." After recounting its founding, development, and constant
contacts with the government, the article compared the school authorities'
drastic measures to Herod's slaughter of the innocents and closed with the
hope that the new minister of education would be of a better mind.
The press debate reached beyond the Alps. Le Figaro, a Paris paper
certainly not above bias, gave its many readers a witty account of the
shutdown of Don Bosco's school. In the August 13 issue its Turin
correspondent, citing Coppino and Rho as protagonists, briefly sketched a
friendly profile of their victim and then lashed out at the absurd childish
order.
The day that this issue of Le Figaro appeared in Turin, a strange
coincidence occurred, such as we usually ascribe to divine intervention in
turning the tables on man's spitefulness. That day the notorious Fischietto
tickled its readers with a cartoon portraying a scowling cassocked figure
enthroned on clouds, clasping a candle-snuffer in his right hand, tucking a
heavy tome and a bundle under his arm, and balancing a stick on his left
shoulder with another bundle slung from its end. The caption read: "A fine
way to promote industry! The wonder-man of Turin, Dominum Lignus [Don
Bosco], turned out enemies for Italy with tools uncertified by the Department
of Public Education, which promptly shut down his plant! Shall we see him
fly to America astride a cloud and there expand his present operations?"
Aside from any wishful thinking to see Don Bosco leave Turin,27 the candle-
snuffer was a blunder, for, while the readers were laughing at this light-
snuffer who was being forced to export his obscurantism far away, the
readers of II Baretti were learning some

27 See Vol. XII, p. 399. [Editor]

Shutdown of the Oratory School 139

interesting facts, such as that, of some thirty-two Oratory boys who had taken
the state examinations at the Monviso public secondary school, twenty-two
had passed, while only seven out of sixteen of
the school's own students were promoted. Furthermore, twenty-two of Don
Bosco's illegal school's students had obtained top
scores. One of them had even beaten the very best of all eighty-two
candidates by at least ten points, and the nine boys who had not made the
grade in varied subjects would easily pass the October
remedial examinations. The article commented: "This success came in
spite of the school's unrest caused by the arbitrary shutdown order."
Naturally, the city dailies prudently made no comment.
The summer holidays tempered the heated debate somewhat and
suspended direct attacks, but they did not keep Don Bosco from his
efforts to have the Oratory recognized as a parental hospice exempt
from all regulations applying to private institutions. To this end, in
September he wrote to the minister of public education and to the
minister of the interior explaining that the Oratory was a charitable
institution which also provided a free secondary education to qualified
youngsters.28
The new school year was about to start, and still no word had been
received from Rome. Don Bosco once more appealed to Minister Perez'
sense of fairness and compassion.
This time the minister replied. On October 28 he wrote: "Your kind letter
of October 19 assures me that you have provided
certified teachers for your secondary school. This will allow you to reopen
your school; therefore, please contact the provincial school board for
authorization. With great esteem, etc." The minister was playing both sides of
the field. Don Bosco knew that this would get him ro further than reopening
his school upon presentation of his teachers' diplomas. He followed the
minister's advice and sent the superintendent a list of his certified teachers, of
whom two were not accepted: Bartholomew Fascie,29 a university student in
his second year of literature, and Besso Gallo, a second year mathematics
student. This meant that he had to supply a certified teacher for the first year
students in all subjects, and another one for the math courses in all grades.
Only then would the superintendent ask the
This sentence is a condensation. [Editor] See
28 29

Appendix I. [Editor]
140 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

school board to authorize the reopening of the secondary school

department. Don Bosco replied:
Turin, November 29, 1879
Dear Sir:
Professor Mark Pechenino will replace Bartholomew Fascie as teacher
of the first year students in this hospice.
Since I cannot find a substitute for Besso Gallo, I am temporarily suspending
all math courses. The law does not prescribe what subjects must be taught in
private institutions.
Convinced as I am that this is a charitable institution and not a private secondary
school, I am not bound by Article 246 of the Casati Law as regards the
certification of teachers. I have submitted my list solely in deference to the local
school authorities while awaiting a higher ruling.
Fr. John Bosco

Don Bosco could not let the closure order hang over the Oratory like a
Damocles' sword. He had to get it revoked. Basically, his best approach was
the attempt he was making to force an official recognition of the Oratory as
a parental institution. At just this time leading European nations were
experiencing a new struggle for educational freedom. Everywhere, it
seemed, a tide of resistance was surging against an oppressive [state]
monopoly of education, and public feelings ran high. In Italy the National
Catholic Convention held at Modena during the last week of October faced
the issue. [Albert] Buffa of Turin drafted a petition to be heavily subscribed,
addressed to both houses of parliament demanding freedom of education.
"As parents," the petition stated, "we have the right of conscience to educate
and train the children God has given us. As Italians, we have the right to rear
a generation which will be our nation's pride and glory, not its disgrace. As
citizens, we rightfully demand that all school laws conform to the first
article of our Constitution and to the principle of freedom of education
decreed by the sub-Alpine parliament in 1857. This principle was
incorporated into the law of November 13, 1859, but was ignored and
rendered a dead letter by those who should have enforced it." During the
discussion, when Buffa happened to mention Don Bosco and his charitable
institutes, he drew a hearty round of applause.
Shutdown of the Oratory School 141

Minister Perez was liberal in his view of educational freedom. His choice
for personal secretary was Professor Allievo of Turin, a firm outspoken
champion of freedom—which sufficiently reveals his own orientation as
minister and which was confirmed by other facts. However, that very
orientation of his was no mean factor determining his short-lived
administration.30 On November 19 he submitted his resignation, and shortly
afterward internal strife caused the entire Cairoli cabinet to resign. Entrusted
with choosing a new cabinet, Cairoli offered Perez the post of minister of
agriculture, but he flatly refused: it was either the education post or nothing.
His successor was Francis De Santis, a man of letters.
Don Bosco was determined to bring the issue to the Council of State and
to have Coppino's order declared unconstitutional since the Oratory was a
charitable institution. Warily he began paving the way with a memorandum
to the new minister of public education to acquaint him with historical
background and to supply him with a correct picture of the Valdocco
Oratory. He attached five appendixes of documents dating from 1850 to
1866. In order that the state authorities might be thoroughly informed of the
true situation, he had this memorandum printed as a pamphlet31 and sent it
with or without the booklet authored by Allievo to all who wanted to know
the truth of the matter. Then he sought some favorable way to approach the
Council of State.
The Council of State was allowed to accept deliberations and documents
only from state ministries, and so all petitions had to reach it through official
channels. In our case, Don Bosco's appeal would have to be taken under
advisement by the chairman of the provincial school board, who would then
present it to the entire board. The latter would then issue a report to the
minister of public education, who would study the matter and submit all
documentation to the Council of State. But how could Don Bosco trust
Turin's provincial school board? Would it not strive to twist the whole
matter to suit its own purpose? If nothing else, would it not

30cf. Unita Cattolica, December 16, 1879, "La tirannia dell 'insegnamento in Italia ed opportuni
ricordi del professore Allievo" [The Tyranny of Education in Italy and Timely Reflections by Professor
Allievol. [Author]
L'Oratorio di San Francesco di Sales, ospizio di bengicenza [The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales,
31

Charitable Institution] by Father John Bosco, Torino, Tipografia Salesiana, 1879. [Author]
142 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

endeavor to drag the issue out interminably by bureaucratic delays? There

was another more reliable and speedier way: to appeal
directly to the king. He could under the law, and so he did. True,
the king's cabinet, after registering the appeal, would send a copy to the
Department of Public Education, which in turn would contact
the Turin provincial school board for an explanation. However, the
appeal could not then be shelved or bureaucratically postponed. Furthermore,
Don Bosco had trustworthy friends in both the
Department of Public Education and the Council of State, who would follow
it through, forestalling delays and winning others to his cause.
Don Bosco therefore drafted an appeal to the king amplifying the report he
had sent to the minister of education and backing it with extensive
documentation. "It could not have been better drawn up," wrote Mr. Benedict
Viale, a Turinese friend and a veteran in the secretariate of the Council of
State, in a letter to Father Rua. He showed it to a close colleague of his who
held an important post in the Department of the Interior, and he too agreed
that it was "very well written and quite embarrassing to the minister of public
education" who had ordered the school's closing. If Don Bosco did not receive
justice he could very well have recourse to parliament and even to the courts.
On his own, Mr. Viale assured Father Rua, "Have no fear. I shall keep on top
of it with suggestions and counsels for a favorable outcome, because that is
only just."32 Don Bosco later published his appeal to the king,33 and after
receiving from Mr. Viale a list of the State Council members who formed the
board dealing with public education, he sent each a copy along with his own
pamphlet and that of Professor Allievo.
On December 11 Don Bosco's appeal was forwarded by the king's cabinet
to the Department of Public Education, which on December 24 sent all
documentation on the case to the Council of

32Letter to Father Rua, Rome, November 19, 1879. Viale really did display most commendable zeal.

His feelings on the matter are clearly set forth in his letter to Don Bosco on December 11: "If you need
further instructions, do not hesitate to call upon me—both you and your countless communities
everywhere, even as far off as Patagonia. I look to God for an abundant reward." [Author]
33Le scuole di beneficerzza dell'Oratorio di San Francesco di Sales in Torino davanti al Consiglio di

Stato [The Charity Schools of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales in Turin Defended before the Council of
State] by Father John Bosco, Torino, Tipograf a Salesiana, 1879. [Author]
Shutdown of the Oratory School 143

State with a covering letter which smacked of acrimony and consequently

slanted the information received from Turin. Commendatore De Filippo,
who seemed unbiased, had already been appointed to present the case, but
internal changes within the State Council dictated that all questions
pertaining to the Department of Public Education were to be handled by the
Department of the Interior, and so the case was to be assigned to others.
However, thanks to orders from higher-ups—Mr. Viale's influence is not to
be discounted—it was left in the hands of De Filippo. Senator Siotto-Pintor
also supported Don Bosco, using his influence with the minister of
education, with President [Raphael] Cadorna of the State Council, and with
several councillor friends II his. "This is a flagrant violation of the law!"
declared SiottoPinter, the fiery senator from Sardinia. 34
The Turin provincial school board did not see it that way. As though
nothing had happened, the prefect requested the school's curriculum and
daily timetable. Don Bosco replied:

Turin, January 11, 1880

Dear Sir:
In deference to your letter of December 24, 1879, 1 hasten to inform you that we
have no standard curriculum in our schools since the boys we befriend are at
different levels of learning.
As for schedule—though constrained by no law—I freely inform you that
for the most part classes are held between 9:00 and 11:30 each morning and
between 2:00 and 4:30 in the afternoon.
However, since our instructors also have administrative duties, this
schedule may often vary. Yet there is sufficient time to cover the whole
course during our school year, which runs from October 15 to September 9.
I am honored to remain,
Fr. John Bosco
34Letter to Don Bosco, Cagliari, December 29, 1879. In another letter dated January 5, 1880, he stated,

"Today I am writing an urgent letter to Councillor De Filippo, asking him to rush that famous report; I
hope that my letter will help. With all your sons please continue to pray for me that, God willing, I may
attend Mass next June in the Church of St. Francis de Sales, with whom I am head over heels in love
after reading his wondrous biography. At that Mass I shall dedicate all my strength to promoting your
Oratory, with the trust that I shall be true to my promise. If there is anything else I can do, please let me
know, for I shall spare neither time nor effort." In closing, he asked Don Bosco: "Save me a little place
in that wonderful heart of yours." [Author]
144 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

As though nothing had happened, Don Bosco also appealed to Minister

Depretis of the Department of the Interior for a subsidy, pleading hardship in
having to feed so many boys who sought shelter at the Oratory. The minister
instructed the prefect to express his regrets to Don Bosco that he could not
grant the subsidy since his budget contained no funds earmarked for that
purpose and since the limited funds he did have at his disposal had all been
used up to help the countless victims of the winter's hardship s all through the
realm. 35
The president of the Council of State had named a special committee of
eight councillors to investigate the matter. They met on February 26, 1880.
They concluded that since the standpoint and nature of the school were not
sufficiently clear, the committee would reserve decision until it could
receive further clarification. Being confidentially notified, Don Bosco sent
the following paper to the minister of education.

On November 13, 1879, I appealed to Your Excellency to revoke the order to shut
down the secondary school of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, where many
homeless boys are housed and given a Christian education. Having received no reply
and not knowing whether my appeal has been filed with the Council of State or with
the Department of Education, I write to Your Excellency and ask you kindly to let me
know whether my appeal has been taken into consideration along with the documents
which I submitted, and which made evident the charitable scope of the institution I
founded. All the more am I concerned because, as I have heard, the word in Turin is
that the school superintendent of Turin and its province recently communicated with
the Department of Education in regard to this situation.
I would like to think that these are wild rumors at best, but should it be true that
statements damaging to this already badly hurt institution are rife, it would certainly
be my duty to show up the falsehood of such assertions. It has been said, if I hear
correctly, that the superintendent of schools presented the Oratory to Your
Excellency as a private secondary school with pupils paying a regular monthly
tuition. This is a grave error, for the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales was founded for
poor boys, and not a single lad pays as much as a penny in tuition, nor are any of the
teachers paid even a minimal salary. The students receive a free education, and

35 Letter from Prefect Minghelli Vaini to Don Bosco, February 7, 1880. [Author'
Shutdown of the Oratory School 145

their teachers are given no payment of any kind. I feel that this clearly brings out the
true nature of this institution as a charitable home. Thus did the Council of State rate
it last December. Still, let me cite, in proof of this assertion, several instances of boys
being accepted free of charge on the recommendation of various past ministers,
police commissioners, and even of Prefect Minghelli Vaini himself just days before
the shutdown order was issued. True, there are a handful who can afford a tiny
monthly or annual sum, and possibly one boy out of a hundred can pay twenty-four
lire a month, but how can such a mite pay for the food, clothing, and housing of even
one lad? It certainly does not alter the nature of this charitable institution for poor
boys who live on the goodness of Divine Providence. Our regulations for admission
make this point very clearly:
1. Boys must be between twelve and eighteen years of age.
2. They must be orphaned of both parents, unless particular reasons allow an
exception.
3. They must be abandoned. Whatever they bring with them is to be shared with
the whole institution.
It is further asserted that the lads in this school are being pushed into the priestly or
religious life.
To answer this charge properly, it would suffice to visit, besides the Oratory in
Turin, the hospices in Lucca and Sampierdarena, where hundreds, even thousands of
poor boys are being trained in various crafts and trades, and they have never set their
eyes on the priesthood. Many of the youngsters we have sheltered have gone into a
wide range of careers, and—contrary to what is being charged—none of them have
become misfits in society. I have always made it my duty to place the boys in proper
jobs if, because of limited intelligence or funds or through personal choice, they felt
that they did not want to continue their schooling and left the instutition.
In further proof, I can name thousands of lads who were rescued from an idle and
abandoned life and are now earning an honest living, just as I could cite numbers of
our students who by hard work have achieved outstanding careers in law, in the
armed forces, and in politics, and not a few—graduates in letters and philosophy—
are highly lauded teachers throughout Italy's cities, not only in secondary schools and
lyceums, but also in state universities. It is true, nonetheless, that a good number of
these boys show signs of a priestly or religious vocation, and they find in our schools
those means and helps which they require if they are to
respond to the divine call. And we need them, for they teach, supervise, and guide
the boys of the hospice, and they care for the lads who flock to our many recreation
centers on Sundays.
I trust that Your Excellency is now sufficiently knowledgeable about the
146 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

real points at issue. Should they be necessary, I will promptly send you documents
and proofs before a decision is made which—were it based solely on unfounded
hearsay—would be damaging to so many poor youngsters who once used to hang out
together in gangs on the city streets, posing a manifest threat to society, and now have
decided to better themselves. A sound education gives them a strong chance of
becoming good, honest citizens, the pride of society, the hopes of a happier future.
I have deep trust in Your Excellency's wisdom and goodness. It is my hope that
you will have the kindness to bring my statement to the attention of the Council of
State, so that, before giving a verdict on this regrettable situation, they may have a
clear picture of the state of affairs.

As we can see, proceedings moved at a snail's pace. It was only after April
7 that Superintendent Rho sent to the minister of education the report that
had been requested on the status of Don Bosco's Oratory. If we compare this
latter report with Don Bosco's previous memorandum to the Department of
Public Education, we clearly see how well grounded were his suspicions
about the charges being made against him in the superintendent's report to
Rome. The latter charged that a very small number of boys were receiving a
free education, and that two-thirds of them, on leaving the institution after
interrupting or completing their studies, returned to society with no way of
supporting themselves, neither fit for the manual labor they had formerly
exercised, nor sufficiently educated to enter upon a civic career. This was a
damaging assertion, enough to show that the Oratory was no charitable
institution. Don Bosco unassumingly anticipated both charges in his report
to the minister.
Don Bosco was in Rome when the superintendent's report reached the
minister of education. He must certainly have concerned himself with this
matter, but we have no information on it until April 28 [1880] when the
committee held its second meeting. It was inclined to issue a verdict based
solely on the information supplied by the minister of education—that is,
essentially by the provincial superintendent of schools—but Baron Celesia,
a committee member, indignantly opposed the motion, exclaiming: "What?
Are we going to pass judgment without even hearing the other side?
Gentlemen, is this a rigged court?" His bluntness carried the day and the
chairman instructed Commenda-
Shutdown of the Oratory School 147

tore Gerra to present in writing the committee's opinion on the matter. 36

Substantially it ran as follows:

Father John Bosco, having been ordered to close his school, appealed to higher
authorities to have the order revoked, but was not given a hearing on the data which
the provincial superintendent of schools collected and submitted concerning the
nature of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales. Father John Bosco's testimony can
readily be obtained by the prefect of the province in the manner he judges most
suitable; such testimony can prove very useful for a fuller and more factual picture of
the situation. The prefect will thus be able to ascertain and evaluate all the data we
need to establish whether the institution in question is a charitable institution or a
school, and, if it is a school, whether it falls under Article 260 or Articles 251 and 252
of the taw of November 13, 1859. It will be well for the Department of Education to
clearly state its opinion on the basis of the findings of the interrogation. It is the
committee's stand that it cannot issue a judgment until the matter is further clarified as
above suggested.

In the meantime, Turin's civil administration had undergone several

changes. A new prefect, [Bartholomew] Casalis, had been appointed.
Following the Council of State's instructions, he sent Don Bosco five
questions to be answered in writing: "1. What is the overall character of the
Oratory and particularly what is your reason in conducting a secondary
school? 2. How many boys are learning arts and crafts at the Oratory, how
many attend secondary classes, and how many clerics are studying
philosophy and theology there? 3. Are all the Oratory pupils, particularly
those taking secondary classes, maintained free of charge? If not, how
many receive free room and board and how many pay reduced fees? 4. How
many pupils have usually taken the state's fi.nal examinations each year to
qualify for a secondary school diploma, and how many passed the
examinations last year? 5. How many students completed the fifth year of
secondary school within the past five years? Of these, how many went on to
study philosophy for the priesthood in order to become members of the
Salesian Society founded by you?"
Don Bosco's reply follows:
Letter from Mr. Viale (undated) and from Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco, May 3, 1880.
36

[Author]
148 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Turin, July 7, 1880

Dear Sir:
I respectfully reply to the questions you kindly sent me on instructions from the
Department of Public Education concerning the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales.
1. What is the overall character of the Oratory and particularly what is your
reason in conducting a secondary school?
Here is my answer to the first part of the question. A judgment issued by the Council
of State in 1879 set this norm: "The character of an institution
is determined by its objectives and the kind of people it benefits." I doubt that I
could better explain my objectives in founding the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales
in Turin than to restate what I wrote when I first drafted its regulations, which were
filed with the government and published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale: "We sometimes
encounter boys who are orphans or are deprived of family care because their
parents either cannot or will not assume responsibility for them. Without skills and
without education these lads risk grave spiritual and physical harm. Unless
someone reaches out and takes them in, trains them for a trade, helps them to
straighten out their lives and teaches them religion, there is no way of averting their
ruin. The purpose of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales is to shelter boys of this
kind.
To be accepted as a resident of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, a boy must
meet the following conditions:
1. He must be between the ages of twelve and eighteen.
2. He must be orphaned of both parents and have no family or relatives who can
care for him.
3. He must be totally destitute and abandoned. These conditions being met, a boy
must bring with him whatever he owns, and it shall be used for him, because it is not
fair for one to live on charity if he has some means of his own.
4. He must be healthy and strong, with no bodily deformity and no repulsive or
contagious diseases.
5. Preference will be given to boys attending the festive oratories of St. Aloysius,
Guardian Angel and St. Francis de Sales, because this hospice is particularly meant
to take in those boys who are utterly poor and abandoned and who attend one of
these oratories.
This is the purpose for which the Salesian Oratory was founded, and I have always
faithfully adhered to it, endeavoring to meet my goal with all the means Divine
Providence sends me. Having said this, I think it is quite evident that the character of
this Salesian Oratory is that of a charitable institution for abandoned boys. This is the
way it has always been
Shutdown of the Oratory School 149

regarded by city hall, the police department, the prefecture and even the central
government departments: they have all sent me hundreds of homeless boys. Both the
parliament and the senate of the realm recognized it as such, as have also upright,
generous-hearted people who have helped it by their kind attention and generous
donations, with the result that from humble beginnings it has grown to reach out to a
thousand residents, with workshops and classrooms, where the finest skills and
learning are given to the children of the people, so that they will one day be useful
members of society.
To confirm the above, I can provide a long list of youngsters who came from this
Oratory and today hold positions in various ranks of society, in lyceums and
universities, in the armed forces and government offices. I am happy to assert that
none of those lads who have been docile students of this institution have ever left
unequipped to earn an honest livelihood. So also, to my knowledge, no one has ever
turned out to be other than an upright person and a worthy citizen. Indeed, in some
instances there have been those who in crises have proven themselves to be real
heroes.
Now, replying to the second part of the question, I say that my specific aim in
conducting a secondary school at this Oratory is to carry out an important function of
education: to meet the varying needs and wide-ranging career possibilities of the
residents. Some have talent for valued and skilled crafts, like printing and allied
trades, but would be unable to learn them thoroughly and apply them profitably
without some knowledge of Latin, Greek, French, geography, arithmetic, etc. Seeing
that others were even more gifted and naturally inclined to higher knowledge, I felt
that I should favor their inclinations, believing that with further schooling they could
be a great help to society. Many of them, aided by us or by charitable foundations or
by winning state scholarships, were able to enter colleges and universities; they are
now successful teachers and writers. For the sake of brevity I do not list their names,
which will be made available to public authorities upon request.
Then, quite a few other lads come from noble families whose fortunes have
waned. In'all fairness they cannot properly be combined with the first group, and so
they are steered toward careers more befitting their station. To meet the needs of
these last two groups, the Oratory had to go into secondary education. This special
aim, you can see, far from hindering the Oratory's overall beneficent goal, actually
furthers it.
To reply to the second question: We have five hundred and ten boys learning crafts
and trades or doing work about the house, and about three hundred are enrolled in
the secondary classes, as stated in my report to the provincial school superintendent.
These numbers, I need not point out, keep fluctuating, as boys enter or leave nearly
every week for various
150 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

reasons. Understandably, too, the Oratory houses more boys during the fall and
winter than in the summer.
I make two comments concerning the clerics:
1. The Oratory offers no regular philosophy courses, but, as time and
circumstances permit, the elements of philosophy are taught to those youths who are
engaged as assistants or who hold other positions within this institution and seek to
dedicate themselves to the priesthood. This prepares them properly for the
supervision of the boys in the workshops and dormitories, in teaching catechism and
conducting evening classes in Italian and vocal and instrumental music, and in
performing other similar duties which are necessary and proper to their calling.
2. Not all the clerics now living at the Oratory and at other institutions of Don
Bosco received their primary education at the Turin Oratory. In fact, the greater
number are students from other boarding schools or seminaries who, wishing to join
Don Bosco in his wide-ranging charitable activities, asked to be allowed to work
under him. The following listing completes the answer to the second question.
The clerics taking philosophy courses at the Oratory as explained above number
twenty-five; seventeen attended secondary school at other places and eight at the
Oratory. The theology students number twelve, of whom five came from other
schools.
To reply to the third question: An article of our house regulations reads: "If the
applicant owns anything he must bring it with him and it will be used for him,
because it is not fair for one who is not in dire need to live on charity."
Consequently, not all the boys residing at the Oratory live here gratis; some pay a
small monthly or annual fee, according to what they or their families can afford.
However, in view of the kind of boys whom we take in at the Oratory, this leaves
most of the financial burden on the Oratory, as the following figures show:
Out of eight hundred and ten boys, free room and board is given to four hundred
and fifty. Among the students, one hundred and six pay no fees whatever; as regards
the rest, one out of a hundred pays a monthly fee of twenty-four lire, and others
contribute five, eight or ten lire. Considering the number of boys who live here gratis
and those from whom fees cannot be collected, we may correctly say that the
average fee of a student is no more than six lire a month. Obviously, this small sum
cannot feed a boy, let alone pay for tuition. Neither do teachers draw a salary, nor
does any member of the large staff that is needed for maintenance and the
supervision of so many youngsters.
To give a complete answer let me point out that Don Bosco runs other educational
institutions in various parts of Italy which care for the middle classes; there the
tuition is twenty-four lire or more per month, and all
Shutdown of the Oratory School 151

teachers are certified. The Oratory in Turin is not to be mistaken for these other
schools, as it sometimes is, because its character and objectives are totally different.
To reply to the fourth question: Each year some twenty Oratory boys take the state
examinations for their diploma. Last year, of the thirty-one who took the
examinations, twenty-six passed, and several obtained the highest scores at the
government's Monviso School in Turin. One student won the top award, his grades a
good ten points above the others.
To reply to the fifth question: First, I had better point out that we are not a
[religious] order, but rather a Pious Society named after St. Francis de Sales, whose
aim is to educate boys, especially the poor and the abandoned. All members are free
citizens, subject to our country's laws.
In the past five years two hundred and ten pupils completed their fifth year of
secondary schooling here at the Oratory. Of these, thirty-one have continued their
studies here to enter the priestly life and join the Pious Society of St. Francis de
Sales.
I feel that it casts no discredit on the Oratory if some of its pupils freely join Don
Bosco to pass on to others the benefits they themselves once enjoyed. However,
considering all the statistics above, one would obviously be wrong in thinking that the
Oratory school exists for the benefit of the Pious Salesian Society.
I believe that I have now sufficiently responded to your five questions. If
necessary, I am ready to add further explanations upon request. However, at the
same time, I make bold to ask that, besides passing judgment on the first part of my
appeal, the Council of State also give me its explicit opinion concerning the second
part, namely: Was it lawful for the Department of Public Education to order the
shutdown of the Salesian Oratory schools?
In any event, I commend this work of charity to your kindly protection. With
highest esteem I remain,
Yours gratefully, Fr. John
Bosco

The first people who saw copies of this statement felt that it was well
done. Mr. Viale claimed that it gave well expressed and uncontestable
answers to all the questions, putting to rest any doubts concerning the
eminently charitable scope of the Oratory. "The sound reasoning —he
stated—is matched by tempered, dignified language, so that its overall
impression is one of genuine truth and of a clear conscience which de ceives
neither itself nor others." He then expressed the wish that the prefect would
forward
152 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Don Bosco's report to the minister and that the latter would see the justice of it
and make amends for the harm done him.37 Baron Celesia also read it and
wrote to Don Bosco: "While traveling through the city I received your kind
letter of July 17 and its enclosure. I thank you for your courtesy and trust that
all will be cleared up for the benefit of the charitable work to which you are
dedicated. I regret that I cannot pay you my respects personally."38
Mostly, however, we are interested in the prefect's reaction. In
acknowledging his receipt of the document, the prefect wrote: 33 "I have read
the defense of your institution. I am already convinced and hope that others
will be also." Kind words these, still to be backed and confirmed by facts, but
they gave Don Bosco some inkling of the man's temperament—the one on
whom the entire outcome of the issue depended. Don Bosco, we recall,
usually passed on gifts he received from his friends to benefactors or to
government officials. He had just been given a young live hare and thought
that he might send it to the new prefect as token congratulations for his recent
appointment. The prefect expressed his thanks in a somewhat singular
manner in the same letter containing his five questions. "I thank you," he
wrote, "for the hare, but I chose to give it a future worthier of me, of yourself
and of its Creator by setting it free."
Incredibly, however, Prefect Casalis delayed so long in sending Don Bosco's
replies of July 7, 1880 to the Council of State through the Department of
Public Education, that the report did not get there until June 7, 1881. This
delay enabled the new superintendent, Commendatore Denicotti, to conduct
an investigation of his own. The prefect, in turn, merely summarized and
adopted as his own the former's unfavorable comments, concluding that the
closure order was not to be revoked until Don Bosco stated that he was ready
to abide by the law like every other citizen.
The chairman of the department handling the Council of State's
responsibilities for public education set up a de facto committee of nine
members to re-examine the appeal. Privately alerted to this, Don Bosco
immediately published the prefect's five questions, along with his reply and
an introductory comment as follows:
Letter to Don Bosco, Rome, July 27, 1880. [Author] Letter,
37 35

Turin, July 24, 1880. [Author] Letter, Turin, July 15, 1880.
39

[Author]
Shutdown of the Oratory School 153

Turin, July 2, 1881

Dear Sin
Pursuant to my plea to His Majesty protesting the order of the Department of
Public Education to shut down the secondary school of the Oratory of St. Francis de
Sales in Turin, the minister of public education sent me the following questions
concerning the nature of the Oratory. I replied as far back as July of last year, and I
enclose my answers.
I think it best to include here a summary of my presentation to the Council of
State:
1. The aforesaid institution is to be considered a true parental and charitable
institution.
2. Granted but not conceded that this is a private institution subject to existing
laws, it could not be shut down since the certified teachers who were duly registered
actually did teach their classes, being substituted for only in case of necessity; it is
therefore an error of fact that their classes were handed over to non-certified
instructors.
3. Everything over the past years favors the petitioner, who was never asked by
previous school authorities to submit lists of certified teachers and who did so only on
request, citing Articles 251 and 252 of the Casati Law in his defense and only when the
nature of the school was questioned_
Since my appeal has been referred to the Council of State for review, I am
enclosing for your information a copy of both the questions and my answers, with
the hope that it may prove of some use to you in better understanding the issue.

The Petitioner, Fr. John

Bosco

Without letting on that he knew the contents of the prefect's report and the
Makeup of the committee, Don Bosco sent printed copies of the above to
them and to other members of the Council of State. He knew full well that
supporting documents would not be read, much less studied; he knew, too,
that committee members sided mostly with the government and vice versa.
He therefore sent them both letters, briefing them on the issues to enable
them to take a stand, reject the prefect's views, and cast a responsible vote.
The committee was apparently set to meet in mid-July, but the meeting was
postponed to November 29, since most of the members were away on
vacation. The delay hurt Don Bosco's case all the more, especially because of
Abignente's spiteful insinuations. Two committee members took up Don
Bosco's defense and Baron
154 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Celesia also bravely battled on his behalf, but to no avail.4° After a lengthy
series of "whereas" and "considering"—the final item being that the minister's
shutdown order did not preclude Don Bosco's reopening his school once he
fully complied with the law—the conclusion was that his appeal protesting the
shutdown order had no merit. On December 22 the king signed the decree
rejecting the petition and the drawn-out controversy came to an end.
But success did not bless those responsible for it. Soon afterward Minister
Coppino lost his position; Minghelli Vaini, prefect of Turin—a top-rated
position—was demoted to the prefecture of Catania—a third-rate station—
then to Lecce and was later forced to resign. Nicomede Bianchi, who had
engineered the whole mess, was quietly ousted from office; Superintendent
Rho, who so feared being relegated to Sicily, was ordered in 1880 to head
the office in Palermo. He appealed, rejected the order, and shortly afterward
was relieved of all duty and suspended without pay; finally, mentally
disturbed, he retired to his native village. His priest-brother suffered a stroke
and became bedridden for a long time. To bring this painful narrative to a
close, we will just say that during these distressing maneuvers, a certain
Professor Castelli called on Don Bosco with proposals and documentation
which could have utterly destroyed the luckless superintendent's reputation,
but Don Bosco rejected the offer, spurning any such dealings as unworthy of
a Christian. Nor did Mr. Rho have any personal complaint against Don
Bosco, even while taking harsh measures against him. After Don Bosco's
death, he recalled "the burning Christian charity which had inspired him"; he
fondly claimed to be "an old friend of the man to whom our country and all
of the Christian world is eternally indebted.' 41
In all truth, this was not the first of Superintendent Rho's actions of this
kind. He had already rejected the bishop's claim that the junior seminary at
Borgo San Martino was replacing the Mirabello seminary. He had also
worked to revoke the accreditation of the Bamabites' boarding school at
Moncalieri. In a word, Superintendent Rho, either through weakness or
personal decision, sided

Letter from Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco, Rome, November 29, 1881. [Author] Letter to
40 41

Father Piccolo, a fellow townsman of his, Pecetto, 1889. [Author]

Shutdown of the Oratory School 155

with those who rejected freedom of education in an effort to de-Christianize

the nation's schools. In 1875 Roger Bonghi, the minister of public education,
stated openly in the chamber that Italy had no hope of achieving its moral
regeneration or restoration until the clergy's influence was removed from the
education of youth.
Such then was the aim of the harsh measures taken by hook or by crook to
suppress the parental schools approved by the law of November 13, 1859.
In. January 1875 Bonghi sent out a circular arrogating to himself the right to
interpret, mutilate and apply that law as he saw fit, and school boards as well
as the Council of State followed his opinions and interpretations in refusing
to authorize the opening of any parental school. Their excuse was that the
spirit of the law could not be stretched to allow as many as one hundred
fathers to unite and provide for the education of their children jointly under
their personal supervision, and also that the law did not permit parents to
transfer their rights and authority to others to run parental schools. 42 The
intent was that no school, day or resident, nor any children's home should
succeed in keeping out the prevailing official spirit of atheism masked under
a so-called laicism.
Pursuing this goal, freemasonry—still powerful in the education
department today [1933]—quietly made a clean sweep of the Casati Law
then in force. Ministerial decrees and even more circulars issued arbitrary
interpretations of both the letter and the spirit of the law. Often a mere
objection raised by any nonentity was enough to induce the Department of
Education to clamp down where the law was silent and to hold its ground in
spite of everything and everyone. And when the controversy reached the
Council of State, that Council stood by the minister and passed judgment
against those who acted according to law.
Don Bosco, who clearly sensed the secret aims of the anticlericals very
early and strove quietly to check the rising tide of evil, was also one of the
first to experience the effects of the tyrannic monopoly of education
exercised by Italy's government.

42cf. L'Opinione, August 8, 1875. [Author]

 CHAPTER 8

The First Triennial Report to the

Holy See on the State of the
Congregation

C HILE these and other burdensome worries to be recounted later

would certainly have driven anyone out of his mind who did not have Don
Bosco's saintly serenity, he also had to extricate himself from an
embarrassing situation he had unknowingly gotten into with the Holy See
because of an official act of his as superior general.
While in Rome in March 1879, he drafted a report on the material and
moral state of the Salesian Society, which he then had printed' and
submitted it to the Holy See, sending a copy also to the director of each
Salesian house. The report opened as follows:

Chapter 6 of our constitutions prescribes that a report of the Society's moral and
material state, as well as of its development, must be submitted to the Holy See
every three years. Formerly we drew up only an estimated report since opening
new houses and adapting our new-born Congregation to particular circumstances
of time and place made it impossible to draw up the required complete and detailed
report. Eager to show proper regard to the Holy See in all matters and trusting that
we will receive in return such observations and counsels as may contribute to
God's greater glory, the rector major, in performance of his duty, now humbly
reports on the present state of this Pious Society in the various nations where it is
involved in the sacred ministry and actively engaged in academic and trade schools
for youth.

I Esposizione alla S. Sede dello stato morale e mater ale della Pia Societa di S. Francesco di Sales
nel Marzo del 1879 [Report to the Holy See on the Moral and Material State of the Pious Society of St.
Francis de Sales in March 1879], Sampierdarena, Tipografia Salesian, 1879. [Author]
The First Triennial Report to the Holy See 157

Then follows a clear summary of the beginnings and subsequent

expansion of the Pious Society from 1841 to 1879, with an overall sketch
of its governing structure. Our saintly father wrote:

In 1841 this Congregation was but a Sunday catechism class and a recreation
center to which, in 1846, a hospice for homeless young
apprentices was added, thus forming a private family-like institute.
Several priests and a few laymen offered their outside help to cooperate in this
pious enterprise. In 1852 the archbishop of Turin approved the
institution and, on his own initiative, granted all permissions which were
proper and necessary to Father John Bosco, appointing him superior of the festive
oratories. From 1852 to 1858 a type of community began to
shape up, with a school and a program of formation for clerics, of whom
some, being ordained, stayed on in the institution. In 1858 Pius IX, of holy
memory, advised Father John Bosco to set up a pious society to
safeguard the spirit of the festive oratories. He himself kindly drafted a constitution
which was then adapted to suit actual community life in a clerical congregation
with simple vows.
After six years the Holy See issued a decree of commendation and praise for, the
[Salesian] Congregation and its constitutions and appointed a superior.
In 1870 the Congregation and its constitutions were definitely approved, with
permission to issue dismissorial letters for any Salesian clerics who had lived in
a house of the Congregation prior to their fourteenth year.
In 1874 the individual articles of the constitutions were definitively approved,
with the faculty of issuing dismissorial letters ad decennium
[for ten years] without restriction. Later, at various times, the Holy See
granted this Pious Society privileges which are necessary for a clerical
Congregation with simple vows. Meanwhile more houses of the
Congregation were founded as Divine Providence gradually provided both
opportunity and means. Because of their considerable growth, these foundations
were gathered into inspectorates or provinces.
The confreres assigned to the various houses of the Congregation are responsible
to the director of their respective communities. The directors
are accountable to their provincial, who presides over a number of houses
constituting his province. In turn, the provincials are subject to the rector major,
who, with the superior chapter, governs the entire Congregation under direct and
absolute control of the Holy See.
Although the specific aim of this Congregation is to care for youth, its members
willingly offer their services to parish churches and charitable institutions by
means of triduums, novenas, spiritual retreats and
158 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

missions, by celebrating Holy Mass, and by hearing confessions. Furthermore they

are engaged in writing, publishing and spreading good books, of which they
distribute over a million copies a year.

The report concluded with a brief overview of the moral state of the
Congregation. Two details are of particular note also for the tactfulness of
their presentation: one concerns relations with the archbishop of Turin, the
other deals with the long-standing issue of privileges. We quote the
passage.

After reporting on the material state of the Salesian Congregation and on the
growth God has graciously given it, we briefly comment on its moral state.
1. Thank God, all our houses faithfully observe the constitutions, and to date no
Salesian has ever been a cause of scandal. Although our work far exceeds both the
strength and the size of our membership, no one is
fainthearted, and work seems to nourish their spirit as does earthly food their
bodies. True, both in Europe and in the foreign missions some of our
confreres have fallen victim to their own zeal, but this has only served to intensify
desire for work in their brother religious. However, care has been taken that no one
jeopardize his health through overwork.
1 Many apply as Salesian aspirants, but we find that a good number are called to
other religious orders or to the diocesan priesthood rather
than to the Pious Society of St. Francis de Sales. Every year some three hundred
apply to us, of whom we accept a hundred and fifty into the novitiate; of these an
average of a hundred and twenty take vows.
3. We have an excellent relationship with diocesan priests and bishops whom we
can well characterize as fathers and well-wishers. With only one
ordinary have we ever run into difficulties, without ever being able to come to the
root of the misunderstanding. We trust that with patience, the Lord's help, and our
obedient service within his diocese we may achieve that good relationship which
we enjoy in all the other dioceses.
4. Another major obstacle we run into is that of the privileges. It is presumed
that the Salesians enjoy those same privileges which are
commonly granted to other religious orders and clerical congregations, but the
Holy See has not as yet seen fit to grant them. Both our material and moral
development would be greatly enhanced if we too enjoyed those privileges which
we humbly and earnestly request.
5. Our first general chapter met in September 1877. Many very important issues
touching on the practice of our constitutions were
discussed, but we decided that, before sending our deliberations to the Holy See,
we had best implement them for a term, with modifications, so
The First Triennial Report to the Holy See 159

as to determine appropriate corrections to be made before submitting them to the

next general chapter which, God willing, will be held in September 1880.
6. All members of the Congregation join the rector major in homage to the
Holy See, for which we express our inviolable loyalty as we implore the fatherly
support of the Church's supreme authority. We all pledge ourselves with total
commitment never to cease upholding faith in and obedience to the Vicar of Jesus
Christ in every nation of Europe and America in which we labor.
Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini Tuo da gloriam [Not to us, 0 Lord,
not to us, but to Your name give glory—Ps. 113, 9].
Fr. John Bosco, Rector Major

The longer portion of the report2 dealt with material matters. Don Bosco
gave importance to every activity he had begun and his Salesians had
continued, regardless of its extent. Therefore, no endeavor of the Salesians
or of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians escaped his attention. The
resulting report contains a breakdown of many and varied items which
certainly stirred the Salesians to mixed emotions of surprise and
satisfaction, so that they could exclaim: Digitus Del est hie [This is the
finger of God—Ex. 8, 15].
Every section of this first triennial report of Don Bosco was minutely
scrutinized by the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, prompting
seven "observations" which Cardinal [Innocent] Ferrieri, the
[Congregation's] prefect, sent to him on April 5. He found the letter waiting
for him on his return to the Oratory four days later. He had no problem with
supplying the requested clarifications, but it took him quite some time.
Those months, as we have seen, and shall again see, were crammed with too
many problems for him even to be able to think over those matters and
weigh well his words. He drew up a rough draft of which he had a good
copy made; on that he made some important additions and amendments.
Very probably, he had to consult competent persons willing to help. The
result was that his answer did not leave Turin until August 3. It is a most
interesting reply. We reproduce it, citing in italics those "observations" to
which Don Bosco was replying.

2
For those interested, this report is published in the Appendix of the original Italian edition of
this volume, Document 35. jEditorl
160 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Turin, August 3, 1879

Your Eminence:
I have received a copy of the observations kindly drawn up by the Congregation
of Bishops and Regulars on my report of the moral and material state of the Pious
Society of St. Francis de Sales.
First, with humble thanks to Your Eminence, I assure you that I shall treasure
these observations for the good of our Salesian confreres and use them as a guide
in the required future triennial reports to the Holy See.
As of now I promptly comply with your request for clarifications in the
order of your comments.
1. This report makes no mention of the financial condition of the Institute, nor of
the novitiate; the latter must be made according to the norms of the sacred canons
and the apostolic constitutions.
CLARIFICATION: The Pious [Salesian] Society has no legal status; therefore it
cannot own property, contract debts or acquire credits. The Congregation's houses
(please see page 13 of the report) are the property of the members who reside there.
We do have debts, but one member of the Congregation owns a building whose
value will cover them. However, both as a moral and as a legal body, the
Congregation neither does nor can
own anything.
Our novitiate here in Turin is duly approved and regulated by the Sacred
Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, and by the prescriptions set down and
approved in Chapter 14 of our constitutions. Under the same ruling, with a decree
of approval from the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, a second
novitiate was opened at Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina. Also with the aforesaid
Sacred Congregation's approval, a novitiate has been set up at Marseille, where a
new building which conforms to all [canonical] requirements is now under
completion. Another novitiate will soon be opened in the diocese of Seville, Spain,
for which we will apply formally to the Holy See for necessary authorization. We at
one time sought authorization to open a novitiate also in Paris, but unexpected
difficulties make further action in this matter unfeasible and
we have dropped the project.
The novice master is a priest of proven virtue and learning and is assisted by two
other priests. The novices have regular daily meditation, spiritual reading, a visit to
the Blessed Sacrament, and the recitation of the rosary with Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament each evening. They go to confession once a week and receive
Holy Communion almost every
day.
Two conferences a week are given, one dealing with the constitutions.
To date religious observance has not slackened.
The First Triennial Report to the Holy See 161

2. The Pious Society may not be divided into so-called inspectorates—an

uncommon practice—but into provinces, which may be established only with the
Holy See's permission.
CLARIFICATION: The Pious Society was divided into inspectorates in
compliance with Chapter 9, Article 17 of our constitutions, which reads: "If need
arises, the rector major, with the approval of the superior chapter, will appoint
visitators, giving them the responsibility of looking over a certain number of
houses, when distance and number shall require it. Such visitators or inspectors or
assessors shall take the rector major's place in the houses and in those matters
assigned to them."
His Holiness Pius IX of venerable memory recommended that terminology
dissonant with the spirit of the times be deleted from the constitutions of the
Salesian Society. Therefore, rather than call our houses monasteries, he suggested
we term them house, college, hostel, or orphanage; likewise, not father general
but rector major, not prior or guardian, but director, not provincial or province,
but some equivalent term. We should point out that this division into inspectorates
is not yet a reality, but has been proposed ad experimentum, so that as soon as we
feel it is feasible, we will duly apply to the Holy See. In these sorry times and in
the face of the endless grave obstacles daily being thrown up in our way, we see no
other form or organ i7ation, and so request that for the time being this term be
allowed to stand.

3. Under the article "Piedmontese Inspectorate" it is stated that several

institutions of women have been entrusted to the priestly ministry of the Salesians.
Such responsibility can be given only by the pertinent episcopal authority, and it
should have been stated if such really is the case, and in what this sacred ministry
consists.
CLARIFICATION: In founding institutions for women and assuming their
spiritual direction, we have observed all the rules set forth in Chapter 10 of our
constitutions. These institutions totally lack material means, and the Salesians
charitably provide religious services at the ordinary's request Our priestly ministry
is always arranged and controlled by the diocesan ordinary in all that concerns the
sacraments of penance and Holy Eucharist, the celebration of Holy Mass,
preaching the word of God, teaching religion, and so on.
4. The report shows that the Salesians run boarding and day schools, etc., but
it does not say whether or not this is done with the permission of the respective
ordinaries and if the norms of the sacred canons, particularly those of the Council
of Trent regarding education, are being followed.
162 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

CLARIFICATION: We have followed the rules approved by the Holy See as

described in Chapter 10 of our constitutions regarding the opening of new houses.
Therefore, all the necessary steps were taken with the diocesan ordinaries as the
sacred canons and the Council of Trent prescribe.
5. The report includes a supplement on an institute of women named after
Mary, Help of Christians, but nothing is said as to whether this
institute has a superior general to whom the nuns are subject and whether it is
totally independent, as it should be, from the Salesian Institute.
CLARIFICATION: When the Salesian constitutions were approved, whatever
concerned the Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of
Christians was also treated and discussed.
The Institute of Mary, Help of Christians is governed in temporal
matters by the superior general of the Pious Salesian Society, but in all matters of
religious worship and administration of the sacraments it is entirely subject to the
diocesan ordinary. The superior of the Salesians gives the sisters financial aid and,
with the bishop's consent, appoints a
priest to be spiritual director of each house of the sisters.
Several bishops have already approved this congregation of women, and
we are now in an experimental period to ascertain practically which modifications
we should make before seeking the Holy See's required
approval.
Furthermore, since several articles of their rule state the limits of the
sisters' obedience to the superior of the Salesians, a copy of the sisters'
rule is enclosed for further explanation.
Let it be noted also that the motherhouse of these sisters is located at
Mornese, in the diocese of Acqui, whose bishop has always had a say in the
institute's founding, growth and development.
6. It is also stated that these sisters do the cooking and take care of the linen and
clothing in seminaries and in boys' hospices—a practice which has always been
frowned upon by the Holy See.
CLARIFICATION: In each instance this arrangement was made after previous
understanding with the diocesan ordinaries; furthermore, they themselves
personally requested such services, and all the norms prescribed by the sacred
canons and dictated by prudence are observed.

7. This Sacred Congregation cannot help but lament as unusual and ill-advised
the printing of this report. The triennial report of superior generals of institutes has
been mandated exclusively for acquainting the
The First Triennial Report to the Holy See 163

Holy See on the disciplinary, personal, material, and financial status of each pious
institute, and the running of the novitiates.

CLARIFICATION: My only purpose in printing this report was to make its reading
easier. Since this was the first time that I was filing such a report with the Holy See,
I followed the advice of the superior of another congregation who assured me, "The
Holy See prefers a printed report." In the future I shall be sure to send a handwritten
report.
Having thus given Your Eminence the clarifications you requested, let me ask
you to keep this humble Society in your kindly favor.
The present times, the government officials, the civil laws, and the efforts being
expended to wipe out all religious orders lead me to beg Your Eminence for all the
support and understanding which the laws of Holy Church allow you to give.
These replies were to have been sent to Your Eminence last May, but the
serious problems which beset this house forced this delay. With highest
esteem, I am honored to remain,
Your humble, obedient servant, Fr. John
Bosco

Don Bosco's clarifications drew further observations, dated October 3

and forwarded to him on October 6 by Attorney [Constantine) Leonori with
a covering memo: "Excuse my boldness, but make your replies complete,
convincing and to the point, so that the Sacred Congregation will have no
more questions." It was not until January 12 that Don Bosco found time to
reply as he was leaving for France and sending Father Dalmazzo to Rome
as procurator general of the Salesian Congregation. He did not repeat the
cardinal's observations, but, to make his replies under standable, we have
inserted those observations in italics.

Turin, January 12, 1880

Your Eminence:
I am truly grieved that, despite all my efforts, I did not succeed in giving you the
clarifications you called for relating to our humble Congregation's triennial report to
the Holy See. To ensure that this matter and other concerns will be presented as this
Congregation understands them and as the sacred canons require, I am sending
Father Francis Dalmazzo to Rome as our procurator general with instructions to
place himself at Your Eminence's disposal or at the service of anyone you may
designate.
164 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Meanwhile let me express some thoughts of my own in respectful reply to Your

Eminence's letter of October 3, 1879. Father Dalmazzo will be able to give you
whatever clarifications may be needed.
[FURTHER OBSERVATIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS]
1, [LEGAL STATUS] In clarifying your reply to Observation 1 you say that the
Pious Society has no legal status; therefore it cannot own property
or contract debts. You then go on to say that the houses of the Congregation are
the property of some members; we do have debts, but one member owns a building
whose value will cover them. You then conclude that both as a moral and a legal
body, the Congregation neither owns nor can own anything.
This Sacred Congregation thinks that all these affirmations of a nonlegal status
are to be understood in reference to civil laws hostile to pious institutes because in
the Church's view, before which civil laws have no force, all pious institutes,
including your own, have a legal status according to the sacred canons. Hence
they are subject to the Holy See for all goods they may own under any title,
regardless of whose name they may have been acquired in and are now owned. All
pious institutes ignore the civil laws of any government in drawing up their
triennial reports. They state their financial situation, briefly listing the goods they
own under any title, their income from any source, and their expenses. If they must
sell goods acquired by a third person or take on debts, this Sacred Congregation
has always impressed upon them the need of receiving the Apostolic See's
permission, and all have obeyed. Your Reverence is the only one who cites civil
laws to exempt himselffrom this obligation. Please bear in mind that the Holy See
approved the Salesian constitutions with the stated obligations resulting from
Article 2 of Chapter 6 and Article 3 of Chapter 7, even though at the time of this
approval the civil laws you cited were already in existence.

CLARIFICATION: Our Pious Society is not a moral body before the Church or
state and therefore cannot own property. Chapter 4 of our constitutions states:
"Therefore, those who are professed in this Society can retain a so-called radical
ownership of their goods." The second article of this chapter states further: "The
members can freely dispose of their right either by testament or (with permission
of the rector major) by an act 'inter vivos.' "
Because of the present sad times, this article was of basic importance to us, and so
while seeking the approval of our constitutions I was asking how we were to
understand the wording of Chapter 7, Article 3, which states: "In disposing of the
Society's goods or acquiring income, let those norms
The First Triennial Report to the Holy See 165

be kept which have been set by the sacred canons and the apostolic constitutions."
Through Archbishop, later Cardinal Salvator Vitelleschi, who was then
secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, the cardinal's reply
was: "The response is already contained in the article itself, namely "in disposing
of the Society's goods"; this must be understood to mean that as soon as time or
place makes it possible for the Pious Society to own anything in common or in its
own name, this article is to be observed as all other religous and clerical
congregations observe it. This seems to be in keeping with Chapter 7, Article 2,
which says of the rector major: "He has no right to buy or sell property without the
consent of the superior chapter."
This is the interpretation I have always given to our constitutions from the very
beginning of this Pious Society. This too was always the understanding of the
Supreme Pontiff, Pius IX, of ever glorious memory, and of the eminent cardinals
he appointed to examine and approve our constitutions.
To consider buildings personally owned by our members as Church property
and therefore subject to the prescriptions of the sacred canons would cause
confusion in our administration, since all our Salesians took their vows with this
understanding of Chapter 4, Article 1, De voto paupertatis, which states: "The
vow of poverty, of which we speak here, concerns only the administration, not the
ownership, of any goods."

2. [NOVITIATE IN MARSEILLE] Again, in clarifying your reply to Observation

1 you assert that a novitiate has been set up in Marseille with the authorization of
the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. This Sacred Congregation has
no record that any such authorization was given. Please see to it that a copy of
the rescript containing authorization to open a novitiate in Marseille is
forwarded to us.

CLARIFICATION: Regarding the authorization for a novitiate in Marseille,

which we intend to set up, the misunderstanding was mine. The Sacred
Congregation of Bishops and Regulars sought the opinion of the ordinary of
Marseille on February 5, 1879, and on February 23, 1879 he sent a favorable
reply. Hence I felt that the matter was settled, whereas it is still pending. I herein
enclose the relevant documents and renew my request for authorization.

3. [INSPECTORATES] In clarifying your reply to Observation 2 you state that

the Pious Society was divided into inspectorates in compliance with your
constitutions, Chapter 9, Article 17. Now Article 17 makes
166 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

reference to "visitators" to be appointed by the rector major if need be, with

the approval of the superior chapter; it does not mention "inspectors." All other
congregations, regardless of where they are located, are divided into provinces
with previous approval of the Holy See, which has never tolerated the use of
any other name. You must adhere to the general norm.

CLARIFICATION: I divided the Congregation into inspectorates rather than

provinces because I saw this as a practical application of our constitutions,
Chapter 9, Article 17: "If the need arises, the rector major, with the approval of
the superior chapter, will appoint visitators, giving them the responsibility of
looking over a certain number of houses."
In these sad times using the words "province" and "provincial" would be like
throwing ourselves to the wolves to be devoured or scattered. Pius IX, of ever
blessed and beloved memory, suggested this term himself. If, however, we
positively must use the traditional terminology, I request that we be restricted to do
so only in our dealings with the Holy See and that in
our relations with the world we be free to use the best terminology we can
in these times.

4. [INSTITUTES FOR WOMEN] In clarifying Observation 3 you state: "In

opening institutes for women and assuming their spiritual direction, we have
observed all the rules set forth in Chapter 10 of our constitutions." This chapter
refers to houses for clerics and for young men and boys to be educated by
Salesians. Nothing is said about opening houses for women and their spiritual
direction. Nor can it be held that it was the intent of the Holy See to allow the
Salesians to open and direct such houses when their constitutions were approved,
since this violates the very principles it set up for very understandable reasons. The
Salesians may assume spiritual direction of women communities when they are
entrusted to do so by the respective ordinaries, and then their ministry is limited to
administering the sacraments and preaching God's word if and as the ordinaries
charge them.

CLARIFICATION: In matters concerning the Daughters of Mary, Help of

Christians, the Salesians have no other function in their houses than that of
spiritual direction, and that within the limits and in the manner permitted and
prescribed by the ordinaries in whose diocese those convents are situated.

5. [INSTITUTE OF THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY, HELP OF

CHRISTIANS] Your reply to Observation 5 was: "When the Salesian
The First Triennial Report to the Holy See 167

constitutions were approved, whatever concerned the Institute of the Daughters of

Mary, Help of Christians was also treated and discussed. The Institute of Mary,
Help of Christians is subject to the superior general of the Pious Salesian
Society." In reviewing the rather voluminous material on the Salesian position
especially regarding the approval of their constitutions, we observe that matters
concerning the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians were never mentioned;
much less discussed. Had this been done, most certainly this Sacred
Congregation would have mandated the separation of the two institutes. It has
never been this Sacred Congregation's norm, especially in these times, to allow
communities of women to be governed by communities of men, and, if such a case
has arisen, it has immediately demanded that such governance be ended. You
would like to introduce a contrary norm which this Sacred Congregation can do
no less than reject.

CLARIFICATION: Regarding whether or not the Institute of the Daughters of

Mary, Help of Christians was discussed when the constitutions were approved, I
can state that in the summation which this Sacred Congregation had printed in the
process of definitively approving our constitutions, when a list of the houses then
in existence was drawn up on page 10 and page 16, we read: "Added to the
Salesian Congregation and depending from it is the house of Mary, Help of
Christians, founded with the approval of the ecclesiastical authority of Mornese,
diocese of Acqui. The aim of this house is to do for poor girls what the Salesians
do for boys. The sisters already number forty and they care for two hundred
girls."
The aforesaid eminent cardinals asked several questions about the nature and
scope of this institution and, showing themselves satisfied with my oral
statements, they concluded by saying that the matter would be more thoroughly
studied when the sisters' constitutions would be submitted for the Holy See's
timely approval.

6. [GOVERNMENT OF THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY, HELP OF

CHRISTIANS] When this Sacred Congregation inquired into the government
of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, in Observation 5,
it asked whether it had a mother general and not a male superior general as
you erroneously state in quoting the observation.

CLARIFICATION: In the request of April 5, 1879 for clarifications, was asked

"whether this institute has a superior general to whom the nuns are subject and
whether it is totally independent, as it should be, from the
168 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Salesian Institute." I replied in the affirmative, adding that our authority was in
conformity with the sisters' constitutions. Your Eminence now inquires whether
these sisters have a mother general. I reply affirmatively: they do have a mother
general and their own superior chapter in conformity with Article 3 of their
constitutions.

Having offered these clarifications, I beg Your Eminence to remember with

fatherly concern that the Pious Salesian Society was begun without material
resources and held its own in treacherous times in the midst of increasing
difficulties, besieged in countless ways. It consequently needs all the benevolence
and all the understanding which are compatible with the authority of Holy Mother
Church.
At present we number one hundred houses, in which some fifty thousand boys
are given a Christian education. Of these, more than six hundred enter the clerical
state every year. On the other hand, I believe can assure Your Eminence that the
Salesians have no other aim than to work for God's greater glory, the welfare of
Holy Church, and the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ among the Indians of
the Pampas and of Patagonia.
On my knees T ask Your Eminence's forgiveness if I have inadvertently
answered in an unbecoming manner. I declare it my honor to remain,
Your most obedient servant, Fr. John
Bosco

The letter sent by the Sacred Congregation to Don Bosco had also this
passage:
In answer to Observation 6, that the Sisters of Mary, Help of Christians take
care of linen and clothing in seminaries and do the cooking—something the Holy
See has always frowned upon—you state: In each instance this arrangement was
made after previous understanding with the ordinaries; furthermore, they
themselves requested such services." Any time this Sacred Congregation has
become aware of women religious performing such tasks in seminaries or boys'
hostels, it has always forbidden it, even if the respective ordinary had given his
consent and had personally asked the sisters to do such work.

Don Bosco offered no answer, probably because he was not the only
person concerned since several bishops, those of Casale and Biella for
example, were involved more than he.
His reply drew no further observations from the Sacred
The First Triennial Report to the Holy See 169

Congregation. However, as we shall see in due course, the aftermath was

distressful.
Through all the vicissitudes of this period [of Don Bosco's life], what
outshines all else is the holiness of this man of God, who forged his way
resolutely and calmly, never slowing down his many activities because of
obstacles, never seeking pretexts from his undertakings to justify stern
measures. It certainly takes heroic virtue in such circumstances in order not
to deviate from one's course of action through human weakness or bold
attempts. "I cannot hide my bitter grief," he wrote in reference to the above
matter,3 "that I could not make myself understood. I labor and wish all
Salesians to labor for the Church to their dying breath. I ask for no material
assistance, but only for that indulgence and charity which are compatible
with the Church's authority." On another occasion he wrote: "Every time
they set up roadblocks my response always is to open another house." 4 In
these two quotes there vibrates the spirit of our saintly founder. That the
second quote was not an empty phrase will be clearly proven in his next
triennial report of 1882. Briefly, for saints, activity is no hindrance to
holiness; rather, their activity arises from and grows from their holiness.

sLetter to Father Dalmazzo, Sampierdarena, May 7, 1880. [Author] To the

4

above, Turin, July 21, 1880. [Author]

 CHAPTER 9

The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri

IN 1879 the flourishing girls' festive oratory conducted at

Chieri by the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians faced fierce opposition
which incredibly dragged on to 1883. Though centering on the person of its
director, Father [John] Bonetti,1 it involved Don Bosco also, since he was at
the heart of all Salesian activity
and the target of any conflict in and about Turin. We take up the thread of
our story where we left off,2 but we will have to break it again to resume it
in Volume XV.
The New Year opened ominously for St. Theresa's Festive Oratory. In
1878 Don Bosco had opened an adjoining hostel for girls of middle income
families, a free school for poorer and younger girls, and a Sunday school
for older girls, but the bone of contention was always the festive oratory.
Acting under misinformation supplied to him by several local priests,
foremost among them the cathedral rector, Father [Anthony] Oddenino,
Archbishop Gastaldi made a surprise appearance in Chieri on January 12.
He called a meeting of the cathedral canons and harangued them with an
address which left them confused and disturbed. He questioned the good
work being done by the Salesians in the girls' oratory, calling them very
generous workers, but likening them to steam locomotives which require
stout brakes and safety valves if they are to function at all. Despite this
charge, when it came to a showdown, the majority voted against closing
the oratory, and so the archbishop agreed to put up with it a little longer.
Since Don Bosco was absent from Turin, his vicar, Father Rua, having
learned of the meeting, was anxious to clarify the situation and nip the
dispute in the bud, and so he wrote the archbishop a letter which is a
masterpiece of diplomatic finesse.
'See Appendix 1. [Editor]
2
See Vol. XIII, pp. 539f. [Editor]
 The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 171

Turin, January 13, 1879

Your Excellency:
I have learned that Your Excellency had occasion yesterday to meet with several
canons of your respected chapter at Chieri concerning the St. Theresa's Festive
Oratory, conducted by the Salesian Congregation, and its Sunday program for the
town's girls. I was also informed that Your Excellency acknowledged the good work
being done there and made your stand clear to the few who view it negatively.
Trusting that Your Excellency will continue your kindness toward us, I think it well
to enclose a copy of a brief granted by His Holiness, Pius IX, of blessed memory,
which is our guide in holding religious services in the oratory as in all churches
which we conduct in Italy, France and South America. In Don Bosco's name—he is
presently in Marseille—I am sending you a copy of this brief with the sole purpose
of furnishing you another argument with which to silence those who oppose us, to
assure them that the Salesians are acting legally and are authorized not merely by
yourself but also by the
Holy See, so that no one out of petty fears need throw up obstacles to the good
being done.
I also take this occasion to inform Your Excellency that, after our private
interview with you toward the middle of last month, we submitted the following
working plan to the Very Reverend Canon Lione, vicar
forane of Chieri, which seemed reasonable to us and did not frustrate the objectives
of the oratory:
1. When religious services coincide with catechetical instructions in the
parish, married women and older girls will not be allowed to attend the oratory.
2. The other girls will be free to attend either function as they wish. Contrary to
our expectations, this proposal was rejected as unacceptable. I thank Your
Excellency for your kind support which encourages us to
work in your archdiocese according to our objectives, and I beg you to continue
your good will toward us.
To the charity of your prayers I commend my own humble person, this entire
community, and especially our dear Don Bosco.
Kindly accept my profoundest respects as I reverently sign myself,

Your most humble servant, Fr. Michael

Rua

However, the festive oratory still had its enemies who gave it no respite but
kept wagging their tongues without restraint. Distressed by the relentless
slander, Father Bonetti wrote to the curate, begging him to desist from
his hostility which was badly harming
 172 TEE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the welfare of souls and kept fomenting unseemly gossip. He asked the
curate's pardon for any offense he might have given him, and
invited him to visit the oratory as a token of reconciliation, but he
also protested that, rather than depress him, such vexations only inspired
him to greater fortitude. The straightforwardness of tone
and the curtness of some expressions upset Father Oddenino.
Misconstruing their meaning, he consulted with his colleagues, and
denounced the letter to the archbishop as a provocation. The
archbishop, being then engaged in a fierce newspaper controversy over
Rosmini3 with Monsignor [Peter] Balan, who was updating Rohrbacher's
work [Universal History of the Catholic Church], let three weeks go by
without answering the letter. However, on Father Oddenino's personal
insistence that he intervene, he abruptly revoked Father Bonetti's faculties
for confession until the latter should apologize to the curate "for the
disrespect he displayed in his letter." He took this action on February 12,
with no previous canonical admonition and without notifying Don Bosco.
Father Bonetti was stunned. Without delay he rushed to the archbishop's
residence to fmd out what irreverence he had shown in his ill-fated letter, but
he was refused a hearing. It was most urgent that Father Bonetti remove all
reasons for surprise or scandal among the people by having the censure
revoked before the following Saturday, when he regularly went to Chieri. On
Thursday, January 13, then, he decided that it was wiser to yield to the
imposed terms. Swallowing his pride, he wrote a letter of apology to the
parish priest. However, since it had never been his slightest intent to offend
anyone by his letter, he thought it only proper and fair to state the same.
Having mailed his letter, he then wrote to the archbishop, expressing the hope
that the censure would automatically cease and hinting at the same time that,
were it not, he would not be averse to using unpleasant measures, such as
recourse to Rome, to justify himself and to defend the Congregation's honor.
These last words were really unnecessary and inappropriate. The archbishop
not only took offense, but, without even bothering to find out if Father
Oddenino had been pacified, he reiterated Father Bonetti's suspension, this
time adding to its harshness by declaring the censure total and unlimited,
revoking all conditions

3
See Unita Cattolica, January 22, 1877, and following issues. [Author]
The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 173

and leaving it completely up to his own judgment as archbishop.

We should state here that a rescript of the Sacred Congregation of
Bishops and Regulars dated November 20, 1615, dug out by Father [John
Baptist] Rostagno [S.J.] for Father Bonetti's benefit, forbade any such
summary procedure agsinst members of religious congregations. The article
stated: "In the name of the Holy See and by its authority, the eminent
cardinals decide and declare that bishops and archbishops are not allowed
to suspend religious from hearing confession, unless it be for reasons
touching upon the act of confession itself." The decree which so well fit
Father Bonetti's case encouraged him to proceed with his appeal, since the
cause of his censure had been a letter, not a confession, and it still had to be
proven that a letter constituted a criminal act. In his opinion his punishment
was a travesty of law and justice. Be that as it may, at the present moment
the suspension was binding, and so early the following Sunday morning,
February 16, Father [Joseph] Leveratto, the [Valdocco] Oratory's prefect,
set out to hear the confessions of the girls at Chieri, while Father Bonetti,
the director, went for the evening catechetical instruction and sermon.
Careful to cover up nicely his absences on following Sundays, he stated
publicly that he had to accompany Don Bosco to Rome and, while there,
also straighten out some problems about the St. Theresa's Festive Oratory,
asking for prayers for the success of his journey. This was the reason why
Father Bonetti suddenly took Count Cay's place as Don Bosco's traveling
companion to Rome.4
Don Bosco departed, as we recounted, and it was then that Archbishop
Gastaldi unexpectedly turned up at the Valdocco Oratory and at the
Valsalice College to attend stage plays being then presented.5 We have
already recounted the astonishment that his appearance caused and the
various interpretations put on it. However, he delighted everyone when he
agreed to admit several Salesians to minor orders, subdiaconate and
diaconate during the Lenten rogation days. He really had no reason to
refuse them, but everyone was so used to last-minute objections and
refusals that both the ordinands and others were thrilled by his friendliness.
Moreover, at the end of the ceremony he graciously returned the candles to
the newly ordained. Better still, on spotting young
"See p. 38. [Editor] sSee p. 47.
[Editor]
174 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

[Francis] Scaloni, later a provincial, returning the sacred vestments to the

sacristy, the archbishop called him over and said, "You played the part of
St. Pancratius. Excellent!" And he gave the lad a holy picture. In a word,
the feeling was that His Excellency was finally about to make his peace
With the Oratory.
Father Bonetti arrived at Rome on March 2, and on March 6 he filed a
formal appeal to the Holy Father through the Sacred Congregation of the
Council against Archbishop Gastaldi's action. Don Bosco had already
briefly reported the incident to Cardinal [Innocent] Ferrieri, prefect of the
Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars in February. We do not
know whether he had received a reply. However, it seems likely that Don
Bosco's letter may have prompted the notice to him that the matter was
within the competence of the Sacred Congregation of the Council.

[No dater
Your Eminence:
I regret having to bother you in the midst of your many cares for the worldwide
Church. However, I feel it my duty to write this letter, because I see God's greater
glory and the welfare of souls being obstructed. This is now the third time that
Turin's archbishop has suspended Salesian priests from hearing confessions,
ignoring due canonical procedure. Without giving me any advance warning, he
suspended me by not renewing my faculties. Then he suspended Father John
Lazzero, director of our motherhouse in Turin, without previously advising his
superior or anyone else and without ever specifying the reason for his action_
Recently he has suspended Father John Bonetti who does excellent work as
director of a festive oratory in Chieri.
Both the local parish priest and the archbishop were of the opinion that Father
Bonetti had sent them disrespectful letters. Even if the letters were truly
disrespectful—which remains to be seen—matters could have been rectified
immediately had he only informed the Salesian Congregation's superior. Instead,
he revoked Father Bonetti's diocesan faculties for confession. It seems to me that
the Church's laws—reaffirmed successively by the competent Sacred
Congregation of Bishops and Regulars—require that such action be preceded by
some admonitions by duly informing the superior and be for reasons concerning
the sacrament of penance.

6Handwritten copy by Father Berto, Don Bosco's secretary, who states that the letter was
written in February 1879. [Author]
The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 175

I therefore request Your Eminence to ask the archbishop of Turin to observe the
Holy See's prescriptions for such measures and, before inflicting such serious
ecclesiastical penalties, be fair enough to investigate whether the facts warrant it,
making sure that as far as possible a public scandal be avoided, such as did occur in
the case of Father Bonetti, who is still allowed to hear confessions. Such a zealous
preacher as he is known to be in Chieri, he has had to absent himself from his
confessional, thronged by crowds of penitents, and to leave the archdiocese so as
not to become an object of public curiosity and gossip.
Having simply and respectfully stated my case, I will abide unreservedly by
whatever Your Eminence may decree or advise in this matter.
Honored to pay my respects to you, in deepest gratitude I remain,
Your most obedient servant, Fr. John
Bosco

That Don Bosco's praise of Father Bonetti was not undeserved is

confirmed by a statement dated February 16, 1879, signed by five of
Chieri's canons' and stating that, during his six months' administration of
St. Theresa's Festive Oratory, "he truly achieved much good, to the
delight of all upright, God-fearing people, especially parents." This
statement is further corroborated by Canon [Francis] Calosso in a letter
dated February 12, which he wrote to Don Bosco on his own initiative to
thank him enthusiastically for sending to Chieri every week "that
excellent Salesian, ideally suited to instruct and correct the evil ways of
so many uneducated, wayward girls." In the meantime Father Leveratto
had temporarily taken over the direction of the festive oratory and was
doing a fine job. "Still," wrote Canon [Matthew] Sona 8 to Father Bonetti,
"the Chieri oratory would remain unjustly defamed and the honor of the
Salesian Congregation be made to suffer, should your reputation not be
restored and you be free to exercise your sacred ministry."
It is standard procedure among the Sacred Roman Congregations to send
a copy of a recourse to the ordinary of the priest-plaintiff for his
information and opinion, and to the superior also if the priest is a religious.
Father Bonetti's recourse prompted Archbishop

'Canons Cantore, Caselle, Mosso, Calosso and Savone. [Author] Chieri,

8

March 6, 1879. [Author]

176 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Gastaldi to have second thoughts on the ill-advised step he had taken, and he
decided to straighten out the matter without sending a
reply to Rome. Calling Father Rua, he welcomed him with
cordiality and asked him to tell Father Bonetti that the archbishop was
ready to restore his faculties for confession "when and where"
he should wish. Yet, in the course of their conversation he added,
"Father Bonetti is a good priest, but it's not advisable that he return to
Chieri. After all, he cannot get along with the local clergy. On
my visit I summoned all the clergy; the vicar forane, the pastor and serveral
canons, except Canon Sona, agreed that it would not be wise for Father
Bonetti to return to Chieri."9 At this point, as we infer from a footnote to
Father Rua's letter, Father Bonetti felt that either Father Rua had
misunderstood the archbishop or the archbishop had mistaken the canons'
attitude. Be that as it may, Father Bonetti could not swallow the condition of
never again setting foot in Chieri, for it was obviously a measure that
savored of punishment and cast a cloud over him in the eyes of the faithful
as if he were guilty of God knows what crime.
Tensions had reached this pitch when a very unpleasant incident
occurred which recalls that well-known [Italian] proverb: "May God
guard me from my friends; I can handle my enemies." Father Bonetti had
described briefly but frankly in a letter to a very close friend in Chieri
what had happened up to March 24. Instead of keeping the letter
confidential, this good friend came up with the unhappy idea of doing
Father Bonetti a favor such as the latter could never have dreamed of. He
immediately transcribed the letter, changing the singular "you" to the
plural as though Father Bonetti were writing to the festive oratory's girls,
adding a few remarks of his own; then he had the letter read publicly to
them at the oratory. When and on what day this happened we do not
know, but certainly Father Leveratto was not forewarned nor did he have
any inkling of it. After the reading, the letter was passed on from person
to person, and copies were even made. It was a deplorable shame that only
too late were the copies of that distorted version retrieved. We need not
say that the news, spread about in that manner, filled the town with a
flurry of gossip and added more fuel to the fire.
9 Letter to Father Bonetti from Father Rua, Turin, March 22, 1879. 'Author]
The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 177

On returning from Rome, Father Bonetti was anxious to know the

archbishop's mood, and he soon found out. The Turin chancery
used to renew the diocesan priests' faculties for confession within a
few weeks after Easter. Father [Anthony] Notario, who taught theology at
the Oratory, went to the chancery to pick up the
Salesians' certificates and at the same time to get the feeling of the
chancery staff. Father [Louis] Deppert went along as a witness. No
certificate was issued for Father Bonetti's faculties, and when
Father Notario respectfully pointed this out, he was told that it was
the archbishop's order. He therefore asked for a written statement of this to
present to his superiors, but Father Chiaverotti, the
secretary, hemmed and hawed. An argument followed which drew
the attention of the chancellor, Canon [Thomas] Chiuso, whom Father
Notario asked for an audience with the archbishop. The
canon agreed and the archbishop received both Father Notario and
Father Deppert. However, on learning the reason of their visit, he refused to
grant faculties to Salesians residing outside the diocese,
among them Father Bonetti, regardless of the fact that his
permanent domicile was Turin. The Salesians residing in other dioceses
retained faculties from the Turin chancery so as to hear
confessions on the many occasions of their visits to the Oratory.
Archbishop Gastaldi now refused both the faculties and the statement which
Father Notario had requested. On questioning
Father Notario about his identity and work and on being told that
he was the new director of St. Theresa's Festive Oratory in Chieri the
archbishop burst into virulent invectives and charges against
Don Bosco and the Salesians. Father Notario listened with restraint, and
when the cloudburst was over he bowed and turned to leave.
"What! So soon?" the archbishop asked.
"Do you expect me to stay here and listen to my father and superior being
thus viciously maligned? I am in Your Excellency's home and so cannot
speak up in his defense."
The archbishop calmed down, took Father Notario by the arm and
prevailed upon him to sit down. Then he spoke in a calm and almost cordial
tone. On rising to leave, Father Notario stated, "As regards the faculties,
since the chancery refuses to give me an official statement [of refusal] I
have a witness here who will testify for me to my superior."
178 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Father Bonetti received his faculties on May 2, but still on condition that
he not go to Chieri without the archbishop's express permission. Since he
had already begun a series of Marian talks just two days before, he pleaded
with Archbishop Gastaldi for permission to continue till the end so as not to
arouse surprise by a sudden interruption and also in order to reap the fruits
of his preaching in the sacrament of penance. His request was rejected.
Hence, on May 4, he again appealed to the Holy Father against this odious
measure.
It did not take long for the effect of this second appeal to become
apparent. On May 26 the archbishop sent Don Bosco this note: "It is most
urgent that I speak with you on a very serious matter. Please come to see
me today. Even though I may be confined to bed, we can still discuss
matters. I hope to have the Pleasure of seeing you again after nearly
eleven months since I blessed the cornerstone of the Church of St. John
the Evangelist. Yours sincerely, etc." Don Bosco called on him that same
evening. The "very serious matter" was of course Father Bonetti's appeal,
of which a copy had been sent him by the Sacred Congregation of Bishops
and Regulars. The upshot was that the archbishop would restore Father
Bonetti's faculties for confession throughout the archdiocese, leaving it to
Don Bosco to decide whether Father Bonetti would return to Chieri or not.
Father Bonetti heaved a deep sigh of relief, and everyone was happy that
the matter had been definitely settled. But their joy was very short-lived
indeed. Very early the next morning another letter was delivered to Don
Bosco from the archbishop, taking back all that had been said the previous
evening. Its tenor was as follows:

My need to put an end without delay to the unrest in Chieri makes it imperative
that Father Bonetti be kept away from there until I personally reinvestigate the
whole matter on site and, once I have complete knowledge of the facts, come to a
decision. Therefore, I deem it necessary that throughout that time this priest not
exercise the ministry of confessor in Chieri_ I consequently revoke Father
Bonetti's faculties of hearing confessions until my investigation is completed. My
present condition of health makes it impossible to set a definite time. This is what I
had told Father Rua at the beginning of this month, and what I feel I must tell you
on rethinking our discussion of yesterday evening.
The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 179

Disappointed and deeply afflicted, Father Bonetti immediately sent this

new appeal to the Holy Father:

Prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness, I, Father John Bonetti of the Salesian
Congregation, humbly inform you of my appeals to Your Holiness dated March 6
and May 4 for the revocation of a suspension inflicted upon me by the archbishop
of Turin, which, in my opinion, is in conflict with repeated decisions of the
Apostolic See. Pursuant to the latter appeal, yesterday, May 26, the archbishop sent
for Father John Bosco, superior general of the Salesian Congregation, and informed
me through him that he was revoking the suspension and was restoring my faculties
for hearing confessions unconditionally in the archdiocese. I was overjoyed and
most grateful to Your Holiness. However, this very morning, May 27, hardly twelve
hours later, another letter comes in from the archbishop, in which he informs my
superior that the suspension is still in effect and yesterday's revocation must be
considered as never having been made. No one can adequately describe the painful
surprise that both my superior and I experienced on receiving this unexpected news.
Hence, for the third time I humbly appeal to Your Holiness and respectfully but
earnestly beg you kindly to use your supreme authority and free me from a situation
which is distressing to me and to the Salesian Congregation and most harmful to
souls, impeding God's greater glory and causing scandal and real unhappiness
among the faithful.

The unending series of such conflicts kept giving Don Bosco new
reasons why it was incontestably necessary for the Salesian Congregation
to be granted full autonomy through the concession of privileges. Hence
he sent a petition to Cardinal [Lawrence] Nina, the Salesian cardinal-
protector, requesting a renewal of some privileges which had already been
granted him temporarily by Pius IX.' °

Turin, June 13, 1879

Your Eminence:
As it is my earnest desire that you truly understand the humble Salesian
Congregation's affairs, let me briefly acquaint you with the grave troubles
which our motherhouse in Turin had to put up with because of our archbishop.

loThese were the privileges granted by Pius IX on April 21, 1876, and which, together with
several others, had been revoked after his death. See Vol. XIII, pp. 432ff. [Author]
18U THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

The opposition he has raised has always coincided with that of government and
school officials. Hence Your Eminence will readily understand how exhausting and
painful it has been to start, uphold and strengthen a new Congregation which has no
temporal support and financial means. Yet we have never lacked the counsel,
guidance and support of the Supreme Pontiff, who has always treated us with the
kindness of a loving father.
Your Eminence may ask why we did not appeal to the Holy See. We have done
so on several occasions, but our lack of a cardinal-protector always rendered those
appeals of mine fruitless.
All the originals of the correspondence referred to in this letter are on file in the
archives of our Congregation.
A favor which is most pressing at this moment is the granting of privileges, such
as those possessed by the Passionists, Redemptorists and Oblates of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, which are generally enjoyed by all approved clerical congregations.
Since this may pose serious problems, ask that at least three privileges which we
have enjoyed over a period of three years be renewed, since their delayed renewal
has caused us serious hardship and brought us grave harm.
think it opportune to enclose a copy of the petition which in the past we have
sent to the then Archbishop Jacobini, so that, with Your Eminence's previous
consent, he would push our cause through the Sacred Congregation of the Council.
We pray the Lord to keep Your Eminence in good health for the good of the
Church and in order that you may help us regularize the status of the Salesian
Society in the eyes of the Church, thus enabling it to withstand the attacks to which
it is presently being subjected.
We all respectfully request your blessing. I am honored to pay my respects to
you and remain,
Your most obedient servant, Fr. John
Bosco

The attached memorandum was "a handwritten report of Archbishop

Gastaldi's doings against the Salesian Congregation taken from his own
letters"" They were meant to show the consequences of not having
privileges.
It took His Eminence quite some time to review all the items in

"Marginal note by Father Berto, Don Bosco's secretary, on a copy of the letter sent to Cardinal
Nina. He had himself written this "report," as he was in the habit of doing with every document that
was to be presented to ecclesiastical or civil authorities. [Author]
The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 181

the report, and so he expressly delayed his answer. As for the privileges to
be renewed, he asked Don Bosco to send him the text of the original
concession.' 2 Don Bosco sent a copy of the rescripts to the cardinal, who
recommended that the Holy Father renew them, but the latter was not
disposed to grant the favor. The reason was that Don Bosco had addressed
his petition to the Sacred Congregation of the Council, but competency in
this matter belonged to the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, and the
latter had already reported negatively to the Pope. Hence the good offices of
the cardinal-protector came too late and were ineffective. His Eminence,
however, commented: "This should not cause you to fear that the Holy
Father has little regard for your well-meriting Congregation; it only shows
that for the time being the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars
thinks it inopportune to freely bestow further privileges." He concluded: "As
for the rest, be assured that I shall always gladly favor to the best of my
ability a Congregation which dedicates itself so earnestly to the welfare of
souls and for which I have been appointed protector."13
Don Bosco did not give up his attempt. Having let the summer vacation
go by, he tried another way of obtaining these privileges. Since experience
told him that the prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars was
rather unfavorable to him, he appealed to the newly created Cardinal Cajetan
Alimonda14 to use his influence with Cardinal Nina to have his application
processed by the Congregation of the Council. The cardinal's most
heartwarming response, if nothing else, served to mitigate somewhat the
many bitter frustrations which afflicted him in those days, as we have seen
in the previous chapters. "I already told you orally, and repeat in writing,"
Cardinal Alimonda wrote, "that whenever possible, within my competency,
the Salesian Congregation, your beloved spiritual child, may always rely on
me with assurance. Hence I am presently ready to serve you F. . .] I shall go
to the Holy Father and do my very best [. . 1 My dear Father John, God
knows how much

12
Letter, Rome, June 19, 1879. [Author]
"Letter, Rome, June 26, 1879. [Author]
14
Born in Genoa in 1818, he was ordained a priest in 1843. In 1877 he was appointed bishop of
Albenga and in 1879 he was created cardinal; lastly in 1883 he became archbishop of Turin till his
death in 1891. Scholarly and eloquent, he wrote extensively on spiritual matters. As archbishop of
Turin he was a great blessing for Don Bosco. [Editor]
182 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

I love and respect you. It is an honor for me and a comfort to be counted

among your servants."15
He wrote again after he spoke with the Pope: "I can assure you that the
Pontiff is kindly disposed to the Salesians and appreciates the priceless
services they render the Church, but he cannot back up your request to the
competent Sacred Congregation, as you will understand." Then, having
lengthily conferred with Cardinal Nina on the advisability of appealing to the
Congregation of the Council, he wrote: "The cardinal does not think it wise to
switch your petition from the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars to that of
the Council; he thinks that both the delay in this matter and the difficulty of
putting the Salesians on a par with other congregations, which are older and
also underwent the very same problems at their beginning, do not arise from
any hostile intent against the Salesian Congregation, but just from its recent
origin. At any rate, he did accept your petition personally and will bring it up
with the Holy Father. He seems to me quite ready to direct that your case be
aired and decided as soon as the Sacred Congregations resume their work. I
warmly insisted and shall continue to insist that at least the two privileges
previously granted be confirmed. Certain it is that my influence means little in
matters belonging to a Sacred Congregation of which I am not a member,
especially since I am the last one to be admitted to the college of cardinals.
Yet, what
little I can do, do with all my heart."16 Though the proceedings
came to a standstill, it was to Don Bosco's advantage to keep alive issues
which were so close to his heart and thus foster and speed their attainment.
Let us now return to the matter of this chapter. Suspension is a most
humiliating punishment for a priest, especially when, his guilt being in no
way public, there is ample room for even worse interpretations. It is therefore
very understandable that Father Bonetti could hardly wait to rid himself of
that disgrace. After all those appeals, there was not one glimmer of hope. On
July 16 he unburdened himself to Archbishop Verga, secretary of the
Congregation of the Council:

Letter, Rome, October 7, 1879. [Author] Letter,

15 15

Rome, October 21, 1879. [Author]

The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 183

For six months I have been weighed down by the burden of a suspension enjoined
upon me by the archbishop of Turin even though it is judged to conflict with decrees
repeatedly issued by the Holy See and to hinder God's greater glory. During this time I
submitted three appeals to the Holy Father through your Sacred Congregation, but so
far none has been brought up for deliberation and I still cannot freely exercise my
priestly ministry, to the grave scandal of many poor souls. Hence, with a heavy yet
trusting heart I appeal to your well-known kindness and ask you kindly to push for a
definitive decision in this matter and thus free my soul from such a painful state and
bring this evil situation to an end. I write this letter to Your Eminence with the consent
of my revered superior, Father John Bosco, and in his name I beg you, for the love of
Jesus Christ, of Mary, Help of Christians and of St. Francis de Sales, our dear patron
saint, to be so good as to send me a reply so that he and I may know how we stand.

The help he sought did not come because the Sacred Congregation was
awaiting a reply from the archbishop of Turin to make its decision, and
the archbishop was not replying. Father Bonetti, therefore, thought up a
new approach. On July 27 he sought the advice of Attorney Leonori. He
wrote:

My censure has aroused a grave suspicion that I might be guilty of indecent

conduct, especially since I was assigned to a girls' institute. These days we are being
battered by the sword of the government" and the cross of the archbishop's authority,
and we are being slandered as unworthy priests and betrayers of souls. It is a war too
unjust and too cruel, and I cannot see how the Holy See can any longer, on its part,
allow such a disgraceful situation to continue when it arouses the indignation of
upright people. If I am believed to be at fault I should be told, and if I fail to prove
my innocence I do not refuse to die. But if I am not guilty, why am I forced to
undergo such protracted and undeserved punishment which destroys my good name
and that of my Congregation and causes such serious scandal to the faithful?

He intended to take legal action and asked the attorney to act on his behalf.
While the attorney admitted that he preferred an out-ofcourt decision and
would strive for it, he 'stated that he was nonetheless ready to defend him. 18

Au allusion to the closing of the Oratory secondary school. [Author] Letter to

17 18

Father Bonetti, Rome, July 31, 1879. [Author]

184 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Don Bosco's forbearance checked Father Bonetti's impatience, and so the

latter did not precipitate matters. However, he again insisted with Archbishop
Verga on August 20:

. Being refused a hearing by Archbishop Gastaldi, I have several times, with my

superior's permission, appealed to the Holy Father through the Sacred Congregation
of the Council, which repeatedly has asked the archbishop for information and his
opinion on the matter, but he neither replies nor revokes my suspension. In the
meantime, I am looked upon as a priest in disgrace by my confreres, by the festive
oratory I once used to direct, by the people I have counseled, in Chieri, my own home
town and the entire archdiocese. The vicious rumors keep becoming more and more
credible since it is common knowledge that I have appealed to Rome and after seven
months have gotten nowhere.

He was, in a word, putting himself into the hands of Archbishop Verga and
through him into those of the Holy Father, hoping for a reassuring answer
which would put an end to his affliction.
August came to an end, September went by, and then it was mid-October,
and still nothing had happened, despite the anxious efforts of Archbishop
Verga and Attorney Leonori. Father Bonetti tried again to obtain a hearing
with the archbishop on October 15, but while others were granted an
audience, he was refused. There is no hope to solve this problem here, he
thought. Rome must intervene. I'll try another peaceful solution. Since the
archbishop refuses to give me back faculties and refuses even to answer the
Sacred Congregation's repeated letters, can I not obtain faculties from Rome
to resume my priestly ministry until he has either sent his reply or has
cleared up the situation in some way?" Hoping that the Holy Father would
take the matter into his own cognizance, he drew up a fourth appeal,
attaching to it the statements of the five Chieri canons and a testimonial letter
from Don Bosco, which read as follows:

Turin, October 28, 1879

Father John Bosco, Superior of the Pious Salesian Society, certifies that Father John
Bonetti, a member of this Congregation, has always led a

12
Letter to Attorney Leonori, October 24, 1879. [Author]
The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 185

virtuous and exemplary life as befits a good religious. He has distinguished himself in
the education of youth by his various writings and by directing the junior seminary at
Borgo San Martino, in the diocese of Casale, for a period of twelve years. He has also
been a successful preacher for spiritual retreats, missions, tridurims, novenas, and so
on.
As director of the St. Theresa Festive Oratory in Chieri, he has zealously labored at
no small sacrifice in catechizing, hearing confessions and instructing girls of poor
families, drawing more than four hundred into the festive oratory through the help,
supervision and management of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. I affirm
the above so that Father Bonetti may put it to good use whenever necessary.
Father John Bosco

Father Bonetti sent the appeal to Cardinal Nina and asked him to use his
influence in presenting it to the Holy Father, adding:

This matter should have been put into Your Eminence's care from the very
beginning, but our Congregation had not yet been honored by your appointment as
our cardinal-protector, and so we tried other ways. I think that this is the reason why
everything is at a standstill. I wish to point out that in my eagerness to settle this
affair without bothering the Holy See, several times, with my superior's permission, I
requested an audience with the archbishop of Turin, but he refused each time 20

Father Bonetti sent the appeal to Cardinal Nina through Attorney Leonori,
asking him to deliver it and to do all he could to have the whole question
resolved before the start of the novena of the Immaculate Conception, which
was the principal feast day of the St. Theresa Festive Oratory. But his fourth
appeal never got to the Holy Father because Archbishop Verga and Attorney
Leonori judged it wiser to hold it up. It was going to take a great deal of time
to clear up this matter.
The year went by without a trace of a solution appearing anywhere. Father
Bonetti grieved more and more so that he had to give vent to bitter remarks in
his letters.

Let me assure you that I am suffering intensely—he wrote to Attorney Leonori.21 I

cannot for the life of me understand how within almost an
Letter, October 24, 1879. [Author] 21Letter, Turin,
20

January 2, 1880. [Author]

186 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

entire year the Sacred Congregation of the Council has not been able to get
Archbishop Gastaldi to state his reasons for acting contrary to the prescriptions of
the Holy See to the harm of a helpless religious priest or order him to revoke my
suspension so that I may again hear confessions freely as before and thus restore my
reputation, so necessary to a priest. I thank God that He has given me from my
childhood a lofty esteem and warmest love for the Holy See and all that appertains to
it. Otherwise, I should be in serious danger today, because, my distressful situation
being public knowledge, there is no lack of malcontents who would be only too
ready to advise and push me to scandalous action. However, with God's help, I shall
never cause the slightest scandal, even were I to die under censure, reputed to be an
unworthy religious. To avoid heaping any unpleasantness upon our Holy Father and
Don Bosco, I shall keep my suffering to myself, satisfied that my innocence will be
revealed on judgment day. Still, I can't help wishing that I were relieved of this
extended punishment, not only so that I might work freely in the Church under my
superior's direction, but also so that I might preserve the good name of the Salesian
Congregation, to which I belong, and that of my family which has been reviled and
disgraced by this most unjust punishment.

Father [Francis] Dalmazzo, newly-appointed procurator of the Salesian

Congregation in Rome, was also hard at work, doing all he could for Father
Bonetti, but everywhere he ran up against arguments of prudence cautioning
him to let time take its course. 22 At last, on March 23, he was able to write to
Father Bonetti: "Today the Sacred Congregation of the Council is sending a
real ultimatum [to Archbishop Gastaldi], perhaps with this morning's
courier." It was not until June 28 that Archbishop Gastaldi replied to the
secretary of the said Congregation, only to assert that it was not a matter of
punishment, but only of a measure dictated by prudence. We may well
appreciate the disappointment that this evasion caused Father Bonetti, but
there was nothing he could do except to let the summer go by and await the
fall.
But well into the fall two incidents further complicated matters,
creating a pretext for two more charges. In early November 1880, a Daughter
of Mary, Help of Christians died at Chieri. No sooner
was the good sister interred than charges of a serious violation of parish rights
and canonical procedure went flying to the chancery.
22
Letter of Father Dalmazzo to Father Bonetti, Rome, March 20, 1880. [Author]
The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 187

Canon [Emmanuel] Colomiatti, the chancery prosecutor, without waiting for

further details, summoned Father Rua immediately for a hearing, giving him
no hint of what it was all about. These were the charges: two Salesian priests
had given the dying sister the last rites, taking Viaticum from the convent
chapel and borrowing the holy oils from the Jesuit house; then, at the funeral,
they had accompanied the deceased through the city streets to the cemetery.
Taking that statement to be the truth, Father Rua offered the best explanation
he could, excusing the two priests as being "rather inexperienced." Then he
wrote to the archbishop, putting this same explanation in writing. He closed
as follows: "I humbly ask Your Excellency's pardon for these two priests. If
you feel I should, I am ready to apologize to the local parish priest as well. If
any reimbursement is required for this violation of parish rights, at a simple
hint from you we shall do all that is needed."23
But imagine his astonishment when he later learned what had really
occurred! It was not two Salesian priests who had administered the last rites
to the dying sister, but Canon Matthew Sona of Chieri. Nor had the two
Salesians accompanied the bier to the cemetery. After the funeral Mass the
deceased was escorted to the cemetery in pauper's style by a cortege of
teenage girls. The fact that the accusation had not been checked as to its
truthfulness served the archbishop quite well in presenting this distortion of
truth as proof that the Salesians never missed a chance to "offend him and
cause him displeasure."24
The second incident had to do with the issue itself, rather than Chieri.
Tired of being left in suspense for twenty-two months, Father Bonetti, on
November 17, 1880, sent directly to the Pope his appeal of October 24, 1879,
which Archbishop Verga had held up. In it he declared that he was ready in
advance to accept most reverently whatever His Holiness would decide in his
regard. The effect was swift. Five days later, Cardinal Caterini, prefect of the
Congregation of the Council, instructed its secretary, Archbishop Verga, to
notify Father Bonetti that his appeal would be considered in a full session of
the eminent cardinals within one month. Attorney Leonori, instructed to
notify both parties to the dispute of

Letter, November 7, 1880. [Author]

23

Letter to the cardinals of the Sacred Congregation of the Council, Turin, December 5, 1880.
24

[Author]
188 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the coming meeting, wrote to Don Bosco and enclosed a letter to the
archbishop with the request that he kindly deliver it without delay.25
Don Bosco received it while he was at the new novitiate in San Benigno
and immediately forwarded the letter addressed to the archbishop, bearing
the Sacred Congregation's seal, to the Oratory with instructions that it be
delivered without delay. Father Deppert was entrusted with this task, and on
December 3 he brought it to the archbishop's residence. Catching sight of
the archbishop, he asked to speak with him, but was denied. He then called
on the chancellor, Canon Chiuso, stating that he had a letter from Rome for
the archbishop and politely requesting a receipt certifying delivery. The
chancellor indignantly turned him down. Father Deppert then went to the
chancellor's secretary, Father Corno, who treated him likewise. He pointed
out that the letter was not from Don Bosco but from a Roman Congregation
whose seal it bore; he also reminded him that, just a few months before, the
archbishop had sent a messenger to deliver a similar letter from the
Congregation of Rites to Don Bosco, and his messenger had requested and
obtained a written receipt. Father Deppert might well have spoken to a stone
wall. Fearing possible repercussions, he decided not to deliver the letter.
Truly, a request for a receipt is not only a simple matter, but normal
procedure.
The next day Father Deppert returned to the chancery with another
Salesian and asked to deliver the letter personally to the
archbishop. He was refused. He left it with the secretary, telling him, "I hope
this letter reaches the archbishop. If it does not, my confrere can witness that
I performed my duty." The archbishop held the letter for twenty-four hours
and then returned it to Don
Bosco, who, after seeking advice from Rome, sent it back to the archbishop
with a courtesy note. As he had to go to Borgo San Martino for the belated
patronal feast of St. Charles, he wrote as follows:
Turin, December 13, 1880
Your Excellency:
I must leave Turin for a few days, but before I do, I wish to expedite the

"Letter from Attorney Leonori to Don Bosco, November 29, 1880. [Author]
The Girls' Festive Oratory at Chieri 189

distasteful case concerning Father Bonetti. Neither he nor I have any further
comment to add to what we have already stated to the Sacred Congregation of the
Council. The enclosed letter of that Congregation was sent in a packet to me for
delivery to Your Excellency, and this I am now doing.
Assuring you that it has ever been a pleasure to do Your Excellency any service, I
am honored to remain,
Your most obedient servant, Fr. John
Bosco

Father Deppert delivered the letter but, as it bore Don Bosco's return
address, he did not ask for a receipt. The archbishop read Don Bosco's note
and then mailed it back to him with the Sacred Congregation's letter without
a single word of explanation.26
But he did offer an explanation to the members of the Congregation of the
Council. After giving his version of the entire incident, he added, "I have
been deeply humiliated and hurt by the way I have been treated, especially in
view of so many crosses with which I must daily cope. I most earnestly beg
this Sacred Congregation to have the goodness not to send me any more
letters through this priest who, forgetting my zealous and tireless
cooperation—not disjointed from financial assistance—in putting his
Congregation on a solid footing between 1848 and 1867, now keeps
persecuting me and never neglects an opportunity to discredit and aggravate
me."27 However, Rome saw this just as being his way of delaying a decision
which inevitably had to be taken and abided by.28
There are three sharply distinct phases in this conflict. There was first the
period of recrimination of Chieri's clergy against St. Theresa's Festive
Oratory, preceding the censure of suspension. The second phase, that of the
appeals from Turin to the Holy See, ran from February 12, 1879, to
November 17, 1880. The third will stretch out through the entire period
when the issue rested with the Sacred Congregation of the Council. During
the early part of the second phase, soon after Father Bonetti's suspension,
an anonymous pamphlet (the author claimed to be a family man of

Letter from Father Deppert to Father Dalmazzo, Turin, December 18, 1880. [Author] "Letter,
26

December 5, 1880. [Author]

"Letter from Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco, December 21, 1880. [Author]
190 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Chieri) was printed by the Bruno Press of Turin, entitled: L'Arcivescovo di

Torino, Don Bosco e Don Oddenino ossia Fatti bu,07, serii e dolorosi
raccontati da un Chierese [The Archbishop of Turin, Don Bosco _and Father
Oddenino, or Some Comic, Serious and Sorrowful Events Narrated by a
Resident of Chieri]. The anonymous writer assumed a heavy-handed defense
of Father Bonetti, fiercely attacking Archbishop Gastaldi and the rector of
Chieri's cathedral. The Salesian superior chapter learned of this publication
on May 29 during their meeting. Immediately they most forcefully protested
the public and disgraceful mockery of the archbishop's authority. In reality,
the pamphlet was a meager thing, meant to vex rather than to convince, and
would never have been cited were it not for the repercussions it caused
during the legal proceedings. Nevertheless the vicar forane, Father Lione,
and the cathedral rector, Father Oddenino, blamed Father Bonetti as the
author, formally submitting their charge against him to the archbishop." Such
polemical expedients are deplorable in themselves and result only in
poisoning the whole issue irredeemably, as we shall soon have occasion to
see.

29
Their respective letters to the archbishop, Chieri, December 9 and 13, 1880. [Author]
 CHAPTER 10

Conversion of a Young Jewess

'
THERE is little else to add about the Daughters of Mary, Help of
Christians that is strictly connected with Don Bosco's biography for the rest of
this year [1879], except for an incident in which the underhanded complicity
of evil-minded persons implicated the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians.
Mother Mazzarello, while accompanying the ten sisters who were leaving
for South America, met Don Bosco at Sampierdarena, and together they
made plans to put on a firm footing once and for all the old motherhouse,
now almost deserted, and the new one which was now practically full. On
January 3 [1880] Mother Mazzarello left for Mornese while Don Bosco
went on to Alassio on his way to France.
At Alassio Don Bosco assembled all the sisters and, before discussing
anything else, invited them, starting with their superior, to tell him then and
there about their meals, nightly rest, and other needs. Then, after urging
fidelity to their rules, he added, "As for work, yes, go ahead and work, but
don't overdo it. Don't shorten your life by privations or excessive toil or
depression or such other nuisances." He saw them again, but not on a
stopover, on his return from France, when he held the directors' conference
in their convent. He then received the sisters individually and, with fatherly
concern, set up a schedule that would allow time for rest and relaxation in
their garden, and for whatever else would keep them happy and content.
Once, while escorting a parish priest through the dining room, he saw Sister
Succetti tidying up the room. "Oh, here is Martha!" he exclaimed. "Ah,
Martha, Martha!" He alluded to the Gospel in such a tone as to make a deep
impression on the sister's mind and ever afterward help her to keep
recollected in God while doing her routine chores.
192 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

The transfer of the sisters' motherhouse from Mornese to Nizza

Monferrato took place at the beginning of February. Leaving that haven
of fond memories was a painful sacrifice for Mother Mazzarello. Only
obedience could tear her away from the place where she had learned to
love and serve the Lord, and which she had been certain she would never
leave until the moment came for her to exchange earth for heaven.
There were only three new foundations in 1879: one at Cascinetta near
Ivrea and two in South America—at San Carlos School in Almagro [a
suburb of Buenos Aires] and at Las Piedras in Uruguay. Concerning new
foundations, Don Bosco gave Mother Mazzarello this norm: "For the
moment, you may accept kindergartens, but always with the condition
that you open also a festive oratory and a dressmaking shop for girls of
the working classes."
As regards Las Piedras, we have a letter showing us how closely attuned
Mother Mazzarello was with Don Bosco's ideas of dealing with one's
subjects. The sisters' small community, formed as well as possible with the
available personnel, was somewhat ill at ease, and so Mother Mazzarello
wrote to the local superior:1

I am sorry that our new house at Las Piedras is not doing very well. Sister Joan is
too young and not steady enough yet to be acting superior. But have no fear. Be
convinced that shortcomings will always be there, and so we must correct and
remedy all we can, but calmly, leaving the rest in God's hands. Then, too, we are not
to be too concerned about trifles. Too often we fret over minor things and overlook
big ones. By this I don't at all mean that you should ignore little faults. Always
correct and admonish, but in your heart be understanding and kind with all the
sisters. We must study their natural inclinations and put them to good use; we must
win their trust. Be patient with Sister Victoria; train her gradually in the spirit of our
Congregation. She has been too short a time at Mornese to have absorbed it. I
believe that if you handle her carefully, she will do well. So too with the others.
They all have their faults; we must admonish them charitably, but we cannot expect
them to be without faults or to correct them overnight. That is not possible. It can be
achieved little by little by prayer, patience and watchfulness. Put your trust in Jesus,
confide all your worries to His heart, let Him take over, and He will straighten

'Letter to Sister Angelina Vallese, Nizza, July 22, 1879. [Author]

Conversion of a Young Jewess 193

everything out. Be always cheerful and optimistic. When you do not know what to
do, ask Sister Magdalene,2 do whatever she tells you, and put aside all worries.
Besides, you have a kind director, so you need not be anxious. Be sure to obey him.
You tell me that you have a lot of work, and I rejoice, because work begets virtue.
When we are busy, all whims vanish and we are happy. While I encourage you to
work, and to work only to please Jesus, not for earthly motives, I also urge you to
take care of your health. I would like each of you to instill into all hearts love of
sacrifice, self-contempt and detachment from one's own will. We became sisters in
order to be assured of paradise, but sacrifices must be made to earn it. Let us bear
our cross bravely, and one day we will all be happy.

Mother General's letter had probably just arrived when Father

Costamagna3 wrote to Don Bosco after preaching a mission at Las
Piedras:

I could never have believed that the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians could
be so helpful on a mission. I can safely say that we could never have accomplished
so much good among the women and girls without the sisters' help. Crowds of
women joined the catechism classes of the girls and hung on every word of the
sisters, just as they had done with the preacher. Attendance at the mission grew day
by day, and during the last four days the vast church was packed. We sent for Father
Rizzo and other priests from Montevideo, and all heard confessions from morning to
very late at night. Every now and then a young man or woman—eighteen, twenty or
older—would come. They had never been to confession before and knew nothing at
all of the elements of our faith. How could we have gotten anywhere without the
catechists' help. While we sat enclosed in the confessional, the clerics Rota, Chiara
and Baccigalupi and four sisters were continually instructing the young penitents but
a few steps away and sending them to us so well prepared that many of them
confessed their sins in tears.4

Don Bosco went to Nizza twice. His first visit was on the feast of the
Assumption, at the close of the sisters' spiritual retreat, when religious
profession was made. The keepsakes he gave them centered on prayer, work,
humility, seclusion, and sacrifice solely for God and for souls and in
imitation of our heavenly Mother so as

Sister Magdalene Martini, provincial. See Vol. XIII, pp. 155, 611. [Editor] 'See
2

Appendix 1. [Editor]
Letter, Buenos Aires, August 19, 1879. [Author]
4
194 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

to share more abundantly Her heavenly glory. He returned on August 21 for

the ladies' retreat. The chronicle records one of his "Good Nights."

There are wealthy, devout, generous people who leave a portion of their wealth
after death to works of mercy. This is a good and holy thing. But remember that the
Gospel does not say, "Give what is over and above your needs to the poor when you
die," but rather, "Give what you don't need to the poor." This is quite different.

He also spoke separately to the superiors and the sisters. To the superiors-
he made the recommendation: "You have ample grounds here and no close
neighbors. Give the young sisters opportunities to exercise with some light
work in the garden and vineyard. It will do them good." His fatherly advice to
the whole community was: "Write to your parents. Don't let them worry by a
prolonged silence. This hurts both you and them and discourages many
vocations. If your families hear from you often, they will be glad that they
offered you to Our Lord. They will benefit spiritually from your words and
pass your letters on to friends and acquaintances, who will more gladly let
their daughters become sisters."
He tells of this retreat in a letter to Countess [Gabrielle] Corsi. Monsignor
[Anthony] Belasio, who is mentioned in the letter, had given the retreat. "La
Bruna," as the farmhouse which had been bequeathed to the sisters was
called, stood atop the little hill where they later built their novitiate.
Nizza, August 27, 1879
My dear, kind Mamma:
I write from the shrine of Our Lady of Grace, where some one hundred women
made an excellent spiritual retreat. All the sisters and their pupils took off for "La
Bruna." The devotion, piety and happiness which shone from everyone defies
description. We missed our Mamma Corsi, but we talked a great deal about you and
prayed for you. What's more, I said Mass for your intentions on one day, and the
retreatants offered their Holy Communions and special prayers that God would grant
you and your family good health, and shield your little children from the illnesses
plaguing this area. But you must really try to come sometime, for I am sure you will
love it. Please ask Count Caesar and Countess Mary to forget about coming to Nizza
this year. The diphtheria epidemic has abated, but
Conversion of a Young Jewess 195

some cases linger here and there. Smallpox, too, is becoming more and more
alarming, claiming six victims only last week. As of now there are twenty-five
cases of smallpox, twelve of them in St. Hippolytus' parish. Last Sunday and
Monday the bishop came to administer confirmation in St. John's Church. To avoid
problems with the health authorities he spent two hours only in each of two
churches. In the evening a new preacher substituted for Monsignor Belasio. Guess
who? Don Bosco himself. Father Cagliero and Father Lemoyne are here too, both
exhausted. Tomorrow they start a second retreat for the sisters.
I don't know whether I shall have time to see grandmother because I am deluged
with work. All ask to be remembered to you—the sisters and preachers, Mr.
Rosaligno who is also with us, and everyone. God bless you and your family.
Please pray for me.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco
P.S. This evening I leave for Turin.

The problems afflicting Chieri, which caused all the neighboring sisters to
grieve in silence, did not affect the girls' attendance at St. Theresa's Festive
Oratory, nor did it weaken the enthusiasm of the sisters who looked after them
under the expert direction of Father Anthony Notario, whom Don Bosco had
sent to substitute for Father Bonetti during the latter's suspension. The Sunday
school contributed a tone of its own to the festive oratory. Hundreds of girls
and young women were working in Chieri's textile mills; many of them,
unable to attend elementary school, were illiterate—a serious drawback even
in those days. Hoping to change this situation, Don Bosco arranged for the
sisters to conduct free classes on Sundays between ten and twelve noon. Over
a hundred girls, nine to fifteen, and some forty older girls divided into three
groups according to age and learning attended these classes.5 Had anyone
entered the oratory on a Sunday and seen the girls' fervent piety and their wide
range of scholastic and recreational activities under the nuns' supervision, it
would immediately have become clear to him why the enemy of good fought
so fiercely against them.
Also at Lu, the local petty politicians scowled at the sisters. A dispatch to a
Turin newspaper in February6 vehemently remonstrated

See Bollettino Salesiano, January 1879. [Author] La Nuova

5 5

Torino, March 7, 1879. [Author]

196 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

that "such a place as Lu" should witness such extreme tolerance in the
"brazen partnership between a notorious reactionary like Don Bosco and a
pro-clerical mayor." It denounced to the world at large "a state of affairs
fatal to the social progress of this outstanding village of Monferrato." All
this evil, it claimed, stemmed from the fact that Don Bosco, "thanks to the
overwhelming blindness of those who should have taken preventive
measures," had opened a convent there, "and through those sisters" strove to
achieve "complete control" [of the village]. This gave the "Bosconians" )
license to preach "bigotry, a virus which inevitably will destroy domestic
and social peace." The parish priest too was blasted because, while he "made
a show of liberalism," he took part in some shadowy "Jesuitical gatherings
with the mayor and his assessors." Finally, the dispatch appealed to both the
people of Lu and to the local civil authorities who were "responsible for
such a deplorable situation to avail themselves of the "formidable weapon"
of the ballot in future elections to rid themselves of such individuals. But the
populace and the authorities turned a deaf ear to those outcries—so deaf in
fact, that the beneficial work of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians at
Lu has never known interruption to this present day [1933].
On June 1 a more serious attack threatened the peace of the motherhouse.
The community was in a festive mood because the postulants were about to
receive the religious habit, blessed by Father Cagliero. Around 11:30 that
Sunday morning, after the solemn high Mass, Father [Stephen] Chicco, the
director, was unexpectedly called to the waiting room to face the underprefect
of Acqui and the vice-mayor of Nizza. The government official asked Father
Chicco whether it was true that a group of spinsters were to be vested with the
religious habit. His affirmative answer prompted the question whether the
young women were acting freely, under no enticement or pressure. We may
well imagine how Father Chicco, partly stunned and half suspicious, reassured
them as to their freedom. By no means satisfied with his answer, the
underprefect demanded to see the young women and question them.
At this point, Father Cagliero, who was present but had till then kept silent,
intervened as director general of the sisters. Had the
underprefect come as an official or as a friend? If he was conducting a formal
investigation, he had better produce a warrant. A long
Conversion of a Young Jewess 197

argument followed during which Father Cagliero kept demanding to know by

what authority an underprefect could investigate a private institution
concerning unmarried women who wished to become nuns. After all, the
convent was a private residence, the young women were legally free by age,
and those who were not had their parents' permission. So, he firmly told the
official, he was not about to yield except under threat of force, and then in the
presence of witnesses and with a formal, written protest against this violation
of privacy. However, he added, though he would never tolerate the
underprefect's investigation as a government official, he was ready to satisfy
his every wish if he acted as a friend. The vice-mayor fretted and fumed,
harshly inveighing against the laws which had not adequately provided for the
suppression of religious institutes. The underprefect, bidding him to keep
silent, realized that he had taken a wrong tack and stated that he had come as a
private citizen. "I am Germaine Magliani," he said. "Fine," Father Cagliero
exclaimed. "Now I will fetch Mary Terzano, our only minor."
A new problem arose. Magliani wanted to interview her privately for
greater freedom, but Father Cagliero pointed out very respectfully that since
her father was not present, he was taking his place for propriety, if for no
other reason. The young postulant came and, as a pure formality, the
underprefect asked her very brief questions to which she gave suitable
replies. After she left, the underprefect admitted that he had come especially
for her, so that he might have grounds for action against her father, who, it
was rumored, had induced her to take the veil for financial reasons. These
allegations, however, were no more than spiteful rumors begun by evil-
minded people. Father Cagliero then took the underprefect through the
dining room, where the sisters were seated at table, and the dormitories. The
official expressed his deep satisfaction and with extreme courtesy took leave
of Father Cagliero, who reciprocated just as cordially, explaining that his
former resistance was required by his duty.
The visitor then strode to the coach outside the gate, entered it and in a
huff ordered the coachman to speed off, not without first a look of scorn on a
group of men who had been on the watch for quite a different outcome.
Among them was the district attorney of Acqui, a few carabinieri, and several
townsmen. Once they realized that nothing was going to happen, they broke
up disappointedly,
198 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

following the road so speedily taken by the underprefect. The vice-mayor's

hostile attitude clearly showed the motive of that visit, but the whole truth
came out shortly afterward. The local anticlericals, annoyed by the presence
of so many nuns, and even more at the ease with which they won followers,
had hatched their little plot in the hope of foiling the sisters' plans and
gradually forcing the unwelcome newcomers out. But this time all they got
was derision and failure because, apart from the expense of staging the show,
they had to swallow the ridicule of most of the townsfolk.
However, another full-fledged storm was in the offing in Nizza. Whether
or not this hostility had been coordinated, the coincidence of time, place and
target is certainly striking. On that same June 1, the newspaper which had
published the dispatch from Lu regaled its readers with an anticlerical article
coming in from Nizza itself? Under the sensational title, "Clerical Infamies,"
the short article gave a further proof of the close watch that the anticlericals
kept on Don Bosco and of the schemes they cooked up to destroy him. The
article ran as follows:

We know that politicians are busily trying to unravel the murky clerical plot
which suddenly drew a lovely maiden of Nizza Monferrato to leave her parents,
enter the convent and ship out to Turin. On fleeing her home, she left a letter for her
parents, declaring that she would never give up her faith—she is Jewish—and that
she would never in any way sully her family honor. One of her relatives has just
arrived in Turin to ask city officials to help find out where the girl is being held and
wrest her from the clutches of this black-garbed gang. Throughout this whole affair
the name of a notorious black-garbed man of our city keeps coming up, and this
makes us suspect that the whole escapade can be traced to the crooked schemes of
the accomplices of this influential reactionary agitator. And here we are, living in
the nineteenth century when cloistered orders are abolished by law! Once this plot
has been fully disclosed, we shall duly inform our readers.

However, this boastful newspaper had no chance to shed light on the

matter nor to keep its readers informed, for it died that same day. Bees, too,
die when they sting!
Let us first retrace what precisely had happened. Some very

"La Nuova Torino, N. 152, June 1, 1879. [Author]

Conversion of a Young Jewess 199

wealthy Jews of Alessandria had forced a woman relative of theirs to marry a

fairly rich shoe store owner of Nizza so as to keep her from doing as she
wished and converting to Christianity. Twenty-
three years later the pious desire of this woman became the firm resolve of
her daughter, Anita Bedarida, who then entered the limelight for a brief
moment. For two years she had been secretly yearning to be baptized, and
when the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians came to Nizza, her desire
gradually led her to them. She had originally been introduced to the sisters'
festive oratory by friends, but thereafter she continued to visit the sisters on
her own, sharing her hopes with them. The memory of her mother, under
whose pillow her relatives had found a catechism immediately after her
death, drove her to take a decisive step. Realizing that if she stayed at home
she would never go through with her purpose, she planned to run away.
One evening she went to the convent of Our Lady of Grace, begging the
sisters not to refuse her their hospitality because she had no intention of
returning home. The sisters were deeply moved, and, feeling that it was
their duty to help her, agreed to a plan with her. They consulted the parish
priest, but the latter wisely washed his hands of the entire matter. A
friendly family then lent them their coach, and Anita Bedarida,
accompanied by two sisters, rode to Incisa, where they boarded a train for
Turin. It would have been unwise to take a train at Nizza because her
relatives might easily have gotten wind of it. In Turin her two companions
introduced her to the sisters at Valdocco, who affectionately welcomed her
and made it easy for her to take instructions in the Catholic faith.
As soon as her relatives discovered her absence, they raised an uproar,
mobilized the Jewish community in Turin and informed the press. And so it
came about that the dying Turin newspaper gave its last gasp in echoing their
outcry. But the hoped-for quick results never came. For the next three months
the young Jewish woman lived peacefully with the sisters, even walking out
on the streets of Turin without being disturbed. Naturally, her family
immediately set about searching for her hideout, and when they found it they
reported her escape to the police as an act of violence ordered by Don Bosco,
pressing charges against him. However, since the young lady was of age, the
police were slow to take action. Some days after her arrival at Valdocco, a
police inspector had indeed
200 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

called on her and questioned her, but she told him that she had freely
requested the hospitality of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians and
intended to stay there and prepare for her baptism. Consequently, the
authorities backed down. Relatives and even her father called on her. She
reassured him of her filial love, and they gave her no trouble for about three
months.
Having been sufficiently instructed in Christian doctrine, the young Jewish
woman now hoped to be baptized on June 24 or August 15 at the latest.
Countess Balbo was to be her godmother. Father Cagliero who was
instructing her, and Father Bonetti, her spiritual director, suggested that she
delay so as to be better prepared for the great step.
The calm, however, was only forerunner to the storm. [The relatives']
frustrated hopes turned into fury, prompting them to strike out at her weakest
spot, her love for her father, and then to rouse public opinion and prepare the
way for a vigorous intervention by the civil authorities . 8
On August 25 one of her brothers came to see her, remaining closeted
with her several hours—five, according to hearsay. He was accompanied by
a rabbi's son, said to be Anita's fiance, but he kept to himself and appeared
again only when his friend was about to leave. The poor girl weakened
during the long interview. Her brother's tears as he kept begging her to
return home deeply touched her, and her heart betrayed her. Aware that this
was the right moment, her brother put paper and pen before her and dictated
a few lines for her to write for the authorities, asking them to rescue her as
though she were being kept there forcibly. She

8This narration is mainly based on two documents: a letter signed by Anita Bedarida herself (Unita

Cattolica, No. 209, September 7, 1879) and another letter from Father Bonetti to the Department of the
Interior. The copy of Anita's letter bears her own signature, but the letter itself is in another hand. It
contains also this declaration signed by three witnesses: "The undersigned herewith certify that in their
presence, Miss Anita Bedarida read this letter and had it read aloud to her, confirming that it expressed
her thoughts and feelings. Therefore she gave it her full approval and freely signed it." The letter had
been drafted by another, perhaps Father Bonetti, and hence this declaration. The second document is a
letter from Father Bonetti, who wrote in Don Bosco's name. It is headed by a notation: "Attorney
Camino read and approved this. Will Don Bosco also approve it? If so, would he please sign two sheets
of paper like this one—one to be sent to Villa and the other to Vare?" Vare was the minister of justice;
Villa was an attorney. Don Bosco wrote beside it: "Unadvisable for many reasons." We also have two
other documents in longhand: a lengthy paper by Attorney De Gregori, and one still longer by Father
Bonetti. Though overblown, they do contain some reliable information. 'Author]
Conversion of a Young Jewess 201
wrote mechanically, though not entirely unaware of doing wrong, and left
the paper with him, giving no thought to the consequences. Alone for a few
minutes, she realized her blunder and, shortly afterward, in the presence of
her brother and two witnesses, retracted her statement. Furthermore,
although she had promised to leave with her brother to please him, she now
refused to do so, having determined that she needed more time to think
things over seriously. Indignant and bent on violence, her brother left with
his companion.
Fearing retaliations, the young woman thwarted his plans by moving the
next morning to the home of a kind lady not far from the Oratory. Hardly had
she left the convent when her brother, a cousin and a friend of theirs turned up
looking for her. Upon learning that she was no longer there, they went away
fuming with anger. On the morning of August 27 the district attorney called at
the Oratory. Shortly afterward the young woman came and, after telling him
that she freely wanted to remain where she was, pleaded with him to protect
her personal freedom. A written account of the interview was taken and she
signed it. The district attorney then left, utterly convinced that there was not
even a shadow of coercion.
The matter now appeared to be solved, but it was only the beginning. In
its issue of September 1 the Gazzetta del Popolo fed its readers a dispatch
from Nizza Monferrato, describing the occurrence like a tale from The
Thousand and One Arabian Nights. The deception was already apparent in
the title, "Story of a Maiden Taking the Veil," as though a young woman
could be forced to take the veil, especially when she was not even baptized.
One absurd detail, lapped up and reported very indignantly by other
journalists, went as follows:

Since the young woman seemed not entirely convinced of the faith they were
trying to force her into, they even got someone to come up with a short drama
entitled, "The Jewess Converted," in which the unlucky lady was subjected to threats
of dire punishments. She was repeatedly made to watch the play, sitting by a priest
who would scowl at her and sharply reprimand her if she ever let herself be
overcome and break into tears over her parents' grief and that of her relatives. . .

In all reality this drama was but a travesty of a very well known school
play staged by the sisters some time before Anita's flight
202 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

from home, and Anita was sorry that she had not left a week earlier so as to
be able to play the part of the Jewess. It goes without saying that the Nizza
correspondent made a great fuss about Anita's statement which had been
forced from her, as we have already described. The Gazzetta del Popolo,
after reporting the vicious Nizza dispatch, urged authorities to exert the law's
fullest force against Don Bosco, and it dragged politics into the case in an
effort to rekindle the furor that had raged in 1852 in the case of the child
[Edgar] Mortara.9

Religious orders have been outlawed [the paper stated]. So why are they still
allowed to have convents and monasteries and to keep undermining family freedom
and peace? Did the left wing come to power to view such scandals and leave them
unpunished? Italy had its male Mortara, though at that time this infamous deed was
understandably carried out by the Pope's jailers. Now are we, under a liberal Italian
government with a left-wing cabinet, to have a female Mortara?

The prefect of Turin, the same Minghelli Vaini whom our readers know,1°
was quite receptive to the crystal-gazers of the Gazzetta del Popolo. Promptly
in the early hours of September 3, .a squad of plainclothesmen and uniformed
polfce surrounded the house where

°See Vol. VIII, pp. 268f and Pelczar, Pio IX e it suo Pontificato [Pius IX and His Pontificate], Vol, II,
pp. 195ff, Torino, Berruti, 1910. Edgar Mortara [1851-1940] was a priest of the Canons Regular of the
Lateran. He was the object of abuse by enemies of the Church who posed as champions of freedom of
conscience. On July 7, 1879 his name was cited by Madiez de Montjau, deputy of the French Assembly,
in his diatribe against Catholics demanding the freedom granted everyone under the law. Father Mortara
replied in an indignant letter published in Univers and again in Unitir Cattolica on July 17, 1879.
Among other things he stated: "A Catholic in principle and by conviction, I am ready to withstand your
attacks and defend the Catholic Church even at the price of my blood. I affirm that your words are a
grave insult to my honor and my conscience, forcing me to make this public protest." But Mortara was
not a convert [from Judaism]. Though born of Jewish parents, he had been baptized at the age of two at
the point of death by a Christian housemaid and thus, on recovery, was a member of the Catholic
Church. Consequently, the Church had both the right and the duty to give him religious instruction in
keeping with his baptism. The outcry which stirred an uproar in Europe and America had been raised by
the synagogue at Alessandria della Paglia. Jewish, Masonic, Protestant and schismatic newspapers—
which had been silent when Czar Nicholas wrested thousands of Catholic children from their mothers
and reared them in his own schismatic beliefs—now raged against Pius IX, the intolerance of the Roman
Church and the violation of parental authority. Our archives contain a letter from Father Mortara to Don
Bosco, dated [October 10] 1880, which clearly shows the intensity of his inner joy at having been reborn
to grace in the waters of baptism and his fondness for Don Bosco. [Author]
10See pp. 109f, 154. [Editor]
Conversion of a Young Jewess 203

Anita Bedarida was a guest and hammered on the door as if to force it open.
It was all in vain, but the noise awoke the Jewish girl who was terrified and
went into convulsions. The vast display of force and the consequent wild
rumors soon attracted a huge crowd who came to watch what promised to be
an imminent assault on the house. Toward nine o'clock, the prefect of the
province and the district attorney arrived at the Oratory by coach and asked
to speak with Don Bosco. He arrived in some ten minutes, having just
finished hearing the last of his penitents. The prefect's greeting was a
reprimand for making him wait so long, and on the spot he bluntly asserted
his suspicion that he had rushed to coach the young woman on what to say.
Don Bosco silently pointed to the house where the girl was staying, hardly a
stone's throw from the Oratory. All in a huff the prefect hurried over. Once
the young woman stood before him, he rejected all witnesses but the district
attorney. The girl did not panic, but, collecting her wits as best she could, she
remarked that she had already gone through two similar interrogations and
saw no reason for a third. The prefect, expecting to be greeted as a savior,
was very bitterly disappointed, but in the presence of the district attorney he
had to control himself. The young woman told the two officials that she was
there of her own free will, that at no time had she been coerced into staying,
and that her written statement of a week before had been wrested from her by
her brother without her foreseeing its consequences. They sent for her father,
brother and sister, and a long parley followed during which the prefect
expressed the hope that the girl would return home and put an end to her
family's grief. The district attorney, however, very calmly declared that she
was no longer a minor and had the legal right to choose her religion as she
saw fit.
The prefect, nevertheless, was not going to let go of his role of rescuing
her from the nuns. Her reiterated protests that she had never been coerced
and was not now being coerced in any way fell on deaf ears. He kept
cudgeling his brains to find some words to persuade her that she would do
better to leave and seek hospitality in some other kind of institution.
Evidently the Jewish community had found the right man they needed.
"I know of no other institute than that of Don Bosco's sisters," she
objected.
"I will take care to find a suitable one for you," the prefect
204 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

assured her. "Try the home for the Daughters of Soldiers."

"Why should I move?" she remonstrated. "I am no longer residing with the
sisters, and there is no reason to assume that their counsel makes me want to
become a Christian."
"Yes, but here you are, still living with people closely related to Don
Bosco's institute. And your lodging is not befitting your social position
either. I can readily find you a place far more comfortable than this. And
your relatives agree with me, don't they?"
"Yes, certainly! I am ready to pay whatever it may cost," her father replied.
"Very well, then. I will fmd a place and inform her as soon as it is ready."
The police remained to guard the house until the next morning. Fearing that
they would be waiting to seize her should she set foot outside the house, the
young woman remained closeted indoors and wrote an indignant note to the
prefect:

Thank you for your anxiety on my behalf, but let it be understood that I intend to
enjoy my freedom to remain where I am and that I claim my right in the name of the
law. I declare that I have no wish to leave this house. I also protest the presence of a
police guard as if I were under house arrest. Efforts are being made to make it look
as though I were a victim of priests and nuns; yet I am really the victim of other
people, who are acting under the pretext of freedom. If I should no longer desire to
remain here, I am perfectly capable of moving to some other location more to my
taste, without having anyone else decide for me. I was free and able to find this
house, I can still do so, and I intend to retain my full freedom of action. I trust that
you will kindly order the police to withdraw from here. It is a disgrace to be treated
in such a way, when I am an innocent, free citizen and no longer a minor.

But the prefect, under the false pretext of protecting her personal freedom
from imaginary attacks by Don Bosco, kept up this state of siege for five
days, arousing among her neighbors suspicion of puzzling crimes presumably
committed by Anita and others. At night the police carefully watched every
passerby, lest their prey might escape disguised as a man. Some guards were
also guilty of defamation against Don Bosco by alleging that he wanted to
force the Jewish girl to become a nun so that he could lay hands on her
Conversion of a Young Jewess 205

money;11 others, more shamelessly, said far worse things. This was
confirmed by neighbors who watched their children lest they should go near
those foul-mouthed guardians of the law. The morbid curiosity of the crowd
was sharpened by a booklet of catchy ballads and ribald tales salaciously
concocted to resemble what had happened to Anita. The heroine bore the
romantic and tear-jerking name of "The Hapless Esmeralda."12
Father Banda had quickly rebutted the libelous accusations of the Gazzetta
del Popolo. In a letter to the editor on September 2 he proved that the young
Jewess had come to the convent of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians
of her own free will, was willfully there, and was free to leave at any time.
But the Gazzetta del Popolo published his letter only on September 4, adding
"remarks" of its own to invalidate the rebuttal.
Now events followed at a faster pitch. Twice more the district attorney
returned to visit the girl, during the morning and afternoon of September 6,
advising—or rather begging—her to accept the prefect's suggestion of
moving somewhere else. She finally agreed, but—to her credit—we must
point out that she yielded only when the prefect made her understand that if
she did not give in, Don Bosco and his Congregation would pay dearly for it.
Having thus prevailed over her, on September 7 the prefect sent her the
following letter:

I have the honor to inform you that the mistress of the Ferraris Institute, at 10-A St.
Francis of Paola Street, will welcome you at whatever hour you wish to call at her
second floor apartment. On the door you will find a brass plate with the inscription
Ferraris Institute_ There you will be absolutely free to make up your mind. The
mistress has orders to second your wishes and also to escort you to a villa which she
rents out in the vicinity of the Madonna of the Pillar, should you wish to breathe
some country air. Your parents will pay all expenses for room and board and
whatever else you wish, as befits the standing of your distingished family. Dear
mademoiselle, whether you wish to remain in the faith of your parents or become a
Catholic, you are absolutely free to decide your

"It was later known that Anita Bedarida's wealth amounted to fifteen or twenty thousand lire at
the most, no great sum indeed. [Author]
12 Un Ebrea monaca per forza [A Jewish Maiden Forced To Become a Nun], Ronchetti
Publisher, Turin. [Author]
206 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

future. I shall do my very best in order that, in all conscience, you may persuade
yourself and others that the prefect of Turin, or, I had better say, the king's
government, which he represents, neither sought nor did anything whatsoever
other than leave you utterly free to follow your vocation, becoming a Catholic or
remaining in the faith in which you were born. Should you want for anything, or
should it seem to you that the hospitality of the Ferraris Institute does not quite
measure up to what I promised, please let me know and I'll give orders that your
freedom of action be fully respected.

In the meantime, however, he was depriving her of her freedom to remain

where she was. Before leaving, the young woman handed over this statement
written in her own hand to a trustworthy person. The statement is now in our
archives.

I, the undersigned, in the presence of witnesses who are co-signing this statement,
declare that I am leaving this house at 31 Cottolengo Street not because I have been
pressed or am now being pressed to become a Christian, but solely in compliance
with advice given me by the district attorney who asked me to do so in order to
prevent troubles and insults to my benefactors who have helped me so generously.

On September 7 she entered a boarding house for young student teachers

conducted by Mrs. Ferraris, a close friend of the prefect and a fan of the
Gazzetta del Popolo. As soon as Mrs. Ferraris met Anita, she suggested that
the girl should let no one fill her head with fanatical ideas. The following
morning her brother was introduced into her bedroom, but on awakening and
seeing him she drove him away indignantly. On September 10 a doctor,
falsely claiming to have been sent by Father Cagliero, tried to speak with her,
but she became suspicious and refused to see him. The same day her self-
styled fiance, accompanied by her brother, asked the mistress for leave to
visit her, but she turned his request down.
The moves were no more than snares, but when these failed, recourse was
had to slander. When for eight days Anita refused to see anyone who might
try to weaken her determination, the matron did not hesitate to ridicule her as
a visionary and circulate rumors that "Anita had very seriously told her that
she had seen God as a handsome old man with a long white beard, offering
her advice and suggestions." The Gazzetta del Popolo reported it and other
Conversion of a Young Jewess 207

newspapers followed suit.13 But the matron had another card to play. Before
entering the Ferraris Institute, Anita had a chance to speak with Attorney
Caucino, a layover of Biella very much feared by anticlerieals for his
successful defense of the clergy in lawsuits, and had asked his help. The
lawyer called on her at her new residence and made a second appointment,
but Mrs. Ferraris convinced Anita that it had been Caucino who had labeled
her a visionary and a fanatic. She became so incensed that she vowed never
to see him again, thus placing herself at the mercy of her enemies. One day,
in the presence of another woman, the matron, trying to impress upon Anita
that her parents were right to forbid her deserting her faith, asked the visitor:
"How would you feel if you had a daughter who wanted to become a
Protestant? Would you not do your utmost to stop her?"
Anita's family forbade her to have any contact at all with the Salesians or
sisters for at least two weeks, but, fed up with those endless vexations, she
refused to wait any longer. From a letter written to her by Father Bonetti on
September 18 we can imply that she had by then made up her mind to return
to Nizza. "It is a comfort to know that you are persevering in your good
intention to receive the sacrament of baptism," he wrote.
On September 18, the very day Anita left for Nizza, a flyer entitled "Defeat
Faces Don Bosco, Father Margotti and Attorney Caucino" and a retouched,
repulsive woodcut of Don Bosco were widely distributed throughout the
town to hail this sour victory. According to police reports, Jewish wrath had
risen to such heights that the Oratory had to keep a twenty-four-hour watch
to guard human life. What a fanfare was made to celebrate such a meager
victory!
In the Cronaca dei Tribunali, Attorney Giustina, the editor, prodded the
district attorney to prosecute, but nothing came of it, for the city officials
realized that no crime had been committed, and that the newspaper's charges
were vicious slanders.
L'Unita Cattolica immediately issued another handbill publishing three
documents previously released separately: Anita BedarIda's letter to the
editor [of the Cronaca dei Tribunalif , her letter to the

"La Gazzetta del Popolo, September 13 and 15. The other newspapers, especially the Cronaca
dei Tribunal i, took up the cue from it. [Author]
208 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

prefect which we have already reported, and a telegram she had sent to the
Department of the Interior in protest against persons who "were meddling in
matters of her own conscience."
This was the only time that Unita Cattolica intervened, and it was at the
peak of the controversy. Such reserve was certainly in deference to Don
Bosco's natural inclination. Once he stated his case in a calm overview of the
facts, he would shy from polemics. Had people listened to him in this
particular controversy, it would promptly have died down. From the start he
felt that it would have been wiser to hasten her baptism. "Once she is
baptized," he had said, "all will blow over." In fact, Anita's brother, believing
that she had already been baptized when he first visited her, seemed to take it
in stride. However, Father Cagliero had thought it better to proceed slowly. It
was then that Anita's brother, realizing his error, kicked up that uproar. In
conclusion, this controversy was more than an ill wind that blew no good.
Through the Jews, many good Christians came to know of the Daughters of
Mary, Help of Christians and of their motherhouse at Nizza Monferrato.
 CHAPTER 11

Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia

DO missionary expeditions took place in 1879. While in South

America the Salesians felt that the moment of affirmation of their
missionary apostolate was fast approaching, Don Bosco exerted every effort
of his own to win canonical recognition for his missions. His initial efforts
while Pius IX was Pope had brought but meager results; he now broadened
his objectives. His first step was to acquaint Leo XIII of his mission
endeavors in Europe, namely, the contribution he was making by training
apostles for his own and other missions. However, he chose to embody this
in a petition for financial help from the two largest mission aid societies [of
Europe].

Rome, March 20, 1879

Most Holy Father:
Prostrate in homage to Your Holiness, I respectfully wish to point out that for a
number of years a hospice or seminary, known as the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales,
has been nurturing and trainiig evangelical workers for the foreign missions. In fact, a
noteworthy number of our alumni are now working in China, Australia and Africa,
and well over a hundred are in South America.
This seminary, whose enrollment exceeds five hundred, has regularly been
supported so far by contributions of the faithful and exceptionally by those of the
Supreme Pontiff himself. But now our financial straits are so seriously hurting our
goal of supplying missionaries for foreign fields that I am forced to ask Your
Holiness to recommend this seminary of ours to the Society for the Propagation of the
Faith in Lyons and to the Holy Childhood Association, requesting that they give us
some financial help. Thus we will be able to continue cultivating badly needed
missionary
210 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

vocations also in our other houses, such as the St. Vincent de Paul's Hospice in
Sampierdarena,1 the St. Pierre's Hospice in Nice,2 the St. Joseph's Orphanage near
Frejus,3 another orphanage at Saint-Cyr near Toulon,4 and lastly the St. Leo's Festive
Oratory in Marseille.5 True, the names of these institutes may not be expressive of
their objectives, but one
can readily understand the reason why we chose them.
I beg Your Holiness to bless the work I have brought to your attention and to
grant it your favor as you see best in your highly enlightened
wisdom.
With deepest reverence, filial respect and loyalty, I remain,
Your most humble and obedient son, Father John
Bosco

A month later Don Bosco took a more decisive step. He sent a second
petition to the Holy Father through the Salesians' cardinal -protector,
containing detailed information on the work of his missionaries in South
America. With that he enclosed several papal documents to highlight the
importance of the Salesian missions, hoping that the Church's supreme
authority would kindly establish their standing with the Sacred Roman
Congregations.

Turin, April 20, 1879

Most Holy Father:
The Salesians first opened negotiations for their foreign mission apostolate with
His Eminence Cardinal Barnabo in 1872, at his encouraging suggestion. Then in
1874 His Holiness Pope Pius IX
signaled out Argentina as our mission territory and urged us to go there to care for
Italian immigrants and make new attempts to evangelize the Indians of the Pampas
and Patagonia. He likewise very thoughtfully provided financial assistance for the
first expedition, which set out on
November 14, 1875. 6
The first ten Salesian missionaries paid their respects to the Holy Father on
November 1, 1875 to receive his blessing and apostolic

'See Indexes of Volumes XII and XIII. [Editor] /bid. [Editor]

2

3See Index of Volume XIII under "Navarre." [Editor] See Vol.

4

XIII, p. 418. [Editor]

6/bid., pp. 557ff. [Editor]
3See Vol. XI, Chs. 16-17. [Editor]
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 211

commission. The Pope addressed heartwarming words to them and then gave them a
letter of introduction dated that day from the secretary of state
to the archbishop of Buenos Aires. The Sacred Congregation for the
Propagation of the Faith granted required faculties in a decree dated November 14,
1875. Pope Pius IX approved and commended the new
mission, expressing his satisfaction in a brief dated November 17, 1875. Informed of
the expanding harvest of souls and of the vocations which God was raising up in
those lands, and desiring to consolidate the Salesian missions, the Congregation for
the Propagation of the Faith authorized us to open a novitiate in a decree dated July
6, 1875.
As the present Sovereign Pontiff—God grant you long life and good health—you
kindly expressed your fatherly affection by approving and
sanctioning the Salesian missions of [South] America in a brief dated
September 18, 1878. Burdened though you are financially, as Sovereign Pontiff,
once you learned of the problems facing the fourth [ Salesian]
missionary expedition7 for lack of funds, you offered us a generous subsidy in a
letter dated November 23, 1878, and urged us to continue the work we had begun.6
One real problem we are facing is whether our South American missions
come under the jurisdiction of the Congregatio n for the
Propagation of the Faith or that of the Congregation Tor Extraordinary Ecclesiastic
Affairs. We entrust the matter fully to the zeal and charity of His Eminence Cardinal
Nina, secretary of state, and we ask him as our cardinal-protector:
1. To identify the sacred congregation to which the Salesian missionaries in
Uruguay and Argentina are to apply when petitioning the Holy See.
2. To meet the requirements set by the General Council of the Society for the
Propagation of the Faith in Lyons9 by formally approving these missions and thus
entitling us to the allotted funds of which we are at this time in dire need.
3. To notify the General Council of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith
that all correspondence for funds and related matters should be addressed to Father
John Bosco, rector major of the Salesian Congregation in Turin. This is the site of
the principal seminary which sends forth our missionaries and which keeps in
correspondence with them wherever they exercise their sacred ministry.

See Vol. XIII, Ch. 25. 'Editor] p. 609.

7

[Editor]
gSee Vol. Xi, p. 376. [Editor]
212 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

4. We would also appreciate a letter of recommendation to the Holy Childhood

Association in which he might point out that many young boys were saved from
certain death when they were sent from Kabylia (North Algeria) to our motherhouse in
Turin, where they received instruction in the faith and were baptized.1° Some were
given schooling, others were taught a trade, while a few were trained for the
priesthood and have returned as missionaries to their own country. Some who came
from the city of Damascus are now in school and will later be sent back home. Far
greater is the number of Indian children baptized in their own tribal territories by the
Salesians, while others have been sheltered in various hospices in Buenos Aires.
Today, April 20, 1879, three Salesian missionaries are setting out for Buenos Aires
with Argentina's minister of defense. They will then go on to the Pampas tribes to
rescue a vast number of children from the extermination to which the Argentinian
government seems to have doomed them. Only too often thousands of them roam
about looking for someone to save them, body and soul, but we lack the material and
moral means to save them all. Yet we shall always manage to save some of these
Indian children for God and for civil society.
Fr. John Bosco

As a follow-up, it was important that he keep the Pope mindful of the

Salesian missions. Hence he asked the provincial, Father [Francis] Bodrato,
to send warm greetings—personally and on behalf of his confreres—to the
Vicar of Christ twice a year on the occasions of his name day and the New
Year. The first greetings, postmarked Buenos Aires, July 6, arrived in Rome
in time for the feast of St. Joachim, which fell on August 16. It informed the
Holy Father that the Salesians were making progress in Patagonia, but badly
needed a central settlement at the mouth of the Rio Negro, and that one of the
confreres had preached a mission in Paraguay. The second letter was also
sent from Buenos Aires on November 27, meant to reach Rome in time for
the New Year. It gave the Pope news of recent progress made in Patagonia,
told of the forthcoming opening of a Salesian house at PatagOnes, and praised
the assistance given by the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians.
Without waiting to ascertain whether this approach to the Holy See was
having its desired effect, Don Bosco sent a third appeal on September 17,
asking for mission aid from the Holy Childhood

1
°See Vol. IX, pp. 216, 348f, 452f. [Editor]
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 213

Association and from the [Society for the] Propagation of the Faith [of
Lyons]. To his appeal he attached a copy of a letter from Archbishop
Aneyros, which described the meritorious work of the Salesians in the
Argentine Republic. Once more the reply came back, as courteous but as
negative as ever. The Holy Childhood Association granted aid only to
missionaries engaged in the threefold apostolate of ransoming, baptizing
and bringing up pagan children; it supported new mission foundations only
if they had already put up orphanages for this purpose. Neither could it
make regular grants to new missions until they had accumulated sufficient
funds to enable it to expand its scope.
The association's letter alludes—very helpfully, we think—to the director
general's satisfaction with what he had heard about Don Bosco's "wonderful
work" at the Congress of Angers. This congress, held shortly before, had
dealt exclusively with Catholic labor organisations. Ernest Harmel, brother of
Leo Harmel, known as the "good father" of Val des Bois, had read a paper
describing Don Bosco's trade schools and their growth. It was that congress
which prompted Father Machiavelli—born in Paris but incardinated in the
diocese of Nancy and well known in France for his social work and his
expertise in labor relations—to write to the Oratory the following year for
further information on Don Bosco's work. He had heard of it, he said, at the
Angers Congress but knew nothing more than it existed." He was sent all the
issues of the Bulletin Salesien which had appeared since its beginning in
April 1879 and which also contained in translation the first thirteen chapters
of the Storia dell'Oratorio [History of the Oratory] written for the Bollettino
Salesian by Father John Baptist Bonetti.
The reply of the [ Society for the] Propagation of the Faith [of Lyons]
came somewhat later, since the central councils, first in Lyons and then in
Paris, had to process Don Bosco's application for funds. The usual
statutory problems arose: the society was allowed to grant aid only to
missions in pagan countries, that is,

"Letter to Father [Peter] Pozzan, director of the Bollettino Salesian, dated Nancy, April 16, 1880: "All
I ask in return is as much information as you can supply concerning Don Bosco's work, which I heard
highly praised last year in Angers at the Congress of Catholic Labor Organizations. All I know of Don
Bosco's institute is that it exists, and I am so impressed that I must know more about it." Father
Machiavelli was replying to a request made of the Nancy chancery for a copy of the diocesan directory of
priests, to whom the Bulletin Sale"sien might be sent. [Author]
214 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

existing in lands not belonging to Catholic states and not having a regular
hierarchy; such missions also had to have the Holy See's official
recognition and be headed by specific religious superiors. These letters,
however, serve to show us how well Don Bosco's work was known and
appreciated in France.
On October 21 Cardinal Nina informed Don Bosco that the Holy Father
was granting his missions a generous subsidy.

I did not neglect to tell the Holy Father of the news you gave me in your letter of
September 16, and in that of September 27 about your missionaries in Buenos Aires
as well as about those who are about to leave Europe for Paraguay. His Holiness,
duly appreciative of the substantial blessings brought by your missionaries to the
people, especially in distant lands, who are in dire need of spiritual help, was very
pleased with the report and favorably received your petition for financial assistance,
graciously assigning you a grant of one thousand lire to help defray the expenses of
your forthcoming expedition. While notifying you of His Holiness' kind gesture, I
also urge you to hasten as much as possible the longed-for departure.

Don Bosco's New Year's greetings to his cooperators later cited this
instance of the Pope's generosity, emphasizing its fuller meaning and
expressing his personal thanks, as follows:

We shall endeavor to repay such goodness on the part of the Holy Father by
fervent daily prayers for his well-being and that of the Church, of whom he is the
visible head. Since the donations he receives end up where the needs of the Church
and of the faithful are greatest, we shall do all within our power to promote Peter's
Pence as a project whose aim cannot be surpassed.12
Was Don Bosco planning to send missionaries to Paraguay that year? As
we have already seen, yes, he was.13 On January 3, 1880, heartily responding
to the urgent request made to him in the name of His Holiness, he quickly
informed Cardinal Nina that by the following October he would have ten
Salesians and as many Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians ready to go to
Paraguay and give the people the spiritual assistance they so much needed. As

12BoIlettinoSalesian, January 1880. [Author] See Vol. XIII,

13

p. 604. [Editor]
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 215

October drew near and the local apostolic delegate renewed his insistence, the
Vatican's secretariat of state pressed him to speed up the departure of the ten
missionaries, who first were to stop at Buenos Aires and not continue to
Paraguay until proper arrangements were made with the Pope's representative,
Archbishop Angelo Di Piero. As for the Daughters of Mary, Help of
Christians, they should wait until a residence was properly prepared for them;
the missionaries were to go first. These were the instructions Don Bosco
received from Rome, where the Church authorities relied on his ability to
honor the promise he had made in January to the Holy Father's great delight.'
4 However, unforeseen obstacles had meanwhile arisen to frustrate Don
Bosco's plans, and he so informed Cardinal Nina, secretary of state:

Turin, September 16, 1879

Your Eminence:
I hasten to reply to your kind letter of September 10. As I have had the honor of
informing you, two Salesians were to leave for Buenos Aires on August 1 and assume
charge of at least the parish church of AstmciOn, Paraguay. A few days before their
scheduled departure, however, they were advised, I don't know by whom, to postpone
it because a revolution had broken out in that country. I have no idea whether the
apostolic delegate's request is recent or was made before August 12. At any rate, I am
now writing to our missionary superior in Buenos Aires to ask him whether or not
they may soon leave for their destination and prepare a place for those who will
shortly afterward follow them. However, it is most necessary for us to have access to
some funds to defray our very heavy personal expenses and the cost of the journey.
I expect further news from Argentina and perhaps from Paraguay by the
twentieth of this month and, if necessary, I shall immediately communicate it to
you.
Most respectfully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

For some fifteen years we find nothing else being done about Paraguay.
We refer our readers to our account of that country's political unrest in
Volume XIII.

"Letter from Monsignor Cretoni, acting deputy of the secretary of state, September 20, 1879.
[Author]
216 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

In May the bishop of Santo Domingo had also reminded Don Bosco of a
promise to send him missionaries in March, according to the Holy Father's
wish.15 "What are we to answer?" Father Cagliero had asked Don Bosco
after reading the prelate's letter. "Write as follows," Don Bosco replied, "and
let it be recorded in our chronicle. Say that we are very interested in his
request and anxious to help him, but that, while we were trimming the
personnel in some houses to meet his needs, the Holy Father himself pressed
more urgent needs upon us. Hence, we ask him to be patient." For the
Dominican Republic, too, we find no new insistence for several years.
This "trimming the personnel in some houses" so as to open new ones or
strengthen others was being done every so often, even when the foreign
missions were not involved. This was the complaint that some superiors
made on April 29. They contended that the scanty personnel put an
excessively heavy burden on the confreres to the detriment of their health,
all the more so because in most places the confreres were helping out the
local churches. Don Bosco commented:

We already have too many things to do without going out to look for more
work—especially because such commitments interfere with our duties and draw our
hearts to certain outside works which boost self-complacence and make us neglect
our own tasks. Even in South America our confreres overburden themselves with
outside work. True, we aim at God's greater glory, but it is also true that our primary
goal is the care of youth, and, consequently, every concern which draws us from that
cannot be good. To let a boarding school run down in order to go and hear
confessions elsewhere makes no sense.

We close this little aside, leaving the Italian scene to concentrate our
attention on our missionaries in South America. The year 1879 is of historic
importance in the early annals of the Salesian missions in South America.
That was the year our first contacts were made with the Indians of the Pampas
and Patagonia on their own lands, all of which were still largely unexplored.
Having had to abandon their first efforts to go by ship the year before because
of a raging

isSee Vol. XI-IL pp. 598f. [Editor]

Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 217

storm at sea" which threatened their lives, Bishop Espinosa and Father
[James] Costamagna drew up a second travel plan by land. Their apostolic
zeal was favored by a happy coincidence, as we shall relate.
In 1879 periodic expeditions of exploration and conquest began, which in
a few years were to end Indian rule over the territory, opening the vast
expanses of the Pampas and of Patagonia to colonization and exploitation.
The government's first move was to push its frontiers to the Rio Negro, either
subjugating the Indians as they went or driving them out beyond the
impassable mighty river, navigable with its tributary, the Neuquen, from the
Andes to the sea. Facing the government troops were twenty-five thousand.
Indians, of whom but forty-five hundred were warriors without modern
weapons, ignorant of military strategy, and totally undisciplined. The plan of
the military campaign had been legislated on October 4, 1878. The
expeditionary corps, numbering forty-five hundred men, set out on April 16,
1879, divided into five battalions under the supreme command of General
[Julio] Roca, minister of defense. Three battalions invaded the Pampas
plains, another marched to the western border, and the fifth, the largest,
pushed into the frontiers of Patagonia, then held by five caciques. Though it
had been the government's intent only to flush out and subdue the tribal lands
between the Rio Negro and the Andes, which included all of the Pampas and
a corner of northern Patagonia, indirectly it was conquering all of Patagonia,
since later on, with little or no show of force, the rest of the region was taken.
It was first thought that the Indians would move southward to ally
themselves with the Patagonians; however, some retreated across the
Cordilleras toward Chile, while others surrendered or scattered out among
the civilians with the intent of merging with them. Very many lost their lives
even when they offered no resistance. This military operation lasted from
April to July of 1879; the Rio Negro's campaign ended successfully in April
1881.
As we noted elsewhere,17 previous isolated raids had taken place with no
overall plan. Many Indians had been killed or captured and given as slaves to
various Buenos Aires households, engendering in the survivors such rancor
that it made it extremely difficult for the
ivbid., pp. 61211'. [Editor] p. 123.
[Editor]
21g 'THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

whites to deal with them. It was not the government's intent to strike out
inhumanely at the natives during its military campaign; indeed, the defense
minister had at heart also their spiritual welfare. In fact, on learning of plans
to send missionaries to the Pampas, he offered the archbishop his assistance,
promising aid and protection for those he would send on the long, perilous
journey. Archbishop Aneyros accepted the offer and entrusted to his care his
vicar general, Monsignor [Anthony] Espinosa, and two Salesians, Father
[James] Costamagna and the cleric Louis Botta, who were given the rank of
military chaplains.
On April 16, Wednesday in Easter week, the three boarded the train at
Buenos Aires with the commander-in-chief and several officers to go to
Azul, the last outpost of civilization, beyond which stretched the endless
expanse of the Pampas wilderness. The archbishop had all the church bells
rung at their departure. At Azul the party was issued horses and a covered
wagon to transport their baggage and to shelter them during the night or in
foul weather. A week later they arrived at Carhue, where the troops were
mustered and the battalions formed.
The settlement of Carhue lay deep in the Pampas, marking Argentina's
western frontier with the Indian territory. Rising above the plain, it was
mirrored in a magnificent saltwater lake. Some forty homes stood grouped
about a stockade; beyond them the toldos or tents of two friendly tribes, the
Eripayla and the Manuel Grande, both named after their respective caciques,
could be seen. Father Costamagna, who had arrived a few days before his
companions, lost no time in repeatedly visiting the Indians, as they lived but
a short distance away. Both caciques welcomed him, the first acting as
interpreter. With their consent, he gathered the children of both tribes
together and tried to teach them the Sign of the Cross and the basic truths of
the faith. Once his companions arrived, they all set zealously to work,
baptizing the children of both settlers and Indians, blessing marriages, and
even predisposing cacique Eripayle.'s elder son to the faith. Seeing them
tirelessly engaged in their beloved apostolate, the defense minister asked
them to go along with him as chaplains to his two thousand troops to the Rio
Negro along the northern borders of Patagonia, where they would find all
the Indians they wanted. Monsignor Espinosa agreed that they should go.
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 219

It was a very arduous journey of over thirty days on horseback. When

two strong companies of Indians mistakenly tried to halt the troops'
progress, they were hopelessly routed. By the solemn feast of Mary, Help
of Christians, Father Costamagna was already at the shores of the Rio
Negro, while his two companions were still riding from the Rio Colorado to
the Rio Negro. Too often, alas, they had to grit their teeth and silently
witness the soldiers' brutality against the Indians. They made a stop at
Choele-Choel on the left bank of the Rio Negro and then went south to
Patagones near the river's mouth, where they took a well-earned rest. How
well earned indeed they knew! After endless days on horseback, enduring
hunger and thirst and sleepless nights as well as the ordeals brought on by
poor and insufficient food, having felt the glacial cold penetrate their very
bones as they slept outdoors without the benefit of roof or tent—the last leg
of their journey took them into the very heart of winter—they finally were
able to pause for rest to regain their strength and get themselves back in
shape for work.
All along the way and at camp stops they had met Indians whom they
tried to help as best they could. In a letter to Father Bodrato from Patagones,
dated June 16, 1879, Monsignor Espinosa wrote of Father Costamagna's
ministry at Choele-Choel:

With his unique zeal, as soon as he arrived among the Indians he began instructing
many adults to prepare them in a short time for baptism. All three of us felt more than
amply repaid for our efforts and pains as we offered God these first fruits of the
harvest on the shores of the mighty Rio Negro. On June 1, Pentecost Sunday, assisted
by both Salesian missionaries, I celebrated Mass in a lovely prairie under a cloudless
sky. General Roca and his entire staff along with the full regiment in dress formation
attended it. It was the first time that the Holy Eucharist was offered in that wilderness,
the first time that the standard of the cross had ever blessed those lands traversed by
uncivilized, hapless natives. After Mass the Te Deum was solemnly sung as
Patagonia was officially annexed to Argentina. We then baptized sixty natives who
were promptly inducted into the army. On June 2 Father Costamagna baptized
twenty-two Indian children, three babies of Christian families, and fourteen adult
Indian women. Finally, on June 4 he baptized the last nine Indians who had not been
judged ready on June 2. The following day, after the troops' reconnaisance of the
Neuquen region, we set out for Patagones. We
220 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

reached there on June 21 and started a parish mission with high Mass and a sermon
by Father Costamagna. We hope to reap a bountiful harvest. After the mission is
over, we shall go deeper into the interior and more leisurely teach the faith to so
many hapless Indians who are waiting for missionaries to bring them spiritual and
material assistance.

We will do well to learn more about this strategic center of future Salesian
missionary endeavor. Patag6nes, dating from a century before, had four
thousand people who lived on either side of the Rio Negro about thirty miles
from the Atlantic Ocean. The settlement on the left bank of the river was
named Carmen de PatagOnes, after Our Lady of Mount Cannel, whose
image had been taken from Brazilian settlers by the Patagonians in a river
battle, and the right bank was named Mercedes de la Patagonia, as it
bordered on that territory. Here the missionaries again encountered Father
Savino, a Vincentian, who had been with them on the unfortunate shipwreck
of 1878. With him was [Anthony] Calamaro, a sacristan, alumnus of Lanzo
and a native of Voltri; on June 23 he sang a hymn honoring Don Bosco's
name day, which he had learned fourteen years before.
The missionaries returned to Buenos Aires at the end of July. The
archbishop was so thrilled by the account of all they had accomplished
with God's grace in the three and a half months of their expedition that he
wrote Don Bosco a long letter on August 5.18

The time has finally come—he began—when I can offer you the Patagonian
mission which you have so strongly desired. I also offer you the parish at
Patagemes which would make a good mission center.

He then described the very sorry plight of those poor natives and the
Protestant proselytizing, commenting:

I appeal to you with the liveliest solicitude of a pastoral heart and beg you through
the merciful heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ to come to our aid and to that of these
poor, benighted souls.. . . You might set up mission headquarters at Carmen de
Patagones or at Mercedes de la Patagonia to
lame Bollettino Salesiano published an Italian translation in November 1879. A French translation
was sent to the Association of the Holy Childhood and to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith of
Lyons with two petitions from Don Bosco. [Author]
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 221

direct your mission work in the settlements .. . and send missionaries to all of
Patagonia's countless thousands who still live in the darkness of idolatry.... The
government, too, is earnestly pressing me to send missionaries as soon as possible,
promising me a substantial grant from the legislature to begin January 1, 1880,
larger than the usual annual subsidy which we now receive. You can readily
perceive that I am anxiously awaiting your reply. . . My heart rejoices in the hope
that you will heed my plea in this pressing situation and without delay will gladly
accept this mission, which is so necessary for God's glory and for the salvation of
so many souls now living in a state of utter abandonment for lack of missionaries. I
am sure that Father Cagliero, who knows this land and has personally come in
touch with its needs, will assist me in this holy, strenuous endeavor. I am very
happy to hear that your eyesight is improving. I earnestly pray that God will grant
you a long life and perfect health, for we need you so badly.

The archbishop enclosed a copy of a letter he had sent to Edward Calvari,

emigration chief [at the Argentinian consulate] in Genoa, asking him to use
his influence in obtaining free passage to Buenos Aires for the Salesian
missionaries. It seems that the government of Argentina was at the same time
officially entrusting Don Bosco with the task of evangelizing Patagonia,
promising substantial support. Don Bosco received the archbishop's letter on
September 5 while at Lanzo for the spiritual retreat. As he was reading it,
Father Barberis entered his room and found him "filled with joy," so he tells
us, adding that on giving him the news Don Bosco had remarked, "Who
knows where all this will end?"19
Thus the Lord comforted Don Bosco for the grief caused him by the very
painful disappointments which the reader is aware of. His joy is warmly
attested to in a letter of his to Father Costamagna:

Turin, August 31, 1879

My dear Father Costamagna,
Thanks be to God! Your mission has been successful and you are safe and
sound.
In your next letter tell me in minutest detail about the reception the caciques
gave you, their dwellings, their clothing, and what they said to you.
'9Notebook, bearing few entries, entitled Brief Chronicle of the Lanzo Spiritual Retreat, 1879.
[Author]
222 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

The time has come for you to talk seriously with Father Bodrato and the
archbishop about a mission center for both Salesians and Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians at Patagones. Would another center be also needed at
Carhue? I'll take care of necessary personnel, and all together we'll pool
financial resources.
My sight is much better, thank God. My fondest regards to Fathers Daniele,
Vespigueni, and Rabagliati, and all the confreres and boys. Any news of Mr.
Gazzolo? Did Monsignor Espinosa get through the
expedition safely?
Your letters have been published and are read with pleasure everywhere.
How is my dear Father Allavena doing? How is he? I am most eager to know.
Write me about the Rio Negro and the Rio Colorado regions. We love your
letters.
God bless you, my dearest Father Costamagna! God grant that we may love
each other prayerfully here on earth, and that one day we will all be together
with Jesus in heaven!
This fall we sent you a shipment of candles at Buenos Aires. Did it arrive,
and is the cost of such shipments really worth it?
The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Amen.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

The handwritten letter from Don Bosco deeply touched Father

Costamagna, and in his reply he gave free rein to his feelings.
How gracious of you to write me in your own hand! In these times a personal
letter from you is a memorable event for your poor Salesians in America. You can
never guess the thrill we experience in seeing our dearest father's own handwriting.
Timothy himself certainly felt no greater joy on receiving a letter from St. Paul, his
beloved father in Jesus Christ. Can you imagine, my dear Don Bosco, as we read
the account of our Congregation's beginnings and the first endeavors of our
founder2° in the Bollettino Salesian, our eyes fill with tears as we realize that you
are still living and we are your sons. So what is it like for us to receive your letters,
to see your handwriting, to hear you speak to our innermost hearts with the same
warmth of love with which you one day snatched us away from the world without
our being ever aware of it to set us within the chosen Salesian vineyard and there
to work solely for God?

2
°Father Bonetti was just then publishing the chapters which were later printed separately as a
new volume, which became known as Twenty-Five Years of History of the Oratory of St Francis
de Sales. [Author]
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 223

Since Don Bosco had requested further details about the Indian life,
Father Costa agna sent him for the moment a set of photographs in lieu of
a written report, in which Don Bosco could see the Indians whom he and
Monsignor Espinosa had instructed and baptized in the faith on the shore
of the Rio Negro. Brief captions explained essential details?' The
following year a report written and certified by Francis Arrachez,
secretary general of the Buenos Aires chancery, and dated Buenos Aires,
November 3, 1883, stated that during that mission expedition two hundred
and twenty-three boys of both Indian and European families had been
baptized along with one hundred and two adult Indians.
Cardinal Desprez, archbishop of Toulouse, was one day gazing intently
at a globe resting on his desk, thinking of all the Church's efforts to
evangelize the nations. When his eyes rested on Patagonia and Tierra del
Fuego, he was pained to realize how little attention had been given to
those outermost bounds of the new world. Only handfuls of missionaries
had ever visited the shores of Patagonia, and then unsuccessfully, while
no one at all had ever ventured into the hinterlands of Tierra del Fuego.
He was still lost in this pensive mood when the Bulletin Salesien arrived,
announcing that the Salesians had undertaken a mission in those lands.
Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "I am glad that Don Bosco was chosen to
fulfill the great prophecy: 'Through all the earth their voice resounds, and
to the ends of the world, their message' " [Ps. 18, 4]. Some years later the
same cardinal told this to Don Bosco himself in the presence of Father
[Paul] Albera. A month later Don Bosco wrote a beautiful letter to Father
Tomatis who had just been appointed director of the boarding school at
San Nicolas. The school's first director, Father [Joseph] Fagnano,
previously stricken with a grave attack of typhus, had suffered a relapse
and had to be sent to Buenos Aires for convalescence. As we shall later
see, he did not return to the school but went directly to the Patagonian
missions.
Alessi°, September 30, 1879
My dear Father Tomatis:
I have always kept up to date with everything going on in our boarding
21
Bollettino Salesian°, January 1880. [Author]
224 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

school at San Nicolas, and I see it now entering into a new phase under your
direction. Let's hope so! Take heart! All our trust and hopes are in you. Here are
some guidelines I always give our directors. Try to follow
them:
1. Take good care of your health and that of your confreres. See to it
that no one works too hard or sits idly by.
2. Strive to lead the others in piety and observance of our rules and make sure
that they are kept by the others as well, particularly meditation, visits to the Blessed
Sacrament, weekly confession, devout celebration of Mass, and frequent
Communion for those who are not priests.
3. Valiantly put up with the shortcomings of others.
4. Be very kind to your boys; give them every chance and freedom for
confession.
God bless you, my dear Father Tomatis and with you all our confreres and boys
and our friend, Monsignor Ceccarelli, to whom I owe a letter. May God grant you
all good health and the grace of a holy life. Fondest
regards to everybody.
Pray for me, always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. This letter will show you how much my eyesight has improved.

The first few lines are a clear hint that the school was slipping.
Enrollment had dropped. The main reason seems to have been the arrival of
Father Fagnano's relatives who were clearly poor people. The rumor began
to spread that, like so many others, the director had come to South America
to set his family up in money—a rumor, Father Cagliero maintained, which
in that part of the world was enough to wipe out any good a priest might do.
We need hardly state that Father Fagnano had acted most honestly in his
concern for the good of the school by hiring only people he could trust for
various jobs in the house, but in this world of ours honesty has to be backed
up by a strong dose of prudence. The following year, the boarding school
picked up considerably while Father Fagnano was actively involved [in
Patagonia] in a ministry which he alone could
carry out so effectively.
Don Bosco was anxious that, before the end of the year, every
one of his Salesians should share in his joy by learning about the Salesian
apostolate in Patagonia. He also appealed to their sense of
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 225

solidarity so that the missionary undertaking might have the best

beginning possible. Father Rua was asked to be Don Bosco's spokesman,
and on December 18, 1879, he wrote to the directors of all the houses to
give this news to all the confreres and boys:
The gateway to Patagonia has swung open to the Salesians. . . . God has chosen
to entrust this important mission to us, as so many events have clearly shown us.
Our missionaries in South America tell us in their latest letters that at PatagOnes
and in all the settlements, the people have the loftiest expectations of the
Salesians. It can well be said therefore—as the Divine Redeemer stated—that the
harvest is ripening and awaits but the reapers to gather it. And here is precisely
the heart of the problem: we need personnel for the many undertakings we have
underway. It will be wise to do what Our Divine Savior suggested to His apostles:
"Ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest" [Mt 9, 28]. Our
beloved Don Bosco has asked that on receiving this letter you begin offering an
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be every day in the community through the
month of January, that the Lord may deign to show us which of the Salesians He
has chosen for this mission and that He may inspire them with the sentiments of
zeal, charity and courage which they will need to meet this magnificent challenge.
May it also be His pleasure to provide new personnel to replace those who will go
to the missions.

On New Year's day Don Bosco informed the Salesian cooperators of

this joyful news in a circular we have mentioned elsewhere:22

The most wonderful field of work which Divine Providence now opens to your
charity is Patagonia, a corner of our globe until now closed to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. The hour of mercy seems to have struck for those hapless Indians.
Archbishop Aneyros of Buenos Aires and the Argentine government have jointly
asked us to evangelize the Patagonians, and I have accepted this arduous
undertaking with fullest trust in God and in your charity. Thanks to some initial
attempts, five hundred Indians have already been instructed in the faith, baptized
and brought into the flock of Jesus Christ. Traversing the endless wilderness south
of the Rio Negro, we find six settlements, somewhat like hamlets, each a few days
apart, where trading and agriculture have already begun. Next March the Salesians,
accompanied or followed soon after by the Daughters of Mary,
'See p. 214. [Editor]
226 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Help of Christians, will open mission posts and schools in those settlements. God
willing, they will form a base camp from which evangelical workers will go forth
into the trackless wastes and unknown hinterlands of Patagonia.

By remarking, a few pages back, that Don Bosco's aggravations had

been mitigated by the comforting news from Patagonia, we did not intend
to restrict ourselves to the shutdown of the Oratory's secondary school nor
to his conflict with the Turin chancery, nor to the vexations related to the
conversion of a Jewish maiden. We were also referring to hostile attacks
being made against him through a charge that he had abetted a young man
to dodge the draft by sending him to South America. Michael Foglino, a
cleric just turned twenty, had been a member of the fourth missionary
expedition in 1878. Having failed to report for military service, he was
sentenced in absentia to a year in a military prison. Another young fellow,
Athanasius Torello, of Nizza Monferrato as was the Foglino, a student
attending the University of Turin, was drafted in the latter's place. He
therefore brought suit against Don Bosco for having favored Foglino's
desertion—not so much that Torello was personally out to get Don Bosco,
as that he was a tool of the press. It was the rabid anticlerical lawyer,
Giustina, who fired the first shot on October 18, 1879 by a sly hint in an
article entitled "Sempre a Don Bosco" [Always to Don Bosco] in his
weekly Cronaca dei Tribunali in which he threatened to drag Don Bosco
into court. A week later, he reiterated his threat.
In our next issue—he promised—we shall expose Foglino's escape and show
that he is now residing in a school operated by Father John Bosco. We will also
publish an authentic letter detailing other interesting points which the public has a
right to know.

On October 30, 1879, the Catholic Corriere di Torino issued a sharp

rebuttal with transparent allusions to the recent handling by the newspaper
of the Jewish family affair, which had also begun in Nizza, decrying the
scandal sheet as "a Turin periodical which sees the light of day only on
Saturdays," and commending Don Bosco as "too big a man to fear such
attacks or to need defending."
The Saturday weekly kept its word. Its November 1 issue formulated a
legal charge and demanded an investigation from the
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 227

district attorney. However, the charge was prefaced by irrelevant comments

whose harshness unwittingly revealed the hidden machinations behind this
and other attacks.

For those who do not know—ran the article—Nizza Monferrato is the citadel, the
stronghold of Don Bosco's army. It is composed of priests, clerics, nuns and
numerous local young ladies; they all believe in his miraculous powers, even calling
him a saint well ahead of time. . . Don Bosco, furthermore, has the backing of
noblemen who cling to him. Their leader is a certain countess, Don Bosco's right
hand. The young are yearning to throw off this yoke and hoist the banner of
rebellion, but unfortunately they lack the numbers to hold out against the ranks of
bigots who so loyally take up the cudgels for the clergy.

After an irrelevant aside about the Bedarida affair,23 the writer continued:

Foglino, a textile worker, son of a humble family, was accepted into a boarding
school of Don Bosco, where he was steeped in Catholic teaching. After being
immersed into the darkness of every conceivable superstition, he ended up as a so-
called Salesian. Then came his time to be drafted. Foglino went home to Nizza
Monferrato for the draft lottery. His number came up with other qualified young
men of draft age. He was now a soldier and had to report for duty. We have no way
of knowing just how the Salesian Congregation reacted to all this, but we do know
one thing and we have sworn testimony to prove it. While Foglino was at Nizza
Moiffenuto, he received pressing overtures to report to Don Bosco in Turin
Foglino himself was heard to remark, "I don't want to go to Turin, because they
want to ship me to [South] America." It is no secret that there Don Bosco has
institutes for the propagation of the faith and apostolic missions. It is also no secret
that missionary vocations are not on the increase today because it is hard to find
persons willing to go to the New World to preach the Gospel. Don Bosco needs
young men. . . . The rest you can easily surmise. Put two and two together, draw
your own conclusions, and you will see the light of truth in this matter.

The truth, however, eventually came out in snatches but not as described
above. Foglino had first come to the Oratory in November 1871; the alleged
"pressing overtures" to go to Turin

23 See Chapter 10. [Editor]

228 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

were the invitations made to him and to many other classmates of his
during the summer of 1875 to join the Salesian Congregation, which shows
the high esteem he enjoyed. That year the Oratory buzzed with talk of the
[Patagonian] missions as preparations were being made for the first
expedition. Uncertain as to whether he wished to enter the diocesan
seminary of Turin or that of Acqui, the young man did say he did not want
to go to Turin, in the context in which he meant it at the time. Another
glimmer of truth is that then, as now, no one was ever sent out of his
country without having formally requested it of one's own free will in
writing. Three years elapsed between 1875 and 1878, during which Foglino
had time to consider, reflect and make up his mind. As St. Paul says "When
I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now
that I have become a man, I have put away the things of a child" [1 Cor. 13,
11]. The newspaper's bad faith comes out in the ambiguity of "while
Foglino was at Nizza Monferrato," which misleads readers to think that
Foglino had said this after the draft lottery, that is, three years after he had
become a cleric and taken his religious vows.
Il Corriere di Torino retaliated the next day—November 2, 1879—with a
humorous quip, and the battle of words waxed strong on November 22 and
23. La Cronaca del Tribunali beat about the bush, but its evasion brought
out two items more meaningful to history than to the actual event of the day.
First, there was this clarification which truly touched the raw nerve of the
whole matter:
By dodging the draft, Foglino made matters hard for one of our excellent young
students, Athanasius Torello, who was forced to break off his studies and replace
the deserter.

Then, after a long list of rhetorical questions about the authorities'

inaction, the writer hastily put up a barricade to hide the real motives for
his hostile stand.

No one has more regard for Don Bosco's social action than we—he protested—
but no one has greater respect for the equality of all citizens under the law. To
guarantee it we willingly give up all liking, all deference, all friendship and all
family ties.
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 229

Such highbrow rhetoric left the author open to a master counterblow. In a

later article La Cronaca dei Tribunali had taken the stance of a knight ready
to slay a dragon about to rear its head, and therefore, on November 23, 11
Corriere di Torino commented:

We've been awaiting the famous "dragon" of La Cronaca dei Tribunali with
bated breath! Alas, what a letdown! It's only a bat, and blow it up as much as one
may, it's still only a bat. Let the bat beware—we know what happened to Aesop's
frog! We have been told that this bat knows Don Bosco, because . . . he has shared
his bread. Not surprisingly, among all the tiny birds which Don Bosco has fed and
sheltered—and still does—there must be a bat or two . . . who imagine themselves
to be dragons. However, a few bats will never divert Don Bosco's loving care from
his little birds and make him worry about the bats!

It was a fact that La Cronaca's editor had attended the boarding

secondary schools at Lanza and Varazze. Swept away by politics and
making himself a tool of the anticlericals, he played the iconoclast to the
very twilight of his life. He was angered by II Corriere's allusion to him
and tried to justify himself in a letter, which by law the paper had to
publish. In it he admitted that he had been a pupil of Don Bosco in both
schools, but only because it was "his parents' decision," and they had paid
his "full tuition." A little show of gratitude might have been better, but God
willed that Don Bosco should drink also of this bitter cup given to him by a
former pupi1.24 May this comfort other teachers who cannot set their mind
at rest because of the ingratitude of pupils on whom they have lavished
their care. Even Don Bosco was not spared such disappointment.
For three months the press maintained silence. On February 28, 1880,
La Cronaca del Tribunali heralded the news:

Don Bosco in court. Our readers will recall our account of [Michael] Foglino,
a recruit of Nizza Monferrato who fled northern Italy when
Toward the end of his life, Giustina came to his senses. He had always kept a warm place in his heart
24

for his teacher, Father [Peter] Guidazio, and he fondly remembered his other superiors. Whenever he
learned that Bishop Costamagna or Bishop Fagnano was in Turin, he called on him, and it was Father
Lemoyne who assisted him at death. Regretfully, he was cremated, but that was not his intention. He
had forgotten to cancel his membership in a cremation society. [Author]
230 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

drafted into military service and is now in Buenos Aires as a missionary

affiliated with a well-known Turin priest. Our readers will recall the polemics
raised by La Cronaca and Ii Corriere di Torino on the subject. Well, the law is
now seeking action against Father John Bosco, alleging that he planned and
abetted Foglino's desertion. We shall cover the trial as it develops.

However, despite the newspaper's great interest in the case, it issued no

report until June 12. Apparently, no one took it seriously.
Between June 12 and July 10, both newspapers exchanged comments, of
which two alone are worth our attention. First, Don Bosco was acquitted
"for lack of evidence"; in other words, not because he was innocent—a
verdict just falling short of a pronouncement of "guilty." Second, "this
verdict was passed because not all the witnesses who could have given
evidence were interrogated."
La Cronaca in its July 10, 1880 issue does tell us something very
notable about the witnesses who had not been questioned. It stated:
We were only asked for clarifications, but we pointed out that there were
other witnesses who could better enlighten the judge.

This is but a hasty condemnation of the judiciary's neglect of duty in a

weighty matter. More probably Giustina, finally having the opportunity
to show off the evidence which he boasted he had access to, did not
skimp on his contribution to the enlightenment of justice, but the whole
thing turned out to be just a blown-up affair. In the poet's words:
Parturiunt montes, exit ridiculus mus [The mountains are in labor and a
ridiculous mouse is born]. The fact remains that the news he so blasted
far and wide made no impression on his hearers.
What is more unpardonable is his statement that Don Bosco was
acquitted "for lack of evidence." This way of putting it amounted to saying
that there had been at least the start of criminal proceedings against Don
Bosco, and certainly this is what his readers understood, for the terminology
he used is precise. Our own extensive research into the files of the Nizza
magistrate's court has revealed that, while there is no lack of documentation
on this case, there is absolutely nothing even hinting at criminal
proceedings.
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 231

From another source we did learn that the police had conducted an
investigation, but it was the normal, routine check into the possibility of a
cover-up of criminal doing. The investigation was closed after the parents
of Foglino were questioned with the usual frightening warnings. 25 The
matter was shelved. Certainly neither Giustina nor those responsible for the
uproar were happy to see their soap bubble burst. This explains their
reshuffling of the facts to cover up their own loss of face.
What lent an aura of truth to the whole story was that Giustina's articles
contained details which could only be known by one who was familiar
with the Oratory's intimate life. Our account of this episode would be
incomplete were we to omit mentioning one of his informants. A certain
Ferrero, physicist, natural history student and photographer, had been
living at the Oratory for some three years, absorbed in unsuccessful
experiments which cost the Salesians a good deal of money. Finally,
realizing he was a phony, they threw him out and then discovered that he
was a high-ranking Freemason. He it was who had given the newspaper a
"good scoop."
It would be naive to ask whether Don Bosco knew that Foglino was
dodging the draft. That the cleric heroically chose exile to the possible loss
of his vocation is beyond doubt; that Don Bosco did not interfere with his
choice is equally doubtless. But who of us does not know what kind of law
it was which forced men of the cloth to live in army barracks? The truth is
that sixty years later Italy's legislators courageously reviewed and amended
that law in agreement with Church authorities who had always denounced
it.
With good reason we have dwelt at length on this episode. First, we had
to redeem Don Bosco's memory from the hateful accusation of exerting
moral pressure on one of his young men. Second, whatever caused Don
Bosco suffering should have a place in his biography. And there is a third
reason. The charges of using uncertified teachers, of violating freedom of
conscience, and of breaking his country's laws were all but pretexts which
the anticlericals seized on to wage relentless war against Don Bosco and
everything his name stood for. Testimonies which his assailants let slip
through in their wild fury we have already brought

25
Letter from Father Lemoyne to Don Bosco, Nizza {undated). [Author]
232 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

out in several places. There are two others we consider valuable.

Giustina also edited a biweekly periodical, Turin's illustrated
Romanziere Popolare. The January 11, 1880 issue published a very
silly profile along with an offensive cartoon. Our interest centers on this
excerpt of the profile:

John Bosco, in his loyalty to the Pope, has followed in the latter's political
footsteps, concentrating all his efforts on raising up a progeny of priests, an army of
anti-liberals, servants of the Church and enemies of Italy. True, he never trampled on
charity, but he misconstrued it and manipulated it to serve the interests of his party.
Miraculously coming into prominence, and prodigiously powerful, Don Bosco is the
Vatican's farseeing eye, the soul of the Catholic party, the educator of the new
slayers of liberty who abide by the motto: "Long live the King-Pope! Long live
papal Romer No honest liberal can blame the government when it seeks as best it
can to shrink this man's sphere of influence. He has several times turned down the
cardinal's hat, and at will he could have become by wit and effort one of the most
famous and cunning Father Generals of the Jesuits. But he prefers—not for love of
money nor for his party's glory—to stay with the young and to imbue the masses
with the reactionary principles of the Church's political catechism, which he polishes
and plates with the gold of charity.
Speaking of the youth of Don Bosco's schools, the write -up commented:

It knows neither patriotism nor reverence for the king and the laws, deserting its
nation's armed forces and hiding in clerical garb to conspire against liberty, against
the greatness of Rome, Italy's capital.

On July 10 Giustina launched a more violent attack:

No one more readily than we acknowledges a man's contributions to his country.

But when this benefactor of humanity stuffs the heads of young people with
principles that are the props of the papacy and the Orsini bombs26 which will one
day blast the sacred temple of freedom into nothingness—well, then we close our
eyes to his benefits, and see him as an enemy who uses his charitable undertakings
as a shield in his struggle

25
Felix Orsini (1819-1858) was a conspirator who on January 13, 1858 attempted the assassination of
Napoleon B1 in Paris. He was put to death by the guillotine on March 13. [Editor]
Salesian Missionaries in Patagonia 233

for the Pope, so as to tumble what our fathers built at the price of endless sacrifices.

Rhetorical bombast of the times, yes, but a revelation of what

politicians were cooking up in their caucuses while shaping the destiny
of a godless Italy.
Don Bosco might have easily made his own the words St. Paul wrote when
he saw a handsome opportunity of winning souls for Jesus Christ at Ephesus:
"For a door has been opened wide for my work, but many are the adversaries"
[1 Cor. 16, 9]. While God was opening Patagonia's gate for him, which he
had already seen in his "dreams" as the field of his Gospel labors, hell kept
raising up all sorts of oposition from every side to render him powerless. But
like St. Paul before him, he not only did not lose heart, but he saw this
hostility as a sign he was on the right road.
 CHAPTER 12

Unrealized New Foundations in 1879

D ON Bosco received a far greater number of proposals for new

houses than those to follow, but, because of problems plaguing our archives,
several pertinent documents have been lost; besides, in many cases no
negotiations were actually started. Availing ourselves of whatever
documentation is still available we shall therefore narrate what Don Bosco did
in this area during the troublesome year 1879. First we shall recount the
unrealized proposals and then pass on to houses that were closed in order to
make better use of their personnel elsewhere.
By way of introduction we shall make a few points to be borne in mind if
we are not to misjudge Don Bosco's handling of these matters. All these
fruitless negotiations have mainly three phases. Initially, Don Bosco
welcomed the proposals with a sincere desire to realize them, if feasible,
thus raising the proponents' hopes. Secondly, formal negotiations were
opened enthusiastically by the proponents and level-headedly by Don
Bosco. In this second phase, obstacles which had either been willfully
concealed or overlooked by the proponents would come to light. Finally, in
the third and most crucial moment, the bitter word had to be spoken:
"Impossible!"
In such matters, the more serious obstacles are usually of a sort that makes
it preferable to plead lack of personnel or some other reason rather than state
the plain truth. The result is embarrassment on the one hand, and
disappointment, dejection and resentment on the other. When he was directly
involved, Don Bosco had to use his gracious manner or his wise counsel to
soothe inevitable hard feelings.'

'Since this chapter deals with topics of scant interest to our readers, we shall often condense the
narration. [Editor]
Unrealized New Foundations in 1879 235

1. MODENA

We begin with Modena, the first town where Salesian cooperators, acting
on their own, organized and held a conference [in 1879]. 2 Later, in 1894, a
local committee supporting Don Bosco's works sent out a circular which
declared that all good Christians had long looked forward to the opening of
a Salesian house in Modena. It had indeed been so, and even more remotely
than those good people thought. The first proposal [to Don Bosco] was
made on March 21, 1875, while he was a guest of Count [Ferdinand]
Tarabini.3 Learning of the urgent need for a festive oratory in that town to
stem the growing corruption of youngsters of poorer families, Don Bosco
had stated he was willing to cooperate with the townsfolk as soon as it
would be possible to start such a project. Unfortunately, funds were scarce,
but Count Tarabini, noting the deeper inroads that evil was making among
the poorer classes, once again appealed to Don Bosco on January [2] 1877.
His reply was favorable, but temporizing. When the Salesian cooperators'
conference was held in 1879, priests and laity were already running a festive
oratory according to Don Bosco's method, hoping to hand it over to the
Salesians as soon as possible. At that time, however, Don Bosco could only
encourage them to continue their project since he had already too many
irons in the fire. Besides, Archbishop Joseph Guidelli of Modena was
continually pressuring him to reopen the diocesan junior seminary at Finale
Emilia, which had been closed for the past seven years. Don Bosco told him
that he was willing to help but needed more time. In 1879 the archbishop
became more and more insistent in view of the crucial need, and so Don
Bosco, realizing that he could not satisfy his request so soon, notified him in
June that the harassment he was experiencing at the hands of the
government kept him from meeting the archbishop's wishes as promptly as
he

2
See pp. 75f. [Editor]
3
Count Tarabini, former state councillor and minister to the duke of Modena, bad met Don Bosco in
Rome at the home of Count Vimercati on the evening of -January 13, 1867. In his diary, the count
remarked that during Don Bosco's visit there had been "a constant coming and going of people." From
then on, whenever Don Bosco passed through Modena, he would trustingly rely on the count's hospitality,
a clear sign that their meeting in Rome had not been a chance encounter. The entries in the above-
mentioned diary show that the nobleman felt highly honored to have Don Bosco as his guest. [Author]
236 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

really desired. Only in 1913, sixteen years after the opening of St. Joseph's
School in Modena, did Father Paul Albera, Don Bosco's second successor,
find it possible to send Salesians to Finale Emilia and take over the junior
seminary, dedicating it to Mary, Help of Christians.

2. ISILI
Don Bosco received the first request for a Salesian house in Sardinia in
1879. His name was already widely known by then, particularly through his
books, Letture Cattoliche and the Salesian Bulletin. Proof of this is the fact
that five students4 at Ales wrote to him collectively, requesting to be enrolled
as Salesian cooperators and placed on the Salesian Bulletin's mailing list.
They also promised to perform any spiritual work of mercy he might suggest
and to send him their savings at the end of each year.
It was a Jesuit priest, Father Porqueddu of Genoni, who first suggested
inviting Don Bosco to extend his work to Sardinia. This priest zealously
promoted devotion to Mary, Help of Christians, and recommended to Don
Bosco young men of good character. . Several were admitted to the Oratory
as artisans or Sons of Mary, as, for instance, Father [Francis] Atzeni.
Concerned at the alarming drop in priestly vocations, Father Porqueddu
had for a number of years been urging the local bishops to convince Don
Bosco to open with their help one or more schools on the island.
Unfortunately, despite their good will, the bishops were in such dire
financial straits that they lost heart at the thought of an undertaking whose
importance was not grasped by many people, including the clergy.
When Father Porqueddu saw that his efforts with the bishops were
unsuccessful, he turned to the laity. Very soon he found a man who offered a
substantial contribution, asking nothing more than how much Don Bosco
would need to open a boarding school, a junior seminary, or a festive oratory.
His only concern was that young men might receive a good education and
learn in their youth to accept sacrifice—" something which is almost
completely

4 John Baptist Tomasi, Anthony Cannas, John Sealas, Felix Matta and Louis Cossu. [Author]
Unrealized New Foundations in 1879 237

unknown here—Father Porqueddu wrote—so that divine grace may more

readily waken in their hearts a desire to consecrate themselves to the Lord
and become His worthy ministers." Would Don Bosco send him word and
let him know what to do? Don Bosco gave the letter to Father Cagliero with
this notation: "To be brought up at the next chapter meeting." The chapter
decided that Father Porqueddu should be informed that momentarily no
action could be taken, but that he should keep trying to raise necessary
funds: "a house and a piece of bread." Father Porqueddu wrote back, asking
exactly what Don Bosco meant by "a piece of bread." The second reply was
not very encouraging toward opening a house, but the Jesuit was not a man
to go halfway in any undertaking, especially when God's service was
involved. In fact he did succeed in finding a house which had been vacated
by the Piarists, to whom the municipality of Isili had ceded the rights on
condition that the building be used as an educational institution. As soon as
the Piarists left, the municipality reclaimed it with its income and offered it
to Don Bosco with a revenue of two thousand lire and other resources. "Do
not tell me that you lack personnel," the Jesuit wrote to Don Bosco. 5 "Hunt
around, search every nook and cranny, accept the offer and send someone at
any cost. How much good can be done! What a fine Patagonia this is!"
So far the offer had not been official. The project had been first presented to
the municipal aldermen by John Zedda, a councillor, at the request of Peter
Ghiani Memeli, another councillor and deputy of Isili. The latter had met
Don Bosco, probably in Rome, and had informed his colleagues that "a
certain Don Bosco from Italy planned to open a secondary or elementary
school in Sardinia if a municipality would provide premises and an annual
income of four thousand lire." Mayor Antiocus Porceddu seconded the
proposal, saying, "Since this is a project of Don Bosco, with whom I am well
acquainted, that's reason enough to accept it." After a brief debate, the
municipal council voted in its favor and agreed to open negotiations. Three
weeks later the provincial committee also gave its approval. 6 Then, on May
24, Father Porqueddu again pleaded with Don Bosco: "Dear Don Bosco, for
heaven's sake, do

Letter, Genoni, April 29, 1879. [Author]

5

Minutes of April 29, 1879, with later additions. [Author]

6
238 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

your very utmost to make this project a reality. We need it even more than
the poor Patagonians do. Sardinia does not have a single boarding school or
junior seminary in which to train boys with a reasonable hope of success."
Don Bosco gave it serious thought but did not commit himself to anything
until favorable circumstances would allow him. Five months later, the mayor
of Isili renewed his request. Father [Celestine] Durand°, then charged with
negotiations for opening new houses, replied on November 21 in Don
Bosco's name. After thanking the municipal councilmen for their many signs
of trust, he informed them that the Salesians would gladly oblige if they had
the personnel. Hopefully what was not then feasible could be accomplished
later on. In the meantime he needed to know the distance from Isili to the
nearest railway station, the capacity of the building, and whether it had an
adjoining playground and garden. The mayor sent him all the requested
hiformation.
By now the school year was well advanced and so there was no urgency to
speed up decisions. However, on April 22 [1880], the mayor, rather
concerned at the long silence, wrote Don Bosco an earnest appeal on behalf
of the municipal council to send a representative to inspect the premises and
negotiate, adding that the municipality would fund all travel expenses.
Meanwhile, two years went by, during which municipal elections were held
in Isili. The new mayor, Anthony Cicala, again took up the matter and, on
December 13, 1882, voicing the sentiments of his townspeople, pleaded that
speedy action be taken to open the long-desired Salesian school. But the
time was not right, and nothing was done about Isili until after a Salesian
school was opened at Lanusei, the region's capital. We may feel that, despite
his half-promises, Don Bosco's indecisiveness lasted too long, but we must
point out that at that time municipal and government offices were well
established in the former Piarist boarding school. In view of this, it would
not have been wise for Don Bosco to intervene and dislodge those tenants.

3. PISOGNE
A voluminous pile of correspondence dating from 1878 to 1886
Unrealized New Foundations in 1879 239

concerns negotiations with the municipal council of Pisogne, a small town in

the diocese and province of Brescia, where a diocesan priest, Father James
Mercanti, had opened an elementary and secondary boarding school in 1822.
Named after him, the school prospered until 1865, when it began to decline
because of mismanagement and political unrest. Since Don Bosco's works
were already well known and admired in that area, Bishop James Coma
Pellegrini, a native son of Pisogne, thought of him as the one most able to
restore the school's former reputation. "In this vast, religious-minded
province," he wrote on October 8, 1878, "there is not a single first-rate
boarding school to meet present-day needs. A school under your auspices and
direction would do a great deal of good." Don Bosco's reply was that he
could not oblige that year, but that there were hopes "for some other year."
Since the school was registered as a legal body and was being administered
by the municipality, the town council was informed of the proposal and
gratefully accepted it. Certain that they could safely rely on Don Bosco's
"eminent civil and moral qualities" which had brought him renown and merit
before society," they contacted Don Bosco directly. Their first request was
that the secondary school be certified by the board of education, though no
one was blind to the fact that to return the school to its former condition
would make considerable demands upon Don Bosco.
Other sources alerted Don Bosco to the danger of being dragged "into a
hornet's nest of problems, expenses and headaches." Then, too, nearby
Lovere had a boarding school, and its administration, fearing competition,
offered to affiliate the Mercanti school. To make matters worse, the
provincial school superintendent, abetted by local liberals, was striving to
sabotage the invitation to Don Bosco, going so far as even to write libelous
letters against him which the mayor indignantly discounted.
These problems, along with scarcity of personnel, justified fears of serious
future difficulties and obstacles. Consequently Don Bosco instructed Father
Rua to write in his name that he intended to withdraw from all negotiations.
Four new attempts were made between 1892 and 1905, all in vain, mainly
because the municipality of Pisogne would have tied the director's hands by
its excessive interference.
240 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

4. MONTEROTONDO

When Canon Gerard Procacci, parish priest of St. Hilary's at

Monterotondo, called on Don Bosco in Rome at the be • "-nning of 1879, the
latter promised to send Father [Joseph] Daghero from Magliano to inspect a
building which was to be entrusted to the Salesians on condition that they run
the public elementary school and start a secondary school. Quite certain of
pleasing the townspeople, the noble Boncompagni family, along with
Cardinal [Louis] Bilio [bishop of Sabina] and the municipal authorities,
looked forward to the arrival of the Salesians. Father Daghero went there,
checked out the premises and gave Don Bosco a very favorable report. The
mayor promptly took the matter in hand, with the intention of dismissing the
lay teachers and replacing them with religious, as was within his power.
Hugo Boncompagni, eldest son and president of the local chapter of Catholic
Youth, joined in the mayor's plea to Don Bosco not to defer action.
On Don Bosco's behalf Father Durando replied that for the moment it
was impossible, but held out good hopes "for some other year." "We can
wait," came the reply, "but let us draw up a contract now since elections are
near at hand and a new municipal council might not be as favorable as
this." The answer again promised that everything possible would be done
but it also carefully avoided anything like a firm commitment. This was
interpreted as a courteous refusal, and the matter ended there. In 1911 Hugo
Boncompagni, a prelate, renewed the proposal to Father [Paul] Albera [Don
Bosco's second successor], but it too was denied for lack of personnel and
other reasons.

5. ACIREALE

Bishop Gerlando M. Genuardi of Acireale was the first bishop in Sicily to

request Don Bosco's Salesians for his diocese. Although he had already
supported a similar appeal from Randazzo, also in his diocese, he was
particularly anxious to have the Salesians in Acireale. He planned to reopen
the St. Martin School, formerly run by diocesan priests, and he arranged to
turn it over to Don Bosco for a nominal rent.
Unrealized New Foundations in 1879 241

Don Bosco sent Father Cagliero and Father Durando in his place to inspect
the building. They found it splendidly suited for a boarding school. Later,
after his ad limina visit to the Vatican, Bishop Genuardi went on to Turin to
discuss the matter personally with Don Bosco. We only know of one specific
item of their discussion. Since the municipal authorities of Acireale had in
the past granted the St. Martin School an annual subsidy of two thousand lire,
the bishop persuaded them to continue these funds for the Salesians when
they would come. He even hoped to have it doubled, should Don Bosco
agree to open a lyceum on the premises. In view of this, on June 30, 1879
Don Bosco officially informed the mayor of his intention to open a secondary
school and inquired about the municipality's willingness to subsidize it.
The municipal council agreed to give the Salesians an annual subsidy of
four thousand lire once they opened a certified lyceum—a stipulation which
must have grated in Don Bosco's ears. Fortunately, however, matters took
quite another turn, and negotiations came to an end. Apart from other
considerations, the bishop's proposal for Acireale was abandoned because the
Oratorians of St. Philip Neri had already opened a boarding secondary
school—St. Michael's. In 1880, therefore, Bishop Genuardi turned his
thoughts to another plan. His diocese, which had been established by Pius IX
in 1872, had no seminary of its own, as it lacked the government's official
recognition. As soon as that came in 1880, the bishop immediately
concentrated on the seminary and, in full agreement with his chapter, wrote to
Don Bosco to ask him to take over its administration and to conduct boarding
elementary and secondary classes. Don Bosco promptly opened negotiations,
suggesting a contract basically similar to that for the junior seminary of
Magliano.7 The diocesan council agreed, but the written contract made it clear
that the proposed undertaking had become quite different from that envisioned
by Don Bosco and his chapter. A frequent exchange of letters between the
bishop and Don Bosco continued until July 1881, and the bishop furthermore
sent his chancellor and secretary to Turin to clarify plans and smooth out
difficulties, but notwithstanding the good will of both

'See Vol. XILL pp. 60f. [Editor]

242 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

parties, the superior chapter turned down the plan because details were still
not sufficiently clear and unpleasant surprises were likely to arise in the
future. The bishop was taken aback, but, being a man of eminent virtue, he
did not close his heart to Don Bosco and his successors and kept voicing his
pleasure at having within his diocese a Salesian boarding school which had
opened Sicily's gates to the Salesian Congregation.

6. CATANIA
As a matter of fact, Catania had requested the Salesians one year before
Acireale did, but despite the fact that many of the clergy were Salesian
cooperators, no serious negotiations were ever initiated. Father Rosario
Riccioli, rector of the seminary, tried to get things started by authorizing
two priests who were going to Turin to discuss the matter with Don Bosco,
but the latter simply advised them to confer with their ordinary, Archbishop
[Joseph Benedict] Dusmet. Canon Cetheo made a second attempt,
proposing that Don Bosco open a school of arts and trades with diocesan
help, but no action was taken.
In 1879, finally, Bishop Guttadauro of Caltanissetta expressed his desire to
open a girls' orphanage in his diocese under the direction of the Daughters of
Mary, Help of Christians, but this too met with no success.

7. ROME

Even as late as 1879 the hour for a long-cherished foundation in Rome had
not yet come. Two houses seem to have been ready for the Salesians in May
of that year. One, in the neighborhood of the Church of the S anti Quatro
Coronati [Four Holy Martyrs],8 was to be a small hospice for young
apprentices; the other, across the Tiber, was to be a technical school, by the
Pope's express wish. Don Bosco was asked to promptly send a capable priest
to supervise the establishment of the former and to negotiate for both

Four Roman soldiers massacred for refusing to worship a statue of Asclepius, the Greek god of
8

medicine. [Editor]
Unrealized New Foundations in 1879 243

foundations. It was asserted that enough money was already on hand to meet
the most pressing needs of the hospice and that the Pope would cover all
expenses for the technical school.
This information, imparted on May 7, 1879 by Archbishop Ludwig Jacobini
[secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith], was
greeted by the Salesian superiors as a special grace of Divine Providence.
Promptly Father [Joseph] Monateri, director at Albano, was chosen to
negotiate and was instructed to listen, observe and then report without
committing himself one way or another. "We have already pledged our word
for other houses this year," Father Barberis wrote in Don Bosco's name, "but
we must not let the opportunity of opening these houses slip by, because we
really do need a foothold in Rome."
Father Monateri's report was not long in coming, but it was disappointing.
The attitude of the Romans differed strongly from that of Don Bosco. They
planned to give all powers, including internal government, to a commission,
thus turning the Salesians into little more than lowly servants. In fact, the
commission, which had already been appointed, gave Father Monateri a
draft of the rules which they intended to impose. He pointed out that his
superiors would not approve them and suggested an alternate plan which he
thought would be acceptable to both parties. His recommendation fell on
deaf ears, and reluctantly he relayed the tightly worded draft to Turin. The
superior chapter unanimously rejected it while approving Father Monateri's
own proposals. Thus the matter ended.
Concerning a Roman foundation, however, the final word had not yet been
spoken for St. Michael's Hospice.9 In June 1879, Prince Gabrielli, chairman
of the government's board of directors, formally invited Don Bosco to assume
the internal direction of the hospice. We have already seen that this institution,
on which the Popes had lavished money and anxious care, had fallen into a
sad state of decadence. Don Bosco had previously been reluctant to accept the
responsibility because he was given no freedom. The prince, who had done
his very best to overcome this obstacle, now assured him that the Salesians
would be free and unhampered in anything depling with internal government.
Don Bosco replied that

°See pp. 52f. [Editor]

244 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

he accepted in principle and that the Salesians were highly honored by the
trust shown them. As a follow-up, he developed his concept in a reply which
he sent to the prince.
Moved by the sincerest intentions, the prince asked for further
clarifications, which Don Bosco gave him in greater detail. In addition, since
Father Durando was then in Rome because of the hostile campaign being
waged against the Oratory's secondary school, Don Bosco instructed him to
deal with the matter personally.
It seems that the progress of negotiations was slow. Anxious to have
someone who could properly represent him in Rome, Don Bosco, on October
1, 1879, wrote to his dear friend [Commendatore
John Baptist]uffilki o asking him to intervene on his behalf. It was
an excellent choice, and Don Bosco had nothing but praise for the assistance
of this first-rate official of the Department of the Interior. In his position he
wielded great influence on the negotiations, which still proceeded slowly, but
Don Bosco had good reason to avoid haste.
Among the scanty documentation concerning St. Michael's Hospice there
now remain only the sketchy minutes of a superior chapter meeting which
show that the freedom to be granted to the future director was more imaginary
than real. For instance, he would not have been free to choose his prefect or
appoint a workshop manager or even a Salesian doorkeeper who would be
under his sole control, Negotiations, therefore, ground to a halt. Apart from
this, it was advantageous for the Salesians that the Roman people came to
learn that the government was negotiating with them and showed its trust in
such an important matter.

8. MONTEFIASCONE

To these unrealized projects, we must add a few which, once established,

failed to take root. The dire need for personnel would not let Don Bosco leave
confreres in places where they felt hopelessly locked in and subject to others.
We allude to Montefiascone, Albano and Ariccia, where Don Bosco had sent
his

'°See Vol. KM, p. 428 and also pp. 128f of this volume. [Editor]
Unrealized New Foundations in 1879 245

Salesians mostly to please some eminent people and always with an eye on
Rome; there was little belief that these would be permanent foundations.
At Montefiascone" Father Guidazio felt like a fish out of water. His
position became very uneasy after he opposed the unrealistic project of
opening a lyceum staffed by Salesians. Soon enough the bishop and the
rector became increasingly cold toward him, though no one ever thought he
might leave, for the mere hint of his being recalled to Turin would have
signaled a direct appeal to the Pope. In view of Leo Ma's affection for
Bishop Rotelli [the local ordinary], it was more than probable that a papal
intervention would block such a move.
Nevertheless, at the close of the school year, Father Guidazio was called to
Turin for genuine health reasons, and later the bishop was informed that,
since Don Bosco had stipulated to loan Father Guidazio for only one year,
the latter would now be transferred elsewhere. The letter added that, if
necessary, Don Bosco would look for and readily find a lay professor whom
he might recommend to the seminary rector. Immediately the acting deputy
of the Vatican's secretariat of state sent an earnest request that Don Bosco
reconsider and send Father Guidazio back, also to forestall serious
embarrassment to the bishop and grave displeasure to the Pope. After due
consideration to this openly exaggerated statement, Don Bosco decided to
stand by his decision.

9. ALBANO AND ARICCIA

The Salesians felt very uncomfortable also at Albano and Ariccia. Cardinal
[Camillus] Di Pietro, who had brought them there, had been transferred to the
see of Ostia and Velletri, and shortly afterward his successor, Cardinal
[Charles] Morichini, had died. Both cardinals had loved the Salesians, but
now the Salesians were no longer in the good graces of the new bishop.
Cardinal Morichini was succeeded by Cardinal D'Hohenlohe, who made an
extraordinarily solemn entrance into his diocese. Father [Joseph] Monateri
was invited to the gala reception, but,

"See Vol. XIII, pp. 532ff. [Editor]

246 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN. BOSCO

when he called on the cardinal shortly afterward with another Salesian, he

received a somewhat glacial welcome. Later, Father [Stephen] Trione 12
went to pay his respects along with a newly ordained diocesan priest and
was well received, but not one word was said about either Don Bosco or
the Salesians.
Everything seemed to confirm the rumor that the cardinal was dead set
against our Congregation; furthermore, as a champion of Rosminian
philosophy, he was also a friend of Archbishop Gastaldi. When sounded out
by someone about letting Don Bosco open a boarding school at Albano, he
firmly rejected the idea. Likewise, there was hardly anyone of the diocesan
clergy who would speak favorably of the Salesians to him. The local priests
had never looked graciously upon these "outsiders," and of late they had been
waging a covert war against them. Even the slightest incident would have
kicked up a storm, as it happened when Father [Charles] Montiglio lost his
patience during class and, unfortunately, slapped a seminarian. Squabbles,
gossip and slanderous comments resulted. To make matters worse, the
Salesians' quarters in Ariccia were very uncomfortable, unsanitary, and tight
and noisy because of the endless movement of municipal employees to and
from their offices. All requests for improvement met with only vague
promises, because the municipality was practically bankrupt. The situation
became simply intolerable.
It was a relief for them to have Father Cagliero and his traveling
companion enjoy carnival with them. Father Cagliero's report to Don Bosco
read: "We see it as a waste to keep our Salesians at Albano when we have so
many pressing requests for schools and hostels elsewhere and there is no
hope for one here. What little good our priests are doing in these two small
towns could just as readily be done by the local clergy. We have personnel
here who are gifted and well disciplined and capable of far more good
elsewhere."13 Shortly afterward, Father Monateri was instructed to inform
the cardinal bishop of Albano that the Salesians were resigning. Father
Gallo was given identical instructions for the municipal authorities of
Ariccia, who at first demurred but then had to yield.
See Appendix 1. [Editor]
12

"Letter, Acireale, March 3, 1879. See also Bollettino Salesiano, August 1879, pp. 7f. 'Author]
Unrealized New Foundations in 1879 247

There was good reason for the Ariccia authorities' reluctance. Both the
parish priest and aldermen had secretly and unsuccessfully tried to lure other
teachers, and now they did not know what to do. Under the circumstances it
was no place for Salesians.
At Albano only two boarding seminarians remained, and the clerics, forced
to attend public schools with irreligious teachers and all kinds of
schoolmates, felt very much out of place. The situation made it necessary to
close the seminary, and it has remained closed to the present day [1933].
Nevertheless, the people of both towns were very fond of the Salesians
because of their priestly ministry, their splendid liturgical services, and the
care they lavished on the children both in and out of school. The boys liked
them so much that they were constantly at the Salesian house. The few
surviving confreres who once enjoyed this affection from young and old have
fond memories of it. Their successors, who later established themselves in
neighboring Genzano, kept hearing how much the old-timers missed Don
Bosco's sons who had preceded them in the Castelli Romani twenty years
before.
 CHAPTER 13

Salesian Houses Opened in 1879

I N his 1880 New Year's greetings to the Salesian cooperators, Don

Bosco listed the houses he had opened the year before, citing Saint-Cyr as the
first. In fact, it was opened on June 10, 1879, when the Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians took possession. For the moment we will add nothing to
what we have already said in this' and the preceding volume.2

1. SAN BENIGNO CANAVESE

Destined to become most important for the life of the Congregation, this
house was opened in the summer of 1879, marking the return of an active and
fervent Christian life to an historic abbey which had been a peaceful haven of
prayer, study and work for a large community of Benedictine monks from the
year 1001. As in so many other instances, a sizable town had gradually grown
around the abbey, from which it took its name, San Benign di Fruttuaria. Its
founder, William of Volpiano, former Benedictine abbot of St. Benignus of
Dijon, who founded forty other monasteries, was widely known throughout
Christian Europe for his holiness and learning. So weighty an influence did
the abbey of San Benign Canavese exert during the Middle Ages that its abbot
governed thirty other monasteries, wielding temporal power in Italy, France,
Austria and Corsica, thanks to Popes, kings and

'See Index under "Saint-Cyr." [Editor] 'See Vol.

X111, pp. 407f, 418. [Editor]
Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 249

feudal lords who had generously endowed it with villages, castles and
estates. At one time as many as twelve hundred monks were under his
jurisdiction. A true center of virtue and knowledge, it gave the Church two
Popes, Innocent IV and Sixtus IV, and five of its abbots were princes of the
House of Savoy. Its early history gained renown when King Ardoin,
disheartened by political strife, withdrew there to find peace, donning the
monastic habit and leading an austere, cloistered life to the end of his days.
His memory lives in the folklore of nine centuries.
The abbey began to decline toward the end of the fifteenth century when it
was canonically erected as a commenda.3 Abbots continued to be appointed
to the benefice even after the monks had left and the dukes of Savoy had
taken over the abbey. The last abbot to hold the benefice was Cardinal
Amedeo delle Lanze, who died in 1738 after a life of charity and priestly
zeal. The abbey lands were then absorbed into the diocese of Ivrea. On
August 15, 1865 the historic estate was totally dissolved by law and the
remaining revenues deposited into the government's Cult Fund, while the
lands reverted to the state. In 1877 the king decreed the main abbey building
a national monument, and the state lands were put under the municipality's
trusteeship. This was the abbey's legal status when a lease was first
negotiated with Don Bosco.
It was the local parish priest, Father Benone, who first thought of asking
him to take it over; though his initial attempt failed, he succeeded the second
time. We should point out that in 1852 the Fathers of Christian Doctrine had
opened a certified secondary school with facilities for boarders, and another
fine priest ran a branch school in adjacent premises for poorer boys. In 1867,
however, differences of opinion with the municipal authorities caused the
Fathers of Christian Doctrine and the priest to leave. Father Benone then
suggested that Don Bosco come in and establish his own boarding school.
Don Bosco gladly agreed, provided that the parish priest first obtained the
consent of Bishop [Louis] Moreno of Ivrea. Foreseeing no obstacles, Father
Benone called on the bishop and with the informality of an old friend put the
matter before him. "Never, absolutely never, will I allow Don

'An abbey became a commenda when its rentals were granted by the Pope to an ecclesiastic or
layman not belonging to the abbey. [Author]
250 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN. BOSCO

Bosco to set himself up within my diocese," the bishop replied.4 Thoroughly

crushed, Father Benone left, not even staying for dinner with the bishop as he
usually did on such occasions. Later, Bishop Moreno, in an effort to get the
building for his own use and to block attempts of others, undertook a vast
program of repairs, bringing pressure to bear on the government to declare it
a national monument. He achieved his goal and immediately added a further
fifteen thousand lire of restorations which ultimately benefited Don Bosco.
Because of the building's new status, no investors came forward, and so, after
the bishop's death in 1878, Father Benone succeeded in having the Salesians
take it over.
Don Bosco's aim was to move the clerics' novitiate to San Benigno. This
novitiate passed through three phases. At first the novices fully shared the
Oratory's family life of prayer and action according to each one's capability:
they supervised the boys, taught catechism or school subjects, worked in the
city's festive oratories, and carried out secretarial tasks under the direct
guidance of the local superiors. They took philosophy and theology courses
at the diocesan seminary.
During the novitiate's second phase, the novices studied at the Oratory in
classrooms of their own under their own superior, Father Julius Barberis,
while continuing for a couple of years to supervise the boys. At this time,
they were gradually grouped apart in a private dormitory, playground and
dining room. Finally, on being freed from the duty of supervising the boys,
they became totally separated from the rest of the Oratory community. The
novitiate entered into its third phase when it was moved to San Benign
Canavese, where everything was directed to their religious formation.
Don Bosco himself acknowledged this intention of his in opening the
house of San Benigno Canavese, but he also advised against giving it too
clerical a look, and he set up workshops for young apprentices, thus also
providing for its living expenses.5 Events were not slow to prove how wisely
he had acted. When the municipality transferred the building to Don Bosco,
the prefect of

'Tor the background of Bishop Moreno's animosity see the Indexes of Volumes VII and VIII under
Letture Cattoliche. [Editor]
sChronicle of Father Barberis, April 18 and May 7, 1879. [Author]
Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 251

Turin sent the following caution to the mayor before giving final approval:

Since the terms of the contract ceding state lands and buildings to the municipality
bind the latter to allow the abbey's main building to be used exclusively for endeavors
benefiting the public, you are obliged to specify distinctly what use Father John
Bosco will make of that building and why such use may be considered a benefit to
the public.

When Don Bosco was informed of this instruction,6 he sent the mayor
the following reply:
Rome, March 10, 1879
Dear Sir:
I am honored to reply to your letter of March 1 concerning the use I intend to make
of the main building of San Benign() Abbey. As already stated in the deed of cession,
I intend to use it for the public good, as I have done with all other houses under my
direction. Specifically, I intend to use the abbey's main building:
1. as a day school for the area's children;
2. as an evening school for adults;
3. as a youth center for the area's young men.
4. I would turn any remaining space into a home for needy youngsters who wish
to learn a craft or trade, as is done in the [Valdocco] Oratory in Turin, where
homeless youngsters from various places of Italy are sheltered.
5. Finally, if possible, I would also set up a center for our young personnel, to
train them in practical ways of maintaining discipline in dormitories, workshops, and
classrooms.
These are the projects I have in mind, space permitting.
I believe this is an adequate explanation of my plans. Should you request further
details, I shall gladly answer your questions.
Obligingly yours, Fr. John
Bosco
His main purpose was mentioned last and only conditionally. But [we must
bear in mind that] if the deed of cession stated nothing as to the way Don
Bosco was to use the abbey's main building for the public good, he himself
specified it in his contract with the board of

6 Letter to Don Bosco from the mayor, March 1, 1879. [Author]

252 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

aldermen in which he declared that he and his successors agreed to abide

by three conditions: 1. To honor the municipality's
obligations to the government as stated in the deed of sub-cession; 2. To
open an elementary school in the abbey premises for the area's children; 3.
To honor the obligations which the municipality had contracted with the
teachers of the elementary school.
The agreement with the municipality made reference only to matters of
concern to the municipal authorities, nothing being said of Don Bosco's
main purpose, which was then better left unsaid. Nevertheless, his
intentions were amply intimated by the wording: "To open an elementary
school in the abbey premises."
Once things were well under way, Don Bosco openly revealed his mind
in the 1880 circular to the Salesian cooperators. Describing the new house
as being "directed in many ways toward the public good," he added,
"Many poor boys will learn a trade there, while others will be trained to
become good teachers and assistants in our schools and workshops. Local
children will attend the school, and an oratory will be opened on Sundays
and holy days." His reasons for so cautiously avoiding all mention of a
religious novitiate are obvious. On the other hand, the town was all the
better off for giving Don Bosco leeway, since he enriched it with a
charitable institution and helped ease some areas of the municipal budget.
Nor was his promise to house young artisans in the house a mere cover-up.
In fact, Father Barberis, the director, on taking office immediately mailed a
circular announcing that in San Benign Don Bosco had opened "a new
hospice for an increasing number of destitute boys who would be trained in
goodness and work so as later to be able to earn an honest living." Father
Barberis urged the readers to recommend boys from twelve to eighteen who
needed a home and schooling and to help provide work for the existing
shops: carpentry, tailoring, shoemaking and bookbinding. He also appealed
to the faithful's generosity for donations, household goods and food. Soon
more workshops were added. The novices themselves were not a bit bothered
by the presence of so many young workers sharing their home. Throughout
their usual routine, they were hardly aware of them, since each group had its
own chapel, playground and living quarters.
Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 253

That year was an extraordinary jubilee year to celebrate the election of

Leo XIII. The parish priest of San Benign() came to the Oratory in May to
ask the Salesians to preach a triduum and prepare the people for the papal
indulgences. The reply was a prompt yes, and Father Barberis, who had
been appointed director of the new house, went to San Benign. Thus he was
able to check on the work to be done before the premises could be occupied.
Don Bosco later sent both Father Cagliero and Father Barberis to Ivrea to
pay their respects in the name of the Salesians to the newly installed Bishop
David Riccardi and to request the needed faculties. Graciously the bishop
replied, "If needed, I grant you every faculty a Catholic bishop can give." In
due time, when the Salesians finally came to his diocese, he was very happy
and wished them a pleasant, permanent and spiritually fruitful stay.'
The first residents of San Benign were the fifty clerical novices of 1878-79.
On completing their final exams on July 3, they left Turin two days later and
walked the entire road to San Benigno for their summer vacation. Both city
officials and the people joyfully welcomed them. They lacked many things,
but experience has shown that in the initial stages of a new undertaking it is
always to the pioneers' interest to shift for themselves and meet their creature
needs.
Despite his wish—indeed, his intention—of moving the novitiate to San
Benigno, Don Bosco, anxious that the premises be ready before permanently
transferring the novices of the new school year, had decided to send the
clerical novices there for their summer vacation. Furthermore, during the
September spiritual retreats at Lanza, he asked Father Rua, Father Lazzero
and Father Barberis to study the situation and make a report to the superior
chapter. Their findings were quite favorable, except for two items: first, the
new house would always be a financial burden to the Oratory since hardly any
novices could afford to pay their way; second, it was too far distant for Don
Bosco to hear the novices' confessions, as he had done in the past, and to
imbue them with the true spirit of the Congregation.
The reply to the first difficulty was that the Lord, who had always
generously cared for the needs of the Congregation, would

'Letter to Father Barberis, Ivrea, July 8, 1879. [Author]

254 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

certainly not stop now, especially since this undertaking aimed

exclusively at His greater glory. As for the second difficulty, Don Bosco
pointed out that he was already absenting himself from the Oratory
several months of the year so that even then he found it bard to get to
know all the clerics. He could make up for this by frequent visits,
particularly on the occasion of the monthly Exercise for a Happy Death.
The final decision was taken on September 17: the clerical novitiate
would from then on be situated at San Benigno. The result was that
candidates accepted by the superiors during the spiritual retreat were
immediately transferred there. On October 20, Don Bosco vested the
novices with the clerical habit in a private chapel of their own and fervently
encouraged them to grow in virtue. Among those fifty novices, two deserve
special mention: Michael Unia,8 heroic apostle of the lepers, and Philip
Rinaldi,9 Don Bosco's third successor.

2. CREMONA
In the New Year's circular to the Salesian cooperators which we have
mentioned, Don Bosco listed three other houses after San Benigno. All
were short-lived, not because of his poor foresight or faulty preparation,
but because their very origins were marked by overwhelming difficulties.
The house at Cremona came first. Don Bosco's deputies, Father Cagliero
and Father Durando, stopped there on their return journey to Turinig and
found it doing fairly well. In September, Father [Anthony] Sala, economer
general, visited the house and was also pleased with the preparatory work of
a special committee. Toward the end of that month, then, three priests, two
clerics and two coadjutors left for Cremona. Father Stephen Chicco, who
was replaced at Nizza Monferrato by Father Lemoyne, was the director.
Don Bosco's circular letter stated: "A festive oratory and a public church
named after Saint Lawrence, as well as day and evening classes, have begun
in Cremona."
asee Appendix 1. [Editor]
Ibid. [Editor'
9

°See p. 31. [Editor]

1
Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 255

For three years the Salesians bucked serious obstacles put up by

intolerant anticlerical parties who were dead set against anything even
remotely seeming to curry clerical favor. Unfortunately, a teacher took
exceptionally severe measures in disciplining some pupils, and a great hue
and cry arose once it became known. The anticlericals seized this excuse to
organize demonstrations against the school for several days, shouting
threats and even attempting to overrun the premises. To make matters
worse, Father Dominic Bruna, who had succeeded Father Chicco" at his
death, unwisely defended the impulsive teacher, stiffening popular hostility
and causing his own immediate dismissal by the prefecture.
Honest people, however, sided with the Salesians, and some fifty fathers
of the students quickly signed a declaration of support which Don Bosco
immediately sent to Commendatore [James] Malvano at Rome through
Father Durando. The commendatore, on the point of leaving to dine with
the king, promised to bring the matter up to the minister of public
education, who would be a fellow guest. That evening, Father Durando,
learning from the commendatore that things had taken a bad turn, conferred
with Chevalier Costantini, the minister's secretary and informed him that
Attorney Villa would handle the problem. Costantini's only comment was
that this would certainly aggravate the situation. Cremona's Freemasonry
had sent word to their colleague not to budge from Rome, so he pocketed
the five hundred lire given him for traveling expenses and was not heard
from again. Father Durando then hastened to Cremona to confer with the
local authorities, but the prefect was away, the school superintendent was in
hiding, the mayor had not yet been installed, and the acting manager had no
intention of getting involved. It was the anticlericals' hour of triumph. Since
the Salesians' position had become untenable, they withdrew on July 1,
1882, leaving the entire project in the hands of the committee which had
first sent for them. Bishop [Jeremiah] Bonomelli of Cremona was deeply
concerned, but he could do nothing to ease the anticlericals' wrath, nor did
he care to look for a scapegoat. His love for Don Bosco and the
Congregation never wavered. We shall return to this matter in the next
volume.

"Ile had died on September 8, 1881. [Editor]

256 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

3. BRINDISI

After citing Cremona, Don Bosco stated: "On November 8, a similar

foundation was opened at Brindisi, the second southernmost city of Italy."
This laconic reference seems to forecast a very brief existence. The Salesians
never had a home of their own, being lodged in an apartment of the bishop's
residence. That good prelate, Archbishop Louis Aguilar, a Barnabite, had
once visited Don Bosco at the Oratory and had been deeply edified by what
he had seen.12 He longed for something similar in his own archdiocese, but
his hopes went all awry. Misunderstandings not promptly cleared up begot
lack of trust and hostility among the clergy against the Salesians, all the more
so since the local priests saw no need for them. The few Salesians who had
been sent to get the project started felt the cooling off of the initial favor and,
seeing no way of rekindling it, returned to Turin the following summer.

4. CHALLONGES
Several times, while conversing with Commendatore [John Baptist]
Dupraz—whom we have mentioned in connection with our house at Trinity
near Mondov113—Don Bosco had expressed a desire to start work in the
diocese named after the Congregation's titular saint. In turn, this gentleman
mentioned it to Bishop Magnin of Annecy, telling him of the good work of
the Salesians, especially among poor, homeless boys. The bishop assured
him that Don Bosco would have his full support whenever he might be ready
to open a school in Savoy. The favorable moment came in 1877 when
Commendatore Dupraz and his unmarried sister decided to buy and remodel
a building at Challonges, their native town. in Haute Savoie, for Don Bosco
to open a festive oratory and a school for resident and day students. In giving
his permission, the bishop wrote to Father Durando as follows: "For some
time I have been acquainted with the good work Don Bosco's Congregation
is doing, and I therefore heartily endorse what this man of God has in mind
for Challonges in my diocese. Having long been a distant admirer of his zeal
on behalf of Italian youth, I shall now be very fortunate
Bullettn Salesien, November 1879, p. 4. [Author] See Vol.
12 13

XII, pp. 357f. [Editor]

 Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 257

indeed to bless and admire at close range the achievements of his

Congregation which I am sure I shall see among my beloved
people."14 Bishop Magnin died just before the lengthy negotiations were
concluded, and • his successor, Bishop Isoard, promptly declared his own
joyful willingness to give his support to the worthy undertaking and to
welcome the Salesians, for he too had great spiritual expectations for his
diocese:16
The building's remodeling took longer than anticipated, and the total
outlay came to some sixty thousand francs including the sale price.
Commendatore Dupraz paid the whole sum and also volunteered an annual
subsidy of fifteen hundred francs for the
Salesians. Don Bosco sent Father Durando to check on the work's
progress and to determine how soon the school could be opened. The date
was finally set for November 1879.
Meanwhile, shortly before the inauguration, one of Challonges' council
members circulated a leaflet, "The Oratory of St. John the Baptist," which
announced that, with the bishop of Annecy's authorization and the local
parish priest's consent, a Catholic oratory was to be opened as a day
school and a religious instruction center for boys of Challonges and its
environs at the residence of Commendatore Dupraz. The project was
detailed as including a tuition-free day school meeting the requirements of
the canton's office of primary education and, eventually, a private
elementary school.
However, schools of this nature required a headmaster who was properly
qualified and was a French citizen. Originally Don Bosco had planned to
appoint Count Cays, an Italian, to the position; now, however, he had no
choice but to send for Father [James] Vincent16 from Saint-Cyr since he met
all the requirements.
Father Durando accompanied the Salesians to Challonges, where they
immediately opened the festive oratory and started a choir. It was a daily
oratory because Savoy's diocesan regulations mandated an hour a day from
November 1 to March 14 of catechetical instruction for all children. It was
truly a long day for the Salesians: morning catechism classes ran from
seven-thirty to

"Annecy, November 5, 1877. [Author]

15Letter from the bishop's secretary to Commendatore Dupraz, Annecy, August 27, 1879.
[Author]
16See VoL =I, pp. 412, 418. [Editor]
258 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

eight-thirty, followed by Mass and regular instruction in reading, writing and

arithmetic—the only subjects permitted. The boys returned for games in the
afternoon, while many pupils who came from three neighboring villages
brought their lunch with them and stayed till evening. The building was ideal,
with spacious, airy classrooms.
Everything is fine—Count Cays wrote17—except for me because I feel that I am far
from qualified for this top position. True, I keep remembering what you so often told
me, "I can do all things in Him who strengthens me," but they would certainly go
better if my feeble trust [in God] were not matched by my ineptness. I candidly tell
you of my unrest not because
am unwilling to do my very best, but rather because I need your prayers
very much.

Meanwhile something that happened everywhere else began to take place

at Challonges: public school pupils started to transfer to the free, or charity,
school, as it was known, though it had a limited curriculum and no legal
approval. This steady flow of new students forced the Salesians to expand the
curriculum and to add new subjects. Then, at the insistence of priests and
laity, they petitioned the competent authority to get their school approved on
a par with other private institutions. Unfortunately, they moved ahead
without due consideration to the legal requirement that a petition was to hold
in abeyance for a month.
Immediately the Masonic press—particularly Le Patriote Savoisien of
Chambery, the radicals' mouthpiece, kicked up a fury which was fed mainly
by the town schoolmaster who was left with only two pupils. The school
inspector reported the matter to the prefect of the province who, in turn,
hung two violations upon Father Vincent: operating a private school
illegally and hiring two
foreigners as teachers and supervisors. The first charge drew a summons to
Father Vincent to appear in court at Saint-Julien, the provincial capital. The
second prompted the immediate closing of
the school by order of the prefect of Annecy. Legally, such a drastic penalty
was reserved for offenses against public morals. However, it was inflicted
under the specious reason that the school was staffed by foreigners, as
though they were by that very fact

17 Letter to Don Bosco, November 13, 1879. [Author]

Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 259

suspect persons. The situation forced Count Cays to dismiss the pupils on
December 8, suspending all classes until further notice.
Father Vincent was fined twenty-five francs and disqualified from
operating a private school. Meanwhile Commendatore Dupraz kept
clamoring for some qualified French Salesian to reopen the school
immediately.
Learning of this impasse and of the school's financial straits, Father Rua
felt that Count Cays should return to Turin to meet with Don Bosco. On
December 4, 1879 he had written to Count Cays: "Fearing that this
controversy may force you to postpone your return [to Turin], I asked Don
Bosco what was to be done about Challonges, and he feels that it would be
best for us, if we can, to withdraw, so to speak, with military honors."
Don Bosco's decision was influenced by two factors. First, there was the
impossibility of assigning a Salesian priest as headmaster. True, he could
satisfy the authorities by appointing someone as the nominal headmaster and
have Salesians be staff members, but his fear was that such a person might
possibly not be satisfied with merely being a figurehead but would want to be
headmaster in fact. Then too, after all the tirades in court, the school
authorities would closely watch the teachers and Salesians and easily find out
if they were foreigners. The harassment would only continue. "Therefore,"
Father Rua concluded in his letter, "if Commendatore Dupraz is really
determined to keep the school open, it might be better for him to run it with a
non-Salesian French staff. Later, once things settle down, we may be able to
return, especially if a boarding school is to be opened."
Don Bosco had quick insight into the heart of the problem: they had
moved too fast to open a private school. Experience had taught him that
any lasting foundation was to start with a festive oratory, and expansions
would subsequently respond to time and circumstance. He suggested that
Father Cays try once again along these lines, as follows:

Turin, December 12, 1879

Dearest Count:
I have received all your welcome letters which have both pleased and deeply
grieved me. We should have known that the devil would try to gore us. Had we stuck
to Commendatore Dupraz' original plan, we might have
260 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

been spared this upset. His idea called for opening just an oratory and an evening
school this year, as we cast about for future developments. One always runs into
trouble when ruffling the municipality's feelings. We are pretty much in the same
predicament at Trinity near Mondovi. There the public school teachers are trying
their best to take our pupils from us, and the municipal authorities are behind them.
At any rate, we are now awaiting a court decision and will necessarily abide by it.
I think it best to restrict ourselves to the festive oratory and the charity
school strictly for elementary grades. Father Rua will write to you about the
rest.
We expect no trouble elsewhere, since at Nice, La Navarre and Marseille we
teach only young artisans who live with us. At Marseille we also teach the
choirboys, but the pastor is the responsible person.
Please pay my respects to Commendatore and Mrs. Dupraz, and assure
them both that I pray for their good health and the success of our mutual
concerns.
God bless you, dear Count, and may He bless your efforts and those of our
dear confreres. Pray for me.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. Please do not worry about money in caring for your health and that of the
confreres. Make sure they all have sufficient warm clothing.

The count could not return to Turin until January 1880. Then Don Bosco
put the whole intricate situation to the superior chapter's study. We say
"intricate" because on learning that the Salesians intended to withdraw,
Commendatore Dupraz felt that it was a bad mistake and sent Father Rua a
heated tirade against a plan which he indignantly interpreted as an act of
disloyalty to him. In consequence of this, the chapter decided simply to
curtail the Salesians' activities in Challonges lest they give the authorities any
further excuse to intervene, and in the meantime to look for a new
headmaster. Furthermore, it was decided to continue the renewed endeavor
ad experimentum for one more year only, during which the superior chapter
would subsidize the project. Count Cays was instructed to tell the
commendatore of these decisions.
No sooner had Count Cays returned to Challonges than new obstacles arose
to hinder the oratory's operation. He had written to the bishop of Annecy
about the exercise of faculties granted to the
 Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 261

Salesian Congregation, informing him at the same time that the blessing of
the oratory chapel was near at hand in accordance with
his previous authorization. The bishop replied that because of the hostility
toward all religious congregations, it might be wiser to avoid any pretext for
new allegations, all the more so since the law required the government to
approve the opening of such a chapel. In practice it was a law frequently
ignored, but after the recent events, it was quite certain that the prefecture
would invoke it and order the chapel closed. There was no way out but to
put off the blessing to a happier occasion. In the meantime Commendatore
Dupraz—the very soul of this undertaking—died. The Salesians, who had
gone to Turin for their annual retreat with little if any likelihood to return to
Challonges, withdrew altogether despite the insistence of the widow.
Furthermore, the all-out war aglinst religious congregations in France made
it advisable not to focus attention on our Congregation, such as might
happen were the Salesians to stay on at Challonges after the recent
notoriety.18
Nor was Challonges the only instance when prudence prompted Don
Bosco to keep a low profile and await a more propitious moment to expand
his activities in France. A lengthy correspondence between Count Cays and
both Father Comoy and Father Bologna running from January to June 1880,
concerning the prospect of opening another house at Fourchambault in the
district of Nievre, was abruptly ended at Don Bosco's word as soon as the
first decree clamping down on unapproved religious congregations was
issued.

5. THE EPISODE AT ANNECY

Before leaving Savoy, we must not omit an episode in which Count Cays,
acting as Don Bosco's French correspondence secretary, took part.19 When
Saint Francis de Sales was proclaimed a "Doctor of the Church" in 1877, the
Visitation nuns of Annecy set about to build a handsome shrine so that the
sacred

18This had been Don Bosco's idea all along froni the beginning of the year, as we can clearly see
in his letter to Count Cays dated Marseille, February 4, 1880. [Author]
'sour information is drawn from a packet of relevant correspondence found among Count Cays'
papers. [Author]
262 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

remains of their founder, enshrined until then in their convent, would find
a resting place more honorable and more easily accessible to the public.
Work on the shrine began in 1878. A year later, when the shrine's interior
decorations still waited to be done, the funds had dwindled down to almost
nothing. In May 1879 Don Bosco received a letter from Mother Mary
Louise Bartolezzi, the prioress, who wished to have his name
memorialized in the new church. Turin had sent her a good number of
donations in marble, granite, statues and other art works, and it seemed
natural for the shrine to contain also a tribute from the priest who had
chosen Geneva's bishop as his Congregation's patron saint. She closed her
letter by advising him that the convent's confessor would soon be calling
on him.
Quite probably this visit never took place because no mention is made of
it in Count Cays' draft of a reply written a month later and signed by Don
Bosco. Among other things Don Bosco wrote:
It is truly my heartfelt wish that our Congregation, placed under the protection of
this amiable saint, may erect an altar in your shrine as a token of our devotion, but I
fear that we may not be up to the task. I must first know if a memorial altar is still
available and how much it would cost. Should it be within our means, I would very
gladly accept responsibility for it, but I cannot bind myself in advance or assume
obligations before knowing how weighty a burden I am shouldering.
Delighted by his generous offer, the prioress immediately informed him
that the altar of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and that of Our Lady were still
available as memorials.
"Either of these two marble altars," she added, "costs between three
thousand and thirty-five hundred francs. Were you graciously to share in our
shrine through a memorial altar, we would not ask for the entire sum.
Whatever you can contribute will be accepted most gratefully and will
enhance the beauty of a shrine built through the charity of our glorious saint's
beloved sons."
Don Bosco waited for an estimate to come from Annecy based on the
architect's drawing and so did not write any further, but he did not forget his
promise to contribute according to his means. Indeed, while Count Cays was
at Challonges, he had occasion to go to Annecy, and Don Bosco instructed
him to deliver five hundred francs to the shrine's administrator. In the
meantime, however, the
Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 263

shrine at Annecy had gone ahead with the Sacred Heart altar now in place in
a magnificently decorated chapel. The whole memorial was being charged to
Don Bosco's account to the sum of five thousand francs, his donation of five
hundred francs being accepted as a token payment. Annecy may have taken
his silence to mean consent, but in Don Bosco's interpretation silence was
nothing more than that, since he had clearly stated that he would suspend
decision until he had all the facts. Had the cost been kept below three
thousand francs, he would have managed to pay partly in cash and mostly in
materials and stonework which friendly stonecutters in Turin would have
supplied. But to come up with five thousand francs at the moment, when he
was burdened with building several churches of his own, was an impossible
task.
Again Divine Providence came to his aid. When Count Cays visited Turin
from Challonges during the summer, he spoke about the situation to a zealous
Salesian cooperator and old confidant of his, Baron Feliciano Ricci des Ferres.
The baron gladly seized the opportunity to rid his conscience of an old
scruple. He had bought a house in Turin which had once belonged to the
Visitation nuns and had later been expropriated under the French regime.2° It
was true that the concordat between Pius VII and Napoleon I exonerated any
buyer of expropriated religious property, but the baron had a very delicate
conscience and sought peace of mind. So he called on Don Bosco with this
proposal: he would pay the Visitation nuns of Annecy four thousand francs at
the current rate of exchange in two equal installments; in turn, they would
either buy back the property at the price he had paid, plus reimbursement for
repairs, or they would obtain for him from the Visitation nuns of Turin a
written statement that they had no objection to his retaining the property. The
confessor of the Visitation convent at Annecy was to be asked to be a
mediator. The happy conclusion is obvious. Never before were two birds so
easily killed with the proverbial one stone.21
20
The Visitation convent in Piedmont's capital was founded by St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Via
della Consolata in 1638. The house to which we refer was in front of it, at No. 5. [Author]
21
The chapel of the Sacred Heart in Annecy contained the following inscription: Salesianorum ordo—
Feliciano Ricci des Ferres—Dinaste pedemontano—AdiuvanteStwellum decoravit—Anno
MDCCCLXXX [The Salesian Congregation adorned this chapel with the help of the Piedmontese
nobleman Feliciano Ricci des Ferres in 1880]. We said "contained" because the chapel no longer exists,
having been demolished in 1910 after being legally expropriated to make room for a post office.
[Author]
264 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

6. RANDAZZO

St. Basil's School at Randazzo is certainly a Salesian house which was and
still is a shining credit to Don Bosco. In its fifty-three years of existence it has
generated such a harvest of good that we can readily overlook whatever
obstacles and setbacks at times threatened its very being. Its robust vitality
has withstood every test, allaying the fears which many felt that memorable
evening of October 24 [18791 when a long-expected handful of youthful
clerics arrived, headed by a frail-looking priest, and dispelling the misgivings
of others who never believed it possible for religious to open a private school
at a time of rampant anticlericalism.
Randazzo, a small town of Sicily graced for centuries with the title of
city, rests upon the lava of Etna and is built up with its black lava blocks. It
practically nestles on the lap of the smoking, snowcapped giant which
looms eight thousand feet above it. In 1879 there was no railroad to
Randazzo, the nearest trunk line going from Messina to Catania. The
nineteen remaining miles had to be made by stagecoach.22 It was in this
remote area that Don Bosco sank his first roots into Sicilian soil.
Several ancestral families, renowned for both wealth and achievements,
were living at Randazzo. They naturally realized the need for a modern
school. Back in 1862 the municipality had planned to open a boarding
school, but several serious difficulties had stood in the way. In 1867 the
town resolutely took a step
forward and got the government's permission to take over a former Basilian
monastery, but for lack of funds and qualified personnel to
run the school nothing was done until eleven years later, when some
prominent citizens united and, overriding prejudice, proposed that they
ask a religious congregation to help them.
The suggestion was accepted and implemented. One day the parish
priest, Father Francis Fisauli, called upon his bishop at Acireale to explain
their plans for a school and their search for a religious congregation to run
it.
"Why not ask Don Bosco?" the bishop suggested.
"Who is he?"
"You mean you've never heard of Don Bosco?"

22 This sentence is a condensation. [Editor]

Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 265

And he went on to give him a brief account of Don Bosco's work. When
Father Fisauli returned to Randazzo, he aroused his friends' enthusiasm,
and they immediately got to work.23
While Father Fisauli, son of a prominent local family, managed the project,
the real heart and soul of the whole undertaking was a local layman, the
noble, highly meriting Chevalier Joseph Vagliasindi. As a province council
member, he submitted the project to the civil authorities and obtained their
approval in a situation where Church authorities would never have won even
a hearing. To the end of his life he was loyal to the Salesians, protecting and
defending their school from everyone and everything. Although city
officials were only worried about providing an education within a balanced
budget, Chevalier Vagliasindi more nobly aimed at providing a Christian
education for the new generation. A relatively young man, he was a strong
politician endowed with a Christian conscience and, though Freemasons
dominated politics, he succeeded in convincing the responsible civil officials
to grant the needed authorization for this manifestly religious undertaking.
Not only did prudence rule his every action during those troublesome times,
but to prudence he coupled a humble reserve which, while concealing the
full range of his activity until it was revealed at his death, allowed others to
enjoy the limelight. Don Bosco, well aware of Vagliasindi's service,
repeatedly expressed his cordial gratitude in writing for all he had done and
would still do for St. Basil's Schoo1.24
Formal negotiations with Don Bosco began after Father Fisauli's
conversation with his bishop. A letter was drafted by Vagliasindi25 and
signed by Father Fisauli, and it was sent to Don Bosco with a fervent
recommendation from the bishop himself." However, it seems that, as early
as April, Vagliasindi had already

23Letter from Chevalier Joseph Vagliasindi to Don Bosco, Randazzo, October 16, 1884.
[Author]
Letter from Father [Peter] Guidazio to Vagliasindi, Turin, September 1882, and to Father [Celestine]
24

Durando, Turin, October 24, 1884. On one festive occasion—in the presence of Bishop [John] Cagliero
and Randazzo's leading citizens—Father Guidazio's fertile imagination led him to liken Vagliasindi and
the Salesian school to the best man in a wedding.
25HIS son Francis found the draft in his father's handwriting among the family papers. [Author]
26Letter from Father Fisauli to his bishop from Randazzo, August 1, 1878, and from the bishop
to Don Bosco from Acireale, August 2, 1878. [Author]
266 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

broached the subject to Don Bosco in a personal letter to let him know
about the school's site, the building, and other details of finances and
moral conditions 27
Don Bosco's reply was prompt and favorable. He was ready to open a
technical and secondary school with facilities for boarders
and at the same time assume control of the town's elementary school. As for
salaries, he would send a copy of his contract with the municipality of
Alassio to serve as a basis for negotiations, and he would also send someone
to represent him. This last phrase referred to Father Cagliero's and Father
Durando's planned trip to investigate the matter.28 Formal mention of Don
Bosco's name to the town's councilmen was first made at their meeting of
January 28, 1879 by Joseph Vagliasindi,29 who briefed his associates on the
state of negotiations and got their unanimous approval. Father Cagliero and
Father Durando arrived on March 3 and stayed there for six days. On March
9 Father C sgliero wrote to Don Bosco from Acireale: "The municipal
authorities welcomed us officially. Their motivation is Christian, not just
material; they seek a thorough, sound Christian education." In view of this
promising environment and realizing that the Salesians "were the first
religious Congregation being asked to build anew upon the ruins of religious
orders which had been recently disbanded and suppressed in Sicily," Don
Bosco's two representatives felt that they should act with wider latitude than
they had been given by his instructions to them. On March 7, taking the less
demanding contract of Alassio as a basis for discussion rather than the more
stringent one of Varazze, which Don Bosco preferred and which they had
brought with them, they worked out a five-year agreement with the
municipality. It became effective immediately upon the provincial school
board's approval on April 29. Don Bosco wrote to the mayor "a very
courteous letter," which, states Father Fisauli,3° "highly gratified the
municipal councillors, and greatly pleased all who were fortunate enough to
read or learn about it." Lastly, Don Bosco sent Father

This seems to transpire from a perusal of family papers, which the aforenamed Francis
27

Vagliasindi, son of Joseph, allowed us to examine. [Author]

Letter to Father Fisauli, September 8 and 26, 1878. [Author]
28

Minutes of the municipal council, January 28, 1879. [Author]

29

Letter to Father Durando, Randazzo, May 31, 1879. Don Bosco's letter has not yet been found.
30

[Author]
Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 267

[Anthony] Sala, councillor of the superior chapter, to Randazzo to supervise

the school's remodeling ordered by the municipality. The contract stipulated
that both day school and boarding school were to open at the start of the
school year 1879-80. Father Peter Guidazio, called in from Montefiascone,
was appointed director of the new house; he and his staff left for Randazzo
on October 19. Their trip gave him an opportunity to realize how well
known and deeply respected Don Bosco was in southern Italy. When he had
a problem in Naples to get permission to celebrate Mass because he did not
have a celebret,31 he no sooner said that he was one of Don Bosco's priests
than he was not only allowed to say Mass but was given the finest vestments
and was treated most courteously. Archbishop [Joseph] Guarino of Messina
was also most amiable with all ten of them, personally serving them coffee
and providing them with comfortable lodgings and meals at the seminary.
Moreover, many priests and prominent laymen, eager to hear about the
Salesians and their activities, called on Father Guidazio. The group left the
following day, deeply impressed by the graciousness of their eminent host,
who wished to be considered a Salesian. Not content with what he had done,
the archbishop wrote a very heartwarming letter to Don Bosco, expressing
the hope that he would have the pleasure of welcoming him personally to
Messina, a possibility Don Bosco's two representatives had mentioned to
him. At Randazzo a large crowd and local clergy welcomed the Salesians,
escorting them to the school. They were somewhat astonished at their
youthful looks, but still deeply respectful. The civil authorities too paid them
a courtesy call.
In his first letter to Don Bosco, dated October 28, 1879, Father Guidazio
tells him how touched he had been by the townspeople's reception.
"For the moment everything is wonderful," he wrote. "The sky is
beautiful, the town is pretty, and the school will look grandiose upon
completion. The people are very good." He concluded, "We are bursting
with good will, and, if we have to, we will, with God's help, work miracles.
But we need the Oratory's prayers. Dear Don Bosco, commend us to Mary,
Help of Christians and pray our
31A document stating that the owner is a priest in good standing and requesting that he be
permitted to say Mass. It must be signed by his bishop or religious superior. [Modern Catholic
Dictionary by John A. Harden, S J.] [Editor]
268 TBE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

patron, St. Francis de Sales, to grant us some of that kindly zeal for souls
which enabled him to work wonders for God's greater glory. Beloved Don
Bosco, please send us your blessing. Be assured that we shall make every
effort to become your ever worthier sons and
Salesians."
Applications to the school already amounted to fifty. Father Sala, who had
been there since early November, had transformed the old monastery and
adjacent buildings into a bright and cheerful home for the lively youngsters
due to arrive on November 12. A month later, writing of the boys' conduct to
Don Bosco, Father Guidazio unintentionally revealed how helpful Don
Bosco's system of education proved to be also in Sicily.32

You would not believe how willingly these lads listen to and reverently accept the
exhortations you send them. Were I even to talk to them about you for an hour, they
would not relax their attention. They are so docile and obedient that even we are
astonished. On Sundays and holy days they do not fail to receive the sacraments. . . .
The parents are delighted to see their children so cheerful and happy that they would
rather be in school than at home. Many families wished their boys home for
Christmas, but I told them that our regulations would not allow it. Because they
insisted, I called the boys themselves and asked them in front of their parents if they
wished to go home for Christmas. Every one of them chose to stay with us. This
satisfied the parents, who stopped pestering us and rather sent us donkey-loads of
cookies for the boys and their superiors. We have found a very simple means to
keep all these youngsters contented and happy—the Altar Boys' Society. Each day
of the Christmas novena eight or ten served at the altar. . . You should see how all of
them—the older ones especially—are wild about serving in cassock and surplice. . . .
We have already staged two plays exclusively for the boys.

No boarding school of Don Bosco's could do without a festive oratory. The

sight of so many poor youngsters—uneducated, crammed in wretched
hovels, abandoned to their own street ways—moved Father Stephen Trione
to assume care of them by gathering them together on Sundays and keeping
them pleasantly busy in a wholesome environment. He brought his plan to
the bishop, who not only welcomed it, but urged him to act immediately. He

"Letter to Father Rua, shortly after Christmas 1879. [Author]

Salesian Houses Opened in 1879 269

commended it to the local clergy and gave him for his use an abandoned
church and pews that had been stored away in a
warehouse. Without delay Father Trione opened the oratory to some two
hundred poor boys. The gradual moral change coming about in these
foul-mouthed street lads who used to curse,
blaspheme and call the devil a saint—a deplorable local habit—brought
joy to Father Trione. Of course he tried various
enticements to hold them, such as mini-lotteries, Punch and Judy
shows, and outings. He was aided by a young cleric and some secondary
school pupils who also acted as his interpreters of the
Sicilian dialect and helped keep order in the church and on the
playground. With the kindliness he had learned from Don Bosco, Father
Trione won the hearts of those poor youngsters, instructed them in their
faith, and bettered the abject condition in which they were languishing.
During the spring of the first school year, St. Basil's School was honored
by two very appreciated visits. Archbishop [Joseph]
Guarino of Messina took a side trip to Randazzo from a
neighboring town in his archdiocese to see for himself Don Bosco's highly-
praised sons in action. He stayed a week with them,
mingling with the pupils like one of them, talking to them and even
joining in their games like the Salesians. He thoroughly enjoyed an
assembly they gave him in his honor and left with the firm
conviction that Don Bosco's work was truly a godsend to his era. A
month later, Bishop Gerlando Genuardi, diocesan ordinary, graciously
accepted the hospitality of the Salesians. He was given a
fitting welcome and honored with the presentation of a Latin comedy—a
feat that dazzled highly educated guests. Briefly, the school's excellent
reputation was growing both locally and throughout the island.
Of course, every coin has its reverse side. Father Rua had cautioned
Father Guidazio not to set too much store by first impressions, and in time
events justified the advice. The director's stamina was often tried seriously
by the anticlericalism of school supervisors and inspectors, the coldness of
local civil authorities and problems within the school, but, thanks to his own
ability and the capable assistance of the loyal Joseph Vagliasindi, he always
managed to come out on top. When bidding Father Guidazio goodbye, Don
Bosco had given him two explicit assurances: "Have no
270 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

fears! You will work wonders at Randazzo. I bless you and will pray for
you." Shortly before, the January 1880 issue of Bollettino Salesiano, taking
a cue from Don Bosco, had expressed "the strongest confidence" that this
first Salesian house of Sicily would thrive and become "the seed of many
others." Both predictions were most brilliantly confirmed by subsequent
events.
 CHAPTER 14

Gleanings from the Year 1879

r
„i HIS chapter is designed as a catch-all for certain matters which,
though not insignificant in themselves, are unrelated to other areas of our
narrative. We do not want anything of our founder's life pertaining to the
year 1879 to escape us. For the most part we will cover a wide range of
material dealing with the [Salesian] houses of Italy and France.

1. Lazo

We start with our school at Lanzo and its fulfillment of a vow which it had
made back in 1873 when, just upon completion, the new building, which rises
majestically against the background of the Alps, was threatened by the
imminent collapse of the right wing when the sixth column of the longer
portico began to give way. Emergency repairs began promptly, but Father
Lemoyne, the director, was so alarmed that he immediately notified Don
Bosco. Undismayed, Don Bosco recommended that he entrust the sagging
column to St. Joseph, vowing to erect in the playground a pillar similar to the
endangered one as a pedestal for a statue of the holy patriarch. The danger
was soon past but, as usually happens with changes of personnel, the
fulfillment of the vow was deferred until a near-disaster jogged people's
memories. In 1877 a young boarder, a Turin lad named Victor Emanuel
Salvini, while playing on the second landing of the main stairway, leaned so
far over the railing that he lost his balance and fell to the ground. By strange
coincidence, he landed squarely in the arms of the director, Father [Joseph]
Scappini. Both he and the boy called out to St. Joseph at the split second of
the fall, and both were unhurt. When Don Bosco was told about it, he
earnestly reminded the community to carry out
272 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

its obligation, but the little shrine was not ready until March 19, 1879.
Don Bosco, who attached great importance to religious
celebrations, chose to attend the dedication, to which many visitors were
invited. For the occasion, the cleric [John Baptist] Grosso,' who was later to
merit high honors in sacred music, composed a hymn which the Oratory
band accompanied under the direction of Maestro [Joseph] Dogliani.2 In
perpetual remembrance of the favor and the vow, Don Bosco prescribed that
in honor of St. Joseph the school at Lanzo hold Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament every Wednesday—a custom prevailing to the present day [1933].
Don Bosco kept making fairly frequent visits to Lanzo. He went one day
at the height of the balmy spring weather. It was nesting time, and he took
advantage of a little incident to teach a lesson. On one of their [weekly]
walks, some of the boarders had found a blackbirds' nest and, taking it back
to the school, hidden it inside a little box in the dormitory. It was not long
before the poor little birds, under the inexperienced care of their masters,
died one by one. With the death of the last fledgling the boys agreed to hold
a solemn burial service. During recreation they formed a funeral cortege
and escorted the bird to its last resting place with liturgical chant, holy
water and even a eulogy. Don Bosco watched the entire scene from his
window and later, while the boys were in the study hall, sent for the leader
of the little demonstration. Gravely he pointed out what a deplorable thing
the boy had done, saying that it was a serious profanation which was never
again to be repeated. As soon as he saw that the young fellow was really
sorry, he changed his tone, assuring him that he forgave him and his friends
and dismissing him with a bag of candy to share with them. The lesson had
to be taught, and he taught it, but in a way which revealed his loving heart
and educational system.3
In September of that year his contract with the municipality of Lanzo ran
out. In view of what we explained in Volume XIII,4 Don Bosco thought it
advisable to feel out the real intentions of the municipal council and
therefore wrote as follows to the mayor:

'See Appendix 1. [Editor] /bid.

2

[Editor]
This young lad later became Professor John Giannetti of the teachers' college at Vercelli.
[Author)
4See Vol. XIII, pp. 352f. [Editor]
Gleanings from the Year 1879 273

Turin, August 23, 1879

Dear Sir:
When on a visit to Lanzo last month I spotted some major, indispensable repairs
which must be attended to for the regular use and maintenance of the school
building. To prevent further deterioration, I request that you issue necessary orders
to have these repairs done during the good weather. At the same time, I wish to
remind you that my contract with the municipality expires with the school year
1880-81. Please make known your intentions in this matter so that needed contract
discussions can be held in ample time. Awaiting your courteous response and
expressing my best wishes to you and the honorable town councillors of Lanzo, I
am honored to remain
Yours sincerely, Fr. John
Bosco

The reply was far from satisfactory, and so he arranged for the Salesians
to leave the old monastery and take up residence in the new building,
transferring the elementary school there also. The mayor obviously did not
take this amiss, as he showed on the eve of the school's reopening. The
superintendent of education, who was then battling the Oratory's secondary
school, turned his attention also to Lanzo, asking the mayor for a report on
its operation and a list of the teachers in both the elementary and the
secondary schools. When informed, Don Bosco drafted a reply reflecting his
determination, and the mayor simply endorsed it.
MEMORANDUM
On receiving the memo of the superintendent of schools dated September 14,
concerning the operation of the Lanzo school, the undersigned mayor summoned its
director for questioning and found him cooperative in every way. Although in
former years the director regularly submitted a teachers' list to the superintendent's
office, this municipality intends, from the opening of the new school year, to send
in the full name of each of the three elementary school teachers who have proper
certification. As for the secondary school teachers, the superintendent is requested
to solicit the list from the director of the school, this in view of the merely nominal
funds this municipality supplies for the secondary school. For this reason the
municipality is satisfied with capable teachers without insisting on certification. In
this connection, responding to the superintendent's request, we take it not amiss if
we give him ample
274 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

assurance that this school has always been completely satisfactory in all details of
moral behavior, discipline, student progress, and so forth, for which we have only
words of commendation. True, recently there were teachers ..

Don Bosco submitted the requested information. As for the school's operation,
we have a deposition which is very probably linked to a study then being
carried out by the Department of Public Education in conjunction with a
reorgard7ation of reformatories.5 In 1879 Dr. Julius Benelli, director of
Turin's prison facilities, visited the Salesian boarding schools, beginning
with that of Lanzo, perhaps in his efforts to compile data which would help
him formulate new regulations for the government's correctional institutions.
An article he published nine years later in the Rivista di Discipline
Carcerarie6 records his impressions. Most noteworthy is the following
passage:

My findings in Don Bosco's schools have shown excellent discipline, genuine

affection for superiors, remarkable progress in learning, and an unquestioning,
limitless trust in their teachers. My first visit was to the Lanzo school in 1879. The
entire running of the school was in the hands of very few priests. A mere hint, given
with a smile, much like a request of a courteous friend, was obeyed in a flash.. . . The
whole environment was one of peace and inexpressible joy. Imagine how impressed I
was, having just a few hours before been at La Generala with its strident gates, iron
bars and squads of prison guards and soldiers! I could then understand Count
Connestabile's narrative of Don Bosco's taking three hundred inmates from La
Generale on an excursion on foot to Stupinigi, unattended by officers, after wresting
permission from Minister [Urban] Rattazzi, who wanted to have the youths escorted
at least by plainclothesmen. From that moment I date the unswerving conviction I
now have that, if there is at least a slim hope to reform and successfully rehabilitate
misled or abandoned youngsters, it must be done by bringing them up in an
environment of uncompromising discipline, accompanied by that gentle concern
which one fords in a well-run, law-abiding family. The discipline in Don Bosco's
institutions is not based on fear. One young

5
/bid., pp. 429f. [Editor]
Year XVIII, pp. 87-88, Rome, 1888. [Author]
8

TA boys' reformatory on the south side of Turin. See Vol. II, pp. 143, 272; Vol. V,
pp. 140ff. [Editor]
 Gleanings from the Year 1879 275

cleric can handle a large group of boys by himself. The first priority, even
before classroom instruction, is the solicitous education of the heart. Some of the
teacher-clerics are far from being geniuses, but they are all young men of attractive
manner and sound moral training. Their constant presence amng the boys exerts a
great influence for good. Youngsters always model themselves on others, and in Don
Bosco's schools the boys have excellent models to follow. This explains the excellent
results.

In September Don Bosco presided over two spiritual retreats at Lanzo.

The first one, from September 3 to 10, was attended by two hundred and
fifty members, including the clerical novices. The latter had hiked from San
Benign to Cirie and then continued by train to Mathi, where they visited the
[Salesian] paper mill and joined up with those coming from Turin. Then all
boarded a train for Lanzo where they were welcomed by Don Bosco who,
the chronicle states, was "fairly well. " 5
In his "Good Night" on September '5, Don Bosco gave a definitive answer
to a question which had been coming up for several years. 9 On several
occasions, as we have noted before, he had manifested his desire that
triennial vows should be phased out, but he had reached no decision because
several superiors felt that temporary profession offered an excellent
opportunity to study a candidate more closely. This time Don Bosco laid all
hesitation aside and put an end to the controversy. He spoke as follows:

Before you tell those who wish to join our Congregation to give their names, I must
inform you that this is the last time that vows will be taken for three years. From now
on, anyone taking vows must take them in perpetuity. Experience has shown that
triennial vows are too serious a temptation for some to cope with. After living one
year in the Congregation [as a novice] everyone should know whether God is calling
him to it and whether he has enough strength to persevere. He can well say, "I shall
take my final vows," or "I shall take another road." Triennial vows will still be taken
this year since no advance notice was given. In fact, those who have applied for final
vows are perfectly free to take them for three years only; so also those who have
applied for triennial vows are free to take them in perpetuity.

8From Father Barberis' chronicle, next to the last notebook, with only twelve pages on various
matters. [Author]
9See Vol. XI, pp. 322f. See also pp. 29f of this volume. [Editor]
276 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

He made the same announcement at each of the three other retreats which
took place that year. However, his own practice made it clear that he was
reluctant to impose a burden too heavy for some to carry or to extinguish the
flickering flame in others. All we have to do is check out the membership
lists and count the number of triennnial professions which still continued to
be made.
Don Bosco gave a sermon after the solemn rite of religious profession,
but only his opening words remain.

Day by day—he said—the number of those who consecrate themselves body and
soul to God in order to save their own souls and those of others swell our ranks. How
deeply consoled this makes me—to see so many getting ready to go forth and do good,
while the world knows nothing of it! It is truly the Lord who wishes and blesses this.
The world knows nothing of it—no one save ourselves and those close to us. Many
years ago we held our first spiritual retreat, and there were fourteen of us in all. At that
time the Congregation was not yet born. Of the fourteen, twelve were day boys,
because Don Bosco had only two boarders in those days. At our second retreat we
were thirty-two. Later, when the Congregation began to take shape, we decided to hold
our spiritual retreat at Trofarello, and I recall that the second retreat that year counted
only sixteen. But it did not take very long for Trofarello to prove inadequate, and we
had to leave it and come to Lanzo for our retreats. Here too our numbers increased so
much that as of last year the usual two retreats a year were not enough and we had to
add a third at Sampierdarena. This year we must hold a fourth at Alassio. We are two
hundred and fifty on this retreat, and I am told that the next will not be any smaller. Is
not God's hand manifest in this? Somewhere in the Holy Scriptures the Lord says:
"You have multiplied the nation, and you have not increased the joy."1° Must He say
this of us too? I hope not. Let us all be one in heart and resolve never to let that
happen. Do you know what we need? It's just one word. I don't want to tell you many
things to keep us moving forward as we should. One word alone: "Observance."
Observance of the rules. Religious orders have always thrived as long as they abided
by their rules. When did they decline? When observance slackened or completely
broke down . .

More and more this comparison between the Congregation's humble origin
and its subsequent development became a favorite

lois. 9, 3—new translation by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. [Editor]

Gleanings from the Year 1879 277

topic of his, especially when he wished his young Salesians to enliven

their love for their calling.
Also at the second retreat Don Bosco spoke after the religious profession.
The chronicle has salvaged only a passage on. temperance, commenting that
it served to reveal his mind on the practice of this virtue. Referring to the
moral harm done young people by intemperance, especially drinking, he
urged his listeners:

Let each of you strive for moderation, eating and drinking only what you need, no
more. When you are invited out to dinner, for example, and you must accept because
of circumstances, you will find food and drink in abundance. Be pleasant and don't be
stand-offish because there will be more than usual on such occasions. Just control
yourself, and gauge what you need. No excess, no intemperance! On this point we
must be strict with ourselves. At other times, however, you may find that there is
hardly enough food. In that case welcome this opportunity to practice a little
mortification. Say to yourself I must sometimes fast to overcome temptation, and
since I have this chance today, I will do it now. If you are hungrier than usual or have
a lot of work to do, say: This fast, this work of mine, done on an empty stomach, will
gain me more merit since I have not chosen it and it has been given me by the Lord.

2. VALIECROSIA

The Protestants of Vallecrosia who saw all their evil plans thwarted could
not resign themselves to events. Both the evangelical minister and the
director of the Waldensian hostel spat out their malice in a pamphlet entitled
A Few Words for the People of Vallecrosia and Adjacent Villages. It was a
travesty of history, truth and common decency. Its purpose was to incite the
populace against the community of Mary, Help of Christians. The July issue
of Bollettino Salesiano issued a stout reply, but more than words was needed.
The heretics were dying to see Salesians and the sisters pushed out of
Vallecrosia. Don Bosco, on the other hand, had already been planning to
replace the little chapel with a spacious church to serve the spiritual needs of
the area's Catholics and to set up better facilities for the boys' and the girls'
schools. The new bishop, Thomas Reggio of the noble Reggio family,
following in the
278 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

footsteps of his predecessor, took to the project wholeheartedly. On June 12

he issued a pastoral letter to the "generous and pious souls" of his people,
vividly portraying the perils of the Protestant inroads and appealing to the
charity of both great and small, rich and poor, to contribute money, labor,
objects of value, and materials of all kinds. He also appointed an ad hoc
committee of five priests and four laymen to organize a public relations
campaign for the project throughout the diocese. However, it was Don
Bosco who had to shoulder the weightiest burden, and the bishop's letter
mentioned him twice in words of lofty praise.
Despite the conflicts in which he was then involved and the
outlay of funds needed to build the Church of St. John the Evangelist,
Don Bosco—ever calm and ready to help out—set
himself to the task with all possible speed. First he had to get past some
obstacles, neither minor nor few, to purchase the needed land. In August
he wrote to the director, Father Cibrario:
Turin, August 24, 1879
My dear Father Cibrario:
So far I have not had the time to give serious thought to our project at
Vallecrosia, but now I am ready to give it my full attention. Confer with Canon
Cassini and others and let me know:
1. Has anyone written to the Holy Father, or is it agreed that I should write a
letter with or without Bishop Reggio's circular or pastoral?
2. Have you already received the brochure printed here at the Oratory? If so,
is it satisfactory or are there changes to be made?
3. Has a covering letter been composed or am I to write one?
Answer my questions and tell me whatever else I need to know, and I shall do
my best to take care of everything promptly. Regards to all our friends.
Yours ever in Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Fr. John
Bosco
P.S. Are the sketches ready? Has work begun yet? It is useless to try to contact
Duchess di Galliera, because she is not receiving anybody.

He then wrote a personal letter" to the Pope, hoping to obtain Leo Xl1I's
blessing and some funds as an enticement for the faithful to offer their
generous support. The Holy Father sent his
11 0mitted in this edition. [Editor]
Gleanings from the Year 1879 279

reply with his apostolic blessing and five hundred lire.12

In a petition addressed to the royal steward's office for vacant benefices,
Don Bosco went into lengthy details regarding his Vallecrosia project:
[No date]
Dear Sir:
Father John Bosco respectfully calls your attention to the fact that in 1876, at the
invitation of the late lamented Bishop Lawrence Biale, he opened two public
elementary schools in the plaint of Vallecrosia near Ventimiglia, one for boys, where
forty pupils are in attendance, and one for girls, with sixty pupils. The provincial
superintendent's attendance and report ledgers will show this. These are free schools,
conforming to all prevailing rules concerning instruction. There is also a small
church where services are held, the sacraments are administered and the word of
God is preached.
Both the schools and the church—a counterbalance to the evangelical schools and
chapel established some time before by the Protestants—were urgently demanded by
the very nature of the area, which keeps attracting lower middle-class residents and
vacationers. Without the church and schools these people would be an hour's walk
from the existing parish and the local school in the rather unhealthy north. It would
thus be very hard for them to fulfill their duties as Christians and citizens; all the more
difficult would it be for the children to receive moral guidance and schooling. Up to
now I have supported this most timely endeavor, though it has proven very costly in
terms of rental fees and personnel salaries. I have drawn on the small, precarious
offerings of the people and on the generous annual donation of one distinguished
benefactor. The municipality itself, strapped with school expenses and salaries for the
town doctor and municipal staff, has contributed nothing. Well over a year ago, this
distinguished benefactor died, and now, what with the hard times we are living in and
the sharp drop in good will offerings from the faithful, this badly needed work is in
sore straits just to keep alive.
I find it too painful to walk out on these people who wholeheartedly respond to the
loving care of those who patiently teach them and help them to live as Christians and
good citizens. In dire need, I trustingly appeal to His Majesty's government—always
known for its generous annual subsidies to more important religious and social
ministries—to extend a helping hand to this work. A verifying report from the Royal
Treasurer's

'2We are also omitting an appeal for funds drafted by Don Bosco and sent to Father Cibrario for
local distribution. [Editor]
280 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

office at Ventimiglia will be supplied on request.

Meanwhile, I humbly turn with respectful trust to your own noble heart and ask
that you graciously grant from the funds of the General Steward's Office whatever
subsidy may suit so critical and necessary a work. In lasting gratitude for your aid, I
will not cease to invoke heaven's choicest blessings upon His Royal Majesty and
upon his eminent councillors.

Despite the hardships brought on by the year's meager harvest, donations

kept coming in, so that by the end of December the walls of the new
building began to rise above ground.

3. BORGO SAN MARTINO

Even after Father Bonetti left as director, the boarding school of St.
Charles at Borgo San Martino maintained its excellent standards and was
deeply appreciated by the people. This became manifest when a shortage
of personnel led the superiors to decide to serve notice that all Salesian
teachers in the local municipal schools would be withdrawn. When word
leaked out, the people immediately rose up in arms. Parents collected
signatures and sent a petition to Don Bosco; the parish priest even
threatened to resign. Don Bosco, unwilling to seem untouched by this
public vote of confidence, had a letter sent to the school's director, Father
[Dominic] Belmonte,13 instructing him not to serve notice and promising
to go there himself to discuss further action. His masterful letter to the
upperclassmen on the choice of one's vocation—which we have reported
elsewhere—dates from this time of the year.14

4. VARAZZE

In the reshuffle of personnel for the school year 1879-80, Varazze's

director, Father [John Baptist] Francesia, was transferred to Valsalice and
was succeeded by Father [Joseph] Monateti,15 who was free for an
assignment after the Salesian house at Albano was closed. Not feeling up to
it, however, he balked a little at the

See Appendix 1. [Editor] See pp. 90f.

13 14

[Editor] "See Appendix 1. [Editor]

Gleanings from the Year 1879 281

responsibility, wishing that the position of director be entrusted to

someone else. Don Bosco quickly eased his fears with his fatherly advice.

Turin, November 27, 1879

My dear Father Monateri:
If I felt I were ordering you to do anything contrary to God's will, I would
certainly withdraw you from Varazze, but neither you nor I would want to do such a
thing. So, be patient. Come to my help and do not aggravate the many troubles I
already have; they are very heavy indeed.
Father Francesia will talk to you. Come to an understanding, both of you. I
shall soon come and spend a few days with you.
God bless you and keep you always a good soldier of Christ!
In Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

5. MAGLIANO SABIN°

The seminary-boarding school at Magliano Sabino experienced constant

improvement. In October Don Bosco assured the superiors there of the
heartwarming comfort he had received from a letter written to him by
Cardinal [Louis] Bilio, who had spent a month's vacation there, at the very
heart of his suburban diocese, and had seen at close range the school's
orderly routine. Seeing the progress it was making in both piety and
learning, he felt he had to express his pleasure to Don Bosco.

I am truly happy—he wrote on October 14—and most grateful to you for all the
good you have brought to my diocese in these trying, lamentable times. Your
teachers, both priests and clerics, are men of zeal and exemplary conduct and, God
willing, I am sure that our boys will receive a thorough, sound education under their
guidance. All this while, my seminary has enjoyed an excellent reputation throughout
the area, even as far as Rome. The enrollment has risen to some sixty students and is
still growing. This is a token of the high regard in which the people rightly keep Don
Bosco and the Salesians. Praised be God! On my own part I shall unfailingly do all I
can do for your Institute and shall tell its praises to the Holy Father himself.
282 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Before going back to Rome, the cardinal presided over the solemn
awards ceremony, thus publicly manifesting his satisfaction and personal
interest.

6. NICE
Three brief letters written by Don Bosco to Nice give us an idea of his
relations with that house. All three, addressed to the director, were written in
July. In the first one, after thanking him for the greetings sent him on his
name day, he tells the director that a copy of the report on the state of the
Congregation will soon reach him, and he voices his sincere gratitude to one
family of benefactors, touching upon a little lottery which, he says, has also
been extended to France.
Turin, July 14, 1879
Dearest Father Ronchail:
I shall get to replying to Father Bianchi's strange letter, hoping, with God's help, to
calm him down. At the beginning of next week Canon Guiol will stop off at Nice.' 6
He will probably need at least ten thousand francs for Father Bologna. Try to
approach Father Cauvin."7 and others about a loan. Do what you can to help me
relieve the embarrassment of our contractor in Marseille.
Let me know if Father Pirro and Father Macherau have been ordained, or are there
any problems? What is the name of the other priest who wrote me from Annecy for
my name day? Does he wish to become a Salesian? Has the cleric Pantore
straightened out yet?
Please assure all that I was delighted at all the letters I received from St. Pierre's
Hospice.'s Tell them I pray that God may reward them and keep them in His holy
grace.
Let me have some good news soon because I am having a lot of problems.
God bless you all. Pray for me.
Always yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco
16He was on his way back from Turin as we s all describe later on. July 14 was a Monday; July 20
was a Sunday. The canon was returning to Marseille and stopping over at Sampierdarena. [Author]
17
See VoI. p. 548. [Editor]
18Greetings in French by the young Damascus boys we mentioned previously. [Author]
Gleanings from the Year 1879 283

Although pressed by "a lot of problems," Don Bosco was somewhat

comforted by the love his sons showed him, by the solidarity of his schools'
directors who shirked no sacrifices to help him in his wide-ranging projects,
and by the good reports he was receiving from the houses. All this we gather
from his second letter:

Turin, July 4, 1879 .

My dear Father Ronchail:
I thank you and all my dear sons at Nice for your prayers and your best wishes.
God bless each of you and keep you in His holy grace.
You will be getting two copies of my report [to the Holy Seel" by mail.
Your news of the Tibaut" brothers was most welcome. If you chance to see them,
please give them my best regards; tell them that I thank them from my heart for the
charity and good will they show our orphanage. Assure them of my daily prayers for
them at Holy Mass.
How is our lottery coming along. Did you sell all the tickets? Do you have any to
return? Can you use more?
Keep praying for me. Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

Just as Don Bosco kept his little room at the Oratory always open to anyone
in the house who might want to see him, so also his distant sons were always
free to write to him with trust; even if they sought but momentary relief from
depression, they could be sure he would never let a letter of theirs go
unanswered. When the young catechist at Nice, Father Lawrence Bianchi,
yielded to spiritual discouragement, he poured out his anxious feelings in
what Don Bosco styled a "strange" letter and found his father unfailingly
sensitive.

Turin, July 23, 1879

Dearest Father Ronchail:
I wrote Father Bianchi a long letter which he has not received. Please check if it is
still at the post office or somewhere in the house. If it is lost,

See Chapter 8. [Editor]

19

Epistolmio di San Giovanni Bosco this name is spelled "Tibaut" in Vol. HI, p. 335, Letter
1752, and "Tibau" in the same volume, p. 485, Letter 1941. [Editor]
284 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

let me know and I shall write another. Let Father Bianchi know and assure him
that I have not forgotten him, and ask him not to forget me.. More some other
time. God bless us all! Always in heartfelt love in Jesus Christ,
Always yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. I enjoyed reading the letters from the Damascus boys. Give them my
regards.

In 1881 the five Damascus young men who had been sent to Nice from
the Oratory were recalled to Turin by Don Bosco, who wished to train them
as clerics. On learning that they would receive Latin rite orders, however,
the Melchite patriarch of Antioch, Gregory Jussef, reacted. "They were sent
to Nice," he wrote on October 20, 1881, "so that they might pursue priestly
studies, and then they were to come back here and dedicate themselves to
the care of souls." He asked Don Bosco to put them into the care of a priest
at Marseille who would represent him and follow his instructions. The
patriarch concluded his letter with the words: "I will not hide my dire need
of apostolic workers throughout my dioceses, and I find it indispensable to
have young men here at the service of my patriarchal see. I am most grateful
to you for the care you have given these boys while they were in your
houses." The patriarch's wish was promptly obeyed.

7. MARSEfljP,
After the laying of the new building's cornerstone on May 24,
construction at Marseille progressed rapidly. However, funds soon ran low,
and Don Bosco needed a loan, as he mentioned in his first letter to Father
Ronchail, which is a partner letter to that sent to the parish priest of St.
Joseph's Church [Canon Guiol]. From it we learn how Don Bosco found
means to keep up his undertaking by selling some farmland he had inherited
from Baron Bianco di Barbania. Canon Guiol visited Don Bosco and the
Oratory about mid-July and stayed only a few days because his pastoral
duties
Gleanings from the Year 1879 285

called him back to Marseille. Don Bosco then wrote to him as follows:
Turin, July 20, 1879
Dear Father:
Just a few lines to keep you abreast of our affairs. The photographs of St. Leo's
Festive Oratory are ready, but I shall probably not be able to mail them to you
before Wednesday, in which case I shall address them to Marseille, as we had
agreed.
I have signed a contract for one of the Caselle farms, and by the end of this
week it will be notarized. I hope this will put Father Bologna at ease. But if Father
Ronchail has managed by now to contact the person I personally wrote to, he will
probably have on hand the necessary sum.
At all events, I shall do my best to keep things moving and not stop halfway.
The Salesian Congregation is but a child, and so its sons are younger still. But
with God's help they will grow up and in due time reap a fruitfttl harvest from
bothersome incidents. Let's be patient, persevering and prayerful.
We were all delighted to have you here with us. Too bad your stay was so short.
Come again, please! I ask you to overlook our shortcomings in not giving you the
hospitality you deserve and we wished to extend.21
God keep you in good health! in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

Don Bosco had requested and obtained a papal decoration for Monsieur
Rostand in acknowledgement of his work in directing the Beaujour
Society, and he planned a solemn presentation. He wrote to Father Guiol:

Turin, July 29, 1879

Dear Father:
His Eminence Cardinal Nina has informed me that His Holiness has bestowed the
knighthood of St. Gregory the Great on Monsieur Rostand. I am asking Father
Bologna to see you and arrange for a fitting celebration.
The wording of the papal brief is not conventional but, as you will see from
the copy I enclose, very pointed.

21
A reference to a courteous invitation Don Bosco had made with a short note on July 3, 1879.
[Editor]
286 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

The cardinal also hints at other favors to be granted by the Holy Father; I
shall notify you as soon as they are final.
I'd like to settle eve
rything22 at every cost, but I would need time—not
much, but some.
Enclosed please find an unsealed letter for Monsieur Rostand. Read it for your
own information and then please seal it and deliver it to him. Do what you think
best. I am pressed for time but shall write again soon.
May God bless us all.
Yours affectionately,
Fr. John Bosco

P.S. Write a good article for the Bollettino Salesiano.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Monsieur Rostand thanked Don Bosco and

sent his thanks to the Pope directly. He also finalized the process to give
legal recognition to both the house in Marseille and the orphanage at Saint-
Cyr. What Don Bosco was most anxious to settle "at every cost" was the
situation of the choir school. It was a problem about which Father Guiol was
still agitating and writing heated letters. Don Bosco had referred to it in his
previous letter in the cryptic phrase "bothersome incidents," meaning
"unpleasant" incidents. The good cure was a generous, zealous man, but an
easy prey to impulsive outbursts. Once he got an idea, he could not face any
obstacles realistically, but ran head-on against them, without heeding either
circumstances or consequences. For the time being, thanks to Don Bosco's
acquiescence, a settlement had been made, as we have already related. 23
On the eve of the Christmas novena, Don Bosco sent his very best wishes to
three ladies of Marseille who had shown the Salesians particular kindness. Two
of them we already know; the third was Monsieur Rostand's wife.

Turin, December 15, 1879

Dear Madame Rostand:
Father Bologna has often spoken to me of the acts of kindness you and your daughter have
performed to help the poor boys of St. Leo's Festive 22A reference to Canon Guiol's
demands for help from the Salesians as regards the choir school and other needs. [Editor]
See pp. 9ff. [Editor]
23
Gleanings from the Year 1879 287

Oratory. I feel that I must express my heartfelt and humble thanks.

Please let me offer you a very special gift you will surely appreciate. Next
Thursday, God willing, I shall celebrate Holy Mass at the altar of Mary, Help of
Christians, and our boys will receive Holy Communion and offer special
prayers for your intentions. It is our desire that God's blessings come upon you
and your family. Good health, peace and
prosperity be heaven's legacy to the Rostand family and their descendants to
the last generation.
God bless all of you! I hope to see you next January. Pray for me. I am in
Jesus Christ,
Your humble servant, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. My respects and best wishes to your worthy husband.

Turin, December 15, 1879

Good and dear Mother, Madame Jacques:
Not only your sons at the Beaujour Society, but all those in Turin remember
their kind mother and her many kindnesses. Knowing we will please you, we
shall pray very, very much for you during these few days. Furthermore, next
Friday I shall celebrate Holy Mass and our boys will receive Holy Communion
and pray particularly for your intentions.
God protect you, our dearest mother. May He bless and comfort you with those
spiritual flowers which will one day form your crown in heaven.
God willing, I hope to see you again next January. Meanwhile, remember me
in the charity of your prayers. I am honored to be filially
Your obedient son in Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

Turin, December 15, 1879

Dear Madame Noilly-Prat,
Your generous kindness has prompted you to extend your concern to the
poor lads of St. Leo's Festive Oratory. I would like in a very special way to
show my gratitude to you before God.
Next Saturday, the fifth day of the Christmas novena, I shall celebrate Mass, at
which our boys will receive Holy Communion and pray particularly to the Child
Jesus for your intentions. Our prayer will be that God may keep you in good health
and in His holy grace, and that He may grant you to see with your own eyes the
harvest which your charity has
288 THE, BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

reaped on earth. The reward which awaits you one day from Our Heavenly
Father will exceed it more abundantly.
God bless you, my dear Madame Prat. I trust you will willingly accept this small
token of my gratitude. Hopefully I shall see you personally some time this coming
January.
Please be so kind as to pray for me. Always in Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Yours most gratefully, Fr. John
Bosco

Canon Guiol could not be forgotten in this instance, all the more so
because Don Bosco had not written to him since July and was anxious to
pave the way for his next visit to Marseille.
Turin, December 22, 1879
My dear Father:
Although some time has passed since my last letter, I have never forgotten to
offer a memento for you in my daily Mass.
At this season it is only right that I extend my sincerest best wishes to you for
a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, while I assure you of our continued
remembrance throughout 1880 at the altar of the Blessed Virgin, Mary, Help of
Christians. I trust that God will hear our prayers and make your coming year a
happy one.
Meanwhile I'd like to inform you that about the middle of next January, God
willing, I expect to be in Marseille to improve the financial organization of St.
Leo's Festive Oratory and make sure that outstanding debts are paid and future
obligations met. I would think a conference of Salesian cooperators and of other
charitable, esteemed persons would be very apropos. I have no idea whether St.
Leo's would have a hall for us or if we should use the chapel or maybe find a
suitable place at the home of a benefactor. My purpose would be to let people
know what we have already done and what our plans are and to discuss with the
cooperators some easy ways they can come to our aid. Any comment you might
care to make will be very helpful.
Should you meet any members of the Beaujour Society, please give them my
regards.
I commend myself to the charity of your prayers. In Our Lord Jesus
Christ,
Your most affectionate friend,
Fr. John Bosco
P.S. Thank God, my eyesight has improved considerably.
Gleanings from the Year 1879 289

Precisely on Christmas Eve Bishop Jean Louis Robert, who had

succeeded Bishop Place at Marseille, publicly gave Don Bosco's sons a
testimony of his good will. A building fund drive [for St. Leo's Festive
Oratory] was in progress. The bishop not only gave it his blessing, but in
a letter to his people warmly recommended it in terms of lofty praise. In
this he was following the example of his predecessor, who, on being
promoted to the archepiscopal see of Rennes, was in the habit of saying:
"Even had I done nothing else as bishop of Marseille but bring the
Salesians there, this alone would make me feel satisfied about my
accomplishments." He wanted the Salesians at Rennes also, insisting that
if they came he would die a happy man.

8. VALDOCCO [ORATORY OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES]

At Valdocco too the superiors relied on the estate of Baron Bianco to
balance the budget. Most of the money was being poured into the Church of
St. John the Evangelist [in Turin] and that at Vallecrosia. Furthermore, an
increase in the cost of living—which rose that year by one-third--strained the
finances even more.

What—Don Bosco asked his Salesian cooperators in his circular of January

1880—can be done? Should we panic? Not at all! The good of souls and our civil
society is at stake. In the past we met our weighty and pressing commitments with
good will offerings and particularly with our recent lottery, a true godsend. I put all
my trust for future projects in God's providence, for in similar urgent needs He has
never failed me. Once again I rely upon your charity.

A decisive step had already been taken. When the financial crunch was
brought to the table on May 29 and the heavy debts burdening each
department of the administration were listed, the superiors ageed, with
Don Bosco's consent, to draw a loan of one hundred thousand lire to be
repaid by the sale of St. Ann's vine,' at Caselle. We find a reference to the
Oratory's financial straits in a letter written somewhat later to Chevalier
Charles Fava.

0ne of the properties of Baron Bianco. See Vol. X01, p. 632. [Editor]
24
290 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Turin, December 4, 1879

Dear. Chevalier.
When you and your wife gave us a generous offering yesterday, you stated
that you wished it for the Church of St. John the Evangelist. Although the
church really needs it, I would prefer to use the money, if I may, for my many
boys who are still wearing summer clothing. It would really be a case of
clothing the naked.
With renewed thanks for your charity to me and to my poor children, I pray
that God may shower His abundant blessings upon you, your wife and your
daughter.
Most gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

In a postscript Don Bosco pointed out a drawback not so rare in

boarding schools. The chevalier had asked him to revoke the threat of
expulsion made to a young artisan. Don Bosco sent the following
clarifications:
P.S. I spoke with Father Branda about young Peano, and he assures me that
no expulsion is contemplated. He merely remarked that one of the boy's aunts
kept breaking the rules by visiting him too frequently, making the lad promises
and bringing him gifts.
Father Branda made it clear to her that all these gifts of food made the lad
indifferent to admonition or threats of punishment, and that, were she to keep it
up, the superiors would have to dismiss the boy at Christmas. The good lady's
reply was that Christmas was too soon, and would they wait until spring? I would
therefore suggest that if you happen to know this lady, you would ask her to let
the school staff do its job, all the more so since he certainly is not in any kind of
need. Do what you think best in your own right judgment.

We now come to another very different matter concerning the Oratory.

In the course of these Memoirs we have often made mention of Don Bosco's
solicitous efforts to aid wayward priests on their way back to a life of
virtue. Sometimes he offered to house them at the Oratory, surrounding
them with gentle care and sparing no effort to assist them in rehabilitating
themselves. In this summer of 1879 he strove to aid a certain Father
Machet, formerly a parish priest of Gravere in the diocese of Susa, who had
gone over to the
Gleanings from the Year 1879 291

Old Catholics25 sect. Don Bosco personally appealed to Leo XIII to

reinstate him 26
A reply came in at the beginning of December from Monsignor Angelo
Jacobini, assessor of the Holy Office, to which the secretariat of state had
referred the petition. All we learn from the reply is that, having investigated
the matter, the Sacred Congregation had sent instructions to the bishop of
Susa, and Don Bosco was asked to get in touch with him.
It gave Don Bosco great comfort to know that every day his Oratory boys
offered prayers to Mary, Help of Christians and received Holy
Communion. They were for him a lasting spiritual treasure through which
he could obtain God's help both to carry out his expanding arduous
mission and to repay the generosity of his benefactors. How strong this
trust of his was we find eloquently expressed in the following letter to
Alphonse Fortis.27

Turin, November 29, 1879

My dearest Alphonse:
I received your two letters, each giving me distressing news about your health. I
am truly sorry but firmly believe that God will hear our prayers and you will
recover. Do not worry about your teaching. We are mainly concerned that you be
well. Health is our greatest asset after God's grace.
Also our dear Richard is not well. I am truly sorry. How worried his father
and mother must be!
At any rate, I intend to storm the tower of David—Mary's power—to force her—
so to speak—to make both of you recover, so that you may both consecrate your
strength to the welfare of souls. Here is my plan. Every day during the coming
month of December Holy Mass will be offered at the altar of Mary, Help of
Christians and our boys will receive Communion and say special prayers
throughout the month.
You and your family will say an Our Father to Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament and a Hail, Holy Queen to Mary Immaculate. I am fully confident
that these joint feeble efforts of ours will compel Our Lord to heed and grant
our prayers.

26
0I d C at ho l i c s i s a ge n e r a l n a me fo r va r i o u s n a ti on a l c h u r c h e s t h a t a t
d i ffe r e n t t i me s s e p a r a t e d f r u i t t h e R o ma n C a t ho l i c Ch u r ch . [ E d it o r] 2 6 We a r e
o mi t t i n g hi s l e t t e r i n th i s ed i t io n. [ E d it o r]
2 7 S e e V o l . X LI I , p . 17 5. [ Ed i to r]
292 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

God bless you and my dear Richard, and Papa and Mamma. May He
keep you in His holy grace.
I hope to see you again fully recovered. Till then, pray for me. Always
in Jesus Christ,
Your most affectionate friend,
Fr. John Bosco

9. THE YEAR'S END

On December 13 [1879], as the Christmas novena was approaching and

the year was drawing to an end, Don Bosco mailed an appropriate
message to all the Salesian houses and to
their pupils.
Christmas Novena
The solemnity of Christmas should arouse within us the following desires and
resolves to show our love to the Infant Jesus:
I. Observance of His holy Commandments.
2. Bearing with the faults of others.
3. Hope in God's infinite mercy and a steadfast resolve to avoid sin.
4. Making amends for scandal by good example.
5. Keeping modesty in even the smallest matters.
6. Checking one's conscience as to having had real sorrow in past
confessions.
7. Reviewing the good resolutions made in past confessions to see
they were carried out.
8. Reviewing the confessions of our past life as Jesus will do on
Judgment Day.
9. Resolving to love Jesus and Mary unto death.
10. On Christmas Day: Holy Communion with the resolve to receive
frequently in the future.
Best wishes for heavenly blessings from your friend,
Fr. John Bosco

When the Christmas celebration was over, he sent all the houses his
usual strenna 28 worded as follows:

28A New Year's gift customary in Italy. From the very beinning of the Oratory (see Vol. III, p.
433) Don Bosco had started the custom of giving a "spiritual" strenna or gift to his boys and co-
workers on the last day of the year. It took the form of a motto or slogan to be practiced throughout the
year then about to dawn. This custom is still kept by Don Bosco's successors. [Editor]
Gleanings from the Year 1879 293

Turin, December 26, 1879

DON BOSCO'S STRENNA
TO THE SALESIANS AND THEIR PUPILS
and
Greetings for 1880
1. To All Without Distinction: Give good example in word and deed. Be on
guard against forming habits in unnecessary things even when they are neither good
nor bad.
2. To the Directors: The patience of Job.
3. To the Superiors: The kindness of St. Francis de Sales in dealing with others.
4. To All Pupils: Use your time well; time is priceless.
5. To All Salesians: Strict observance of our rules. Superiors are asked to
read and explain the above repeatedly if needed. God bless you all! My
special thanks to those who sent me greetings.
Fr. John Bosco

10. PREDICTIONS

All we must do now is record a few predictions made by Don Bosco in

1879 which we could not suitably place elsewhere in this volume. One
prediction was made to Sister Clementine of St. Joseph, who joined the
Sisters of St. Joseph in Turin in 1875. Though she felt ever more drawn to
the foreign missions, she could not make up her mind to tell her superiors;
they in turn, a few years after her novitiate, appointed her mistress of
novices. She would have liked to confer with Don Bosco but was held back
by the thought of speaking to a saint. Finally, one day in 1879, having to
take one of her students to visit a patient at the Cottolengo Hospital, she said
to her, "While you are here visiting, I will call on Don Bosco at the
Oratory." She plucked up her courage and asked to see our saintly founder,
who listened to her and told her she should go to the missions.
"But my superiors will not be inclined to grant permission," she objected.
"All right, then, ask for a leave of absence from your congregation and
join our own nuns on their next expedition to South America. When you
get to Buenos Aires you can enter the
294 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

local convent opened by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Pinerolo."

Delighted at this suggestion, Sister Clementine asked her superior for
permission to go to the missions. She was turned down because she was a
valuable asset to her own community and because the Sisters of St. Joseph
of Turin had no foreign missions.
Some months later she again went to see Don Bosco, meeting him in the
Oratory playground as he was on his way to church. She immediately told
him that her request had been denied and asked for his advice. Don Bosco,
raising his eyes to heaven, merely answered: "Be patient!" And, without
another word, he went into
the sacristy.
A few days later, the good sister fell sick of a strange ailment which
brought her intense pain and kept her from attending her manifold duties.
She repeated her request to go to the missions, but was again denied. Her
ailment ran on for ten years more until finally in 1889 she asked to leave the
Sisters of St. Joseph of Turin and switch to those of Chambery. Their love
for her prompted her superiors to refuse her request, but finally they yielded,
and she was lovingly received in her new home. However, her illness now
became an obstacle to her ardent desire, and so it never occurred to her to
mention it. Hopeful that a change of climate might help her, her superior
sent her to their convent in Rome, but her illness only worsened and she was
recalled to Charnbery.
Meanwhile the superior of a flourishing Catholic hospital in Christiania,
modem Oslo, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, had died.
Arrangements were made for a French nun to replace her, but the apostolic
delegate would not hear of it. Distressed by his stand, the superior of
Chambery thought of Sister Clementine, and one day asked her abruptly,
"Would you like to go to the missions?" In total surprise she replied that,
were her ailment to relent a bit, she would gladly agree.
The superior said no more. Upset by both this reawakening of an old
yearning and her natural hesitancy on finding herself on the verge of
reaching a long-cherished and frustrated goal, the sister went to the chapel
to ask Don Bosco in prayer to aid her at that moment of decision. She had
been praying some thirty minutes when the superior approached her with a
telegram from the apostolic delegate agreeing to having an Italian sister
replace the deceased superior.
 Gleanings from the Year 1879 295
Sister Clementine was overjoyed. It took her but two weeks to regain her
strength, make preparations and then leave. She did not return to see her
family in Turin until 1891 and then immediately went back to her work in
Oslo. While in Turin, she told Father Belmonte about Don Bosco's
prediction, concluding: "Now I am truly happy. My health is strong enough
for me to do my work. I have forty nuns and fifty patients. Protestant doctors
gladly work in our hospital."
Don Bosco made another prediction in 1879, not to one sister but to the
entire Turin community of the Sisters of St. Anne [founded by Marchioness
Barolo].29 The nuns had been invited to open a house in Rome, but they
could not make up their minds, fearing rejection and perhaps lack of local
support. On being asked, Don Bosco very decisively stated that they ought
to go. To their objection that they could not afford a new foundation, he
replied: "Go and don't worry. Soon you will have a fine convent." Relying
on his word, they went to Rome and settled in a very poor house, where they
stayed several years in utter poverty until two noble Roman ladies, who had
set their hearts on the sisters and had even taken the veil, brought the
congregation a handsome dowry and a magnificent residence which they
ceded to their community in 1884. On moving into their new home, the
sisters hesitated to remain, feeling such splendor to be ill-attuned to their
evangelical poverty.
Two other predictions of Don Bosco concerned Salesians. Father Secundus
Marchisio publicly recalled one at the twenty-fifth anniversary of his first
Mass which he had celebrated in 1879. On that occasion, Don Bosco, placing
his hand on his shoulder, had told him, "For twenty years you will be a
prefect, and then . . . well, then we shall see!" It was precisely twenty years to
the day that he had been prefect at Valdocco and at Borg, San Martino when
his superiors told him he was appointed catechist at the Oratory.
The second prophecy concerned Father Francis Dalmazzo. In 1879 a
farewell dinner was being tendered in his honor at Valsalice on the feast of
the Immaculate Conception, and his successor, Father Francesia, was being
welcomed. Father Dalmazzo was leaving Valsalice to be the Congregation's
procurator general at

29
See Vol II, p. 249. See also the Index of the same volume under "Barolo." [Editor]
296 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Rome. Among the guests was the Oratory's physician, Dr. Vincent Gribaudi.
Being on intimate terms with Don Bosco, the doctor begged him to leave
Father Dalmazzo as director of the Valsalice College to please his mother,
who was very upset at his departure.
Turning to Father Dalmazzo, Don Bosco said, "You will return to Turin
when the general chapter meets for the election of Don
Bosco's successor." He did in fact return to Turin in January 1888, a few
weeks before Don Bosco's death, and resided at the rectory of the Church
of St. John the Evangelist.
To these predictions of Don Bosco we must add another which took place
at Lu in October 1879. Don Bosco was being hosted as
usual by his generous friends, Joseph and Mary Rota, parents of
Father Peter Rota, then a cleric at the Oratory and later provincial in
Brazi1.3° Don Bosco was returning from a visit to a sick woman,
Mrs. Isabelle Grossetti, and he was surrounded and followed by a
crowd of people anxious to see him. At the corner of Via Montaldo and Via
Circonvallazione Don Bosco noticed that in the crowd a
barefoot boy in shirt sleeves kept staring at him. Don Bosco stopped to
return his gaze and asked him, "What's your name?" "Quartero."
"Do you want to come to Turin with me?"
"Sure! That's why I'm here!"
"Come, then. I have hobnails for your shoes there!"
The crowd was amused by his witty remark. After conferring with the
boy's parents, Don Bosco accepted him into the Oratory,
keeping him there until he finished his secondary schooling. If today
Father Quartero is an excellent parish priest, he owes it to that
providential encounter.31
Another and farther reaching prediction also dates from 1879. At that
time rumors of an imminent persecution against religious
congregations in France were rife. Don Bosco predicted, "The day will
come when the Salesians will be dispersed and given shelter by the Salesian
cooperators. But this will not last long, and the

3°See Appendix 1. [Editor]

311n some memoirs which Sister Josephine Rinaldi, niece of Father Philip Rinaldi, gave to Father
[Peter] Ricaldone, Father Quartero wrote: "This anecdote is published in the life written by Father
Lemoyne [Biographical Memoirs, Vol. VI, p. 613], though there is a serious error in the time sequence.
The author ascribes it to the year 1861, when I had not yet been born. It actually occurred in 1879."
[Author]
 Gleanings from the Year 1879 297

Congregation will then flourish more than before." This dispersion of the
Salesians in France took place when a law regarding associations was
promulgated in 1901 and enforced in following years. Many confreres were
able to stay at their posts only because then and there the cooperators
generously offered them a home and protection. Later, wresting the law to suit
their own needs, they helped the Salesians and enabled them to continue their
apostolate. As we all know, events then took a favorable turn, and Salesian
works gained new life, making flourishing progress year by year.32

32Father Cartier (letter to Father Lemoyne, Nice, October 12, 1907) wrote: "Such words made a deep

impression upon me and stuck in my mind; they were my comfort in all my adversities in my last few
years in Nice." [Author]
 CHAPTER 15

At the Beginning of a New Year

MI GLANCE at the state of the Congregation at the

dawn of 1880 is quite proper for gauging its progress. The superior chapter
consisted of these members: Don Bosco, Rector Major, Father Michael Rua,
Prefect; Father John Cagliero, Spiritual Director, Father Charles Ghivarello,
Economy; Father Celestine Durando, Prefect of Studies; Father Joseph
Lazzero, Councillor; Father Anthony Sala, Councillor, Father John Bonetti,
Coordinator of Religious Services; Father Julius Barberis, Novice Master.
The directory lists Father Ghivarello as also director of the
Saint-Cyr Orphanage. Don Bosco had indeed decided to send him there
for a while in February 1879 since he was knowledgeable in agriculture
and could easily absent himself from Turin, but he was not yet fluent in
French and someone else took his place till about the end of the year.
Strictly speaking, neither Father Bonetti nor Father Barberis was a
member of the superior chapter, but Don Bosco allowed them to take part in
its meetings, and so the directory double-spaced their names from the rest.
Doubtless, Don Bosco intended to enhance their standing before the
confreres. From 1878 to 1880 the office of Coordinator of Religious
Services actually meant "Rector of the Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians."
The Congregation numbered seven hundred and thirty members, as
follows:
Perpetually Professed 325
Triennially Professed 80
Novices 146
Postulants 181
Priests 127
It had four provinces named after their location: Piedmontese, Ligurian,
[ South] American, Roman. Father Francesia, Father Cerruti and Father
Bodrato were respectively in charge of the first
At the Beginning of a New Year 299

three; from Turin Father Durando supervised the Roman province, which
comprised four houses: Magliano Sabino, Randazzo, Brindisi and Rome
(Tor de' Specchi).'
Following a practice begun in 1875, the directory ran brief biographies of
the confreres whom God had called to eternal life the previous year: a
coadjutor brother, Charles Tonelli, and five clerics—Peter Scappini, Louis
Bianchi, Clement Benna, Charles Trivero, and James Delmastro. The four
brief pages dedicated to Benna, who came from a very prominent Turin
family, sufficiently show us the many talents and charisma of this most
promising young cleric who was "a delight to his companions and a solace
to his superiors."
Don Bosco attached great importance to the biographies of deceased
Salesians but, foreseeing that the Congregation's spread would make it
increasingly difficult to compile necessary data, he added a printed form
to the 1880 directory with instructions that biographical notes [of the
deceased] were to be jotted down immediately and promptly mailed to
Turin to be used by appointed writers. The form bore ten headings: 1.
Incidents or events of early years at home and native village. 2. Conduct
as student or artisan in boarding school or hospice. 3. Deportment during
novitiate or after religious profession. 4. Offices held. 5. Exercise of
priestly and missionary ministry. 6. Outstanding virtues in word and deed.
7. Devotion and practices of piety. 8. Rapport with confreres and people.
9. Writings: books, papers, letters; maxims quoted from same. 10.
Circumstances of final illness and death.
This survey shows the mentality of a man born not only to make
history, but also to write it, had his undertakings not taken up all his time.
Father Francis Dalmazzo, once appointed procurator general2 of the
Salesian Congregation with the Holy See, set up his residence in Rome in an
apartment which the Oblates of St. Frances of Rome had assigned to Don
Bosco's use at Tor de' Specchi. The office of
'See Vol. XIII, pp. 105, 360f. [Editor]
2
.1n the Vatican directories, La Gerarehia Cattolica of 1877, 1878, and 1879, Father Michael Rua is listed
as procurator general; not so in 1880, when Father Francis DslmAno's name appears for the first time. In
the Salesian directory, however, he is listed as holding that office only in 1884. Don Bosco, as was his
custom, wanted to see him in action before officially presenting him to the Congregation as its procurator
general. [Author]
300 THE BIOGRAPHICAL. MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

procurator general is very important for any religious order or congregation

because the incumbent is the official liaison between his order or
congregation and the Pope, the cardinals and the Sacred Roman
Congregations; as such he safeguards its reputation and looks after its needs.
For several years Father Rua was listed in La Gerarchia Cattolica as
procurator of the Salesian Congregation.
Don Bosco sent Father Dalma77o to Rome on January 12 with a letter
of introduction to Cardinal [Lawrence] Nina, secretary of state:

Turin, January 12, 1880

Your Eminence:
I have the honor of introducing the procurator [of the Salesian Congregation]
Father Francis Dalmazzo, doctor of literature and former director of our college at
Valsalice near Turin. He will keep Your Eminence informed about our
Congregation, will carry out your wise directives, and, when asked, will pass on to
you news of our motherhouse or of the Congregation's other houses.
Toward the end of February I also hope I will have the privilege of personally
paying my respects to you and of thanking you particularly for the letter which you
recently addressed to all Salesians. It is my honor to do homage to your sacred
purple.
Most dutifully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

The cardinal's letter, dated January 6, 1880 and "addressed to all

Salesians," was his reply to their New Year's greetings. The cardinal also
informed Don Bosco that he had delivered his two letters of
congratulations to the Holy Father, adding that His Holiness had been
"greatly pleased" and that with all his heart he thanked and blessed the
missionaries [in South America] and the Salesians in Italy.3
Compared to the spacious college at Valsalice, the new procurator's
lodgings were drab indeed. They were nothing more than a cramped,
unfurnished bedroom; in fact, when Don Bosco went to Rome in April,
Father Dalmazzo had to make do with a sofa. Looking upon the rough
wooden table covered by a moth-

This paragraph is a condensation. [Editor]

3
At the Beginning of a New Year 301

eaten cloth, Don Bosco exclaimed with hearty laughter, "I really like this,.
It's a genuine Salesian house."
On January 30, L'Unith Cattolica carried this dispatch from Rome
about the newly appointed procurator:

Our commendable Don Bosco has sent us the Reverend Father Francis
Dalma7zo as procurator general of his Congregation. He received a welcome not
only worthy of the Salesian Congregation which he represents, but also well suited
to his personal merits. It is known that the most eminent cardinal vicar intends to
avail himself of this scholarly and virtuous priest as a professor [of Latin literature]
here in Rome.

Father Dalmazzo also referred to this last news item in a letter to Father
Rua written shortly after mid-February:

I have not yet begun teaching because I am waiting for an elderly professor of
Latin literature at the Roman Seminary to retire. The date should not be far off, since
he is also in very poor health. In the meantime I am taking courses in canon law at
the Apollinare University.

He was not spared his heartaches in those early days, as he himself

admitted in that same letter: "I have finally been received or, I should
rather say, lectured by Cardinal Ferrieri." The audience showed how ill-
informed the cardinal was about "our revered Don Bosco," to quote the
warm-hearted words of Father Dalmazzo, who closed his letter with these
grief-laden words: Nesciunt quid faciunt. [They do not know what they
are doing—Lk. 23, 34.]
At the beginning of January Don Bosco was busying himself
particularly with boosting subscriptions to Letture Cattoliche and
recruiting good coadjutors.
To say that Don Bosco loved Letture Cattoliche would merely restate the
obvious, but today too many, perhaps, are unaware of all he did right up to
his death to sustain, popularize and spread this publication throughout Italy.
This year [1880] he again sent a circular, warmly appealing to religious-
minded people to help him keep boosting the number of subscribers and
readers and thus stem the flood of unwholesome literature harmful to so
many people. His twenty-seven years' experience compelled him to affirm
the beneficial influence of these inexpensive pamphlets.
302 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

He also had another circular printed and mailed particularly to parish

priests, asking them to refer young men between the ages of twenty and
thirty-five who wished to leave the world and become lay religious. Besides
good morals and physical and mental health, the other requirements were: to
be willing to engage in farming or work in the kitchen, bakery or dining room;
to do housework or secretarial tasks, if qualified, or to continue to ply their
trade if they were craftmasters. The -circular aimed at making it known that
the Salesian Congregation had also lay members whose status was not to be
equated with that of the traditional monastic lay brothers. The expansion of
Don Bosco's undertakings made it indeed necessary to recruit an adequate
number of coadjutors.
As his reputation for holiness spread further, so did the number of people
who daily sought his prayers, thus making it impossible for him to answer
requests personally. To remedy this situation he had a form letter printed to
assure his writers of his prayers and those of his boys. He also invited those
who needed favors to join him and the Oratory community in a novena by
saying three times daily the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and Hail,
Holy Queen, along with the invocations "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have
mercy on us" and "Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us." Furthermore, he
exhorted them to frequent Holy Communion, "the source of every grace,"
and to do works of mercy, especially in favor of his poor boys. Today
[1933] this has become the official novena of Don Bosco in honor of Mary,
Help of Christians, but already long before he had been recommending it
by word, specifying that the Our Father should be said to Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament.4
Even though, at the time of which we are now writing, people already held
Don Bosco in a high concept of sanctity, we shall see his reputation grow ever
stronger as time went by, but we shall also see it matched with Don Bosco's
ever humbler opinion of himself. A revealing incident narrated by his
secretary, Father Gioachino Berto, happened at this time. For a correct grasp
of this priest's way of thinking and speaking, it helps to know that he was not
worldly-wise; rather, he was naturally incapable of thinking up or using
expressions which even remotely might smack of flattery. One day
4
See Vol. VIII, pp. 225, 379. {Editor]
At the Beginning of a New Year 303

Don Bosco said to him, "Look, Father Berto, I'd like you to take note of
any shortcoming you may see in me and tell me of it." "I'd rather you did it
for me," was the reply.
"No, no," Don Bosco insisted. "I really would like you to do me this
favor."
Seeing that Don Bosco meant what he said, Father Berto answered,
"Well, if you really want me to do it, you must promise to do as much for
me."
"Agreed! Start right now and tell me what you think I should correct."
"Well, I noticed a few things, but they are trifles."
"Such as?"
"When you converse informally you keep starting nearly every sentence
with, 'But' or 'I say that' when they are not called for. It pains me when
others are present."
"What else?"
"Occasionally at Mass after the Confiteor, you say Indulgentiam,
absolutionem et remissionem peccatorum vestrorum instead of nostrorum.
Likewise, you sometimes say tribuat vobis instead of tribuat nobis."
Don Bosco listened with bowed head; then, smilingly, he asked, "What
else?"
"After purifying the chalice, you swallow the water, but you swish it about
your mouth. Anyone near you can hear it, and it sounds unpleasant. Since I
care so much for you, I wish you would correct these things. Please pardon
me if I have spoken too freely."
"Is that all?" Don Bosco answered. "I wish you would point out some
serious shortcomings."
"Just now I have nothing else to call to your attention. In the future, if you
wish, I shall not fail to point out other things I notice because I hold your
honor far more important than my own. You are quite aware that Sallust says
that even the smallest flaws of a very prominent person look enormous in the
eyes of the masses."
At these words a serious look clouded Don Bosco's face and he changed
the subject.
Since he had to absent himself from Turin on the feast of St. Francis de
Sales, Don Bosco hastened to invite Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fava to preside
at the festivities.
304 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Turin, January 11, 1880

Dear Chevalier Fava:
Several times you and your wife Annette have been very generous to me and to
this house. We all most heartily desire that both of you preside at the feast of St.
Francis de Sales, our patron.
We shall provide vocal and instrumental music, the preacher, and
whatever is needed for the church services.
If you are free, you and Annette will be welcome to attend some of the church
services and possibly be our guests at dinner and at a stage performance in the
evening. I also invite both of you to act as godparents when some of our pupils will
receive the sacrament of confirmation.
Please note that all the prayers and Communions as well as the
Community Mass will be offered up for your intentions.
My other self, Father Rua, will give you any needed information. I do hope your
reply will be affirmative.
God bless you and your entire family.
Most gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

Chevalier Fava was not only thrilled by the invitation but generously
sent a donation of three hundred lire.
We do not know the exact date of Don Bosco's departure for France, but
it certainly fell between January 12 and 14. Before reaching the French
border, he stayed for a while in our school at Alassio. We know this
because of a prediction he made there after dinner which has still [1933] to
be fulfilled.5
A pleasant scene took place at Ventimiglia. While awaiting the train for
France, Don Bosco noticed a very lively seven- or eightyear-old lad, the
son of the owner of the station's cafe. He was dashing about endlessly,
talking with customers and waiters, and running from father to mother, as
though he had quicksilver in his veins. From time to time he uttered the
word "Chisto." Don Bosco kept eyeing the lad, until he came by with his
mother.
"Come here, little boy," he said. Then, turning to the mother, he asked:
"May I say something to your boy?"
"Surely," she replied.

5Don Bosco made this prediction during a conversation with Father Louis Rocca, who reported it to

Father Lemoyne_ Other priests were present, including Father Clement Bretto, who confirmed it in
writing to the author of this volume. [Author]
At the Beginning of a New Year 305

"Listen," Don Bosco said to the boy, "would you like me to teach you
how to pronounce words correctly?"
The lad did not dare to reply. "Speak up!" his mother told him,
somewhat embarrassed.
"Yes," the little fellow replied rather brusquely.
"Then pay close attention," Don Bosco went on, "but first take off your
cap."
The youngster stood still. "Come, take your cap off," the mother sternly
ordered. He obeyed.
"Now pay attention. You should say 'Cristo,' not `Chisto,' and do this.
Look." He made the sign of the cross, pronouncing the words and
continuing: "Praised be Jesus Christ. Remember: `Cristo,' not `Chisto: "
In the meantime people, including the boy's father, had gathered about
them. "You are right, Father," he exclaimed. "Grown-ups thoughtlessly pick
up bad habits and the youngsters imitate them. I have this bad habit too and
must rid myself of it one of these days."
"Soon, I hope," Don Bosco remarked.
The cafe owner then left to serve other customers, his son following
him, while the others scattered. Some minutes later the boy's mother went
up to Don Bosco.
"Would you kindly say a Mass for me?"
"Surely."
"Please accept this offering."
"No," Don Bosco replied. "I shall say Mass for you just the same."
"No, please, take it. I want you to."
"In that case, thank you."
The lady handed him ten lire in an envelope and then withdrew, visibly
moved. Ever after, any time Don Bosco passed that way, the woman, who
had come to know who he was, always gave him the same offering for a
Mass. During the National Fair in Turin [in 1884] a woman greeted Don
Bosco as he was passing before a food stand. She introduced herself as the
co-owner of the Ventimiglia station cafe and asked if she could call on him at
the Oratory. "Of course," Don Bosco told her, "but at this time of the year I
am always out and it will not be easy to fmd me."
The woman did in fact call at the Oratory several times, but was never able
to meet him. She wanted to enroll her son at the Salesian
306 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

school in Alassio, and was anxious to obtain Don Bosco's personal consent.
His loving ways were truly enchanting. Father James CavaIli, a priest of
Canton Ticino,6 when writing to Father Rua on January 5 from Rasa, closed
his letter with these heartwarming words: "Ask our beloved Don Bosco to say
three Hail Marys for my intention and, if he can, to send me a memento with
at least one line in his own handwriting for me to keep as a relic. He is
personified goodness, and I trust he will do me this favor, not for any merit of
mine, but for love of Jesus and Mary."

6One of the states of the Swiss confederation. [Editor]

 CHAPTER 16

Don Bosco's Second Journey to France

T HE need for a second trip to France stemmed mainly from

problems at Marseille: a building program stalled for lack of funds;
unresolved matters concerning parochial services; business negotiations with
the Beaujour Society, not easily handled from a distance. Don Bosco, firmly
determined to set Salesian works in France on a swift and sound course, put
aside all other considerations and, paying no heed to physical discomfort,
again set out for France. His achievements are a true proof that his journey
was in accordance with God's mysterious designs.
He got to Nice safely on the evening of Wednesday, January 14 [1880],
but very few Salesians were at the station to meet him, not so much because
of the late hour, as for the fact that they had given up waiting for him. For the
two previous days, morning and evening, the director, Father [Joseph]
Ronchail, had vainly gone to the station. That night, after the arrival of the
last train, he retired at about ten. Half an hour later, hearing footsteps and
voices beneath his window, he leaned out and quite distinctly heard "the
voice of our dear Papa," as he put it. He dashed downstairs to greet him and
asked whether he had already paid for the coach. "What?" asked Don Bosco.
"Do you think that a young man like me needs a coach to get here from the
station?" But Brother [Joseph] Rossi,' who had come with him from Turin,
and one or two confreres who, hoping against hope, had again gone to the
station, assured Father Ronchail that, despite their insistence, Don Bosco had
wanted to show them that he could still walk three quarters of an hour at ten
o'clock at night.
Nor did he show any fatigue; in fact, he did not retire until past midnight.
Although no one had been told that he would certainly

'See Appendix I. (Editor]

308 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

arrive on that day, the next morning saw such a constant flow of visitors to
the Salesian house that he had to stay in his room until noon. Only when he
came downstairs for dinner was he able to meet the boys in their dining room
and talk with the Salesians at table. Toward the end of the meal some band
music added to the general rejoicing. The brass band's repertoire was limited
to eighteen numbers, but Don Bosco immediately remarked with pleasure
that it had made considerable progress since his last visit.
On leaving the small dining room, he found the coach of Count Celebrini
waiting to take him to bless the countess, who had been ailing for the past six
months. Afterward, escorted by Father Ronchail, he made his round of visits,
starting with a courtesy call on the bishop. At dusk, as they were on their way
up the Carabacel hill to call on Count de Villeneuve, 2 they met Father
Cagliero, who had just come in by train. He had traveled with Don Bosco but
had stayed one extra day at Vallecrosia with Father Cibrario.
A brief incident, which in itself is of little historical value, took place,
revealing the family spirit that united Don Bosco to his sons. Visibility was
poor at dusk, but Father Ronchail, seeing a priest coming toward them,
recognized Father Cagliero and greeted him in French with Bon soir, mon
reverend Pere. Avez-vous fait bon voyage? [Good evening, reverend Father.
Did you have a pleasant trip?] Tres bon [very nice], Father Cagliero
answered. At this Don Bosco inquired of Father Ronchail in Italian who this
priest was. Believing that Don Bosco was joking, Father Ronchail went
along with him and said that he was a good friend of the Salesians and
visited them from time to time. "Then he will spend the night with us," Don
Bosco added. "Certainly," Father Ronchail answered. Father Cagliero, who
had taken in the situation, immediately was about to go on his way without
giving any hint that he was on to the game, when Don Bosco amiably
remarked, Alors a nous revoir dans quelques instants. [Then we'll see each
other again in a few minutes.] With these words, they parted. After a few
steps further on, Don Bosco again asked Father Ronchail, "Who was that
priest?"
"Father C agliero!"
"What? Father Cagliero! I did not even recognize his voice!"

2.See p. 19. [Editor]

Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 309

He had not recognized him because Father Cagliero had a sore throat and
had furthermore spoken in French. Father Ronchail had a hearty laugh, and
both he and Don Bosco were still laughing when they got to the count's
residence for dinner. They had more of a laugh that evening when they
returned home, for Father Cagliero had kept up his game, fooling several of
the confreres by speaking French and putting on a Spanish clerical hat which
he would wear on his way to Seville.
Don Bosco departed for Frejus with Father Ronchail on the morning of
January 16; there Bishop [Ferdinand] Terris tendered him a dinner,3 to which
he also invited his vicar general and other prominent people to honor Don
Bosco. The after-dinner conversation lasted well past four-thirty, when it was
time for Don Bosco to leave. On the train they were joined by Father
Cagliero and Brother Rossi, who were going to Marseille; they traveled
together just part of the way, until Don Bosco and his secretary changed
trains for Hyeres. This time there was no mix-up as the year before,4 because
they were met at the station by Father [Peter] Perrot, director of St. Joseph's
Hospice at La Navarre. He was waiting for them with a coach belonging to
Monsieur De Bouting, who was delighted to host them during the three days
they spent in the charming little town. On his arrival Don Bosco found a
sizable group of Salesian cooperators awaiting them in the magnificent
drawing room of the count's palace. As he made his appearance, they shouted
joyfully and came forward to welcome him. After supper the conversation
went on to eleven o'clock, so great was the desire of these noblemen to listen
to Don Bosco.
As at Nice, so also at Hyeres Don Bosco had hardly a moment to himself,
receiving endless visits. There was not a devout person among the
aristocracy and the upper middle class, both in Hyeres and its surroundings,
who was not anxious to meet him, seek his advice, confide troubles, and ask
for his prayers. He also had to visit a good number of sick people who
anxiously awaited his blessing.
On Sunday, January 18, he said Mass in the parish church at the
magnificent altar of Our Lady of Lourdes. Two deacons served the

1n several European countries the main meal was and still is around noon. [Editor] 4See pp.
3

18f. [Editor]
310 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Mass, which was attended by a throng of people, including many Salesian

cooperators. So many in the congregation desired to receive Communion
from his hand that an exception had to be made to the local rule of giving
Holy Communion only at the main altar.
Meanwhile, a cheerful group of boys from La Navarre had arrived at
Count De Bouting's palace. After breakfast, they escorted Don Bosco back
to the church for the solemn High Mass at which they were going to sing.
The score, known as the Mass in honor of St. Aloysius, was Father
Cagliero's composition. In the afternoon, after solemn Vespers, during
which the boys sang the Dixit Dominus and the MagnWcat—also
compositions of Father Cagliero—the assistant pastor of Sollies-Point,
Father Isnard, a zealous Salesian cooperator, spoke to the exceptionally vast
congregation about the Salesian school and foreign missions. After the
sermon a collection was taken up for St. Joseph's Hospice which somewhat
eased Father Perrot's financial straits.
After services Don Bosco was asked to step into the sacristy, where all the
local priests and some from the area crowded about him, considering
themselves really fortunate to hear his inspiring words—a piece of advice, a
memento, or a blessing. It was a moving sight of humility and faith.
On Monday morning he said Mass for the Salesian cooperators and then he
spoke to them. "Wasn't I bold to address such well-educated people in
French.for fifteen minutes?" he later laughingly remarked to Father Perrot.
His poor French notwithstanding, his listeners enjoyed his talk, avidly
absorbing his every word. Toward eleven o'clock he left for Toulon with
Father Ronchail, while Father Perrot returned to La Navarre from where he
wrote to Father Rua on January 21: "How much our good father goes out of
his way for our sake! How grateful we should be to Our Lord for having given
him to us! How gladly we work when we see our father work so unyieldingly,
and how rewarding are our efforts for the exact and genuine observance of our
holy rules in order to show ourselves worthy sons of his!"
They had to change trains at the station of La Pauline. They no sooner
alighted than a young gentleman, about twenty, approached them and asked
the secretary: C'est Bien le reverendissime Pere Don Bosco que j'ai l'honneur
de voir ici? [Is it the Very Reverend
Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 311

Don Bosco I have the honor of meeting?] Receiving an affirmative answer,

he courteously picked up their modest luggage and took them to an
emblazoned coach, sent by Monsieur De Vallavieille, who, with the help of
the bishop of Frejus, had obtained his wish that Don Bosco come to see and
bless him. Having been ill for over a year, he had received word by letter that
Don Bosco and a companion would be getting off further on at the Garde
station, but he had informed them by telegram [before their departure] that
for their better convenience he would have someone meet them at La
Pauline. In his telegram addressed to Monsieur De Bouting, Don Bosco's
name had been misspelled Bomb-Asco.
Monsieur De Vallavieille, former prefect of Lyons under [President
Maurice] MacMahon, was an excellent Catholic from a deeply pious family.
They all came with several friends to meet Don Bosco. They enjoyed his
conversation at table and in the living room until four that afternoon when he
had to leave for Marseille. At half past seven that evening Don Bosco arrived
at St. Leo's Festive Oratory, welcomed by hundreds of shouts: Vive Don
Bosco! [Long live Don Bosco!]
Don Bosco's first impression was that St. Leo's was growing in importance
and that he would have to stay on longer than he had anticipated so as to plan
its growth properly. This impression—which at first was only that and no
more—later became a true necessity, as we shall see. Meanwhile his mind
was on those problems which, to some extent, kept overshadowing the
friendly relations between the parish church and the festive oratory. They
seemed to vanish quickly "thanks to our warmhearted Papa Don Bosco," as
Father Ronchail remarked in a letters In another6 he wrote, "The parish priest
of St. Joseph's has regained his serenity, like the clearing after a storm."
So there had been a storm—and what a storm! Don Bosco had received
word of it before he set out for France. In fact, on January 12 he had written
to Canon Guiol from Sampierdarena to inform him of his imminent arrival
and especially to tell him, "I thought you were on more friendly terms with
St. Leo's Oratory. I hope that these obstacles can be overcome when we shall
meet and together

Letter to Father Rua, Marseille, January 30, 1880. [Author] 6Letter to

5

Father Rua, Marseille, February 17, 1880. [Author]

312 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

with Father Bologna try to straighten out our difficulties for the good of
souls. This was our original purpose and God will help us accomplish it, if
we make every sacrifice on our own part. I have always had complete trust in
you and am convinced that we can count on your goodness."'
The "problems" had peaked in September when Canon Guiol, the parish
priest, had demanded services that the Salesians could not render; this stirred
his animosity toward them and Don Bosco himself,8 who, he believed, was
scheming to thwart him in accord with Father Bologna [ St. Leo's director].
But the grudge he bore them was older than that. It must be remembered
that, occasionally, as many as three Salesian priests would be absent from
the house at one time for religious services. This happened particularly at
funerals which were very frequent and long-drawn-out due to certain local
customs; then the ride to the cemetery and back took over an hour. In
addition, the Salesians were expected to run the choir school, conduct the
parish choir, train the altar boys and go with a group of them whenever Holy
Viaticum was brought to the dying or whenever there was a burial.
Furthermore, a Salesian had to say two Masses on Sunday in the parish
church and, after the second Mass, which was always the last, bless mothers
who had just had a baby or on foot escort the dead to the cemetery. Since the
parish was very large, this would often call for three trips a day. Priests used
to be paid one hundred and fifty francs a month for these services, but
Canon Guiol had agreed on only one hundred with Don Bosco. It must also
be borne in mind that, as people saw it, escorting the dead to the cemetery
was somewhat of an embarrassing duty usually given to priests who had
come from Italy to make money. Their conduct was not always the best, and
they neither preached nor heard confessions. One day some Dominican
Fathers asked Father Bologna, "What is this? Have the Salesians come to
Marseille to be the parish undertakers?" It must be noted too that these
unpleasant duties were to be permanent. When he signed the agreement,
Don Bosco, who knew nothing of local customs, had no idea of the
relentless
7
The letter was dictated to Father Albera, as we can see from the handwriting, but was signed by Don
Bosco. [Author}
3
Letter from Father Anacletus Ghione to Father Lemoyne, Ivrea, August 30, 1912. [Author]
Don Bosco 's Second Journey to France 313

burden involved. He thought that Marseille would be no different

than anywhere in Italy, where parochial services of Salesians simply meant
cooperating for the spiritual welfare of the faithful
without disrupting their routine duties toward their boys and
without any appearance of servitude. We can readily understand why the
Salesians incessantly complained to Turin, and why Don Bosco continued to
exhort them to be patient a little longer.
Tension reached its height when Don Bosco arrived in Marseille. When
Canon Guiol called on him, Don Bosco calmly broached the
subject in the presence of Father Bologna, director, Father Ghione,
prefect, and perhaps Father Roncliail, director at Nice. Canon Guiol, losing
self-control, flew into a rage, charging Don Bosco
with being a swindler, a trickster, and not a man of his word, and stepped
out. Don. Bosco had let him rant, keeping his cool and his
patience, and making no attempt at a rebuttal as the canon inveighed against
him.
That evening Canon Guiol wanted to come back to St. Leo's to resume
discussing the duties which irritated the Salesians, but Don
Bosco sent word to him kindly to defer negotiations to a more acceptable
moment. In the meantime, he had invited a few benefactors to dinner the
following day. Canon Guiol's impulsiveness made it seem wiser not to invite
him, yet he might easily take it amiss and become more furious than he was,
and so Don
Bosco said to Father Bologna, "Come, let's pay a visit to the canon."
"What? To get more punishment?"
"No, just to calm him down and win him over. He is impulsive
but good-hearted, and we shall settle everything satisfactorily. You will
see."
And so it happened. "You were quite right in what you said, Father," Don
Bosco assured him. "The Salesians will never forget all you have done for
them and will always be grateful." He then
added that he did not venture to invite him to dinner because he could not
treat him as worthily as the canon deserved. Rather, he
himself would come to the canon's rectory the day after tomorrow for dinner
and enjoy the day, since his home was far more
comfortable than St. Leo's. As they took their leave, the parish priest was
still somewhat standoffish, but he omitted supper that evening and spent a
sleepless night. Early the next morning he
314 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

called at St. Leo's Oratory, asked Don Bosco to call a house chapter, and in
their presence apologized, saying that he was retracting all he had said as
well as his demands. He pointed out that his only reason for inviting the
Salesians to Marseille had been to have them conduct the choir school; as for
Masses and parochial funeral services, he would be content with whatever
they could do. In short, an agreement was reached, and peace was restored.
Canon Guiol was so taken aback by Don Bosco's humility and so impressed
that from then on he loyally stood by him and his undertakings. After Don
Bosco's death, when a new building was needed at St. Leo's but funds were
not available, he came to Turin with Father Bologna for a triduum of prayer at
Don Bosco's tomb to obtain the needed funds through his intercession. His
prayers were answered.9
Since the feast of St. Francis de Sales was near at hand, Don Bosco wanted
to hold a conference for the Salesian cooperators of Marseille, but he had to
give up the idea because the city was then undergoing an epidemic and any
meeting was unthinkable. Nevertheless, there was a festive celebration of
sorts on January 29—the saint's feast day—including a stage performance,
which became the occasion for a singular incident. The play's youthful hero
had caught a severe cold and had totally lost his voice. Upset, the director
spoke to Don Bosco of the predicament and of the sorry figure he would cut if
he canceled the show. After a moment's thought, Don Bosco asked to see the
young actor. When the boy came, he knelt for Don Bosco's blessing, but,
before giving it, Don Bosco amiably told him, "Leave it to me. I will lend you
my voice, and you will be able to play your part well." The boy regained his
voice instantly, while Don Bosco immediately lost his. The performance went
off very well, but as soon as it was over, Don Bosco too regained his voice.
The local press had till then left him in peace, but the stream of visitors
lasted from morning until night. It would be no exaggeration at all to say
that this incessant flow gave him no respite. Ten days had passed since his
arrival, and he had still not had a chance to go through the house and
inspect the work in
9This was mentioned several times during the apostolic process [for Don Bosco's beatification].

Cardinal Cagliero testified to •it with new details (Summarium, Vol. 16, p. 744, No. 62). [Author]
Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 315

progress. However, despite that, he did not forget his far-away sons. On
January 22 he wrote to Father Rua:

Marseille, January 22, 1880

My dear Father Rua:
I received your newsy letter. Blessed be the Lord in all things. Tell Madame
Legrand that I immediately sent her the blessing of Mary, Help of Christians and
have said special prayers for her. Nor shall I forget to pray for the late Miss Occelletti
and for our good Pauline, who continues to help us.
I am saddened by the loss of Della Torre, but I thank God that he was well prepared
to die. I shall pray for his soul.
I am afraid that the other person is not preparing himself properly. I think you
should give a general caution which may hopefully have a salutary effect on those
who may feel ill at ease in their conscience.
I received Father Bonetti's letter about the house at Penango. If you think it wise, I
have no objection. We could start at twenty thousand lire, since we sold a princely
castle at Strambino with adjacent lands for twenty-five thous and.1°
So far I have been rushing things and will review them on my return. I shall remain
in Marseille the whole month to attend to business and fund raising.
I badly need prayers and urge our dear boys to offer a Holy Communion for these
urgent needs of mine.
Father Cagliero left for Seville last Sunday evening and has already written from
Barcelona that his journey has been pleasant. Others will give you more news. May
God keep you in good health, dear Father Rua, and preserve all the Oratory boys in
His holy grace, including Father Lago and Father Riccardi.
Believe me always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

The reference to someone who had died and one about to die needs to be
explained. Before leaving the Oratory, Don Bosco had had no time to address
the boys and so he had instructed Father Lazzero to tell them that two of them
would leave this world for

iciln 1880 Don Bosco was negotiating the purchase of a building at Penango, where that year he
opened a boarding grammar school to relieve crowding at the neighboring junior seminary in Borgo San
Martino. [Editor]
316 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

eternity during his absence. One boy—Louis Della Torre of Mezzana Bigli,
an artisan of eighteen—had died on January 14; the other—Anthony Borello
of Grugliasco, also an artisan, fifteen—prepared himself well when his
condition suddenly turned critical. He died on March 9, 1880.
Before the end of the month Don Bosco also wrote a brief note to Father
Barberis, giving him words of encouragement and suggestions for the
novices.

Marseille, January 30, 1880

My dear Father Barberis:
. omnes quidem currunt, sed non omnes accipiunt bravium. L. .all indeed run,
but one receives the prize—I Cor. 9, 24]. As you see, Father Molinill wishes to
return home. Handle that as best you can. I hope that all our dear novices are in
good health. Tell them I expect great things of their goodness, studies and health.
Every day our harvest of souls is growing, so take heart, my dear novices.
God has graces, work and paradise in store for you. May He bless you all.
Pray for me.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

It does not seem that he wrote to anyone else while at Marseille. It was a
near miracle that he did not collapse under the relentless and intense strain of
receiving all who thronged his door. We must now recount a few incidents
which explain the presence of such an exceptional crowd. Our sources are the
diocesan and apostolic processes, private correspondence, and oral
depositions gathered by Father Lemoyne.
On January 30 Don Bosco went to say Mass for the Sisters of the
Visitation. In that convent lived a certain Mademoiselle Perier, former pupil
of the institute and niece of one of the superiors. Stricken with terminal
cancer, she was awaiting her end. Receiving permission to enter the cloister,
Don Bosco went to the infirmary, where he found several sick sisters, to each
of whom he addressed words of comfort. Coming to the young lady's
bedside, he asked her, "Why don't you ask for permission to get up? Come,
rise."

11
A postulant priest. [Editor]
Don Bosco's Second Tourney to France 317

"She cannot," the superior softly whispered. "She has terminal cancer."
"Get up at noon," Don Bosco continued, "and have dinner with the others."
He blessed her and left. No sooner had he left the room than the sick girl
began to say, "I no longer feel any pain. I am cured and I want to get up.
Please, give me my clothes." In fact, her malignant tumor had vanished.
A curious event then took place. Don Bosco had told the mother superior
to ask the doctor to confirm the miraculous recovery in writing. A practicing
Catholic, the doctor took offense at the request and insisted on asking Don
Bosco for an explanation. While he waited to be introduced, he remarked to
Father Bologna, the director, "Isn't humility one of Don Bosco's virtues?
Doesn't this request smack of vainglory? Is he trying to take advantage of
this recovery for his own purpose?" Father Bologna tried to put the situation
in the proper light, but he might as well have been talking to a stone wall.
Then came the doctor's turn to see Don Bosco. No one knows what went on
between them, but when an hour later Father Bologna pushed the door ajar
to tell Don Bosco that the people waiting outside were growing impatient,
he saw that the doctor was on his knees in tears, his hands clasped as in
prayer, and Don Bosco was in the act of blessing him. When the doctor
emerged from the room, he told Father Bologna, "No, it is not for himself.
Not at all! It's for the sake of others and for Our Lady's glory!"
Later, Mademoiselle Perier became a Daughter of Mary, Help of
Christians, and lived until 1886 when she died in the motherhouse at Nizza
Monferrato.12
Other extraordinary events taking place before and after this miraculous
healing helped to spread the fame Don Bosco already enjoyed as a wonder-
worker. We will now recount those that are best documented.
Mademoiselle Barbarin, paralyzed for nearly four years, had long been
bedridden. At times a lump in her throat forced her tongue to protrude
through her teeth and caused her eyes to roll.

Letter from the superior of the Sisters of the Visitation, Mother Mary Gabrielle Guiscard, to Father
12

Rua, Marseille, January 25, 1888. The letter mistakenly states that the nun died at Saint-Cyr. [Author]
318 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Invited by her family to dinner, Don Bosco took Father Bologna with
him. After the usual greetings, he was taken to see the sick woman. He
exhorted her to put her faith in the Madonna, said a few prayers with
those present in the room, and blessed her.
"Now," he ordered, "get up and have dinner with us." "Impossible!" cried
her mother, almost in a frenzy. "She has not been able to move for the last
four years."
"What does that matter?" Don Bosco replied. "The past is past. I will leave
the room. Get her out of bed. Let her dress and come down to dine with us."
Some thirty people, between relatives and guests, were waiting in the dining
room, and Don Bosco, wholly at ease, joined them. Fifteen minutes later at
the most, the door was flung wide open, and the young lady briskly strode
in, followed by her mother and others. Dismayed beyond all telling, the
bystanders stared at her as in a trance, afraid even to speak. The young lady
broke the silence herself and asked them all to take their places at table.
She sat beside Don Bosco and helped herself to everything with relish.
Soon the astonishment gave way to overwhelming joy. Only the girl's
mother seemed untouched, taking no part in the conversation. Rather
gullible, she had been taken in by a sorceress who had persuaded her to give
her daughter some water over which the sorceress had cast a spell. This
supposedly would cure her. Even now the mother had that water brought to
the table.
"Why this brackish water?" Don Bosco asked. "A little wine would be
much better. If she wants water, give her that water," and he pointed to a
pitcher of tap water on the table, while he poured good wine into her glass.
"At least bless this tap water," the mother begged. Don Bosco did so but
had the other water removed. The girl who had been sick felt so well that the
next day she returned Don Bosco's visit and called on him with her mother.
Another remarkable case was that of Monsieur Bonnet of Marseille, who
had gone to a mineral spring at Allevard, Grenoble,
to treat a stomach ailment. He felt so well that, before returning home, he
called on Dr. Emile Chatain to thank him for his care.
However, just as he was about to take leave of him, he felt a sharp pain in the
lower back and mentioned it to the doctor. The diagnosis
Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 319

was that he was suffering from tuberculosis of the bone, and he was advised
to return to Marseille for surgery.
Monsieur Bonnet obeyed without delay. In Marseille he consulted
specialists and underwent several operations which racked him with pain for
six or seven months without any sign of improvement. In deep depression he
came to know that Don Bosco was in town and immediately dragged
himself to him, fully trusting in a cure. Don Bosco received him graciously,
blessed him and encouraged him to stop worrying because he would fully
recover and enjoy a successful career. Those words restored him to life, so
to speak, but, better still, he no sooner got home than a sudden discharge of
pus eased him of his illness.
Dr. Chatain, a fervent Catholic, while speaking of this occurrence, added
that not only had the first part of the prediction come true, but the second as
well, since Monsieur Bonnet lived to fill a very important office and became
the proud father of two lovely boys, as healthy and beautiful as cherubs.
No less interesting is the account given by a Genoese priest" to his friend,
Father Lemoyne. While Don Bosco was in Marseille a lady called on him,
sadly lamenting that her husband was a stubborn atheist and their five-year-
old child was mute. Don Bosco comforted her, promising to pray for the
conversion of her husband and for the recovery of her child, but he also
urged her to pray and make a novena to Mary, Help of Christians.
On returning home, the lady informed her husband that she had been to see
Don Bosco. He ranted and raved that Don Bosco was a priest and that he had
no use for priests. Worse, he puncutated his anger with blasphemies and
curses directed to his wife. After he calmed down, they had dinner during
which his wife mentioned that she had asked Don Bosco to cure their child.
At this he merely shrugged his shoulders. Just then the little boy suddenly
cried out, "Papa! Papa!" It was the first time they had ever heard him speak.
Moved but still stubborn in his views, the father felt deeply shaken and
withdrew to his room. The next morning he called on Don Bosco and told
him quite frankly that he was loath to put any faith in priests. "Well, if you
don't like me as a priest, think of me as a
Letter of Father Charles Moro, chaplain to the Sisters of the Annunciation at Castelletto, dated Genoa,
13

January 5, 1902. At the time of the incident he was residing at Nice, but he heard about it shortly after it
had happened from a trustworthy source. [Author]
320 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

friend," Don Bosco replied. Then, little by little, he dispelled the man's
misconceptions so that the atheist, whose heart was already deeply troubled
by the miracle of the previous day, gave way, charmed also by Don Bosco's
kindness. Their discussion ended with the confession of the erstwhile atheist,
who slipped a generous donation into Don Bosco's hand before leaving.
We have documentation too of a singular mind-reading and of genuine
predictions. In one case, a widowed mother, named Mrs. Ponge, brought her
two sons to Don Bosco for his blessing. She was about to explain that one of
them was causing her great distress, but he would not give her a chance to say
a word. Rather, placing his hand on the young culprit's shoulder, he told him,
"Now, Charles, try to be the pride and joy of your good mamma." No one had
mentioned the boy's name or his behavior to Don Bosco. The lad was so
impressed that, as the document in our archives states, he never again gave his
mother any reason for complaint.
Don Bosco also predicted the end of an illness to a sick nun, but he did so
in such a way that his words were not immediately understood. He called one
day at the convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and was asked to visit
one of the nuns who was having much trouble with her eyes. The sister
begged for a healing. "Yes, yes," he replied smilingly. "The day after
tomorrow you will be seeing some wonderful things!" That day the sister died
and passed on to her reward.
The wonders keep coming in greater numbers. Astonishing things took place
in a girls' convent school of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.14 The
boarders were all gathered in a hall to welcome Don Bosco. He came in,
saying very amiably, "You are waiting for Don Bosco, aren't you? Well, here I
am!" Directly behind him came a poor woman who was carrying a little girl
who had no strength in her legs. The woman had gone to fmd Don Bosco at the
convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, where he had been visiting
moments before, and so had followed him to his next appointment. Boldly
pushing her way into the hall, she placed her daughter before Don Bosco and
implored him to give the girl his blessing. Don Bosco did so and told her to
have trust in Mary, Help

"Today [1933] it is known as the Joan of Arc Boarding School run by the same nuns wearing civilian
clothes. [Author]
Don Bosco's Second Tourney to France 321

of Christians. Then he ordered her to walk. At first she hesitated for fear of
falling, and her mother darted forward to help her, but Don Bosco stopped
her, saying, "She needs no help." Then he told the girl, "Get up and go to the
chapel and thank Our Lady!" The child stood up and walked to the chapel,
tearfully followed by several people. Father Cagliero, who was present, saw
her leave the convent, walking all by herself and merely leaning on her
mother's arm.15
Now let us return to the boarders. When the excitement was over, two girls
who had been waiting for the right moment welcomed Don Bosco officially.
The younger one gave him a bouquet of flowers with many tiny envelopes
holding half francs—a donation for his work. The older girl read a speech
welcoming him in the name of the superiors and her schoolmates. He listened
to the formal address and then spoke to the whole community. Afterward,
those who wished had time to receive some brief advice from him.
After the reception, each of the pupils preparing for certification as
teachers was presented to him individually. Don Bosco assured them all that
they would pass the exam with top grades. When one girl who was taking a
test for a higher degree came to him, he opened the book she was holding
and, without saying a word, pointed out something to her. The girl who had
formally welcomed him moments before, whose name was Aiguier, wished
to become a sister of the Immaculate Conception, but as a cloistered nun, so
as to give herself to the contemplative life. The mother general, however,
was against the idea, insisting that she take her degree and be a teaching
sister. Holding to her resolve, the young lady refused to take the exams and
confided her hope to Don Bosco. He gave her a glance she could never
forget, and at random opened Meneket's Litterature for her, saying, "You
will never become a nun and you will need a job. Take the exams. You'll do
extremely well. Your teacher certification will come in handy some day."
Mademoiselle Aiguier, still residing at Marseille [i n 19331,16 recounted this
event, saying that Don Bosco's glance seemed to tell

"Cardinal Cagliero ascribed this incident to the year 1881 in the Summarium of the apostolic processes
which dealt with the miracles performed by Don Bosco during his lifetime. If the date is not a
typographical error, it is certainly a lapse of memory. [Author]
1611er address is Rue Escat No. 39 (formerly Sainte Philomene), and she has her writings printed at St.

Leo's printshop. [Author]

322 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

her that while she would never become a nun, she would nevertheless always
live like one. She also added that then and there his remark "You will never
become a nun" had vexed her considerably.
Everything happened as he had foretold. At the exams the page which
Don Bosco had pointed out was the one chosen. Among the candidates,
Mademoiselle Aiguier received the highest grades and all her classmates
did better than everyone else. The girl who took the test for a higher degree
was interrogated precisely on the page which Don Bosco had pointed out
and received excellent marks. Mademoiselle Aiguier did not become a nun,
though her confessor was somewhat skeptical about Don Bosco's
prediction. Being the daughter of a wealthy merchant family, she looked
forward to a comfortable life, with no need to teach, but suddenly the
family's fortunes unexpectedly plunged. An ill-fated business transaction
ended in bankruptcy, and she began her painful career as a schoolteacher.
Thanks to the certification she had providentially obtained, she was able to
help her family in their need. She had received some excellent marriage
proposals when life had been easier, but she had declined all offers. At this
date [1933] she lives alone like a cloistered nun.
The report of these and similar wonders—not all of them are known to
us—spread rapidly and drew a stream of visitors, causing lively excitement
in the house for days on end. On returning from Seville, Father Cagliero
wrote to Father Rua:17
Marseille is topsy-turvy. People come and go, and their bursting enthusiasm for
Don Bosco reminds me of Rome in 1864, when he performed there the marvels he is
doing now. There seems to be a magic communications line which tells the whole
city all that Don Bosco has said and done and is about to do to meet the town's
spiritual or temporal needs. This unprecedented flow of people, great and small, rich
and poor, religious and lay, keeps swelling every day. Since all these needs do not go
unheeded, we must delay our departure to Sunday. Marseille is a city of fat wallets,
deep faith and grievous needs. I do not exaggerate when I say that, were time to
permit, Don Bosco could accomplish here what Jonah achieved at Nineveh. Men with
frightening moustaches, hardened sinners, silly women and lukewarm religious drop
at his feet in tears. What arouses the highest wonder and astonishment is that purses
once kept tightly

17 Letter, February 17, 1880. [Author}

Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 323

closed, insensitive to the needs of the poor, are now opening up to Christian deeds of
kindness and charity.

However, during the first few weeks this was not true of the wallets. "Lots
of enthusiasm, but no money," wrote Father Ronchail to Father Rua on
January 30, 1880. But we should add that Don Bosco did not regularly ask for
alms directly, but rather, if asked, would personally make known some
pressing needs, leaving it to each individual to follow the proraptings of the
heart. This preference caused misunderstandings, but he did nothing to clear
them up. One day, in the company of Canon Guiol, he paid a first visit to
Madame Prat-Noilly who was eager to help Salesian work and was only
waiting for Don Bosco to ask. Purposely she steered their talk to his works,
asking questions and receiving information, but she never heard Don Bosco
mention that he needed financial assistance. She went on to remark that the
Church's many charitable undertakings needed generous supporters. Don
Bosco agreed. Finally she told him of her generous subsidies to the Daughters
of Charity and to the Little Sisters of the Poor. Don Bosco praised her and
urged her to continue. Astounded that he asked for nothing for himself, she
told him that her vast wealth was enough to assist other charitable works. Don
Bosco warmly agreed, adding that Marseille truly had enough needs to absorb
all kinds of charity. In short, no matter how the good lady tried to get him to
admit his own needs, she was unsuccessful. Don Bosco finally said goodbye,
leaving her shocked and quite unable to understand his attitude. She could not
hide her surprise and confidentially told Canon Guiol that she was anxious to
help, but Don Bosco would not ask for a thing. The parish priest solved the
puzzle for her and suggested that she herself broach the subject since Don
Bosco was not in the habit of asking for himself. Once knowing this, she
immediately arranged for another meeting with Don Bosco on the following
day.
The next morning Don Bosco and Canon Guiol returned to the lady's
home. She again spoke of charity, but again there was no way to make
Don Bosco manifest his needs. Just as he was about to leave as he had
done the day before, she broke the ice.
"But Don Bosco, don't you need anything?"
"I need everything," Don Bosco answered with a smile.
"Why didn't you say so?"
324 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

"Divine Providence knows my needs."

"What if Divine Providence has chosen me to come to your aid?"
"I would be most thankful to you."
"What do you need?"
"Many important things. We owe for buildings we have put up and for
others we are now planning . . ."
"How much do you owe for the buildings already completed?" "At the
moment I am not sure."
"Would you please find out?"
"I will ask the architect."
"And I will gladly assist you."
They parted with this understanding. Don Bosco lost no time in sending
her a detailed list of debts amounting to sixty thousand francs. Madame
Prat-Noilly agreed to pay the entire sum in several installments by the end
of the year.
Whether it was the fruit of his experience or merely a natural intuition,
Don Bosco had his own point of view in these matters. He described it as
follows: "When you ask for alms outright, people may give you ten,
twenty, or fifty lire, and that ends it. Furthermore, if they have given once,
they will be unlikely to give again, feeling they have done their duty. On
the contrary, when a potential benefactor is left to ask in what way he may
assist, you may cite even a large sum without being embarrassed, and the
benefactor, though he may not offer the entire sum, will give hundreds or
thousands of lire. In that case he is the one embarrassed if he withdraws
his own offer of help."
The money came, enough to pay off old debts, draw up a contract to
purchase the land adjoining the Beaujour residence, and make Saint-Cyr and
La Navarre financially solvent. Furthermore, it made it possible for Father
Savio to start construction on a second wing of the building and to add a floor
to the main house, without fear of finding himself without funds halfway
through the project. It was all so astounding, just as it was astounding to hear
Don Bosco speak French boldly and give the people a display of heroic
courage.
His health seemed fairly good, despite the heavy strain caused by his
audiences, but he was not fully free of physical pain. He liked to talk,
occasionally at great length, after night prayers because that was his only free
time. One night, for instance, he confided to
Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 325

Father Anacletus Ghione that he suffered severe pains on rising in the

morning, most likely when he tried to put on the elastic stockings he needed
for his varicose veins. The Salesian community, noticing that they were
badly worn, bought him a new pair. Ordinarily Father Berto helped him put
them on and take them off, and having to do so by himself undoubtedly
increased his pain. One night Father Berto was so moved on seeing the
condition of Don Bosco's legs that he kissed his feet. "You have kissed the
feet of a Judas!" Don Bosco stated in deep hnraity 18
Father Belmonte once caught a glimpse of the sad state of Don Bosco's legs
during his first year as director of the hospice at Sampierdarena and
mentioned it to the priest who was preaching the Lenten mission at the parish
church.' g It happened one day when Don Bosco stopped at the hospice on his
way home from a visit to the Salesian houses on the western Riviera. Father
Belmonte took the occasion to tell Don Bosco that he was so exhausted he
could no longer carry on. "I cannot go on like this," he lamented. "I never
have a free moment." Without saying a word, Don Bosco bent down and,
lifting his cassock, showed him his legs. They were so swollen that they
looked like two small columns. "Take heart, dear son," he said. "We shall rest
in paradise."
The Father Ghione we just mentioned was prefect of the house at Marseille.
One evening he met Don Bosco alone in a hallway, and, seeing that he looked
somewhat apprehensive, so different from his usual self, he asked if he were
feeling ill. Don Bosco answered no, but admitted that he was upset because a
lady who had an eye ailment had demanded that he place his hands over her
eyes. "I will never do that for any woman, not for all the money in the world!"
he protested. Something else also deeply hurt him. "People are very ignorant
in matters of religion," he went on sadly. "They believe that it is Don Bosco
who works the wonders that have taken place during these days. It's not Don
Bosco, but Mary, Help of Christians who wins these favors through Her
intercession." At this point, Father Ghione, anxious to satisfy a nagging
curiosity of his own, asked very confidently, "Don Bosco, when people
request

"This was what Father Berto wrote M. a note kept in our archives. [Author] "Letter from
Canon James Gesnino to Father Lemoyne, Genoa, March 23, 1891. [Author]
326 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

your blessing for some spiritual or physical favor, do you already know
whether or not they will receive it?" "No, I do not," Don Bosco replied.
"When I bless them, I feel inspired to say, 'Stand up and go to thank the
Madonna.' And at that moment the person really becomes healed."2°
During the first week of February Don Bosco visited our houses at Saint-
Cyr and at La Navarre and then returned to Marseille." He was accompanied
by Father Ronchail, who was later replaced by Father Cagliero on his return
from Spain. Father Cagliero found that Don Bosco's legs felt better, but that
he had trouble seeing, his left eye being painfully inflamed.22
We have no information on his visit to Saint-Cyr and very little about his
visit to La Navarre, but the Salesian, Father Michael Blain, still living
[1933]—the little "Mickey" whom Don Bosco had mentioned in describing
his dream in 1877 about the agricultural school at La Navarre23—still recalls
it vaguely. A fatherless child, he lost his mother on July 8, 1881, the very day
St. Joseph's Hospice was officially opened. An aunt, a Carmelite nun, sent
him to the Salesians, who accepted him on October 16. Since he had a fine
voice and a good musical ear, he was immediately given singing lessons. We
have already recounted how Don Bosco recognized him by his singing as the
boy he had seen in his dream.
As the day of his departure from Marseille drew closer, Don Bosco called
a conference of Salesian cooperators which he had been unable to hold on
the feast day of St. Francis de Sales. He was very eager to open the newly
completed wing [of St. Leo's Festive Oratory] with an official, solemn
ceremony, so as to give his benefactors a concrete proof of his
determination to develop it

20
Letter from Father Ghione to Father Lemoyne, Ivrea, August 30, 1912. [Author]
21
The chronicle kept by the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians at Saint-Cyr states that Don Bosco
visited them in January, but this is in error, because Father Cagliero wrote to Father Rua from Marseille
on February 5: "We arrived in Marseille this morning on our return home fioui Spain. While we were
stepping off our train, Don Bosco and Father Ronchail were boarding theirs for Toulon, without our
having a chance to see each other. Tomorrow we set out for Saint-Cyr and the next day for La Navarre in
the hope of seeing Papa, who must be back in Marseille by the middle of the month. I will find out what
he wants me to do." Then, on his return to Marseille on February 12, he writes, "We found
Don Bosco at Saint-Cyr. He sent Father Ronchail off and kept me as his coach driver.
Brother Rossi is on his way, and you will soon see him We visited the house at La Navarre and then
returned to Marseille, where we are now, as I write this letter to you." [Author] 22Letter of February 12
previously quoted. [Author]
23 See Vol. XIII, p. 417. [Editor]
Don Boseo's Second Journey to France 327

further. The conference was set for Friday, February 20, the anniversary of
Leo XIII's election as Pope. Bishop [Jean Louis] Robert agreed to preside.
Don Bosco, Canon Guiol and members of the Beaujour Society formed a
semicircle with the bishop in the center, and a large number of priests,
prominent lay persons and the general public attended. A boy read an address
to Don Bosco, greeting him as "our good father and beloved benefactor," and
going on to say that, having just discovered a treasure, he was hastening to lay
it at Don Bosco's feet, realizing how urgently he needed money for his many
projects. Unfortunately, he said, this had all taken place only in a dream,
which he hoped the generosity of the Salesian cooperators of Marseille would
turn into a reality. Then a young cleric offered a word of homage to the
bishop, voicing devout sentiments and placing St. Leo's Festive Oratory under
his kindly, fatherly protection. Don Bosco gave the closing talk. In a lengthy
account of the conference which La Gazette du Midi published on February
23 and 24, we read:
It does not come as news to our readers to say that Don Bosco is a miracle of
charity and zeal, so it is no surprise that he enthralled his huge audience in spite of
his poor French. His heart did the speaking. Apostles are given the gift of tongues,
and souls can understand and communicate in a language which is heaven's echo.

Don Bosco explained to his audience that the Salesian Congregation's aim
was to aid endangered youth. He told them how the idea had first come to
him and how he had reacted to it since 1841. He sketched the results he had
already obtained and then spoke of the houses at Saint-Cyr and La Navarre,
acquainting his listeners with their accomplishments and future plans. He
narrated a recent episode to illustrate the love his former pupils had for him.
One of them living in Barcelona had heard that Don Bosco was in Maxseille,
and he could not restrain his longing, his need, to see his beloved benefactor
again. So he took a ship [for Marseille] and, to Don Bosco's astonishment,
stood before him in utter delight that he could spend some time with Don
Bosco and talk about himself after such a long separation. "I have faithfully
followed your advice and teaching," he told Don Bosco, "and. I consider
myself very fortunate. I am married, I am doing quite well in business, and I
am satisfied with the Lord's gifts. I wanted to see
328 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

you once more, my dear Father, to receive your blessing for my wife, my
children and myself, and to make my confession to you again as I joyfully
used to do thirty-five years ago."
Don Bosco then went on to tell the story of the Salesian foundation in
Marseille: how he had gone there in 1876 and, noting the large number of
boys walking the streets, had spoken about it to Canon Guiol, pastor of St.
Joseph's Church, and how both agreed that they would care for these
disadvantaged lads materially and spiritually. But how were they to go
about it? They sought the bishop's advice, and it was not long before St.
Leo's Festive Oratory on Beaujour Street was born with God's help. It could
honestly be said that Divine Providence had held out an inexhaustible
helping hand. He pointed out how the Beaujour Society deserved that help
because its activities reached out to all. It was also fair therefore that
everyone should help it.
He concluded with a story. One evening that same winter, on leaving St.
Leo's to go into town, Don Bosco had chanced upon a young man on a
deserted street whose appearance aroused both fear and compassion in the
beholder. Don Bosco got into a conversation with him and, as he usually
did, he reconstructed the dialogue for his audience.
"What are you doing here, my friend?"
"I am cold," the youth answered with a shiver.
"Have you no home?"
"I am hungry . . ." he said and, raising his arms, he fell helplessly at Don
Bosco's feet. Exerting himself, Don Bosco raised him up as best he could and
half-carried him to St. Leo's, where he was immediately given care. Having
partially regained his strength, he exclaimed, "Father, you have done a very
good deed. You have saved my life and stopped me from committing a crime
to which I would have been led by my desperate need. Will you keep me here
with you?" The house was full, but somehow room was made for him. The
youth was still there, praying, working and giving good
example. "This is what we must do for everybody, for our ailing society," Don
Bosco concluded, "and we must do it for the love of God, who told us, 'Love
one another.' "
Speaking for the audience, Monsieur Henri Bergasse, president of the local
chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, glowingly referred to him as
another Vincent de Paul who sheltered vagrant
Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 329

youngsters and freed their souls from the loathsome slavery of corruption and
vice. The speaker took the occasion to extol the ceaseless fruitfulness of the
Church in providing remedies for all evils, and to exalt God's goodness in
constantly raising providential men according to the needs of the times. To
this ailing world God was still sending healers like Don Bosco, quickly
acknowledged and hailed as such by the people. "We have an example of this
right here at St. Leo's on Beaujour Street," he said. "Hidden and unknown
until yesterday, it has become today the meeting point of every charitable
soul in the city, a pilgrims' center for people who continuously throng about
this man of God. Thus does the Lord choose to initiate His servants' works
and give them strength. From humble beginnings, from the microscopic
mustard seed grows a tree which quickly spreads its friendly branches over a
land blessed by its presence."
When the bishop stood up to speak he found a friendly audience. He
stressed the providential nature of Don Bosco's work as bearing all the
hallmarks of a true Catholic enterprise dear to God. Then he went on to say
that saints are God's instruments, led by His hand to unknown missions, as
was the case of St. Francis de Sales, whom Don Bosco had chosen as his
Society's patron and who had also accomplished memorable missions whose
significance and influence he had not foreseen. The bishop closed by
expressing his strong support of St. Leo's Oratory.
After the bishop's blessing, Don Bosco stood at the doorway, as was
customary, and held out a basket for donations. Many kissed his hand.
Monsieur Emile Sumien, who furnished the above details, remarked:

We stood about for some time, enjoying the touching sight at our ease. Many
persons, on passing Don Bosco, whispered a few words into his ear, and with
incomparable patience he replied to each, blessing the children with a smile. Gold as
well as lowly copper coins were dropped into the basket by hands that quickly were
withdrawn lest their contribution be detected; the greater the offering, the more
discreet were the donors, who were truly inspired by charity. Don Bosco thanked
each with a kindly word, and we saw that often, when the gift was but a few pennies,
he gave the donors a look of thanks. Men like Don Bosco know the value of the poor
widow's mite.
330 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Several people stayed on to talk to Don Bosco, seek his blessing or prayer,
or perhaps to confide some secret sorrow. He satisfied all, without betraying
the least annoyance or fatigue, until those concerned for his health forced
him to sit and rest. People kept staying around.
This is a daily scene—the reporter continued—though we read of such
happenings only in the lives of the saints. Such heart-touching incidents, willed by
God as comforts for the Church in its present sorrows, fill the hearts of the faithful
with boundless hope.24
To keep the enthusiasm which his presence aroused from dying quickly
like a flash in the pan, Don Bosco set up two committees, as he intended to
do also in Nice, one of men, the other of women, who would regularly meet
and in accord with each other would then keep up the city's concern and
cooperation to expand the Salesians' work. As we shall see later, he never
lost sight of his hard-working cooperators even when far away.
We managed to get very detailed minutes of the women's meetings held
from March 1880 to February 1895 under the chairmanship of Canon
Guiol. Quoting from them here and elsewhere will add interest to our
account. From March 4 to December 30, 1880, twenty-one meetings were
held, of which the first four may be considered organizational. Several
practical means of raising funds were suggested, such as annual pledges of
contributions of twenty-five, fifty, or a hundred francs, scholarships,
forming groups of ten people with each promising two francs a year, and
business firms adopting a pupil for three hundred francs a year. The groups
of ten contained for the most part the six hundred Salesian cooperators. 25
On February 22, the eve of Don Bosco's departure from Marseille, the
playground and halls of the house were jammed with friends who were
hoping for a last chance to speak with Don Bosco. A stately lady, hoping to
see him, went so far as to hide behind the
L'Osservatore Cattolico of Milan published a slightly edited translation of both articles of La
24

Gazette du Midi in its March 17 and 18 issues. Le Citoyen of Marseille also carried a brief report on the
events on February 21, and the article, reprinted in the March number of the Bulletin Salesien, was
translated into Italian for the same issue of the Bollettino Salesian. [Author]
We are omitting a few more details concerning the internal government of the ladies' committee.
25

[Editor]
Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 331

door to the boys' dormitory, so determined indeed that she stayed there from
six in the morning to six in the evening, emerging for a moment only at
midday for lunch. "Had I not spotted her and asked what she wanted," Father
Ghione wrote, "the good lady would never have gotten a glimpse of Don
Bosco. I managed to get her a three-minute audience with Don Bosco, just as
he was on the verge of leaving."
More touching is the story of a poorer woman who came in the morning
and settled herself in a corner of the waiting room, leaning against the wall
and holding a pallid, motionless blind child in her arms. Full of faith and
resignation to God's will, the woman waited her turn to see Don Bosco, as
visitors kept coming and going. Her personal shyness kept her from asserting
herself before more important people. The few paltry attempts she made were
useless, because the flow of visitors repeatedly forced her back into her
corner. At eleven Canon Guiol came to take Don Bosco to lunch at Madame
Prat-Noilly's. As he walked through the room, everybody crowded about him
and the poor woman knew she could never push her way through them, and
so she stayed in her corner. For two more hours she did not leave her place,
unyielding and silent.
On Don Bosco's return, she again pushed forward but was blocked by the
rush of people. Don Bosco entered his room, and she retreated to her
corner. Shortly afterward he returned in his traveling garb. An unyielding
crowd of some three hundred people thronged the waiting room. With Don
Bosco's departure the poor woman's hopes would be crushed. She was the
very picture of suffering. Father Cagliero again spotted her.
"Don Bosco," he said, "that woman wishes your blessing."
"I have no time. I'm late and miss the train."
"She has been here all day," Father Cagliero insisted. He turned to her and
called out loudly and firmly. A path was forced open for her to reach Don
Bosco. The child lay motionless in her arms. Don Bosco raised his right
hand and blessed it. Instantly the child clapped its tiny hands and aroused
itself, rubbing its eyes in the sudden glare of light. It all happened so very
fast, without Don Bosco's stopping as the crowd moved to make way for
him, and anxious hands reached out to him on all sides. In the confusion the
woman squeezed through the crowd, beside herself with joy, while the rest
of the people hardly noticed anything. Father Cagliero was
332 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

probably the only one who really knew what had taken place. 25
Until Don Bosco got into his coach, the crowd pressed about him to kiss
his hand or to try to touch his garments at least, holding out rosaries and
handkerchiefs for him to touch. From Father Ghione's account of that day
we gather the following details:
I walked beside him and did my best to open a path for him. Midway down the
stairs Don Bosco gave me a passing glance which I could not understand. Loudly he
told me, "Can't you see?" I saw that in the crowd which was almost sweeping him
off his feet, two women stood blocking his way. Without waiting for my help he
pushed past them with surprising strength. Once inside the coach, I noticed that his
cassock had been so badly cut up all over that we had to get him another for his
journey. Everything that he came into contact with in his room was stolen, with the
connivance of family members, to please some Salesian cooperators. Not even the
bed sheets were spared.

Instead of going directly to Nice, he stopped overnight at Aubagne, less

than an hour away from Marseille. Once he was alone with Father Cagliero
in their compartment, he remarked in astonishment and embarrassment,
"How wonderful is the Lord, and how immense His mercy! He chose a
peasant boy of Becchi to be His instrument in performing His wonders
before such a host of people."27 They arrived in Nice late on February 24.
Don Bosco probably stayed a couple of days with the count of Villeneuve,
whose chateau was in the neighborhood. Deeply attached to Don Bosco, the
count was certainly thrilled to offer him hospitality and afford him the rest
he so badly needed.
Nice was no different from Marseille: a daily host of visitors, the same
heroic patience on Don Bosco's part, the same marvels, even though any
reliable information is really scarce. Between February 24 and March 6,
furthermore, a flood of mail reached him, well over eight hundred letters
from all over France. The financial picture of St. Pierre's Hospice was no
better than that of St. Leo's in Marseille had been before his visit. They owed
money for real estate they had had to purchase; they had run up the cost of
feeding

26In the two-volume biography [by Father Lemoyne, Vol. II, p. 518] this episode is quoted as having
taken place in 1881. But from mid-January to Easter 1881, Father Cagliero was in Spain. Don Bosco
left Marseille at the end of February_ [Author]
27Summarium super virtutes, Vol. XVI, No. 90, p. 966. [Author]
Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 333

over a hundred boys and they had debts for workshop equipment. More
distressing was the need for larger premises to accommodate the crowds of
needy youngsters who kept asking for admission. In addition, they needed a
larger and more dignified chapel, as well as a new study hall to replace the
low-ceilinged one they had, which was sadly inadequate and badly placed.
Substantial funds were needed, while their daily income could not even cover
the growing heap of outstanding expenses.
Fortunately, Divine Providence again visibly came to Don Bosco's aid in
stirring up public sympathy, with notable results, although, as we have
already remarked, we are not sure how it all happened. We are positive of
one instance. A certain Monsieur G., fifty-six, a government employee,
made his confession to Don Bosco, who listened and then asked him, "Have
you forgotten to confess such and such a sin . . .?" He reminded him of all
the circumstances, including his age, eighteen at the time. After receiving
absolution the man, totally astonished, rushed to Father Ronchail, the
director. Telling him all that had happened, he declared he had really
forgotten that sin and that he had enough proof that Don Bosco was a saint.
The people's generosity was manifest both privately and publicly. Sixteen
guests were present at a dinner given in his honor; what they enjoyed most
was his presence and his edifying, pleasant conversation. Toward the end of
the meal, as conversation picked up, a wealthy, kind-hearted gentleman stood
up and addressed his fellow guests. "Gentlemen," he exclaimed, "it is all well
and good that we admire Don Bosco's work, but we will do better to share his
merit by coming to his aid. How do we expect him to enlarge his house and
take in more helpless youngsters if he has no money?" He then passed a plate
around; four guests put in a thousand francs each and the rest contributed an
additional seven hundred.
Ernest Hanriel, brother of Leon, known as "the [workers] good father,"28 gave
a lavish banquet for his friends to honor Don Bosco. The previous year at a
convention in Angers29 he had read a paper on the scope and growth of the
Salesian Congregation. This time,

See VoI. IV, p. 56. [Editor] See p. 213.

29 29

[Editor]
334 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

like his fellow guests, Ernest Harmel would normally have been wintering at
La Cote d'Azur [on the French Riviera] for his health. While the guests were
chatting at their ease before dinner, Don Bosco talked to them about the
school chapel, stating that it
was too s I ___ all for the pupils and hardly a suitable home for the
Lord. "I have seen a plan of our architect, Monsieur Levrot," he said, "but
that would run into thirty thousand francs."
"Thirty thousand!" echoed Attorney Michel. "I really fear we shall never
raise that much money just now here in Nice. This winter we have had so
many lotteries and fund drives that our purses are empty."
"Still that's the amount I need this very day," Don Bosco replied.
The guests took their places at table. As dessert was being served, Saietto,
a notary public, stood up and said to Don Bosco, "I want you to know that a
generous person has asked me to give you thirty thousand francs. You may
collect it at your convenience at my office." Don Bosco joined his hands
and, raising his eyes to heaven, thanked Mary, Help of Christians for the
singular. favor.
Two appeals were also made to the general public. The first was made in
the parish church of Notre-Dame by Father Lacouture, S.J., the Lenten
preacher. Don Bosco was present and the collection surpassed all
expectations. Don Bosco himself set up the second appeal through a
conference to the Salesian cooperators. In a news report from Nice3° we
read:
The pious and generous people listened attentively to all Don Bosco told them of
Salesian work in general, and of the work on the local level. He spoke in French, of
which he has a better reading than speaking knowledge. His plain, simple way of
speaking, expressed in an Italian literary style, seemed to delight his listeners, but
they were most captivated by his apostolic message.

The collection proved the assertion, for when Don Bosco made his rounds
with the basket, everyone, from the bishop to the least of the congregation,
gave generously. One man put in a gold coin. "God reward you," Don Bosco
said. "Let it be doubled," the man countered and dropped in a second gold
coin. Several families, not

3 °Bulletin Salesien, March 1880 p. 12. [Author]

Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 335

satisfied with their offerings in the two appeals, sent larger donations by
mail.
Our account of Marseille sufficiently explains why Don Bosco could not
give his attention to certain courtesies, particularly saying goodbye to the
bishop and other important people. He rushed a letter to Canon Guiol. His
handwriting, more illegible than usual, tells us what he meant by saying he
was tired, but that did not keep him from adding a remark about his deep
personal concern for the wonders God performed through him.
Nice, March 4, 1880
Dear Father:
I am in Nice, and [regret that I] had to leave without seeing you again or thanking
you for the generous charity and kindness you have shown me and my humble
Salesians. I speak also on behalf of Father Cagliero. May God reward you. You have
our sincerest thanks.
I would appreciate your doing me a great favor by calling on your bishop, to
whom I cannot write, and to apologize in my name for my having left without first
receiving his instructions for Rome, and without thanking him for his fatherly
goodness, his donation and the excellent recommendation he voiced for our St. Leo's
Oratory. If I can ever be of service to him in Rome, I shall be delighted to do so.
I planned to take some rest in the first few days after my arrival in this city, but
instantly the usual line of callers began, and I am so exhausted that I can take no
more. The day after tomorrow I shall leave for Rome without having had a chance to
do anything for our hospice. How easily people fool themselves! They attribute to
men the wonders which God performs through His infinite mercy.
I have not yet been able to write to Father Bologna. Should you have the chance,
please pass this news on to him. I promise that somewhere I shall find time to write
to some of the people in Marseille who insist on receiving an answer.
God bless them all, my good Father, and may He keep you in good health. Pray
for me.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

We have two remaining small incidents which we feel are not insignificant
for those who seek a fuller understanding of Don Bosco's spirit.
336 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

While in Nice he took a public coach one day, and when he got to his stop
he realized that he had taken no money. He told the coachman that he had left
his wallet at home and asked him kindly to drive to St. Pierre's Hospice, and
there he would be paid his fare.
"Whom should I ask for?" the man inquired.
"Ask for me."
"What's your name?"
"Abbe Bonhomme."
The coachman drove there toward evening. Don Bosco had forgotten to
notify anyone, so that when the man was asked whom he wished to see, he
replied as he had been told. "We have no Abbe Bonhomme here," the
secretary said, rather annoyed, and showed him the door. The coachman
raised his voice, so that Don Bosco heard the commotion and,
understanding what it was all about, rushed over. "There is l'Abbe
Bonhomme!" exclaimed the coachman in triumph. With a hearty laugh
Don Bosco paid him and added a generous tip.
The second incident is altogether different. One evening, as he and Father
Ronchail were returning home after having dined with a benefactor, they
took a short-cut through back alleyways and badly soiled their shoes. Back in
his room at St. Pierre's Hospice, Don Bosco found the stench unbearable, but,
unwilling to ask anyone to do so demeaning and repugnant a task, he began
to clean the shoes himself. As he was almost finished, Father Ronchail,
noticing the light in his room, walked in, surprising Don Bosco at his task.
He snatched the shoes and finished the job himself, moved by Don Bosco's
humility.
In his last week at Nice, Don Bosco found himself in a bind because
his two best assistants, Father Ronchail and Father Bonetti, who had
come to replace Father Cagliero, were sick in bed. The Piedmontese
saying which he quotes in this little note to the director of the house at
Vallecrosia to tell him of his forthcoming visit alludes to his lack of
secretaries.
Nice, March 4, 1880
Dear Father Cibrario:
If Father Bonetti can manage to leave his bed, I shall arrive at Ventimiglia
next Saturday at about four in the afternoon. If you cannot provide
accommodations for the two of us, speak to Canon Cassini.
Don Bosco's Second Journey to France 337

I had to write this myself because "in the absence of horses, a donkey has
to do the trotting."
God bless us.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco
A brief memo sketched by Father Bonetti for Don Bosco tells us that at his
request the Italian Southern Railways had granted all the members of the
Salesian Society the fifty percent discount which they were already enjoying
in northern Italy. Thanking the management, Don Bosco assured them that he
would henceforth "give every preference and consideration" to orphans of the
railway employees in his schools. At the same time, he pointed out that the
"nuns known as Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians" and "the young girls
they cared for" were also dependent on him, since they resided at the nuns'
convents under his own direction. Pointing out that the Northern Italian
Railway had granted them the same discount fares, he expressed the hope
that the same concession would be extended to them. His request was
approved 31
As he was about to return to Italy, he could already see the storm clouds
gathering over his Salesians in France—the threat of persecution against
religious congregations. In January the two assemblies had already been
debating the problem of public education with a barely concealed goal of
striking a mortal blow against the flourishing private schools run by religious
communities. Meeting with Canon Guiol and Messieurs Rostand and Bergasse
in Marseille, Don Bosco had discussed what they could do to ward off any
unpleasant measures. He developed his own opinion on the matter, one he
would clarify in due time, but he stressed that they should not take too dim a
view of the future. "Suppressing religious congregations," he said, "is like
clapping your hands to frighten birds who plunge from the air to peck at the
wheat on the threshing floor. They will fly off immediately, only to return as
soon as the hand-clapping stops. So, too, once the wave of suppression is over,
the religious communities will quietly come back and resume their work

3' Confirmation of this was given by Sister Caroline Sorbone, who together with other nuns traveled
from Turin to Bronte in Sicily in 1880. 'Author]
 CHAPTER 17

To Rome and Naples from Liguria

ID E SPITE his anxious desire to see the Oratory after being away
two months, Don Bosco felt that he had to continue his journey to Rome
without a stopover, for he had pressing business there which brooked no
delay. For one thing, he had to come to a firm proposal on organizing the Rio
Negro missions, and this entailed negotiations involving the Holy See and the
Argentine government. Then he also had to face the Oratory school
controversy, the unpleasant events of Chieri, and other matters. However, he
first stopped for a few days for a necessary visit to Liguria.
Vallecrosia was his first stop on Italian soil. There he was to bless and lay
the cornerstone of the Church of Mary, Help of Christians since construction
was nearing completion. The ceremony, held on the evening of March 7, was
given extraordinary solemnity by the presence of three prelates: Bishop
[Thomas] Reggio, ordinary of the diocese, Bishop Allegro of •Albenga, and
Bishop Boraggini of Savona. The latter two, who had come to Ventimiglia for
the consecration of the restored cathedral, gladly accepted the Salesians'
invitation to attend the evening ceremony. It was an area event: thousands
thronged into the Vallecrosia plain from all over the province. As usual, Don
Bosco did not overlook anything that might enhance the ceremony, and so our
pupils of Alassio and Sampierdarena came to brighten the festivity with their
singing. The elderly Chevalier Joseph Moreno of Bordighera, a very religious
man, chairman of the celebration, was the first to cement the stone after its
blessing. The official document usually sealed within the stone, besides listing
the customary data, contained Don Bosco's opening talk to the people:
I joyfully express my thanks to you today, gentlemen, for attending this religious
ceremony and, most importantly, to those who shared in the
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 339

construction of this church by their donations, work and prayers. There await us still
rather burdensome sacrifices to make, but your generosity will not lessen, nor will
heaven's aid and the protection of the great Mother of God fail us. You will merit the
thanks and prayers of people now and forever. Generations to come will praise your
faith and zeal for God's glory and the welfare of souls, and the all-merciful Lord will
generously reward you even in this life and grant you the eternal glory reserved for
you in heaven. He himself has assured us: -But My mercy I will not take away from
him who shall build a house to My name, and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom forever" [2 Kgs. 7, 15 and 13].

After sealing the cornerstone the bishop addressed the audience, calling the
new church a bulwark of defense for the faith.
It seems clear that Don Bosco stopped off at Alassio and from there
proceeded to Sampierdarena,1 where he had asked Father Rua to meet him to
discuss several matters. "I met with Don Bosco," Father Rua wrote,2 "and he
looked fairly well, though very, very tired." While he was staying at St.
Vincent de Paul Hospice, Don Bosco, in one simple deed, greatly edified all
and showed his inner goodness. At eight o'clock one morning, on his way to
the church, he met a janitor who was sweeping the porticoes, and he noticed
that, because he either could not do better or was very careless, the janitor was
doing a poor job. "Would you like me to show you how to sweep properly?"
he asked. He took the broom and quietly swept almost a third of the
passageway, while the janitor stared at him with open mouth. "See, this is the
way to sweep," Don Bosco told him and gave him back the broom. Then,
bidding him good-day, he went into the church.
Toward midnight on March 11 he entrained for Rome, accompanied by his
secretary, Father Berto, whom he had summoned from Turin. They were met
by Father Dalmazzo, who had been notified beforehand by a cable from
Father Rua, and escorted by him to Tor de' Specchi. On the evening of their
arrival Don Bosco called on Cardinal [Raphael] Monaco La Valletta, vicar of
Rome, and the next morning on Cardinal [Lawrence] Nina, secretary of state
and protector of the Congregation, who told him

'Letter from Father Cagliero to Father Rua, Marseille, February 12, 1880: "We shall go to Ventimiglia,
then to Alassio and immediately after to Sampierdarena." [Author] 'Letter to Count Cays, March 15,
1880. [Author]
340 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

that he had heard of what Don Bosco had accomplished in Marseille. The
cardinal was probably not referring to financial success, but, interpreting the
remark literally, Don Bosco replied: "Yes, Your Eminence, and I have done
equally well for the Holy Father too." Indeed, he was bringing a generous
donation for Peter's Pence given to him by a French gentleman.
Father Berto's diary for March 14-22 supplies the following factual details:

On Sunday evening we went to greet Mrs. Matilda Sigismondi for her name day,
March 14, the feast of St. Matilda. Monday, March 15: Don Bosco and Father
Daghero tried to cash a French money order but could not. We had lunch with Mr.
Matthew Pesce, secretary general of the Post Office. That evening we visited
Cardinal [Cajetan] Alimonda, who agreed to speak at the Salesian cooperators'
meeting in Rome. March 17, Wednesday: We were at Archbishop [Ludwig]
Jacobini's to discuss our missions; then at the Stigmatine Sisters for Benediction,
where Father Dalmazzo was giving a spiritual retreat; then back home. March 18:
We visited Monsignor [Gabriel] Boccali, where we met Monsignor Paul Fortini,
editor of Fiaccola of Rome. Then to Monsignor [Vincent] Salina [assessor of the
Holy Office], to see him about Father Machet,3 former pastor who had joined the
"Old Catholics."4 Then to Cardinal [Louis] Oreglia and later to Cardinal [Dominic]
Bartolini. March 19: Feast of St. Joseph. Don Bosco dined with Marquis [Angelo]
Vitelleschi and his family. March 20: Visited Princess [Mary] Odescalchi; that
evening at Cardinal [Dominic] Consolini's. March 21: In the evening Don Bosco
and Father Dalmazzo called on Deputy Sanguinetti; also on Chevalier Moreno and
Vignola to discuss purchase of a house. March 22, Monday: Don Bosco and Father
Dalmazzo visited Princess Odescalchi; that evening, Don Bosco visited Cardinal
Consolini.

In his first few days in Rome, Don Bosco cleared up a situation that had
long been very hazy. Matthew Grochowski, the first Polish applicant to join
the Congregation, had spent four years at the Oratory. After his ordination he
apparently obtained permission to return to Poland in the fall of 1879 to
gather funds for the Church of St. John Evangelist. However, no word was
ever heard from him again. Since Father Cagliero, as catechist of the
Congregation, had

3See pp. 290f. [Editor] See p. 291,

4

[Editor]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 341

charge of these situations, he wrote for information to the superior of the

Pious Schools of Cracow, who, despite a careful search, could not trace his
whereabouts. Meanwhile, the parish priest of Beuthem wrote [to Turin]
inquiring about him, and almost at the same time a very serious anonymous
charge was brought against him from Cracow, where it seems he was living
with the local Franciscan community. Without further ado, Father Cagliero
notified him that he had been ipso facto suspended as a "vagrant" and
ordered him to return the letters of recommendation he had been given
before leaving Turin. The priest first excused himself as best he could, but
then he obviously hired a professional to draft for him a concise tirade in
Latin, justifying his actions and requesting secularization so as to care for
his elderly mother, who was alone. Don Bosco waited until he got to Rome,
where he could seek competent advice and take legal steps to settle the issue
without leaving loopholes for quibbles or unjustified criticism. With Father
Dalma77o's help he drew up a statement releasing the priest from vows; he
also informed Church authorities that the priest was suspended from
ministry until such time as he could find a benevolent bishop to accept him
into his diocese, stating too that Father Grochowski had not yet completed
his courses in dogmatic theology and had not taken examinations for hearing
confessions. However, with his genuine goodness he affirmed the priest's
good conduct during his stay in the Salesian Congregation and respectfully
recommended him to the good graces of his bishop, calling heaven's
blessings on those who would assist him. In the end, inexplicably, this same
Grochowski suddenly showed up at Tor de' Specchi in Rome, apparently on
his way to Turin.5 After this, we lose all track of him.
Between visits, while waiting for a papal audience, Don Bosco wrote
letters to Turin, France, and elsewhere, of which only six have come down
to us. Having to reply to Father Durando concerning negotiations to take
over a farm being offered him by a certain Mrs. [Elizabeth Bellavite] Astori
of Mogliano Veneto, he hastily wrote a few words because the thought of
the Oratory immediately brought to his mind the boys and Salesians at
Valdocco.

'Letter from Farber Berto to Father Rua, April 14, 1880. [Author}
342 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Rome, March 16, 1880

My dear Father Durando:
I have promptly replied to Mrs. Astori that Father Sala will be going there.
Enclosed is a letter with instructions for him.
I am delighted that God keeps all our boys in good health and that they are devoutly
making St. Joseph's novena. Tell them all that on the feast I shall celebrate Holy Mass for
them, and I urge them all to receive Holy Communion.
I can't wait to be back with them. I shall speed up my return to Turin.
Assure them that all my efforts are for them.
Tell Father Lazzero that I shall ask the Holy Father to grant him a special
blessing for the sake of his dear patron, St. Joseph.
My best to Father Leveratto, Father Bertello, Buzzetti, and all my dearest
confreres. Never forget that God has called you to sanctify yourself and
others.
May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Pray for me.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

That day, too, his concern turned to Marseille, and he wrote to the cleric
[Louis] Carder who, though not yet in orders, was a member of the house
council.
Rome, March 16, 1880
My dear Cartier,
I shall gladly pray for our well-deserving and beloved Albrieux, who has been
oiling for so long, and will ask others to pray also. I enclose a holy card of Mary,
Help of Christians, asking Our Heavenly Mother to give him Her blessing. Let him
continue to help our poor boys and we shall redouble prayers to God for him.
You say little about our confreres at St. Leo's, and so I assume everything is
going well. Please greet them in my name, especially Father Director and Odaglia,6
in whose hands the whole festive oratory rests.
Are Antoine, Brogly and Bard= well? Is Father Savio speeding the new
building along?
God bless you all. Pray for me. Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

6 Brother John Odagha, a lay Salesian. [Editor]

To Rome and Naples from Liguria 343

Five days later he wrote to the director for an exchange of news, urging
him to help Father Rua and touching upon relations with Canon Guiol of
St. Joseph's Church. More importantly, his letter sparkles with that golden
word of advice which was a secret ingredient of his educational system: "At
this present time we must be ready to make some sacrifice in order to
maintain friendly relations with the parish priest and his vicar, Father Louis
Mendre."7
On Holy Thursday he sent Father Rua a brief notes to tell him of a visit
he had received from a French gentleman who had stopped off at the
Oratory on his trip to Rome.
A painful loss which had afflicted a family very dear to him prompted
Don Bosco to write a letter of Christian condolence. It is dated Good
Friday. The father of the Fords family had died,9 and as soon as he could
find time and his eyes felt better, Don Bosco wrote a few words of comfort
to the eldest son.

Good Friday, Rome, March 26, 1880

My dear Richard:
Our dear Papa is no longer with us. Let us bow to God's will. We all knew this
blow was coming and feared it, though we did not expect it so soon. I can understand
your own surprise and Alphonse's and mostly your mother's. In this hour of tragedy
we Catholics feel a deep comfort which is our only consolation: prayer and good
works during our lifetime in supplication for the soul of the deceased, as we comfort
one another with the firm hope that we shall see our dear one again, soon, perhaps, in
a happier life than this. For our mutual consolation, I assure you that I have prayed
much for the soul of your clear father, and all the communities of our Congregation
have offered their prayers and Holy Communions.
As best you and Alphonse can, try not to make any decisions now. Comfort
your mother by your thoughtfulness, your resignation and your prayers.
I expect to be back in Turin about April 20. Could you spend a day or two
with me? I would be delighted and we might talk things over. God bless you all.
Pray for me. Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco
7This sentence is an excerpt from Don Bosco's letter to Father Bologna. [Editor] 0mitted
8

in this edition. [Editor]

See Vol, MIL p. 175. [Editor]
344 THE BIOGRAPHICAL. MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

We have a very brief note, dated Easter Sunday, which tells us much
between the lines. It is impossible to identify the person he is referring to,
since prudence and charity would not let him be more explicit in writing, but
we can readily hazard a guess. He was replying to a request for advice from
Father John Piccini, pastor at Rive d'Arcano in Friuli.10•
Rome, Easter, 1880
My friend in Jesus Christ:
The cedars of Lebanon have fallen and continue to fall. They are painful losses,
and we must pray for the fallen and for ourselves, that God will save us.
Let it remain a secret. Should repercussions follow, only then let them quickly and
secretly send away the woman so that nobody may discover her whereabouts.
Should he also seek to move elsewhere, let him go in the opposite direction.
I have received the seven lire you sent; your intention will be respected. God bless
you. Pray for me. Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours gratefully, Fr. John
Bosco

A group of French pilgrims was in Rome during Holy Week. On the

morning of March 24, while calling on Cardinal Nina with Father Dalmazzo,
Don Bosco found the cardinal's waiting room crowded with pilgrims, among
them a group of ladies and gentlemen from Marseille who instantly
recognized him and in one voice greeted him with, "It's Don Bosco!" All
rushed forward to meet him, falling to their knees and asking for his blessing.
Astounded by this sudden welcome, Don Bosco stepped back and excused
himself, saying that no priest was allowed to give his blessing in that place,
since this was the Pope's prerogative. However, they kept insisting on his
blessing. We have to remark that in rushing toward Don Bosco and dropping
to their knees the pilgrims had so shaken the floor that people above and in
the adjoining rooms felt the quiver. Several monsignors came downstairs to
investigate. Even the cardinal looked in and, touched

The original is kept by the family of Mr. Ermenegildo Piccini at Pozzo di Codroipo (Udine).
10

[Author]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 345

by this singular display, told Don Bosco, "Please bless them, or they will
never rise to their feet." Don Bosco complied.
Two days before, he has asked this distinguished cardinal for a long-
delayed private audience with the Holy Father. In fact, he had filled out an
application as soon as he had arrived in Rome, and he had orally renewed
his request several days later. Since he had received no answer, he wrote as
follows:

Rome, March 22, 1880 Tor de'

Specchi, 36
Your Eminence:
Those who need an exceptional favor have to appeal to some saint who in heaven
is very close to God. I, likewise, have to appeal to you. I have been in Rome ten
days now, having come, as you well know, on urgent business of our Congregation,
particularly concerning our missions in Patagonia, for which important decisions
have to be made requiring the Holy Father's prior approval. For nine days I have
sought a private audience. Yesterday I asked the papal chamberlain for his personal
help, stating that I had brought a sizable contribution to the Peter's Pence fund. I
was told that an audience was impossible this week and hardly possible for the next.
Several times I have called on His Eminence Cardinal [Innocent] Ferrieri and have
renewed my written request, but still I see no hope of an audience.
Since I must reply to the Argentinian government's proposal for the
evangelization of the Rio Negro area (Pampas and Patagonia), I presume to appeal
to Your Eminence, as our cherished patron and benefactor, and ask that you
personally recommend us to the Holy Father.
Should this, however, inconvenience him, or should he not see fit to receive me
in audience for any reason, I accept and defer to his decision. I shall call
momentarily upon you for your answer.
Deeply grateful, I am honored to be,
Yours devotedly, Fr. John
Bosco

Don Bosco tried unsuccessfully at least seven times during his stay in
Rome to obtain an audience with Cardinal Ferrieri, prefect of the Sacred
Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. On his last attempt, as he was talking
with the cardinal's chamberlain and asking when he might see him, the
chamberlain kept giving evasive
346 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

replies, citing His Eminence's multiple commitments. Just then the

cardinal's secretary came out of the room. Don Bosco turned to him and,
with a slight break in his unalterable calm, asked, "Are not the heads of
congregations appointed to expedite Church matters? Where and when do
they do so?" The secretary shrugged his shoulders.
Don Bosco always had a number of things to discuss with the prefect of
Bishops and Regulars, but Cardinal Ferrieri's mind had been poisoned against
him by the sinister prejudices which were ever more deeply being rooted in
him by the endless barrage of accusations hurled against Don Bosco from
Turin. The persistent portrayal of Don Bosco as some kind of headstrong
rebel set against diocesan authority and as a systematic violator of Church
laws would have antagonized even a prefect of a Roman Congregation who
did not have, as Cardinal Ferried did, a close rapport with Turin's archbishop,
and it would have put him on guard to safeguard the bishop's jurisdictional
rights and the Church's laws. To a mind thus predisposed, Don Bosco's
steadfast defense of his Congregation's honor and its interests against charges
and prejudicial actions could easily give a false impression of his real
attitude. Nothing can better help us to understand the painfulness of Don
Bosco's situation in this regard or to better appreciate the hurts he was later
forced to endure on this account than the first audience between Cardinal
Ferrieri and Father Dalmazzo, the Congregation's procurator general, who
recorded it in a letter to Father Rua." We quote it in full, just as Father
Dalmazzo himself reported it to Father Lemoyne. Lest we misjudge the
cardinal we must first sketch the profile of the man in the words of
Soderini:12 "His Eminence was a man of sharp acumen and learning; his
manner was both raw and severe, perhaps quite too caustic."
On his very first visit to the cardinal Father Dalmazzo was told he was
not in. He returned a second and a third time, again to be told that His
Eminence could not receive him. He then asked the secretary to inform the
cardinal that he, Father Dalmazzo, urgently needed to confer with him, and
would he graciously set a date and time for an audience sometime within the
month? He was told to
iiSee p. 301. [Editor]
'2Eduardo Soderini, Ii Ponecato di Leone XIII [The Pontificate of Leo XIII], Vol. I, p. 225,
Mondadori, Milan, 1951. [Author]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 347

return at nine on the following Saturday morning.

Father Dalmazzo kept the appointment punctually. After some delay—
the cardinal was just rising at that hour—he was shown into the study. His
Eminence, simply dressed in a priest's cassock, almost cowered Father
Dalmazzo by his look, even though the latter was by no means timid, being
a man of imposing stature and appearance.
"What do you want from me?" the cardinal brusquely asked.
"Don Bosco has sent me from Turin in his name," Father Dalmazzo
replied, "to offer Your Eminence his respects and to request that you
kindly inform him of the observations that have been made on the
Salesian Society and things it must correct. Don Bosco's only desire is to
be in all things and in every way obedient to his superiors' wishes."
"Don Bosco!" retorted the cardinal. "Don .Bosco is a liar! Don Bosco is
an impostor! Don Bosco is an overbearing man who is trying to force
himself upon the Sacred Congregation [of Bishops and Regulars]!"
"With all due respect, Your Eminence, Don Bosco has never meant to
force himself upon your Sacred Congregation. If he must repeatedly
appeal to it, it is only because the archbishop of Turin leaves him no other
choice."
"That one too is a fine specimen, heaping trouble upon trouble for us!
Anyway, what can Don Bosco expect? He is a man neither of learning nor
of holiness. He would have done far better if he had restricted himself to
directing a festive oratory rather than insisted upon founding a
Congregation."
"You must forgive me, Your Eminence, but we who know him have
quite a different opinion of him. And we are two hundred priests!"
"You would all do better if you were to leave him, return to your
different dioceses, and ask your bishops for an assignment. Don Bosco is
not the kind of man to found a Congregation."
"With all respect, do you believe we are all so foolish as to place
ourselves under Don Bosco's guidance without really knowing the man? Be
assured, Your Eminence, that we respect and love him and are offended to
hear him abused and see his work held in contempt."
"I meant no offense," replied the cardinal in a more courteous
348 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

manner. "I merely say that Don Bosco should not have dared to try to
found a Congregation. But, apart from that, what are you here for?"
"I am staying at Tor de' Specchi and am at your service should Your
Eminence have any directives for me."
"Very well."
"I am prepared to provide any explanation whenever you wish." "We
shall see."
"In all things Don Bosco is anxious to obey the instructions of the
Sacred Congregation [of Bishops and Regulars]."
"That remains to be seen," said the cardinal as he dismissed his visitor,
courteously accompanying him to the door.
His severity toward Don Bosco never slackened. Certainly, being one
who cherished peace so dearly that he would have undergone any
sacrifice consonant with his conscience to be at peace with all, Don Bosco
must have felt it the most painful of experiences to find himself rejected
by such a high authority. However, as history teaches us, these are the
crosses visited in varying degrees upon all great religious founders in
God's inscrutable designs. Their humble, kindly, and dauntless response
under such painful and trying circumstances is the most eloquent witness
of their holiness.
Father Berto's diary continues:

March 23: This evening Don Bosco calls on Cardinal [Bartholomew] D'Avauzo.
March 24: This morning Don Bosco visits the cardinal secretary of state. March 25,
Maundy Thursday: Lunch with Bishop Kirby, director of the Irish seminary. Visit to
the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is to be built in Rome's new Macao
district. March 27, Holy Saturday: Visit to the Church of Sant' Andrea delle Fratte;
later to Cardinal [John] Simeoni at the Propaganda Fide. Easter Sunday, March 28:
Fathers Gatti and Menghini called on Don Bosco. Then Don Bosco and Father
Dalmazzo called on. the cardinal vicar, who definitively entrusted the Salesians with
the commission to build the new Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with an
adjoining hospice as a memorial to the revered memory of Pius IX.
The diary omits Good Friday, March 26. The parish files of St. Joseph's
Church in Marseille contain a letter addressed to Canon Guiol and dictated
by Don Bosco on that day, which bears only his
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 349

signature. It shows Don Bosco's anxious concern that the harmony

existing between the Salesian house and the parish be not disrupted. The
fear which he voices about the government's repressive measures we will
explain later when speaking of the law promulgated in March against
religious congregations.

Rome, March 26, 1880 Tor de'

Specchi, 36
My dear Father:
Your gracious letters are ample proof of the kindly solicitude which you show to
St. Leo's Festive Oratory. I can only thank you and pray God to continue, in His
holy grace, to help us complete what we have begun solely for His glory and for
the welfare of souls.
Please thank Monsieur Jules Rostand for the most recent act of charity of which
he told me. As soon as his friend from Paris gets to Rome, I shall not fail to show
him all the regard he deserves and do all I can to promote his excellent plan for the
agricultural school, as he desires.
I have not yet managed to obtain an audience with the Holy Father, both
because of the flood of requests being made and because of His Holiness' illness.
But I trust that I shall soon get to see him. Therefore, please send me the full
names and positions of the chairpersons of our charity committees, because I
hope I can obtain spiritual favors for them and for all the committee members.
Father Bologna writes that he is very happy with St. Leo's Festive Oratory and
the excellent relations it enjoys with the city and particularly with St. Joseph's
Parish. I trust that the Lord will keep us one in that spirit of charity which is
indispensable if we are to continue our holy ministry for the benefit of the people.
Father Bologna has also told me of the successes achieved by the committee which
you zealously set up. Blessed be the Lord.
We are apprehensive that when a survey is taken—or, better, when a directory
of religious institutes in France is compiled—a questionnaire may also be sent to
the Beaujour Society. Should that happen, please advise Father Bologna to list as
its director Taulaigo, who is French, and Father Brogly, also French, as its
administrator. As for the school, ask him to list only the choir school, which is
run under your direction, and you will submit the teachers' qualifications, as
required. This is a precaution, because, as you know, "anticipated blows hurt
less."
At your earliest convenience . please reassure the committees of my heartfelt thank-s.
Tell them I shall not fail to remember them to God at my
350 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

daily Mass. May the Lord preserve you in good health. Pray for me. Always with
sincere love in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. I am using the services of my secretary only because it is late and I have
trouble writing at night_

Since there was not the slightest hope of an early audience with the Pope,
Don Bosco left Rome for Naples on Easter Monday. He certainly did not take
the trip to relax or to enjoy the beauty of the countryside and the Neapolitan
shore. Once, when Father Barberis was Don Bosco's companion in
Marseille—so the apostolic process records—he tried to get Don Bosco to
relax by taking him to see some religious monuments, but Don Bosco
replied, "We are here for another much more important reason." Don Bosco
never lost time or spent money on pleasure trips that are occasionally passed
off as "educational trips." We think he went to Naples to discuss opening a
house there. In fact, L'Osservatore Romano on April 9 [18801 referred to the
fact that "Don Bosco had had to go to Naples in connection with the
foundation of an agricultural school as well as a hospice for homeless boys to
be trained in some art or craft." This article was certainly authorized, and
perhaps even provided by the Salesian procurator. Then too, in a letter to
Father Rua, dated April 8, the secretary wrote: "I ought to tell you about the
trip to Naples, too; Don Bosco has arranged something with the person you
know." These remarks entitle us to believe that the person with whom he had
conferred may have been Marchioness [Cannela] Gargallo, and that the
planned foundation concerned Syracuse, as we shall narrate in Volume XV.
The details of the journey are described in Father Berta's diary at greater
length than usual:

March 29: Don Bosco and I entrained for Naples at 8:30 this morning and arrived
there about 3:40 in the afternoon. We took a coach directly to our lodgings at the
home of Father Fortunato Neri, chaplain of the small hospital near St. Joseph's
Church. After dinner we called on Marchioness Carmelo Garplio, Via Santa Lucia
64, third floor. From there we saw the magnificence and splendor of Naples' harbor
and bay. On the morning of
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 351

March 30, toward 10:30, Canon Pacifio came to escort Don Bosco to several
schools, then to the Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation, and finally to the
convent of the Sisters of Charity, where the archbishop of Naples was serving dinner
to four hundred of the poorest in town. As Don Bosco arrived, he was greeted by
Father Ludovico13 of Casoria [near Naples]. Then we were led into a quadrilateral
courtyard enclosing a garden and lined with porticoes, where two rows of tables
were set up. Here Don Bosco spoke on and off with Father Ludovico_ Shortly
afterward the archbishop arrived, and Don Bosco paid his respects_ He was then
introduced to Commendatore Giusso, a good Catholic and mayor of Naples. It was
edifying to see the archbishop don an apron, pour the wine, and serve the food.
Bishop Anthony Izzo of Isernia and Venafro was also there serving the poor. Toward
2:30 in the afternoon Father Ludovico called on Don Bosco. Then we went again to
Marchioness Gargallo and from there to the railway station. Since the train had
already left, Don Bosco took a coach and called on the Salesian Sisters, also known
as the Visitation Nuns,' 4 at the Convent of Peace, where we stayed from about 3:30
to 6:30. They served us supper, after which the doorkeeper accompanied us to the
train. We rode through the night from 9:05 and reached Rome at 6:30 the following
morning. We celebrated Holy Mass in the convent of the Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament in Via Viminale and then walked to Trojan's Forum and home.

A letter to Father Rua from Rome on April 8 by Father Berto contains more
details. While serving dinner to the poor of Naples, Archbishop Sanfelice kept
Don Bosco at his right and Father Ludovico of Casoria, named "the Don
Bosco of Naples," on his left. Don Bosco also had the opportunity to converse
"with some of Naples' leading citizens, generous-hearted men, who expressed
their delight at seeing him in Naples that day, regretting only that his stay was
so short." Father Lemoyne writes that Don Bosco also met with the Church
historian, Bishop Salzano, a Dominican, titular bishop of Edessa, who never
forgot that meeting. Another young priest was present who kept watching him
with vivid interest; he too treasured the memory of that day with fondness. He
was Monsignor Salvatore Meo, later vicar general of Naples and titular

isLudovico is the religious name taken by Father Arcangelo Parmentiere (1814-1885), founder
of the "Brad della Cariti (Fathers of Charity) or "Frati Bigi." [Editor]
Founded in 1610 in France by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal. [Editor]
14
352 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

bishop of Metone. 15 To this prelate, who stated that he was happy at

having obtained for Don Bosco an audience with the archbishop, we owe a
tidbit of information which shows us how highly the future cardinal [of
Naples] thought of Don Bosco even then: he kept Don Bosco's portrait
hanging over the armchair in which Don Bosco sat, and it stayed there
until his death.16 From Rome Don Bosco sent him a Salesian cooperator
diploma, for which the worthy prelate was thankful, assuring him of his
gratitude and asking to be informed "if I can in any way help out your
undertaldngs." 17 The number of cooperators in Naples, although already
considerable, increased remarkably with Don Bosco's visit.
The reference to the Convent of the Visitation recalls a remarkable
episode mentioned by Salesian Father Thomas Chiappello in the above-cited
pamphlet. The present mother superior has a perfect recollection of Don
Bosco's visit and remembers how he enjoyed the modest repast they served
him in the parlor. But there was much more to it than that. Two nuns,
professed there in 1876, were ill, one suffering from headaches, the other
from internal trouble. Both went to Don Bosco in the hope that his blessing
might heal them. As he blessed the first he told her, "Jesus wants you to
share His crown of thorns. Nevertheless, you will do much good for your
convent." Indeed, she lived until 1920, holding important posts, but always
plagued with headaches. He blessed the second and encouraged her in her
suffering; then, speaking privately with the superior, who died in 1881, he
stated, "This sister is ready for heaven." She died but a few months later.
Don Bosco's return to Tor de' Specchi was marred by an unpleasant
happening of the day before. On the morning of March 31 Father
Dalmazzo was awakened by an acrid smell of smoke. Stepping out into the
hall, he saw smoke issuing from Father Berto's bedroom. As he pushed the
door open, he observed

15Tommaso Chiappello, II Beata Don Giovanni Bosco nella Vision e nelle Previsioni di Quarane anni
Fa [Blessed John Bosco in the Reality and Expectations of Forty Years Ago], Federico and Ardia
Publishers, Naples, 1929, p. 86. [Author]
16Letter from Monsignor Meo to the new rector major, Father Peter Ricaldone, Naples, June 19,
1932. [Author]
"'Letter to Don Bosco, Naples, April 16, 1880. [Author]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 353

live embers glittering through a thick swirl of smoke just over a large
suitcase lying on the floor by the bed, while a tongue of fire darted at the foot
of the bed. He immediately snatched up the suitcase, stamping out the
flames, and gave the alarm. The neighbors hastened over and the firemen
rushed to the scene, extinguishing the fire before it could spread. When all
was over, Father Dalmazzo checked the suitcase and found that the lock had
been torn out. An inner pocket still held a small box which he knew to have
contained a sum of money; it was undamaged, but empty. Obviously the thief
had set fire to the suitcase, hoping that it would be reduced to ashes and leave
no traces, but the fire had spread slowly, without flames, and reached the
blanket and straw mattress of the bed, which burst into flame when the door
was opened. Six thousand francs in six French bank notes were gone, five
thousand the gift of Madame Noilly-Prat; the remaining one thousand had
been given by the baron of Monremy, who had asked Don Bosco to present it
as Peter's Pence to the Pope. The thief must have suspected that the money
was there, since days before Father Dalmazzo had tried unsuccessfully to
cash the bank notes; the burglar must also have known where it had been
hidden. That meant he could not be far off. When the theft was reported, the
police carried out a search twice, checking the premises minutely,
questioning a cleric, the cook, and Father Dalmazzo himself. The police
report, reconstructing the crime, concluded that the thief had started the fire
as a cover-up and that the theft was an inside job or made to look like one.
Fortunately the matter ended there, for who knows what the investigation
might have dug up? On April 3, La Capitale published a news item, inflating
it with lies and quips worthy only of the party it spoke for. L'Osservatore
Romano gave an objective report on April 9. On April 8, Father Berto wrote
to Father Rua, "I was furious, but Don Bosco listened very calmly to the
shocking news without batting an eyelash, without change of expression,
with truly wonderful aplomb—not a word of blame or impatience came from
his lips. I observed in him a man who docilely accepts both happy and
distressing events, and I felt greater admiration for him on this occasion than
I might have felt in witnessing his glory at Marseille."
There is no doubt that this unfortunate occurrence grieved Don
354 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Bosco,18 but his habitual submission to God's will, even in unexpected

and bitter reversals, would not let anything upset his calm. Rather, as
though nothing had happened, he kept going about his work. He wrote
two petitions to the Holy See for favors. The first was quite original:
Humbly prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness, Father John Bosco begs to
inform you that Countess [Charlotte] Callori, a wealthy, devout Catholic lady,
would like to donate a generous sum for the construction of the Church of St. John
the Evangelist, now being built in Turin close to the Protestant church and school.
However, for her own and her family's spiritual gratification she asks that the sum
to be donated be filled in by the venerable hand of Your Holiness. Prostrate at the
feet of Your Holiness, the Reverend John Bosco humbly implores this favor.

The countess, who was subject to scruples of conscience, might have

been torn between her desire to make a generous offer and her fear that by
offering too great a sum she might be hurting her own family. This seemed
to be a reassuring way out. The Pope agreed to her request, but we do not
know the sum specified.
Don Bosco's second petition requested a plenary indulgence to be gained
on a number of feasts by all the faithful, and by the boys boarding in
Salesian houses on the occasion of the Exercise for a Happy Death. He also
asked that these favors, already granted in part and for a time by Leo XIII,
be extended in perpetuity. His aim was to encourage and spread the practice
of frequent Communion. We do not have the wording of the reply.
Two further diary entries: "April 3: Today Senator [John]
Agnelli19 and another gentleman came to comfort Don Bosco, who was
exorcising a possessed woman. April 4, Sunday in Albis: Don Bosco had
lunch with the Sigismondis. Marquis August dB avaria called on Don Bosco
again. He is a colonel in the Noble Guards of His Holiness and brought a
note stating that he had spoken with the

18Father Berto writes: "After returning from Naples and hearing again about the theft of six thousand lire,
Don Bosco and the rest of us went to bed much distressed.. At about three or four in the morning of April 2,
I woke up in a great fright at hearing Don Bosco screaming. I made some noise, in the belief that there were
thieves_ Don Bosco was dreaming." [Author]
19Pounder of the giant Fiat Company in Turin (Fabbrica Italian Automobili Torino). [Editor]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 355

prelate handling the audiences, and he hoped that he could obtain one for
Don Bosco very shortly. Moments later he came back and
showed me a note from Monsignor [Gabriel] Boccali, informing him that
the Pope was not 'predisposed against Don Bosco, and would issue
instructions for an audience." From this we infer that Don Bosco, fearing
that he had fallen out of the Pope's favor, had sounded out the Pope's
private chamberlain, a friend of his.
The possessed woman had been brought to Don Bosco from somewhere
outside Rome; the exorcism was done in private. When he blessed her and
invoked upon her the names of Jesus and of Mary, Help of Christians, the
devil all but choked his victim. Don Bosco ordered the evil spirit in Latin to
disclose his name. The answer was Petrus. Although that poor woman was
an ordinary peasant, she spoke even English in her diabolic seizures. The
spirit was abjured in God's name to say how long he had possessed that
woman. "Two to three years!" he answered.
"Why are you here?"
"I am Santa's guardian." (Santa was the woman's name.) "Where
were you before that?"
"Floating around. You won't have an easy time in chasing me out of
her."
"Why won't you leave her? Don't you realize that you are adding to
your own sufferings and sinking deeper into evil?"
"I love evil."
The demon then made it known that only a solemn exorcism would
drive it out. Since the cardinal vicar's express permission was necessary
and he was away until April 21, the petition was sent to Archbishop
[Julius] Lenti, his vicar, and nothing more was heard about it.
Nevertheless, some good did come of it, for when the man who
accompanied Senator Agnelli heard the replies and saw the antics of the
possessed woman, he admitted, "I had never believed in the devil, but
now I do."
April 5 was a most comforting day. Once he had been assured that the
Pope had no ill feeling toward him, Don Bosco had sent him a personal
letter. This put an end to any delay, for early that day a messenger. brought
Don Bosco a note informing him that the Holy Father would graciously
receive him in private audience that very evening at 6:45. He immediately
drew up his usual memo of matters to discuss.
356 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Audience with the Holy Father

April 5, 1880
1. Money stolen.
2. Affairs in France.
3. Patagonia, apostolic prefecture, apostolic vicariate, government proposal,
seminary for the foreign missions.
4. Business with the [Congregation of] Bishops and Regulars,
suspended faculties, inaccessibility of the cardinal prefect, papal blessing
for cooperators, benefactors, boys.
5. Monthly audience of one minute only when called for by business,
procurator and secretary. '

The monthly audience he was requesting was meant for the procurator
general, whom he was introducing to the Holy Father that evening with
his secretary. In a later chapter we shall recount what he and the Pope
discussed concerning the missions. What he told the Holy Father about
France we find in a letter from Don Bosco to Canon Guiol in this chapter.
As for the matters pending before the Sacred Congregation of Bishops
and Regulars, he needed to find out what his standing was, but when he
went to the secretariat that very morning, he was told that Cardinal
Ferrieri had reserved everything to himself.
Don Bosco had scheduled his third conference to the Salesian cooperators
at four that afternoon, and he held it in the chapel of the Oblates at Tor de'
Specchi, honored by the presence of three cardinals: Nina, Sbarretti, and
Alimonda. Father Dalmazzo first read a chapter from a biography of St.
Francis de Sales; then a few nuns sang a motet which prepared the audience
for Don Bosco's message. In a thirty-minute talk he told them of the
achievements accomplished by the cooperators' charity, stressing particularly
measures taken to counteract Protestant propaganda. He then passed on to the
development of Salesian work in South America, dwelling in particular on
Patagonia and the futile efforts made over the past three centuries to convert
that land. He told them of his well-founded hopes that his sons would soon
fmd a way to reach the savages and have them reborn in Jesus Christ.2°
Don Bosco was followed by Cardinal Alimonda, who thrilled his

20
We are omitting the outline of his talk [Editor]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 357

audience with his unique eloquence, a blend of deep thought, historic

anecdotes, and learned allusions, all enlivened by vivid imagery and
current language. His text was taken from St. Paul: "We are God's
helpers." He opened by expressing his joy at being among so many who
had never trod the path of Cain nor bent the knee to Baal—an allusion to
the aberrations among Roman followers of the new regime. He was
proud, he said, of being a Salesian cooperator. Then he went on to speak
of everyone's duty to cooperate with God for the good of souls and their
salvation, pointing out where they could focus their energy: themselves,
abandoned children, priestly vocations, missions. He cited the means
available to them, such as the sacraments, good reading, Christian
instruction, almsgiving and prayer. The meeting was closed with another
motet and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament imparted by the cardinal
secretary of state. When all was over, the cooperators went up to Don
Bosco to greet him personally before leaving.
Time was now running short. He rushed home, took his ecclesiastical
cloak, and with his procurator general and secretary hurried to the Vatican.
They got there at exactly 6:45, only to be kept waiting until 7:30, when
Monsignor Boccali, then on duty, ushered Don Bosco into the Pope's
presence. The audience had been going on for about half an hour when
Cardinal [Henry Edward] Manning, who had arrived that day from England,
was introduced into the antechamber where Don Bosco's procurator general
and secretary were waiting. Since cardinals are not kept waiting, Monsignor
Boccali immediately announced his presence to the Pope and ushered him in.
Promptly Don Bosco tried to withdraw, but the Pope took hold of his hand
and said, "Stay." Monsignor Boccali, instead, kept tugging at his cassock and
whispering, "Don Bosco, wait outside," but the Pope kept a firm grip on his
hand. It was a strange scene. The Holy Father then scheduled the cardinal for
another day and resumed his conversation with Don Bosco. When we stop to
think that Leo XIII was a stickler for protocol, we can infer that he was
uniquely honoring Don Bosco at that moment. The conversation must indeed
have been quite interesting too. At this time we shall only report Whatever
Don Bosco's two companions heard from him and mentioned in their
letters—which is not much—rounding it out
358 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

from Father Lemoyne's recollections. However, we will never know

everything of the interview because in certain matters Don Bosco kept
an impenetrable reserve.
He told the Pope about the theft of the six thousand lire. "Why did
you not deliver the money to me at once?" the Pope asked.
"Your Holiness, twenty days ago I applied for an audience and
renewed my request three or four times before my trip to Naples.
Monsignor Macchi just told me it was impossible and kept postponing
it from week to week."
"I am very sorry to hear that," the Pope remarked. "Monsignor Macchi
never said a word of it to me. You could at least have told one of my
chamberlains."
"I did," Don Bosco replied.
"I surely would have received you," the Pope went on. "Every day I give
audiences to people who have nothing particular to say, who come only to
ask how I am, pay their respects, and take up my time. You may be sure I
would certainly receive the founder and superior of a Congregation who
had come from a distance to see me. Trust me, I hold nothing against you
or your Congregation. Rather, I am grateful for what you are doing for the
Church. But why did you not tell Monsignor Macchi that you had money
for me?"
"I did."
"You might have told Cardinal Nina."
"I told him, too."
"And what did he say?"
"He said all he could do for me was to put in a good word with
Monsignor Macchi."
"As soon as I received your letter, I asked Monsignor Macchi why
he had not granted you an audience," the Holy Father explained. "He
replied that you had told him you were going to Naples."
"Just because of that, I promptly requested an audience several times. I
was anxious to deliver the money because it was worrying me."
"I am truly displeased and disappointed that they kept me in the dark. In
the future do this: come to a public audience, and when I see you there, I will
set up a private audience for you myself."
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 359
Then. they spoke of privileges, the Pope saying that as a rule he was
opposed to privileges for religious. Don Bosco quipped facetiously, "But
then religious could not exist! Besides, privileges are a token of good will
which the Church is free to grant and withdraw as it sees fit"
"What is your request?"
"I am asking for two or three privileges which all other religious orders
enjoy, and these only for a renewal or a confirmation."
"Fine!" the Pope replied. "If that is all you wish, see Cardinal
Alimonda about it and it will be taken care of. So too for the missions;
see Cardinal Alimonda and Archbishop Jacobini."
"I would also ask you to confer the title of Monsignor on Father
[Peter] Ceccarelli, parish priest of San Nicolas de los Arroyos in
Argentina."
"Yes, of course," the Pope replied.
"And I also ask you the same favor for. Father [Mario] Migone, who gave
us the land for the Church of Mary, Help of Christians at Vallecrosia." The
Pope agreed.
"I have a procurator general here in Rome," Don Bosco went on. "I beg
Your Holiness to let him see you once or twice a month to keep you
informed or to at least pay his respects in the company of Cardinal
Alimonda."
"Yes, tell him he may come," the Pope replied.
The audience lasted forty minutes. Father Dalmazzo and Father Berta
were then introduced to the Pope, who greeted them very graciously.
Besides objects to be blessed, they brought a set of Father Durando's
Latin dictionaries, which Don Bosco presented to the Pope, telling him
that they were the work of a Salesian teacher who had carefully expurgated
them of words improper for youngsters. The Pope bade him put them on
his desk. He finally dismissed them with a blessing, saying:

I bless you, your relatives, your Congregation, your sick confreres, and, above all,
your pupils and your missionaries. May your numbers increase! May you all work
for the goals of your Congregation., which was inspired by God to your founder
and which has already experienced a marvelous growth. May you work constantly
for God's glory and the welfare of the Church. May you be ready to sacrifice
anything, even your life, for the Church, and may you always uphold God's glory
and interests, as well as
360 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the welfare of souls, with fortitude, strength, and perseverance in God's service and
in the vocation to which you have been called.

"As you see," Father Berta told Father Rua in the letter we have
mentioned,21 "the Pope's blessing was a truly magnificent encouragement
and comfort. His voice was so gentle, cordial and warm, that we, at seeing
so much love and benevolence for our dear father and our Congregation, felt
truly ecstatic. In those precious, priceless moments we felt that we were
once more beholding our beloved Pius IX living again in the person of Leo
XIII." Under the Pope's instructions Don Bosco drafted two formal petitions
to the secretary of state requesting honorific papal titles for Father Ceccarelli
and Father Migone.22 He also renewed his request for a similar title for
Canon Guiol, to whom most solicitously he wrote the following letter,
which contains further
details about the audience.
Rome, April 6, 1880
Dearest Father:
I have just returned from an audience with the Holy Father and have many things
to tell you. Just now let me say that the Holy Father listened with great interest to
what I told him of the generosity and zeal of Marseille's people and of the
committees set up to provide for the needs of our boys. He was touched and sends
his particular blessing to all the committee members, promising to send them a word
in writing soon.
Had you been present, my dear father, to hear the Holy Father's warm praise of
the Salesians and their pupils, and the lofty terms in which he spoke of the
cooperators, you would have been most wonderfully consoled. However, it was
when he spoke of St. Leo's Festive Oratory, of what it has done and hopes to do, of
the zeal and generosity of its benefactors, of the kindness of the bishop and the
Beaujour Society, that both the Holy Father and I were deeply moved. After a
lengthy talk he concluded, "This is the real way to assist the Church and to improve
the well-being of the common people afflicted by so many evils."
I will tell you the rest in a later letter or publish it in the Bulletin
Salesien.
Take heart, my ever beloved father. True, we have work to do and the devil tries
to block us by his lies, but we are unafraid, for God is with us
"See p_ 350. [Editor]
22
Omitted in this edition. [Editor]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 361

and His help shall never fail us.

Sincerest greetings to our most cherished benefactors, the members of the
Beaujour Society, Father Mendre and the ladies of our committees.
Now, here is a thought of mine: might we not form a third committee with
Mademoiselle Gabrielle Arman and other young ladies who have shown such
interest in our work?
When you can, speak to Father Bologna and tell him in confidence that the Holy
Father does not wish us to submit a copy of our Salesian rules to the government,
should it request them. In case it does, he should promptly write me a full account.
Perhaps I shall shortly have something to tell you about an idea of the Holy Father
which will astonish both of us. Let us pray! God will guide us.
May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Pray forme. Always,
with all my heart,
Yours most affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

"An idea of the Holy Father" alluded to a plan about which he was shortly
to write again from Turin. "A word in writing," mentioned at the beginning of
this letter, dealt with a spiritual favor. As Don Bosco took leave of the Pope's
private chamberlain, Monsignor Boccali, he gave the monsignor four papal
blessings with a plenary indulgence for each of the chairmen of the four
committees who were collecting funds for St. Leo's Oratory. and St. Pierre's
Hospice [in Nice]. He also asked the chamberlain to have the Holy Father sign
them and then to pass them on to Cardinal Alimonda. It took some time for
the papers to go through, but the papal blessings fmally arrived. In fact, after
repeated inquiries, Monsignor [Seraphim] Cretoni, acting deputy of the
secretary of state, wrote him in Cardinal Nina's name on August 30:

The Holy Father has received your requests of April 20, and is deeply pleased to
learn of the support being given to the Salesians in Marseille. His Holiness wishes to
encourage the members of the various committees with a spiritual favor over and
above the blessing which he imparts to them from his heart. He therefore grants to
all members of the aforesaid committees a plenary indulgence to be gained at the
hour of death uhder the customary conditions. I am happy to inform you of this and
trust that you will forward this reply to the parish priest of St. Joseph's Church in
Marseille for the information of those concerned.
362 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

We have another document which tells us more about the little treasure of
news regarding the audience of April 5. It is a draft written personally by
Don Bosco for Father Dalmazzo, probably for his information and guidance.
It contains several ideas which he intended to submit to the Holy Father.

URGENT MATTERS IN WHICH ONLY

THE VICAR OF JESUS CHRIST CAN TAKE ACTION
For the Young
Catechism classes for children at least on Sundays and holy days. Generally, few
villages and very few cities offer catechetical instruction for all; still less is offered
to poor, homeless children. Very little is done to attract them and to hear their
confessions.
For the Clergy
Greater zeal is needed in giving adult education to the faithful according to the
norms set by the Catechism for Parish Priests, published by order of the Sacred
Council of Trent. Apart from the towns of northern Italy, it is rare to find a parish
where this instruction is given.
More care and greater charity in hearing confessions. Most priests never
administer this sacrament, and the rest, if ever, hear confessions only at the Easter
season.
For Priestly Vocations
Priestly vocations are dropping at an alarming, rate. The few vocations we have
are dangerously exposed to being lost during the mandatory military service.
A highly effective way to encourage and develop vocations to the priesthood is
the Sons of Mary Program under the auspices of Mary, Help of Christians,
commended and enriched with indulgences by Pope Pius IX. Its purpose is to bring
together willing young men who have the necessary qualifications.
It must be noted that of every hundred boys who begin their studies for the
priesthood, no more than six or seven reach the goal. On the other hand, it has been
observed that of one hundred adults approximately ninety-three persevere to
ordination.
Religious Orders
Religious orders are passing through a frightening crisis. Two things must be
done: provide housing for disbanded religious and insist that they
 To Rome and Naples from Liguria ________________________ 363

live in community and resume their respective novitiates.

Let contemplative religious zealously reach out to teach catechism to children and
adults and to hear confessions.
The Holy See should generously aid, counsel, support, and guide the new
religious congregations so that they may fulfill their purpose and
contribute this help to the growing needs of Holy Church assaulted and embattled in
such diverse ways.

In his lengthy audience with the Holy Father, Don Bosco did not forget his
most distinguished benefactors, his schools, and those who most befriended
them. In the next few days his secretary was burdened with work. He wrote
in Don Bosco's name to all the most important benefactors to tell them of the
plenary indulgence the Holy Father was granting them. He also sent letters to
all the Salesian directors, informing them of the Pope's special blessing to
them and their pupils and asking them to notify all their benefactors by
means of a form letter, a copy of which he was enclosing for their use.
Though we do not have the original of this letter, we have a copy sent to
Father [Charles] Cays, director of the house at Challonges. The style is
typically Don Bosco's.

Name of City
Dear Sir (or Madam):
I hasten to inform you that our superior, Father John Bosco, had the
signal honor of a private audience with His Holiness Leo XIII the evening of April
5.
On that memorable occasion, the Holy Father graciously deigned to grant his
apostolic blessing on all of our benefactors and on the Salesian cooperators, most
particularly you and your whole family, for whom he implores God's abundant
spiritual and temporal graces.
It is my pleasure to inform you of the Holy Father's benevolence. Our
boys join me in praying that God will preserve your good health, while I am
personally happy to be,
Yours devotedly,
Fr. ___________________________
(Name of Director)

Here it is only proper that we give some space to Father [Joachim] Berto
who, as Don Bosco's secretary, untiringly day and night waited upon him. It
is not surprising to find an entry in Father
364 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Berto's diary of 1880 stating how our gentle father, always so thankful for
every tiny service and favor, asked him, "Father Berto, how can I thank you
for all you do for me, for your kind attentions to poor Don Bosco?"
"I am more than repaid," Father Berto replied, "by my pleasure in serving
you as best I can. I am only sorry that I cannot do as much as you deserve
and as I would like to do."
"Well, then, I want you to know that Don Bosco looks upon you as the
apple of his eye. When I, hopefully, get to paradise, if the Lord allows me a
little free space at my side, I shall keep it reserved for you."
We now take another glance at the diary:

April 6: Don Bosco has dinner with Cardinal Alimonda. April 7: He goes to
Archbishop Jacobini's office to discuss our missions. The cleric Zoia, an alumnus of
ours, and a French seminarian who also is a Barnabite, paid a visit to Don Bosco; so
did Canon Colombi, Father Leonori [a Vatican attorney], and a certain Eliseus
Ambrosi, an official of the postal service, who sought news of his brother, Natalino
Ambrosi. During the night of April 6 Don Bosco again cried out in his sleep 23 Upon
being asked about it the following morning, he told me that he had had a horrible
dream. April 8, Thursday: Don Bosco went to the secretariat of state on mission
business. April 9, Friday: Don Bosco had dinner with Mr. [Joseph] Colonna24 and
with Father Omodei Zorini who lodges there. April 10: Today Don Bosco and Father
Dalmazzo went to Archbishop Jacobini's to discuss our missions. April 11, Sunday:
Don Bosco stayed indoors practically the whole day; Mr. [John Baptist] Conti was his
only visitor. April 12: Archbishop [Peter] Rota came to see Don Bosco and invite him
to dinner on Wednesday. April 13: Today Don Bosco dined with Mr. Conti and in the
evening went to visit Cardinal Alimonda. April 14: Don Bosco called on Archbishop
Rota and in the evening again went to see Cardinal Alimonda. Toward 5 o'clock,
Cardinal [Anthony] De Luca came to Tor de' Specchi to inquire if Don Bosco were at
home; regretfully we had to tell him he was out. April 15: Don Bosco called on
Cardinal De Luca and Archbishop Agnozzi. Later the four of us—Don Bosco, Father
Dalmazzo, Zucchini and I—lunched with Bishop Kirby at the Irish seminary. At
midday I took the papers about a vicariate in Patagonia to Cardinal Alimonda, who
said to me, "You are really blessed
23See footnote IS on p. 354. [Editor]
24He was the son of Stephen, deceased, of whom mention has been made in previous volumes.
He too was a Vatican expediter. [Author]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 365

to live with a man who is indeed a saint." April 16: Don Bosco walked to the
post office. April 17: Don Bosco went to the chancery. Father Gregory Francis
Palmieri came to dine with us. April 18, Sunday: In the evening Don Bosco
went to the cardinal vicar to give him a memorandum for the Holy Father
concerning the construction of the Church of the Sacred Heart in Rome.
The cleric Zoia, an alumnus of our Valsalice College, spent almost an
hour with Don Bosco discussing various systems of education, especially the
one followed by the Barnabite Fathers. Today [1933], as an outstanding
member of his congregation, he recalls that when their talk turned to
administrative matters particularly in technical and trade schools, he
facetiously remarked, "I'll nominate you for secretary of the treasury the
next time the government runs into trouble. I'm sure it wouldn't take you
long to pay off the national debt."
"One should not contract debts," Don Bosco replied with a smile.
"Don Bosco is afraid of debts. Debts won't l et you sleep. . ."
"Still, you built the Church of Mary, Help of Christians by running up
debts."
"Not really," he explained. "I began building with the few pennies I had in
my pocket, and I kept it up to the end, never spending more than what
Divine Providence kept sending me."
In fact, once the church was built, Don Bosco did not proceed to decorate
the interior; this was done after his death. This means that he did not believe
that Divine Providence was then sending him the needed funds. It wasn't so
with the Church of St. John Evangelist [in Turin] which was magnificently
decorated without delay.
We are now at about the eve of his departure [from Rome]. Before closing
the chapter, we might do well to glance through the rest of his
correspondence from Rome which we have in our possession. We will
merely quote a few lines here and there from the first two letters in
chronological order, omitting business matters. He wrote to Father Ronchail,
director at Nice, on April 9
and considered six points, the last dealing with the theft and repeating a
suggestion he had already given to him: "Try to call on
Baron de Monremy and tell him that the Holy Father was quite downhearted
over [the theft], that he thanks him with all his heart and sends a special
blessing to him and to Madame Menier,
366 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

praying God to keep them both in good health. Should he in the future have
another offering for the Holy Father, ask him please to use my services, so
that I may make up for the embarrassment the theft cost us. I hope very soon
to write to this loyal friend and benefactor of ours.
"Make sure that duties are properly parceled out and that our rules are
observed from sunrise to sunset. 'The same rest, the same work for all,' says
Virgil in his fourth book of the Georgics."
The second letter, dated April 12, was addressed to Father Rua: "I hope to
be with you for our dear boys' spiritual retreat," it began. "So, postpone it to
any day after April 26." Then, after suggesting various ways to rid oneself of
the "nightmare" of debts, he went on to say, "I am speeding up my return to
Turin to help you look for funds. Regretfully, wherever I go, my pockets are
emptied out, and so I can bring very little back to Turin." Nevertheless, we
know that just two days later, with fatherly concern, he sent Father Rua three
money orders of a thousand lire each, "the fruits of his labors," "a few
donations collected here and there." 25 He closes thus: "Remember me very
warmly to all our dear boys. Tell them that on Sunday, feast of the Patronage
of St. Joseph, I shall say Holy Mass for them and I ask that they offer
Communion for my intention. I have many serious matters on hand. I am also
hatching a plot against Father Cagliero." This was probably an allusion to his
negotiations in setting up a vicariate in Patagonia with Father Cagliero the
presumed bishop.
He sent the third letter to Father Barberis and his novices at San Benign.
The examinations for which he commends them were end-of-term tests.

Rome, April 16. 1880

Dear Father Barberis:
I have sent the Holy Father's blessings to everyone, but most especially to our dear
novices. He spoke of them with evident pleasure, and I shall tell you in person what
he said when I come to San Benign. You may assure them that the Holy Father is
very fond of us and is deeply interested in all our work.
Tell them too that I am quite pleased with their exams, pleased with

25
Letter from Father Berto to Father Rua, Rome, April 14, 1880. [Author]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 367

those who got good marks and with those who are determined to do better next time.
Meanwhile, my dear children, my delight and my crown, take up, all of you, the
shield of faith, that you may be able to fight against the snares of the devil. For Our
Lord Jesus became obedient for our sake even unto
death, so that we too, through the practice of obedience and mortification, might enter
with Him and through Him into the glory of Our Heavenly
Father. Fight manfully, then, that you may all be crowned with glory. Receive Holy
Communion for my intention, and every day I shall
remember you in the Sacrifice of the Mass. May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ
be ever with you. Greetings!
Your friend, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. Just so that you may know, I have written to Father Verolfo to help us. Do
not mention this to him unless he first broaches the subject.

When he felt that the widow of Mr. Fortis had gotten over her grief
sufficiently, he wrote her a personal letter, as he had written to her son.26
Having experienced her generosity, he added to his words of sympathy an
appeal for aid in his financial need. Time and work usually assuage even
overwhelming grief, but for those who have faith sorrow is sanctified by
works of mercy.
Rome, April 16, 1880
Dear Mrs. Josephine Fortis,
I have received your letter informing me of the tragic loss of your husband and I
deeply share your grief. We have already offered prayers for the eternal repose of his
soul, and we are still praying, though we firmly believe that Our Merciful God has
already welcomed him into heaven.
I have just come from an audience with the Holy Father from whom I asked a
special blessing for you and for our dear Alphonse and Richard
that you may all enjoy good health and the grace of a happy life and a holy death. He
graciously sends his blessings.
As for our work in Turin, Father Rua has written to tell me that he is in tight
financial straits, particularly to meet expenses for our South
American missions and for feeding our poor boys. I appeal to your charity
if you possibly can help us. We have many projects on hand, and this year we are
feeling the pinch of the rise in the cost of living.

"See p. 343. 'Editor]

368 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOLR.S OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

I hope to be in Turin by the end of the month and may get to see you and your
sons.
I enclose a miraculous picture of the Blessed Virgin, hoping that it may bring
blessings to your family.
Pray for me. Ever in Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Yours devotedly, Fr. John
Bosco

Since the audience with the Pope had taken place on April 5, the "I have
just come" is to be taken in a broad sense, as a timely touch.
There is also a most charming fifth letter to an Oratory alumnus who later
became a distinguished Salesian priest, brother of the unforgettable Father
Dominic Ruffino. On graduating from the Oratory, he ran into a series of
problems, working as a tutor and teacher in several places, until nostalgia for
the days he had spent in the shadow of the Church of Mary, Help of
Christians led him back to Don Bosco in September 1880.

Rome, April 17, 1880 Tor de'

Specchi, 36
My dearest James Ruffin,
Your letter was truly a comfort to me. My Love for you is always great, and now
that you tell me you wish to come back to the nest, I reminisce about the past return,
recalling the things you told me in confidence, and other fond recollections. Should
you decide to become a Salesian, all you have to do is to return to the Oratory and
say, "Here's a blackbird returning to the nest." The rest will be the same as it was and
as you have always known it.
I do not want you to embarrass your present employers, and so if you have to defer
your journey to Turin for some time, feel free to do so, provided that you are not
being spiritually hurt.
I shall be at the Oratory at the end of this month and wait for you there, like a
father eager to welcome his son. We shall talk about everything then.
God bless you, dearest Ruff-mo. Pray for me, who has always been, in Jesus
Christ,
Your affectionate friend, Fr. John
Bosco
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 369

A sixth letter, written to the director of the house in Marseille, shows us

that Don Bosco's fatherly heart never dissociated his concern for major
community interests from detailed attention to the needs of the
individual.

Rome, April 18, 1880

Dear Father Bologna,
Since I am leaving Rome the day after tomorrow, I am enclosing a few letters for
you to put into envelopes and hand-deliver to the addressees.
As you already know, the Holy Father sends a special blessing to you, our dear
boys, all our benefactors and our confreres, including Borghi and Bernard,27 who
are doing little if they don't strive to become saints.
It is necessary for you to speak often and at ease with Father Ghione and Father
Pirro. They are both excellent individuals. You will get whatever you wish from
them if you handle them properly.
Father Rua writes to me that he is in dire need of money. I sent what I could—less
than a mere pittance! Please send him what you can. You could have given the
contractor only twenty-five thousand francs, considering that you had already paid
him six thousand. But it's all done and over now.
It seems that the parish priest [Canon Guiol] has gotten some funds together by
now, but proceed with great patience and prudence. Offer as a reason that Father
Rua has run up a debt of fifteen thousand francs for St. Leo's Festive Oratory. I
have been writing to people, and they all promise to send a donation.
If you write to me, address your letters to Lucca until April 25; thereafter, write to
Sampierdarena, and in May to Turin.
May God keep all of you in His holy grace! Give my special regards to the boys
and the confreres. Ask them all to pray for me. In Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

He also wrote a heartening letter to Baron Heraud of Nice, whose lasting

cheerfulness he loved. Whenever the good baron would meet Don Bosco,
especially if they were away from Nice and the baron was unknown, he
would come up with some highly original and zany antics which brought
many a chuckle to Don

27
Two lay Salesians. See Vol. XIII, p. 558. [Editor]
370 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Bosco and his friends.28 As papal chamberlain he had recently been on

duty at the Vatican.
Rome, April 18, 1880
My dear Baron:
Before leaving Rome, I feel that I must drop you a line. I've been on the run, what
with business and with both devout and curious visitors, and I've had little time to
myself. However, I did manage to call on Cardinals Bartolini, Bilio, Oreglia, and
Nina, and on Monsignors Boccali, Ciccolini, and others. They all recall your
enthusiasm and cheerful wit and send you their regards and best wishes, hoping that
you will soon return to Rome. I felt perfectly at ease during my audience with the
Holy Father, and he readily recalled your stay at the Vatican, remarking, "What a
charming man—always so cheerful! I am sure his good example of devotion and his
works of charity accomplish much good. I know too that he has helped your
Congregation a great deal. Hold him very dear!"
He asked about your fornily. When I told him that there are just you and your wife,
and that her health is not strong, he replied, "May God grant him peace of mind and
restore his wife's health. Give him my blessing."
I thought it only fair to tell him of your work for Peter's Pence. "I know," His
Holiness said. "That is why I remember him as a very special person."
As for myself, I had a visitor while staying in Naples who, I'm sure, felt he was
doing me a big favor by relieving me of some clothing, breaking open trunks and
suitcases, and pocketing some six thousand lire from the Peter's Pence fund which I
was taking to the Holy Father. I don't know why, but as these "confiscators"29 were
leaving, they set fire to my secretary's room, alarming the entire neighborhood.
Such is life in this sad world of ours.
I have asked Our Blessed Lady, Mary, Help of Christians, to visit your home with
an abundance of blessings and to be the watchful protector and guardian of your
whole family and your dear ones—not of your money,

28
0nce, for example, at La Navarre he visited Don Bosco as the latter was having dinner with several
important guests. He managed to fool the doorkeeper and convinced him that he was a beggar, asking
him to get him a plate of soup from Don Bosco_ Don Bosco of course gladly acceded, and the baron
very simply sat outside on a bench and ate. When he finished, he walked into the dining room, went
straight to Don Bosco, and said, "Thank you for the soup. It was delicious." The formality of the
moment was shattered, the guests burst into laughter, and the baron's humorous antics endeared him
even more to Don Bosco. [Author] 29"Confiscators" were government officials who either usurped or
stole Church property. This word was then very much in use among Catholic journalists. Especially in
Rome, Don Bosco's turn of the phrase was particularly apt. [Author]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 371

however, for that She must bring to me to build a chapel in St. Pierre's Hospice.
When you see Engineer Levrot and the Bonin brothers, please give them my
regards.
I leave Rome the day after tomorrow and will be back in Turin, God willing, by
the end of the month.
Please remember me in the kindness of your prayers. Be assured that I am always
in Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Yours most devotedly, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. I had no time to acknowledge your letter asking me to pray for a gentleman
whose young nephew is very ill. I immediately gave word for special prayers,
Masses, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church of Mary, Help of
Christians in. Turin. I also have prayed very fervently for him at my daily Mass.
Perhaps God has granted our request. If His holy will has been done in some other
way, I would really like to know, for he pronfised a substantial donation for the
chapel at the hospice.

The diary cites some last visits and records the departure:
April 19: Don Bosco called on Cardinal [Bartholomew] D'Avanzo, who told him he
would like to become a Salesian cooperator. That evening Don Bosco again went to
see Archbishop [Ludwig] Jacobini and then Cardinal [Lawrence] Nina. Father
Dalmazzo and I are to dine with the Vitelleschis. April 20: In the morning Don Bosco
called on Baron Thomas Celesia, Via S. Eustachio, and then on Cardinals [Teodolfo]
Mertel and [Thomas] Martinelli, Marchioness Cavalletti and the Vitelleschi family. I
went to say farewell to Alexander and Matilda Sigismondi and Adelaide. Then we left
for Magliano by the 6:30 train; the ticket agent, an alumnus named Miglietta, greeted
Don Bosco in Piedmontese.

Don Bosco's departure, however, did not mean that everything had been
done. Father Dalmazzo was to follow up according to Don Bosco's
instructions. Hence the following memo which Don Bosco left for him:

Two papal decorations have been definitively approved for Baron de Monremy of
Verdun and for Mr. Joseph Bruschi of La Spezia.
Decoration for Engineer Levrot, promised by the cardinal secretary. The request
has been filed by the ordinary, who has hilly recommended him.
372 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

I could not see the Holy Father again, nor was I allowed to attend the
audience to which he had invited me.
The business of our missions and the vicariate in Patagonia have been left
hanging.
Heartfelt thanks to Cardinal Alimonda. Ask him about the faculties which were
taken away from us. He has a copy, as does the Holy Father. Tell Monsignor
[Mariano] Rampolla30 that all documents relating to the vicariate are to be found
in the secretariat for extraordinary ecclesiastical affairs.

While Don Bosco was in Rome, Father Dalmazzo witnessed a very

specific prediction of his and its fulfillment. Don Bosco received a letter in
which a French lady requested a blessing for her only daughter who was
very ill. "Here is a lady who wants me to pray especially for the recovery of
her daughter, barely two years old," he said to Father Dalmazzo. "But what
can I answer? The child will most certainly die."
"It's a harsh reply to make," commented Father Dalmazzo. "You answer
the letter, please."
"What shall I tell her?"
"Tell her that I shall pray for her to be resigned to God's holy will."
Father Dalmazzo softened the blow by urging the lady to leave everything
to God, assuring her that prayers were being offered for the child. She read
Don Bosco's meaning between the lines and immediately telegraphed him
to renew her plea for his prayers, saying that a letter would follow. Father
Dalmazzo handed Don Bosco the telegram and asked what response he
should make. "None," Don Bosco replied. Then the letter arrived.
Distraught by the fear of losing her child, the grieving mother expressed her
conviction that the girl would recover through Don Bosco's prayers. Again
Father Dalmazzo asked what answer he should send. "None," Don Bosco
repeated. "She would not be able to bring up her daughter properly, and so
it would be better if the girl passed away for her own soul's good." Five
days later a telegram announced the girl's death.
It is always the biographer's pleasure to collect testimonials of

30He was then with the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith as secretary for matters
concerning the Eastern rites. [Author]
To Rome and Naples from Liguria 373

the powerful impact made by Don Bosco's kindly ways on all who
approached him or even merely laid eyes on him. These statements, issued at
different times in widely scattered places, are all reiterated proofs of his
unchallenged greatness as a man and of his spiritual stature as a saint. That
year, a cleric—Peri-Morosini, who later became a bishop and apostolic
administrator of Canton Ticino—was studying philosophy in Rome. One day
he and his fellow students were taking a walk as a group. As they crossed
Piazza San Luigi dei Francesi, they spotted a priest, whom a few recognized
as Don Bosco, pointing him out to others. The young cleric broke ranks,
contrary to rules, and, dashing over to him, greeted him. "I could never tell
you the impression he made on me," the bishop once stated at a formal
commemorative service being held for Don Bosco at Ascona.31 "Don Bosco,"
I thought, "is the living image of Jesus of Nazareth: amiable, meek, kind,
humble, modest. So must Jesus have impressed others!"

31 Bollettino Salesiano, July 1908. f Author]

 CHAPTER 18

Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome

)SHORTLY after Don Bosco left Rome, he was honored at an

impressive gathering. The National Organization of Catholic Conventions,

whose aim was to unify Italian Catholics in defense of the Church and of the
Roman Pontiff, had formed regional committees which were to meet as
often as they felt necessary to discuss Church affairs. The Roman committee
held its first regional meeting on April 21 and 22 [1880] in the magnificent
Altemps Palace under the honorary chairmanship of Rome's cardinal vicar.
At his right among others sat Duke [Scipione] Salviati, chairman, and Prince
Camillus Rospigliosi, spiritual moderator, while several bishops sat at his
left. At the morning session of April 22, Attorney Frascari proposed that one
of the existing Catholic societies should draw up a plan to take throngs of
roaming youngsters off the streets and give them a Christian education. He
suggested that, to achieve this end, the society should enlist the aid of Don
Bosco's Salesians. Put to a vote, the proposal was unanimously approved.
Don Bosco read of this in the Catholic press just as he was about to leave
Magliano. The publicity stirred by such an authoritative endorsement of so
august a body certainly gave all his work a great moral boost.
Don Bosco stayed at the seminary in M _ gliano from the evening
of April 20 to the morning of April 23. The usual annual outing, held
regularly just after Easter, was set in his honor to coincide with his visit. He
had already agreed, to everyone's joy, since he meant to take part in it. Their
goal was the seminary summer home on the hills of Calvi in Umbria. Such a
pleasant excursion disposed the young seminarians to be all the more
responsive to their superiors' suggestions that they take advantage of Don
Bosco's presence for their spiritual benefit. Don Bosco heard their confessions
and then
Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome 375

placed himself at the disposal of the staff so that all might be able to talk
with him. How they were affected may be gleaned from a random remark
jotted down by his secretary, "Papa is really exhausted. At Magliano they
nearly tired him to death."'
And yet there were some who did not respond. One—a certain Mari—is
particularly singled out. No angel to begin with, he harbored a long-standing
hatred for priests and monks because his parents had forced him to attend a
boarding school. Meeting him by chance, Don Bosco placed his hand on the
boy's head and remarked, "One day you will be a priest in a religious
congregation." The boy's response was a sarcastic grunt of contempt, but it
was short-lived, for ten years later, in 1890, he passed through Turin as a
Franciscan priest on his way to the South American missions. On the
occasion of his visit to the Oratory, Father Rua asked him to dinner, and there
he told the superiors of that incident.
On the morning of April 23, the whole community walked with Don
Bosco to the railway station where he was to board a train for Florence.
They were a joyous, noisy and loving escort marked by an intimacy
between pupils and superiors which was quite unknown in that locality,
and which Don Bosco felt to be a powerful means of education. Father
[Joseph] Daghero accompanied him as far as Orte where Don Bosco
changed trains for Florence, where he arrived at one in the morning. Good
mother to all the Salesians as she was, Marchioness [Gerolama] Uguccioni
hosted him in her residence. Marchioness [Henrietta] Nerli was also her
usual gracious self. Don Bosco's secretary tells us that he stayed there two
days, making and receiving calls, but we learn little of biographical
interest.
We have abundant documentation in our archives, to which we shall refer
in due course, telling us that a committee had been set up two years before
in Florence to establish a Salesian house and that its more influential
members had repeatedly been in touch with Don Bosco to speed up its
realization. In all truth he needed no prodding because his knowledge of the
area's needs and his zeal for the salvation of youth were ample inducement.
During this stopover in Florence he had an experience which touched his
heart

1
Letter to Father Rua from Father Berto, Florence, April 24, 1880. [Author]
376 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

and caused him deep pain because he could not give immediate aid. While
walking through town he came across large groups of boys and, upon asking
who they were, was told that they were Catholic youngsters on their way to
the Protestant school and church; other groups were already there and more
were about to follow. Stunned and hurt by the sight of these simple souls
being wrested from the arms of the Church, he tearfully begged the
committee not to waste more time, to redouble their efforts and to put a stop
to such harm. When writing to Cardinal Nina from Lucca, he told him what
he had seen. On May 5 the cardinal replied:

Thank you for the information you sent me in your letter of April 29. While your
experience in Florence brought you much grief, both the Holy Father and I felt
comforted by the thought of the truly exceptional zeal you show in striving to stem
the tide of corruption and heresy at its strongest. Grateful for your outstanding efforts
in this regard, His Holiness gladly imparts his apostolic blessing upon you and prays
that God will grant you strength and courage to continue in your holy undertaking
with increasing success.

The news that Don Bosco was again visiting Lucca reawakened the
previous year's enthusiasm among the Salesian cooperators, 2 whom Father
[John] Marenco, the director, had summoned to the Holy Cross Church.
Every day, from April 26 to May 1, Don Bosco spent his time hearing
confessions, receiving visitors, and making calls. He met with cooperators on
the evening of April 29. Lucca's most prominent citizens flocked to the little
Salesian church. After the usual formal introductions, Don Bosco addressed
his audience in a gentle, humble tone. He first warmly thanked them for their
help during the past year and also urged them to thank God for benefits
received. He then spoke of cooperating with the Salesians locally and at
large, urging them to support the South American missions, the houses being
opened in Italy and France, and the Holy Cross Festive Oratory. After citing
the more recent foundations, he stressed the value of the missionary action
recently undertaken in Patagonia, where all heroic attempts of the last three

2See pp. 39-45. [Editor]

Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome 377

centuries had failed to overcome the Indians' savagery. Now, he said, the
Salesians had well-founded hopes of success. He then continued:

The danger is over, and we feel that Our Merciful God now wishes to reach out to
those who still live in the darkness of idolatry. We have already set up our mission
headquarters at Carmen de Patagines at the mouth of the Rio Negro. This river rises
in the remote Andes, which themselves range the entire length of South America
and separate the Pampas and Patagonia from Chile, and, after coursing some six
hundred and thirty miles, flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Both barks of this huge
river open up an endless field for the zeal of Salesian missionaries. Presently they
are too few for so gigantic a task, and we must reinforce their ranks as soon as we
can with another missionary expedition. But how? We must rely on the charity of
our cooperators. We appeal to each of you to contribute what funds you can. If your
own means are inadequate, enlist the help of relatives, friends, and acquaintances.
The missionaries gladly give their lives to spread the faith; we can at least give
some of our money.
Now let me say something about what you have done on a local level. I owe all of
you my heartfelt thanks. Let this be said first to God's glory and then to the honor of
your city of Lucca. Here, too, thanks to your generosity, we ,have opened a festive
oratory, a day and evening school, and even a hospice where some forty boys are
already housed, learning a trade or following a course of studies to prepare them for
a profession. They all receive a Catholic education, growing up as good Christians
and upright citizens. We purchased this building at a good price but still owe forty
thousand lire. Since we must also feed the boys and staff, we have decided, after
conferring with our most reverend archbishop, to write to all our cooperators and
ask them to pledge whatever amount they can afford and to ask others to do the
same. In this way every cooperator will become a campaigner as well and at the end
of every month will be able to send to the director whatever he or she may have
been able to collect; otherwise the director himself will make the collection rounds.
Thus, toil and expenses will be parceled out, making things lighter for all.
But there are also other ways of helping. For instance, I know that last year the kind
Benedictine nuns provided the Salesians with homemade soup three times a week;
other people donated linen, kitchen utensils, chairs and classroom desks.
"What will we gain from all this?" you may ask. This question is quite proper.
Anyone planning to do something good asks the question. Your reward will be to
know that you have contributed to the rescue of a great
378 THE BIOGRAPHICAL. MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

many boys from spiritual and, possibly, also temporal ruin. Perhaps these youngsters
could have taken the wrong path and become the scourge of society, ending their
days in jail. Believe me, if you do not now contribute to their Christian formation,
the day will come when they will rob you of your money. But if you help them now,
they will pose no such danger.
Rather, they will bless you, look upon you as benefactors, and, if neces-
sary, readily come to your defense and lay down their lives for you. Furthermore,
they will always pray for their benefactors. The prayers of the poor reach the throne
of the Most High. All Salesian houses and
churches offer special prayers for Salesian cooperators every day.
However, since we are Christians we must act for a nobler motive—faith. The
Lord already promises us a hundredfold in this world and eternal happiness in the
next for every act of mercy done for His sake. But the Gospel goes further and
makes almsgiving a duty: "Give your surplus to the poor." [Cf. Lk. 11, 41.] But
where can this surplus be found? We can bring it about by economizing on pleasure
trips, clothes, meals, rugs, and so on, and in avoiding dance halls and theaters. Of
course these two items are no problem to you, but to the worldly-minded.
Now, going back to the reward which Our Lord promised would be a hundredfold,
who of you would not be eager to give, if at this moment someone were to come
and say, "Would anyone like to invest money at a hundred percent interest?"
Certainly no one would reject such an opportunity. Well, it is just as certain that the
Lord gives us this hundredfold on earth in many ways—a plentiful harvest, family
peace, and good health, thus saving you a lot of money. At other times he may
shield you from ruinous lawsuits, bless you and your children with mutual love and
respect, and safeguard you from physical dangers. In short, the Lord has countless
ways of blessing us and repaying us a hundredfold for the works of mercy we
perform on behalf of poor boys besides promising us life everlasting.
But the most comforting reward is what the Lord will say to each of us at His
judgment seat. The Gospel tells us that He will consider as done to Himself
whatever we do for the least of His brethren, the poor children. "I was naked," He
will say to us, "and you clothed Me; I was hungry and you fed Me; I was homeless
and you gave Me shelter. I was forsaken and you took Me in and looked after Me.
Come now and receive your everlasting reward which has been waiting for you
from all eternity." On the contrary, He will say to those who failed to do these
things, "I was naked and you did not clothe Me; I was hungry and you gave Me no
food; I was homeless and you did not take Me in."
Lastly, we shall experience the deepest consolation at the moment of death
because then the boys whom we helped will turn to God and say,
Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome 379

"They saved our souls, so please save theirs." As St. Augustine said, "By saving a
soul you assured your own salvation."

The convents of Lucca considered themselves fortunate if they could host

Don Bosco for even a few minutes. The Benedictine nuns asked him to visit
them and bless one of their sick sisters. Since it was evening, they probably
had supper ready for him. The present abbess [1933] is always glad to point
out to visitors the table at which Don Bosco sat with several Salesians.
Later, when he received the news that the ailing sister had passed on to a
happier life, he dropped them a note, recalling their warm courtesy.

Turin, June 11, 1880

May Our Merciful God bless Mother Nazzarena, Benedictine abbess at Lucca,
and her entire religious family. May He grant heaven's reward to the nun whom He
called to her eternal rest, and good health to all who survive her. Through His
mercy, may they without exception enjoy a long life and then receive their reward
for the homemade soup they served to the Salesians and for their many other works
of mercy. Amen.
Pray for me.
Yours gratefully in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

As for Don Bosco's assurance that he would pray for the "long life" of her
fellow religious, the present [1933] superior is fond of saying that they all
lived to be over eighty and that one of them was well past ninety when she
went to her reward.
The foremost families of Lucca also vied with each other for the honor of
having him at dinner, because they regarded him as a saint. The day before
he spoke to the Salesian cooperators, he accepted an invitation fr om Mr.
Bertocchini who had sold him a home at a reasonable price on an
installment plan. It was turned into a boarding school. The family
welcomed Don Bosco at their villa, a short distance from town. Don Bosco
was accompanied by the director and the catechist, Father Maggiorino
Borgatello. 3 The latter testified in writing that at dinner, as the conversation
turned to Salesian works and the Valdocco Oratory in particular, Don

3 See Appendix 1. [Editor]

380 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Bosco thrilled the guests by telling them, with utmost simplicity, two
surprising incidents which he had personally witnessed in the
Church of Mary, Help of Christians. We quote Don Bosco as
Father Borgatello did, since he maintained that they were his "exact" words.
"Many people," Don Bosco said, "ascribe to me
the little good the Salesian Congregation has accomplished, but they are
mistaken. If Don Bosco has done and still does some good, he owes it to his
sons. The Lord has given Don Bosco such virtuous sons that they perform
genuine miracles; thanks to them Don Bosco is borne, as it were, in triumph.
People credit all to Don Bosco's doing, whereas it is all due to his sons. I
could offer ample proof of what I am saying, but let the following suffice.
One day I entered the main door of the Church of Mary, Help of Christians.
It was nearly dusk. When I got to the middle of the church I looked up at the
painting and noticed that [something like] a dark drape covered the
Madonna.4 I instantly wondered, Why on earth would the sacristan cover
Our Lady's picture? I stepped closer to the sanctuary and saw that the drape
was moving. Shortly afterward, it slowly dropped until it touched the floor,
genuflected to the Blessed Sacrament, made the sign of the cross and walked
out of the church through the sacristy. What I thought was a drape was
rather one of my sons who, in an ecstasy of love, had been raised the better
to see the picture of the Virgin Mary and lovingly contemplate Her and kiss
Her immaculate feet. On another occasion I walked into the church from the
sacristy and saw a boy kneeling, high in the air, on a level with the
tabernacle door facing the apse, 5 as he was adoring the Blessed Sacrament,
his head bowed, resting against the tabernacle door in a tender ecstasy of
love like a seraphim. I called him by name. He aroused himself and came
down, abashed, begging me not to tell anyone. I repeat, I can cite many such
instances in proof that all the good Don Bosco has accomplished is due in
most part to his sons."6

4
Don Bosco's sight, especially in his right eye, had begun to deteriorate in 1864. See Vol_ VII, p. 390
and Vol. =I, pp. 588f. [Editor]
5
The tabernacle was in the center of the main altar, extending through its depth. There was a second
door in the back facing the apse because Holy Communion was often given before, during and after
Mass or outside of Mass by other priests than the celebrant of the Mass. A suitable footstool enabled
the priest to reach the tabernacle door. [Editor]
GLetter to Father Lemoyne from Father Maggiorino Borgatello, Punta Arenas (Magallanes),
September 22, 1905. Father Borgatello goes on: "Father Marenco must
Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome 381

We will also mention another incident which happened the day after the
conference. That morning Don Bosco celebrated Mass at eight o'clock at
Holy Cross Church, crowded with all kinds of people. During Mass a
sixteen-year-old boy allegedly suffering from diabolic vexations was brought
to the Salesian house. In all truth, certain fairly plausible signs of evil
possession were present. He lived in a neighboring village and was brought
to the church by his parents and another man in the hope that Don Bosco
would bless him. The youth walked quietly up to the door of the school, but,
on seeing a priest, he went berserk and both men struggled as hard as they
could to drag him inside, so violent was his opposition. Once he was in, he
hurled himself to the ground where, unable to speak, he tried to crawl away,
striking out with fists and feet at anyone who tried to approach him,
especially a priest. Firmly gripped and immoblized hand and foot by those
around, he snapped out at them and threw himself upon them. At the end of
the Mass, despite his struggle and resistance, they exerted enormous effort
and carried him bodily through the church and into the sacristy. The
bystanders were horrified to see the poor lad frighteningly grind his teeth
while emitting a ghastly, drawn-out shriek as if in fiery torment when he was
taken past the tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament. He was finally brought to
Don Bosco, who was then saying his thanksgiving prayers. He rose from the
kneeler, looked with deep compassion upon the youth, blessed him, and said
a prayer over him. After asking the young man's parents to say special
prayers throughout the month of May, he asked the boy several questions, but
the answers were the groans of a mute. When Don Bosco held out a medal to
him to kiss, he spat on it, struggling to free himself and snatch it to fling it
away, trying to bite and crush it. Father Marenco kept an alleged relic of Our
Lady, a hair, in a tiny reliquary and, hoping to test its authenticity, drew close
to the youth, keeping the miniature case tightly in his closed hand lest the
young man see it. The demoniac immediately began to rave so fiercely that
he cast terror on all. The parents said that the boy was

certainly recall what I have just wiitten.. . Although several years have gone by, I still remember
perfectly well, as if it were only yesterday, how I heard Don Bosco tell these things, so deep an
impression did it make on me. Do what you think best with this for the honor of our good father, Don
Bosco. You may be perfectly sure that what I have told you is authentic." [Author]
382 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

named Francis, that they had found it impossible to get him to pray, and that
neither would he let any member of his family pray. They
also said that his condition dated from the feast of St. Joseph and that twice
he had hurled himself from a window some eighteen feet above the ground
without being hurt.
Once he was forcibly taken out of the sight of priests and sacred things, he
began to walk along without restraint, chatting quite
normally, saying, among other things, that he would accept the medal only
when he had crossed the city limits, never within them, because if he did he
would be killed. Though we know nothing more of him, we sincerely hope
that his obsession ceased at the end of Mary's month, thanks to the prayers
requested by Don Bosco.
Two long-time friends of Don Bosco, Marquis Massoni and Mr.
Burlamacchi, had bought a small house at Viareggio, intending to turn it over
to the Salesians for the care of local youngsters, who were very much
neglected. They were waiting for him to inspect it and decide what was to be
done with it. Don Bosco obliged. We do not know what arrangements were
made. We only know of an incident which reveals how anyone who came in
touch with him esteemed him. After greeting him, Mrs. Burlamacchi took him
to an upper floor apartment, tactfully dismissing all visitors and then sending
each member of the family up to Don Bosco for a word of good advice and a
blessing.
That same evening Don Bosco [and his secretary] left for La Spezia, where
they lodged with Chevalier [Joseph] Bruschi,7 since there were no spare
rooms in the Salesians' small rented apartment. Seeing at first hand how badly
larger premises were needed if his work was to expand, Don Bosco left no
doubt in the mind of Father [Louis] Rocca that he was to come up with some
plan to raise funds for a building that would allow for future expansion.
Undeniably the first efforts were disheartening; Father Rocca's letters, visits
and meetings called forth a meager response. But Don Bosco did not lose
heart, for he had his own reasons against living in a rented apartment.
Satisfied at the moment with the little money received, he started laying the
foundations of a small house on August 16, 1880, asserting that the rest would
come later on, as indeed it did. Rather than having to return to the beginnings
of this expansion

7 See p. 38. [Editor]

Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome 383

program, we will add one detail now. At the start of the work Don Bosco
had to send a routine report to the cardinal protector on the whole
Congregation's progress and the temporal and spiritual benefits it brought to
the people. He took this opportunity to acquaint Cardinal Nina with the
situation at La Spezia and the pressing need of adequate living quarters. He
therefore asked the cardinal to propose that the Holy Father grant him, Don
Bosco, a substantial advance on the monthly subsidy of five hundred lire,
which had been set in November 1877, to speed up on the planned
expansion. The cardinal answered on August 16. After citing current
exceptional demands made on the Holy See and its many urgent needs in
that critical period of strife and conflict, he informed Don Bosco that,
despite the financial crunch, the Holy Father was willing to help him as best
he could. He ordered six thousand lire to be loaned to Don Bosco, with
repayment to be made by deducting one hundred lire per month from his
subsidy. In addition, two thousand more lire were to be sent to him for the
celebration of Masses. On receiving this twofold donation, Don Bosco, who
had planned for a temporary structure of one story, asked Father Rua to
instruct the contractor to add a second story, thus making room for a thirty-
bed dormitory once a hospice was opened.8
Step by step Don Bosco was now slowly getting closer to Turin. On May 3
he was at Sampierdarena. All that we know of his stay there is contained in
these brief notes of Father Berta:

Monday, May 3: we set out for Genoa at two o'clock, arriving there at six-thirty. The
following day, May 4, Don Bosco and Father Albera had dinner with the archbishop.
Father Ronchail was also at the hospice [in Sampierdarena]. On Wednesday, May 5,
Don Bosco dined at home with Baron Heraud. At four-thirty some one hundred and
eighty cooperators gathered in the chapel. After the reading of Chapter 14 of the life of
St. Francis de Sales, dealing with his love of neighbor, Don Bosco took the pulpit and
spoke to the congregation for nearly an hour and a half.9 People listened to him with
rapt attention. The motet Tota pulchra es Maria was sung after the reading, and Sit
nomen Domini benedictum after the
8In October Don Bosco issued an appeal to public charity, particularly for construction of the
church. [Author]
'Thanks to Father Berto's notes, the June issue of the Bollettino Salesiano reported this first
conference of the Salesian cooperators in Sampierdarena. [Author]
384 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

sermon. The Tantum ergo followed, and then Don Bosco gave Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament. Afterward priests and laity crowded about him in the sacristy,
eager for a word with him, to kiss his hand, commend themselves to his prayers, and
receive a blessing and holy medal from him. He satisfied them all. The collection
netted close to six hundred lire. Because it was the vigil of the Lord's Ascension,
neither the archbishop nor several priests could attend. The archbishop, however, sent
a blessing to all present at the conference. Before leaving the pulpit, Don Bosco
informed the audience that an entertainment would follow in the inner playground of
the hospice. There the guests enjoyed choice selections from famous classical music
excellently rendered by the band. Don Bosco had no time for himself until practically
suppertime. The next day, Ascension Thursday, May 6, he stayed at Sampierdarena.
On May 7, at seven-fifteen, we walked to the railway station in the company of
Father Cerruti and Father Francesia. We arrived at the Oratory in Turin at twelve-
thirty. Boys, priests and clerics lined both sides of the walk from the main entrance to
the dining room. The baud was also there to welcome Don Bosco. The boys sang for
him during dinner. The whole house was bursting with joy at his return after an
absence of almost four months.

Before leaving Sampierdarena, Don Bosco would gladly have pleased his sons
at Varazze by a visit, and the Sisters of Mercy at Savona also begged him to visit
them and bless their superior, who was gravely ill. But he had to forego both
visits and wrote to tell this to the newly appointed director, Father Monateri:

Sampierdarena, May 7, 1880

My dear Father Monateri,
It is most urgent that I return to Turin, and I must forego the pleasure of
visiting Varazze and Savona.
I shall expect you in Turin when you can manage to come. Meanwhile, assure the
Sisters of Mercy that I will pray for them and for their mother superior. Also, once I
get to Turin I will ask God at the altar of Mary, Help of Christians to spare the life of
the sister who is the very foundation of that wonderful institute.
God bless you, dear Father Monateri. Remember me to all my dear confreres
and boys and ask them to pray for me.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco
Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome 385

Hardly recovered from the fatigue of his long, wearying journey, he had to
reply to two letters of Canon Guiol concerning the [Salesian] construction
work at Marseille. They had been forwarded to him during his travels. Both
the tone and the length of the letter tell us how much Don Bosco appreciated
the cooperation of the zealous pastor of St. Joseph's Church and how
anxious he was not to hurt him in any way. We also gather some interesting
details about his audience with the Holy Father.

Turin, May 9, 1880

My dear Father,
Your letters of April 25 and May 5 reached me respectively at Lucca and at
Sampierdarena. I an now back in Turin to stay. Your letters are a great comfort and
convince me even more that my comment to the Holy Father on your zeal for works
of mercy was no exaggeration. Father Bologna has often written to me of your
tireless solicitude for St. Leo's Festive Oratory and has urged me to thank you, as I
now do, in this letter.
When you told me in your letter that a parcel of land, some two thousand square
meters, was for sale in the immediate neighborhood of our workshops, I started
praying. I had our boys offer special prayers morning and evening before the altar
of Mary, Help of Christians that She would help us find the necessary funds. If our
plans will redound to God's greater glory—as I hope—I am sure that God will send
us the means. I shall write to Madame Prat-Noilly about it, without, however,
making any explicit request.
I have already informed her by mail, as I inform you now, dear Father, that the
Pope is establishing an apostolic vicariate for the Salesian missions in Patagonia. Of
course, this calls for well-studied plans and for missionaries specially trained for
those endless savage lands. Besides, the Holy Father himself suggested that
possibly a boarding school, to be called Seminary for the Patagonian Missions,
might be attached to the festive oratory which already bears his name. "Marseille is
an eminently Catholic community," he said, "also a generous city, a central location
for both Europe and South America. Write on my behalf to the benevolent
[Beaujour] Society which, with genuine Christian zeal, supports your hostels in that
city, and tell them that I recommend a very important undertaking to their charity.
Let me know their reply."
Meanwhile, dear Father, speak with Monsieur Rostand about it and, if he is of the
same opinion, take it to the councillors of the Beaujour Society and to our own
committee. Then let me know so that I can carry out the
386 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Holy Father's wish. As you see, the Beaujour Society and our own committees have
certainly been chosen for extraordinary tasks. We can do all things in Him who
strengthens us.
The paper which I left in the Holy Father's hands concerning a few spiritual favors
for our committee members is in your wording, but it will take time. Cardinal
Alimonda will pick it up with another paper as soon as they have been sigaed.1°
I arrived in Turin very tired. In every Salesian house crowds of people would
promptly lay siege to me without a break. Yet, despite that, the oneness, the love,
and the observance of the rules which reign among all the Salesians have given me
great joy. The Holy Father, who was already informed of this, told me that what we
have accomplished with God's help is truly amazing. Our pupils truly love God, and
possibly the number of vocations to our Congregation will be doubled this year.
In conclusion, dear Father, please inform our worthy committee members that on
May 16, the solemnity of Pentecost and the second day of our novena to Mary, Help
of Christians, I intend to celebrate a special Mass invoking God's blessings upon
them and their families, with all our boys offering particular prayers and their Holy
Communions.
Father Cagliero was delighted with the handsome offer Madame Jacques
generously made to our sisters. I shall write her personally. Step by step, let us
climb the ladder to heaven. All at the Oratory—Father Rua, Father Cagliero,
Father Durando, all the rest and I—extend a formal invitation to you to visit us
on the feast of Mary, Help of Christians. Will you do us this great favor? Please
feel free to bring anyone you wish with you.
May the Lord keep you and reward you. If you can, please inform Father
Bologna of the contents of this letter because I have little time to write to him. Pray
for me.
Ever gratefully yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

Two days later, France again offered Don Bosco a welcome

opportunity to express his feelings toward its Catholics. On May 11
Father [Francis] Picard and the viscount of Damas, who were leading a
French pilgrimage to Rome, visited the Oratory. Don Bosco invited both
gentlemen to dinner, while the pilgrims were

°The "other paper" probably concerns a papal title he had requested for Canon Guiol. A letter from
Monsignor Cantonj (August 26, 1880) of the secretariat of state informed Don Bosco on behalf of the
Holy Father that it was not desirable. [Author]
Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome 387

hosted at the headquarters of the Catholic Youth Association. Shortly after

their lunch, about a hundred pilgrims, most anxious to meet Don Bosco,
were allowed into the Oratory's dining room where he was lunching with
both guests and several other priests. They were later given a tour of the
premises. After Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, they joined the
other pilgrims and were welcomed by the Oratory band in the students'
porticoes.
Speeches followed the singing of a suitable anthem. Marquis Garassini,
president of the Catholic Youth Association, welcomed the pilgrims [to Turin]
and then Don Bosco addressed them in French. After first asking them to heed
his sentiments rather than his French, he thanked them for honoring the
Oratory with their visit, regretting only his inability to host them, as he would
have wished, in more pleasurable surroundings. He praised their inspiring
example of faith and devotion to the Holy See and the Supreme Pontiff. He
commended their willingness to bear the discomforts of such a long journey
precisely to offer their homage to the Holy Father in Rome. He pointed out,
too, the fine example they were giving the Italian people by their open
manifestation of faith. Next he spoke of the Salesian houses in France, and,
after a brief explanation of the Association of Salesian Cooperators, he invited
them all to become members. He concluded by asking them, on their return
home, to remember the Salesians and the Oratory, where they had many
friends praying for them and sharing their sentiments of piety and faith."
Father Picard eloquently thanked Don Bosco, the Salesians and the Catholic
Youth Association, and offered a toast to Don Bosco, his sons and the people
of Turin. The last speaker was that staunch Catholic, engineer [Albert] Buffa,
secretary of the Catholic Youth Association and close friend of Don Bosco.
Our present generation of Italian Catholics would do him great wrong should
they forget his memory.
When he finished speaking, the members of the Catholic Youth
Association gave the pilgrims a photograph of the Church of Mary, Help of
Christians and one of Don Bosco as souvenirs of their visit. In turn, Father
Picard gave Don Bosco a thousand or so medals blessed by Leo XIII for him
to give out to the Oratory boys. Before

"Excerpts of Don Bosco's speech can be seen in the Bulletin Salesien, June 1880. [Author]
3S8 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

departing, the pilgrims clustered about Don Bosco for a last word and his
blessing. Several ladies who managed to exchanged a few words with him
wept with joy.
Don Bosco's invitation to the pilgrims to become Salesian cooperators
was not an empty gesture, for as the choir and the band were performing
their final presentation, the pilgrims were vying with each other to give in
their names and addresses. Later, when Don Bosco had leisure to scan the
list of names, he sent the cooperators' diploma to those whom he deemed
suitable.
Meanwhile the people of Marseille, remembering the miracles they had
seen with their own eyes, kept writing to Don Bosco, who could never
catch up with his mail. When he answered their letters he always
recommended St. Leo's Oratory and its needs to their charity. Writing to its
director, he hinted at something which troubled him considerably.

Turin, May 13, 1880

My dear Father Bologna,
Enclosed is a letter for you to deliver and another to be forwarded by mail to
Madame Jacques.
I keep answering letters which I receive every day from Marseille; d am praying
for them but, please, tell them to come to the aid of the poor youngsters in St. Leo's
Hospice. I don't know if my plea brings any results; some donations also reach me in
Turin.
Brogly has expressed the wish to come to Turin. If you come for the feast of Mary,
Help of Christians, take him along if he is deserving.
I have invited our good Canon Guiol in writing to attend our celebration. Try to
persuade hirn to come; we all want to see him, and we have a lot of things to talk over.
Give my heartiest best wishes to all our dear confreres and pupils. God bless them
all! Tell them to pray for me. Always in Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. I am writing a letter to Father Pirro,12 to reprimand him for going back on his
word, the Congregation and the Church. I am exhorting him to open his eyes and look
at the abyss. He will see you about it.

1-Ie had decided to leave the Congregation. [Editor]

12
Roundabout Return to Turin from Rome 389

The sad comments on the cleric Brogly and Father Pirro will become
clearer in Chapter 20. We must now return to Don Bosco amid the boys and
confreres of his beloved Valdocco Oratory.
 CHAPTER 19

At the Oratory with Don Bosco from

May to December 1880

T HIS chapter will bring together celebrations, conferences,

noteworthy events, memorable sayings, dreams, letters, and other scattered
items which would not really fit elsewhere. They will make for varied and
pleasant reading.

1. THE FEAST OF MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS

Year by year three outstanding features of the novena and feast kept
becoming more and more impressive: the crowds flocking to the shrine, the
increase of spiritual and temporal favors granted through the intercession of
Don Bosco's Madonna, and the throngs swarming about Don Bosco himself
asking him for the blessing of Mary, Help of Christians. Citing the
extraordinary number of pilgrims, the Bollettino Salesiano stated in its June
issue: "The Church of Mary, Help of Christians has never seen such a vast
multitude beneath its majestic dome from the day of its consecration."
Hundreds of spiritual favors were properly recorded in the church registers.
The same periodical briefly wrote up a "few samples" of eleven favors
received or reported during those days in various localities of Italy and
France. Such manifest graciousness on the part of Our Blessed Mother
naturally drew the pilgrims' attention to Her faithful servant, obliging him to
spend long hours in a sacristy room to satisfy the countless people who
begged for his blessing.
During the novena Don Bosco gave two conferences to the Salesian
cooperators of Turin in the Church of St. Francis de Sales. The first
conference, for men, took place on the afternoon of May 20. Don Bosco
began by pointing out the difference between "operator" and "cooperator,"
between one who runs an enterprise and one who works for it under his
direction.
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 391

However talented and active a leader may be—he said—he will achieve but little
without helpers. For instance, anyone directing a festive oratory for several hundred
boys could not run it alone, regardless of intelligence and zeal. He would destroy his
health in vainly striving to keep order in church and outside. Things would be different
if he were helped by others who might be talented to teach catechism, prepare and
supervise church services, direct the choir, handle sport activities, dramatics,
gymnastics, and so on. This would enable an undertaking which from its start could
easily deteriorate to make headway, become stronger and end up as a great success.
This is true of any machine; it is very productive when all its working parts function
properly. Alone, Don Bosco would have accomplished nothing, but his cooperators
have multiplied his undertakings and insured their progress. This is the reason why
Pius IX and Leo XIII have blessed the Association of Salesian Cooperators.

After these opening comments, Don Bosco summed up the Salesians'

activities of the past year: schools and churches to counteract Protestant
proselytizing, missions in Patagonia, and the expansion of existing works.
The women's conference was held on the evening of May 22. After
expressing his delight in their large number and briefly mentioning God's
blessings upon the endeavors of the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians during the past year, he went on to enlarge upon the
good work for girls being done by the [ Salesian] sisters, vividly detailing
the history of their Institute from its birth to its latest recent foundations in
Italy, France, colonial South America and the wilds of Patagonia.
Don Bosco had already chosen chairpersons for the festivities, as we realize
from a note dated May 19, in which, employing roundabout rhetoric, he
wrote, "Father John Bosco invites the Count of Pamparato and his gracious
wife to offer the Blessed Virgin Mary their protection by accepting the joint
chairmanship of the solemn feast of Mary, Help of Christians, May 24." The
noble couple obliged not by making a personal appearance—that was not
necessary—but by offering gifts, as we gather from the following letter of
Don Bosco.

Turin, May 30, 1880

Dear Countess:
I had hoped to thank you in person, but since it is so hard for me to leave
392 THE, BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the house, let me take this occasion to begin thanking you at least in writing.
I received the two baskets of cheer which you and your kind husband have
graciously donated with an offering of two hundred lire. Thank you most heartily. I
pray God to grant you a long and happy life, good health, and the attainment of
every holy wish. Our boys too will offer special prayers for this intention.
Hoping that I may be honored by a visit from you both, I am,
Most gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

As we know, he had invited Canon Guiol to the feast of Mary, Help of

Christians. The canon came, as the minutes of the Marseille committee
state. Don Bosco was very delighted to see him and many other
distinguished cooperators of his who became his personal guests. He also
was very concerned that his absent friends and benefactors fully realize
that he had not forgotten and would not forget them on this solemn
occasion. Accordingly, he wrote to Count Eugene De Maistre, who could
not attend the festivities in Turin that year.

Turin, May 18, 1880

Dear Count Eugene:
This year we will miss the pleasure of having you with us, but you are not
forgotten. We daily remember you in our community prayers, and this Sunday, the
vigil of the feast of Mary, Help of Christians, we shall pray for you particularly. I
shall celebrate Holy Mass for you, while our boys will receive Communion and ask
God's blessings upon you and your entire family. I understand that your aunt, the
duchess, will soon pay you a visit. Many have tried to dissuade her, but she is
determined to do so. I hope to drop in at Borgo [San Martino] on the 26th of this
month for a visit, and then I shall get the latest news of her entire family. I believe
they are all in good health.
I have just,, received word from Countess Carla De Maistre about Mama. She says
that Mama has improved a bit over the last few days, but that she is still quite ill. We
are praying for her every morning and evening.
May heavenly blessings come abundantly upon you and your family. Please
pray for me.
Yours gratefully, Fr. John
Bosco
 393
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880

Every evening during the novena, local Church dignitaries and pastors
imparted Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. On the eve of the feast itself,
however, the honor was reserved to Monsignor Louis Anglesio, Blessed
Cottolengo's1 successor. At this time, just a few hours before May 24, there
was still no assurance that a bishop would be available for pontifical Mass,
but God's Providence so arranged matters that not one but three bishops
would enhance the solemnity of this cherished day. For quite some time Don
Bosco had fondly thought of inviting the eloquent Dominican friar, Lawrence
Pampirio, to speak at the triduum and on the solemn feast itself, but the
renowned preacher had recently been named bishop of Alba and was just
about to be installed in his diocese. Though preparations took up all his time,
his warm love for Don Bosco prompted him to satisfy the latter's desire. Then
there was Bishop James Corna-Pellegrini, titular of Samaria and auxiliary
bishop of Brescia, who had come to Turin for his personal devotion. He was
invited to celebrate the community Mass. Finally, Bishop Daniel Comboni, 2
titular of Claudiopoli and apostolic vicar of Central Africa, unexpectedly
arrived and was asked to celebrate the solemn high Mass. His majestic figure,
his full flowing beard, his resonant voice which filled the entire church and
was heard in the square outside, and the rich devotion manifest in his tone
and gesture riveted the congregation's attention upon him and convinced
everyone that he was a great apostle.
In fact he was a most illustrious missionary. After his seminary studies at a
missionary college in Verona, he undertook many very dangerous apostolic
journeys through Nubia from 1859 onward. Appointed apostolic pro-vicar for
Central Africa in 1872 and vicar in 1877, he built churches, opened schools
in Cairo and Khartoum, and set up mission outposts in his vicariate; his plan
was to evangelize the people through a native clergy. He forcefully opposed
the slave trade. On his periodic visits to Italy to raise needed funds for the
advancement of Africa, he invariably went

'Joseph Benedict Cottolengo (1786-1842) was canonized in 1934. In 1832 he founded La Pkeola Casa
della Divina Provvidenza [The Little House of Divine Providence] which is now a vast hospital and
medical center, housing more than six thousand patients. Doctors and surgeons freely donate their
services. [Editor]
2Daniel Comboni (1831-1881) founded the missionary order of Sons of the Sacred Heart of Verona in

1867. [Editor]
394 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

also to Paris, and whenever he stopped in Turin he called on Don Bosco. In

1864 he stopped at the Oratory, arousing very lively enthusiasm among the
boys with his tales of Nigritia.3 He died at Khartoum on October 10, 1881,
hailed as "the bishop of the blacks."
After dining with Don Bosco on the evening of the feast of Mary, Help of
Christians, the bishop volunteered to speak to the boys after night prayers.
He referred to the feast as heavenly and to the shrine as one of Italy's most
renowned, voicing the fervent hope that Don Bosco would send Salesians to
help him. Either before or soon after the feast, he visited the Valsalice
College, where he gave First Holy Communion to some of the students. As
he was about to take leave of Don Bosco, seeing himself surrounded by the
students and noticing their eagerness to hear something more from him, he
gladly obliged and entertained them for almost an hour, which flashed by
like an instant.
Commenting on the celebration of the feast of Mary, Help of Christians,
Father Lazzero noted: "It was a lovely feast, and the crowds were
extraordinary." The valiant Catholic journal of Turin, Unita Cattolica, which
was under orders to keep low-keyed when mentioning anything about Don
Bosco, reported on May 30 as follows:

It was a sight truly worthy of Turin's devotion. Not an irreverent remark or snicker
of any kind—just devotion and fervor that brought tears to the eyes of the
impressive pilgrim crowds which flocked to the vast church from dawn to dusk.
Very many were the people receiving Holy Communion throughout the novena,
but their numbers soared to the thousands on the feast itself.

The same article referred to the exceptionally grand sacred choral music:

Above all else, we fondly recall the Mass composed by Benedict Marcello.4 We are
at a loss to decide which we admired most, the sublime harmony, truly in keeping
with the majesty of sacred mystery, or the

'Now known as Sudan. [Editor]

4 Benedict Marcell° (16864739) was an outstanding writer and composer of both secular and
sacred music. [Editor]
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 395

artistry with which the choir boys interpreted and gave voice to the great
composer's genius.

The article closed as follows:

Praised be God, who in these tragic times allows us to witness such pageantry
of piety and faith. We need not fear that Satan's power will prevail in our country
as long as Mary, Help of Christians benevolently reaches out to protect us and we
lovingly devote ourselves to Her.

This enables us to understand the impromptu remark made by Bishop

Comboni during the pontifical Mass. Gazing about at the devout multitude
as he presided at the Mass, he exclaimed with profound emotion, "Digitus
Dei est hie---the finger of God is here!"
We have at random quoted some of Father Lazzero's comments which he
jotted down in several notebooks. Though they are not many to speak of and
quite brief, they prompt the following observation. Some nine-tenths of these
notes refer to the Church of Mary, Help of Christians. Now when we consider
that Father Lazzero was the director of the whole Oratory, we must conclude
that under Don Bosco's leadership the entire house was solidly united in the
functioning of the Church of Mary, Help of Christians.
One further detail. On the feast of Mary, Help of Christians, the Oratory
family became practically doubled because, besides the many guests, the
Oratory hosted the pupils of the neighboring Salesian schools and of the
Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, along with many women who lived
with the sisters. They too were Don Bosco's concern. How were so many to
be fed? Don Bosco's Madonna took care of that by inspiring Her charitable
devotees. As though someone had issued an order, a few days before the
feast groceries of all kinds and fresh fruit and pastries began to heap up in
such quantities that there was plenty for all. It was certainly no stretch of
imagination to see in this the fulfillment of the Lord's words: "Seek first the
Kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be given you
besides."5 [Mt. 6, 33]
We will not disrupt our chain of thought if we linger a bit further

5 Bollettino Salesiano, June 1880, p. 6_ [Author]

396 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

on this topic and seek out a few news items scattered randomly in our
archives which touch on the 1880 feast of Mary, Help of Christians. 6
Anxiously eager to participate in all the solemn festivities personally,
Father Anthony Agnolutto, a zealous Salesian cooperator, arrived at the
Oratory on the evening of May 18, most cordially welcomed by Father Rua
and the other superiors. He met Don Bosco the following morning but only
toward seven that evening of May 20 did Don Bosco find time to chat with
him as they both desired. They conversed until eight o'clock. The good
priest, who brought him several donations, described his feelings as
follows:

He made me feel so much at ease that I kept chatting on and on without restraint,
much as one does with a very intimate friend. I must admit that I talked far more than
he. I noticed that whereas I carelessly interrupted him, he never did so to me. Rather,
he seemed ready to break off what he was saying as soon as I opened my mouth. He
patiently heard me out as I told him about the various requests of the donors and then
silently waited for me to total the donations, something I should have done before. I
observed too that, lest he embarrass me, he handed me a pencil and then withdrew a
bit from me as though to attend to some other matter.

Father Agnolutto also gave him a letter jointly written by four of his
seminarians at Portogruaro [Venice]. Their conversation lasted until
suppertime. After supper, Don Bosco kindly said to him, "If I did not fear to
wrong your bishop, I would lock the doors and keep you always here."
"I would not mind that," Father Agnolutto replied, "but I think I would only
be a hindrance here."
"How would you like a parish containing ten thousand souls in South
America?" Don Bosco went on.
"I would accept it, if God so wished; but you would have to make me all
over again and give me a lot more gifts."
"How about a parish of fifteen thousand souls?"
"All the more would I be unequal to the task."
Wishing each other good night they ended their conversation. Don Bosco's
words made such an impression on the good priest

6 Letter to Father Lemoyne from Father Antonio Agnolutto, Bagnarola (Udine), March 10, 1 89 1
. [Author]
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 397

that he began to wonder if they were an expression of God's will. The next
morning, May 25, determined not to leave without a second interview with
Don Bosco, he waited quietly in his room, knowing that Don Bosco had to
pass that way to go downstairs. Hearing footsteps, he stepped out and,
kneeling on the landing, asked for his blessing and then walked with him to
the sacristy, where he finally plucked up his courage and asked Don Bosco's
advice. Ater a moment's thought, Don Bosco told him to return to his diocese
and continue always to be a good Salesian cooperator. He also promised him
a letter as soon as possible. He kept his promise on June 17 and enclosed a
note for the four seminarians we mentioned above.

Turin, June 17, 1880

My dear Father Agnolutto,
I am somewhat late, but I want to keep my promise. Please forward the enclosed
note at your convenience; separately you will receive some holy pictures of Mary,
Help of Christians for each of the four good clerics. Please tell them that I love them
dearly in Jesus Christ.
Dear Father, I am grateful for all you are doing as a cooperator. God reward, bless
and protect you! Anytime cooperator friends of yours come through Turin, please tell
them that our home is theirs_ I pray for them every day, and beg them to remember
me also, so that we may mutually help each other in gaining souls for God while on
earth, and one day be joined together in the Kingdom of glory.
God bless you and all our beloved cooperators. Pray for me_
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. I beg you and the four seminarians to bear with my poor handwriting.

Don Bosco had had a very important visitor on the eve of the feast of Mary,
Help of Christians. He was Anton Lonkay, valiant editor of the Catholic
journal Idok Tannuja of Budapest, passing through Turin on his way from
Rome, where he had headed a group of Hungarian pilgrims, because he
wished to meet Don Bosco, whom he only knew by reputation. He called at
the Oratory toward evening, and Don Bosco welcomed him with his usual
friendliness,
398 THEBIOGRAPHICALMEMOIRS OFSAINTJOHNBOSCO

talking in Latin, which the journalist spoke fluently. He also left a

donation and asked Don Bosco to enroll him as a Salesian cooperator; his
piety edified all who had the good fortune to meet
him.

2. DON Bosco's NAME DAY7

The yearly demonstrations of love and esteem customarily held on June

24 [feast of St. John the Baptist] were becoming ever more solemn, thanks
to the attendance of men in high positions and of alumni, the broad range
of gifts, the testimonial community gathering and the general enthusiasm.
On the evening of June 23 Don Bosco expressed his thanks, deeply
moved by the handsome tributes paid him at the opening of his name day
celebration. He ended up by comparing himself to a cricket. "I am naught
but a cricket which chirps and dies," he said. The next evening, during the
second testimonial in his honor, the cricket simile prompted a genial
speech given by one of the priests and a delightful dialogue given by three
boys who spoke for their companions, saying, "Don Bosco is the mother
cricket chirping to tell us we are to help him save our souls, while we
baby crickets eagerly respond to his invitation." One huge transparency in
a flood of colors flashed out the names of thirty-eight places where major
Salesian houses were situated.
We have found inside a large envelope twenty-nine letters of good
wishes written that year by Oratory boys on Don Bosco's name day.
Most of them became Salesians; a few are still alive [1933]. We shall
pick from each letter—in the same order we took them from the
envelope—the most personally significant phrases. This will give us a
better understanding of the intimate life of the Oratory in Don Bosco's
time.
Joseph Zaio asks Don Bosco to pray for his vocation.

71n Italy, as in many other countries, the name day is observed with greater festivity than the

birthday. It is a reminder that the child at baptism—his spiritual birthday—is placed under the
protection of a saint whose virtues he should imitate. At his baptism Don Bosco had been named after
the apostle John, but in 1846 the Oratory boys, believing his name to be John the Baptist—a very
popular saint in Turin—began to celebrate his name day on June 24, the feast day of this saint [Editor]
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 399

Maggiorino Olivazzo wants Don Bosco to call him "my son." Joseph Rossi,
a third-year Latin student, would like to attend the spiritual retreat at Lanzo
but is afraid that his parents may not allow it, and so he seeks Don Bosco's
advice on the matter. The two Fracchia brothers tell their spiritual father
that they sincerely love him. Ramiro Lombardi desires to become a
missionary. Emanuel Baud° is eager to grow ever more worthy of Don
Bosco's kindness. Alvin Carmagnola asks for Don Bosco's prayers that the
good Lord may keep him humble and pure and may obtain for him
exemption from military service. John Aceto, a bricklayer, asks to become a
missionary at any cost; in fact he did become a priest and a most zealous
missionary. Albert Coatto states that in his heart he will always be grateful
to Don Bosco for his loving care. Francis Guazzotti feels moved to tears at
the thought of all the benefits he receives from Don Bosco. John Baptist
Fauda, a senior at Lanzo's secondary school, confides his steadfast resolve
to become a Salesian missionary. Horace Carlando expresses truly moving
words of humble gratitude. Celestine Pirola expresses himself as a poor lad
anxious to repay Don Bosco for all he is doing but can repay him only with
prayer. Attilio Renzoni asks him to intercede with God that he may improve
his behavior. James Agosta offers his beloved father filial good wishes.
Linus Bongiovanni desires Don Bosco's friendship and asks for an
appointment to make his general confession. Dominic Magistrini requests
Don Bosco's prayers for two people who have long neglected their religious
duties. Louis Trezzi ask Don Bosco to pray that Mary, Help of Christians
help him with his vocation. Evasio Gan-one, recently discharged from
military service, pleads with Don Bosco to admit him very soon as a cleric.
Thomas Dell'Antonio regrets not having fully confided in Don Bosco and
mentions the resulting spiritual suffering he underwent. Francis Ansaldi
asks if he may attend the spiritual retreat at Lanzo. Louis Crosazzo, who
worked in the Oratory bookstore, begs Don Bosco to obtain a spiritual
grace for him from God. Edward Rosatto reminds him of a spiritual favor
he had asked for a short time before. Paul Graziano seeks Don Bosco's
continued help. Edward Melandri hopes to be one of Don Bosco's sons one
day. Camillo Rappa, a typesetter in the Oratory printshop, promises to
mend his ways. Victor Mazzoni asks Don Bosco to pray that the Lord will
keep strengthening his
400 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

vocation. Angelo Rossi, a third-year Latin student, promises to mend his

ways and asks Don Bosco's help. Joseph Cazzaniga, a bookstore worker,
tells Don Bosco that he wants to stay with him always.8
Speaking to the alumni delegation, Don Bosco informed them that this
time there would be two separate receptions for them: one on Sunday,
July 25, for the laity, and one on the following Thursday for priests.
At the first assembly on the eve of Don Bosco's name day, there was an
Italian Capuchin from Smyrna [now Izmir]. This good religious had never
before witnessed such a manifestation of gratitude and voiced his feeling
at table. "If the tree is known by its fruit," he said among other things,
"then I must say that your demeanor, your gratitude, your avowals of love
and your promises of loyalty prove to me that the Oratory is a healthy
tree, one which should extend its roots through all the earth." Don Bosco
spoke last, expressing his delight at seeing so many of his former pupils
around him. He then reminisced about the early days of the Oratory: a
poor little dwelling, a tiny chapel, an inadequate playground. Yet such
humble beginnings gave rise to all that they could then see as well as what
they could not see beyond Turin, in Italy and in all Europe. He then went
on:9

I am delighted to know that you always conduct yourselves as good Christians

and upright citizens. One of you made a comment in his speech on some ungrateful
individual who has turned against his alma mater, causing us grief, but on this point
we should remember two things. To start with, there were no ingrates among the
first Oratory boys. Secondly, the ingrates were those who did not complete their
studies because their bad conduct caused their dismissal. Anyway, we should not be
surprised at finding some ingrates; there was one even among the twelve apostles,
notwithstanding the fact that he had been educated for three years by the teacher par
excellence, the Son of God Himself made man. We must pity

8Five days later, on the feast of St. Peter the Apostle, Don Bosco sent this telegram of good wishes to

the Pope: "Most Holy Father, Rome. On this day sacred to the Prince of the Apostles, the Salesians
humbly pay homage to his successor in the person of Your Holiness, invoking your apostolic
benediction." Cardinal Nina, secretary of state, replied: "Holy Father graciously accepts pious Salesian
homage; with paternal affection imparts the implored apostolic benediction." [Author]
9This speech of Don Bosco and one that followed were jotted down by Father Bonetti and published

in the September issue of the Bollettino Salesiano. [Author]

At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 401

them, because they are unhappy; let our revenge be in praying that they may see
the light before they die. We are Salesians, and, as such, we forgive and forget and
will continue to do all the good we can without ever hurting anyone. But though
we must show charity to all, we should not become intimate with those who do not
share our spirit. We must conduct ourselves with the simplicity of the dove and the
cunning of the serpent, and guard ourselves from traitors.10
But, my dear sons, one thing alone I recommend to you above all else: wherever
you may be, always conduct yourselves as good Christians and upright citizens.
Love, respect and practice our holy faith, in which I have brought you up and
shielded you from the dangers and corruption of the world; the faith which aids us
in our earthly afflictions comforts us at the point of death and opens to us the gates
of everlasting happiness.
Many of you already have a family. Give your children the same education you
received from Don Bosco here at the Oratory. In this way, while many of your
schoolmates traveled as far as South America to save souls and strove to spread the
light of truth and true wisdom in the kingdom of darkness, error and vice, you can
do the same within your possibilities here. Thus all of us together will promote
God's greater glory throughout the world, share in saving souls, and lessen the evil
let loose upon society. By so doing you will prove yourselves to be good Salesians
and true sons of Don Bosco, whose only aim has been to populate heaven and
depopulate hell. Our joyous banquet is at an end, but I invite you all to another
which shall know no end. In the name of God and of Mary, Help of Christians I
invite you to the banquet of heaven and ardently pray that none of you will be
missing.

At the gathering of alumni priests, Father Felix Reviglio, pastor of St.

Augustine's, was the one who best interpreted everyone's feelings. A
huge poster on the front wall of the dining room bore the inscription:
GRATEFUL AND DEVOTED SONS GATHER HERE FROM
DIFFERENT CITIES AND TOWNS TO JOIN-THE BEST OF
FATHERS AT A JOYFUL BANQUET. Taking his cue from it, Father
Reviglio commented:

Yes, grateful indeed we are, and it's a pleasure for us to proclaim it. How can we
ever forget the loving care Don Bosco lavished upon us when we were
inexperienced and immature young men? Who of us does not feel

' °Probably the former pupils were alluding to [E. A. Giustina] the wretched editor of La Cronaca
dei Tribunali. [Author]
402 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

a surge of gratitude to him as we recall his ineffable goodness, his loving

exhortations to advance in virtue, his inexhaustible patience, his endless efforts to
make us better? No, there are no ingrates among us, nor shall there ever be. We
shall manifest our gratitude by conducting ourselves at all times and in all places as
zealous, exemplary priests, just as Don Bosco would have us do, by publicizing his
works, by supporting and boosting them, and by rising to his defense whenever
ignorance or malice prompts anyone to question his intentions or distort facts, even
if he be a person of high station."

The priests understood this final allusion. No speech could have met with
heartier applause. In his calm way, as always, Don Bosco then addressed
the gathering and all listened to him in reverent
silence.

My dear sons, you cannot imagine the joy I feel at seeing you around me once
again; I myself can never put it into words. (His voice broke and everyone was
deeply moved.) I have always known that I care for you, but today my heart
incontestably proves it. I am and always will be your most affectionate and loving
father. I would dearly love to see you and talk more frequently with you, but most
of you rarely get to Turin, and more often than not I am away, and so we miss each
other. I hope that from now on we shall be able to get together at least once a year.
I mean to continue holding this celebration for as long as God gives us life.
I have many things to tell you. Mainly I ask you to do all the good you can for the
youth of your parish, your town, your village, and your own family. Don Bosco and
his Salesians cannot be everywhere, nor can they open schools and festive oratories
wherever there is need. My dearly beloved, you received your early education in this
very house. You are imbued with the spirit of St. Francis de Sales and have learned
how to help youngsters improve themselves. Fill in for us according to your ability.
Come to Don Bosco's aid to attain all the more readily and on a larger scale our
noble goals—the welfare of the Church and of civil society—by caring for destitute
youngsters. I am not saying that you are to neglect adults, but these, with few
exceptions, you well know are hardly responsive to our efforts. Let us therefore
concentrate on young ones, shielding them from danger, drawing them to
catechetical instruction, exhorting them to receive the sacraments, safeguarding them
from evil, and leading them back to virtue. By so doing you will see the fruits of
your

"See p. 207 and the Index under "Cronaca dei Tribunali." [Editor]
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 403

efforts, you will cooperate in the upbringing of good Christians, good families,
good people, and you will stem the present and future flood of irreligion and
corruption.
In order to succeed with youngsters, take great pains to be kind to them; win their
love, not their fear. Show them convincingly that you are working for their spiritual
well-being; be patient and gentle in correcting them, and,. above all, do not strike
them. In a word, act in such a way that once they spot you, they will run over to you
rather than dash off, as so often happens, and justifiably so because they fear a
beating. Perhaps in some cases your sacrifices may seem wasted. Perhaps then and
there, yes, but not for long, not even with the most unruly. Your good advice,
welcome or unwelcome at the moment, and your kindness will leave an impression
on their minds and hearts. The time will come when the good seed will sprout,
bloom, and bear fruit.
Let me tell you what happened to me just a few weeks ago. Early this month an
army captain was seen walking around the Church of Mary, Help of Christians and
the Oratory wall. He seemed to be looking for something which was no longer
there. After a futile search, he asked one of us who was walking into the grounds,
"Would you please tell me where Don Bosco's Oratory is?"
"Right here, sir."
"Really? There used to be a meadow here once, and a shabby little house over
there which threatened to fall at any moment. Then there was also a shabby
looking shed which served as a chapel and could not be seen from the outside."
"I have often heard how things were at the beginning, just as you described
them," came the answer, "but I did not have the chance to see them. Definitely this
is the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales or, as you call it, Don Bosco's Oratory. If you
would like to come inside, you are most welcome."
The captain came in, thoroughly looked at everything, and then asked with
astonishment, "And where is Don Bosco's room?"
"Up there."
"Could I talk to him?"
"I believe so."
He was introduced to me. As soon as he saw me, he exclaimed, "Oh, Don Bosco,
do you still recognize me?"
"I don't recall having ever seen you before."
"Yet you did see me, and you talked to me and were concerned about me several
times. Don't you remember a certain V . who caused you so much trouble and
worry in 1847, 1848 and 1849? Don't you recall the many times you told me to
keep quiet in church and kept me close to you
404 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

during catechism class lest I cause trouble? And how seldom I went to confession?"
"Oh, I surely remember that. Yes, I even recall how, when the bell rang, you used
to duck into the church by one door and dash out the other, forcing me to chase you."
Then, after telling me the main events of his past thirty years, the captain added, "I
never forgot you or the Oratory. I got to Turin just a short while ago and came right
over to see you. Now I want you to hear my confession." I gladly agreed. Before
letting him go, I asked him, "What prompted you to make your confession?" Do you
know his answer? "Seeing you again," he said, "reminded me of all the tricks you used
to keep me on the right path: the words you used to whisper in my ear, and your
exhortations to go to confession. These things prompted me to do it."
My dear sons, if a soldier can still remember the religious doctrines taught to him
in his youth, notwithstanding the moral perils of military life and, when given the
opportunity, asks to make his confession, why should we lose heart and become
depressed if we do not get immediate results from our youngsters? Let us sow the
seed and then, as all farmers do, patiently wait for the harvest. However, I stress
again, never forget loving kindness: win over the boys' hearts through love. Always
bear in mind the maxim of St. Francis de Sales, "More flies are caught with a cup of
honey than with a barrel of vinegar."

Don Bosco continued his talk, but we do not have the rest of it. We should
not pass over in silence the humorous way in which he scheduled the
celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of his first Mass on the Feast of the Most
Holy Trinity in 1891.

It's quite true that eleven years is plenty of time for advance notice and
invitations. Nevertheless, as of now I invite all of you here present to dine with me
on that occasion, and I hope that nobody will be missing. In fact, I am already
appointing my assistants at Mass. Father [Felix] Reviglio, the pastor of St.
Augustine's, will be deacon; Father [Charles] Vaschetti, vicar forane of Volpiano,
subdeacon; Father [Hyacinth] Ballesio, pastor and vicar forane of Moncalieri,
assisting priest; Father Ascanio Savio, rector of the Rifugio, 1 2 master of ceremonies.
We'll plan the rest in due course. Should the Most High dispose otherwise for us,
then let us strive, my dear children, to meet unfailingly in heaven for a celebration
that will have no end.

12An institution for wayward girls where Don Bosco had served as chaplain_ SeeVol. II, pp. 184f.
[Editor]
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 405 3. Two
ATTEMPTS ON DON Bosco's LIFE

Don Bosco's many successes so deprived the enemies of God and the
Church of their sleep that they settled on extreme measures to get rid of him.
Our readers already know of many other attempts made against his life," but
one would think that once his works won public admiration, resort would not
be had to such savage and brutal designs. Yet in 1880, two possibly related
attempts, plotted by anticlericals, were made on his life within a short time.
The first had been set for the latter weeks of June by one Alexander Dasso,
a former Oratory pupil who worked at his trade in Turin. The young man
came to the Oratory gate and asked to speak with Don Bosco. Since he knew
his way about the house, he went straight to the room and was taken to Don
Bosco.
Distraught in appearance, he seemed to be totally lost in anxious cares of
his own, far distant from the priest facing him. Don Bosco's greeting was as
usual cordial, but the youth kept silent and seemed to grow ever more
nervous, so that Don Bosco asked him, "What do you want? Speak. You
know Don Bosco cares for you." At that the visitor fell on his knees, burst into
tears, and sobbingly told him that he had joined the Freemasons and they had
decreed Don Bosco's death. Twelve members had been chosen by lot to
assassinate him and he was first in line. "I had to be the first, me of all
persons!" he cried. "That's why I'm here, but I shall never do such a thing! I
know they will get back at me and kill me for telling you, but I could never
murder Don Bosco. Never!" With these words he took out his concealed
weapon and threw it to the floor.
Don Bosco helped him to his feet and tried to soothe and support him, but
he could not. The poor fellow dashed out of the room as though driven into an
abyss by a mysterious force. Don Bosco immediately sent a note to the boy's
father, a level-headed person, to come immediately to the Oratory. He
obliged, and Don Bosco told him the whole story. The young man, however,
torn by remorse, plunged into the Po River on June 23. Fortunately two
customs officers,14 who happened to be nearby, managed to rescue him. They
turned him over to two policemen to escort him home.

See Vol. IQ, pp. 211f; Vol. IV, pp. 54f, 118, 486-496. [Editor]
13

"At this time people entering the city from the outside had to pay duty on certain goods. 'Editor]
406 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Two days later his father informed Don Bosco about the boy's attempt and
asked for help. "Dear Don Bosco," he wrote, "you are the father of wayward
boys. I entrust my son to your endless charity." Don Bosco repeatedly spoke
with this heartbroken father on how best to bring his son back to the right path
and protect him from the Freemasons' wrath. In addition to giving him
generous assistance, Don Bosco quietly got him out of Italy to a safe refuge
where he lived incognito until the end of his days.
The second attempt on Don Bosco's life was made in December and was
even more startling. A young gentleman in his mid-twenties called on Don
Bosco, who courteously asked him to sit beside him on the sofa. A quick look
at the visitor's appearance was quite discouraging. His eyes had a sinister
flash, and an ill-concealed nervousness immediately warned Don Bosco to be
on his guard. The young man sat and talked and rambled from topic to topic,
sometimes becoming excited and gesticulating madly. In one of his frantic
flailings, a small six-chambered handgun slid out of his pocket onto the sofa.
Unnoticed, Don Bosco put his hand over it and deftly pocketed it. Meanwhile,
his visitor began provoking him into a quarrel. At a certain point he suddenly
looked swiftly about him and thrust his hand into his pocket. Rummaging
with increasing surprise and anger, he sprang to his feet, looking about him,
unable to regain his composure. Don Bosco also stood up and, as the young
man kept searching anxiously, asked with great calm, "What are you looking
for?"
"I had something here, in my pocket, and I can't find it. Where did it go?"
"Maybe you only thought you had it with you," Don Bosco suggested.
"Nonsense!" the young man replied, and fidgeted about the room, straying
also into the next room.
Don Bosco quickly stepped to the outer door of that room. Grasping the
doorknob with his left hand so as to be able to open it quickly, he leveled the
revolver against the man and calmly stated, "This is what you were looking
for, isn't it?"
At first the scoundrel stood dumbfounded, but as he moved to get his hands
on the gun, Don Bosco firmly told him, "Get out fast and may God have
mercy on you!" He flung the door open and bade several people waiting in the
anteroom to escort the man out of the
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 407

Oratory. The would-be murderer hesitated, but Don Bosco firmly stated, "Get
out and never return." He finally complied, and two members of the Oratory
took him as far as the street, where a group of hoodlums clustered in
conversation beside a waiting coach. As soon as they realized that the
attempt had failed, some leaped into the coach and dashed off, while the
others took to their heels. The young man was left alone and walked off,
crestfallen, along Via Cottolengo.
On escaping irnscathed from this second attempt on his life, Don Bosco
called for Father Margotti and asked him if the police should be notifed. After
mature deliberation they decided to take no action. Father Cagliero was
present at their discussion.

4. TEE NELVA ESTATE

Don Bosco took steps to acquire more land to extend the Oratory's
property. The building, which today [19331 parallels the auditorium and
whose lobby displays a marble bust of Father [Joseph] Pavia, 15 was free-
standing in those days and, with a strip of land measuring 2,015 square
meters and stretching as far as Via Cottolengo, 16 belonged to Mr. John
Baptist Nelva. On learning that both house and land were on the market, Don
Bosco moved to buy them. Difficulties arose on both sides, but Father Rua,
who was free to act in Don Bosco's name, signed the contract on August 17,
1880, a few days before going to Marseille to preside over the annual
spiritual retreat. The sale was made for 13,500 lire and bound Don Bosco to
sell Mr. Nelva a building lot at the corner of Via Cottolengo and Via Allione,
known today as Via Salerno, for the sum of twelve thousand lire. For many
years the Nelva house and land served respectively as residence and
playground for the Valdocco festive oratory.

5. THE SECOND GENERAL CHAPTER

We have much less to record about the second general chapter, convoked in
1880, than we did about the first" because we as yet

15
See Appendix 1. [Editor]
'"SeeGiraudi, L'OratoriodiDonBosco,Plate [Author]
'SeeVol MIL pp. 177-219. [Editor]
408 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

have to see any records of it. The minutes were either never formally drawn
up or were lost. Only one of the participants survives, Father Angelo
Rocca,18 who was then director of our hospice at La Spezia. From his few
and fading recollections of this distant event, it would seem that the chapter
was conducted with a minimum of formalities.
As before, the chapter was held at Lanzo in September, but, unlike the
first time, Don Bosco did not feel that any special preparations for this
general chapter had to be made. Then too, as Father Rocca wrote, quite a
few of the directors and delegates were very young, not sufficiently mature
to make substantial contributions to the discussions. The older members,
Father Rocca remarked, looked quite haggard and in need of rest. Topics
themselves were not such as to generate interest or call for serious study.
The most important decision came at the close of the chapter, when it was
unanimously agreed to entrust all deliberations to the superior chapter
which would continue working to finalize them.
Only three documents of this general chapter remain. The first is the letter
of convocation which notifies the participants that since the terms of office
of all the members of the superior chapter, except the rector major, were
expiring, new elections would be held.19 The second document, a circular
written by Don Bosco in Latin to the directors and other superiors of the
various houses, is dated the first day of the novena of the Immaculate
Conception and was mailed from Turin. Since time was needed to
concretize, organize and publish the chapter's deliberations, Don Bosco felt
that he should call attention to the following items:

1. Study the deliberations of the first general chapter, especially items on morality
and thrift. 2. Make the monthly manifestation and Exercise for a Happy Death. 3. No
sea bathing, unless prescribed by a doctor. 4. Sincere obedience to superiors. Do not
leave the house without proper permission and just reason. Do not keep money or
spend it without need or

See Appendix 1. [Editor]

18

The letter was written by Father Rua and signed by Don Bosco who added in his own hand: "P.S.
19

Our present directory lists all members of the superior chapter and points out the professed members
who qualify as candidates for election." This circular had been mailed to all directors. [Author]
At the Oratory with Don Bosco from May to December 1880 409

beyond limits allowed by the superior. 5. Eradicate that one source of all evil:
summer vacations at home or in friends' homes. 6. Lead an exemplary life; avoid all
that might have even the appearance of scandal. 7. Be patient, loving and kind in
deed and word. 8. All should write to the rector major in February or March to tell
him of their health and vocation.

The directors were asked to give conferences to the confreres on these

topics, so essential to practicing the Salesian lifestyle.
The third and most important document is the booklet entitled
Deliberations published two years later.2° Reading it and comparing it with
the decisions of the former chapter make it clear that the second general
chapter was only a revision and supplement of the first. A few things were
slightly amended in the light of experience; some points, hitherto undecided,
were added. The few provisional statements of 1877 which had formed the
brief chapter, entitled Studies in the Salesian Society, were replaced by two
long paragraphs under the heading Ecclesiastical Studies and Philosophic
and Literary Studies. Moreover, previous regulations concerning
provincials, directors, general chapters, and the government of the
Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians which had already been amended or
expanded were further expanded by the addition of two more regulations
which had been under study since 1877; they dealt with the election of
members of the superior chapter and the duties of each confrere. From this
we realize that the second general chapter was not considered as important
as the first by the chapter members themselves and by the confreres.
In presenting the new handbook of Deliberations to the Salesians, Don
Bosco wrote: "The growth of our Pious Society in Europe and South
America is a sure sign that God is blessing it most particularly. Therefore let
every Salesian resolve to become ever more worthy of God's grace by his
spirit of prayer, obedience and sacrifice. We can attain this spirit by the
exact observance of our constitutions and of these deliberations." Previously
he had also stated that, to a very great extent, the growth of our Society and
the spiritual progress of its members hinged on the observance of its rules
and of the deliberations of the general chapter.

Deliberazioni del second° Capitolo Generale della Pia Soeieta Salesian tenuto in Lanzo Torinese nel
20

Settembre 1880, Torino, l'ipografia Salesian, 1881. [Author]

 CHAPTER 20

Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a

Revealing Dream

W e now resume the painful account of new ordeals which Don

Bosco had to endure as, with single heart, he sought the glory of God and
the Church and labored for the spiritual ad vantage of souls. We begin with
the closing phase of the conflict which was sparked by the publicizing of
graces that the faithful attributed to the intercession of Mary, Help of
Christians.' It was soon after the beautiful celebration of [this feast on] M ay
24, 1880 that Archbishop [Lawrence] Gastaldi brought charges against Don
Bosco to the Holy See for having published without his consent accounts of
miracles performed by the Blessed Virgin. It is advisable to read the entire
document.2

[No date]
Most Holy Father:
In 1868 the newly founded Salesian Congregation erected a church in Turin and
dedicated it to Mary, Help of Christians; a few years later they came out with a book
full of wondrous favors and miracles said to have taken place in that church and
elsewhere through the intercession of Mary, Help of Christians. The book was
submitted to my chancery and passed on to a censor, a priest who gave it his nihil
obstat. Thereupon the book was published, though it bore neither the signature of my
vicar general nor

'See Vol. XI, pp. 420-425. [Editor]

2This is a copy of the draft written in the archbishop's hand and kept by Father [Dominic] Franchetti 3 of

Turin, whom we have already mentioned on several occasions. From this original the chancery secretary
made the copy that was forwarded to Rome. The italicized words were emphasized in the original.
[Author]
3At the death of Canon Thomas Chiuso, private secretary of Archbishop Gastaldi, Father Franchetti

bought the canon's library and found among the books a bundle of letters and manuscripts concerning the
conflicts between the archbishop and Don Bosco. He generously made them available to the Salesians.
[Editor]
Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing Dream 411

that of any official of my chancery. After publication it was announced in the press
that the archbishop had approved the book. I was thus forced to declare through the
diocesan paper that the nihil obstat of one of my revisors in no way implied the
archbishop's approval.
Soon after, the Salesians put out a second edition of the book, tacking on further
miracles. This time the book was sent for approval to the chancery of Genoa, which
gave its nihil obstat, and this second edition was distributed throughout the
archdiocese of Turin under the imprint of the Salesian Press of Sampierdarena.
This year, 1880, a book entitled . . ,4 most certainly printed in Turin but purported
to have been issued by the Sampierdarena Press, has been published by the Salesians
with the imprimatur of the chancery of Genoa_ It is full of accounts of wondrous
favors obtained in the past few years through the invocation of Mary, Help of
Christians, venerated in her church in Turin.
The Council of Trent in the decree issued in its twenty-fifth session on the
invocation and veneration [of saints] stated: "This holy Synod orders . . nowhere, not
even in an exempt church, are any new miracles to be proclaimed unless the bishop
has examined and approved them." And the canonist Ferraris, under the word
"miracles," proves conclusively that the bishop has the right to veil all images and to
shut down a church, even one owned by religious, until an investigation has been
conducted into the so-called miracles reported to have been wrought by those images
or in that particular church.
I therefore wrote to the superior general of the Salesians, asking him to send the
chancery all evidence and testimonies to show that these wondrous graces are
authentic, but, apart from an inconclusive reply, I have received nothing_
In the meantime this book is circulating by the thousands all over the city and
diocese of Turin and all over Italy as well, proclaiming that these wondrous events
have been taking place over the past eight years. They are so presented that, if real,
they would have taken place under my very eyes. They are publicized far and wide
without my investigation, without my approval, without my slightest consent,
indeed—it would appear—in defiance of my orders published in the archdiocesan
liturgical calendar of 1878.
True, these books carry a disclaimer, in conformity with the decrees of Urban VIII,
stating that the accounts of these miracles carry no more than

4No title is cited in the original. It probably alludes to La Citta di rifugio [The City of Refuge] edited

by Father Lemoyne and published in May 1880's Letture Cattoliche, Issue No. 330. [Author]
412 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

purely human authority. But does this meet the requirements of the Council of
Trent? I do not think so, for these are not events that took place in the ancientpast or
infar-offplaces; they are said to be happening in our time, in this archdiocesan see,
and as if under the very gaze of the archbishop of Turin, whom the Council of Trent
charges to investigate and authenticate those so-called miracles before they are
publicly proclaimed. It is obvious, therefore, that, if we abide by the decree of
Trent, such wondrous events are in no way to be publicized, most especially in the
diocese where they are said to have occurred, without previous investigation and
authentication by the local bishop.
Furthermore, what kind of human authority are we talking about here? Does it
not mean that the competent authority is to study and approve the testimony of
witnesses? And who is the authority competent to interrogate witnesses, judge their
credibility, and determine whether or not the events they have witnessed are
miraculous? The Council of Trent has decreed that it must be the bishop of that
diocese. Therefore there is no such thing as a human authority in regard to miracles
prior to the bishop's investigation and determination.
Let me also say that Turin has a population of 240,000, with a good number of
learned people, university professors and students, and numerous highly
respected magistrates. If these events are heedlessly publicized as miracles to the
belief of thousands—not without a semblance of prospective and substantial
profit-making—the Church authorities cannot help but conclude that the
educated world of today, already inclined either to incredulity or to obstinate
rejection of any and every supernatural principle, will react by scoffing at the
miracles recorded in Sacred Scripture or in Church history. Let us not forget that
in 1877 a young woman hospitalized in The Little House of Divine Providence
carried on a grand deception in Turin for nine months by fraudently claiming to
be hypnotized.
It is therefore my considered opinion that the Salesians are to be strictly enjoined
from publishing further reports of any kind of miracle wrought
in Turin's Church of Mary, Help of Christians without the previous authorization
of the Church authorities, and that they should be ordered to withdraw from
circulation and destroy all literature hitherto published concerning these so-
called miracles.
I feel that it is very gravely incumbent upon me to inform Your Holiness of
these matters, so that, in your wisdom, you may take such measures as you deem
advisable.
Imploring your apostolic blessing upon myself and my diocese, I remain, etc.
Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing Dream 413

The Pope passed the letter on to Cardinal Bartolini, prefect of the

Congregation of Rites, who asked the archbishop for copies of the books in
question, assuring him of a thorough investigation. The archbishop sent the
books with a fiery covering letters The investigation was entrusted officially
to Monsignor Lawrence Salvati, promoter of the faith. His report on the
veracity of events was issued on July 16. In substance he made the following
points: there is no doubt that any canonical investigation and decision on
miracles attributed to God's power or to the intercession of the Blessed
Virgin Mary or the saints is the exclusive concern of the bishop;
nevertheless, it is not always easy or advisable to conduct such a canonical
investigation and approval, one reason being that some miraculous events
"such as those of Turin are often more apparently favors rather than
miracles." In such cases—Monsignor Salvati continued—he was of the
opinion that, according to a decree of the Holy Inquisition, dated May 23,
1668, it was the bishops' duty to examine and approve books beforehand lest
they contain doctrinal errors or statements which sound odd, ridiculous or
contrary to sound critique. At the same time they were not to express an
opinion or positively assert the truthfulness of miraculous events; rather,
they were only to allow their publication as simple accounts resting solely
on grounds of human probability, sufficient to give some degree of certainty.
Hence, an explicit statement of the author to this effect, conforming to the
standard decree of Urban VIII, is sufficient. These were the norms—as the
promoter of the faith explained in detail—which were recently applied by
the Sacred Congregation of Rites in two recent decrees concerning two
cases presented respectively by the bishop of Santiago, Chile, and the bishop
of Capua .5 He stated further:

5
We have the letter sent to the cardinal. It was written by the archbishop's secretary, only the date and
the signature being in the archbishop's hand_ It was notarized by B. Natale under No. 2993. (Editor's
note: This letter is filed as Document 59 in the Appendix of this volume in the Italian original.)
[Author]
eThe former asked about the authenticity of Our Lady's apparition to St. Peter Nolasco in Barcelona
and about publishing this apparition as miraculous. The reply stated that the Sacred Congregation
neither approved nor rejected the apparition, but allowed its publication as something worthy of simple
human credence; it might therefore be published or publicized by word of mouth if the usual norms
were followed. The bishop of Capua, who had made a similar request concerning the miracles at
Lourdes and La Salette, received an identical reply. [Author]
414 THE. BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

These are the norms commonly followed nowadays everywhere, including Rome.
Properly run shrines keep a record of favors received, which occasionally bear marks
of the supernatural and which the faithful report they have personally witnessed.
Being convinced that they obtained these favors from the Queen of Heaven, they
fulfill the vows they made. When advisable, an edifying collection of these accounts,
well documented, is published in booklet form with the approval of the competent
Church reviewers, who follow the norms set for biographies and accounts of miracles
attributed to the saints, the blessed, and the servants of God.

Monsignor Salvati did not brush off the very serious insinuation of sordid
gain. Rather, he superbly rebutted Archbishop Gastaldi's charge as follows:
Donations of money and precious objects generously given to the Church of
Mary, Help of Christians do not constitute sordid gain because they are all free-will
offerings prompted by a simple religious feeling of gratitude and are in themselves
eloquent affirmations of favors having been granted. They are signs and
acknowledgments which God in every age and time has always welcomed for His
greater glory and the edification of His people. Every shrine of the Blessed Virgin
Mary boasts of similar precious ex-voto gifts and donations as well as many votive
plaques which over the years witness to miraculous cures and marvelous favors.
Newer shrines—such as that at Lourdes—owe their origin to a long succession of
miracles and generous votive offerings made by persons who have been the
recipients of favors.

Monsignor Salvati then offered a personal word of advice, counseling a

more dignified presentation and more careful regard to detail. He planned
to suggest to the "good Salesian Fathers" to better achieve their pious
intents by publishing as soon as they could a new, thoroughly revised
edition of at least their main publications endorsed with the nihil obstat of
the local bishop. That the ordinary of another diocese was requested to
approve a publication narrating miraculous events which took place in
Turin, in the Church of Mary, Help of Christians, he felt was an
unintentional oversight.
Don Bosco received a copy of this report. in turn, he submitted the matter
to the learned Jesuit canonist, Father [John Baptist] Rostagno, who drew up a
report proving four points: 1. Miracles attributed to canonized saints do not
require the ordinary's rigorous
Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing Dream 415

investigation before being published, but only a simple reading to guarantee

that the publication contains nothing smacking of superstition or offensive to
doctrine and devotion. 2. As AvRn7ire wrote in the Acta Sanctae Sedis—
with the approval of the Master of Sacred Palaces—ecclesiastical review
was not required either in Italy or in Belgium and France; in fact, the
requirement of the bishop's review was not observed by the clergy even in
Turin.8 3. The Salesians had obtained the approval of the ordinary of the
diocese where the book was printed, and that was sufficient. The objection
that the pamphlets had actually been printed in Turin could be rebutted by
the fact that Archbishop Gastaldi had himself approved books published in
other dioceses by authors not under his own juridiction. 4. The archbishop's
demand to investigate the miracles because they were related to an image
venerated in a church of his archdiocese was inadmissible, since the rigorous
investigation ordered by the Council of Trent concerned cases very different
from this.
To clarify matters Don Bosco sent Father Rostagno's report to Cardinal
Bartolini and at the same time got in touch with Monsignor Salvati,
inviting him to the Oratory. We regret that we have no copy of this letter,
for, as we gather from the monsignor's reply, it states his readiness to do
everything he could to eliminate all causes of disagreement. We quote
from Monsignor Salvati's answer of August 26:

Let me dutifully assure you of my deep esteem for your most worthy person and of
my thanks for the noble, courteous tenor of your letter; I did nothing more than carry
out my office. As for the controversy, I draw your attention to the remarks I made for
the future after I checked out the facts as they appear in the documents. I think that
the most important point is the practical suggestion of how we might work out some
solution to this regrettable difference of opinion. I am delighted to learn from you that
the

'Father Peter Avanzini (1832-1874) was the founder of the Acta Sanctae Sedis (1865) which in
1871 became officially the Acta Apostolicae Sedis. [Editor]
sAmong other cases, Father Rostagno cited that of Father Corte, a Rosminian who published a series
of vicious articles defending his philosophy course Pvinst the attacks of a Jesuit and against the entire
Society of Jesus. He drew heavily from Pasearse Provincial Letters and from his annotator, and then
collected his own articles in one volume which he published [in Turin] without ecclesiastical approval.
The chancery office said not a word about it. [Author]
9Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), philosopher, mathematician and apologist. [Editor]
416 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

whole matter is without foundation. This is not the first time the devil has built up on
nothing a mountain of obstacles against God's finest works. Once we are aware of
the deceit, we can easily guard against it and, using the prudence which is your
hallmark, come up with a victory. As for coming to Turin, I gratefully accept your
cordial offer and shall avail myself of it at my first suitable opportunity. I will be
happy and honored to meet you personally.

We have narrated the sequel of the clarification given above in Volume

XI.1° One weak point of the archbishop's charges was that he labeled as
"miracles" what were presented simply as "favors." The whole controversy
proves our assertion, and an incident on November 6 confirms it. The owner
of Binelli Press, which was publishing Agreda's' 1 Mystical City of God,
personally presented a complimentary copy of the first volume to
Archbishop Gastaldi. After glancing through the book, the archbishop was
not pleased with the offer and stated that at best he would not forbid its
publication.12
"How do you hope to market the book?" he asked.
"Hopefully some friendly readers will help me. Besides, I shall give a
sizable number of copies on consignment to the Oratory of St. Francis de
Sales."
"The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales?" echoed the archbishop in
wonderment.
"Yes, at Don Bosco's bookstore."
"Quite proper! The miracles related in the Mystical City of God are very
similar to Don Bosco's 'miraculous wonders.' If Our Lady really works them,
fine! If not, he makes them up and sells them."
The May issue of Catholic Readings kept carrying accounts of these favors
year after year, with the ready approval of the bishop of Genoa, as if they
were printed at Sampierdarena. However, great caution was taken not to
mislead readers into judging as

'OPages 424f. [Editor]

"Maria de Agreda (1602-1665), a discalced Franciscan nun, was a Spanish mystic writer. [Editor]
12
The original work Mistica eiudad de Dios, a detailed biography of the Blessed Virgin Mary
purportedly revealed by angels to Maria de Agreda, aroused both great acclaim and harsh condemnation
when it was published in 1670. In 1683 it was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books, but eventually it
was removed from it since it did not contain doctrinal errors. It did, however, affect adversely Maria de
Agreda's process of beatification. [Editor]
Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing Dream 417

"miracles" events which were only simple favors in response to prayer.

To this year also belongs a despicable house search of the Oratory. On the
morning of August 28 a city official and a squad of police descended on the
Oratory printshop and ordered all hands to remain at their posts, while guards
took up strategic positions. Then a careful search began, though no one knew
what the police were looking for. Only when the galley proofs of the
Bollettino Salesiano were confiscated was the secret let out, but nobody
knew why. Officially the periodical carried the imprint of Sampierdarena, but
frequently circumstances made it necessary to have it printed at the Oratory.
This was an expedient to avoid endless conflicts with the Turin chancery and
consequent delays caused by submitting it for ecclesiastical approval. The
official pulled the police out, announced that the search was over, and, when
asked for an explanation, sarcastically replied, "Conflict of rights!" Before
leaving, however, he was made to draw up a report stating that de facto the
printshops of Turin and Sampierdarena were really one.
Don Bosco was not at the Oratory at the time. He was preaching a
spiritual retreat to some women and subsequently to the Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians at Nizza Monferrato. When informed of what had
happened, he wrote Father Rua this note:

Nizza Monferrato, August 21, 1880

Dear Father Rua,
I have no idea why the police conducted a house search. We have always
considered the printshop at S ampierdarena a branch of the one in Turin and sent
jobs there only to give our boys work to do. Both shops are approved by the
government. If we have to go through more formalities, let them tell us and we shall
comply.
Come to me here so we can talk. You can leave Turin on Sunday at nine in the
morning via the Turin-Bra-Nizza line. You'd get here by two in the afternoon and you
can leave for Genoa at six-thirty in the evening.13
If you intend to spend the night here, come on any train you like. The Asti-
Castagnole train leaves Turin at one in the afternoon, arriving at

13
Father Rua was to leave for Marseille to conduct the spiritual retreat for the Salesians. 'Author]
418 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Nizza at six. Check the timetable.

Until we meet, may God bless us all. Amen.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

Anxious as always to protect his Oratory from harmful suspicions, he wrote

directly to the king's procurator on his return to Turin to find out the real
reason for the unexpected house search.

Turin, August 31, 1880

Dear Sir:
The police came to this home on the eighteenth of this month and conducted a
search to ascertain where—it was said—the Bollettino Salesiano is being
printed, at Valdocco or at Sampierdarena.
Since I was away at the time and the person interrogated probably could not
give the police satisfactory answers, I feel that I should sum up the situation
briefly and exactly.
The Bollettino was originally known as the Bibliofilo [Booldover]. While it
was being printed in Turin we followed all laws and dutifully sent sample copies
to the proper officials, as may be verified from receipts signed by your office.
In September 1877 the poor boys at our hospice in Sampierdarena needed
work to do, and so from Turin we sent the necessary equipment along with a
group of instructions for the printing of the Bibliofilo or Bollettino Salesiano.
Please note that all the time the magazine was being printed here in Turin, the city
did not demand that a manager be named, since it was merely a catalogue of books we
printed and sold. It was only in September 1877 that the king's procurator in Genoa
required that it have a manager, and Mr. Joseph Ferrari was immediately named and is
still in office.
From September 1877 to August 13 of this year all government regulations on
publishing have been complied with, as you may ascertain from the public reports
issued by the king's procurator. But the binding and the mailing of the Bollettino
continued to be done in Turin, where we have more young apprentices for that
work.
Printing instead continued to be done, totally or in part, at Sampierdarena; it is
done here in Turin only when the printshop at Sampierdarena cannot fit it into
its other jobs, since the Bollettino must meet deadlines.
It is quite obvious from all this that our printshop here in Turin forms
Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing Dream 419

one entity with that at Sampierdarena, since both have a single owner responsible for
all the work and the presses, and also because all my poor boys work on a temporary
basis in either shop, depending on demand, so that both shops are really two branches
of a single publishing house. In this and in all matters I have made it my sacred duty
to comply with the law. I never felt that the present set-up violated the law in any
way. Should there be any other formalities I must conform with—I do not know of
any—please notify me, so that I may continue educating these poor working lads to
whose moral and social betterment I have dedicated my life, without all the upset and
worry that this house searched caused us.
If the search was prompted by some other violation of law or for political
reasons, I respectfully and earnestly ask you to tell me of it for my own
guidance and for that of my other hostels, unless it is a confidential matter
reserved to your office.
I am sure you will understand my frankness in writing. I am honored to
remain,
Your most humble servant, Fr. John
Bosco

In time it came to be known through a young man named Vallero, an

Oratory alumnus employed at the civil court at Borgo Dora, that the house
search had been prompted by two anonymous letters alleging that secret
publications were being run off by the Oratory presses. One copy of the
above letter carries a note of Father Berto stating that the whole thing seems
to have been masterminded by Canon [Emanuel] Coloraiatti, fiscal attorney
for the archdiocesan chancery. Whatever the magistrate replied to Don
Bosco's letter, the charges apparently never reached the courts.
While all this was going on, two other complaints were filed
[against Don Bosco], one with the Salesians' cardinal protector, the other
with the Sacred Congregation of the Council. We do not know t he
contents of Archbishop Gastaldi's letter to Cardinal
Nina, but we do have the actual text of the second.14 Among other charges we
read:

This past year, as a public sign of my esteem and trust in Don Bosco, I offered
him ownership of a private house and garden of mine in Turin,

Letter from Archbishop Gastaldi to the cardinals of the Congregation of the Council, Turin,
14

December 5, 1880. [Author]

420 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

with the sole condition that two of his religious run free classes and a festive oratory
for the poor boys of the neighborhood. However, I have not received even the
courtesy of an answer.

The facts are as follows. Archbishop Gastaldi, anxious to annex to the new
Church of the Sacred Heart a free school and a festive
oratory for boys, addressed a letter to Father Cagliero on March 22, 1880 in
which he stated that he was offering him and, through him, to the Salesian
Congregation a home and property of his own, along with six thousand lire,
on condition that the Salesians agree to run in perpetuity two elementary
grades for poor boys through ten months of the year, as well as a festive
oratory. Two contracts were to be drawn up: a notarized deed of sale to three
members of the Congregation, and a contract between the archbishop, Father
Rua, Father Cagliero and the three property recipients who would accept the
aforesaid obligations in the name of the Congregation. If the conditions were
not met, the property would temporarily revert to the archbishop of Turin.
This agreement would be submitted to the approval of the Sacred
Congregation of Bishops and Regulars. He enclosed a plan of the building in
the letter and expected an affirmative reply.
Since Archbishop Gastaldi addressed the letter to Father Cagliero, he
knew that Don Bosco was away in Rome at the time. Father Cagliero did not
reply immediately, because he wanted to wait until Don Bosco's return. The
archbishop wrote to him again on April 8: "Please come to see me as soon as
possible to discuss the matter I wrote to you about, since I am most anxious
to settle it as quickly as possible." Father Cagliero then called on the
archbishop.
He and other superiors knew that the same offer had been made to other
religious communities and been turned down. After carefully checking the
matter out, Father Cagliero told the archbishop that, for lack of personnel and
funds, the Salesian Congregation could not accept a new undertaking and its
obligations, on only three hundred lire a year, which is what the six thousand
lire came down to. He therefore concluded that for the time being it would be
impossible to take on a burden of such size.
Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing Dream 421

The archbishop concurred with Father Cagliero that an annual stipend of only
three hundred lire a year would be inadequate to run the project, and so they
agreed to suspend negotiations until the opening of the new church and house
of St. John the Evangelist, not very far from the locality. Then it would not
be a strain to send two teachers from there to run the projected classes every
morning and afternoon.
Everything seemed now to be running smoothly, but then. Don Bosco
received this letter from Cardinal Nina:

Rome, June 23, 1880

My dear Father,
I understand from reliable sources that several months ago the archbishop of Turin
offered to donate to the Salesian Congregation a handsome home and spacious
grounds, his personal property, in the area of the new parish church of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. It was his wish that the Salesians open two free elementary grades for
poor boys of the neighborhood, since such facilities are badly needed in that new
development. Besides the property he also offered six thousand lire, a sum he would
readily increase should he have to do so to enhance his offer.
As I was told, the offering was coldly received on the part of your Congregation,
so much so that the archbishop finally had to write and ask you to call on him to
discuss the matter.
Rather than see him personally, it seems that you sent a member of your
Congregation to ascertain his wishes, and he was told to wait for your decision and
has yet to receive a definite reply.
I will not hide my disappointment on learning of this. After all the differences that
have come between you and the archbishop, I should think you would have done all
you could to go along with his kind offer and give him a token of your anxious care to
keep friendly relations with hint Since I do not doubt this concern of yours, I must
conclude that some serious reasons are keeping you from making a decision to accept
or refuse the offer; nevertheless, I feel that your attitude in this matter is not
conducive to ease the tension which you yourself have often deplored.
Since I do not intend to base my opinion only on hearsay, please send me your
clarifications on this matter. With great esteem,
Affectionately yours, Lawrence
Cardinal Nina
422 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Don Bosco replied as follows:

Turin, July 10, 1880

Your Eminence,
Since the request of the archbishop of Turin which your letter of June 23 treats of
was handled by others in my absence, I thought it best to ask the person who dealt
with it to give you an honest account of what happened. I cannot help but feel
deeply distressed by such a distortion of facts.
This is the manner also in which Father Joseph Lazzero, director of our
motherhouse, was abruptly suspended from hearing confessions,15 with no canonical
procedure of any kind. So also has Father John Bonetti been kept out of Chieri for
more than eighteen months,16 and, despite reiterated requests of the Sacred
Congregation of the Council for an explanation of that censure, no answer has been
received and the punishment still holds. I too incurred a [threat of] suspension, and at
the moment I am under the cloud of two warnings issued to me on November 25 and
on December 1, 1887, which threaten automatic suspension.17
If personally or through others I write or publish anything which in any way
touches upon the archbishop of Turin, I send it to no one except the Supreme Pontiff,
while His Excellency the archbishop writes whatever he pleases, maligning the
Salesians even to the Sacred Roman Congregations, without my being able to
respond as I have the right to.
Notwithstanding this situation, there are more than three hundred Salesians
working zealously in the archdiocese of Turin, and they seek neither honors nor
compensation of any kind. So far no one has uttered a single word of reproach against
them.
I have never asked the archbishop of Turin for anything except to tell me any
complaint he may have against me and not to send the Holy See distorted reports. So
far all has been in vain. This is the source of the grave difficulties we keep running
into when we ask the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars to normalize our
humble Salesian Society and give it the same status which other religious institutions
definitively approved by the Holy See enjoy.
I do not say this to lodge a complaint; the times are too risky. We must strengthen
our good will to work for God's glory and nothing else. The Salesians join me in
thanking Your Eminence for your kind

See Vol. X.01, pp. 254, 260. [Editor] See pp.

15 16

46, 172. [Editor] "See Vol. XIII, p. 285.

[Editor]
Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing Dream 423

concern. We ask God to keep you in good health as we request your holy blessing in
profound thanks. On behalf of all, I am honored to be,
Yours devotedly, Fr. John
Bosco

With his own, Don Bosco enclosed a letter from Father Cagliero, relating
how the discussion with the archbishop had ended in agreeing to a temporary
suspension of negotiations. He concluded as follows:

Don Bosco, Father Rua and I, as well as all those who were told of the archbishop's
project, had not the slightest idea of the serious import of this proposal, nor could we
foresee the regrettable consequences which would fall upon our heads. After all,
other religious communities had given a definitely negative answer, whereas we had
only asked for an extension of time.

This case had more surprises in store. At this stage Don Bosco was giving
the matter no further thought, confident that the explanations had been quite
sufficient, but on August 16 he received a letter from Cardinal Nina which
opened as follows: "I have been awaiting an answer to my letter of last June
23 with an anxiety warranted by the gravity of the matter and my desire to
end the hostility which is deplorable under every aspect."
This meant that both letters of July 10 had not reached the cardinal. They
were rewritten on September 3. After that, we find no further official
reference to the matter in Rome, although, as we stated in the beginning, the
archbishop of Turin thought that he could bring up the case again in
December.
Another misunderstanding occurred that year, hardly significant in itself,
but not so insignificant that we can ignore it, for, after all, the hues of a
painting may vary in brightness, but all are essential to the overall effect.
On October 12, while making a pastoral visit to Volpiano on the outskirts
of his archdiocese, Archbishop Gastaldi unexpectedly dropped in at the
neighboring Salesian house of San Benign. Arriving without notice, he
walked into the workshops, where he could not have expected the poor
young lads, hands smeared with cobbler's wax or printer's ink, to dash over
and kiss his ring.
424 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Nevertheless, some ten days later he wrote to Don Bosco to praise the
courtesy of the superiors who happened to be present, but
censuring the conduct of the boys in three of the workshops and blaming a
few clerics who had hastily scooted out of the playground on seeing him.
Father Barberis, the director, answered the letter, explaining the situation
as we have described it and saying that the clerics had scurried out of the
playground because they had been doing manual labor and were in no
condition to greet an archbishop.
How endless were misunderstandings that occurred within a span of ten
years! The worst of them all was always the archbishop's obsession that Don
Bosco and his Salesians were deliberately and obstinately waging war against
their ordinary's authority. He said as much once more on October 18 in a letter
to Monsignor [Anthony] Belasio18 who, trusting in their long-standing
friendship, tried to use his influence to soften his adamant stand toward Don
Bosco. God allowed all this to happen in the secret designs of His infinite
wisdom, but He did not leave His servant without comfort, endowing him
with insights and heavenly graces.
In the summer of 1880 Don Bosco had a dream in which he foresaw, under
the guise of symbols, future events. On the night of July 9 he saw a
mysterious rainfall, whose meaning we may detect from the following notes
of Father Lemoyne: "The conflict with Archbishop Gastaldi had reached its
climax. The matter of Father Bonetti's suspension was at the peak of tension;
Rome seemed to favor the archbishop against us; all human hopes seemed to
have vanished. Under these circumstances an unfavorable verdict would have
been disastrous."
This was Don Bosco's dream. He found himself conferring with his chapter
in the room adjoining his own, known as the bishop's room. While he was
talking of the Congregation's affairs, the sky darkened and a storm broke out
with frightful lightning and thunderbolts. One thunderclap louder than all the
rest shook the entire house. Father Bonetti stood up and dashed into the
corridor, crying aloud after a moment, "It's raining thorns!" In fact thorns
were falling like thick drops of water in a torrential downpour. Then

18 See Vol. )0I, pp. 230, 240f; Vol. XIII, p. 577. [Editor]
Accusations, a Misunderstanding and a Revealing Dream 425

came a second mighty clap of thunder as powerful as the first, and

immediately the sky brightened somewhat. Father Bonetti was heard to
shout in the corridor, "How wonderful! It is raining flower buds!" The air
was full of blossoms which covered the ground in a thick layer.
Then came a third deafening roar of thunder, and patches of clear blue sky
appeared with glimpses of the sun. Father Bonetti cried out, "Now it's
raining flowers!" Flowers of every kind and size and color filled the air,
blanketing the ground and roofs of houses in a splendor of colors in the
twinkling of an eye.
A fourth burst of thunder resounded across the heavens. The sky turned
sparkling blue, and the sun shone brightly. Father Bonetti shouted, "Come,
look! It's raining roses." Indeed fragrant roses were falling through the sky.
"At last!" Father Bonetti exclaimed.
The next morning Don Bosco called the superior chapter together to tell
them of his dream. Taking a quick look at the flow of events we can probably
detect the successive phases of this lengthy conflict in the distinct parts of
this extraordinary dream. Till then all had been thorns. Later, however
slowly, matters began to take a turn for the better. Two verdicts issued by
Rome were favorable to Don Bosco; then Leo XIII took the whole affair into
his own hands and personally laid down the terms of an amicable settlement
of Archbishop Gastaldi's conflict with Don Bosco, who impressed the Roman
prelates by his humility. However, the war was not ended. In 1883, when
Archbishop Gastaldi learned that Don Bosco was going to France, he wrote
to the ordinaries of Lyons and Marseille not to allow Don Bosco to preach.
The letters arrived after Archbishop Gastaldi's sudden death [midmorning on
March 25]. Still, Don Bosco was not allowed to speak in public in Lyons.
The archbishop of Paris, instead, invited him to preach in one of the city's
principal churches, assuring him that, even were the archbishop of Turin still
alive, he would have paid no heed to his request. Soon after, the arrival of
Cardinal [Cajetan] Alimonda to the archdiocese of Turin proved a cherished
blessing for Don Bosco. Then, on March 24, 1884, the eve of the feast of the
Annunciation, Cardinal [Innocent] Ferrier'', who had fallen victim to a severe
nervous condition, removed his objections to granting Don Bosco the
privileges he had for years been requesting. The
426 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

decree reached the Oratory at long last on July 9, 1884 amid singular
circumstances, as we shall see. From then on, a period of peace opened for
Don Bosco, lasting to the not too distant day of his death.
 CHAPTER 21

Cooperators at San Benigno and

Borgo San Martino

'DESPITE all the work and harassment, Don Bosco still found not
only the time but, more surprisingly, the peace of mind to keep in touch with
his cooperators, discuss his projects with them and solicit their help. And so
it was that in the summer of 1880 he went to San Benigno Canavese and to
Borgo San Martino to conduct the first conference of Salesian cooperators in
each of those towns.'
The conference at San Benign was held on June 4. Following is the main
tenor of his talk. He was pleased, he said, to meet for the first time the local
cooperators, and he went on to acquaint them with the spiritual benefits they
were entitled to as members of the pious association and showed them how as
cooperators they might, by observing the rules, live like religious in the world.
In fact, this association might well be considered a kind of third order of older
times but updated to meet current needs. Today, he said, the hue and cry goes
up, Work, Education, Humaneness. Well, thanks to these cooperators,
Salesians were accomplishing three things: setting up workshops in the cities
and agricultural schools in farming areas; opening boarding schools for boys
and girls, as well as day schools, night schools and Sunday classes;
establishing hospices for orphaned and abandoned children by the thousands.
They were reaching out even to the heathens with the blessings of civilization.
The cooperators, he observed, by prayer, moral support, and material
assistance, are so many arms of Don Bosco and of the Salesians in
maintaining this threefold benefit. Time was when society was imbued by
faith, and all one had to do was to join religious in their practices of piety, but
now—besides praying,

'See Bollettino Salesiano, July and August 1880. [Author]

428 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

which is never to be neglected—one must be engaged, actively engaged in

work, if we are not to court diaster.
More positively, he cited the religious instruction of youth as the special
task of the cooperators. Men and women cooperators both can do much good
by giving alms and good advice, he said, but they can do even more by
offering their services to their pastors and teaching catechism to children. The
Catholic catechism class in the festive oratories is the only hope of salvation
for so many poor young people adrift in a perverted society. Despite all their
zeal,
pastors and parish priests cannot reach everywhere; they need helpers in their
ministry of catechizing who can get the children into
church, urge parents to send them, supervise the classes and teach
catechism. He cited a fine example. In a village of six thousand people, only
some forty children were attending catechism classes.
Well, under the pastor's leadership, the cooperators soon rounded up as
many as four hundred youngsters and, during the Easter season, managed to
convince nearly seven hundred to go to confession and Communion; of
them, some four hundred boys and girls made their First Communion.
He then listed other works of mercy which cooperators could easily do,
such as being peacemakers in families, redirecting the
wayward to the right path, and providing funds for the poor. All
this, however, was to be done with gentleness, charity and discretion, the
three characteristic virtues of the true Salesian
cooperator. He especially recommended to his hearers—as we might well
understand—the new hospice being then opened at San Benign.
As for the cooperators' conference at Borgo San Martino on July 1, we can
fortunately give our readers various highlights in Don Bosco's own words:
I happened to be in Rome when the unforgettable Pius IX of saintly memory
received the representatives of the Catholic press in public audience, and I can still
recall the magnificent speech he delivered that day. To animate Catholic writers to
wage a winning battle against the enemy of God and the Church, he urged unity
among themselves and used, as an example, a Spanish bullfight. Without in the least
endorsing this form of sport, which recalls Moorish supremacy in Spain, the Holy
Father described how the toreadors go about subduing and killing the fiery animal.
The huge beast is let loose into a vast arena that has been fenced in
Cooperators at San Benign and Borgo San Martino 429

to protect the immense crowd of spectators. Goaded on by shouting, pursued by

picadors, and driven wild by fury, the bull roars tremendously and charges at random
with lowered head, seeking to impale his attackers, but as the combatant sees it
approach, he leaps to one side and jabs the bull's nostrils or neck with his sword. The
wounded beast swerves to charge another, and he too thrusts his weapon into it.
Thoroughly enraged, the bull then roars in panic, dashing about the arena and trying
to run down those who block its way, but it faces enemies at every step and, waiting
for an opening, they stab its flanks, head and neck. Finally the matador thrusts his
sword into the back of its neck and, after a futile struggle, the beast at last sinks to the
ground and dies. It is the combatants' unified front which tires, overcomes and wears
down the ferocity of the bull, commented Pius IX. Holy Scripture calls the enemies of
God and the Church, with whom we contend in battle, bulls. Tauri pingues .
obsederunt me [Ps. 21, 131, the royal prophet laments—fierce men like bulls have
besieged me. We can voice the same lament in these sorry times of ours. Do we want
to overthrow these enemies and be victorious? Then we must stand united against
them, a solid front, alert to all assaults, careful not to wield either pen or spoken word
against one another. These are not Pius XI's precise words, but they pretty much tell
his message.
I have brought this incident and these words to your attention, my dear friends, so
that you may better understand the necessity we good Christians have today to stand
united in furthering good projects and halting the bad, for uniting creates strength.
Back in 1841 when I first began to gather boys together on Sundays to save them
from the streets, give them a chance for clean fun, and teach them their holy religion,
I realized my need for people to give me a helping hand. Even then many of the
city's priests and laymen, and later several wonderful women, responded to my plea
and came to help me, some by gathering the youngsters for me, others by staying
with them and teaching them catechism. The ladies and, later, women religious
helped me by washing and mending the lads' clothing and providing linen for the
poorest and neediest. God's help and the kindness of these good people enabled me
and all my Salesians to accomplish the works you read of in the Bollettino
Salesiano, which I need not recount now.
Once it became apparent how much people united together could do to help out
poor youngsters, we decided to found a formal association under the name of the
Association of Salesian Cooperators and sought to have it approved by the Vicar of
Jesus Christ. Many bishops gave it official recognition in their own dioceses and
commended it to the Holy See; among the heartiest sponsors, I am proud to say, was
His Excellency, Bishop Peter Ferre, our beloved shepherd. Pope Pius IX, of saintly
430 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

memory, examined and approved the project; indeed, concerned that the Association
should grow, he opened to it the Church's treasury of indulgences. From the year of
its approval, 1876, to the present day the cooperators, men and women, have grown
to thirty thousand and continue to grow every day as more faithful come to learn
about it.

He then briefly summarized Salesian projects which the generosity of

the cooperators had made possible, all of which we already know. He then
explained what they had to do to become true Salesian cooperators and to
benefit by the special favors granted the Association by the Church.

First, let me say that to gain the indulgences that the Vicar of Jesus Christ has
granted us, we must carry out certain requirements. We must visit a stated church or
receive confession and Communion when such requirements have been attached to
the indulgence; the Salesian cooperators are held to this as are the Franciscan
tertiaries. Then, too, to gain the indulgences, one must be a member of the
Association of Salesian Cooperators and carry out its aims.
How does one belong? One must be enrolled by the superior of the Salesian
Congregation or his delegate and be a member in good standing. At one's induction
he or she receives a diploma and a copy of the regulations and then is expected to
practice works of mercy in the spirit of the Association and according to its aims.
Is it really necessary, you may ask, to carry out each single act of mercy listed in
the rules? No, of course not, nor do you have to do so within a prescribed period of
time, as long as you practice charity when the occasion presents itself. But, I say,
some deeds of charity must be done. The aim of the Association is to give the
Salesian Congregation helpers who will take special care of young people.
Obviously, then, all cooperators, men and women, must engage in some works of
mercy consonant with this noble aim so that the Church's intention in granting the
indulgences may be honored. Years ago all one had to do was to share in practices of
piety. Today, however, faced with multiple means of corruption which threaten boys
and girls, we must join forces and work together. I have stated that a good cooperator
is one who practices a deed of charity as the occasion arises. This is not too difficult a
task for any good Christian. See how many great opportunities come up—a word of
good advice to youngsters to guide them in virtue and save them from evil ways, a
suggestion to parents on how they can give their children a Christian upbringing, a
reminder to send them to church, to choose a
Cooperators at San Benign and Borgo San Martino 431

school or a job where they will have upright teachers and honest employers. You can
see to it that schools hire only reputable teachers. You can help out in teaching
catechism in your parish. You can give or lend good books, spread good literature,
and offer a Catholic paper to replace a bad one. You can help one complete his work,
donate clothing, seek jobs for the unemployed, or support a homeless and abandoned
boy or girl by paying for that child's tuition. You can cut down on your own expenses
and put money aside for alms. You can promote undertakings which will glorify God,
honor the Church, and benefit souls. At the very least, you can exhort others to do
these things. There is never any lack of opportunity to do good or prevent evil. Let us
not be wanting in good will or courage, in love for God and neighbor. Without
becoming aware of it, as father or mother, teacher, priest, layman, rich man or
pauper, we shall be true cooperators, thwarting evil and accomplishing much good.
You might remark, "As long as it's a matter of helping others by speaking, I can do
that, but I am poor and my material means are limited." Let the poor do just what they
can, but, regardless of one's poverty, any cooperator who so wishes will always be
able to contribute also financially. The widow in the Gospel was also very poor,
owning no more than a single mite, yet she too wished to help in beautifying the
temple along with wealthy donors, and this elicited Jesus' praise. Let me say too that
there are many, many people who forever keep bemoaning their poverty when they
are asked to do a good deed, to clothe a poor orphan, help a destitute family, or adorn
a church. But when it comes to buying clothes or a luxury garment, arranging a
dinner party or a lavish entertainment, a pleasure trip, a dance, making a good
impression on people—then they no longer plead poverty. Then the money which
they did not have suddenly appears and they find the means of putting up a good
show and of displaying a lavishness beyond their means.
Then there are those who forever fear that the ground will sink beneath them, and
both present and future loom in sinister colors before their imagination. They are
those, I think, who, in the words of the Savior, are always asking in fear and
trembling: "What shall we eat tomorrow? What shall we drink? How shall we clothe
ourselves?" And so they forever pile up and hoard, storing everything until death
overtakes them before they have done any good to others, and they leave their
possessions to the greed and contention of their relatives, who will either quickly use
them up or let lawyers and executors consume them in litigation. Do not imitate
them, my dear cooperators. To keep you from that, let me offer you two reflections.
Many people today deposit their money into a bank to earn interest, but, regardless
of rating, all banks run the risk of bankruptcy and many do fail.
432 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

How many families have been thus ruined! Again, no matter how sound a bank may
be, the interest it pays is no better than five or six percent. However, I know of a bank
with endless assets which can never possibly go bankrupt and which pays not a mere
five, ten, thirty, or fifty percent, but one hundred! Who is this all-powerful banker?
God, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, who promises to pay now, in this life, one
hundred percent to those who give of their substance for His greater glory to benefit
His poor! Those who leave what they own for His sake shall receive "a hundredfold
in this age," Jesus Christ assures us in the Gospel, "and in the age to come life
eternal." [Mk. 10, 30] That hundredfold they shall receive is the blessings which God
will shower upon them, upon their possessions, upon their business dealings: a
hundredfold in peace of mind, in family harmony, in spiritual graces in life and in
death. Nor is this all, for in the life to come Our Lord has stored an everlasting
reward: "and in the age to cone life everlasting." Let us rekindle our faith, my worthy
friends, and let us strive to earn such a bounty for ourselves.
My second reflection is this. Some people consider almsgiving a counsel, not a
command, and so they believe that they are doing enough for their salvation if they
do not turn their wealth to evil. This is a fatal blunder, one which blocks many a good
deed in the world and which drags countless souls to eternal damnation, much as it
did Dives. Our Lord Jesus Christ declared that it is easier for a camel to pass through
the eye of a needle than for a rich man to be saved, if he puts his heart where his
riches are and pays no heed to the poor. He may not be sinning against justice, but he
will be sinning against charity. And what difference does it make to go to hell for a
crime against justice or for a sin against charity? Holy Scripture makes it clear
enough that when we are asked to help the poor, it is not a counsel but a command.
The poor shall not be wanting in the land of your dwelling, God says in the old law,
"and therefore I command you to open your hand to your poor and needy kinsman."
[Deut. 15, 11] When speaking of alms, Our Divine Savior used the imperative,
saying: "What is left over, give as alms." [Lk. 11, 41] To leave no doubt in this
regard, He declared that at judgment day He shall welcome into His eternal Kingdom
those who were charitable in deed here on earth and shall cast into hell those who
were not. [Mt. 25, 34-46] On another occasion He said: "Not the one who says
Domine, Domine, Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but the one who
does the will of My Father" [Mt. 7, 21], who is not satisfied with words, but desires
good deeds. [Mt. 7, 21] Then the apostle St. James wrote that even faith itself is of no
avail to salvation unless accompanied by good works. Faith without works, he said, is
useless. [Jas. 2, 20]
Cooperators at San Benign and Borg() San Martino 433

I have spoken more at length on this topic, not because I believe you have been lax
in this regard, but that you may know what to say when you have to dispel prejudice
from the minds of others. I am daily aware of how much the Salesian cooperators are
doing and how they not only practice charity but also urge others to do so. I trust that
they will continue showing that they are true disciples of St. Francis de Sales, who
became all things to all people in order to win all to God. "Give me souls and take all
the rest," he often used to say. You have heard and every month you can read fin the
Bolleuino Salesiano] how your alms are used. The hope, indeed the certainty, that
you are helping so many poor boys, safeguarding them from worldly dangers and
bringing them up for God, the Church, and heaven, should be a great comfort to you
and lighten every sacrifice you make. Let's take heart, then, and follow the advice
Our Divine Savior has left us: "Make friends for yourselves through your use of this
world's goods, so that when they fail you, a lasting reception will be yours." [Lk. 16,
9] These friends of ours will be all the souls whom our efforts have saved, and also
the guardian angels of those souls along with the saints to whom we have brought
companions in heaven. Above all, our friend will be Jesus Christ who assures us that
He considers as done to Himself any good deed we do to benefit the humblest of His
disciples: "Amen I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of My
brethren, you did it for Me." [Mt. 24, 40]

Before leaving the stand, Don Bosco, who professed and instilled that
reverence to bishops which is today traditional in our houses, humbly
requested Bishop Ferre to address a few words to the gathering. A master
speaker, the bishop warmly dwelt on society's needs and on the works which
Divine Providence had entrusted to Don Bosco's sons, recommending the
Salesian Congregation to the industrious love of his listeners. That evening
the boarders staged a Latin play Phastnatonices, 2 mentioned in Volume
XII. It was the same drama which had recently been performed at the
Valsalice
College and in 1882 would be staged at Randazzo, the first Sale sian
boarding school in Sicily. The tradition of Latin plays lived on in Salesian
houses until a few years after Don Bosco's death.

2
See VoL XII, p. 230. [Editor]
 CHAPTER 22

Precious Documents about the

Spiritual Life

CHASTITY, poverty and good confessions were three favorite

topics which Don Bosco frequently stressed in speaking to his boys
personally or through their superiors. In 1880 we encounter these topics in
two incidents, three practical norms, a warning and a dream.
A former Salesian pupil gave Bishop [James] Costamagna blanket
permission to tell Don Bosco's first biographer the incident we are about to
narrate on condition that he remain anonymous.' An Oratory boy habitually
sinned grievously against purity, particularly during the summer vacations.
On returning to the Oratory in the fall of 1880—his soul laden down with
sin—he hurried to go to confession to Don Bosco who did something that,
as far as we know, he never did to anyone else. He listened to the
confession and then, pressing the boy's face strongly to his own, told him,
"I don't want you to commit sins of this kind ever again for the rest of your
life!" We might say that at that moment all his love for purity was profusely
poured into the young sinner's soul. In 1899, the latter—then a religious—
stated that he was ready to reveal under oath the marvelous change wrought
in him by what the bishop calls "that extraordinary, most exceptional
embrace of Don Bosco." At that instant the boy felt his sinful attachment
being uprooted from his heart, so that when again home on vacation and,
later in the military service, he never slipped into his old habit, regardless
of the number of temptations.
Acutely sensitive to Salesian poverty, Don Bosco reacted forcefully not
only against infractions but also against anything else which he saw even as a
remote threat to its perfect observance.

1 Letter to Father Lemoyne, Santiago, Chile, February 22, 1899. [Author]

Precious Documents about the Spiritual Life 435

During the second winter at San Benign, one of the superiors insisted that
every cleric be given a new overcoat and that curtains be purchased for the
windows of private rooms. Caught between this confrere's relentlessness and
the house's tight finances, the prefect, Father [Louis] Nai, 2 not knowing
where to turn, took advantage of Don Bosco's visit to the house to seek his
advice. Saddened greatly by the request, Don Bosco replied, "This evening
I'll talk to the confreres." When all gathered in the library, he spoke very
strongly and pointedly on poverty in clothing and room furnishings. The
superior felt that Don Bosco was being too strict, and so, when Don Bosco
asked the confreres to speak up at the end of his talk, the superior stated that
he felt decorum was compatible with poverty. With firm kindness Don
Bosco replied, "The decorum of a religious lies in his poverty."
Philip Rinaldi—then a young cleric—was present. In December 1930,
speaking to the Oratory confreres at the monthly Exercise for a Happy Death,
he recalled the episode, remarking that, as he listened to Don Bosco, the
thought came to him that not even the Capuchins and the Franciscans were as
severe in their poverty as Don Bosco demanded that his Salesians be. Father
Rinaldi also commented that Don Bosco thus expressed his views on poverty
just when he was equipping his printshops with machinery as up to date as in
the best of Turin's shops and was also building an imposing boarding school
adjoining the Church of St. John the Evangelist. The coincidence prompted
Father Rinaldi to make a critical distinction: "We are not to lump together the
interior, personal poverty of the Salesians with the requirements of the
Salesian mission which calls for Don Bosco to be always in the forefront of
progress," as he himself had said when speaking with the future Pope Pius
XI.3
In a meeting of the superior chapter, Don Bosco presented and solved three
important cases of admission to the novitiate and vows. The first concerned a
young man's application for the novitiate. He had had a sad, long history of
moral falls up to the

2
See Appendix 1. [Editor]
3
Memorie Biografiche di San Giovanni Bosco, Vol. XVI, p. 323: "In queste cose Don Bosco vuole
essere sempre all'avanguardia del progresso." (In these matters Don Bosco wants to be always in the
forefront of prowess.) [Editor]
436 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

time of his spiritual retreat, but was then firmly determined to turn over a
new leaf. "He should be given a chance," Don Bosco declared. The second
case was that of another young man requesting admission to vows. His
conduct had been good, but before his religious profession he visited his
family and, while at home, abyssus abysseum invocat [deep calls unto
deep], fell miserably into immorality. On hearing the chapter's opinion
(unknown to us), Don Bosco said: "I see no chance whatever! I always
say to the young men who mess up their lives morally to the very end, 'Do
not become a cleric!' They manage to keep themselves under control
during the novitiate, but soon their suppressed desires flare up anew. We
must all agree on greater strictness because incentives to evil daily keep
increasing and we learn of moral lapses that are truly frightening."
This remark of Don Bosco obviously applied also to admission to the
novitiate, but he was not really contradicting himself. The words "mess up
their lives morally" must be understood in the same sense as the biblical
phrase "Deep calls unto deep" [Ps. 41, 8], which alludes not just to
personal frailty, but to rejection of morality. In fact, when speaking of the
second case, he had also said, "How can such a person return later to his
home town to preach?" It was his opinion that anyone who had given
moral scandal "to the very end" was to be barred not only from religious
profession, but also from donning the clerical habit.
The third case dealt with a man who, after a licentious youth, had turned
over a new leaf and, having gone through a year of good moral conduct, asked
to enter the novitiate and become a priest. Don Bosco would not even advise a
man of this kind to undergo a trial period at all, especially if homosexuality
had played a part in his past. "Let all of you help me to keep such people
always out of our Congregation."
He also issued a warning on November 14 during a session of the superior
chapter concerning the regulations drafted by the second general chapter. "I
now see that we must safeguard the Congregation from spiritual coldness and
decay by promoting the spirit of piety and religious community life. I want to
wipe out this craze for sea bathing when not prescribed by a doctor. There are
some who contravene their superiors' orders in this. The moral danger is even
greater for our young clerics. It will be extremely difficult to
Precious Documents about the Spiritual Lffe 437

prevent boys who live on the coast from bathing, but as regards our pupils it
is well worth stressing our rules on morals. Let this matter be carefully
examined. We know of boarding schools being closed down and of faculty
members being jailed. People here in Italy are not so evil-minded as to
entertain doubts about us. We blindly took over La Navarre and Saint-Cyr,
but, before our coming, some terrible things had occurred there. At the
beginning of the year I will send all the directors a letter dealing with the
chief safeguards of morality. Let us very conscientiously see to it that priests,
clerics and coadjutors make the Exercise for a Happy Death. Keep an eye on
everyone, and let all rise promptly each morning and be present at
meditation. Good morals are at all times, but most particularly now, a matter
of life and death for us. God help us if the public were ever to hear of
scandals among us. Even at the cost of sacrificing our lives, let us always
victoriously uphold morality."
During the night between August 8 and 9 Don Bosco had a dream
concerning the young men who were the hopes of the Congregation; he
narrated it on the evening of August 10 at the novices' spiritual retreat.
We have two versions of this dream: one hurriedly recorded by Father
Barberis and a second which is clearly a clumsy translation from the
French. That year there were several French novices at San Benign. We
shall combine the second with the first. The dream might well be
entitled "A Mysterious Banquet" Don Bosco spoke more or less as
follows:

First remember that dreams come in sleep. I dreamt that I was here at San
Benigno (which is strange, because we usually dream of being elsewhere in
different circumstances). I was in a large hall, somewhat bigger than our
dining room.
It was brightly lighted and I thought, Can this be Father Barberis' doing?
Where could he have dug up all the money?
Many boys were sitting at the several tables, but nobody was eating. When
I walked in with another man they all picked up their bread as though about
to eat.
The hall was very beautifully lit up, but no one could tell where the light came
from. The silverware, tablecloths and napkins were so dazzlingly white that by
comparison even our cleanest linen would seem dirty. Everything shone so brightly
and beautifully that I was sure I must be dreaming, and I thought, This is certainly a
dream! Never could we afford such luxury at San Benigno! Yet here I am and I am
not asleep.
438 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Meanwhile I looked up and noted that the boys were not eating. "What's wrong?
Why aren't they eating?" I asked. At this they all began to eat.
Among the boys I could identify many from our schools and some who are now
here on retreat. Puzzled, I asked my companion what it all meant. "Give me your
attention," he replied, "and you will know."
As I was speaking, the light became ever more intense. I was trying to yrnderstand
this when a throng of very handsome looking boys, bright as angels, suddenly
appeared from nowhere holding lilies and borne along above the tables. At this sight,
the other lads immediately rose to their feet and stood watching with joy. The
angelic-featured youngsters were now handing out lilies, and those who received
them were likewise borne aloft. I recognized the boys who had lilies; they were so
comely and resplendent that I could not imagine anything lovelier in heaven. I asked
what the lilies symbolized and was told: "Haven't you many times extolled the
beautiful virtue of purity?"
"Yes," I said. "I have, and I also earnestly tried to instill it into my boys' hearts."
"Well, then, the lads holding a lily are those who were able to preserve it," my
companion explained.
I was truly bewildered. While I stood speechless another throng of boys appeared,
this time holding roses; they too were being borne along above the tables and were
handing out roses. When a boy received one, his face immediately beamed with
splendor.
I again asked my companion the meaning of this. "They are the boys who are
aflame with God's love," he answered. I then noticed that their foreheads all bore
their names in gold letters. No sooner did I move forward to see and record their
names than they all instantly disappeared_ The light too went out and I was left in
semi-darkness.
I then noticed that the lads who had received neither lily nor rose had features as
scarlet as fire. I also saw others who were trying to pull themselves up a slimy rope
hooked to the ceiling, but all in vain, for the rope always sagged and they kept sliding
down to the floor in a heap of mud.
Dumbfounded to see anything like this in the dining hall, I insisted that I be told
what it meant. "The rope is a symbol of confession. Those who can grip it firmly will
certainly reach heaven. These boys still keep going to confession and use this rope to
lift themselves up, but they receive the sacrament without the necessary dispositions;
their sorrow and resolve are feeble. Consequently they cannot pull themselves up; the
rope keeps sagging as they try to lift themselves up; they keep sliding clown and are
always at ground lever."
Precious Documents about the Spiritual Life 439

I wanted to take down the names of these boys also, but hardly had I written two or
three names when all vanished. Even the dim light disappeared, and I was left in total
darkness.
In the midst of that darkness, however, I could make out an even more heart-
rending sight. Some dejected-looking boys had hideous serpents
coiled about their necks, the snake's tail resting on the boy's heart, the head facing
each wretched lad's mouth as though ready to sting his tongue should he ever open
his lips. These boys' features were terrifyingly hideous, their eyes wild, their mouths
contorted, and their stance menacing.
All atremble, I again asked what this meant. "Can't you see?" I was told. "The
ancient serpent is doubly coiled around these wretches' throats
to keep them from confessing their sins, and poisoned fangs are ready to sting them
should they open their lips. Poor boys! Could they only speak, they would make a
good confession and the devil would no longer have sway over them. But they clam
up with shame. They repeatedly go to confession and never dare to rid their hearts of
poison."
Then I said to my companion, "Tell me their names so that I can remember them."
"Yes, write them down," he answered.
"But there is no time," I objected.
"Go on, write."
I managed to jot down only a few names because all the boys vanished. My
companion then said, "Go tell your boys to be on guard. Explain what you have
seen."
"Give me a sign," I asked, "to make me know clearly whether this is a
dream or an actual warning that the Lord is giving my boys." "All right," he
answered. "Just watch."
A brilliant light again flooded the hall, and once more I saw the boys with lilies
and roses. The light kept increasing in its intensity and I could
see the happiness of those boys, as a heavenly joy irradiated their faces.
I looked with indescribable surprise as the light kept intensifying until it burst into
an awesome roar of sound. It jolted me out of my sleep, and I became so exhausted
that even now I still feel I have no strength.
Make what you wish of this dream. As for me, I find something believable in it.
Yesterday evening and today I did some testing which confirmed that my dream was
not merely a dream. Only God's extraordinary mercy can save some miserable
wretches.

At this point we would like to add two wholesome admonitions which

Don Bosco gave to priests to win them away from empty worldly vanity and
from a certain unpleasant obstinacy in doing
440 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

things their own way. His cautions were unusually effective, couched as they
skillfully were in witticisms.
One day in 1880 he and others were dinner guests at the villa of a certain
gentleman at Moncalieri. To honor their host, most of the guests—
including several priests—were wearing their knightly decorations. As the
conversation warmed up, Don Bosco remarked, "How fine a figure I am
cutting without decorations! I am neither commendatore, knight nor
professor. I am not even certified to teach the first grade. When I show up
at St. Peter's pearly gates he will ask me, 'What is this? Was it worth your
while to live so long and never earn a single diploma or decoration? Out
with you!' "
They all laughed. When the guests were again quiet, the lady of the house
remarked, "You have nothing because you never wanted to accept anything."
"Did you say I never wanted to accept anything?" he retaliated. "Just try to
give me a few thousand lire for my poor boys and you will soon see whether
or not I accept things!"
Embarrassed by this unexpected rejoinder, the woman tried to talk herself
out of her predicament, but to no avail. Adroitly Don Bosco went to her
rescue and gracefully steered the conversation to other topics.
His words were that time directed to the priests' vanity. A second
admonition, also given at a dinner, occurred elsewhere. In November Don
Bosco went to San Martino Tanaro to preach on All Souls Day. The parish
priest had the reputation of being very stubborn and opinionated. He had
invested twelve thousand lire in founding a small religious congregation of
women and was demanding a one thousand lire dowry from every postulant.
He made sure that such a sum would come to him through insurance, if it was
not paid immediately upon admission. One day he invited several priests to
dinner, and a fine turkey was being served. Don Bosco selected the head for
himself and, striking it with his knife, repeatedly remarked, "What a hard
head! What a hard head!" The parish priest again handed him the platter to
help himself to something more appetizing. "No," he replied, "let me deal
with this thing here." Again and again he knocked on the turkey's head with
the knife, repeating, "What a hard head!" At last he managed
Precious Documents about the Spiritual Lffe 441

to crack it. "Who would have thought that such a hard head had such a tiny
brain?" he exclaimed. Those closer to him heard and understood his reference.
But the pastor apparently paid no heed. In 1890, when the priest died, it
became evident that indeed he had stood in need of the lesson, for his last will
and testament was so injudicious that the municipal authorities, though
acknowledging his merits, could not find the courage to set up a suggested
commemorative tablet to his memory.
 CHAPTER 23

Looking Through Don Bosco's Letters

T HE published letters of Don Bosco are far fewer than those

which either were destroyed or just were lost.1 Generally the handwriting
shows that they were scribbled hurriedly, but their genuine spontaneity is
delightful. They breathe forth that same self-control and unshakable calm
which were so evident in his daily life. Merely running through a few of
them puts the reader in a peaceful frame of mind. The spirit of God which
lives in His saints guides their pens as much as their thoughts.
We open our little series in this chapter with three fatherly letters.

1. THREE FATHERLY LETTERS

The first, addressed to Father Monateri, director at Varazze, shows that
Father Monateri was anxiously awaiting an answer. The style betrays Don
Bosco's haste.
Turin, June 8, 1880
Dear Father Monateri:
One can answer only as soon as he can, and so be patient. To start off:
1. As of now I cannot give our dear friend, the designated parish priest at
Varazze, another priest. The only help he can expect must come from the priests at
our school, and they will certainly do all they can.
2. Ask the upperclassman Fassio kindly to send me another letter because,
though I received his first, I just can't find it anywhere in my pile of mail.
3. I gladly bless and pray for young Cyril Corazzale and for his ailing three-
year-old brother.
4. God grant you health, knowledge and holiness, so that you may

'The four-volume Epistolario di San Giovanni Bosco compiled by Fr. Eugenio Celia and published
between 1955 and 1959 by the Society Editrice Intemazionale, Turin, contains 2,845 letters dating
from 1835 to 1888. [Editor]
Looking Through Don Bosco's Letters 443

direct your young charges in such a way as to turn each of them into a St.
Aloysius and a dauntless Salesian.
God bless you, ever dear Father Monateri, and all our beloved confreres and
pupils. Pray for me too.
Yours affectionately in Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

Two other letters were addressed to [Father Tamietti], the director of the
Manfredini School at Este. The first was a reply to the good wishes he
received on his name day. The letter includes a list of things to be done in the
Church of St. John the Evangelist, in the hope that the director would find
somebody willing to shoulder the expense.

Turin, July 9, 1880

Dear Father Tamietti:
I received your good wishes and the greetings of all the confreres and boys. I was
very pleased and heartily thank all of you. I am enclosing a list
[of things to be done]. Try to find people willing to foot at least part of the
expense.
Remember me particularly to our friends, confreres and pupils. God bless you
all. Pray for me.
Always yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. If Father Gallo is still alive, 2 give him my warm regards.

Don Bosco was looking forward to the summer spiritual retreats when he
could see his Salesians again; they, in turn, were just as eagerly waiting for
the pleasure of going to confession to him and conferring with him.

Turin, August 25, 1880

Dear Father Tamietti:
See that Berra3 does not make a mistake. Tell him to come,to the retreat where
we can discuss the situation and do what is best for him.

2A joking allusion to the fact that he had not written for quite a time. [Editor] 3Eligio Berra,
a cleric. [Editor]
444 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

I am enclosing a letter for Chevalier Peli.4 Goodbye and God bless you all.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. Your sister, the nun at Nizza Monferrato, sends her regards and asks about
you. She is well and is doing much good.

Another batch of six letters tells us about some of Don Bosco's activities.

2. THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST

Turin's Church of St. John the Evangelist was now a landmark in Corso
Vittorio Emanuele II, but it needed much interior work. To show how Don
Bosco left no stone unturned to raise the needed funds, we managed to put
together this small batch of documents. They reveal the frank simplicity of
the saints in soliciting financial support for their undertakings from the
wealthy. For instance, he wrote 5 to Baron [Joseph] Ceriana, who had laid
the cornerstone, 6 reminding him of a half-promise made in 1878. The baron
did not turn a deaf ear to the invitation.

[No date]
My dear Baron Ceriana,
Last year I presumed to invite you to dedicate a memorial to your family, as you
had officially laid the cornerstone of the Church of St. John the Evangelist. You
gave me some hope then that your choice would be the magnificent main altar,
which is actually a double altar, and the altar rail enclosing the sanctuary. The cost
has now appreciably come down because those competing for prestige in this kind
of work have lowered their fees from fourteen thousand to eight thousand lire—five
thousand for the double altar and three thousand for the altar rail.
Should your generosity prompt you to sponsor one or both of these

4A benefactor of the school at Este. See p. 74. [Editor]

5Don Bosco's letter is undated, but it certainly belongs to 1880 since it is connected with the work
yet to be done in the interior of the church. [Author]
See Vol. XIII, p. 463. [Editor]
5
Looking Through Don Bosco's Letters 445

memorials, I would be most grateful to you and will pray with all my heart that
God will bless you and your family.
A decision on this matter is needed now, though its implementation and
payment would not come due until early 1881.
God bless you and keep you in good health.
Most gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

A printed list of memorials and their relative cost had been drawn up by
Don Bosco and prefaced with the following presentation:

The work to be done in the Church of St. John the Evangelist and its cost are
humbly brought to the attention of charitable Catholics, especially Salesian
cooperators, as a tribute to the late great Pontiff, Pope Pius IX.

Don Bosco personally included this list with a covering letter to a few persons,
such as Attorney Charles Comaschi7 in Milan, whose veneration for Don Bosco
our readers well know.

Turin, June 27, 1880

Dear Mr. Comaschi,
The apostle of love and beloved disciple of Our Divine Savior is looking for
someone to help build the church being constructed to promote God's glory. In his
name I commend to your charity one or more of the memorials on the enclosed list.
From heaven St. John the Evangelist will not fail to protect you and your family,
while I and my dear boys will offer up special prayers every day to the Giver of all
good, that you, your wife and your son Alphonsus may enjoy good health and His
holy grace.
As always, with great pleasure,
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

This kindly gentleman obliged and Don Bosco warmly thanked him in the
following note.

'The Comaschi house always stood open, not only to Don Bosco but to every Salesian who
happened to be passing through the Lombard capital. [Author]
446 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Turin, July 17, 1880

Dear Chevalier,
Everything is going well. Thank you for your generous donation to the
Church of St. John the Evangelist.
When you come to Turin, please be our guest. Just send us a simple note in
advance lest I again have to regret being away on that day. I shall
also be delighted to see Alphonsus.
My dear Attorney, God bless you and your whole family.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

Our readers may recall Alphonsus Fortis, who was on the verge of decisively
following the example of Count Cays8 and whose father had died in the month
of April. Don Bosco asked him also to share the expense of these memorials.
Turin, June 29, 1880
My dear Alphonsus,
I trust that your complete rest at Carbia has considerably improved your health,
and that Richard and Mamma are well, as I continually pray.
Please let me know how you are doing.
The Church of St. John the Evangelist has run into a few snags because of lack of
funds, and I would wish that your family might particularly help us by sponsoring
one of the memorials on the enclosed list. If you wish, I would gladly have "The
Fortis Family" or any other words inscribed on it. Talk it over with Mamma and
Richard, and if you like my suggestion, please let me know. If not, please overlook
this inconvenience.
God bless you, my ever beloved Alphonsus, and your entire family.
May He grant to all of you a long and healthy life. Pray for me.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

While Don Bosco was at San Benign in August, he sent the

memorial list with a personal note to two persons in the area. One
was a certain Mr. Cena, probably a Salesian cooperator in Montanaro,
a town near San Benign.

8See Vol. KEIL p. 175. [Editor]

Looking Through Don Bosco's Letters 447

San Benign, August 13, 1880

Dear Mr. Cena,
I have no time to visit and pay my respects to you personally, but I would not
wish to leave without telling you how deeply saddened I was over your recent
accident. I assure you that I have prayed and will continue to pray that God will
restore you to your former full health.
I take this opportunity to suggest a deed of charity which God will most certainly
reward. Please consider the possibility of sponsoring one or more of the interior
projects which still have to be done in the Church of St. John the Evangelist, as
they are listed in the enclosed brochure.
You are a generous Salesian cooperator, deserving of our thanks. God bless
you and grant you the precious gift of health and His holy grace. Pardon my
boldness and please pray for me.
Most gratefully yours, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. My humble respects to your devout wife and best wishes for her good
health and for God's blessings.
•
•
For the same purpose he wrote that day to Mrs. Merlini of Volpiano, another
nearby town.

San Benign°, August 13, 1880

Dear Mrs. Merlini,
Yesterday evening you came to see me while I was hearing confessions. I am
sorry I missed you because I wanted to speak to you about a plan which will
further God's glory.
I know how involved you are in many deeds of charity, and therefore I ask you to
help us complete work still to be done in the Church of St. John the Evangelist. The
enclosed list tells you what it is. Should you be unable to help out, please be assured
that you shall always be in my prayers.
God bless you and keep you in His holy grace. Pray for me.
Always yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

Following are a few newsy letters which have no appropriate place

elsewhere.
448 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

3. VARIOUS LETTERS

The first is addressed to Father Eugene Bianchi, who had decided to join
the Salesians four years after ordination while he was assistant pastor at
Verucchio, historic stronghold of the Malatesta family, in the Rimini
diocese. He must not have considered this letter the final word on his
vocation, for he himself told us that in September of that year he took
advantage of reduced train fares to tour several important cities in Italy. The
decisive factor was actually the talk he had with Don Bosco when he passed
through Turin. He had no sooner spoken with him than he broke off his
planned trip and went directly to Lanzo for the spiritual retreat, at the end of
which he decisively resolved to remain with Don Bosco. After a brief return
to his family, he entered the novitiate at San Benign() in October.
[No dater
Beloved in Our Lord Jesus Christ,
It is always my joy to add another brave warrior to the lowly ranks of the
Salesians. Please come—but, as you say, at least for a few weeks. You might this
time make a spiritual retreat at Lanzo from September 9 to 16. If the dates are
inconvenient, let me know and I shall arrange for a retreat at some other time
during which we can discuss what will redound to God's greater glory.
I look forward with great pleasure to seeing you. Please pray for me.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. Settle all your affairs before leaving Rimini so that you may be free to
absent yourself for whatever time you need.
After being Father Barberis' right-hand man in the care and formation
of the novices, Father Bianchi was appointed director and novice master
by Don Bosco himself when the clerical novitiate was relocated in
Foglizzo. Eleven years later his health required that he be assigned to
less strenuous work. In 1912 he went to our agricultural school at Beit
Gemal in Israel, where he

9According to the Epistolario di San Giovanni Bosco, Vol. III, p. 622, Letter 2089, Don
Bosco most probably wrote this letter in August 1880. [Editor]
 Looking Through Don Bosco's Letters 449

worked intensely for nineteen years, first as director and then as confessor
until his death in 1931. A Salesian at heart before joining the
Congregation, he put himself unreservedly into the hands of Don Bosco
and of his worthy representative, Father Barberis. Athletic in build, he was
a warm friend and a saintly loving father, one of those who, on joining
Don Bosco as older men, proved by their actions that Don Bosco's spirit
can be in its simplicity a guide to holiness for all who docilely accept it in
trust.
The next letter is to the cleric Louis Cartier, who was home at Saint-Jean
de Maurienne (Savoy) in September 1880. Knowing
that he had received only minor orders, Bishop Rosset, the local ordinary,
was surprised that he had not been asked to give
dimissorial letters for the cleric's ordination, but he did not know that all
canonical prescriptions had been duly followed. Once Don Bosco sent him
an explanation, he had no objection.
Turin, September 17, 1880
My dear Cartier,
Be at ease with your ordination and your ordinary bishop. Our Congregation
has definitive approval [of the Holy Seel and we may present candidates for
holy orders without dim issorials of the bishop of their birthplace or of those
who had any other canonical jurisdiction. Enjoy your vacation, but don't forget
that you must be a Salesian wherever you are, that is to say, you are to be "salt
of the earth" in your words and "light of the world" in your deeds. Give my
regards to your parents and to your parish priest. Pray for me.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco
P.S. Remember to get back in time after your vacation.

Marquis [Alphonse] Landi of Piacenza, to whom the third letter is

addressed, was keeping a considerable amount of money for Don Bosco,
meaning to deliver it to him personally as 800n as he went to Turin. He had
gone there in September, but Don Bosco had been away, either at Lanzo for
the general chapter or, possibly, at
Sampierdarena for the Salesians' spiritual retreat. The letter, undated, was
most likely written in October.1°

l°The original is kept by the noble Nasalli-Rocca family of Piacenza. [Author]

450 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

[No date]
Dearest Marquis,
You were so kind as to come all the way to Valdocco to bring me money,
and yet no one said a word to me. Had I known, I would have dropped
everything and hurried to pay you my respects indeed so well deserved.
I could wait for a second visit late in the fall, but since the money is ready
and we badly need it, I accept your suggestion. You may send the money by
registered mail to this address, and it will be promptly forwarded to me at
Lanzo, where I shall be staying until October 16.
You ask me to pray for you and your family. I shall do so most willingly, my
dear marquis, and I assure you that over the years I have made a special memento
every morning for you and your whole family. I am confident that you too will pray
for me and my whole army of some sixty thousand fearless warriors, who can
demolish tons of bread.
God bless us all! May He strengthen us in His holy service with a saintly
life and a holy death.
Yours most gratefully, Fr. John
Bosco

We have room here for a letter which Don Bosco had his secretary write
to Chevalier Charles Fava, although he signed it. Along with the letter he
sent a gracious gift for the chevalier's name
day.
Turin, November 3, 1880

To the generous-hearted Chevalier Charles Fava on his name day:

Long live St. Charles and all who bear his name!
Tomorrow morning I shall duly celebrate Holy Mass for you and your whole
family, and our boys will offer prayers and receive Holy Communion at the
Altar of Mary, Help of Christians, praying that health, peace and harmony will
reign forever in your household.
You are probably receiving a host of letters which you cannot promptly
acknowledge. Hence, please accept the letter file as a fitting place to keep them.
Again, hurrah for St. Charles and those who bear his name!
Gratefully yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco
Looking Through Don Bosco's Letters 451

The generous gentleman re - echoed the letter in reply:

Long live Don Bosco and his host of friends! I hope that I can rightfully boast of
being one, considering your most gracious gesture in sending me such a cherished
gift for my name day. I shall treasure this lovely letter file as a cherished token of
your kindness to me and feel great joy at expressing my cordial thanks. My wife
joins me in these sentiments and in thanking you for your efficacious prayers for
our family. Please continue to remember us in your Holy Masses, and accept our
respectful regards.

Remarkably, Don Bosco's most distinguished benefactors to whom he

incessantly appealed directly or indirectly did not feel annoyed; on the
contrary, they gave him ever more frequent proofs of their devotedness to
him. It most certainly stemmed from their firm belief that they were dealing
with a great servant of God.
The Oratory's financial situation was grave indeed. We are touched by
Don Bosco's circular to the Salesian directors, appealing for solidarity with
the motherhouse in its serious straits. The means he suggested could not
have been simpler or easier, and the season was most opportune—
Christmas.
Oratory, Turin, December 21, 1880
My dear Father Director,
When a mother is in sore need, she turns trustingly to her children for help.
Our poor motherhouse is in just such a situation. Our expenses in Turin and at
Bordighera, La Spezia, Rome and elsewhere, the forthcoming missionary
expedition which is now being readied, and the need to subsidize new houses
(among others, the novitiate at San Benign) have all reduced this poor
motherhouse of ours to a very sad state of affairs, and we are forced to call upon
the enterprising generosity of all our directors to rush to our aid in any of the
following ways:
(1) by delaying for several months all outlays of money and undertakings
not strictly essential;
(2) by diligently collecting all accounts receivable and minor debts owed
us;
(3) by humbly and warmly asking our cooperators and benefactors to help
us, either with personal donations or by doing some fund-raising. Please send
all available money as soon as possible.
Meanwhile let us ask Our Lord, who is so generous with all, to be generous
with us too. I ask that all priests make a special memento at
452 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Mass and that all confreres and pupils frequently offer Holy Communion
to this end.
God bless us and keep us in His holy grace.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

Don Bosco had recently sent Father Emmanuel Casari as prefect to Father
Bologna, director in Marseille, in answer to his request for more personnel, and
had promised to consider other needs in a forthcoming visit. Meanwhile,
wishing to be ready for a meeting of the Marseille cooperators, he asked the
director to send him varied
information.

Turin, December 23, 1880

Dear Father Bologna,
I received your letters and those of Lassepas" and the other dear boys of St.
Leo's Festive Oratory. Thank them for me and give them my regards. I shall have
a personal answer for each of them when I come.
I would guess that Casari is at his post by now. Be patient till I come,
and then we shall straighten things out.
Our missionaries for South America will sail from Genoa on January 22. After
that I shall leave for Marseille, but I'll let you know when to expect me: probably
sometime in the first few days of February.
I need a report on the state of St. Pierre's Hospice. Let me know:
(1) what work has been completed and the use to which it has been put;
(2) the number of resident and day students and their school records;
(3) the work that must be done in the right wing of the house and its
approximate cost;
(4) the number of accounts due and accounts receivable, the committee's
accomplishments, the funds received, their activities—in short, anything which I
can use for a thorough briefing of our cooperators in a conference which I plan to
give several days after my arrival. Make
out your report in French, as this will be all the easier for me. When you have
the opportunity, give my regards to Madame Jacques,
Madame Prat, Madame Broquier, etc.
God bless you, dear Father Bologna, and may He also bless our dear Salesians
and boys, for whom I pray that God will grant good health and
perseverance in His love.

Lassepas, a young cleric. [Editor]

 Looking Through Don Bosco's Letters 453

Ask everyone to receive Holy Communion for my intention.

Always yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. Is TauTaiga feeling well? Has he begun to work miracles?

This laconic postscript is meaningful when we realize that this confrere was
causing considerable trouble in the house, and Don Bosco was well aware of it.
The following note offers Father Dominic Griglia, provost at Bagnasco in the
diocese of Mondovi, some good advice.

Turin, December 30, 1880

Dear Father,
I understand your position perfectly. If you want to be at peace now and
always, abide fully by the directives of your ecclesiastical superior. Should he
advise you to continue in your present ministry, do so.
I shall not fail to pray for you to God. Please pray for me.
Always yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. I will remember to pray for your mother.

Being a model of discretion in his writing, for there was the ever-present risk
of his letters falling into strangers' hands, Don Bosco never committed to paper
anything which, if known to others not concerned, might jeopardize the
reputation of the persons of whom or to whom he was writing. This cautious
reticence is evident in this and in other letters even though he does not openly
state it, but, occasionally, he mentions it as, for instance, in the following letter
addressed to [a young man at] Varzo not far from Domodossola:12

Lanzo, September 7, 1880

My dear George Borello,
I cannot entrust my truthful answer to paper. However, recall to mind

'2A center of international highway and railway transit in northwest Italy near the end of the
Simplon Tunnel. [Editor]
454 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

what I told you verbally and you will find some norms to guide your
deliberations.
I advise you to open your heart to your confessor and do whatever he
may tell you.
God bless you, my dear Borello. Pray for me.
Always yours in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco
 CHAPTER 24

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

in Rome

LL founders of religious orders, both of men and of women,

always sought to set up their residence in Rome. A divine urge was driving
them by varied paths to the very heart of unity, authority and teaching, so as
to enable them, as it were, to draw from the spring of those limpid life-giving
waters which they themselves would spread around the world through many
diverse channels. Years before the Church approved his rule, Don Bosco also
cherished the prospect of opening a house in the papal city, but up to 1880 all
his attempts were in vain until, most astonishingly, his nurtured dream seemed
suddenly to break forth into reality. Undeniably it cost him seven years of
almost constant spiritual and physical suffering, but in the long run it won him
blessings from God and admiration from men. This chapter will recount the
circumstances which led to and accompanied the beginnings of the church and
hospice of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Castro Pretorio neighborhood.'
The urban plan designed by Bishop Francis de Merode, minister of Pius IX,
aimed at developing the city's outlying hills, particularly the Castro Pretorio
district. That his plan was well thought out with foresight is borne out by the
fact that, after September 20, 1870,2 Rome's expansion not only did not stop
but it accelerated, so that a whole new city seemed to grow up in the area.
However at that time the expansion provided for everything but the spiritual
needs of the ever growing population that poured into the district. The hard-
pressed Pope Pius IX, whose source of revenues was drained with the loss of
the Papal States, was the only

'This quarter of the city belonged to the ancient Esquiline district lying east of the Termini Station. It
was named after the fortified camp set up there by Emperor Tiberius for his Praetorian guard, Castrum
Praetorium. [Author]
2
Date of the seizure of Rome by Italy. [Editor]
456 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

one who kept coping with the spiritual needs of his city.
On December 8, 1870 he had proclaimed St. Joseph patron of
the universal Church and shortly afterward had purchased at his own
expense a piece of land on the Esquiline Hill, intending to
erect there a church dedicated to the beloved patriarch. But he soon
changed his mind when in 1871 the Italian bishops vied with one another in
solemnly consecrating their respective dioceses to the
adorable Heart of Jesus. In Rome this generated the idea that in the city of
Christ's Vicar a grand shrine be dedicated to His Divine Heart, from which,
as from an eternal hearth, a new fire of piety might spread from Rome to
the world. Father [Anthony] Maresca, a Barnabite, editor of the
Messaggero del Sacro Cuore [Messenger of the Sacred Heart of Jesus],
publicized the project. And so the saintly Pius IX decided that the land
should be used not for a church to St. Joseph but for a temple to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, rejoicing in the thought that from that highest point of the
Eternal City the adorable heart of the Redeemer would bless the whole
world as from a lofty throne.
Unfortunately, the project kept dragging on endlessly, so that while the
new district spread out in every direction, the neighboring parishes of St.
Mary of the Angels, St. Bernard, St. Mary Major and St. Lawrence Outside
the Walls proved inadequate for the pastoral care of so many people. That
saintly Franciscan, Father Ludovico da Casoria [Naples], helped by young
members of Catholic Action—outstanding among them Attorney Pericoli—
did his best to provide spiritual assistance in a small chapel not far from the
site of the planned church. Meantime death claimed the great Pius IX, and
nothing had yet been done to realize his project.
Leo Min's ascent to the papal throne signaled the actual beginning of the
enterprise. As bishop of Perugia he had been one of the first to consecrate his
diocese to the Sacred Heart, and so he immediately endorsed Pius IX's plans
and energetically moved to implement them. As early as August 1, 1878,
through his vicar, Cardinal Monaco La Valletta, he sent a letter to all the
bishops of the Catholic world (except those of France, who were already
committed to building the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Montmartre), asking
them to contribute to this grandiose undertaking through fund-raising drives in
their dioceses. The Plana Federation of Catholic Associations in Rome was
charged with the task of
 The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 457

collecting the funds, and a committee of Roman patricians under the

chairmanship of Marquis Julius Merighi was to supervise the construction of
the shrine.
The project moved rapidly once it got started. Work was begun to level a
hilly area which rose several yards above the street and blocked construction.
Then excavating for foundations was started. But here the workmen ran into
a big obstacle not uncommon in Rome's subsoil. They struck tall bricked
passageways and corridors, once part of ancient structures that had been built
for mining a sort of clay, then commonly used in Rome to replace sand in
mixing mortar. They were forced to go down some fifty feet to find solid
ground on which to rest the foundations. The cardinal blessed the first stone
which was lowered in place on August 17, 1879, feast of St. Joachim and
name day of the reigning Pontiff.
The plans of the church, in Bramante's style, had been drawn up by Count
Francis Vespignani, Vatican architect, but word from Belgium3 intervened to
cause a curious incident. The cardinal vicar's circular of 1878 to the bishops
had caught the attention of Baroness De Monier, who offered a hundred
thousand francs for the church, but on condition that the design of a Belgian
architect, Baron De Bethune, be followed. Furthermore, the good lady clearly
stated that she would not contribute a single cent to build any church in
Renaissance style: she wanted either a Gothic or a Romanesque church in
Rome. Cardinal [Victor] Dechamps, archbishop of Malines, agreed to contact
the cardinal vicar.
This condition, of course, created serious problems, especially since the
foundations, already under construction, followed Count Vespignani's
design. Nevertheless, the cardinal vicar asked Cardinal Dechamps to send
him the design he favored, informing him, however, that neither Gothic nor
Romanesque was acceptable in Rome. To this the archbishop of Malines
replied, on sending the drawing, "Rome, the heart of Catholicism, should
possess monuments of every important epoch in her history, and it is
certainly regrettable that alongside her Constantinian and classical
Renaissance basilicas there be nothing to remind us of the style of

3 We draw the details from a copy of a letter from the cardinal of Malines to the cardinal
vicar of Rome. Don Bosco was forwarded this copy by Father [Anthony] Maresca in 1880.
[Author]
458 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the cathedrals of Cologne, Amiens, York, Rheims, and Westminster, and so

many other marvelous churches of the Catholic world, not to speak of the
cathedral of Milan. I realize that this exclusiveness is a result of historical
events, but this is an opportunity to dispel it."
At any rate, the plans submitted by De Bethune were given careful
consideration.

Certainly—the cardinal vicar replied—if we had to put up a church in pure

Gothic style, the design you submitted would be excellent, but Roman taste in
churches runs to the classic structure. Furthermore, assuming that the design's
dimensions and style were to be carried out, the sum of one hundred thousand lire,
though handsome in itself, would not be adequate, according to our calculations.
In turn, Count Vespignani, distinguished exponent of Roman classical
architecture, added his own comment to the report sent to the cardinal vicar:
"In Rome, seat of the fine arts, the pure Gothic construction which traces its
origin to barbaric styles never won approval and is in fact being adopted
now only in erecting Protestant churches."
Father Maresca begged to differ, and so he advised the baroness to get
Cardinal Dechamps to bring the matter up to the Pope, but the cardinal
declined, feeling that he had nothing to add to what he had already written to
Rome. Hence, because of these specious reasons, the generous offer was
withdrawn. We are convinced that Don Bosco, to use a popular maxim, with
his ingeniousness would have found a way to have his cake and eat it, but at
this time he had as yet nothing to do with this project.
Certainly very few people were as gifted as Don Bosco in raising funds
to finance so many and such grand beneficial projects. Take this Roman
venture, for example. It foundered and ground to a standstill after the initial
thrust, even though it had been launched by the highest authority and was
under the sponsorship of powerful, aristocratic families. Lack of funds
forced the suspension of all work no sooner than construction had reached
ground level. The Pope, already overburdened with the monumental task of
building the apse of the Church of St. John Lateran and the grand hospital of
St. Martha in the Vatican, felt keenly disappointed and could not endure that
kind of failure. Soon, however, Divine Providence came to his rescue. The
information we pass on here was supplied a
 The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 459

few years later by Cardinal [Cajetan] Alimonda.4 One day, speaking in

consultation with the cardinals, Leo XIII voiced his deep grief over the
enforced suspension of this work. It hindered God's glory, he said, it hurt
the Holy See's honor, and it imperiled the spiritual welfare of a huge
multitude.
"Holy Father, I have a suggestion that will guarantee the success of this
project," Cardinal Alimonda said.
"What is it?" asked the Pope with some surprise.
"Entrust it to Don Bosco."
"Would Don Bosco accept?"
"Your Holiness, I know Don Bosco and his total, boundless devotion to
the Pope. Let Your Holiness suggest it, and I am convinced he will
accept."
Since this conversation took place in March 1880, at the very time that
Don Bosco was in Rome, Leo XIII asked his cardinal vicar to take the
matter up with him. The cardinal approached Don Bosco about it on the
evening of March 24, without, however, mentioning that it was the Pope's
wish. On March 28 he brought it up again with greater insistence, still
speaking as though it were his own idea. Don Bosco, visualizing the many
grave problems he would have to face, did not commit himself either way,
as we know from the testimony given in the canonization process.
First, as regards finances, he had little to hope for from the Romans. He
knew this from past experience, and the cardinal vicar had written to say as
much;5 the Romans were not generous. Nor could he expect much from the
French people, who were concentrating all their efforts on their own great
national shrine of the Sacred Heart and their private schools. He also had
reason to believe that, generous as they had always been in helping to
support his boys, they would take no interest in a new church for Rome.

4
Summarium super virtutibus, Part DI, De operibus et ,fundationibus. No. 65-66, as reported by Fr.
Francis Cerruti. [Author]
6
See VoL XIII, p. 504. The facts confirmed this. At dinner on the day of the church's consecration, May
14, 1887, Fr. Dalmazzo, our procurator at the Vatican and the church's pastor, rose to propose a toast to
the benefactors. When he singled out the Romans for first place, Don Bosco tapped his glass several times
with a knife, breaking into his speech and amid general silence serenely remarked, "That is not true. Now
you may continue." At that moment Don Bosco must have been thinking back to his exceptionally
exhausting journeys to raise funds for the church. One of the guests who was struck by Don Bosco's
frankness and
often recounted this episode was Bishop [Raymond] Jam, former bishop of Ancud in Chile. [Author]
460 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Not even Italy, he feared, could be relied upon because of the country's
ruinous economy, its overburdening taxation, and the crying need of
maintaining the promised essential welfare services. He realized too the
high cost of building in Rome, far higher than in any other Italian city. And
did he not already have a good number of building projects weighing him
down, such as the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Turin and that of
Mary, Help of Christians in Vallecrosia, and other projects at Marseille,
Nice, and La Spezia? Was it wise to put more irons into the fire?
Another reason too for not getting into this venture was the cool response
he detected to the planned church at Castro Pretorio. The whole world had
been told that the shrine was being planned as a monument in honor of Pius
IX, and every bishop in the Catholic world had been asked to collect
donations for it, but hardly had one hundred thousand lire been raised when
the whole campaign died out, and all resources seemed to dry up.
There was also another problem. In accepting the commitment, Don Bosco
would have bound himself to ratify the contracts drawn up by the previous
administration, which still had a voice in the enterprise; furthermore, those
contracts ran into substantial sums, as was customary for any work being
contracted with the Holy See.6 However, beyond these worldly
considerations, Don Bosco never lost sight of two loftier concerns: the
honor of the Church and of the Holy See. What a disgrace that Catholic
Rome should cut so sorry a figure before Protestants, who with impressive
funds had already erected several churches while the Catholics had not

6
Here it bears repeating what we have already written elsewhere about the mistrust with which the
Romans looked upon the so-called aliens, the Piedmontese [who had come in after Rome's annexation in
1870]. Choosing a Piedmontese [Don Bosco] in so important a project could not but arouse jealousy, a
natural reaction given the prevailing mood. No sooner did word get around than a committee of priests
asked a prelate to get them an audience with the cardinal vicar to protest the humiliation being planned
against the Roman clergy. The cardinal received them graciously and made no attempt to counter their
arguments. He merely asked them in a friendly way if they felt they could accept the burden, adding that
it was not too late. "Yes," they replied. The cardinal promised to satisfy their wishes. "There will be no
problem with Don Bosco," he went on. "I'll confer with the Holy Father. Don Bosco will have no
difficulty in giving up this project." Elated, the priests told him that they would form a committee. "How
much," they asked, "had the Holy See allotted to Don Bosco for the construction?" "Nothing," the
cardinal replied, and he briefly acquainted them with major expenses they would be faced with, assuring
them he was convinced that they would find meager funds in Rome. This was like a cold shower
instantly quenching their enthusiasm. [Author]
 The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 461

succeeded in building even one! It was a shame that it could actually be said
that the Pope's call had elicited such a feeble echo throughout the world.
Hence, while weighing the pros and cons for
quite some time, Don Bosco found it hard to excuse himself from this heavy
burden.
In the end it was the Pope's own word which dispelled all Don Bosco's
doubts. In his long-awaited audience with Leo XIII on April 5, the Pope
manifested his wish to him, assuring him that by accepting he would be
doing something holy and most pleasing to
the Vicar of Christ who was exceedingly disappointed at finding himself
unable to continue the project.
"For me the wish of the Pope is a command," Don Bosco
replied. "I accept the trust that Your Holiness has graciously given me."
"But I shall not be able to give you any money," the Pope said.
"I do not ask Your Holiness for money. All I ask is your blessing and all
those spiritual favors you may see fit to grant to me and to those who will
contribute to build this temple to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the capital of
the Catholic world. Indeed, if Your Holiness will allow me, I shall also
build next to the church a festive oratory, and a large hospice where very
many poor boys, abounding in that district, can be sheltered and be taught
some skill or trade."
"Willingly I bless you and all those who shall work with you in so holy
an undertaking," the Pope answered, "and I call down
God's blessing upon it now. Work out the details with the cardinal vicar."
Once word got about in Rome that the Holy Father had commissioned
Don Bosco to build a boarding school at Castro Pretorio in addition to a
shrine to the Sacred Heart, several new and unseasoned members of the city
council called on the minister of justice, [Thomas] Villa, to ask how they
were to look upon the new institute which probably would vastly expand.
Ten years had not yet elapsed since Italian troops had stormed through
Porta Pia, and so the anticlericals sounded the alarm at every breeze that
wafted from the Vatican. The minister, though true to his kind, knew Don
Bosco fairly well and, as deputy, represented the constituency of
Castelnuovo. Having silently heard them out, he stated forthrightly, "Don
Bosco is doing a lot of good to many boys by rescuing them from evil ways
and giving them an education. He
462 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

does not meddle in politics. Leave him alone."

When Don Bosco told Marquis Scati about this at the end of 1880, 7 the
latter could not help but voice his apprehension that the Freemasons in
both the city and state governments might wage war against him. "That's
why we must move cautiously—guileless as doves, but cunning as
serpents. I have always scrupulously abided by the law, giving to Caesar
what is Caesar's, nothing more and nothing less. God help me if I acted
imprudently. That would throw too many boys back into the streets!"
After the papal audience, Don Bosco drafted a memorandum and
personally handed it to the cardinal vicar on the evening of April 18, two
days before leaving Rome. 8 The brief document summarized the chief
points which were later drafted into the definitive contract.
Rome, April 10, 1880
To His Eminence Cardinal Raphael Monaco La Valletta, Vicar of His Holiness
in Rome.
L Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Monument to His Holiness Pius IX of Beloved Memory
With the sole aim of promoting God's greater glory and the honor of our holy
religion, joined by all my religious, I gladly cooperate with Your Eminence in the
construction already in progress of the church to be dedicated to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus as a tribute to the glorious and ever beloved memory of the Supreme Pontiff,
Pius IX.
As for the conditions of a contract, it is my wish that Your Eminence represent
both .parties: the ecclesiastical authorities and the Salesian Congregation, upon
which Your Eminence has always looked with fatherly concern. However, since
you have asked me to express my own thoughts on this matter, I do so willingly,
leaving it entirely to your own experience and prudence to modify any and all
articles, as Your Eminence deems best.
II. The Congregation of St. Francis de Sales
1. In the person of its rector, the Pious Society of St. Francis de Sales

'During a visit to Don Bosco on December 22, 1880, the marquis had a long conversation with him,
as he reported in a memo of his now in our archives. [Author]
sChronicle of Fr. Berto: "Sunday, April 18. This evening Don Bosco went to the cardinal vicar and
gave him a memorandum to be handed to the Holy Father concerning the building of the Church of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome." [Author]
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 463

commits itself to cooperate with every means available to further the work in
progress, raise funds and procure construction materials needed to complete this
holy enterprise hopefully within two and a half or, at the latest, three years.
2. Once the construction is completed, the Salesian Congregation will take the
responsibility of providing all church furnishings, sacred vessels and vestments,
and assume payment of fees, maintenance, repairs and so, on.
3. We shall provide personnel for pastoral care—i.e., priests to offer Mass for
the people, hear confessions, preach, and teach the children catechism.
4. Either while the church is being constructed or after, the hospice will have a
festive oratory for neighborhood youngsters to teach them their catechism,
conduct evening classes and, if necessary, also run a day school, as is the tradition
of the Congregation's houses founded for this purpose.
5. After the church's construction, the Salesian staff will be subject to the
authority of the ordinary in the same way as all churches belonging to religious
congregations. If the ordinary decides to establish the Church of the Sacred Heart
as a parish, the rector shall choose the pastor from the Salesians, and the rector
major of the Congregation will present the candidates to His Eminence, the
cardinal vicar of Rome, who will select the priest he judges best qualified for that
position to further God's glory and the good of souls.

111. The Church Authority

1. His Eminence the cardinal vicar shall continue his material and moral
support to this undertaking which he himself began and promoted with such
dedication; he shall hand over the grounds and building in their present state to the
disposal of the Reverend John Bosco. All moneys collected for this purpose by His
Eminence or others shall be wholly and exclusively used for the construction of
this memorial church.
2. He shall allow fund-raising to continue in those places and with appeals to
those people whom it shall be deemed wise to approach.
3. The cardinal vicar shall have no responsibility for either the material
construction or for purchasing further property needed for the aforesaid
construction.
4. I respectfully request the cardinal vicar to submit these articles to the Holy
Father, asking him to modify them as he wishes. They shall not be binding until
they bear the approval and blessing of His Holiness.
Fr. John Bosco
464 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

As required by the (Salesian] constitutions Don Bosco could not fully

commit himself to a project of such magnitude without first consulting his
chapter. Hence, on arriving in Turin, he summoned his councilors and
presented the Holy Father's proposal to them. The ensuing discussion was a
long one. All agreed that the Pope's proposal was a distinguished honor, but
also a most weighty burden, since they already were laden with debts
amounting to three hundred thousand lire. Under the circumstances it
seemed neither wise nor conscionable to take up an enterprise that would
swallow up millions more. The vote that followed was six negative and
only one positive—the last most certainly Don Bosco's own. Seeing that the
Holy Father's proposal had been rejected, he said with a smile, "You have
all given me a resounding no for an answer, and that is fine, because you
acted with all the prudence needed to make serious, major decisions such as
this. However, were you to give me a yes answer, I can promise you that
the Sacred Heart of Jesus will supply the funds to build the Church, He will
pay off our debts, and He will even give us a handsome bonus as well." His
words, vibrant with such trust in Divine Providence, instantly overturned
their decision and, on a second ballot, they all voted affirmatively.
Moreover, on studying the blueprints of the church, the chapter members
thought it too small and immediately, at that same session, agreed to submit
to the Holy Father a vaster project which would be more worthy of the
Sacred Heart and of Rome. It was done. The "bonus" was the hospice itself,
which did not figure in the Pope's intentions, but was an extra, almost a
kind of reward offered by the Sacred Heart. The Congregation's debts, as
Cardinal Cagliero testified at the apostolic process, 9 were paid with no
strain, as Don Bosco had promised.
No time was lost in opening negotiations, and during the discussions a
new idea came up. The Superior Council of the
Italian Catholic Youth Association, situated in Bologna with Count
Acquaderni as its president, had decided to erect a monument to the saintly
memory of Pius IX, but had not as yet agreed on the
form it should take. In view of this, in May 1880 the cardinal vicar told the
president that he hoped they would merge their project with

9 Summarium super virtutibus, No. VI, De heroica spe, Paragraph 149. [Author]
 The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 465

that of the new church. Several proposals were sent in, the most acceptable
being that a building be added to the Church of the Sacred Heart and named
after the deceased Pontiff for training good and wise educators. The idea of
honoring the memory of Pius IX was already contained in the project to
build the church, but this later plan gave it more explicit expression. Count
Acquaderni therefore asked Don Bosco if he would be willing to go along
with this plan.1° According to a note jotted on the count's letter, Don Bosco
replied that he agreed to the project in the terms outlined by the cardinal
vicar. All our research in Bologna to find out what happened to this plan
turned up nothing, but from the tenor of Don Bosco's reply so vaguely
expressed in that note, it would appear that Don Bosco probably let the
matter drop so as to forestall inevitable complications and interference.
While a final agreement was still being drafted in Turin, Don Bosco
quickly purchased a property adjoining the original piece of land; it had a
small house on it at its extreme end where the hospice today lies along the
corner of Via Marsala and Via Marghera. The sale was for forty-nine
thousand, five hundred lire. This little two-storied house served as the first
Salesian residence during the period of construction. Don Bosco's intent in
enlarging the building site was to allow room for extending the length of
the church and putting up the hospice. He had no idea that he had just
blasted the Protestant plans to erect a church of their own there. However,
the cardinal vicar knew it and stated that he was delighted with the
purchase." But when it came to the question of enlarging the church, His
Eminence was not so delighted. Maybe he still felt responsible for the
enterprise and feared a second failure. It certainly took a great deal to
convince him, but at long last the

u'Letter from the count to Don Bosco, Bologna, June 1, 1880. [Author]
"Letter from Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco, Rome, June 14, 1880: "I heard from Father Louis of
Ca.soria this morning; he asks me to give you his regards and says that be would buy the land rather
than let the Protestants pitch camp alongside the Sacred Heart Church." Father Dalmazzo might well
have added that Father Louis, accompanied by Father Bonaventure, his first successor, had come
posthaste from Naples to Rome the evening before in order to buy the property, and that he had met
them on the steps of the Tiberina Bank, just as he was leaving the building after signing the deed. They
recognized each other, stopped to exchange greetings and talk about Don Bosco, and together went
home part of the way. Pleased that the danger had been averted, this saintly son of St. Francis took the
train back to Naples the following day.
466 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

determined intervention of the architect overcame his opposition.12

Just how Don Bosco felt in that initial period and what ingenious
expedients he used from the very beginning to finance the overwhelming
expenses we learn from three letters which he wrote to his procurator general.
The reader should bear in mind that the property then belonged to the
Tiberina Bank, the president of which was Commendatore Caranti, whose
name frequently comes up in the correspondence. The first of these three
letters needs no comment.
Turin, July 7, 1880
My dear Father Dahnazzo,
As soon as I arrived from Casale, I read over the project of the Church of the
Sacred Heart in Rome. I have seen to it that it incorporates our own proposal as well
as the observations made by the cardinal vicar. I am giving you full powers to amend
and make decisions according to the mind of and within the limits set by His
Eminence. We enthusiastically support
him with every possible effort.
I would only beg him to side with us in ensuring that the church is large
enough. As the present plans stand, its public space is barely four hundred meters
long whereas it should be twice that length. I foresee that before the church is even
completed the new parish will have no less than six thousand souls. To
accommodate one-third of this population, the church should be nine hundred
meters long.
As for money, I have someone who is offering to lend us one hundred thousand
lire at five and a half percent, including revenues from personal property. But if the
Tiberina Bank is ready to give us a checking account, we would be doing better
because, if we can sell the property we talked about, as it seems we can, we shall
be running on our own steam.
Talk it over with our good friend Mr. Sigismondi, and if he can get us better
terms, we shall take them gratefully. Tell this truly good Papa of ours that we are
head over heels in a grand project, but that God is with us
and so we have nothing to fear.
Give my humble respects to the cardinal vicar. Assure him again that
the Salesians will always be his loyal, obedient sons and that he can
admonish us any time we mess things up!
God bless us all and keep us in His holy grace! Give my regards to my dear
sons Zucchini and Giaretto.13 Please pray for me. Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco
121'hw church's width remaining as stated in the plans, its length was increased from thirty-five to
forty-six meters for two new naves, and another eighteen meters for the apse. [Author] A cleric and a lay
13

Salesian assisting the procurator. [Editor]

The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 467

To inspire wealthy, generous and pious people to contribute, Don Bosco

drew them closer to the Church and to the papacy by obtaining for them
from the Holy See suitable honorific titles and spiritual favors. As they felt
they were being held especially closer and dearer to the Vicar of Jesus
Christ, they strove to become worthy of this honor by doing their best to
cooperate in those projects which they thought would please the Holy
Father.
Don Bosco's second letter begins with reference to a double petition,
whose favorable outcome he was sure would bring about considerable
advantages also for the Church of the Sacred Heart. He asked for the
privilege of a private chapel for the widowed Madame Prat, whom we have
already met,14 and her mother. To make his gift to them complete he took
care of the usual fees. He was granted the favor with a promptness he did
not expect. The letter also mentions a preliminary contract on the purchase
of a new piece of land, and speaks of the legal transfer of the property
adjacent to the old site and the initial construction. Mr. Sigismondi had
advanced Don Bosco twenty thousand lire. Even in the midst of such dry
business talk, his touch of humor makes his utter serenity rub off on the
reader.
Turin, July 9, 1880
My dear Father Dalmazzo,
I am enclosing two petitions for you to submit to Cardinal Giannelli, or perhaps
you might do better to give them to Cardinal [Theodolph] Mertel. They are for two
distinguished benefactors of ours, both fervent Catholics.
Madame Prat has already contributed sixty-five thousand lire for Peter's Pence, and
she will be sending further sums soon.
I realize that there may be fees to be paid, but I will pay them myself, so that I
can say this is a gift. It will bear much fruit.
Mr. Caranti has been notified by Commendatore Fontana that we were also
purchasing the little house at a reasonable price, and he said yes. It would be good
to talk to him. The agreement gives us time to raise the
money, and that is fine. I'll take care of everything, especially the loan. I have high
hopes.
Notify me immediately as soon as the notary's deed of transfer [of the land fOr
the Sacred Heart Church] has been made out to us.
The final draft we read in our chapter meeting has been totally approved.

"See pp. 323f. [Editor]

468 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Be at ease. If we go bankrupt we can always sneak off to Patagonia. So go on

tranquilly.
Should Mr. Sigismondi have need of the sum he advanced, draw it from the
money we have already deposited, or write and I shall provide. God bless us all.
Always in Jesus Christ,
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

The "clause" about which Don Bosco says in his third letter he has
reflected on at length refers to Article 3 of the agreement, which was then
modified to meet his suggestion.
We quote only the first half of the letter here, since the rest refers to a topic
to be discussed in Chapter 26.

Turin, July 14, 1880

My dear Father Dalmazzo,
I have reflected at great length on the clause concerning the possibility that our
Congregation may cease to exist. In the eyes of the law we are neither a moral nor a
legal body. At any rate, in the event of default, a parish church belonging to the
ecclesiastical authority will always be respected more than property which we can
possess only as individuals.
I believe that we can still make an arrangement if it is not too late: church and
rectory belong to the ordinary of Rome in perpetuity, while their use shall likewise
belong to the Society of St. Francis de Sales in perpetuity. Let's leave the rest in
the hands of Divine Providence. Unless the matter has already been settled and
sealed, you might mention the above idea to the cardinal vicar. Otherwise, let
everything stand as written.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco

While discussing this with Father Dalma7zo, the good cardinal vicar let
slip a remark: "Everyone says that Don Bosco is the Salesian
Congregation. As long as he lives, fine, but once he dies, everything will
vanish like a mist before the sun." However, he willingly listened to all
Father Dalmazzo had to say in defense of the stability of the Congregation.
Father Dalmazzo closed his argument by remarking that Don Bosco would
not have set such stress on the question of ownership if he and the
Congregation would always be fortunate enough to have as cardinal vicar
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 469

someone like His Eminence, who was truly a father to the Salesians. He
would then leave everything in his hands. However, since times change,
prudence counseled him not to yield on this point. The cardinal was pleased,
and he said that he would speak of the matter as Don Bosco understood it to
the Holy Father.15
On July 14 Father Dahnazzo wrote to Don Bosco: "The cardinal vicar
spoke at length about this question to the Holy Father, who replied, 'Get in
touch with Father Dalmazzo and have him write to Don Bosco to ask him in
my name not to raise any obstacles to this project because the salvation of
souls is at stake.' " Don Bosco reiterated his instructions to his procurator by
return mail, as follows: "Ownership of the church must remain forever in the
hands of the ecclesiastical authority; its use forever belongs to our
Congregation. But let the cardinal vicar know that I have put myself entirely
into his hands. He is good to us, and we all have full trust in him. Therefore,
as I have written to him before, let him act as agent for both parties of the
contract as he judges best for God's greater glory. Since the Holy Father has
asked us to clear all obstacles, let them all the more be removed by the
charity and prudence of the cardinal vicar."
For a long time questions and answers kept being tossed back and forth
between the vicariate of Rome and the superior chapter as they tried to settle
on the language of the contract. It was still being discussed when Don Bosco
officially presented his candidate for the pastor of the parish, which had
already been given official state recognition at the end of March; it had been
canonically established on February 2 of the previous year.
Turin, July 31, 1880
Your Eminence,
From various sources I understand that it is your intention to entrust the
administration of the new parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the Salesians. In this
case I would suggest that your choice fall on our general procurator, Father Francis
Dalmazzo, doctor of letters. As soon as the appointment becomes effective, I shall
assign an adequate number of priests to assist him, with the assurance that they have
the qualifications proper to those who dedicate their lives to the sacred care of souls.
Our humble Congregation has already many reasons to be deeply
15 Letter from Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco, Rome, July 10, 1880. [Author)
470 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

thankful to Your Eminence, and on behalf of all of us I assure you that we shall
endeavor to repay the benefits you lavishly bestow on us daily. I am greatly
honored to pay you my respects.
Your most devoted servant, Fr. John
Bosco

The decree of appointment was not issued until July 12, 1881, and Father
Dalmazzo, the appointee, was not informed until the following August 3.
Despite the good will of both contracting parties, disagreements on
certain points kept emerging until the fall, while Don Bosco kept striving
to eliminate any and all future causes of friction. In the first half of
October, discussions were still being held concerning parish salaries. The
superiors in Turin were undecided about asking for a stipend and, if so, to
whom they should apply: to the municipal authorities, the state
government, or the Holy See. At last on October 18 Don Bosco wrote to
the procurator, "As for a parish stipend, we will abide by whatever the
Holy Father decides or whatever His Eminence the cardinal vicar advises."
In the end the tenth article of the agreement settled the matter. In the
meantime, the construction crews very slowly resuming, Father [Anthony]
Sala [the economer general] began shopping for the granite columns
specified by the architect. In the above letter Don Bosco wrote, "Father
Sala is getting estimates on the columns for the Sacred Heart Church. I
shall keep in touch with you, and if you have any question, let me know
immediately. . . . Faith, prayer, and let's go forward.
In November payment fell due to the Tiberina Bank for a considerable
portion of the loan obtained to purchase the land, house and construction
materials, and no one knew where the money was to come from. A public
appeal could not yet be made through the press because final formalities
were still incomplete. Don Bosco's concern is quite apparent in this letter.

Turin, November 24, 1880

My dear Father Dalmazzo,
I have received a letter stating that we have an outstanding debt of thirty-nine
thousand five hundred lire with Caranti. I had not adverted to this proviso. In this
financial crisis everyone is yelling and drawing their
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 471

purse strings tighter! Is there anyone we can rely on in Rome? Look about far and
near and get back to me.
It is absolutely essential that we start a campaign for raising funds for the Sacred
Heart Church, but until negotiations are closed, we cannot go public. Still, we
haven't a penny to our name. So get things over with! God be with you and stay
well.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

However the situation kept dragging because Don Bosco had his doubts
about two articles. Article 8 imposed a deadline for terminating
construction, and Article 13 concerned the eventuality that, if ever no
qualified Salesian would be available, the ecclesiastical authority might
appoint a pastor and administrator even for life. "The article obliging us [to
complete the construction of the church] within six years from now [and the
construction of the rectory within nine years] and the article on a lifelong
appointment of an administrator must be amended," Don Bosco wrote on
December 9. To emphasize this, he enclosed a note written by Father Rua
on behalf of the superior chapter and signed by himself. Its enlightened
prudence and holy simplicity reflect the spirit of our beloved founder very
clearly.

Turin, December 11, 1880

Your Eminence,
The superior chapter of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, through its rector
major, asks that you approve two minor amendments in the articles of agreement
concerning the Church of the Sacred Heart. If we were assured that we would
always be dealing with Your Eminence, we would accept these and all other
conditions. But we are trying to forestall disagreements which may all too easily
arise when you and I have passed on and the administration falls into the hands of
others.
Article 8. We have made the following addition: "Provided circumstances do not
arise beyond our control, all needed work on the parish house must be completed in
the ninth year."
Article 13. We have eliminated the phrase "even for life" after the words "vicar
or administrator" to give the ecclesiastical authority complete freedom of action
and to make it possible for the Salesian Congregation to resume normal
administration of the parish and forestall eventual problems certain to arise if the
boys of the hospice and those of
472 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the festive oratory or day school ever had to use the parish church facilities and the
church were being administered by a non-Salesian priest.
For myself, however, I believe I would wrong Divine Providence were I to so
much as harbor any doubt that either of the possibilities cited in Articles 8 and 13
might come to pass, or that the unlimited confidence which has led us into this vast,
costly undertaking might not win for us the continued benevolence of Your
Eminence.
I am not sure if I have made myself clear, but your enlightened wisdom will supply
for my lack of clarity or our procurator general will explain to you. I have given him
full powers in this and in all affairs of the Congregation.
In deepest gratitude, I am honored to remain,
Yours devotedly, Fr. John
Bosco

The cardinal vicar was agreeable to the two amendments Don Bosco
requested, i.e., the added reservation in the event of circumstances beyond
control and the substitution of "temporary" in place of "even for life." This
ended the dispute on the terms of the agreement, which was signed by Don
Bosco on December 11 and by the cardinal vicar, with the Pope's approval,
on December 18, 1880. In the intervening week, when Father Dalmazzo
called on the Pope to offer him the best wishes and respects of Don Bosco
and the Salesians, the Holy Father asked him if the signing had taken place.
When he was told that the cardinal vicar would be signing very shortly, he
said, "Act quickly. Do all the good you can!"
Meanwhile the overdue note amounting to forty-two thousand lire had to
be paid to the Tiberina Bank before the end of December. "We have no
hope of finding any money here," wrote Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco on
December 1. "We'd have a good chance if you were here!" And he kept
insisting on the need for some money."
Don Bosco's thinking on this point is clear in the following advice he gave
his despairing procurator in a letter dated December
9: "To settle our debt with the Tiberina Bank, let them understand that since
we have not been able to sell the property we have put on

19 Letters from Father Dalrus7zo to Don Bosco, Rome, December I, 4, 17, and 21, 1880. [Author]
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome 473

the market, we do not have the cash available. So, if they can wait, we will
now pay the interest as we are doing for the other loan. Otherwise ask them
to grant us an extension and allow us to pay it off in installments. We will
endeavor to pay off the whole sum in a short period of time. On your part,
do your utmost to get more donations. If you can't succeed, rob some bank
or, better still, help yourself to some banker's coffers! You'll get more mail
on other matters from the others."
Once the bank realized the power of Don Bosco's influence, it agreed to
an extended period of installments. In fact, Father Dalmazzo, who had
power of attorney from Don Bosco, was allowed substantial loans over a
period of seven years, with no collateral beyond a receipt slip. On one
occasion the bank president even gave him a loan of eighty thousand lire,
saying, "It is for Don Bosco. He has Divine Providence at his disposal, so
we can't lose."' 7
Indeed, only unlimited trust in Divine Providence convinced Don Bosco
to shoulder this weighty burden. Those who were looking at this project
with merely human wisdom were shaking their head at such unheard-of
boldness. An important personage once asked him where he hoped to
raise that kind of money in those exceptionally critical times. "From
Divine Providence!" he replied. When the other asked him if he was being
given special treatment by Divine Providence, he answered, "Thank God,
He has never failed us."" Indeed, we shall see that he spent two million
lire on the church and one and a half million on the hospice—in those
days astronomical sums!
However, we must rightly add that he never tempted Divine Providence and
did all he could to help himself. We can hardly believe how much he toiled
and suffered in carrying out the Pope's desire—agonies and pains which, says
Father Cerruti who witnessed them, shortened his life.19 When all was done,
Leo XIII, considering everything, told Don Bosco's successor some time after
the former's death: "It was truly a happy thought to entrust Don

"Summarium super virtutibus, No. X. De heroica iustitia. Paragraph 110. (Witness Father
Dalmazzo.) [Author]
/bid., No. VI, De heroica spe. Paragraph 135. (Witness Father Dalmazzo.) [Author] '9/bid, No.
18

III, De operibus ac fundationibus, Paragraph 67. [Author]

474 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Bosco with the construction of the Church of the Sacred Heart at Castro
Pretorio!"2°
But Don Bosco looked further into the future. Our own Bishop John
Marenco recalled a mysterious remark he made which we should not let time
obliterate. On the very day he accepted that burdensome assignment, Don
Bosco asked him, "Do you know why we accepted that house in Rome?"
"No," he answered.
"Listen, then. We agreed because one day, when there will be another Pope
and he shall be the right one, we shall set up our headquarters there to
evangelize the Roman countryside. It will be no less important a task than that
of evangelizing Patagonia. Then will the Salesians be acknowledged and their
glory shine forth!"
A prophecy? True, the Pope of today [Pius XI] is not the Pope of those
days, but he is just as he should be. As for the rest, time alone will give the
answer. However, prophecy or not, we see at least the flash of the zeal which
constantly burned in the heart of our saintly father who, while working on
some project, was also contemplating future ones.

2orbid., No. VI, De heroics spe, Paragraph 13. (Witness Father Rua.) [Author]
 CHAPTER 25
The Salesians in France
during the Religious Persecution

T HE storm which had been brewing for months when Don Bosco
left France' finally burst at the end of March [1880]. This forms a very
important chapter of Church history.
A bill drafted by Jules Ferry and presented to the French Assembly by
Premier [Charles] Freycinet for the purpose of dealing a deathblow to five
recently opened Catholic universities contained an article, the seventh, which
barred religious who had not received government recognition from teaching
in public schools. The house of representatives approved the entire bill, but
the senate twice rejected that particular article and sent the amended bill to
the other legislative assembly. Vexed, the government decided to pursue its
goal by resorting to its executive power. Exhuming long-abrogated laws and
grossly misinterpreting those still in force, it issued two decrees on March
29, 1880. The first mandated the expulsion of the Jesuits from all their
houses and the shutdown of all their educational facilities; the second ordered
all unauthorized religious congregations to apply for government recognition
within three months under penalty of expulsion. A subsequent bill extended
both decrees to the French colonies. There was no longer reason to doubt that
this was an attempt to bar the youth of France from a Christian education.
A census conducted in 1877 had turned up five hundred religious
congregations, with a total membership of twenty thousand men and women,
which had no government recognition. Most of the bigger congregations
promptly decided to throw in their lot with the Jesuits and to refuse to seek
state recognition. They had every good reason to do so because of the
government's demands that their superiors general reside in France and that
the congregations submit their rules and statues to its examination. Very soon
the
'See Chapter 16. tEditorJ
476 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

French bishops organized a letter-writing campaign to President Francois

Grevy, the senate, the foreign secretary, and the premier, making it very
clear that the March 29 decrees were an outrage against the Church, a
calculated erosion of the most sacred religious values and an insult to
freedom of conscience. Lawyers did their share in the legal domain. But
they all proved to be voices crying in the wind. The tyranny of Leon
Gambetta and fellow radicals choked the cries of outraged justice.
The abominable decrees against the Jesuits began to be enforced on June
30. At four in the morning of that day, all through France police and military
forced their way into the Jesuit houses, breaking down doors and physically
evicting the religious. Then the houses were shut with the government seal.
We need not describe the indignation of honest citizens who reacted against
the expulsion order, but we must state that Catholics all over the world
welcomed the exiles with generous hearts.
Don Bosco too followed the impulse of his love. In fact, even before
violence broke out he yielded to his heart's promptings. Knowing that the
Jesuits would inevitably be the first to suffer eviction, as soon as the
decrees were promulgated he wrote to Father [Peter] Beckx, the Jesuit
superior general, to say that "in this common upheaval our houses were at
his service in whatever way needed."2 Father Beckx expressed his thanks
for the "generous, spontaneous and unconditional offer," as he called it in the letter
that follows:3

How gracious is Our Lord's love! How well was our beloved St. Francis de Sales
imbued by it! How worthily do they bear his name who have so thoroughly inherited
his spirit of charity! This is one of the most consoling benefits which God, in His
infinite wisdom, draws from the bitter persecutions which He permits His servants to
endure. He inspires goodhearted people to share the sorrows of others and help them at
the price of any sacrifice. I do not know if we shall have occasion to accept your
generous offer, but I assure you that we shall never forget your generosity, and we
shall heartily pray that God will begin to reward you even in this life by blessing,
expanding and prospering the zealous works which you and your holy Congregation
have undertaken for God's greater glory. In

Letter from Don Bosco to Father Ronchail, Rome, April 9, 1880. [Author] 'Letter from
2

Fiesole, April 5, 1880. [Author]

The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 477

your charity pray for me too, and for our embattled Society of Jesus. Respectfully and
gratefully yours, etc.

Our three Salesian directors in France were not caught by surprise

because even before March 29 they were ready with preventive measures.
Father [Joseph] Ronchail, senior member and interpreter of Don Bosco's
directives for his confreres, had already sought Don Bosco's advice on
what to do in any eventuality. From Rome Don Bosco sent instructions for
himself, Father Bologna and Father Perrot.
Tone de' Specchi 36 Rome, March
23, 1880
Dear Father Ronchail,
1. Start from the position that we are not a religious congregation, but a society
whose members enjoy full civil status. We came to France to care
for poor, homeless boys, and our services are given completely free. We responded to
the call of individual bishops to help them shelter civil society's most destitute and
abandoned boys.
If they ask for our constitutions, give them the Latin text. Insist on Chapter 1,
which describes the scope of our Society. Point out the chapter
dealing with the individual houses, and show that income and expenses must remain
in those houses to which charitable donations have been given.
2. You may state that our headquarters are at Nice but that everywhere else [in
France] we are merely tenants and employees of the Beaujour Society.
3. Don't worry about the principality of Monaco. Things won't get that bad, but if
they do, write me immediately and I shall give you needed instructions. Spain,
Uruguay, Argentina and Patagonia are waiting for us.
4. As for applying for government recognition, I think it best to let things simmer
for the time being. "Day pours out the word to day, and night to night imparts
knowledge" [Ps. 18, 2].
5. Rush me any news you may have in this matter.
6. As to our other houses in France, stand firm on the principle that we stand for
farming, trades and work skills. If we ever teach academic
subjects, like Latin, to any of our pupils, we do so only to train supervisors, teachers
and master craftsmen, particularly in the printing trades.
7. Once I get a copy of our good Mamma's will, I shall study it.
8. As to the work that has to be done, see Monsieur Levrot and no one else, but
the church must be foremost in your mind, the focal point to
47g THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

which every other part of the building must have access. Everything passes; every
day has its share of good and evil. Keep me briefed on matters touching our other
houses in France. Let us pray a great deal that God may avert the tempest now
threatening the bark of Peter.
God bless us all. Give my regards to all our confreres, and strengthen
them.
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco
Don Bosco also wrote twice to Canon Guiol on behalf of Father Bologna.
The first letter, dated March 26, read as follows:
We have reason to fear that in questioning or, rather, in actually compiling a
directory of religious institutes in France, the Beaujour Society will be contacted.
In that event, please instruct Father Bologna to state that Taulaigo, who is French,
is the head of the house, and that a Frenchman, Father Brogly, for example, is the
administrator. As for the school curriculum, mention only the choir school, which
is under your control and for which you have required legal qualifications. This is
only in view of what may happen; forewarned is forearmed.
The second letter, dated April 6, added: "Tell [Father Bologna] privately
that the Holy Father does not want our rules to be shown to the government
should it request them. If it does, take the time to notify me." He also wrote
twice to Father Ronchail. The first time was from Rome, on April 9: "When
asked, remember to state that we are a charitable, not a religious, society,
and that every member is perfectly free to exercise all his civil rights and
does so." On April 26 he wrote again from Florence: "Do what the other
religious congregations are doing, but I think it wise first to check with the
local bishops, who, I know, are well informed on what the religious
congregations are doing." [Presently, 1933] Father [Louis] Cartier"' tells us
that, while other congregations were debating whether or not to apply for
government recognition, Don Bosco wrote to Father Ronchail that he was
not to compromise himself by submitting an application. "Let things simmer
for the time being," we recall that he told him.
To some of our readers it may seem quibbling to state that the Salesians
were a "charitable, not a religious society." Yet that is

4
See Appendix 1. [Editor]
The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 479

what they were before the government, to which they were answerable only in
matters within its competence. As far as it was concerned, the Salesians were
simply free citizens who banded together for a worthy purpose according to
common law. This was the sense in which they had sought authorization from
local governments to open houses for poor, destitute youth. If the Church saw
them in an additional light, it was not the government's concern, since the
latter had no right to demand from its citizens a public profession of religious
belief before allowing them to reside in the country or take up a lawful
occupation of their choice.5
Thanks to all of Don Bosco's instructions, the directors had a very good idea
of what they were to do—and actually did—when questioned by government
officials about their organization and assets.
As we skim over the minutes of the ladies' committee of Marseille, we have
to admire the calmness with which they continued to hold their regular
meetings under the chairmanship of Canon Guiol to deal with the many needs
of St. Leo's Festive Oratory, as though nothing untoward were happening all
around them. They even organized a successful, well advertised celebration
for the bishop's blessing of the new chapel on June 17. However, the day was
not far off when what was happening generally throughout the country would
touch their tranquil meetings, but we have no indication of anything like that
in the minutes.
The first hint of any problem crops up in the minutes of July 1, the day
following the Jesuits' stormy eviction from their houses. Don Bosco had
stated that he might visit Marseille in August. Canon Guiol duly informed
the ladies and asked that they keep the news to themselves, for two reasons,
as follows:
Don Bosco, the saintly founder, will be in Marseille for a very short time and will be
very busy, as he will preside over the Salesians' spiritual retreat. We must spare him
the crush of visitors which overwhelmed hitn last winter. Besides this principal reason,
we must also keep a certain measure of prudence, for we are living in critical times
and we dare not arouse attention. People attribute many predictions to Don Bosco, but
when you mention this to him, he laughs it off, and this in no way detracts from his
indisputable holiness. The trait which most strikingly impresses
No mention is made of the Salesians in a Paris publication of that year (Memoire pour la deense
5

des Congregations religieuses) listing the congregations tagged for expulsion. [Author]
480 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

us is his unyielding, unshakable calm, which shows his great self-mastery. Now he
tells us to trust in God and push forward, for no one will hurt us, but it is his faith in
Divine Providence which makes him talk like that, and we are not to attribute any
prophetic significance to his words.
Later Don Bosco did voice some doubts about the advisability of
assembling a number of priests for a spiritual retreat, but the confreres in
Marseille kept insisting that he come to deal personally with house matters of
the highest importance. They knew, however, that he was not feeling well. In
fact, his eye problem, fever attacks and skin rashes were good reasons to
cancel his trip. In all truth, he would personally have gone all the same,
disregarding his ailments, but his doctors took a firm stand, and he sent
Father Rua in his stead. His faithful alter ego remained the last ten days of
August in Marseille, taking a close look at both the local and the overall
situation. Later he gave Don Bosco a full report at the second general chapter,
which opened at Lanzo immediately upon his returns
Sometime during September or October Canon Guiol went to Rome and
there heard Pope Leo MU personally praise Don Bosco most highly, calling
him an extraordinary man. On that trip he met with Don Bosco, but we do
not know when or where—perhaps at Sampierdarena, where Don Bosco
happened to be at the end of September for the spiritual retreat. He would
have liked Don Bosco to return to France with him, but he had to admit that
it was not a good idea. Recent events counseled that nothing be done to
arouse suspicion, and so, after discussing how to save the house of Marseille,
they separated, agreeing to meet again as soon as possible.'
Everyone was led to believe that after the Jesuits' expulsion the same fate
would befall unauthorized religious congregations, as
ordered by the second decree, but it soon became apparent that it was an
empty threat to get them to seek recognition. The
government felt sorely embarrassed both by the pressure of the
solemn threat of expulsion it had issued and by the unfavorable aftermath of
its first experiment. Besides, legal proceedings against
it were being rigorously pursued by France's most renowned lawyers.
Furthermore, within days, one hundred and sixty-seven

Minutes of August 5 and September 2. [Author] 'Minutes of

6

October 21, 1880. [Author]

 The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 481

magistrates handed in their resignations.8 This was to their credit,

but Don Bosco deplored their decision, preferring that these upright men find
it in themselves to remain at their posts and so prevent
anticlericals from replacing them. Hoping to get out of this predicament
without appearing to capitulate, Premier Freycinet initiated secret
negotiations with ecclesiastical authorities. A compromise had just been
worked out when the radical press got wind of it and fiercely attacked the
premier, branding him a coward and a traitor, and rousing the rabble against
the government. The uproar became so menacing that it caused the downfall
of the cabinet. As soon as a new cabinet was formed under Premier Jules
Ferry, it unleashed the law enforcement agencies in an assault against the
religious institutes. This full-scale attack began. October 16 with the
expulsion of the Carmelite friars and then proceeded against all the men's
religious congregations until November 8, the eve of the reopening of
parliament.
It was most crucial to protect our house in Marseille, for as it went so
would the other houses of France go. Its legal status before the government
was based on a statement made three years before by the parish priest of St.
Joseph's Church that St. Lea's Festive Oratory was actually the parish choir
school which he himself had founded with all personal required legal
qualifications. By mutual agreement, Father Mendre, assistant parish priest,
who was equally certified, was to register as director with eight or ten
French teachers forming his staff. Father Bologna and the other Salesians,
who were not allowed to reside in the house because they were aliens,
though they did live there to do their share of the work, would have to play a
cat-and-mouse game until the storm blew itself out. To ease the blow and
apparently abide by the law, Don Bosco drafted for Canon Guiol the outline
of a declaration which he was to send to the school superintendent.
Dear Sir.
I received your letter of . and, wishing to show you the respect and esteem
which every citizen owes to civil authority, I think it opportune to give you some
explanations which you may need for a proper
See Unita Cattolica, July 18, 1880. Another one hundred and sixty-five magistrates resigned
8

during the second phase of the law enforcement, as stated in the November 13 issue of the same paper.
[Author]
482 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

understanding of St. Leo's Festive Oratory, Rue Beaujour 9, attended by the

choirboys of St. Joseph's Church whose parish priest I am.
The purpose of this institution is to shelter poor, destitute boys, feed them, give
them an education, and so save them from moral dangers, so
that in due time they may earn their livelihood with the crafts they were taught
Presently they are learning to become tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, blacksmiths,
bricklayers agricultural laborers, gardeners, and so on.
Every year a considerable number of these youngsters are literally snatched
from juvenile delinquency and restored as honest citizens to civil society. Some of
these and other day boys make up the parish choir school, regularly serving in the
choir and on the altar at private and public church functions in this my parish
church. They receive elementary schooling and some are also taking a classical
course.
I am the founder of this school. A copy of my legal certification is herein
enclosed. Father N. Benard and the cleric] Louis Cartier teach the classical
courses; Father Ricard and Lassepas teach the elementary grades. The local
superior is Father Taulaigo; Father Vincent and Father Cavagnac have
supervisory duties. All the above named are French and lend their services free
of charge.
Whatever additional information is needed, I shall gladly provide. I
recommend this home for poor children to your kindly care and remain
respectfully, etc.
Unfortunately, however, the worst enemies were those of the household.
A French cleric and another Frenchman who lived at St. Leo's Festive
Oratory, whose name we have not been able to ascertain,g were the chief
villains, the cleric the more ruthless of the two. He had come from another
congregation, been welcomed like a brother, and been assigned his duties,
but secretly he kept plotting against St. Leo's with others. He got hold of a
copy of the rules and sent it secretly to the minister of religious affairs along
with other documents, including a report of his own on all that he had seen
in our houses in Italy and France. The Salesians, who until then had passed
as free citizens, were now portrayed as members of an unauthorized
religious congregation. This Judas, whom Don Bosco had invited to Turin
for the feast of Mary, Help of Christians as a token of his affection,
continued his spying until he was unmasked

'Minutes, October 21, 1880. St. Leo's Festive Oratory had suffered a great deal because of the most
detestable ingratitude of these two young men whom it had welcomed [as staff members]. They
shamelessly published outrageous articles which caused grave embarrassment and painful worry to
the saintly founder and superior. [Author]
The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 483

and charitably told to remove his clerical garb and leave. He wasted no
time in falsely informing the press of cruel punishment inflicted upon the
boys by the Salesians, even accusing them of trying to rouse the resident
students to hatred against France. He went so far as to bring formal
charges in a court of law against Father Bologna, the director, for
violating the privacy of the mail. His hostility led him to portray the
Salesians as a foreign gang bent on abusing French children—always a
very explosive issue in France, but more deadly than ever at this time
because of the unending national antagonism and bloody riots between
Italian and French workmen.
To conclude this account, we add that this wretch was rewarded by the
government with a teaching post in a public school, but it was not long
before he paid the price of his villainy. Hardly a year later, while he was
watching an outdoor public entertainment, the bleachers collapsed. He was
pulled from under the debris more dead than alive with four broken ribs and
other injuries. It is said that, on recovering somewhat, he went knocking at
St. Leo's Oratory to seek readmission. Though the director could not grant
his request, he still gave him financial assistance from time to time.
His anonymous accomplice and a few empty-headed residents of St.
Leo's kept wagging their tongues freely, tattling outside the house, so much
so that they nearly succeeded in causing a severe rift between the Salesians
and Canon Guiol. The latter, however, soon becoming aware of their
shameless intrigues, had this to say about the betrayal of St. Leo's Oratory
to the ladies' committee at their meeting of October 21, 1880: "These trials,
far from discouraging, practically set a seal on the goodness of this work
and make us trust in its future. As this work comes from God, God will
protect it. Nevertheless we must move prudently."
Under the above-described circumstances when religious institutions
were methodically being closed, how could the Salesians find a way out?
Could they hope for better treatment? Government agents had already taken
initial steps, inspecting our houses and concluding that indeed they
belonged to an unauthorized religious congregation. Finally, on November
2, All Soul's Day, the Salesians were ordered to vacate the premises within
twenty-four hours or be forcibly evicted. As if to dispel any possible
illusion, _they could hear at St. Leo's the din of the attack on the nearby
484 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Dominican monastery. As previously arranged, the Italian Salesians left the

residence and took shelter with Canon Guiol, while the
others did what all the other communities had already done on
disbanding. The same was done at Nice and at La Navarre. Each house drew
up a written protest to be handed to the law enforce-
ment officers, and barricaded its doors, obliging the police to resort to force
to execute their mandate. The last defense of their civil rights would be to
yield finally to an overwhelming force.
Here we shall narrate only what happened at [St. Leo's' our main house,
both because we know more about it and because substantially the same
pattern was followed in all the others. Canon Guiol, parish priest of St.
Joseph's, the entire board of trustees of the Beaujour Society, and a number
of noble benefactors who belonged to the city's foremost families went to St.
Leo's during the early hours of the morning to support the Salesians and
protest by their presence all abuse of power and most especially the violation
of a citizen's most sacred rights. The main door leading to the street was
bolted and barred, with a barricade of tables and furniture piled against it. All
persons present gathered in the hall to await events.
As dawn broke, curious sightseers began to roam about the premises—not a
new spectacle, to be sure, but one that always had a flavor of its own. Milling
about the crowd were the professional demonstrators, shouting out their usual
slogans and giving the impression that this was an expression of the so-called
will of the sovereign. people.
At eight, the fatal hour struck. Everyone in the house was on the alert, yet
there were no knocks at the door, no shouts in the street, no blare of trumpets.
Nine o'clock struck, then ten and eleven, and still nothing happened. Since no
official sporting a tri-colored sash of office appeared, the onlookers
disappointedly began to drift away. Toward noon a few sharp raps on the
door echoed through the hall. The doorkeeper, a staunch Italian who had
orders to notify the others of the arrival of the police, walked up to the
peephole in the door and called "Who is it?" An unknown voice said
something in French which the doorkeeper did not understand. After a
moment of silence, the voice again spoke, "I am not the police commissioner.
Hurry! I am drenched to the skin." The rain was falling heavily. Grasping
only the words "chief of police," the doorkeeper dashed upstairs in two
bounds and burst into the room
 The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 485

where all were gathered, announcing breathlessly, "The chief of police is

here." All instantly stood up, put on their gloves, straightened their clothing,
and, clustering about the one who was to be their director for the occasion,
went down to the main door. Someone was still furiously knocking. "Who is
it?" they asked. this time there was no reply. The dreaded caller had in the
meantime borrowed a stepladder and entered the house through a window.
No one can describe how heartily all laughed when they heard the booming
voice of Father Mendre behind them. He had been detained in the church of
a late Mass and then had dashed over to his post like a good soldier under a
heavy downpour. His appearance was just what was needed to break the
tedious monotony of their long vigil.
But now what were they to do? When they went back upstairs, Canon Guiol
told the bystanders of a letter in which Don Bosco had substantially said:
"They will pester and bait you, but you'll only be harassed. If they want to
expel you, ask for time to send the boys back to their parents, and meanwhile
God will do the rest."' ° On hearing this, Rostand [president of the Beaujour
Society] said to his colleagues: "Let's not waste time here. If Don Bosco
wrote that, we can leave because nothing will happen." They all left. Still, for
several days the Salesians kept watch behind their barricade until all their
fears were dispelled, and then they opened the door and resumed their regular
routine. Two rabid papers, the Radical and the Petit Provencal, kept up their
outcry and would not desist until they were silenced by the prefect of the
province."
How did the boys at St. Leo's behave during this stormy period?

loMinutes, November 11, 1880. [Author]

"Throughout that time Don Bosco's friends shared the Salesians' anxiety and made it their own, calling
frequently at Valdocco. On November 12, 1880, Count Edward Mella, while talking about the events
taking place in France, told an interesting story about King Charles Albert. When the Jesuits were
expelled in disgrace from Piedmont in 1848, four of them took refuge in the home of a former student,
the architect [Anthony] Spezia, whom Don Bosco asked to design the Church of Mary, Help of
Christians in 1863. One evening an official of the carabinieri [Italian national police] called at his home
and asked to speak with him.
"Are you Mr. Spezia, the architect?" he asked.
"Yes. May I help you?"
"How can I be sure that you are Mr. Spezia?"
"Because I'm not lying. If you wish, come in and ask anyone you
The officer walked in with a few carabinieri: then, opening his wallet, he said to Mr.
486 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

We have no indication that they did anything but take the side of their
superiors. In fact, an important letter from Father Mendre to Don Bosco
briefing him on those November days must have delighted the good father in
what is said about them.12 Furthermore a pocket notebook belonging to the
cleric Louis Cartier, who witnessed it all, notes under the date November 3:
"At 9 o'clock,
class as usual."13
We can see how sure Don Bosco was of his position from a very
significant episode. Father Bologna, learning of the imminent expul-
sion, had sent a telegram to Father Cerruti, director at Alassio, requesting
forty beds for the Salesians and their homeless boys. "We will all join you
this evening," the telegram read. Father
Cerruti also wrote to Father Rua to inform Don Bosco. So convinced was he
that by the time his letter got to Turin the refugees
would already be in the house at Alassio that he stated flatly that the
Salesians expelled from Marseille had indeed arrived. Father Rua hastened
to give Don Bosco the fateful news. "What are you saying?" Don Bosco
replied. "That's impossible. They are not supposed to be expelled. I wrote as
much to Father Bologna."
"Yet Father Cerruti says they are already at Alassio."
"Impossible."
"I'm sorry, Father, but the letter is very clear."
"Still I tell you they could not have been expelled. Give me the
letter."
He read it and remarked, "There must be some misunderstanding,
some mistake. . . . Leave me the letter.. . . I will write to Father Bologna. You
will see that I am right." He then went to his room

Spezia, "His Majesty thanks you for your hospitality to the Jesuit fathers and sends you these four
thousand lire to defray expenses."
Let it be remembered that King Charles Albert would never have signed an order of Eugene of
Carignano, his lieutenant general. On September 10, 1848, the king wrote to Pius IX from Alessandria,
"Your Holiness certainly knows what was done here against our faith and religious orders during my
absence from Turin. I am sick at heart because of it." [Author]
12
Omitted in this edition. [Editor]
The same pocket diary, giving us but a few jotting in pencil, contains the following beautiful
notation under November 2: "The remainder of the day went by very tranquilly. Both pupils and teachers
kept busy. Like gentle Iambs we were all resigned, taking our meals in passive expectancy of what would
befall us on the morrow to separate us from our beloved superior and from our boys. What upset us most
was the thought that these many young boys, once out of the house, would be exposed to the worst
dangers of losing their souls for all eternity." [Author]
The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 487

and wrote to Father Bologna, asking for news. Notwithstanding Father Rua's
insistence that Father Bologna was at Alassio, Don Bosco addressed the
letter to Marseille and mailed it without a moment's delay.
He showed the same self-assurance when Father Lemoyne, who had come
to Turin from Nizza Monferrato, asked him why he had written to Father
Bologna, "Don't fear. You will be bothered and pestered, but they will not
expel you." So too he could not understand why Don Bosco refused to
believe Father Rua's statement. With that fatherly trust, so lavishly bestowed
on his sons, Don Bosco did not hide the cause of his self-assurance. His
explanation to Father Lemoyne was very brief, but he spoke at length about
it on the evening of December 1 at San Benign while he was there a few
days with the superior chapter, putting some final touches on the
deliberations of the general chapter. The chronicle tells us that they held
long meetings both morning and evening. In the evening session he
informed the chapter with a smile that he wanted to narrate a dream.
Back in 1858—he said—when I first went to Rome, as well as on other
occasions, Pius IX told me to narrate or to record anything that might have a
semblance of the supernatural. That's why I write or tell you certain things. I do
so gladly because they always redound to God's greater glory and the welfare of
souls.
I had this dream about the time of the feast of Our Lady's Nativity.14 I did not
mention it before because I gave it little importance and bided my time. Well, like it
or not, it has now taken on significance that warrants my recounting it.
It was the time when we were beginning to fear for religious congregations.
Indeed, since the Jesuits had already been expelled, it was certain that the others
would have the same fate. I feared for our own houses in France, praying and asking
others to pray, and then one night, as I slept, I saw the Blessed Virgin Mary standing
aloft before me very much like the statue of Mary, Help of Christians atop the dome.
She wore a huge mantle spreading wide about Her, beneath which were sheltered all
our houses in France. Our Lady was looking upon them with a smiling countenance,
when suddenly a terrible storm arose, or perhaps it was an
'40n September 21 [1880] the superior chapter held its meeting at Sampierdarena. When, during that
session, the discussion centered on the explusion of religious from France, one of the members asked
Don Bosco if the Salesians would also be driven out. Certainly under the influence of this dream Don
Bosco firmly answered: "No, no, no!" [Author]
488 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

earthquake, with lightning, hail, horrible monsters of every shape and form, and
gunshots and artillery fire that paralyzed everyone with terror.
The monsters, lightning bolts and shelling were aimed at our Salesians who
huddled beneath Mary's mantle, but of all those who were under the protection of
such a powerful defender, not one was hurt. The missiles kept hitting the mantle and
falling to the ground. Bathed in a sea of light, Her face radiant with a heavenly
smile, the Blessed Virgin Mary kept saying, Ego diligentes Me diligo [I love those
who love Me]. Little by little the storm abated, and none of our confreres fell victim
to that storm or earthquake or hurricane, or whatever else you want to call it.
I did not intend to give much importance to this dream, but still I did write to all our
confreres in France to remain calm. They asked me, "How come everyone is alarmed
and you alone are serene in the midst of all this uproar and threat?" I answered only
that they should trust in the protection of the Blessed Virgin. But no one took that
seriously. I wrote to Father Guiol, parish priest of St. Joseph's, and told him not to be
afraid because all would turn out well, but his answer showed me that he had not
understood. And indeed, now that we reflect on it, as the storm dwindles away, we can
recognize that something really extraordinary has taken place. All the French religious
congregations which had been doing so much good in France over so many years were
disbanded, while our own, a foreign congregation living on the generous charity of the
French people, and harassed by a furious press constantly screaming to the
government to throw us out, continues calmly. Isn't it amazing? This must be a
constant encouragement to entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary. But let us beware of
bragging, because one single boastful gesture may well cause us to lose Our Lady's
benevolence toward us and let the enemy claim the field.

At this point, Father Rua remarked, "But other congregations have also
been devoted to Our Lady. How come . . ."
"The Madonna acts as She pleases," Don Bosco replied. "Besides, it has
always happened in this most extraordinary way ever since I was nine or ten
years old. I seemed then to be seeing vast crowds of boys there on my farm.
And someone said to me, `Why don't you teach them?'
" 'Because I do not know how.'
" 'Never mind, I am sending you.'
"I was so happy after that," Don Bosco concluded, "that everyone could
see it."
In all reality, the reason why everything went so well was quite simple.
The police official who was charged with evicting the
The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 489

Salesians from St. Leo's first had to do the same to the nearby Dominicans.
But it took him until ten o'clock that night before he could break down the
doors and force his way through the barricades, and then it was too late to
attack St. Leo's, the last religious house on his list. In addition, during the
night, the prefect of the province received orders from the government to
hold up on any further action; political considerations counseled moderation.
It would be wrong, however, to suppose that Don Bosco had disregarded
taking prudent steps to avert danger from St. Leo's. The fact was that he had
strongly appealed to the Italian consul in Marseille, Hannibal Strambio, a
former schoolmate of his at Chieri.15 On this gentleman's advice and with
Don Bosco's approval, Father Mendre compiled a dossier for the government
defending St. Leo's, and so effectively rebutting the accusations of the press
that the slanderous articles were stopped by order of the prefect of the
province.16
Not only did Don Bosco rely on human prudence; he positively would not
have his sons yield to a euphoric security because of his encouraging
remarks. In a letter not in our possession, dated November 16, 17 as Don
Bosco expressed his personal relief for the temporary respite and reiterated
his usual optimism, he still urged that, even after singing the Te Deum, they
should continue to pray because the storm, though receding, was not yet
over. Indeed, only a few weeks later a new bill was brought to the French
Assembly, aimed at choking the life out of any surviving religious
congregations and charitable institutions by relentless taxation." In that same
letter, after saying that he had written to the Holy Father to brief him on the
events, Don Bosco added that if things did not get worse, he would be
visiting them in January. He then took up the request made to him that the
Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians who had been assigned to Marseille
should go in secular clothing. He had no objection and thought it the thing to
do under the circumstances, leaving it to Canon Guiol to determine the right
time for them to go."
isSee p. 83. See also Vol. I, pp. 262, 265ff. [Editor]
16 1Vrmutes, December 16, 1880. [Author]
17 Minutes, November 18, 1880. We do not know the addressee. [Author]
'8Minutes, December 16, 1880. [Author]
19 Minutes, November 18, 1880. Regarding the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, we mad in
the minutes of December 2: The date of the sisters' arrival has not yet been set.
490 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Don Bosco's foresight also prompted him to contact the Italian government.
In October [1880] he appealed to Benedict Cairoli, Italy's premier and foreign
minister, for a subsidy in acknowledgement of the charitable work of his
houses in France to benefit the sons of Italian immigrants. "I enclose a letter
for Premier Cairoli, and for Commendatore Malvano, who, though a Jew, has
always been a good benefactor of ours," he wrote to Father Dalmazzo. 2° "Put
them in clean envelopes and, in view of the present situation in France,
deliver them personally without delay." The letter to the premier reads as
follows:
Turin, October 18, 1880
Your Excellency,
Some years ago I had the honor of calling on the foreign minister then in office to
discuss the deplorable condition of many boys of Italian families in southern France.
In many instances, having been abandoned, they ran
afoul of the law and were deported back to Italy.
At that time I suggested suitable remedies which the foreign minister
praised and supported. Relying solely on the help of Divine Providence, I then
opened two hospices for young apprentices at Nice and Marseille, respectively, as
well as two agricultural schools in the area of Frejus and
Toulon.
Quite a few boys were taken in by these institutions, which soon proved
inadequate to handle the growing number of applicants. The work of rebuilding
and expanding soon began. However, since I lacked funds to maintain and operate
these institutions, I respectfully appealed in April 1879, with the encouragement of
the Italian consul at Marseille, to Your
Excellency for assistance on behalf of these unfortunate young people, who have
to combat vice and poverty and who keep increasing to many
more than a hundred.
Since I have not yet received a reply to my previous petition and the
need is pressing, I venture to renew my appeal. I fully trust that you will help me
better the lot of this most endangered and dangerous segment of
society. May God grant you good health.
Yours respectfully,
Fr. John Bosco

Meantime, a convent is being prepared for their convenience next to St. Leo's. Formed at Don Bosco's
school, they will make a positive, intelligent and dedicated contribution to Don Bosco's work. Without fail,
their coming to Marseille will greatly and in a very special way contribute to the good will and the anxious
cares of the ladies of the committee." [Author]
Turin, October 18, 1880. [Author]
20
 The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 491

The appeal touched the heart of the foreign minister, who arranged for a
yearly subsidy of a thousand lire to be included in the
1881 budget and disbursed annually to our house in Marseille and to each of
the other houses. To sidestep parliamentary debate, he lumped the amount in
with other moneys budgeted for the Italian consul in Marseille on behalf of
Italian immigrants.21 This was also one way for Don Bosco to call the
government's kindly attention to his activities in France during these trying
times.
Finally, on Christmas Eve, Consul Hannibal Strambio sent him a very
warm letter from Marseille, addressing him as "Dearest Father John," and
assuring him that all danger seemed to have been averted, and that people
were beginning to appreciate St. Leo's Festive Oratory as a hospice of high
moral standards immensely helpful to the underprivileged. Don Bosco
strongly urged his sons in Marseille to thank God for the blessings
showered upon them throughout the past year, and to renew their trust in
heaven's protection for the coming year, repeating the slogan, "Forward,
without fear."22
Seemingly troubles never came singly to Don Bosco. In May 1880 the
French situation caused him a very painful letdown which did not make
news, but cut deeply within him. Readers may recall the "observations"
noted by the Holy See to his first triennial report, which we considered in
Chapter 8 of this volume.23 One of the points in controversy concerned the
novitiate in Marseille.24 After sending his second reply on January 12,25 he
received no further communication in writing from the Sacred Congregation
of Bishops and Regulars. Four months later, however, Father Dalmazzo,
procurator general, came to learn that Don Bosco's clarifications on that
question had been regarded as no better than specious ruses, if not downright
deceptions. Wounded to the heart by this information, Don Bosco wrote to
Father Dalmazzo, pouring out all the bitter grief within him in the following
letter:26
Letter from Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco, Rome, November 27, 1880. [Author] hEnutes,
21 22

December 30, 1880. This slogan is quoted in Italian as "Andiamo avanti senza timore" in the minutes
of January 13, 1881. We do not have the letter from which it was taken. It is the letter cited at the
meeting of December 30, 1880. [Author] See pp. 156-169. [Editor]
23

See p. 165. [Editor]

24

See pp. 163f. [Editor]

25

He also made a report to Cardinal Nina, cardinal protector, as we gather from a reference of His
20

Eminence in a note to Don Bosco dated May 13, 1880. [Author]

492 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Sampierdarena, May 7, 1880

My dear Father Dalmazzo,
The novitiate at Marseille is merely under construction, with much work still to be
done. No novices have been or are living there. As things stand [in France], it seems
foolish to try to open it now as we tried to do back in 1879. Hence, our French
novices continue to come to Turin until we can clearly see what we can do to benefit
our holy Catholic faith.
I have already submitted three petitions for this novitiate, and if and when the
time comes to open it, a fourth will be sent to the Sacred Congregation of Bishops
and Regulars, if the other three have been misplaced.
Had I been able to obtain an audience with Cardinal Ferried three years ago or
even this year, I could have given him clarifications which would have saved us a
mess of trouble and offset considerable harm to our Congregation, but my efforts
were all in vain.
I cannot conceal my bitter sorrow at not being able to make myself understood. I
work for the Church and intend all my Salesians to work for it until their dying
breath. I seek no financial assistance, but only that understanding and that charity
which are compatible with Holy Church's authority.
I am waiting for further requests for clarifications, and I shall do my utmost to
express myself lest what I intend to say be totally misinterpreted.

Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John

Bosco

Three facts cannot be denied. First, in January 1879, Don Bosco, urged by
the new bishop of Marseille, renewed his petition to the Sacred
Congregation of Bishops and Regulars for authorization to establish a
canonically approved novitiate in that city. Second, on February 5, the same
Sacred Congregation forwarded Don Bosco's petition to the bishop of
Marseille for additional information and received from Bishop [Jean Louis]
Robert a lengthy letter of commendation dated February 23, stating. the
assured feasibility of immediately opening a novitiate in the Salesian house
at Marseille. Third, despite the bishop's statement that the novitiate could be
opened at once, Don Bosco took no action because the house did not have
convenient quarters for the novices' residence, and so he waited until 1882.
The Salesians in France during Religious Persecution 493

During those years most French novices went to Italy, though a few made
their novitiate singly in our French houses. Once again we are obliged to
repeat ourselves ad nauseam, but we must do so because now we have
documents to back us up. In the archdiocesan process conducted by the
chancery of Turin with the Holy See's authorization in 1917-18, Cardinal
Cagliero deposed in a sworn statement:27 "Until 1884 when the customary
privileges were granted [to the Salesian Congregation], Don Bosco availed
himself of every indult granted him orally by Pope Pius IX and, later, by Leo
Mil. He did so very prudently, but more often when he deemed it necessary
for God's glory and the welfare of souls, as I was personally told by Don
Bosco himself and by his [second] successor, Father Albera."
Esteem, love and reverence for Don Bosco in France were the theme of
eloquent testimonials which continually increased and spread to the day of
his death. In Nice, Dr. [Charles] D'Espiney wrote a short biography of Don
Bosco to meet the desires expressed by many people in France who eagerly
sought to know more of his life and work. We shall consider it in the next
volume. The minutes of meetings of the Marseille ladies' committee regularly
refer to Don Bosco's words and blessings as those of a saint. In Paris the
famous Father [Francois] Moigno, S.J., learned physicist and mathematician,
founder of the scientific journal Cosmos and author of the monumental work
Les splendeurs de la foie [The Splendors of the Faith], wrote to the director
at Marseille, who had consulted him on a heating system: "Heart and soul I
am devoted to Don Bosco and his wondrous works." Such expressions of
forthright outspoken admiration are all the more worthy of note when we
realize that they were uttered by Frenchmen in reference to an Italian—a
clear sign that they were seriously convinced of his holiness, not alien to any
segment of the Church.

Summarium, p. 84. [Author]

27
 CHAPTER 26

The Beginning of the

Real Missions of Patagonia

P ATAGONIA today [1933] is not the Patagonia of sixty years

ago. So radically have conditions changed throughout the territory that when
young Patagonians hear talk of savages, even of Patagonian Indians, they
immediately react with almost fiery indignation against such an affront to
their native land. Yet their own Argentine ancestors, who lived on the
outskirts of Buenos Aires before General [Julio] Roca's military expedition
[against the Indians] and who witnessed first-hand the poverty and the deeds
of these wilderness and jungle tribes, would certainly view the whole matter
quite differently. All we need do is quickly glance at one of the maps of De
Moussy's admirable volume on Argentina,' written sixty years ago, to form
an idea of the conditions then prevailing throughout that boundless territory.
Sprawled across those vast expanses are written the words Wasteland,
Pampas, Unexplored Territory, Unknown Territory, Indians, Southern
Desert Traversed Only by Savages. It was suicide for white men to venture
into that territory, where they were summarily taken captive and treated as
overbearing invaders. Not even those who lived on the fringes of the
wilderness were safe, since they were at all times exposed to the indiadas,
the Indian raids, as roving savages fell in hordes upon the well-cleared ranch
lands of the Argentine herders and rustled their cattle to supply beef for the
neighboring Chileans who had no herds of their own. We need not dwell on
the savage forays made upon small, isolated outposts scattered over vast
distances across the plains, as the Indians plundered, massacred and burned
all to the ground.
Terrorized by the army's firepower, the natives withdrew into the recesses
of the Cordilleras and a few hideouts along the banks of
'Martin De Moussy, Description geographique et statistique de la Confederation d'Argentine,
Paris 1862, Plate X. [Author]
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 495

the great southern rivers, freeing boundless tracts of land for colonization;
settlements rapidly shot up and grew. Salesians played a major role in this
process of civilization, for, once the troops left, they set up mission posts at
strategic points, from which they could offer the settlers an effective program
of religion and education, reaching out all the while to the surviving Indians.
Ever loyal to their tribal chieftains, the natives slowly came to look upon Don
Bosco's missionaries as their best friends who brought them the light of the
Gospel and strove to reconcile both victors and vanquished into a new
relationship of mutual benefit.
The numbers of these Indians did not loom as large as they had claimed to
be when, armed and organized into a federation, they threatened the
Argentine government as if they could even face up to its troops. All told, the
Indians were no more than eighty thousand, and if they rejected the white
man and his civilized ways, it was not only because they could not forget the
ill treatment they had suffered, but also because they greatly feared that they
would be robbed of their independence. Unchallenged masters of their own
mysterious wastelands, they saw even religion as posing a danger of
servitude; hence no missionary had ever safely managed to draw near to their
clustered tents. Consequently, the utter futility of such a sacrifice of life kept
both diocesan and religious missioners from venturing into that treacherous
territory.
As a result, Indian pride swelled to the point of a madness which so
inebriated them that they felt they were the unchallenged lords of their own
wilderness, imagining that no one would dare cross it without first submitting
to Indian supremacy. The daring expedition of 18792 was undertaken to
disillusion them and wipe out for all time their threatening stance.
These were the natives of Patagonia. Now let us look at the territory itself
which was to be the first apostolic field of Don Bosco's missionaries. The
Patagonia region geographically included the Pampas, Rio Negro, Chubut,
Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego, but strictly speaking it was limited to Rio
Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz. For the time being, we shall consider only the
far northern portion of the territory named after the Rio Negro River, which is
formed by the confluence of the Neuquen and the Limay
2
See p. 217. [Editor]
496 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

and flows over six hundred and thirty miles to the Atlantic Ocean. It is an
area about twice the size of Italy.
Once the Indian threat had been quelled, it became obvious that the
territory itself posed almost insurmountable obstacles. Today, with even
better reason, we may say with Dr. Gabriel Carrasco that "from the Atlantic
shores to the peaks of the Andes one meets scattered towns and colonies of
varying wealth and development which open themselves to civilization.
Steamships chum their way up the deep waters of the once feared Rio Negro,
bringing vibrant new life into old Indian strongholds. The strident shrieks of
locomotives awaken sleepy echoes in the valleys. The remote Andean
mountain lakes look down with awe upon the Argentine flag flying at the
masts of ships plying their way through their waters."3 But what did the
missionary find fifty years ago? A shoreline skirted by a desert where fierce
winds whipped up mountains of sand known as medartas; further inland, a
chain of rising hills and plateaus covered with very scant vegetation, dotted
here and there with brackish pools trailing off into endless sandy waterless
wastes called traversias, and rudimentary vegetation. In summer the heat is
oppressive, the dust is blinding and choking, and man and beast languish
from thirst. The Andes region, encased between the Argentine Pre-Cordillera
and the Royal Cordillera of Chile, is a beautiful land indeed, of meadows and
forests, mountain streams and lakes: a panorama of indescribable majesty,
but inaccessible to human travel. This was the varied environment in which
the Salesians witnessed the development of a new Patagonian federation, to
which they contributed a giant share by their churches in whose kindly shade
settlers met and rested, by their trade schools and agricultural colonies for
white and Indian children alike, by their first attempts at agriculture, by their
first hospitals, and even by their first newspapers.
A bird's-eye view such as this introduces us to the unfolding of these
missions' history which our narrative will have to cover in bits and pieces.
This summary presentation will serve as a basis of our historical
reconstruction.
The true history of the Patagonian missions begins with the twin
settlements of PatagOnes and Viedma on the banks of the Rio

3 Almanaque de la familia Catalica, July 1, 1902, Buenos Aires. [Author]

 The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 497

Negro, some ten miles from the mouth of the river. 4 For nine years these
were the only two mission stations; it took that much time to develop a well-
worked-out plan of mission apostolate. From those two strategic positions the
Salesian missionaries set out on their journeys along the course of the river
and made their way, at the price of heroic sacrifice, into the valleys, the back
hills and the mountains to visit the poor Indians in their huts (to/dos), the
settlers in their ranches, and the outposts which were sprouting everywhere.
First they explored the territory; then they chose the spots best suited for
mission stations, thus working their way into all of northern and central
Patagonia and into the Pampas, to bring the regeneration of baptism to the
natives.
The PatagOnes mission came first. The archbishop of Buenos Aires, after
entrusting the entire mission of Patagonia—particularly the two parishes of
Patagones and Viedma—to Don Bosco in August 1879, opened negotiations
with the provincial, Father [Francis] Bodrato, on how to systematize them,
while at the same time soliciting the necessary funds from the government. To
say two parishes is just a manner of speaking, much as if we were to divide
Italy into two halves, north and south of the Po River, and assign the pastoral
care of each half to one parish priest. Negotiations were concluded by
November, and preparations were made for the missionaries to leave for their
mission stations; but they finally left on January 15 of the following year. On
that day the impressive departure ceremony which had been held in Turin was
copied, though on a smaller scale. It was held in the Church of St. Charles, and
the archbishop, assisted by his canons and other priests, delivered a moving
sermon to a full congregation of the Salesians' friends and benefactors. Then,
after the ritual prayers for a safe journey, the departing missionaries were
escorted to the steamship "Santa Rosa," which weighed anchor the next
morning. Father Joseph Fagnano, director of the mission, was accompanied by
two priests, two coadjutors, and four Daughters of Mary, Help of

4These two settlements, facing each other on either bank of the Rio Negro, formed a single town known
as Carmen de Patagones until 1879. From that year on, the right bank settlement took the name of its
founder, Francis Viedma, while the other was named simply Patagdnes. Today Viedma is the capital of
the state of Rio Negro and is within the archdiocese of Buenos Aires. (Politically and administratively,
territories which are not provinces or federal states are controlled by the federal government.) Patagones
is now a city of the province of Buenos Aires, which is within the diocese of La Plata. [Author]
498 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Christians; the latter were to open their first convent in that territory. One
newpaper5 in the capital wrote of the sisters: "This is the first time since the
dawn of creation that nuns will be seen in those far-off southern lands."
As pastor of Patagortes, including all the villages and Indian tribes
between the Rio Negro and Rio Colorado, Father Fagnano lost no time in
starting his apostolate. By September he had two schools fully operating in
Patagones; the boys' school had forty-eight pupils, while the girls' school had
forty. Special attention was given to the Indian children whose parents came
to town for trading or other business. God only knows what sacrifices those
first five years cost the missionaries: insufficient personnel, scant funds, and
opposition from civil authorities worked against Father Fagnano's efforts.
Had not God's mighty hand upheld him, he would have been forced to give
up, despite his undaunted spirit. In 1884, handing over his thriving mission to
others, this gallant son of Don Bosco was appointed prefect apostolic of
southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, where he worked wonders of zeal.
One of his fellow Salesians served alone for some time in the parish of
Viedma, until the newly appointed pastor—Father Dominic Milanesio,6
whom we have mentioned several times in these Memoirs—arrived in
December. Whether or not he previously had any general notion of the
vastness of his mission territory, he zealously set about tracking down the
Indians and manifested such leadership qualities that a year later his
superiors sent that great-hearted missionary, Father Joseph Beauvoir,' to take
his place at Viedma and left Father Milanesio free to devote himself full-
time to his cherished apostolic explorations, He was truly God's gift to all
the settlers along the Rio Negro, but most of all a father to the Indians,
whose language he spoke fluently. His name carried so much power that the
Indians would invoke it whenever they found themselves defenseless against
the ill-treatment of the whites. In his thirty-three years of apostolic work he
repeatedly crisscrossed all of Patagonia on horseback and traversed the
Cordilleras no less than twenty-seven times. He suffered much, but his
sacrifices were abundantly compensated by
Mmerica del Sur, January 13, 1880. [Author] 6 See
Appendix 1. [Editor] 'See Appendix 1. [Editor]
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 499

the good he did. It was due to him that the remaining armed Indian tribes
made their peace with the commanding officers of the army posts. He
initiated contacts with the fiery Manuel Namuncura, later baptized with his
whole family by Bishop John Cagliero who was the embodiment of all the
efforts exerted to Christianize Patagonia.
Just as the Indians hailed Father Fagnano as the "Great Father," they
called Father Milanesio the "Good Father." Don Bosco had fostered the
belated vocations of both these mission heroes, and it was he who
welcomed and formed them even before he initiated the Sons of Mary
Program.
They and other early missionaries failed only in one important thing: they
sacrificed and worked themselves to death on the field of their apostolic
labors but never troubled to record in writing for the sake of those who
followed them the history of their struggles and victories. Hence, with the
passing of years, doubts have recently been voiced as to the reality of their
genuine missionary accomplishments. But one day an impartial history will
refute these odious insinuations, as one well-informed speaker solemnly
dubbed therms
At the proper time and place we will continue our account of the Salesian
missionaries' achievements in Patagonia during the last years of Don Bosco's
life. To the very end of his days he followed them with encouragement,
counsel and prayer, while they made their way into those remote lands to
bring faith and civilization to their inhabitants. But more than any more
support he could possibly give, Don Bosco mostly contributed to his
missionaries' progress by obtaining for them, not without considerable effort,
a solid, ecclesiastical structure which we shall now begin to discuss.
For some time Don Bosco had realized the advantages of having an
apostolic vicariate in Patagonia, and the reader is already acquainted with his
first presentations of this matter to the Holy See,9 but the more the mission
developed, the more this plan became not just a wise move but a downright
necessity, if missionary activity there was to have any kind of regularity and
permanence. Setting up an ecclesiastical jurisdiction subject not to
8Monsignor Duprat in the funeral oration for Cardinal Cagliero, which he delivered in
the cathedral at Buenos Aires on February 26, 1926. [Author] gSee Vol. X111, p. 595.
[Editor]
500 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the local ordinary but only to the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of
the Faith would guarantee a homogeneous, wellorganind personnel not
subject to local Church authorities, freedom of action in the exercise of
priestly ministry, and the possibility of direct, unbroken contact with the
government, whose favorable attitude offered much promise. For these
reasons, this was one of Don Bosco's main concerns during his stay in Rome
at the beginning of 1880. Accustomed to set his mind on t he business at hand
as fully as it warranted, he first confidentially sought the advice of several
prelates. Then he brought it up to the Holy Father in his audience of April 5.
In turn the Holy Father kindly asked Archbishop Jacobini, secretary of the
Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, to discuss the
matter unofficially with Don Bosco and with Cardinal Alimonda of the
Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Assisted by Father
Dalmazzo, Don Bosco held several meetings with both prelates and drew up a
memorandum which he handed to the cardinal, together with several
corroborative documents, on April 15. That evening the cardinal presented
them to the Pope. Don Bosco accompanied the packet with a covering letter:

Rome, April 13, 1880

Most Holy Father,
It is my privilege to present to Your Holiness a brief report on the current
situation of the Salesian missions in [ South] America, and on several measures
deemed necessary to consolidate the work among the Indians of the Pampas and of
Patagonia. At your kind request, I conferred at length with His Eminence Cardinal
[Cajetan] Alimonda and with His Excellency Archbishop Dominic Jacobini.
Prizing the mature reflections and suggestions of these two learned dignitaries, we
came to the conclusion that an apostolic vicariate should be established for the
existing settlements along the Rio Negro and that a seminary for the training of
missionaries should be set up in Europe.
Any directive Your Holiness may wish to issue on this matter will serve as our
norm in negotiating with the Argentine government and with Archbishop Aneyros of
Buenos Aires.
In humble reverence, I invoke your apostolic blessing on all the
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 501

members of our lowly Congregation, especially on those who labor in our American
missions and implore your blessing.
Your most humble and devoted servant, Fr. John
Bosco

The memorandum itself was a clear, well-written report on the plan of

action which had been adopted, on what had already been done and what
remained to be done, and its obvious conclusion: the necessity of a vicariate
apostolic in Patagonia and of a seminary for the training of future
missionaries in Marseille.

Rome, April 13, 1880

Report to His Holiness, Pope Leo XILI, on the Salesian missions in South America
with a view to establishing a vicariate apostolic in Patagonia.

THE SALESIAN MISSIONS

AND THEIR RELATIONS WITH THE HOLY SEE
The foreign missions have always been a cherished concern of the Salesian
Congregation. The need of strengthening the faith in the baptized, of spreading that
faith in uncivilized territories, and thus of assisting their people to shed the darkness of
error in which they live has always been the object of our study, reading, and
admiration. For a long time our former pupils went to mission lands by joining other
religious institutes or at the request of local bishops in America, Australia, India,
China and Japan_ Our initial approach to sending a missionary expedition was made
in 1872 to His Eminence Cardinal Barnabo, prefect of the Congregation for the
Propagation of the Faith. Later, His Holiness, Pope Pius IX, advised us to gather those
Salesians who volunteered for the missions and send them in groups to open houses
and hospices where the need was greatest. Among other regions, the Supreme Pontiff
kindly suggested South America and the Argentine Republic in particular. Having
himself spent some time there, he knew the crying need for missionaries to care for
Italian immigrants and also make some attempts to reach out to the Indians of the
Pampas and Patagonia. With great generosity, Pius IX effectively supported our first
missionary expedition financially. On November 1, 1875, ten Salesians called on the
Holy Father to seek his blessing and to receive their apostolic mandate personally
from him. The Vicar of Christ welcomed them very graciously, encouraged them
fervently, and gave
502 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

them a letter of introduction to the archbishop of Buenos Aires dated that very day
and issued by the cardinal secretary of state.
They were granted required faculties by the Sacred Congregation for the
Propagation of the Faith in a decree dated November 14, 1875.
Some time later the Supreme Pontiff voiced his deep satisfaction in a brief dated
November 17, which praised and approved the new expedition.
To further stabilize that mission, the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith,
once informed of the growth of the spiritual harvest and of the beginning of native
vocations, authorized the erection of a novitiate by a decree of July 6, 1876.
The present Pontiff—may God preserve him in good health for many years—
graciously issued a second brief on September 18, 1878, voicing his fatherly love and
warm approval of the Salesian mission in [South] America.
The same I.,eo XIII—though himself in financial straits—made a generous
contribution to our fourth missionary expedition when he learned of our monetary
difficulties and encouraged us to persevere in our endeavors in a letter dated
November 23, 1878.

AIM OF THE SALESIAN MISSIONS IN [SOUTH] AMERICA

Pope Pius IX suggested three objectives to the Salesian missionaries:
1. To care for Italian immigrants, especially the young, scattered in great numbers
across South America.
2. To open hospices near Indian territories and make them serve as junior
seminaries as well as homes for the poorest and most destitute youths.
3. By these means to pave the way for bringing the Gospel to the Indians of the
Pampas and Patagonia. The first missionary expedition of Salesians, as previously
stated, left on November 14, 1875,10 and arrived in Buenos Aires, the capital of
Argentina, one month later.

THE SALESIAN MISSIONS IN [SOUTH] AMERICA TODAY

At present one hundred and twenty Salesians work in [South] America, as follows:
1. In the diocese and city of Buenos Aires, the provincial house is the center of
direction and administration. The provincial resides in the recently established parish
of San Carlos in the Almagro neighborhood where it cares for some six thousand
souls. The Pius IX Hospice shelters

See Vol. XI, pp. 366ff. [Editor]

10
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 503

one hundred and fifty poor boys who are taught trades; non-resident boys and adults
are instructed and entertained on Sundays.
We also have a novitiate and a house of studies for Salesians. Furthermore, in a
neighborhood called "La Boca,"11 a parish dedicated to St. John the Evangelist cares
for some twenty-seven thousand people, mostly Italian immigrants. We also run a
school for poor boys.
Lastly, we service the Church of Mater Misericordiae which offers pastoral care
mainly to Italians, young and old, who come in large numbers from scattered areas in
the city and surrounding countryside.
2. In the town of San Nicolas de los Arroyos, situated on the fringe of the Indian
territory, we have a boarding school or junior seminary for the missions; some
vocations have already matured.
The Salesians also conduct a public church and a parish in Ramallo, a village of
four thousand souls. The people live on widely scattered farms, assembling on
Sundays for Mass, confession, Communion and baptism.
1 With God's help we have already established several houses in the Republic of
Uruguay.
The Pius IX Boarding School at Villa Colon is rated as a diocesan seminary for
missionaries and has been affiliated with the state university; moreover a parish
church serves the suburbs of Villa Colon.
In Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, we run a day and Sunday oratory with a
school for poor and imperiled boys.
In Las Piedras, a parish of six thousand souls, we conduct a day school and a
festive oratory.

DAUGHTERS OF MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS

Three years ago the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians went to [South]
America to assist the Salesians and to work among the countless poor girls who live
in situations that daily imperil their faith and morals.
In the parish of Las Piedras, in the diocese of Montevideo, the sisters aid the
missionaries in teaching religion and other subjects, supervising and preparing
Indian girls for confession, Holy Communion, and confirmation.
In Villa Colon they teach courses in home economics on weekdays and run a
Sunday school for older girls.
In Montevideo they have a hospice and school for girls who might be in danger of
falling under Protestant influence.
In Buenos Aires, the sisters have started a number of classes, workshops and
Sunday schools for abandoned girls.

"See Vol. XII, pp. 190ff. [Editor]

504 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

SETTLEMENTS ALONG THE RIO NEGRO

After this rapid survey of Salesian missions in [South] America, I should like to
consider briefly the most necessary steps we must take to improve the lot of the
Pampas and Patagonian Indians who live along the banks of the Rio Negro.
The Rio Negro, rising in the Cordillera de los Andes, follows a long, torturous
course of well over six hundred and thirty miles and empties into the Atlantic Ocean
at 40° latitude south. The north bank of the river borders the vast wilderness of the
Pampas, while the limitless range of eastern Patagonia starts on the south bank.
For four centuries Catholic missionaries worked very hard to penetrate this wild
hinterland, enduring indescribable hardships, but all in vain as far as we know, for
none of those who headed into the interior of Patagonia ever came back.
In 1878 the Salesians too, eager to make an attempt, sailed in a government ship
to the Rio Negro, but a raging storm threatened to destroy them, driving them off
course several times and finally forcing them to put into harbor at Buenos Aires . 12
In 1879 they tried a second time, taking a different route with better success. 13 They
crossed the Pampas and met with the caciques or chiefs of the savages; they
received a warm welcome and baptized more than four hundred Indian children. On
reaching the Rio Negro, they went to the settlements which the archbishop of
Buenos Aires had entrusted to the Salesians in a letter dated August 15, 1879, in
which he described this mission as follows:

"At long last the moment has come when I can offer you the Patagonian mission in
which you are so interested, as well as the parish of Patagones which may serve as
headquarters for the mission. As you will have already seen in letters from Father
Costamagna, the parish of PatagOnes takes in:
"1. Carmen de Patagones, with some thirty-five hundred souls, and a rectory for
the parish priest.
"1 Guardia-Mitre, about fifty miles from Patagones, with a population of roughly
one thousand.
"3. The Conesa settlement, a hundred and two miles from Patagones, with about
eight hundred Indians of the Catriel tribe.
"4. The new settlement at Choele-Choel, two hundred and ten miles from
PatagOnes, with a population of about two thousand, including Christians and
Indians.
"All of these centers are located on the north bank of the Rio Negro,

"See Vol. VIII, pp. 612f. [Editor] "See pp. 216ff.

[Editor]
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 505

which is easily fordable since its width does not exceed nine hundred feet. Opposite
Carmen de PatagOnes, on the south shore of the Rio Negro in Patagonia, lies
Mercedes de Patagones, residence of the governor of these territories. It has a church
adequate to the needs of fifteen hundred people.
"About twenty-four miles from Mercedes de Patagcines is the settlement of
Francis Xavier, also on the south bank of the Rio Negro in Patagonia, with four
hundred Indians of the Linares tribe.
"There is but one priest for all these centers. On Sundays, after celebrating Mass in
his place of residence, he crosses the river to say another Mass at Mercedes. It is
obvious that one priest cannot possibly serve all these parishes regularly, even with
another priest to help him. I regret to say that a shortage of priests has made it
impossible for me to remedy the situation.
"Some years ago the Lazarist Fathers took charge of this mission, but little was
done besides some repairs on the missionaries' residence; lack of personnel forced
their withdrawal.
"Besides these problems we must also contend with the consequences of Protestant
infiltration."

To stem the rising tide of such evils, to give the Patagonian missions some degree
of stability, and to shield the people from the snares set by the enemies of our faith,
we accepted the zealous archbishop's offer and the generous proposals he made us in
the Argentine government's name to send Salesians to Patagonia. Last December 15,
twelve Salesians left by ship for Carmen de PatagOnes and after a fairly smooth
voyage arrived there on January 2. Other confreres left later to join them. With the
continued support of Divine Providence, we hope to send out another expedition
shortly.14
To promote both the civil and the religious well-being of these settlements, the
Argentine government established them into a province; it favors the work of the
missions and presently offers to cooperate with the Salesians in evangelizing the
Indians on both sides of the Rio Negro. To this end we have been promised material
and moral support. Lately, the president of the republic formally asked us for a report
outlining the conditions we feel are needed to regularize the relations between the
missionaries, the government, and the Indians.
On arriving in Patagonia the Salesians were advised by the archbishop of Buenos
Aires to select Carmen de Patagones for their headquarters.

14The expedition was to leave in December 1879, but as we have said, it was postponed. [See Vol.

XIII, p. 610—Editor.] Don Bosco thought they had departed on schedule and so calculated that they
should have arrived on January 2. He also assumed that all the Salesians and sisters assigned to that
territory had been sent there. [Author]
506 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Their first efforts were directed to building churches, hospices and schools for boys
and girls. Thus, while some Salesians are engaged in teaching skills, trades and
agriculture in the established settlements, others continue to advance into Indian
territory to catechize and, where possible, establish new settlements in the hinterland.
The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians are already working in these Indian
villages, setting up schools and hospices for homeless girls.

FUTURE PLANS
To establish our faith firmly in Patagonia and effectively to foster the mission's
development and expansion, we believe that three important steps must be taken:
1. To set up a prefecture or vicariate apostolic as a center for existing settlements
and those which, God willing, we hope to set up.
2. To found a seminary for students to learn the culture, language and customs of
the Indians, as well as the history and geography of the territory.
3. To come up with a proposal which, while accepting the Argentine government's
favorable offers, would guarantee the religious and civic status of the Indians
embracing our faith.
Since negotiations with the government demand time and further refinement, the
presentation of this proposal may be deferred.
However, the setting up of a vicariate apostolic and the founding of a seminary for
the Patagonian missions should be considered immediately.

VICARIATE APOSTOLIC IN PATAGONIA

Since the Argentine government recently united the above settlements into a
province named "Province of Patagonia," the vicariate or prefecture apostolic might
be given the same name. It would comprise the settlements on both the north and the
south banks of the Rio Negro and the territories to the east of Patagonia, until a
second vicariate can be erected at Santa Cruz, a small settlement founded toward the
Strait of Magellan, where the Rib Magellan empties into the Atlantic. The new
vicariate would thus extend from 36° to 30° latitude south.
It should be borne in mind that the Cordillera de los Andes cuts through Patagonia
from 40° to 50° latitude south and down to the Strait of Magellan; the eastern half
faces the Atlantic, the western the Pacific. This second half belongs to Chile and
hence should not form part of the projected vicariate. Below the Strait of Magellan lie
Tierra del Fuego and surrounding islands extending as far south as Cape Horn, from
50° to 63°
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 507

latitude south. It would be wise to omit mentioning these lands in our proposed plan
for a vicariate, since they are presently under contention by both the Argentine and
Chilean governments.
Once the Holy See has set up a vicariate apostolic at Carmen de PatagOnes and a
permanent mission center, we will be entitled to funds from the Society for the
Propagation of the Faith and the Holy Childhood Association. We can also receive
aid from charitable orgnnizations founded in Buenos Aires to favor the spread of the
Gospel into the Pampas and into Patagonia.
We also have well-founded hopes that the Argentine government will allot an
annual subsidy to the vicariate which is considered indispensable to the political and
religious needs of the territory.

SEMINARY FOR THE PATAGONIAN MISSIONS

Three boarding schools or junior seminaries have already been founded in South
America, as noted previously, to foster vocations to the priesthood. One of these is
at Villa Colon; another at Buenos Aires; the third at San Nicolas de los Arroyos, the
last outpost of the Argentine Republic on the Pampas border. A few vocations have
already matured, but for the time being they are exceedingly rare and far between,
absolutely nowhere enough to meet the overriding needs of these dioceses, all of
which suffer from a severe shortage of priests. It is therefore indispensable to set up
a seminary in Europe to train evangelical workers for Patagonia.
Mature reflection on the feasibility of opening such a seminary in Italy, France or
Spain shows that the city of Marseille is the best place for the seminary itself because
it offers greater opportunity for material assistance and moral support, but later on a
seminary residence could be opened in Spain to facilitate the study and practice of
Spanish, the official language of the government and of the public schools and the
first language to be taught to the Indians.
Once the vicariate apostolic has been established, both the seminary and the
mission center could confidently hope to receive some financial assistance from the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith and the Holy Childhood Association; further,
at the Holy Father's discretion, some simple way of getting donations for this purpose
could be worked out.
So as not to offend the sensitivities of the dioceses, all of which are hurting from a
painful scarcity of priestly vocations, it might be wiser to run the seminary courses
only up to philosophy, leaving the students free to return to their own dioceses, enter
a religious order, or choose to serve the Patagonian missions. Only these last should
definitively be accepted
508 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

for courses which are clearly geared to the Indian missions of the Pampas, Patagonia
and, God willing, Tierra del Fuego.
Everything set forth here has already been discussed with His Excellency,
Archbishop Dominic Jacobini, secretary of the Congregation of Extraordinary
Ecclesiastic Affairs, and with His Eminence, Cardinal Cajetan Alimonda, of the
Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, both of whom were expressly
charged by His Holiness, Leo XIII, to deal with this matter and report to him. May
the Holy Father graciously bless and approve all deliberations that he judges will
redound to God's greater glory and the welfare of souls.

Two days later, certainly in accord with the above -mentioned discussions,
Don Bosco sent a formal notice to Archbishop Frederick Aneyros of Buenos
Aires that this matter was now under negotiation; he also so informed Father
Bodrato, the Salesian provincial. We cannot help but be touched by the
exquisite delicacy and evangelical simplicity with which, in the first let ter,
Don Bosco handles a topic bound by its very nature to touch upon sensitive
matters of jurisdiction.

Rome, April 15, 1880

Your Excellency,
I have duly received your letter as well as that sent me by your vicar general,
Monsignor [Anthony] Espinosa, in which you personally and in the name of the
Argentine government offered the missions of PatagOnes and of the other settlements
along the Rio Negro to the Salesians. I gratefully accepted that proposal and sent
several missionaries to get firsthand information about the area and its needs, and to
prepare the way for more missionaries who are ready to go. However, duly weighing
your proposal, I thought it best to bring everything to the attention of the Holy Father
and to ask for his enlightened counsel and guidance in so important a step. Wishing
to be kept fully informed on this matter, His Holiness appointed a committee of high-
ranking dignitaries who offered the following suggestions for the great glory of God
and the welfare of souls.
1. They commend the pastoral concern of the archbishop of Buenos Aires, his zeal
to develop his vast diocese, and especially his care to spread the Gospel to the Indians
of the Pampas and Patagonia.
2. Because of the vast distance between the Rio Negro settlements and the
archdiocesan seat (a journey of fifteen days), the committee proposed that a vicariate
apostolic be established to comprise present and future
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 509

settlements along the shores of the Rio Negro. The new vicariate would extend from
36° to 50° latitude south. It would be called the "Vicariate Apostolic of Patagonia,"
keeping the official name of the province. Its seat would be Carmen de PatagOnes,
which Your Excellency chose as the center of Salesian missionary action among the
Indians.
3. Your Excellency is requested to use your good offices with the Argentine
government to obtain an annual financial subsidy to set up and maintain the
vicariate, which is judged indispensable for the civil and spiritual well-being of the
area. In this connection I am writing to the superior of the Salesian missions to ask
that, in full agreement with Your Excellency, he take all necessary steps to ensure
the growth and stability of that mission work..
4. Would Your Excellency please send your reflections and suggestions to His
Eminence Cardinal Nina, Secretary of State to His Holiness?
For my part, I shall not cease to do all I can to keep sending more missionaries to
boost the ranks of those now in Patagonia and to solicit all the material help I can
here in Europe.
Your Excellency zealously summoned the Salesians to South America, and in
your goodness you have always supported and encouraged us. I fully trust that you
will continue your fatherliness to us, while we respectfully promise to obey and
serve you in every way we can.
With highest esteem and deep respect,
Your most obedient servant, Fr. John
Bosco
Superior General of the Salesian Congregation

The second letter was also couched in every careful terms, as is proper in a
document which will eventually be subject to the critical scrutiny of
competent authorities.

Rome, April 15, 1880

My dear Father Bodrato,
The good will shown by His Excellency, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, and by
the Argentine government in their desire to bring civilization and religion to the
Indians and settlers along the Rio Negro has persuaded me to accept willingly their
offer of missions whose aim is to civilize and evangelize the inhabitants of that vast
wilderness. As you well know, this prompted us to send Father Fagnano and others
to prepare the grounds and accommodations for other Salesians who will soon leave
to reinforce the ranks of their confreres in Patagonia.
510 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

But, anxious to lend firmer stability to our civilizing task among these people
and to foster the teaching of trades, skills and agriculture among the Indians, I went
to Rome and informed the Holy Father of the Argentine government's willingness
to aid the Salesians with their travel expenses and their living needs in those wild
lands. The Holy Father was quite pleased with this offer which gives him well-
founded hopes of extending the Kingdom of Jesus Christ here on earth. In order
that this pious undertaking be well thought out, he appointed a committee of high-
ranking dignitaries to study what had been done in the past and what could be done
now to aid the government's efforts to civilize and convert these natives, who also
are children of Our Heavenly Father and have been called to enter the haven of the
Catholic faith, the official religion of the Argentine Republic. After a careful study
of the historic, geographic, civil and religious features of the Pampas and
Patagonia, in view of the vast distances between those settlements and the
archdiocesan seat of Buenos Aires, and of the population already exceeding ten
thousand with constant growth, the Pope's committee concluded that a vicariate
apostolic would serve as a moral and religious bond to hold the people and at the
same time as a secure center about which the converted Indians could settle.
Relying upon the Argentine government's generosity in an enterprise which aims at
civilizing a large and very needy portion of that territory and considering the
above-stated factors, the committee reached the following conclusions:
1. To thank the Argentine government for its support of religion, especially for
bringing it to the Indians.
2. To consolidate the civil and religious standing of the Rio Negro settlements
by establishing a vicariate apostolic. It would adopt the official name of the
province and would comprise the present settlements and those which may later be
founded in the areas bordering Indian territory. The new vicariate would extend
from 36° latitude south to 50° latitude south.
3. To request of the government an annual financial subsidy to help erect and
maintain this vicariate apostolic which is so far distant from any civilized center.
4. The government's intent may be communicated to His Eminence Cardinal
Lawrence Nina, secretary of state of His Holiness. For a smooth procedure and the
faithful execution of the government's plans, a written reply must be sent to it.
When you have duly informed the government authorities and provided all the
information it requests, please send me a report so that we may do what we must to
get this holy undertaking underway.
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 511

I take this occasion to express my thanks to the government of Argentina for the
protection, good will and aid it has given the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco
This formal letter, meant for the eyes of government officials, was
accompanied by a more intimate note which expressed Don Bosco's
fatherly love for his Salesians and for the Daughters of Mary, Help of
Christians.

Rome, April 17, 1880

My dear Father Bodrato,
Enclosed please find a letter to be forwarded to the government; it might be wise
to make a copy in case you have to hand in the original. An almost identical letter
has been sent to the archbishop; confer with him and please keep me informed on
any decisions that might be taken. This has been a very lengthy negotiation, but the
Holy Father, who now has it in hand, has given and continues to give it his personal
attention.
Father Dalmazzo and I held preliminary discussions with Archbishop Jacobini of
the Sacred Congregation of Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, and with Cardinal
Alimonda of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith.
If we can get a vicariate established, our missions will be subsidized by the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which will also help set up a seminary in
Europe for the training of missionaries for the Pampas and Patagonia.
I have had news from the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians
from time to time, and I bless the Lord for helping us in such manifest ways.
Tell everyone of my deepest satisfaction. The Holy Father is very enthusiastic
about our missions. He sends you all his special blessing. He often speaks of you and
he too intends to give us material assistance.
Urge our dear confreres:
1. To work just as much as their health will allow while being on guard against
idleness.
2. To observe our rules. How tragic if we were to know them and not practice
them!
3. Let me also know whether at least one of you can attend the general chapter in
September. I would like this, if it is at all feasible. We have very
512 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

little news of Father Fagnano and his companions. We are busily training others to
come to your assistance.
God bless you, my ever beloved Father Bodrato, and with you may He also bless
all our dear Salesians and Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. Give my respects
to Dr. Carranza and Monsignor Espinosa. May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ
be with us always. Yours always in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Fr. John Bosco

While all these protracted negotiations were going on, the time of the
spiritual retreat during which Don Bosco would have to present some twenty
Salesians as candidates for holy orders was fast approaching, but all the
problems caused by his lack of privileges were still persisting.' 5 Therefore
for graver reasons than in the past, wishing to obtain the ordination of two
priests for the missions which Leo XIII had so benevolently approved and
encouraged, he submitted this petition to the Holy Father:
Turin, July 14, 1880
Most Blessed Father:
The missions of Uruguay and Patagonia, which Your Holiness so graciously blessed
and entrusted to the Congregation of St. Francis de Sales, are experiencing wonderful
growth and bear hopes of a rich spiritual harvest. A considerable number of priests,
master craftsmen and sisters have already, with God's help, founded churches, houses,
schools and hospices for Indian boys and girls, thousands of whom have been
converted to the faith within a short period of time. But the present number of
laborers is inadequate to meet the growing needs of that population, and

1 Elle had gotten a taste of this in April, while in Rome. On April 8 Archbishop Gastaldi had written to

Father Cagliero who, as catechist general of the Congregation, was in charge of those to be ordained: "I
wish to caution you that when a diocesan ordinary allows a religious to receive holy orders outside the
diocese, the ordinary is under obligation to submit him to an examination as prescribed by the Council of
Trent and by the Pontifical. It was an oversight on my part to authorize you verbally to have the
chancery's required permission to send a few Salesians to be ordained outside the prescribed time without
being required to take the above examination." Then, as now (Codex Iuris Canonici, 997, #1), the
ordinary of the diocese in which the ordinand lived could quite easily leave this examination to the
ordaining bishop, and it was an exaggeration to speak of an obligation in this case. It is improbable that
Archbishop Gastaldi, well versed in canon law, could have erred in so obvious a matter. However, it is
quite likely that someone ill disposed to the Salesians] might have suggested that they be required to take
the examinations in Turin, as the archbishop was entitled, but not obliged, to demand. [Author]
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 513

therefore, with Your Holiness' consent, another missionary band is now being
readied and should be leaving in the early part of next November. However, that we
may carry out this holy enterprise, as demanded by these grave circumstances, we
request that Your Holiness, in your sovereign clemency, allow the superior of the
Congregation of St. Francis de Sales to avail himself twice, within the months of
August, September and October, of the extra tempus privilege, so as to present for
holy orders those priests he has in Italy and in France who have reached canonical
age, have completed their studies and are blessed with all other qualities required by
Holy Church.
Humbly prostrate before you, I implore this distinct favor which will, I pray, be
to God's greater glory and the welfare of the Indians, who most anxiously await
those who will bring them the light of the Gospel and guide their steps on the path
of eternal salvation.
Humbly,
John Bosco, Petitioner

Father Dalmazzo, whom Don Bosco instructed to present this petition, was
also given the following counsel:16 "Please read the
enclosed petition which is addressed to the Holy Father, and the letter,
which is for Archbishop Agnozzi. Then, putting both into one envelope,
deliver it to the curia and ask to see him.17 For your information, I requested
the same faculty two years ago, but it was not granted until two months
after the missionaries had departed." If you foresee any problems, ask
Archbishop Agnozzi not to take it amiss if you appeal to our cardinal
protector or have recourse to any other channel he may suggest. Remember too
that Archbishop Agnozzi has always been kindly disposed to us: faculties
granted to our missionaries and permission to open a novitiate in South
America were all his doing."
Don Bosco was still putting his trust in the good offices of Archbishop
Agnozzi, but circumstances had changed. From secretary of the Sacred
Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, the archbishop had
become secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars,
and in this office he had to follow the policies of the cardinal prefect with
regard to Don
Letter to Father Dalmazzo, Turin, July 14, 1880. [Author]
16

He means Archbishop Agnozzi, who was then secretary of the Congregation of Bishops and
17

Regulars. [Author]
"See VoI. XIII, pp. 599f. [Editor]
514 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

Bosco's affairs. Father Dalmazzo received ample proof of this when,

obeying Don Bosco's instructions, he appealed to Cardinal Nina for the
extra tempus. 19 When Don Bosco learned of this he was very much
grieved, but, when expressing his feelings to his procurator after the news
that his request was being opposed, he wrote like a saint, opening and
closing his letter with a joking reference to the effects of the heat, and
expressing in a single sentence all his magnanimity.

Turin, July 21, 1880

My dear Father Dalmazzo,
Here we are, half frozen by the heat! We are penny-pinching in putting wood
in the furnace. We are surely saving on that.
I can't understand how Father Bonetti's case,21 which had been entrusted to the
Sacred Congregation of the Council, you tell me is now at the Congregation for
Bishops and Regulars. We are losing ninety percent of our effectiveness. Please tell
me what happened, if you can.22
I think it would be wise for you, either alone or with Attorney Leonori, to call on
Cardinal Nina, our protector. Also, make sure he sees the application for the extra
tempus faculty. If the Holy Father expects us to run the missions he has entrusted to us,
then he, the Holy Father himself, must support us especially in the matter of those
privileges which all other congregations possess without any expiring date. Could he
not allow us, for this one time at least, to apply directly to the Congregation of the
Council whose competence it is? A simple request for the extra tempus for a few
ordinands does not meet our needs. I have requested this before on other occasions,
and then all they did was to appoint ordaining bishops whose services I could not use.
Furthermore, for every ordination we had to pay a stole fee. Speak of this to Cardinal
Nina when you give him my petition to read. If we have to initiate a suit against our
archbishop, we had better get all our grievances together, and we have plenty of them.
For

15Letter from Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco, undated, but in reply to Don Bosco's letter dated July 21,

which will immediately follow: "I heard from Cardinal Nina that Agnozzi and Ferrieri have become two
bodies with one soul. This explain' why Archbishop Agnozzi displayed such indignation with Attorney
Leonori at these 'yokels'20 who are so obstinate and pig-headed as to think that they can reform Rome's
ways." [Author]
20A disparaging epithet given to the Piedmontese after the seizure of Rome in 1870. [Editor]

2 'See Chapter 9. [Editor]

22The explanation was the following: "Father Bonetti's case is still with the [Congregation of the]

Council. I must have explained myself badly, because the tongue ever turns to the aching tooth." Letter,
July 15. [Author]
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 515

your information, the archbishop recently lodged a complaint which the cardinal
secretary of state passed on to us. According to him, we are impossible to deal
with, because we rejected a proposal of his.23 Father Berto will send you the
details or, better, a copy of the reply he sent to your cardinal protector.
Every time they throw up obstacles before us, I react by opening another
house. Let's wait and see which house it will be this time.
Should you notice that your table friends are in danger of taring cold because of
the heat, send them to Piedmont and do likewise, unless you can make other
provisions. If it's only for a few weeks, I am sure that our good Sigismondi will
gladly feed you. What's your financial situation?
My perspiration is dropping onto this paper and I cannot write any further.
God bless us all! May He keep us in His holy grace! Pray for me!
Yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

Thanks to the intervention of Cardinal Nina the dispensation for two extra
tempus ordinations was granted.24
Don Bosco's letters reached Argentina at too critical a time for the
archbishop and government to do anything about them. The threatening
clouds of civil war were gathering on the horizon. Presidential elections had
been set between September and October, since Avallaneda's term was
running out. Two candidates were contending for the presidency: Argentina-
born General Roca, son of Italian immigrants, and counsellor-at-law
Tejedor. Roca had the government, the army and eleven provinces on his
side; the latter had the province of Buenos Aires of which he was governor,
two other provinces, and all the aristocracy. The national army ranged itself
on the general's side, but Tejedor, determined to maintain his hold by force,
hastily rigged up an army of his own and equipped it as well as he could
under the circumstances. The followers of both candidates engaged in a
bloody conflict which reached its climax in June.25

23Erecting an additional building with the Sacred Heart parish. [Author]

"Letter from Father Dalmazzo to Don Bosco, Rome, August 11, 1880. (This letter serves as the
postscript to his letter of August 5, written from Teano). [Author]
25To visualize the nature of this struggle, it suffices to know that two combat teams fighting each

other were under the command of two brothers, while two contending frigates in Rio de la Plata were
under the respective command of father and son. [Author]
516 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

The national army laid siege to the capital, so that the boarding school of
San Carlos found itself caught between two fires. Foreseeing such a crisis,
Father Bodrato had early stocked a fair supply of biscuits, flour, dried fruit,
dried fish and other essential foods. Boys who had parents he sent home, but
some forty others, artisans and students, were still with him. Our priests
wanted to minister to the wounded as soon as the fighting would break out,
but their provincial read a letter from Don Bosco stating that no one was to
expose himself to danger unless it was necessary, as, for example, if other
religious institutes could not handle the work alone, or if the fighting was
near our houses or parish churches. In these cases the Salesians were to be
the first to help out.
On June 21 a fierce battle left several thousand dead along the border of
our parishes of San Carlos and "La Boca." Just on that day, Father
Bodrato, who was seriously ill, had obtained permission, at his confreres'
relentless insistence, to enter the embattled city to see a doctor. What
carnage he witnessedcartloads of dead and wounded dripping blood along
the roads, as women and children ran after them, screaming and anxiously
searching for their loved ones. He did not have the heart to go any further
amidst such horrors and soon turned back, the terror of what he had seen
showing itself on his face when he rejoined his confreres.
The whole gamut of horror hit them in those dark days: hunger,26

Receiving in October a donation of a hundred lire for the mission, Don Bosco informed the
26

donor, a Father Valacchi, of these horrors, as follows:

Turin, October 24, 1880
Beloved in Our Lord Jesus Christ,
You shall receive a hundredfold and eternal life.
I thank you in my own name and in that of my sons in Patagonia who are in desperate straits. The
government is no longer able to grant a subsidy because of the civil war; for one week they had to
subsist on raw donkey meat, no salt, no bread. It was a veritable miracle how assistance reached them on
the ninth day, as they were on the verge of collapse from hunger.
Bless you, Father! Come to see us. Pray for me and for the Gospel laborers among the Indians!
May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be ever with us! Amen.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco
The rare asado con cuero (roasted with the hide) as done in Argentina was just plain raw meat
to Italians. We do not know where he got the information about "donkey meat." [Author]
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 517

arrest under suspicion of espionage, forceful recruiting of older boys, robbery

attempts, threatening shots. However, more than all the evils befalling them,
the Salesians were distressed by their superior's physical deterioration and by
the realization that the prevailing tragedy made it impossible for him to
obtain medical assistance. When the civil war finally ended, he was beyond
all hope of recovery.
Though he had been ill for quite some time, this virtuous priest had
concealed it with his habitually serene countenance and unceasing activity,
but pain and recent privations brought all to a head. Once peace was re-
established, the doctors found that he had cancer of the stomach. From that
dark day of June 21 to August 4, when he left this world for a better one, his
life was one unceasing agony. Added to his acute pains was pneumonia,
whose cure only doubled his agony. He never complained, never mentioned
his physical condition. When the archbishop visited him, he spoke of the
public calamity and recommended the trade school to him. He continued to
direct the house until the beginning of July, when he told Father Costamagna,
"There is nothing more I can do. I offer my life to God for our work. I shall
now get ready for death." After that he no longer spoke of business matters,
replying only to those who asked him questions. One morning, as he was
about to receive Holy Communion, he reproached himself and asked pardon
of all present and absent, urging them all to brotherly unity, diligent piety and
love of chastity. Some time later, to Father [Joseph] Vespignani,27 Father [
Stephen] Bourlot28 and Brother [Felix] Caprioglio,29 then a coadjutor, he
said, "Do you know, I now see before my eyes all the years of my life. Some
cause me sorrow because I did not think of God and my soul as I should. Of
so many years, however, sixteen fill me with joy, and they are the years I
have lived in the Congregation." He had come to Don Bosco at the age of
forty-one from Mornese, where he was teaching elementary school, and was
ordained a priest at the age of forty-six.
As he received Viaticum in the presence of his confreres kneeling tearfully
about his bed, he told them, "Oneness in charity, oneness

See Appendix 1. [Editor]

27 See
26

Appendix 1. [Editor] See Appendix 1.

29

[Editor]
518 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

in chastity. That is all I recommend to you, oneness in charity, oneness in

chastity!" When he breathed his last, the sound of sobbing filled the house,
while outdoors a chorus of praise for the virtue and work of this excellent
disciple of Don Bosco filled the air. Father Vespignani testified that the power
of his intercession in heaven became at once apparent.3°
Informed by cable of the tragic loss he had suffered, Don Bosco
telegraphed the archbishop and through him the Salesians on August 7,
appointing Father [James] Costamagna as acting provincial. On this
mournful occasion, the archbishop, who had been unable to carry out any of
Don Bosco's wishes or even communicate with him because of the national
crisis, sent the following letter:

Buenos Aires, August 10, 1880

Very Reverend Don Bosco,
With apostolic resignation you will have by now received the tragic news of the
death of our very dear friend, Father Bodrato, your beloved son in Jesus Christ.
His death is a grave loss for us and is felt now more than ever since he was the
superior of the Salesian houses in America.
Certainly his was a heavy burden which he bore with true apostolic courage. The
Lord wished to reward him for his great hardships and for the sufferings which he
sustained so heroically for the Congregation. We trust that from his glory in heaven
he will now obtain graces and favors for his confreres and the poor orphans whom he
took from the streets into the Salesian houses with such tender concern.
The last few months have been a nightmare for Buenos Aires because of a fierce
civil war, and the trade school of San Carlos at Almagro, caught between the fire of
both the national and the provincial troops, has suffered extensively. We had to
dismiss almost all the boys, keeping only those who have no home of their own. We
had our hardships, but Father Bodrato suffered more than any of us. God has now
rewarded him for his pains and his kindness. Despite the nation's critical conditions,
the trade school and the other Salesian houses are doing quite well.
You will be very happy with the news I sent you about the Patagonian mission. I
am sorry that so far I have not been able to obtain the subsidy which the government
promised the missions. I shall renew my request

Father Vespignani recorded all this in the school chronicle, singling out eight reasons why the
30

house of San Carlos was so blessed by God. [Author]

The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 519

and hope to get it soon, since it is already earmarked in the national budget. I shall
not rest until I have this money and use it to aid the missions which are in such dire
need. God thus wishes to purify and increase our merit.
I received your cable informing me of Father Costamagna's appointment as
[acting] provincial of the South American missions. You could not have made a
better choice.
Dear Don Bosco, please give my regards to all your beloved Salesians. Always at
your service,
Yours affectionately,
S Frederick, Archbishop

Don Bosco sent his condolences to his bereaved sons from Nizza
Monferrato, where he was conducting a women's retreat, but only after
receiving Father Costamagna's report on the death of Father Bodrato. 31
Father Bodrato was to have come to Turin in May to attend the second
general chapter, but in view of his pleading poor health, Father Rua had
excused him from this obligation in Don Bosco's name and his own,
authorizing Father Costamagna to take his place. But with Father Bodrato's
death, Father Costamagna was no longer free to leave his post. Don Bosco
wrote him the following letter, with two others addressed respectively to
Father Vespignani and Father Fassio:32

Nizza Monferrato, August 22, 1880

My dear Father Costamagna,
You cannot attend the general chapter and take part in the election of the
Congregation's new councillors. It's a disappointment for you and bitter grief for me.
Now let us take heart. Pick up the rules and do all you can to see to their
observances. Our prayers and God's help will not fail you. Call your council together
often, urge Father Vespignani to talk, and consult with the archbishop. Once I
thoroughly know our present state of affairs, I shall proceed definitively to appoint a
new provincial. Till then, the authority is in your hands.
Make sure that no one loses any papers belonging to Father Bodrato. Among them
you will find documents concerning the establishment of a vicariate in Patagonia.
The Holy Father is very concerned about this.
Cf. Bollettino Salesiano, October 1880. [Author] See
31 32

Appendix 1. [Editor]
520 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

As soon as the government has settled down, resume negotiations with it, but be
sure that everything is clone in agreement with the archbishop. Both he and the
government are responsible to the Holy See.
Painstakingly gather together whatever concerns our late lamented Father
Bodrato, no matter how trifling. You will not have to edit or compile anything.
Just send everything here and we will tie it in with the letters and other material
we already have 33
God bless you, my ever beloved Father Costamagna, and with you may He
bless all our dear confreres and boys. Pray for me.
Always your affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

P.S. Please give my best to everyone individually: the archbishop, Carranza and
Monsignor Ceccarelli. Please tell him that the Holy Father has approved the title of
prelate for him. I shall be writing to you very soon about it.

Now, for the first time in four years Don Bosco addressed Father Joseph
Vespignani with the familiar "tu" [you, in the singular]. He had received
undeniable signs of the latter's worth and virtues. The polite form of
address which he had always used showed a certain reserve which he
purposely kept while he was studying him. The moment in which Don
Bosco showed him all his fatherly confidence could not have been better
chosen. To thoroughly understand this letter, we must explain that in the
above-mentioned account [of Father Bodrato's confidential words shortly
before his death] Father Vespignani mentioned some unpleasant incidents
that took place in the San Carlos School. Don Bosco must have been told
about it, for here he briefly outlines the norm to be followed:
Nizza Monferrato, August 22, 1880 My dear
Father Vespignani,
I was very happy to receive your letter. All is well. Now be brave. Patience,
prayer, courage: this must be our program for the moment. Do all you can to
strengthen the others and remove cause for discontent.

33Unforomately Father Bodrato's biography either was never written or was not published. We find a

few things scattered in the early editions of Father Barberis' handbook [of spiritual life]. Born at Mornese
in 1823, he came to the Oratory in 1864, took final vows in 1865 and was ordained a priest in 1869. (See
Vol. VII, pp. 451, 464). [Author]
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 521

Tell the students and our novices that I expect great things from them.
Morality, humility, diligence in study: that is to be their ideal. God bless you
all! In Our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your most affectionate friend, Fr. John
Bosco

The letter to Father Michael Fassio also apparently refers to the same
situation.

Nizza Monferrato, August 22, 1880

My dear Father Fassio,
What you wrote is fine. Under the circumstances show yourself to be an
example of good works.
No one must lose heart at this time, nor is anyone to complain or pull back a
single step. Courage! God is with us! In my Mass I remember you and your work.
Tell Father Rabagliati,34 Father Remotti, Father
Milesanio, and Bettinetti to whom I hope I shall soon write, what I have told
you.
God bless us all! May He keep us in His holy grace! Amen.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John.
Bosco

The Argentine postal service held out as well as it could during the
upheaval of the civil war, but heaven knows what happened to Don Bosco's
and Father Fagnano's letters. Only in October did Don Bosco receive one
letter which he immediately acknowledged. We have the original of this
reply, found among the few remaining papers of Father Fagnano after his
death.

Turin, October 21, 1880

My clear Father Fagnano,
I have finally received your letter of September 6, the first I have had from you
since you went to Patagonia. I was terribly worried because, despite three letters I
sent you, I have had no replies at all. My letters
dwelt at length on norms for your guidance. Patience! I hope this letter will reach
you.

34 See Appendix 1. [Editor]

522 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

You already have the answer to your first question: I did write to you and you did
not get the letters; likewise I did not get your letters.
My answer to your second question is that your assignment to Patagonia was all
my doing. The Holy Father wished you to go to Paraguay, but, since we had to
send someone absolutely trustworthy and able to cope with situations, a man - also
of sound morality, the superior chapter had no other choice than your own revered
and always beloved self Neither doubt nor mistrust nor anything else had any part
in the change of assignment.
You may ask: why not Father Costamagna? For reasons it is useless to spell out,
Father Costamagna could not be sent.
Just now Father Cagliero and I are all involved getting together another expedition
of Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians and Salesians to come to your help. But
what can we do? The future looks pretty rough, even though our Society is making
giant strides forward.
I was really delighted with your letter and that of Sister Vallese. If you receive this
letter, let me know and I shall write again immediately.
Give my regards to all the sisters and confreres. Tell the girls and boys that I bless
them and love them all in Jesus Christ.
Shall we see each other again in this world? Yes.
Forget your home and your parents and invoke the Lord's care upon them.
God bless you, my ever beloved Father Fagnano. Pray and have the others pray for
me too! Always in Jesus Christ,
Your most affectionate friend, Fr. John
Bosco

It was now up to Father Costamagna, who was temporarily taking Father

Bodrato's place as provincial, to push negotiations for the vicariate
apostolic. The ex-president of Argentina, who had drafted the law
authorizing the military expedition of 1879, had allowed the Salesians to
accompany the troops and had shown them his favor; hence there was every
reason to believe that he would throw no obstacle in their way. But the
political unrest had not given Father Bodrato a chance to open negotiations
with him. Initial steps therefore had to be taken with the new president,
General Julius Roca, who had always been favorable to the Salesians. In
November Don Bosco pressed Father Costamagna to get some action in the
matter. The letter he wrote on this subject
The Beginning of the Real Missions of Patagonia 523

cites Mr. Anthony Oneto, who had asked for a Salesian or two for Chubut in 1876.35

Turin, November 12, 1880

My dear Father Costamagna,
I received all your news. Fine! For your guidance I enclose a copy of the letter
written to General Roca. Go to see him and take with you the dossier on our project
for a vicariate in Patagonia.
The Holy Father is most anxious to establish it. Without it, the Society for the
Propagation of the Faith will not give us any help, and our mission, even the
government of the Patagonian province, will not be secure.
We are busily working to get ready a new expedition of Salesians for South
America. Father Cagliero is in Sicily. We shall finalize everything on his return.
I also wrote in a general way to Mr. Oneto, who has great projects in mind. I will
examine them and pass them on to you and others. I repeatedly plead our debts in
America to all who visit us from there. If you think that a letter from me may help,
Iet me know, and I will write immediately.
The others will send you more news. Give my heartfelt regards to my dear sons in
America. Tell them I love them with all my heart and remember them every day at
Holy Mass.
God bless you all! Pray for me!
Always yours affectionately in Jesus Christ, Fr. John
Bosco

The Constitution of Argentina, Article 67, stated that the Indians'

conversion to Catholicism was within the competence of the legislature.
These long-delayed pious desires of the lawmakers were finally becoming a
reality, to the priceless benefit of God's Kingdom and of the Argentine
Republic. What Don Bosco had said from the pulpit of the Church of Mary,
Help of Christians at the first missionary departure ceremony of 1875 had a
far greater significance than imagined and was now beginning to come true:
"We are starting a great enterprise!"

35 See Vol. XII, pp. 186f. [Editor]

 CHAPTER 27

The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians

I N 1880 the six-year term set by the constitutions of the Daughters

of Mary, Help of Christians for the mother general and the superior chapter
expired, and so the second general chapter' was summoned to elect a new
slate of superiors. Eighteen sisters had the right to vote, the members of the
superior chapter and the superior of each community. With Don Bosco's
consent they met at the convent of Nizza Monferrato on August 20, and,
after making their spiritual retreat, held elections [on August 291. Father
Cagliero, director of the Institute, presided as Don Bosco's personal
representative. With him was Father Lemoyne, director-of the local
community. Sister Mary Mazzarello was unanimously reelected as mother
general, and the following received the required majority of votes: Sister
Catherine Daghero, Vicar, Sister Joan Ferettino, Economer, Sister Emily
Mosca, First Assistant; Sister Henrietta Sorbone, Second Assistant.
As the election had to be ratified by the superior general before the
superiors-elect could assume office, Don Bosco gave his written approval by
signing the minutes of the meeting held on September 1.3 He asked God to
instill His spirit of fervor and charity into the newly elected superiors so that
the lowly Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians might grow
in number and reach out to many other countries where the sisters, while
saving their own souls, might win other souls to God. Mother Mazzarello,
hoping

'The first was held June 14, 1874,2 when the first superior chapter was elected. All the professed nuns
then voted, and Don Bosco presided. [Author]
2
The Cronistoria (Chronicles of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians), Vol. 1, p.
v, states: "The idea of publishing the Cronistoria of the Institute dates from 1884 when the first General
Chapter was held." The same is reasserted in Vol. 4, pp. 298ff. [Editor]
3
Cf. Memorie Biografiche del Beat° Giovanni Bosco, Vol. XIV, Document 74, pp. 814f. [Author]
The Daughters of Maly, Help of Christians 525

anxiously to be relieved of office, explained her reasons to Don Bosco, who

listened quietly. Only when she mentioned a worsening deafness in the left
ear did he remark, "All the better. That way you won't have to listen to idle
talk."
During that year the sisters' numbers increased to one hundred and sixty-
seven. They had opened eight new houses after closing the house at Mornese
and putting it up for sale; among them, in January, as related above, was the
convent at Patagones in Argentina.
In February the first three sisters left Nizza Monferrato for Sicily,
summoned to Catania by Duchess Carcaci, who entrusted to their care an
orphanage she had founded.4 Father Dalmazzo, who had been residing at Tor
de' Specchi over the past month since being appointed procurator general of
the Salesians, accompanied them. Their stay at Catania lasted seven years,
after which they withdrew only because of outside interference with their
work. However, a much more important mission awaited them in the city.
In April three other sisters, headed by Sister Catherine Daghero, set off in
just the opposite direction to assume direction of the orphanage at Saint-Cyr.
They walked into a messy complication. Father Vincent, whom Don Bosco
had allowed to stay on as director, merged the Daughters of Mary, Help of
Christians with six nuns of the congregation he had founded. Immediately
national bias threatened to shatter for good any harmony existing between
them; furthermore, the elderly priest, irascible by nature, often berated the
newcomers. That is why Don Bosco's choice of Sister Daghero had not been
unthinking. She was a woman of exquisite tact, rare prudence and much
charity, qualities soon to stand her well as mother general.
Chronologically, in September the sisters' next work was a kindergarten at
Borgomasino in the diocese of Ivrea, with an annexed festive oratory and
later a public school.
October saw four other houses founded, three on the feast of St. Teresa: at
Este and Penango, where, besides taking care of the
4See p. 242. The orphanage registers would have us conclude that the sisters went there in 1878, but
that is an error. In 1878 the request was made to the sisters, and in 1879 Father Cagliero and Father
Durando went to see the place, as we have already narrated. Otherwise, in his letter to the Salesian
cooperators in January 1880, Don Bosco could not have said, "In these very days a little group of these
sisters will leave to take charge of an orphanage in Catania." [Author]
526 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

cooking and laundry of the nearby Salesian boarding schools, the sisters also
conducted a festive oratory for girls, and the convent at Melazzo in the
diocese of Acqui. Here the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians were
entrusted with a kindergarten, a homemaking class and an orphanage by the
wealthy and generous pastor, Father Chiabrera, whose charitable work
received considerable aid from Marquis [Victor] Scati. The marquis called on
Don Bosco at Christmas time to thank him for having sent his nuns to
Melazzo, assuring him of their excellent success and praising to the skies
their good work in the festive oratory.

"Those Sunday gatherings do a vast amount of good, as I told you before," Don
Bosco remarked.5 "The homemaking class and kindergarten are also very beneficial,
but in a limited way. The festive oratory has a far broader scope and serves as a strong
deterrent to evil, drawing the older girls from sinful occasions and the deceits of
dissolute young men who, especially on Sundays and holy days, have every
opportunity to court and corrupt them. Not many years ago, right here, you could see
ugly things happening on Sundays: boys and girls clustering about street corners, acting
and talking indecently. We started drawing the boys away, getting them to attend the
festive oratory and entertaining them there. Then came the girls' opportunity, and now
they overflow the church, crowding on the steps, and, occasionally, standing for
hours even in the rain hoping to catch some words of the sermon."
"This is clearly due to God's grace and assistance," the marquis interrupted.
"It would not seem possible otherwise."
"Yes, to God's assistance, true," Don Bosco replied, "and that will never be
wanting as long as we really work trusting in God's help." He then went on to narrate
the episode of a British minister coming to visit the Valdocco Oratory.6

Finally, in the latter part of October, the sisters opened St. Mary's boarding
school at Bronte, a large town on the slopes of

5Handwritten report by the marquis, April 24, 1891. [Author]

6Document 10 in the Appendix of Volume XIII of the Memo,* Biografiche del Beat° Giovanni Bosco
has this footnote by Father Ceria on p. 921: "Tradition always identified this cabinet minister as Lord
Palmerston. On December 20, 1880, Don Bosco, narrating this incident to Marquis Victor Scati, stated:
'Years ago Lord Palmerston paid me a visit. He arrived at ten in the morning and stayed until six in the
evening, thoroughly inspecting the whole place and seeking relevant information about everything with
characteristic British interest' " (Handwilttert report, Turin, April 24, 1891. Cf. Bollettino Salesiano,
October 1922, p. 259.) [Editor]
The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians 527

Mount Etna, not far from Randazzo. They had charge of the girls'
elementary schools and of the local hospital. With considerable wonder we
admire the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, born and reared in closed
environments and used to homey life, who took off for distant lands and
different tongues, particularly in those days when lengthy journeys were not
as frequently or as easily made as now. So prevailing was Don Bosco's
influence over them that he could push them to any sacrifice to help others.
However, he never sent them forth into the world alone; now he had Father
Cagliero accompany them to Bronte by way of Rome, Messina and Catania.
They reached their destination on October 22, after a journey of eight days.
The townspeople turned out in crowds to welcome them, and the religious
and civic authorities gave them a tasteful reception. The following morning
in the town's mother-church, packed with people, Father Cagier() obligingly
delivered a short sermon to point out the outstanding traits of nuns and to
speak of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians and their
religious educational program for girls. In the next two days he met with the
municipality and with the local Congregation of Charity' to discuss the
smooth running and stability of the new girls' residence to be opened as soon
as possible.
On his return [to Turin] Father Cagliero visited the Salesian house at
Randazzo, where he found that boarding school making rapid progress, and
the house at Catania. Later he journeyed to Caltanissetta, Siracusa, Noto,
Acireale and Messina, and was welcomed everywhere with genuine
enthusiasm by those zealous bishops who were so anxious to bring Don
Bosco's sons to their dioceses .8
Sister Caroline Sorbone, blood-sister of Sister Henrietta,9 was one of the
teaching nuns sent to Bronte; to her Don Bosco made two predictions just
two months before her departure for Sicily. Twin concerns weighed heavily
upon her: her desire to go to South America rather than Sicily and the fear
that her brother, who had become a Salesian, might not persevere.
Fortunately she enjoyed

TA moral body legally established in every municipality of Italy to oversee the administration of local
charitable orpni7ations. [Editor]
'stetter from Father Cagliero to Don Bosco, Ranria77o, October 27, 1880. [Author] 9See Vol. Xili, pp.
142ff. [Editor]
528 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

nearly an hour's private talk "with that sweet, dear father" as she expressed
it.10 After bidding her to be at peace, for he could read her heart like an open
book, Don Bosco continued, "For the moment, offer South America as your
sacrifice to God and prepare yourself for Sicily. There you will have much
to suffer, and you will run up against many spiritual and material setbacks,
but the blessing I now give you will strengthen you against them." Indeed, it
all came true. Sister Caroline claims that only the strength she received from
that blessing supported her and kept her from losing her mind in her
frightful spiritual battles. As regards her brother Charles, she worried that
after nine years of army life, he would not persevere in the Salesian
Congregation which he had recently entered. She asked Don Bosco whether
Charles would persevere. "Yes," he told her. "Rest assured he will remain in
the Salesian Congregation to the end of his days." Her brother, having been
transferred from our school at Randazzo, was then at Magliano, but it
seemed quite likely that he would soon leave religious life. Shortly after his
arrival, however, he was stricken with a fatal illness which brought him to
the grave. As the moment of death drew near, he renewed his former good
resolutions and, like a true son of the Congregation, died in an edifying
manner.
The archives of the motherhouse of the Daughters of Mary, Help of
Christians safeguard a fine collection of news tidbits gleaned from the sisters
who knew Don Bosco and were fortunate to speak to him. From these
miscellaneous anecdotes we will choose a few dating from 1880. They are
sayings, incidents, and a prediction or two, all recalling typical traits of Don
Bosco.
Mother Petronilla Mazzarello happened to be present when he met a
rather non-observant nun in a corridor of the convent at Nizza Conferrato.
With customary fatherliness he asked her how she was doing. "I am well
enough in health," the sister answered, "but as for my soul.. . ."
"Look," Don Bosco rejoined. "Our physical health is in God's hands, but
the health of our soul is in ours."
When Sister Vincenza Bessone had been admitted by Don Bosco as a
postulant, he had lightly placed his hand on her hand, saying, "Hair of gold.
Is your heart of gold too?" Then he had added,
Report written by Sister Henrietta at the request of Father Michael Rua, Borgomasino, April 8,
10

1888. [Author]
The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians 529

"Wait one more year and come." She faithfully followed his word.
Sister Angiolina Demartini recalls having a glimpse of Don Bosco at Lu in
1880, at the age of nine, when she was attending the sisters' school. He had
come into the classroom, and, placing a gentle hand on the pupils' heads, had
asked each her name. Most of them, on growing up, became nuns, nor could
they be dissuaded from believing that his visit and blessing that day had
influenced their choice of life.
Sister Sofia Miotti recalls that she and some other sisters who had not
seen or heard Don Bosco begged Father Cagliero to take them to Turin and
that Don Bosco had sent word, "Tell the sisters that we are not meant either
to see or to speak to one another in this world, but rather to be always
together in heaven."
Sisters Teresina Germano and Giacinta Morzoni recount two episodes
which reveal Don Bosco's charity. Sister Teresina's account concerns Nizza in
August 1880. As a postulant, she had by chance found herself near a group of
superiors in the portico leading to the old community dining room. The
blessing of the meal was to be given that day by Don Bosco, who came in
with Father Cagliero. The sisters, novices, and postulants were already in the
dining room. Don Bosco pronounced the blessing. Then he glanced about him
and remarked with a smile to Father Cagliero, "See how many they are
already! In time the superiors will no longer reside here in Nizza with the
sisters, but will live in Turin nearer to the Salesian superiors." The postulant
kept these words in mind, often wondering if they would ever come true, for,
like everyone else, she saw that as a remote, if not impossible, reality. Of
course, that change of residence is today [1933] a fact. After that remark Don
Bosco asked Mother Assistant, "May I see the portions of soup and main
course you are serving?" Sister tried to bring him some better filled plate, but
he remarked, "Mother, what are you doing? These sisters have much work to
do. Feed them well. Do what we do. We have two separate courses." Backed
by her associates, Mother Assistant tried to explain that the sisters were
satisfied with less and did not need as much food as men, adding that as
regards dishwashing they weren't short of work. "Never mind that," Don
Bosco interposed. "Put it all on one dish if you like, but pile it up with much
more food. You have so much work to do!"
Sister Giacinta relates the following. As a postulant she often
530 THE BIOGRAPHICAL. MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

heard that candidates in frail health would be advised to return home. Being
of delicate constitution herself, she feared that a similar fate would befall her
and hoped that she could confide her apprehension to Don Bosco and ask his
advice. Convinced that he was a saint, as everyone kept saying, she was sure
that whatever he said could not be wrong, and so in August 1880 she sought
some way of approaching him. Her natural shyness however always kept her
from going up to him, until, realizing that he was about to leave, she
summoned all her courage and walked to the Salesians' residence. Having
never been there before, she unknowingly found herself in front of the room
where he usually gave his audience. Some sisters waiting there told her to go
away, because Don Bosco was hurrying to leave. Just then he appeared, hat
on his head and traveling bag in his hand. He had but a few moments left
before catching a train back to Turin. As soon as the postulant saw him, she
stood on tiptoe behind the sisters and cried out, "Father, I have something to
tell you." Don Bosco asked the others to let her through and then, quite
calmly, turned about, re-entered the room, greeted her, sat down, bade her be
seated, and slowly and quietly asked what she wanted. "Father, will the Lord
give me the health I need to stay in the Congregation? Will He?" "The Lord
will grant you health and holiness," he replied. Since she had nothing else to
say, Don Bosco stood up, said good-bye, and, unperturbed, set out for the
station. In 1919 Sister Giacinta wrote: "Thirty-nine years have passed since
that blessed encounter, and, though my health is very frail, I have always
managed to carry out my teaching duties, even though I was told that I had
but a year or two to live. As for the second part of his prediction, well, that is
something else."
Sister Orsolina Rinaldi had not been able to make up her mind about
joining the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians because of a seemingly
incurable disease of her right foot. In that condition how could she plan on a
life of busy activity which she saw sisters living? Advised to see Don Bosco,
she went one morning to the Church of Mary, Help of Christians, and on
entering the sacristy and seeing that he was hearing the boys' confessions, she
waited until he had finished. Then she approached him and told him of her
hopes and fears. He looked at her and told her that she had to be more
assertive and more resolute in will, for her disease was of no account. He was
looking for good sisters ready to go far away, he
The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians 531

said. Then he bade her kneel, recited a Hail Mary with her, and gave her
the blessing of Mary, Help of Christians. He told her to see Mother
Mozzarella and tell her in his name that she was to accept her as a
postulant. Orsolina entered the Congregation in November 1880 and
never had reason to complain of her foot, despite long walks and
strenuous work.
Sister Giacinta Laureri too, stricken with an eye disease while a novice,
quite suddenly found, almost on the eve of her profession, that she was
practically blind. When Don Bosco came to Nizza in June 1880, Mother
Mazzarello suggested that she go and ask for a blessing and a healing from
him so that she might take her vows. The novice obeyed. Acting surprised, as
though he had misunderstood her, Don Bosco asked, "Oh! When the
Madonna calls you to heaven, you won't want to go?"
"Oh, yes, Father, I do want to go to heaven," she answered, "but just now I
am afraid they will dismiss me from the Congregation because of my eyes. I
would be unhappy for the rest of my life!"
"No, no," Don Bosco replied. "You can rest assured that it was Our
Lady who sent you here. She wants you to be here. Our Lady asked you
to do what is right and wants you to become a saint.... Now let me give
you the blessing of Mary, Help of Christians, and tomorrow I shall pray
for you at Holy Mass. Wear this medal of Mary, Help of Christians, make
a novena to Our Lady and be quite serene. Go now and apply for
religious profession. Pray to Her now and always."
She prayed intensely and finally one day she was healed, her sight as clear
and sharp as if never touched by disease. During her retreat she was
admitted to religious profession without any question.
Sister Louise Boccalatte recalls two foreboding predictions made by Don
Bosco when he went to Nizza to preach the ladies' retreat. He had been
greeted by a brief musical, at the end of which the singers came up to kiss his
hand. He looked at them kindly and said, "Prepare yourselves to sing even
better in paradise. Four of you will go there this year." Indeed, that year, four
of them did pass away: Sisters Luigina Arecco, Mary Mazzarello, Clotilde
Turco and Tersilla Ginepro, all of whom were in the group and, according to
the superiors' report, were given a special glance by Don Bosco when they
bowed to kiss his hand. He later made the same
532 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

prediction to the retreatants. "Four of you too," he said, "will appear before
God's judgment seat." Distressed by these words, the women were too
frightened to go to bed, and Mother Assistant approached Don Bosco,
saying, "Please, Father, for heaven's sake, don't say such things again,
because we can't calm them!" "I must do God's will," Don Bosco answered.
"If the Lord sends me such inspirations, it is my duty to express them."
To this year also belongs the aftermath of a similar incident, though it
comes to us from another source. Sister Celestine Torretta had requested Don
Bosco's blessing before going to Nizza as a postulant. Don Bosco had told
her, "Go, for from this day on, your family will be blessed in a remarkable
way. Do you still have any sisters living?"
"Yes, two."
"The younger will join you."
The younger sister was named Felicina. Celestine said nothing to her
because she wanted to see if the prediction would come true.
In time their mother became ill. She had been an invalid for two years when
her daughter Felicina persuaded her to go to Turin with her and receive Don
Bosco's blessing. The poor woman could not rest day or night, nor could she
stand the noise of people talking, and she tolerated no one in her room. A few
moments outdoors upset her. She was subject to fainting spells and could
bear no one near her but her daughter Felicina.
On May 24, 1878, Felicina, then sixteen, accompanied her mother to the
Oratory. They had gone from Buttigliera d'Asti to Chieri, where they spent
the night, since the invalid could not have made the entire trip without a
break. On reaching the Oratory, Felicina left her mother in the doorkeeper's
lodge and went up to Don Bosco's waiting room, which she found crowded.
When she asked the others if they would do her the favor of letting her
mother go before them, they all consented. Her mother went up and was
ushered inside. Don Bosco asked her name and where she came from,
inquiring about her family and her daughter who was a nun. Then the
woman told her of her grief when her oldest daughter had left home, saying
how upset she still was because her daughter was a sister in the world,
whereas she had wanted to see her in a cloister, for she had always jealously
sheltered her from any danger. Don Bosco smiled but said nothing.
The Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians 533

Then the mother asked if she had any hope of recovery. Three times Don
Bosco silently glanced from mother to daughter and back. Felicina, who
knew of Don Bosco's holiness, feared he saw something amiss in her soul,
as she put it when later recounting the episode, and so she hid behind her
mother. Don Bosco said to the mother, "You will recover when you let this
other daughter of yours become a sister." On hearing these words, the
mother made no answer, but tears trickled down her face.
At that moment Don Bosco turned to Felicina and asked, "Isn't this true?
Are you glad?" The girl had cherished this desire from childhood but had
never told anyone, least of all her mother, for she knew how painfully her
mother had felt her other daughter's departure. On hearing Don Bosco's
words, however, she was convinced that he had read her inmost heart. Still
standing behind her mother, she clasped her hands silently and raised her
eyes to heaven. Don Bosco saw and understood. Moments later he gave the
mother a blessing and repeated, "You will recover when you let this other
daughter of yours become a sister."
Two more years passed. The poor woman's condition went from bad to
worse. However, not even at home did she ever mention her visit to Don
Bosco. Finally, one evening, trusting fully in Don Bosco's words, Felicina
made a supreme effort and told her mother, "Do you remember what Don
Bosco said—that you would recover if I became a sister? Well, tomorrow I
am leaving you, and Mary, Help of Christians will heal you!" She had
already been in touch with the mother general.
She kept her word. Three days later her mother began to get better,
steadily improving until she recovered fully. Father Lemoyne, who heard
the account from Sister Felicina herself and made a written report, wrote,
"She is still living today, 1907, and is seventy-eight years old." Only when
she met her sister at Nizza did Celestine tell her of Don Bosco's prediction
made four years before.
 CHAPTER 28

Foundations in 1880:
Refused, Delayed or Hardly Begun

APART from the foundations initiated at Patagones and Viedma,

Argentina, twin cities of the Rio Negro, no new [Salesian] houses were
opened in 1880. All other proposals which came in that year, excluding
verbal offers or requests not found in our archives, were either summarily
turned down or delayed or hardly initiated.
Two proposals were never pursued. The first came from Rome. Princess
Mary Odescalchi wanted to open a school at Bracciano, her feudal estate in
Lazio, where a defrocked friar was then at home and elsewhere teaching
classes which hardly reflected moral standards. The princess asked for three
Salesian priests: an elementary school teacher and two secondary school
instructors who would be given lodging, linen, furniture and six hundred lire
each. Were it not possible to have the three priests that year, she would settle
for the coming year and would also be willing to set other terms to suit Don
Bosco.' Don Bosco replied that he could not possibly oblige; 2 as a result, all
talk of it died out. By this time, unless the possibility of further development
loomed, Don Bosco was refusing to scatter his Salesians in minor
undertakings.
The second proposal, promptly discarded for a contrary reason, was to send
the Salesians to Spalato3 in Dalmatia.4 The Dalmatian bishops had jointly
agreed to set up in the seminary at Spalato a

'Letter from Father Dal .azzo to Don Bosco, Rome, May 28, 1880. [Author] 'Letter from Don
Bosco to Father Dslmn7zo, Turin, June 8, 1880. [Author]
8 A seaport on the Adriatic, now part of Yugoslavia and known as "Split" or "Sptiet."

[Editor]
4 Former Austrian crowntand on the Adriatic coast extending from near the Albanian

border on the south to Zadar on the north and including many islands. This name was later applied to
most of the Yugoslav coast. [Editor]
 Foundations in 1880: Refused, Delayed or Hardly Begun 535

regional private secondary school for their dioceses, with the exception of
Zadar which already had a school of its own. Preliminaries, needed funds and
other requirements had been ready for over a year, but negotiations were
stalled for lack of a teaching staff, especially in philosophy, Latin, Greek,
Italian and the natural sciences. In view of this, the bishop of Spilato
appealed to the Holy Father in the name of his brother bishops, asking for his
intervention that classes might begin in the forthcoming school year of 1880-
81. The Pope informed Don Bosco of this plan through his secretary of state,
stating that he would be deeply gratified if Don Bosco could supply teachers
for the secondary schools A Dalmatian priest who had been given the task of
finding suitable personnel, and discussing eventual financial outlays, came to
the Oratory to meet with Don Bosco. Since the Pope had left it up to him to
accede if possible, Don Bosco found it easier to decline the request.
Undoubtedly, had the Holy See expressed an unconditional wish, he would
have sought a way to oblige, but in this case there was no reason why he
could not state unhesitatingly that he could not put together such a large,
qualified staff.
Meanwhile at Lugo (Ravenna) the Salesians were awaited with growing
impatience.9 The pressure was building up, but there was nothing concrete in
sight that could prompt Don Bosco to take action. The visits made by Father
Lazzero, Father Barberis and, later, Father Bretto7 had only heightened the
townsfolk's expectations, and their hopes had soared higher when Father
Cagliero and Father Durando made a brief stopover there. Father Bretto wrote
after his investigation:9 "I can assure you of two things: one, Romagna9 is in
dire need of teachers for poor boys who almost inevitably are exposed to
corrupting influences; two, everywhere in the region, especially at Lugo, the
crowds favor us." In fact, Monsignor Joseph Emaldi of Lugo was offering the
Salesians two houses to be converted into a boarding school.

'Letter from Monsignor [Seraphim] Cretoni to Don Bosco, Rome, August 27, 1880. Cardinal Nina had
not written to him now for some time because he was ill at Grottoferrata. In September Cardinal [Ludwig]
Jacobini was appointed secretary of state. [Author]
'See Vol. XIII, p. 498 [Editor]
'See Appendix 1. [Editor]
8 Letter to Father Rua, Alassio, October 20, 1878. [Author]

8An historic region in central Italy forming the provinces of Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna and Ford.

[Editor]
536 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

However, on the monsignor's death in 1879 no mention of this was found in

his will, which appointed the Salesians trustees of the modest sum of twenty
thousand lire for such a time as the school could be opened. The Count
Emaldi family seemed willing to help, but nothing ever materialized. In
Lugo the Vespignani family had persistently pressed for action since 1877,
particularly the elder brother of Father Joseph Vespignani, Charles, who had
met Don Bosco in Turin. 10 Don Bosco however moved very cautiously
when it came to new foundations, taking no action until everything was
quite clear. He had confirmed his good intentions to Lugo in a very
convincing letter he had written to Charles Vespignani and which but
recently came to light. Noteworthy is his reference to the excluding of any
political action in his houses. In Romagna, especially at Lugo, a fierce
struggle was raging against the republicans, who were a catch-all for the
region's anticlericals. Naturally, of course, Charles Vespignani's letters
reflected the local political climate.
Turin, April 11, 1877 My dear
Charles,
I do not hesitate to take a risk in projects which may benefit endangered youth or
help lead souls to God. Your plan to start something to help morally endangered
youngsters by rescuing them from juvenile delinquency and helping them become
good citizens and good Christians is also our aim.
Prepare the ground and get the harvest ready, and I shall gladly come to personally
meet and thank so many co-workers, who are already so kindly disposed to me before
they have even met me.
Following the suggestion given me, I asked Father Charles Cavina" to agree to act
as the Salesian delegate and form a chapter. Get in touch with him as regards our
plans.
Father Joseph is sending you twenty-five cooperators' diplomas; more are available
when needed.12

10G. Vespignani, Un anno alla scuola di Don Bosco, pp. 98-100, San Benigno Canavese, 1930.
[Author]
11
Parish priest of Lugo who died in September 1880. In a letter to Don Bosco, dated May 11, 1877,
signed by nine other residents of Lugo and handwritten by Charles Vespignani, Father Cavina
undersigned himself "delegate." [Author]
12
After his tour of central Italy in October 1878, Father Brett° sent twenty-four diplomas only to
Fermo. Don Bosco and the Salesians availed themselves of every opportunity to acquaint people with
the [Association of Salesian] Cooperators and enlist new ones. [Author]
Foundations in 1880:• Refused, Delayed or Hardly Begun 537

You have asked me to go along with you in your endeavor. I accept, but we must
exert every effort and make all sacrifices to see this through to its conclusion.
Bear in mind :that if we want to move forward, we must never get involved in
politics either for or against let our program be solely to help poor boys.
I shall not forget the other matters you mentioned and will discuss them in another
letter.
May God bless your family,- both the little one and the big one.13 Please give my
regards to our co-workers. Tell them I willingly commend them to God every day at
Holy Mass, while I ask for their prayers.
May the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always.
Yours affectionately, Fr. John
Bosco
Teano, a small town in Campania, was also clamoring for Don Bosco's
attention; unable to send them any Salesians, he settled on a temporary
arrangement. The municipality ran a secondary boarding school which was
not doing well scholastically and morally. Determined on reform, the
authorities fired the director and staff and agreed to give it over entirely to
Don Bosco.
Bearing a letter of recommendation from Cardinal [Bartholomew]
D'Avanzo, bishop of Calvi and Teano, Marquis Dal Pezzo, provincial
councillor and president of all local Catholic societies, went expressly from
Naples to plead the cause with Father [Francis] Dalmazzo, who, he hoped,
would persuade Don Bosco to accept the offer since the terms seemed good.
Don Bosco replied as follows to Father Dalmazzo:14 "We can't do anything
about a house in Teano because we lack personnel. Nevertheless, tomorrow
and the day after we shall scrutinize the roster and at our chapter meeting on
Sunday evening will do whatever we can to please those who have placed
such great trust in the Salesians."
The matter came up at the chapter meeting, but all good intents were
blocked by the reality of lack of personnel. It was decided to suggest that the
municipality entrust the direction of the school to Father Joseph Manfredi, a
canon of St. Ambrose in Milan, for a
i3This is a frequent expression used in Don Bosco's letters. By "little family" he meant his reader's
actual family; by "big family" he meant the Salesian Congregation, of which the addressee was
considered a member in a wide sense of the word. [Author]
14
Letter, Turin, July 15, 1880. [Author]
538 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

period not longer than three years, during which time the canon was to recruit
a full staff. The proposal was accepted and a twelve-year agreement running
from October 15, 1880 to October 15, 1892 was drawn up. During those years
the municipality was to assign the premises which were then being used for
the secondary school, renovating and properly maintaining them. Once the
enrollment should go beyond fifty, it agreed to enlarge the facilities.
Furthermore, it would allot an annual subsidy of twelve thousand lire, plus an
additional fifteen hundred at the school's opening to indemnify the teachers
who had been transferred. FatherDalmazzo visited Teano twice and was
received most cordially. After hiring his staff, Father Manfredi took over the
school's direction until such time as Don Bosco would be able to send his
Salesians there. However, due to changed circumstances, that day never came.
We will now look at Penango, which, though opened in 1880, did not fully
function until a year later, and at Mogliano Veneto, whose construction began
in 1881 after lengthy negotiations.
Penang) is a small community on the outskirts of the diocese of Casale
Monferrato. Perched atop a delightful hill stood a fine public building which
was for sale. Father Joseph Garavelli, a parish priest, spoke so convincingly
to Don Bosco that the latter decided to purchase it and the surrounding
property for sixty thousand lire from Messrs. Ghiron and Fiz, Casale Jews,
agents of Baron Leonine Sabino, the owner. One reason Don Bosco was
moved to buy it was his wish to reclaim a church adjoining the property. It
has been dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows but later, like the church in Nizz
a Monferrato, had been turned into a wine cellar, so that, amid filters, huge
glass jars, wine kegs and vats, Our Lady was doubly sorrowful.
Don Bosco took possession immediately after the purchase. On June 6, 1880
the church was most solemnly reopened with the participation of our two
hundred and twenty-five pupils of Borgo San Martino. Bishop [Einilian]
Manacorda, a native of Penango and then bishop of Foss ano, blessed the
church, celebrated Mass, and preached. The devout people of Moncalvo,
Cagliano, Casorzo, Vignale and other neighboring villages flocked into
Penango on learning of the forthcoming celebration. Never before had the town
seen such a vast multitude, such hustle and bustle! Don Bosco's name was
fondly reverenced and blessed throughout the countryside,
Foundations in 1880: Refused, Delayed or Hardly Begun 539

and the opening of a school of his became a source of joy throughout the
whole district. The elementary boarding school was to act as a branch of the
school at Borgo San Martino, where yearly large numbers of applicants had to
be turned away for want of space. Don Bosco was scheduled to make his first
visit to the new school in October 1881.
The origins of the house at Mogliano Veneto date from 1879, though the
actual opening came in 1882. Two zealous laymen stand out in its early
history: Attorney Paganuzzi, dauntless champion of the Italian Catholic
Action League's in the [early years of the] "Opera dei Congressi e dei
Comitati Cattolici" [Confederation of Catholic Congresses and
Delegations],16 and Peter Saccardo, another militant Catholic of Venice.
These two devoted laymen were pained by the sight of swarms of boys
endlessly roaming the streets and squares of Venice, growing up unprincipled
and foulmouthed, most of them utterly ignorant of God and religion, indolent,
shattered physically and morally by all sorts of adversities and hardships.
Those two gentlemen strove to find a remedy for such evils. True, charitable
institutions did exist, but they were few and quite inadequate to the need;
there were also night schools, but, being small and strapped for funds, their
effectiveness was minimal. How was one to rescue so many young people?
Temporarily relinquishing their plan to boost the efficiency of the local
charitable organizations, these two laymen adopted the project of the late
patriarch of Venice, [Angelo] Ramazzotti," namely to found an agricultural
school as a haven of salvation for so many poor, practically destitute boys.
To their way of thinking there was no lack of work in the countryside, as just
then vast marshlands and swamps were being reclaimed with mechanized
equipment. Farming was physically and morally healthier and better attuned
to human nature than working in a plant like just another piece of machinery.
Furthermore, school, lodging and food
15Defined by Pius XI in his encyclical ubi arcano as "the participation of the laity in the apostolate of
the hierarchy." [Editor]
15Founded in 1876 to unite all Catholic associations or leagues in a single force in defense of the rights
of the Church and of the religious and social, concerns of Italian Catholics. [Editor]
17Eorn in Milan in 1800 Ramazzotti was ordained a priest in 1830 after joining the Oblates
Missionaries of Rho. Consecrated bishop of Pavia in 1850, he founded the Ponljficio Istituto
Missioni Estere di Milano and in 1858 was appointed patriarch of Venice. He died in 1861. [Editor]
540 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

would cost far less in the countryside than in a city institution. Then, no
matter how modest the amount of work done by still inexperienced hands, it
would still profit not only the boys themselves, but the whole of society,
since subversive notions, class hatred, and other baneful principles which
fired up the masses could not fmd any incentive there. On the contrary, they
became more peaceful and reflective in contemplating nature, which brings
about wholesome effects under the benign influence of Divine Providence. 18
Both Attorney Paganuzzi and Peter Saccardo pleaded with Don Bosco to
weigh this grave situation and, even more, the remedy they suggested. When
Patriarch [Dominic] Agostino of Venice heard of it, he cordially gave his
blessing.
It seems that instantly Divine Providence came to the support of the
charitable initiative. A pious, fairly recently widowed lady, Elisabeth
Bellavite Astori, was planning to found an agricultural school in the
neighboring village of Mogliano where her estate was located, and to do so
immediately, not after her death. She consulted Senator Rossi of Schio
whose estimate of the cost was so high that she was ready to abandon her
plan and limit herself to a home for a dozen or so elderly men. Peter
Saccardo, however, who had been asked to sketch a preliminary drawing of
the school, persuaded her to stick to her original plan and get in touch with
Don Bosco. The mere mention of Don Bosco's name, so well known,
delighted her and, after going over Saccardo's plan, she decided to give Don
Bosco whatever land he needed for a school at Mogliano Veneto as well as
one hundred and fifty thousand lire to put up the school building. Shortly
before the feast of Mary, Help of Christians, the lady came to Turin at Don
Bosco's invitation, discussed the matter with him and left with the best of
impressions, as we may see from her correspondence.
She now saw the founding of the agricultural school as her life's supreme
aim, much like a mission to be fulfilled before she could peacefully close her
eyes to this mortal life. She consequently knew no peace until Don Bosco
formally accepted responsibility for this undertaking, so intense was her faith
in his holiness and in the Lord's protection over all his works. 15 After
considering the matter

Letter from Peter Saccardo to Don Bosco, Venice, June 12, 1879. [Author]
15 12 Letter from
Saccardo to Father Durando, Venice, October 1, 1880. [Author]
Foundations in 1880• Refused, Delayed or Hardly Begun 541

with the superior chapter, Don Bosco sent her his formal acceptance,2°
whereupon the lady put the agreed sum of money at his disposal. She would
greatly have welcomed a visit from Don Bosco but resignedly gave up
hoping. "I am truly sorry that once again I am denied the honor of welcoming
the venerable person of Don Bosco within my walls," she wrote,21 "but I
trust that I will have the opportunity on a more propitious occasion. Yes, I
know that the Lord usually makes us yearn for a special favor before granting
it, but I am sure He will grant me this one." Father [Anthony] Sala called on
her instead, since he was in charge of all construction projects, and brought
her a contract signed by Don Bosco for her own signature. Work began in the
spring of 1881 and was soon completed despite the problems attendant on
undertakings of this nature. Church authorization had of course already been
obtained. Mogliano Veneto is within the diocese of Treviso which was then
vacant because of the death of Bishop Zinelli. Canon Joseph Sarto, 22 vicar
capitular, not only granted the request but chose to write out the entire decree
in his own hand, using exceptionally benevolent words for Don Bosco whom
he had personally met at the Oratory in 1875.23 The school was inaugurated
November 8, 1882 by Father Moses Veronesi,24 director. Later on, the
impossibility of setting up an agricultural school in that area made it
necessary to change the purpose of the school which today [1933] is still
flourishing.25
In 1880 a lengthy correspondence was opened regarding a new foundation
for Oporto, the second largest city in Portugal, where its devout priests were
deeply grieved by the people's wretched religious condition. Taking
advantage of their ignorance of religion, the Protestants were doing
incalculable damage. To check this surging evil, several priests had opened a
Catholic school with funds raised by the faithful, and good results were soon
apparent though short-lived. Once the students graduated and went on to
learn a trade in environments steeped in irreligion and immorality,
20 Letter from Father Rua signed by Don Bosco, Lanzo, October 8, 1880. [Author]
21 Letter, Venice, October 28, 1880. [Author]
22 The future Pius X. [Editor]

23 See Vol. XI, p. 301. [Editor]

"See Appendix 1 [Editor]

25Presently it is a junior and senior high school, junior college, and technical and industrial

institute. [Editor]
542 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

they soon forgot the little good they had learned. One of these priests,
remarkable for both noble lineage and priestly zeal, Father Sebastian Leite
de Vasconcellos, future bishop of Beja, thought of founding an institution
where boys, on leaving Catholic school, could learn a craft or trade
enabling them to become honest Christian workmen. While striving to
realize his plan by setting up a workshop under St. Joseph's patronage, he
heard of Don Bosco and his trade schools. He immediately wrote,
imploring him in the name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to send him at least
three Salesians to run shops to train tailors, shoemakers and carpenters.
Many more letters followed. Father Durando answered them all, but the
reply, though couched in various terms, was invariably the same: lack of
personnel made it impossible at that time; hopefully it might come about
later on. Very moving are the ardent pages written by Father Sebastian
Leite any time a phrase in Father Durando's replies seemed to hold out
some glimmer of hope.
Believing that he would more easily obtain a favorable response from Don
Bosco, Father Leite secured an influential recommendation from Father
Ficarelli, Jesuit superior in Portugal. In 1881, since Father Cagliero had to
go to Seville to see about a new foundation about which we shall report
later, Don Bosco asked him to go to Oporto and survey the situation. His
visit gave Father Leite new courage, and he shortly afterward went to Turin
to see Don Bosco, study the Oratory at close range, negotiate with him and
receive his blessing. Don Bosco listened very sympathetically and gave him
some precious advice, concluding with, "As God hears me, I believe that
you should open your boys' workshops right now. Later I will send you
Salesians." When the priest returned home, he followed Don Bosco's
instructions. Putting to good use what he had seen at the Oratory, at
Sampierdarena and Marseille, he formed a committee of eminent local
citizens and officially opened St. Joseph's Workshop with the specific
stipulation that it was to be turned over to the Salesians as soon as they
arrived, but he patiently had to wait until Don Bosco's successor fulfilled his
promise.
Though no houses were opened in Europe in 1880, much was done to
expand those already in existence. Don Bosco gave an account of this in his
annual conference to the Salesian cooperators in January 1881. At La
Navarre in France the premises were
Foundations in 1880: Refused, Delayed or Hardly Begun 543

enlarged, as also were those at St. Pierre's Hospice in Nice; a new building
made it possible to triple the number of pupils at St. Leo's Oratory in
Marseille. In Italy, at Vallecrosia, both the boys' and the girls' schools as
well as the residence for the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary, Help of
Christians were completed, and work on the adjoining church also
progressed. It was the same in Turin in the Church of St. John the
Evangelist and adjacent hospice; at La Spezia the school building and the
church which were under construction suffered serious damage during a
hurricane, but repairs were quickly made; in Rome work started on the
monumental Church of the Sacred Heart.
Lest the deceits of the enemy of all good deprive him of the Pope's
support—because without it so much effort would prove unavailing—Don
Bosco sent an accurate report of the Salesian houses in South America and
Europe to his cardinal protector in August 1880. By reason of his office and
his marked benevolence toward the Congregation, Cardinal Lawrence Nina
could help Don Bosco in his relations with the Holy See better than anyone
else.

Nizza Monferrato, August 20, 1880

Most Reverend Eminence:
I believe that as the protector and friend of our humble Congregation,
you will be pleased to receive a report on some of our larger houses in South
America and Europe.
Our missions in Uruguay and in Patagonia are progressing very satisfactorily,
but, due to national unrest, the government, which had promised substantial
subsidies for new settlements, churches, schools, hospices and increasing contacts
with the savages, is unable to honor its commitments and has left us to our own
resources for the payment of
heavy debts. I have already given necessary instructions to have at least the
larger ones paid.
The situation in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, is more complicated. Schools
and hospices for boys and girls had to be closed in order to save the honor and the
very lives of pupils, priests and nuns. Unfortunately these institutions were located in
battle zones. The material damage runs high, but far more lamentable is the death of
the superior of our missions, Father Francis Bodrato. Worn down by relentless work,
he was forced to take to his bed as the civil war broke out. His sorrow at being unable
to cope with increasing difficulties aggravated his sickness. Day and night, firearms
and cannons blasted his neighborhood and hastened
544 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

his death, of which we were informed by cable on August 4. By return cable I

notified the archbishop of Buenos Aires of the appointment of Father James
Costamagna as temporary superior. Highly esteemed for his preaching, he was the
first Salesian priest to cross the Pampas and penetrate as far as the Rio Negro and
beyond to found our missions in Patagonia. Once I receive his awaited letter I shall
immediately brief Your Eminence on the situation and officially appoint a regular
superior. Also, for this and other reasons, one of our priests is now visiting [our
houses] in Europe to draw up an exact report on their conditions.
As for these houses, I am pleased to tell you that, so far, we have had no inkling
of forthcoming trouble in France. In Marseille we are moving along swiftly on the
novitiate and the seminary for Patagonia. I trust that by the end of October, both will
be practically completed and ready for occupancy. The old building now houses
eight students who are pursuing regular classical studies. We have received many
more applications.
The church adjoining our hospice in Nice is almost finished and will be opened to
worship in November.
We are moving as fast as we can on the construction of our school and church at
Vallecrosia near Ventimiglia. We hope that these new buildings will be ready for
occupancy by next February. The Protestant school and church are still vacant, their
former pupils attending only our school and church, even though, to be honest, they
are no more than an empty warehouse adapted for our use.
In Turin, work is progressing with equal enthusiasm on the church and school. of
St. John the Evangelist in the neighborhood of the Protestant temple and school. The
boys' festive oratory will be occupied in November while the church should be ready
for worship by June 1881.
Our hospice at La Spezia is doing well, but we had a hard time overcoming the
obstacles which crop up every day. Yet, despite that, we evaded the snares which
only Protestant meanness and godlessness can set up. We signed the purchase
contract of the property where we plan to build the school and the church and the
residence for our teachers on the feast of St. Lawrence. We really hoped we could
move this long-awaited step up a bit sooner and make it our gift of flowers to Your
Eminence on the occasion of your name day, but new obstacles kept arising and
threatening the whole project. Yet that evening we signed the legal deed and paid
cash for five acres on which to build. The architect's plans have been finalized, and
since the 17th our economer has been on the spot to get the work going, so that we
can get settled there by next March. I doubt we can get all that work done so soon,
but necessity knows no laws and we hope to make it with God's help.
I trust we can meet all current expenses in Marseille, Nice, Vallecrosia
Foundations in 1880: Refused, Delayed or Hardly Begun 545

and Turin without any problem. I cannot say the same about La Spezia, for which
there is no chance of financial help. So far its only subsidy has come from the
boundless generosity of our Holy Father. Under separate cover, I am expressing an
idea of mine and ask that you consider it and then pass it on to His Holiness if you
prudently think it wise to do so.
Please let the Holy Pontiff know of the humble efforts of the Salesians on behalf
of Holy Church, and ask him to give his apostolic benediction to all of us, most
particularly to our missionaries in South America.
While commending all of us to your prayers, I am highly honored to remain in
reverence and gratitude,
Your most obedient servant, Fr. John
Bosco

In the face of such gigantic commitments undertaken by a single person, it

was only natural for Don Bosco to say to himself, "The
first block one usually encounters in carrying out great enterprises
for God's glory and for the relief of suffering humanity is lack of funds. How
are we to provide for all the boys we take in, and how are we to support all
the works we begin? Where am I to find food
and clothing for so many Salesians and pupils?" To these grave questions
he had one answer: "The wealth of Divine Providence is inexhaustible. It
has never failed us in the past; are we to worry about the future? Certainly
not. Let us do our little bit, and God will supply the rest. But, as we put
unlimited confidence in God's goodness, let us not hold back our
cooperation. Let each of us reflect momentarily on the Lord's words: 'Give
and it shall be given to you in abundant measure.' [Cf. Lk. 6, 38]
Elsewhere, He said: `Give that which remains as alms.' [Cf. Lk. 11, 41] All
have a surplus of goods, some indeed more than they need." 26
His cooperators responded charitably, promptly, and generously to the
appeals which Don Bosco kept increasing more frequently and more
insistently as he multiplied his enterprises.

26 Letter to Salesian cooperators, Bolletino Salesiano, January 1881. [Author]

 CHAPTER 29
Predictions, Reading of the Heart, Cures
and Bilocation

F EW beatified founders of congregations have been endowed with

as many charisms as was Don Bosco, especially in the later years of his life,
when his supernatural gifts became ever more evident. This final chapter will
add a few more instances to what we have already narrated in this matter.
Time and again Don Bosco revealed the future, predicting either death,
longevity or events which could not humanly be foreseen. Three death
predictions were made probably in 1880. Thomas Buffa, a railway inspector,
a fine family man, one of whose sons became a Salesian and died as a young
cleric in the repute of sanctity, was discussing with Don Bosco one day about
how long they would live. Buffa remarked, "I shall die before you." "No,"
Don Bosco rejoined. "You shall die eight years after me." Buffa, who indeed
lived until 1896, left an account of this conversation and prediction to his
children.'
Father John Gazza, twenty-four, an Oratorian priest living in Turin, was
very seriously ill and his family asked Don Bosco to go to bless him. Gladly
obliging, Don Bosco gently comforted him, but, on leaving the young priest's
family, frankly told them that their dear one would die on November 27. His
sister, who was present and heard him speak, informed Father Philip Rinaldi
of both the prediction and its actual fulfillment?
Don Bosco made another sad prediction to Baroness Jocteau but
in rather cryptic terms. Some years before, she had enrolled a son of hers at
the Salesian college in Valsalice while Father Francesia was director. She
now [circa 1880] brought a younger son, sickly and pitifully crippled to Don
Bosco and begged for his blessing.

'Apostolic Process, summary of Positio super virtutibus , No. XVII (witness Father Rua).
[Author]
2
Statement by Father Philip Rinaldi, Turin, February 26, 1918. [Author]
 Predictions, Reading of the Heart, Cures and Bilocation 547

Don Bosco responded in a way unusual for him. He picked the child up and
sat him on his knee, fondly saying, "Yes, by all means
I will very gladly bless him." Turning to the boy, he said a word or
two about living forever in heaven, adding gently, "You will feel better on
this day," mentioning the year, day and hour. He then
blessed the child. The mother left with tears of comfort. The boy however
died on the very day and at the very hour that Don Bosco had predicted. The
baroness, feeling that she had been disillusioned, took it very hard and did
not call on Don Bosco again for some time. Canon [John Baptist] Anfossi,
who often narrated this incident, on one occasion, when she unburdened
herself to him, gently explained how Don Bosco's "You will feel better"
really meant heaven. He comforted her by helping her to see that her child
was most certainly with God, thanks to Don Bosco's prayers. Almost as
though a veil had been lifted from her eyes, the baroness understood and
thanked the Lord.
There was also an instance of predicting a long life. A nun named Mary
Auxiliatrix of St. Joseph died on June 20, 1931 in the Sacramentine convent
at Bassano del Grappa. Though of frail health, she had been admitted in 1880
to their sisters' novitiate in Turin only on the word of Don Bosco, who,
advising the young woman, had assured her that she would have strength to
carry out her monastic commitment. He had also given her a medal with an
image of Mary, Help of Christians on one side, and that of St. Joseph on the
other. It is a strange coincidence that her superiors, who did not know of this,
should have given her that very same name in religion. Don Bosco had also
predicted to her: "Many years from now, an abbess and several nuns from
Veneto3 will join the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. In due time you will
be sent to Veneto and be elected superior. There you will strive for perfection
and prepare yourself to leave this earth for heaven at the same age that I shall
die." In fact, the nun was sent to Veneto in 1901 to found the convent of
Bassano del Grappa, but she never told anybody about Don Bosco's
prediction. In 1916 she was elected superior and later re-elected to a second
term. After inspiring that same community for many years, she fell seriously
ill but recovered

3
A region in northern Italy between the Po River and the Alps, including the Istrian peninsula.
[Editor]
548 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

sufficiently to arouse hopes that she would be able to celebrate her golden
jubilee of profession. However, when she asked about Don Bosco's age at
his death and was told, she became very pensive. To that day all had
happened as Don Bosco had predicted; the last part
of his prediction could not prove untrue. She went to her reward in
her seventy-second year, as had also Don Bosco. 4
For another nun Don Bosco had a reading of heart and a prediction as
well. Sister Brambilla received the habit of the Sisters of Charity in Turin
on September 4, 1880 and was assigned to a girls' orphanage at Sassari,
Sardinia. She left for her assignment with two elderly sisters. Her
departure is described in the following letter which she dictated and which
was given to us:

We left on September 11, 1880. When we took our places in our coach
compartment, I did not put my baggage (which had my name on it) on the upper
rack as my companions had done, but tucked it under my seat. Some moments
later a gentleman and a priest boarded the train and sat directly opposite us. For a
long time we sat in silence, but at our first stop, Asti, a group of people approached
our compartment and, shaking the priest's hand, joyfully greeted him, "How are
you, Don Bosco?" Emboldened, I stared at the saintly priest, realising that this was
the Don Bosco who was doing so much for boys. These young men, I thought,
were certainly former pupils of his. I was very glad to see him because I was quite
convinced already that he was a saint. Considering the influence he had over boys,
I had envisioned him as tall, heavy-set and impressive in appearance. Instead I saw
an ordinary priest and noted that the only extraordinary thing about him was his
rather large ears. This detail, of course, I kept to myself.

When the train started again, Don Bosco abruptly turned to his friend and
said, "I once thought of having my picture taken, but when the
photographer showed me six proofs, I looked at one and
exclaimed in great surprise, thought I looked. . . .' And he
spoke aloud the nun's precise thoughts, including the size of his ears. The
poor sister blushed. Wishing perhaps to relieve her embarrassment, he
smilingly asked, "Where are you going, Sister?"

From the chronicles of the Convent of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Turin, June 20,
4

1931. [Author]
 Predictions, Reading of the Heart, Cures and Bilocation 549

"To Sardinia."
"What will you do there?"
"I am going to care for orphan girls."
"What if you had to look after little boys instead?"
"Oh?"
"Wouldn't you like that?"
"No."
"Yet one can do a lot of good for little street boys."
One of the other nuns interrupted: "Don Bosco, why don't you send your
priests there? They can do plenty of good."
"For the moment Sardinia does not seem to be our field of work, he said,
gently shaking his head. "We shall see. . . ."
Meanwhile they arrived at Sampierdarena, where Don Bosco got off,
bidding a hearty farewell to his traveling companions. Then, turning to the
young sister, he said, "Sister Brambilla, do all you can for those little boys."
On reaching Leghorn, the nuns found a letter waiting for them at their
convent. The nun to whom it was addressed was asked to inform Sister
Brambilla that she was not to go to the girls' orphanage but rather to a
boys' hospice. When she got there, she understood the purpose of Don
Bosco's parting exhortation. The run-down hospice housed fifty orphan
boys; two of the five nuns who had cared for them had gone to their
heavenly reward within six months. Sister Brambilla shared the work with
the three remaining sisters and, fifty years later, in word and writing, told
us this precious anecdote, to the glory of our recently beatified Don Bosco.
In 1932 our confreres in Marseille recalled a prediction Don Bosco had
made back in 1880. St. Leo's Oratory had at one time been closed in on all
sides by private homes and fields, and no one could possibly have foreseen
if and when this would all become the property of the Salesians, or, rather,
of the Beaujour Society—no one, that is, except Don Bosco. Just diagonally
across, on the northeast corner of a home located on Rue des Princes 60,
some distance from the original Salesian festive oratory, stood a pretty
fountain, gently spouting into the air. One day, as Don Bosco was passing
by it with Father Bologna, the director, and Brother Nasi, he stopped a
moment to look at the fountain and remarked, "In due time our festive
oratory will come as far as this fountain." Both his
550 TEE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

companions told others repeatedly of this prediction, but the years went by
and no one ever thought of it again. Still, through a series of purchases
between 1891 and 1923, all the aforesaid buildings and land did eventually
become the property of St. Leo's Oratory, though not as far as the fountain.
This last step was reached on May 24, 1932. Father Bologna and Brother Nasi
had been dead for some time, but there were others living who had heard them
repeat the prediction, particularly Brother Charles Fleuret, who distinctly
recalled Brother Nasi stating the very words uttered by Don Bosco on that
memorable occasion.
As regards the reading of hearts, we shall describe just one instance more
striking than several others. One day in 1880 a boy who had been transferred
from an irreligious boarding school named after Garibaldi, and who had been
enrolled against his will at the Oratory, went to Don Bosco for confession,
stubbornly determined not to reveal several very important matters. Before the
lad could even open his mouth, Don Bosco listed all his sins. The boy was so
shaken up that he left without waiting for absolution and returned later only
after he had calmed down and had decided to make an honest confession. He
soon mended his ways and a few years later made his novitiate at San Benign,
where he told this in detail to the well-known moral theologian, Father Louis
Piscetta.5 When he was asked if he had ever spoken of his sins to anyone else,
the young man replied that he had been alone when he committed them, far
from the Oratory, and had never revealed them to anyone.
Two really extraordinary cures also took place during this period. John
Bisio, a Turinese storekeeper well known at the Oratory, where he had
lived seven years, after completing his military service in 1864, testified
under oath during the apostolic process [for Don Bosco's beatification] in
1895. He stated that fifteen years before his wife had been suffering from a
serious heart ailment which her physicians declared incurable. Knowing
this, he told his wife that he wished her to receive Don Bosco's blessing.
She welcomed the idea. Don Bosco visited and comforted her, assuring her
that she would not die at that time. As a matter of fact, she lived for fifteen
more years to the astonishment of her physicians.

5 See Appendix 1. [Editor]

Predictions, Reading of the Heart, Cures and Bilocation 551

Another blessing of Don Bosco halted a partial atrophy in Brother Louis

Tabasso while still a young artisan. He had been a sickly lad ever since he
had first come to the Oratory. His problem was that his body developed only
on the right side, leaving the left side atrophied. This abnormality put added
pressure on his heart, making breathing difficult and bringing on spasms of
the facial muscles. Several outstanding physicians in Turin studied the
ailment. In June 1880 Doctor Concato, a university professor, sent him to the
hospital for closer examination and also allowed his students to study the
case. There was no problem in diagnosing the boy's trouble, but medical
science could offer no remedy. Then faith took over. One Sunday [after
returning home] the boy called on Don Bosco, told him of his hopeless
condition and asked for a blessing. Don Bosco asked him to kneel, prayed
with him and then blessed him. Instantly, as the boy stood up, he felt that a
great weight had been lifted from his heart, and the pain in his left cheek
disappeared. Some days later he regained his strength, and his left arm grew
to the size of the right! Only a slight hollow remained on his face, as though
a piece of bone had been removed, and his tongue softened, slightly turned to
the left. His ailment was gone. As soon as Don Bosco realized the effect of
his blessing, he forbade the boy to mention what had happened but urged him
to thank the Blessed Virgin Mary. Two years later, the lad injured his leg and
again asked for Don Bosco's blessing, hoping for a similar cure. Don Bosco
agreed only on condition that recovery would prove beneficial to the
salvation of his soul, and that if it were not he would not be healed. He kept
this impairment to the end of his days. 6
Augustine Calcagno of Arenzano was one of the very first Salesian
cooperators, and he was a fine cooperator indeed! He attended every meeting
called by Don Bosco in Turin or anywhere in his native Liguria, bringing
substantial donations he had collected. He also brought sick persons. In 1881,
while attending a meeting within the novena of Mary, Help of Christians, he
offered Don Bosco five donations. Don Bosco lined them up in a row on the
table; then, without asking who the donors were, he pointed to them and said,
"These three will obtain the grace they are asking

€Report by Brother Tabasso to Father Lemoyne, Nice, February 14, 1888. [Editorj
552 THE 13I0GRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

for, the other two will not." Before the novena ended the three donors
recovered from their ailments. One is still living today [1933], a respectable
nonagenarian,7 but the other two have died.
An instance of bilocation should have been narrated in the preceding
volume, but we set it aside as it was apparently poorly
documented. In 1891 a lady wrote to Father Rua about a matter
she had brought to his attention before. Her letter very sketchily presented
this instance of bilocation such as people usually do
when merely recalling events already known to them. This year
[1933] the oldest daughter of the woman has given us several more
particulars of which she is well informed. After quite an extensive
search we managed to locate her and obtained from her a detailed
report which satisfactorily complements her mother's letter. Now that Don
Bosco's sanctity has been formally acknowledged, we
believe it our duty to publicize a phenomenon which is not unusual in the
lives of the saints and which, as a series of indisputable documents shall
show us, happened repeatedly throughout our founder's life.
Don Bosco was most certainly in Turin on October 14, 1878. Yet that very
day an unknown French-speaking priest who refused
to give his name was the guest of Adele Clement at Saint-Rambert d'Albon,
in the department of Drorne. Giving in to the lady's insistent questions as to
his identity, he replied, "A few years from now my name will be printed in
books, and these books will come into your hands. Then you will know who I
am."
The lady's husband, an oil and coal merchant, had brought the priest home
with him while returning from Charms, a hamlet less
than half a mile from Saint-Rambert, where he had taken on a load of
material. He noticed a priest who apparently was plodding along with
difficulty. Sympathetically he remarked as he caught up with him, "Father,
you look very tired."
"Yes, my good man, I am," the priest answered. "I have walked a long
way."
"If I had a better cart, Father, I would gladly give you a lift, but I am
ashamed to invite you to sit here."

'Written report by his niece, Mrs. Anselmo, a midwife, and by his nephew, Father Dominic
Anselmo, a Salesian missionary, Arenzano, 1933. [Author]
Predictions, Reading of the Heart, Cures and Bilocation 553

"You would do me a great favor if you did. I really can walk no further."
So saying, he climbed into the cart with the man's help. He seemed to be
somewhere between thirty and forty years of age and had a handsome
appearance. One detail which the man paid little attention to then and there
but clearly recalled later was that, although the priest was sitting at the rear
of the cart and his head with its three-cornered hat was quite visible, no
passers-by gave the slightest sign of noticing him.
When he arrived home, Monsieur Clement helped the priest to alight, and
then hastened to tell his wife that they had a priest guest who was exhausted
and hungry. His wife, a kindly and devout woman, instantly asked him to
stay for dinner. He accepted and during the meal listened sympathetically as
the woman recited her woes, the worst of them being that as a consequence
of a sudden illness, her infant son had become blind, deaf and dumb. The
poor mother was quite beside herself, having prayed to every saint, but all in
vain. The priest then told her, "Keep praying, madame, and your prayer will
be answered."
"Do you really mean that, Father? Come and see him!"
During the meal the husband had poured wine into the priest's glass. Next
to the wine bottle on the table, as was then the custom, stood a white china
jug with a silver circle on it, containing water. "Keep this jug to remember
me," the priest said. They did so, as their daughter, who was then a child,
has told us. Later, she made this statement: "The year before my father died
he said to me, `That jug must not go to your brothers. I leave it to you, and
you must keep it. It is a souvenir of that holy priest.' "
Toward the end of the meal, Monsieur Clement went out to water the
horses and get ready to leave again. Just then the priest rose and told the
woman, "A voice is calling me, my dear lady, and I must leave."
"Wait a moment, Father," the woman said. "My husband will be back
immediately, and he will take you in the cart to see my son."
"A voice is calling me," he said again. "I must go." And he left. The
woman ran out to her husband. Quickly they harnessed the horses and raced
after him, certain that they would soon catch up
554 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

with him, but they could not find him and believed that he must have missed
his way. Imagine their surprise when, on going to the
wet nurse who was then caring for the infant, she told them that a priest
had called and had cured their child. The nurse was living at Coinaud, a
village about two miles from Saint-Rambert. The parents realized from
their calculation that the very moment the priest had left their house he
had entered the nurse's home.
For seven years those good people helplessly cudgeled their brains to find
out who the mysterious priest might have been. Then one person who had
seen the priest healing the infant, and clearly remembered his features,
showed them a book on Don Bosco containing his picture, saying, "This is the
priest who healed your child!" Undeniably it was Don Bosco, and the parents
recognized him immediately.
On April 10, 1888 the woman, who in the meantime had miraculously been
healed of some illness, as she believed, through Don Bosco's intercession,
sent an account of it to Father Rua, but her letter has been lost. Nor did the
woman herself know what had happened to her letter, for she again wrote to
him on April 13, 1891, perhaps urged by remorse that she had not done all she
could to make this miracle known to Don Bosco's successor. Among other
things she wrote,

There are still living witnesses who can testify to this. Some can give detailed
information. But do not question the parish priest at SaintRambert, because he does
not believe in Don Bosco's holiness. I am doing all I can to help Don Bosco's
works, but he has bidden us not to introduce extraordinary occurrences, for, he
says, they are all sheer fantasy, noting that here in France we already have enough
charitable enterprises. . . . I could write a book about all the headaches this priest at
Saint-Rambert has caused me and all the tokens of miraculous protection which
God and Mary, Help of Christians have given me through Don Bosco's
intercession. Please ask some good priest to investigate this account and question
the witnesses. You might for instance contact the parish priest at Breuil at Bois-
d'Oingt near Lyons or the parish priest of Diemaze near Vienne.

Was this letter ever answered? Our archives do not tell us. The daughter of
the Clements, from whom we received a long letter dated April 18, 1932,
lives at Lyons (Avenue de Saxe, 136) and is
 Predictions, Reading of the Heart, Cures and Bilocation 555

married to a Monsieur Durand. Her mother died in 1914, her father in 1925;
the infant who was instantly cured lived until 1928, when he developed a
brain tumor. The doctors expected a very painful death, but, on the contrary,
he died very peacefully. It appears that this too was another grace granted by
Don Bosco.8
"God is wonderful in His saints." [Ps. 67, 36] But from such divine
wonders the saints drew stronger incentives for humility. Don Bosco was
convinced that, had God found a weaker and more unsuitable instrument
than himself, He would have called that person to do His work. Whenever
he voiced this conviction of his, as he did very frequently, those who heard
him were convinced of his sincerity from his expression and the tone of his
voice. No less sincere was the touching grief with which, toward the end of
his days, he remarked, "How many are the wonders God has performed
among us! But how many more would He have performed, had Don Bosco
only had greater faith!" He then begged his sons never to be so ungrateful as
to attribute to themselves rather than to God, even in the smallest measure,
any good which Providence might deign to work through them.

'Just as this was going to press (June 1, 1933), we learned that Madame Durand died last January 23.
Her daughter told our confrere, Father John Sira6on (Letter from La Mulatiere, May 30, 1933), that her
mother "in her last moment" had an almost painless death, which she attributed to Blessed Don Bosco."
[Author]
 Appendix 1

SALESIAN BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY

ALBERA, PAUL (1845-1921), Fr., Rector Major

Paul Albera was born at None (Turin) on June 6, 1845 and entered the Oratory in
the fall of 1858. He made his profession on May 14, 1862. After his ordination to
the priesthood on August 2, 1868, he was appointed prefect of the Oratory, a post
he held until 1871, when he was sent to Marassi (Genoa) as director of the Salesian
Hospice, and later transferred to Sampierdarena. There he had the responsibility of
the Sons of Mary and helped Don Bosco in preparing for the first missionary
expedition. The printshop which he initiated in 1877 printed the Bollettino
Salesiano. In 1881 Fr. Albera was appointed provincial of the Salesian houses in
France, with headquarters at Marseille. He remained in that position ten years, and,
despite the harassment of the times, the houses in France grew from three to
thirteen.
Fr. Albera was called "the little Don Bosco." A man of action—above all, interior
action—his main concern was spiritual formation. He became spiritual director of the
Salesian Society and a member of the superior council.
In 1896 Don Rua asked him to compile the "Director's Manual." In 1898 he visited
France, Spain, and Belgium. In 1900 he traveled through the South American
Salesian missions—a journey of three years. He returned to Turin on April 11, 1903,
in time to head preparations for the crowning of the picture of Mary, Help of
Christians in the basilica.
In fulfillment of a prophecy of Don Bosco, known only to Fr. Philip Rinaldi, Fr.
Albera was elected superior general on August 16, 1910, Don Bosco's birthday. He
headed the Congregation during the trying years of World War I.
The depth of his personal piety and asceticism imbued the numerous circulars which
he wrote to the Salesians, as well as the Director's Manual, published in 1915.
In 1918 Fr. Albera celebrated his golden jubilee of ordination. He inaugurated the
monument of Don Bosco which dominates the square of Mary, Help of Christians
and presided over the Congress of Alumni and Cooperators in 1920.
Exhausted by his many journeys as rector major in visiting the houses and
strengthening the confreres and Salesian cooperators, Fr. Albera passed the last years
of his life in precarious health. He died on October
560 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

29, 1921. He was interred at Valsalice, alongside Don Bosco and Fr. Rua, whose
sterling virtues he so faithfully reflected.

AMADEI, ANGELO (1868-1945), Fr.

Fr. Angelo Amadei succeeded Fr. Lemoyne in 1908 as the editor of the Bollettino
Salesiano and at the same time became his invaluable assistant in the work of
research and compilation for The Biographical Memoirs.
At Fr. Lemoyne's death in 1916, Fr. Amadei interrupted other literary activities and
undertook the continuation of the work on The Biographical
Memoirs. After supervising the publication of Volume IX, he wrote and published
Volume X covering the years 1871-1874, a period characterized as perhaps the most
active and the most interesting in the life of St. John Bosco.
He was relieved of further responsibility for The Biographical Memoirs so that he
could resume his earlier studies and research, and devote his full attention to work
on the life of Fr. Michael Rua, the first successor of St. John Bosco.
Il Servo di Dio Michele Rua, a three-volume work of patient and dedicated
scholarship, was his major achievement. His last important work was a new edition
of Fr. Lemoyne's two-volume life of Don Bosco. He died in Turin on January 16,
1945 at the age of 76.

BARBERIS, JULIUS (1847-1927), Fr.

Fr. Barberis had the distinction of being the first novice master of the Salesian
Congregation, a post assigned to him by Don Bosco himself "We will always be
friends," the saint told fourteen-year-old Julius on his entrance into the Oratory in
1861. "One day you will be my helper," he added. Fr. Barberis was a quiet, gentle
person, very much attuned to Don Bosco's spirit, prudent and kind with his young
charges, demanding yet patient and understanding.
He was born at Mathi (Turin) on June 7, 1847. He made his first vows in 1865.
Ordained in 1870, he attended the University of Turin and earned his doctoral degree
in theology in 1873. The following year Don Bosco personally appointed him novice
master, a position he held for twenty-five years. As master he formed a veritable host
of young men into zealous, hard-working Salesians who looked up to him for
inspiration and guidance, among them the servants of God Andrew Beltrami and
August Czartoryski. Don Bosco utilized his experience in setting up novitiates
throughout Europe. From 1892 to 1900 he was a member of the superior chapter.
From 1902 to 1911 he was provincial of the central province and in 1910 was named
spiritual director of the Congregation, a position he held to his death on November
24, 1927. Truly a man of God, gifted with
Appendices 561

enviable simplicity and extraordinary goodness, he mirrored the fatherliness of Don

Bosco to all his novices. His Vade Mecum, the first textbook on Salesian spirituality,
is still a valuable introduction to religious life.

BEAUVOIR, JOSEPH (1850-1930), Fr.

Joseph Beauvoir was born in Turin on June 1, 1850, made his vows in 1870 and
was ordained a priest in 1875. Three years later, when Don Bosco asked him if he
would volunteer for the South American missions, he accepted and left that same
year. After a short stay in Uruguay and at Buenos Aires, he headed for the mission
fields of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. He was perhaps the missionary who
worked the hardest and the longest to keep in touch with the Indians.
As military chaplain he took part in General Villegas' expedition to the Andes in
1882-1883 and was awarded a silver medal for his priestly zeal. He then spent
twenty-five years evangelizing the Indians of southern and western Patagonia. His
love for them prompted him to compile a small dictionary of the Onas Indians which
was later amplified and merged with the highly praised work entitled Los Shelknam
Indigenos de la Tierra del Fuego, dealing with the traditions, customs and languages
of the local natives. In 1892 Father Beauvoir accompanied a group of Indians who
represented Tierra del Fuego to the Colombian Fair then held in Genoa. He died in
Buenos Aires on April 28, 1930.

BELMONTE, DOMINIC (1843-1901), Fr.

Dominic Belmonte, born in Genoa on September 18, 1843, went to the Oratory in
1860 and, although seventeen, was advised by Don Bosco to begin high school. He
studied music and became a proficient choir director and composer. Professed in
1864, he was ordained in Turin in 1870. After being prefect at Borgo San Martino,
he was sent to Alassio as catechist in 1873. Four years later he returned to Borgo
San Martino as director, succeeding Fr. Rua and Fr. Bonetti. In 1881 he was
appointed director of the school at Sampierdarena, where he also taught theology,
headed musical activities, and became first pastor at the Church of St. Cajetan. In
1886 Fr. Belmonte was chosen prefect general of the Salesian Society. In 1891, on
the death of Fr. Bonetti, he was named postulator of Don Bosco's cause. Though he
gave up his active musical career, he sponsored the musical training of the
Congregation's most noted musician, Fr. John Pagella.
Don Bosco had told Fr. Belmonte that, if he took care of himself, he would live
beyond sixty. However, he felt that he could not spare himself any work. He died in
Turin on February 17, 1901 at the age of fifty-eight.
562 THE BIOGRAPHICAL, MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

BERTO, JOACHIM (1847-1914), Fr.

Joachim Berto entered the Oratory in 1862. He was one of the privileged few who
witnessed many of Don Bosco's wonderful deeds. He joined the Salesian
Congregation in 1865. Even before his ordination in 1871, he was chosen by Don.
Bosco to be his secretary—a post he retained for the next twenty years until ill
health forced him to retire. During these years he accompanied Don Bosco on his
most important trips to Rome on the Congregation's affairs and to Rome and
Florence in delicate negotiations between the Italian government and the Holy See.
He was a great help to Don Bosco in carrying out his voluminous correspondence
and in safeguarding confidential documents concerning the above negotiations. His
accounts of these journeys constitute some of the most precious archives of the
Salesian Society. While carrying out his secretarial duties, Fr. Berto also carefully
kept a diary and authored several devotional and ascetical booklets. As catechist for
the Oratory students, he cultivated the sodalities of the Blessed Sacrament and the
Altar Boys. To his last days he was a skilled and well-loved confessor. He died at
the Oratory on February 21, 1914.

BODRATO, FRANCIS (1823-1880), Fr.

Francis Bodrato was born at Mornese on October 18, 1823. He first met Don
Bosco in 1864 on one of the latter's fall picnics to Fr. Pestarino's parish at Mornese.
Francis, a teacher, was anxious to learn Don Bosco's secret of winning the hearts of
boys. His own heart was won and, though a widower with two children, he came to
Don Bosco, who, wise judge of character, immediately accepted him. He received
the casock and was sent to teach at Lanzo. He made his perpetual profession in 1865.
Ordained a priest in 1869, he held various offices at Alassio, Borgo San Martino and
the Oratory. In 1875 Don Bosco recalled him to the Oratory to be economer of the
Congregation. In November of the following year he was appointed to head the
second missionary expedition of twenty-two Salesians to Argentina. He was named
pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Buenos Aires for immigrant Italians; within
its limits was the infamous "Boca del Diablo" quarter, where even the police trod
warily. Under Fr. Bodrato's leadership the neighborhood changed marvelously. In
1877 Don Bosco appointed him provincial of the Salesians in South America. In
1880 civil war broke out in Argentina. After an extended period of an unknown and
painful illness, Fr. Bodrato died in Buenos Aires on August 4, 1880, mourned by the
entire city.

BOLOGNA, JOSEPH (1847-1907), Fr.

Joseph Bologna was born at Garessio (Cuneo) on May 15, 1847, and
Appendices 563

entered the Oratory in 1863. He was a companion of the saintly lad, Francis
Besucco, whose virtues he made his own. He joined the Salesian Congregation in
1868 and was ordained a priest in 1872. In 1878 Don Bosco sent him to Marseille to
open the St. Leo's Festive Oratory, which he directed until 1892, when he was
appointed provincial of the houses in southern France with headquarters at
Marseille. Six years later he was sent to Paris and named provincial of northern
France and Belgium. His last days were saddened by the government's anti-religious
legislation closing even Salesian houses. He died in Turin on January 4, 1907 while
on a visit to the Oratory.

BONETTI, JOHN (1838-1891), Fr.

John Bonetti was born at Caramagna (Cuneo) on November 5, 1838. He came to
the Oratory in 1855 at the age of seventeen. Fr. Matthew Pico, who taught him in
his senior year, called him "a priceless youth." John was one of the young men.
who in December 1859 banded with Don Bosco to found the Salesian
Congregation. He was elected a member of the first superior council. (See Volume
VI, pp. 1810 He won high honors in philosophy and theology and soon became a
well-known writer. His book, Cinque lustri di storia dell'Oratorio di San
Francesco di Sales [The First Twenty-Five Years of the Oratory of St. Francis de
Sales], merits special mention. Its wealth of detail constitutes a small library of
Salesiana. Fr. Bonetti was a capable public relations man. Gifted with a fine
intellect and a brilliant imagination, he was also a great story teller. Like Don
Bosco, he defended the Catholic Church against attacks of vociferous Protestant
leaders. A man of balanced zeal, warm piety, and deep spirituality, he was elected
spiritual director of the Salesian Congregation in 1886.
He died at the Oratory at the age of fifty-three on June 5, 1891, fulfilling Don
Bosco's prophecy that he would be the first member of the superior chapter to follow
him in death. Blessed Michael Rua hailed Fr. Bonetti as "a tireless apostolic laborer,
a valiant champion in promoting God's glory and the salvation of souls, an amiable
counselor in comfort and advice."

BORGATELLO, MAGGIORINO (1857-1929), Fr.

Born at Varengo (Alessandria) on February 8, 1857, Maggiorino Borgatello first
met Don Bosco at the age of sixteen when he entered the Oratory. He liked Don
Bosco so much that he decided to bind himself to him for life. He took his vows as a
Salesian in 1877 and was ordained a priest in 1880. In late 1888, after recovering
from a severe illness through Don Bosco's intercession, he volunteered for the
missions of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, where he labored twenty-five years. In
1893 he
564 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

inaugurated a museum of Indian artifacts and natural history in Punta Arenas, Chile.
Its collection is priceless, and the museum has now been named in his honor. In
1925, on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the Salesian missions, Fr. Borgatello
published a history of the apostolic endeavors of the Salesian missionaries in those
far-off lands. In 1928 he also authored a grammar and glossary of the Alakpluf
Indians, and in 1930 his biography of Msgr. Joseph Fagnano, another intrepid
Salesian missionary, was published. He spent his last years as assistant pastor of the
Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians in Turin, where he died on December 20,
1929.

BOURLOT, STEPHEN (1849-1910), Fr.

Stephen Bourlot first met Don Bosco in 1866. After spending some time with bim
at the Oratory, he enrolled at the archdiocesan seminary in Turin and was ordained a
priest in 1871. A few years later, he decided to become a Salesian; in 1876 he made
his vows and volunteered for the South American missions.
Assigned to the newly erected parish of La Boca del Riachuelo in Buenos Aires
(see Vol. XIII, p. 129) he zealously dedicated himself to the well-being of all his
parishioners, particularly during a cholera epidemic which flared in 1886.
The most outstanding of his many achievements were the construction of the
grandiose church of La Boca and the spiritual formation of his parishioners. He died
in Buenos Aires on November 28, 1910.

BRE TTO, CLEMENT (1855-1919), Fr.

Born at Montanaro, Turin, in 1855, Clement Bretto received his elementary and
secondary education at the Cottolengo school. After studying theology at the Turin
diocesan seminary for two years, he transferred to the Oratory in 1874 and became a
Salesian. He made his perpetual vows in March 1877 and was ordained in December
of the same year. He was then appointed spiritual director of the Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians at Nj77n Monferrato. He did so well that, eleven years later, Fr.
Rua did not hesitate to name him director general of the Institute. After a few years
as provincial in Piedmont and Lombardy, the new rector major, Fr. Paul Albera,
appointed him economer general, an office he held to his death in 1919. He was
distinguished for his efficiency, prudence, common sense and Christian wisdom.

CAGLIERO, JOHN (1838-1926), Bishop and Cardinal

John Cagliero was born in Castelnuovo d'Asti on January 11, 1838. He was
received by Don Bosco in the Oratory in 1851. (See Vol. IV, pp.
Appendices 565

20011) He became a Salesian on May 14, 1862. A month later he was ordained a
priest in Turin and appointed spiritual director of the Oratory. He soon showed an
exceptional talent for music, and from that talent came a steady flow of sacred and
recreational music which was the delight of the Oratory. Even such composers as
Giuseppe Verdi and Lorenzo Perosi praised his art.
Cagliero obtained his doctorate in theology at the University of Turin in 1873; the
following year Don Bosco appointed him spiritual director of the Daughters of Mary,
Help of Christians. Cagliero is best remembered as an intrepid missioner. In 1875 he
led the first group of Salesian missionaries to Argentina, where they carried out their
ministry to the Italian immigrants of Buenos Aires. Soon, however, Fr. Cagliero
penetrated the interior of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Then he opened a trade
school at Almagro and another at Villa Colon, Uruguay. He was recalled to Turin in
1877 to become spiritual director of the Congregation, an office he fulfilled until
1884, when Pope Leo XIII nominated him vicar apostolic of northern and central
Patagonia. He was the first Salesian bishop and was consecrated in the Basilica of
Mary, Help of Christians in Turin on December 7, 1884, in the presence of Don
Bosco. Immediately afterward he returned to South America and was welcomed by
Fr. Joseph Fagnano, with whom he explored Tierra del Fuego, meeting up with the
various Indian tribes. In 1887 he crossed the Andes to inaugurate the first Salesian
house in Chile, at Concepcion. In December of that year he returned to Turin to assist
Don Bosco on his deathbed.
After Don Bosco's death Bishop Cagliero returned to Argentina. Years later, in
1908, he founded Patagonia's first hospital at Viedma. Pope St. Pius X appointed
him minister plenipotentiary of Costa Rica and apostolic delegate to the countries
of Central America. In 1915 Pope Benedict XV nominated him cardinal and
assigned him to the Sacred Congregations of Religious, Propagation of the Faith
and Sacred Rites. In 1920 he was named bishop of Frascati.
He died in Rome in 1926. In June 1964 his remains were brought back to
Argentina and solemnly laid to rest in the cathedral of Viedma, his first episcopal
residence. For further details see the Indexes of Volumes II through XIII.

CAPRIOGLIO, FELIX (1851-1940), Fr.

Born at Rosignano, Italy in 1851, Felix entered the newly opened Salesian school
at Mirabello in 1863, where Fr. Michael Rua was director. He then went on to the
Oratory, where he joined the Salesian Society and made his vows at Lanzo in 1870..
Six years later he left for Argentina with the second missionary expedition. He was
ordained a
566 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

priest in 1886. The following year he was named director at La Plata, then at Buenos
Aires, Vignaud, Victoria and General Costex. His directorship lasted thirty-four
years. His long, fruitful life ended at Cordoba on May 19, 1940.

CARTIER, LOUIS (1860-1945), Fr.

Born in Colomban, France, on February 7, 1860, Louis was studying at the
seminary of St. Jean de Maurienne when, attracted by Don Bosco's fame, he went to
Turin and made his novitiate at San Benign() Canavese. After his ordination in 1883
he was sent to Marseille as the first master of novices and director of the novitiate.
From 1886 to 1923 he was director of the Salesian house at Nice. By prudence and
fortitude he withstood the anti-clerical persecution and confiscation of religious
property by the French government. He was a staunch promoter of religious and
priestly vocations. His crowning work was building the Church of Mary, Help of
Christians in Nice. In his later years he was a familiar figure in the city as, white
cane striking the pavement, for he was practically blind, he made his way to wealthy
friends to beg funds for the Salesian works. He died in Nice on December 29, 1945.

GAYS, CHARLES (1813-1882), Fr.

Count Charles Cays was born in Turin on November 24, 1813, of an ancient, noble
family. He did his secondary and college studies with the Jesuits and earned a law
degree from the University of Turin. He married Countess Agnes Provana, by whom
he had a son and a daughter. The daughter died in infancy. At the age of thirty-two he
was widowed and, being generous-hearted, he became very active in the Society of
St. Vincent de Paul. With Don Bosco he was instrumental in setting up the Turin
chapter and was chosen its president. He lavishly gave of his wealth and time at the
festive oratories of Valdocco, the Guardian Angel, and St. Aloysius. A staunch
Catholic, he served as deputy in the Subalpine Parliament from 1857 to 1860.
After retiring from politics, he confined himself to works of charity. After long
consultation with Don Bosco he left his comfortable home and entered the Oratory.
From then on he lived a life of utter simplicity and fervent piety, putting his talents at
the service of Don Bosco and poor youth. He became a Salesian in 1877 and was
ordained a priest on September 20, 1878. After serving as director in one of the
Salesian schools in France, he was recalled to the Oratory to manage Letture
Cattoliche. He was of invaluable assistance to Don Bosco for many years and died on
October 4, 1882, as he himself had predicted.
Appendices 567

CERIA, EUGENE (1870-1957), Fr.

Fr. Eugene Ceria already enjoyed the reputation of a distinguished scholar,
author, and editor when in 1929 Fr. Philip Rinaldi, Superior General, asked him to
continue the publication of The Biographical Memoirs, the monumental work
begun by Fr. John Baptist Lemoyne. Fr. Ceria's qualifications had been enhanced
by his personal contact with Don Bosco during his formative years as a novice and
a student of philosophy at San Benign Canavese and Valsalice. Don Bosco con
Dio, published in 1930 and now considered bis masterpiece, is a penetrating and
inspiring study of his spiritual father.
By systematic and persevering effort Fr. Ceria brought The Biographical
Memoirs to completion in 1939, he contribution being Volumes XIXIX. Other
works followed. While compiling the Annali della Societa Salesiana in four large
volumes (1941-51), he published biographies of St. Mary Mazzarello, the Blessed
Fr. Michael Rua, the Servants of God Fr. Andrew Beltrami and Fr. Philip Rinaldi,
and many other outstanding Salesians. Though advanced in age, he undertook the
collection and editing of the Epistolario di S. Giovanni Bosco, in four volumes,
two of which were published before his death, which occurred on January 21,
1957 at the age of 86.

CERRUTI, FRANCIS (1844-1917), Fr.

Francis Cerruti, born in Vercelli on April 28, 1844, entered the Oratory in
November 1856 and immediately fell under the influence of Dominic Savio. He
completed the five-year secondary school course in three years and was chosen by
Don Bosco for teacher certification studies. He was among the first seventeen young
men who joined Don Bosco and his fledgling Salesian Congregation in 1859. (See
Vol. VI, pp. 181f) In 1865 his life was threatened by a severe bout with pneumonia,
but, as Don Bosco predicted, he miraculously recovered. In 1866 he made his
perpetual profession, received a PhD in literature, and was ordained a priest. A
scholar by talent and training, he compiled an Italian dictionary for school use at Don
Bosco's request. In 1870 he became the first director of the Salesian school in Alassio
and in 1879 he became the first provincial of the Liguria province. In 1885 Don
Bosco personally chose him to be prefect general of studies, a position which enabled
him to put his educational and administrative expertise to good use for the
schools of both the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. He was
also a prolific writer. He died at Alassio on March 25, 1917, just shy of his seventy-
third birthday.
568 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

COSTA-MAGNA, JAMES (1846-1921), Bishop

James Costamagna was born at Caramagna (Cuneo) on March 23, 1846. At the age
of twelve he began his studies at the Oratory. On September 27, 1867 he made his
first profession and less than a year later was ordained a priest. In 1874 Don Bosco
sent him to Momese as spiritual director of the Daughters of Mary, Help of
Christians, a post he held for three years. In 1877 he headed the third missionary
expedition. In Argentina he accompanied General Julio Roca as chaplain on a
military expedition calculated to subdue the uprising tribes of the Pampas. He saved
many Indians from the vengeful attacks of the soldiers and brought them to the faith.
In 1880, on the death of Fr. Bodrato, he was named director of San Carlos School
in Buenos Aires and provincial of South America. He was a stern person. "I want
sterling Salesians" was his motto. He himself set the example in promoting the
genuine spirit of Don Bosco, correcting all deviations and weaknesses. He brought in
the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians for the care of the girls of Almagro. In
1882 he began publishing the Argentine edition of the Bollettino Salesiano and, two
years later, that of Letture Cattoliche. To counteract the anticlerical spirit of the
public schools of Buenos Aires, he opened more festive oratories for the teaching of
catechism. He was also in demand as spiritual director of religious communities. In
1887 he began the Salesian work in Chile with a school at Talca, and the following
year he toured neighboring countries for future Salesian foundations.
Appointed apostolic vicar of Mendez and Gualaquiza, Ecuador, he was
consecrated bishop in the Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians on May 23, 1895.
Since his return to Ecuador was blocked by its government, he went to Buenos Aires,
where he was appointed by Fr. Rua to be visitator to the Salesian houses of South
America, with residence in Santiago, Chile. In 1902 he was granted permission to
visit his vicariate for three months, a visit he repeated the following year. Eventually
he obtained permission to enter Ecuador and set up his residence among the Jivaros.
In 1918, suffering from a heart condition, he ceded his post to Salesian Bishop
Dominic Comm and retired to the novitiate house at Bernal, Argentina, where he died
on September 9, 1921.

DALMAZZ 0 , FRANCIS (1845-1895), Fr.

Francis Dalrnazzo entered the Oratory in 1860. After a few days, unable to adjust
to the frugal meals, he wanted to return home. On the morning of his departure, after
going to confession to Don Bosco, he saw him perform a miracle by multiplying a
few buns into hundreds for the
Appendices 569

boys' breakfast. (See Vol. VI, pp. 453ff)

Astounded, he decided to remain at the Oratory, became a Salesian and was
ordained a priest in 1868. From 1872 to 1880 he was director of the Valsalice
College; subsequently he was appointed director and pastor of the school and
Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome and procurator general of the Salesian
Society at the Vatican. Toward the end of 1887 he was sent to London to open a
Salesian house; afterward, from 1888 to 1894, he was rector of the Church of St.
John the Evangelist in Turin. In all these undertakings he won the admiration and
good will of all who came in contact with him. Finally, in 1894, in deference to the
wishes of the bishop of Catanzaro, he assumed the direction of that diocesan
seminary staffed by Salesians and within a short time opened also a small
secondary school. A tragic death, however, awaited him at the hand of a murderer,
a victim of duty, he died on March 10,1895, forgiving his assailant.

DOGLIANI, JOSEPH (1849-1934), Br.

Joseph Dogliani was born in Castigliole di Saluzzo on May 13, 1849. He was
admitted to the Oratory in 1864 at the age of fourteen as an apprentice cabinet
maker, but soon his musical talents were discovered and Don Bosco assigned him
to study music under Maestro John De Vecchi. He made such rapid progress that
as a young Salesian he became the chief collaborator of Father Cagliero, and when
in 1875 the latter led the first Salesian missionary expedition to South America,
Don Bosco appointed Dogliani choirmaster of the Oratory. In 1889 he also
directed the brass band Under his direction the Oratory choir numbered four
hundred and achieved fame by its impeccable execution of classical sacred music
of the most renowned composers: Cherubini, Haydn, Gounod, and Palestrina, to
mention a few. Various cities in Italy and abroad invited the Oratory choir on
solemn occasions, such as the inauguration of Marseille's new cathedral and the
centennial of Joan of Arc. Dogliani himself was quite a prolific composer, music
teacher, and author. Among his pupils he numbered the famous tenor Francis
Tamagno. Worth noting is the fact that through his teaching and example he
anticipated by thirty years Pius X's reform of sacred music. He died at the Oratory
on October 22, 1934.

DURANDO, CELESTINE (1840-1907), Fr.

Celestine Durando, born at Farigliano di Mondovf on April 29, 1840, entered the
Oratory in 1856, and on his very first day met Dominic Savio, with whom he later
founded the Immaculate Conception Sodality. On December 18, 1859, with other
young clerics, he joined Don Bosco in
570 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

forming the Salesian Congregation. (See Vol. VI, pp. 1810 He was ordained a priest
in Mondovi in 1864. The following year he became a member of the superior chapter
and held that office for nearly forty years.
Fr. Durando was well known for his several, greatly praised school publications. In
1869 Don Bosco directed him to compile La Biblioteca della gioventit italiana
[Italian Classics for the Young]. (See Vol. IX, pp. 51, 196f, 391) From 1869 to 1885
two hundred and four volumes were published, nineteen of them edited by Fr.
Durando. He also authored an excellent Latin grammar and dictionary.
From 1886 to 1903 he served as provincial to a wide range of Salesian houses in
Europe, Africa and Asia, loosely linked into one unit. A zealous priest, he
distinguished himself in the ministry of the confessional. He died at the Oratory on
March 27, 1907. "A silent man," wrote Fr. Rua, "Fr. Durando lived a career of good
works, rich in merit. Wherever he passed he left the image of a truly priestly Salesian
spirit."

FAGNANO, JOSEPH (1844-1916), Fr., Prefect Apostolic

Joseph Fagnano was born in Rocchetta Tanaro (Asti) on March 9, 1844. At twelve
he enrolled in the diocesan seminary of Asti. When the seminary closed in 1859, due
to a shortage of students, the seminarians were encouraged to transfer to the Oratory
in Turin, but Joseph returned home. After serving as an orderly in the army hospital
at Asti, he decided to resume his priestly studies under Don Bosco's care. He was
soon won over by the happy family life he found at the Oratory and by Don Bosco's
serene fatherliness. What most impressed him, however, was Don Bosco's telling him
his sins, circumstances and all, during his general confession. That convinced him
that he was talking to a saint, and he decided to stay with him.
Joseph made his first vows in 1864 and was ordained on September 19, 1868. On
November 14, 1875, since one of the ten Salesian missionaries who were assigned to
the first missionary expedition was unable to go, Don Bosco asked Fr. Fagnano to
replace him, and he gladly did.
From Buenos Aires he went to San Nicolas de los Arroyos and converted an old
home to a boarding school. The following March it was ready for occupancy by a
hundred and forty-four boarders and as many day students. In April 1979, while
director at the school, Fr. Fagnano contracted typhoid. After his recovery six months
later, he was made pastor at Patagones, in northern Patagonia, where he built a church
and two schools, one for boys, one for girls. He formed a school band and set up a
meteorological station, soon given official status by Argentina. When a military
expedition was sent out against the Indians, Fr. Fagnano zealously volunteered his
services as a chaplain so as to extend his
Appendices 571

pastoral care to the hunted natives, of whom he baptized thirty.

Appointed prefect apostolic of southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, he sailed
to Punta Arenas in 1877 and then to Dawson Island, where he established St.
Raphael Mission, which the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians staffed in 1890.
At Punta Arenas he set up a weather station and a church. In Tierra del. Fuego,
where a lake has been named after him, he founded a mission which became an
Indian settlement. It burned down three years later, and Fr. Fagnano rebuilt it, but,
when the government withdrew funds, he had to abandon the project.
Fr. Fagnano died in Santiago, Chile on September 18, 1916.

FASCIE, BARTHOLOMEW (1861-1937), Fr.

Born at Verezzi (Savona) on October 20, 1861, Bartholomew Fascie enrolled at the
age of fifteen as a student in the Salesian lyceum at nearby Alassio and after
graduation moved to the Oratory to continue his studies at the University of Turin. It
was during this period that he felt attracted to Don Bosco's saintliness and the
Salesian life. In 1883, after obtaining his university degrees in letters and philosophy,
he delayed joining the Salesian Congregation for family reasons and returned to
Alassio as a teacher of literature in the Salesian lyceum. In 1890 he finally decided to
become a Salesian and received the clerical habit from Fr. Michael Rua. A year later
he made his perpetual vows. His sound intellectual formation, spiritual maturity and
love of work hastened his ordination to the priesthood in 1891.
He exercised his Salesian apostolate first at Alassio and then at Este and Ascona
(Switzerland). From 1897 to 1910 he was director at Bronte (Sicily) and provincial
from 1907 to 1913. He filled the same office in Tuscany and Emilia from 1913 to
1920. While he was still provincial, Fr. Paul Albera appointed him prefect general of
studies in 1919 when this office became vacant. Subsequent general chapters
reappointed him to the same post. Having completely absorbed Don Bosco's spirit in
his frequent contacts with him, he became its jealous guardian and faithful
interpreter. Among his writings, outstanding is his booklet on Don Bosco's preventive
system which was adopted as a textbook in all teachers' training colleges in Italy. He
died of a stroke on January 31, 1937, shortly after delivering a panegyric in honor of
St. John Bosco on his feast day in the Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians in Turin.

FAS SIO, MICHAEL (1853-1936), Fr.

Michael Fassio was_ born in Revigliano d'Asti, Italy in 1853 and entered the
Oratory in 1866. He donned the cassock in 1872 and made his religious profession at
Lanzo the following year. Soon after his priestly
572 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

ordination in 1876, he joined the second missionary expedition to South America,

where he carried out a very fruitful apostolate in Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile.
When he retired from the missionary field, his piety, love of work, and priestly zeal
were put to good use at the motherhouse in Turin as long as his health permitted, as
one of the secretaries of the rector major and as spiritual director in various houses of
the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. He went to his eternal reward on January
1, 1936.

FRANCESIA, JOHN BAPTIST (1838-1930), Fr.

John Baptist Francesia, who was born in San Giorgio Canavese (Turin) on
October 3, 1838, began attending the Valdocco Festive Oratory when about twelve;
two years later he became a resident student at the Oratory. In 1859 he was one of
the sixteen young men who joined Don Bosco in forming the Salesian Society. (See
Vol. VI, pp. 1810 He was also the first Salesian to earn academic degrees at the
University of Turin. Ordained a priest in 1862, he soon filled critical administrative
positions, distinguishing himself by his fatherly kindliness. In 1865 Don Bosco
named him spiritual director of the Congregation. From 1878 to 1902 he was
provincial of the Piedmont-Lombard province. Characterized by a gentle
fatherliness which he had acquired from Don Bosco and by a heartwarming smile,
Fr. Francesia was a prolific writer and a distinguished Latin and Italian scholar. A
man of letters he also wrote plays and poems which Don Bosco had the boys
perform on the Oratory stage. His last forty years were spent at the Oratory, and
over those years hardly a feast or commemoration was observed without a
celebration of Salesian annals in fluent Latin or Italian by Fr. Francesia. The long
list of his writings is a very impressive one, ranging from Latin and Italian
literature to biography and devotional works.
Besides being a witness of the first years of Don Bosco's work for youth, which
he recorded in a biography of our founder, Fr. Francesia was an historian and a poet,
writing fluently in Latin and Italian. He also wrote brief accounts of the lives of
deceased Salesians. Fr. Francesia was very much the oral historian of the Salesian
Congregation's beginnings, recalling events in detail and holding his audience
spellbound in the many "Good Nights" he gave to the Oratory's large communities
over the years. He died at the Oratory on January 17, 1930. For further details see
also the Indexes of Volumes IV through XIII.

GHIVARELLO, CHARLES (1835-1913), Fr.

Charles Ghivarello, born at Pino Torinese (Turin) on September 16, 1835, entered
the Oratory at the age of twenty and received the clerical habit from Don Bosco the
following year. He was a schoolmate of
Appendices 573

Dominic Savio. On December 18, 1859 he was one of the young clerics who cast
his lot with Don Bosco and became a co-founder of the Salesian Congregation and
a consultor of the superior chapter. (See Vol. VI, pp. 1810 He made his first vows in
1862 and was ordained a priest in 1864. In 1876 he was elected economer general
and filled that office until 1880 when Don Bosco sent him to Saint-Cyr as director
of the Salesian orphanage. Two years later he was appointed director at Mathi and
filled that office until 1888.
At his ordination Don Bosco had predicted that he would be an excellent
confessor, and it was in that ministry that he best revealed his fatherly goodness.
A talented architect, engineer, and agriculturist, Fr. Ghivarello rendered valuable
service to Don Bosco and to the Salesian Congregation. At San Benign Canavese,
where he spent twenty-five years of his life and where he died on February 28,
1913, he built the school chapel and a machine shop.

GROSSO, JOHN BAPTIST (1858-1944), Fr.

Born in San Pietro in Val Lemina (Turin) on February 8, 1858, John was ten when
he was received into the Oratory by Don Bosco himself. He was gifted with an
exceptional talent for music and, as a cleric, he was sent to Marseille to study music.
He made his first profession in 1876 and was ordained in 1881. He began a brilliant
musical career by founding the famed "St. Joseph Choir School" in Nice. When
religious were banned from France in 1900 he was first sent to Lombriasco, and then
to Foglizzo as director of the theology students, and finally to the Oratory.
In 1923 he became director of music at the Salesian International Theologate in
Turin, where he trained numberless confreres in sacred polyphony and Gregorian
chant. A man of unquestioning fidelity to his vocation as a Salesian, musician and
liturgist, Fr. Grosso was truly the founder of the liturgical music movement in the
Salesian Congregation. He had the gift of uniting prayer with song. He died at
Bagnolo (Cuneo) on November 21, 1944.

GUIDAZIO, PETER (1841-1902), Fr.

Born in Turin on April 23, 1841, Peter Guidazio entered the Oratory at the age of
twenty-two. In 1864 Don Bosco sent him to the newly opened school at Lanzo, where
he remained six years and proved his ability as a good teacher. In the meantime, in
1867 he took his vows and seven years later was ordained a priest and appointed
director of studies at the Oratory. In 1878 Don Bosco sent him to direct the high
school department of the diocesan seminary at Montefiascone (Viterbo). A year later
he
574 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

s opened the first Salesian school in Sicily at Randazzo and was its director from
1879 to 1885. He was also director at Lanzo from 1885 to 1901. His expertise,
prudence, and determination gave the Salesian schools in Sicily particular eminence.
He died at Randazzo on July 12, 1902.

LAGO, ANGELO (1834-1914), Fr.

Angelo Lago was born in Peveragno (Cuneo) in 1834. At the age of twenty-one
he graduated as a pharmacist from the University of Turin and promptly opened a
pharmacy in his native town with the firm intent of scrupulously fulfilling his duties
and turning over his profits to the poor. For this reason, in 1872 he went to Lanzo
where Don Bosco was conducting a spiritual retreat in order to hand over to him a
few thousand lire. Don Bosco thanked him for his generosity and gave him a
receipt, telling him that he accepted his donation simply as a loan. Hearing that Don
Bosco was about to go to the chapel to give a sermon, Lago asked permission to be
present. In his talk Don Bosco most eloquently described to his Salesians the great
reward that Our Lord would give to those who made themselves poor for His sake.
Lago was so impressed that afterward, escorting Don Bosco to his room, he said to
him, "After such a sermon I can no longer keep your receipt. With your permission
I would like to become as poor as you."
He went home, sold his pharmacy, and in September of that same year he
returned to the Oratory to place himself at Don Bosco's disposal. Seeing him well
qualified for the priesthood, Don Bosco invited him to take the necessary courses
in theology. In 1877 he was ordained a priest and given as an assistant to Fr. Rua,
then prefect general. Fr. Lago was outstandingly laborious, humble, prudent, and
zealous. At his death in 1914 those who knew him exclaimed, "A saint has passed
away."

LAZZERO, JOSEPH (1837-1910), Fr.

Joseph Lazzero was born in Turin on May 10, 1837 and entered the Oratory at the
age of twenty. In 1859 he was one of the first young clerics to join Don Bosco in
forming the Salesian Congregation. (See Vol. VI, pp. 1810 He made his first vows in
1862 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1865. In 1870 he made his perpetual
profession. In 1874 Don Bosco appointed him to the superior chapter and put him in
charge of technical schools, a post he held until 1898. In 1877 Don Bosco chose him
and Fr. Barberis to represent the Salesian Congregation at Pius DC's golden jubilee
as bishop. Stricken in 1897, he retired and died after a long illness at Mathi (Turin)
on March 7, 1910.
Appendices 575

LEMOYNE, JOHN BAPTIST (1839-1916), Fr.

Fr. John Baptist Lemoyne was the first great chronicler of the life of St. John
Bosco and of the first decades of the Salesian Congregation.
From their first providential meeting in 1864, Fr. Lemoyne esteemed Don Bosco
as a person of outstanding character and holiness. He not only strove to understand
and acquire his spirit, but also took upon himself the task of committing to writing
anything of significance that Don Bosco did or said. Information concerning earlier
events he painstakingly gathered from eye-witneses and other sources.
In 1883 he came to the motherhouse as editor of the Bollettino Salesiano and
secretary of the superior chapter. The five years that followed he spent in cordial
intimacy with Don Bosco and heard from the saint himself the story of the arduous
road he had to climb in his youth to arrive at the priesthood, and of the wonderful
manner in which Providence guided the Salesian work.
After Don Bosco's death in 1888, he was formally charged with the compilation
of available materials for the life of the saint. Forty-five large volumes of galley
proofs bear witness to his dedicated research and provide the material for the
nineteen volumes of The Biographical Memoirs of St. John Bosco, the first nine of
which he authored. Noteworthy among his other works are the Life of Don Bosco in
two volumes and the Life ofMamma Margaret, Don Bosco's mother. He died in
Turin on September 14, 1916 at the age of 77.

MARENC 0, JOHN (1853-1921), Bishop

John Marenco was born in Ovada (Turin) on April 27, 1853. He applied to Don
Bosco to become a Salesian in 1873, while he was a third year theology student.
Discerning his fine personal qualities, Don Bosco accepted him without further
discussion as a novice and admitted him to his religious vows the following year.
He was ordained a priest in 1875. Five years later Don Bosco sent him to Lucca to
open a new house. The talents he showed as a director induced Don Bosco to recall
him to Turin and entrust to him the construction of the Church of St. John the
Evangelist. In 1888 Fr. Rua sent him to Sampierdarena as director; in 1890 he
appointed him provincial of the Salesian houses in Liguria and Toscana, in 1892 he
made him vicar general of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians, and finally in
1899 he sent him to Rome as procurator of the Salesian Society with the Holy See.
He filled that office until 1909, when Pope Benedict XV named him bishop of
Massa Carrara and eight years later titular bishop of Edessa and apostolic
internuncio to the republics of Central America. Within four years he established an
576 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

archdiocese, a diocese and a vicariate apostolic in Costa Rica, reopened diplomatic

relations between El Salvador and Honduras, founded two interdiocesan seminaries
in Nicaragua and San Salvador, and strengthened ecclesiastical discipline. In 1921
Bishop Marenco returned to Turin because of failing health, and there he died a few
months later on October 22.

MTLANESIO, DOMINIC (1843-1922), Fr.

Dominic Milanesio was born at Settimo Torinese on August 18, 1843. In 1866 he
called on Don Bosco for advice about his vocation and, as a result, promptly decided
to become a Salesian. Three years later he made his first vows, and in 1873 he was
ordained a priest. In 1877 he took part in the third missionary expedition to
Argentina. He first worked at "La Boca" in Buenos Aires, but in 1880 he became a
full-fledged missionary at Viedma in Patagonia, which he criss-crossed at incredible
sacrifice, winning the love of all.
When in 1883 the leading cacique Manuel Namuncura decided to surrender
to the Argentinian government, he asked Fr. Milanesio to act as an
intermediary. It was he again who, on December 24, 1888, baptized the
cacique's son, Zephyrin, whose cause of beatification has been introduced. Fr.
Milanesio was rightfully called the "Father of the Indians." He died in Bernal,
Argentina, on November 19, 1922.

MONATERI, JOSEPH (1847-1914), Fr.

Joseph Monateri was born in Crescentino (Vercelli) on March 3, 1847. Don Bosco
personally accepted him into the Oratory in 1860. Seven years later he made his first
profession at Trofarello. After teaching at Mirabello and Borgo San Martino, he was
ordained a priest in 1869. Don Bosco then sent him as director to the new house of
Albano (Rome) in 1877. He was among the twenty-three confreres who formed the
first general chapter at Lanzo in 1877. In 1898 he was appointed provincial of the
Salesians in Sicily and director of the house at Catania. For reasons of health he left
Sicily in 1903 and became director of Lanzo. He died at Colle, Salvetti (Leghorn) on
September 22, 1914, at the age of sixty-seven.

NM, LOUIS (1855-1932), Fr.

Born at Nicorno (Pavia) in 1855, Louis Nai completed his secondary schooling at
the Oratory under Don Bosco's guidance. In 1872 he took his first vows as a Salesian
at Lanzo and was ordained a priest in 1877. Two years later Don Bosco appointed
him prefect at San Benign Canavese, where eventually he was director from 1887 to
the expiration of his term
Appendices 577

of office in 1892. He was then appointed provincial of the Salesian houses of

Palestine until 1906, when he was named provincial in Chile. He held that office
until 1925, when he officially visited the Salesian houses of some republics of
South America on behalf of the superior general. That mission completed, he
returned to headquarters in Turin and from 1926 he filled the office of director until
his death in 1932. His courtesy and amiability, his genuine Salesian spirit and his
love of Don Bosco endeared him to all.

PAVIA, JOSEPH (1852-1915), Fr.

Joseph Pavia was born at Asti on March 6, 1852. At the age of twenty-four he
took his vows, and two years later, in 1878, he was ordained a priest. After
obtaining his teacher certification, he was appointed by Don Bosco to our school at
Albano (Rome). Subsequently, in 1884, Don Bosco called him to Turin to head the
flourishing day and Sunday oratory at Valdocco. He organized catechetical
contests, splendid church services, sport activities, gymnastic performance and
sightseeing trips. He earned the gratitude of many people by his generous help to
needy boys and families. He died in Turin on July 14, 1915.

PERROT, PETER (1853-1928), Fr.

Peter Perrot, born at Laux-Usseaux (Turin) on October 23, 1853, made his first
vows as a Salesian on September 27, 1872, and was ordained a priest in Turin on
June 10, 1876. Two years later Don Bosco sent him as director to La Navarre in
the township of Hyeres in southeast France, where the young priest overcame
serious difficulties and earned everybody's esteem and confidence. With the help
of generous benefactors he built a chapel and part of a new school building,
which he completed in 1884. He wrote a manual on fanning for the agricultural
department of the school. In 1898 he was appointed provincial of the Salesian
houses in southern France with headquarters in Marseille. During the
government's persecution of religious he sought refuge in Italy, but eventually
returned to La Navarre where he died on February 24, 1928.

PIC C OLLO, FRANCIS (1861-1930), Fr.

Born in Turin on April 8, 1861, Francis Piccollo was so exemplary a pupil at the
Oratory that Don Bosco spoke of him as another Dominic Savio. He took his vows
as a Salesian at Lanzo on September 26, 1877, at the age of sixteen, and was
ordained a priest at Ivrea on September 23, 1883.
578 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

He was first assigned to Ariccia (Rome) and to Sicily where he remained for thirty
years as an able and saintly teacher, director at Catania and at nearby San Gregorio
(1891-1901), and finally provincial (1901-1907). In 1909 he was afflicted by a very
painful tumor and, even after surgery, he suffered from the open wound until the
end of his life on December 8, 1930. On his deathbed he left this memento to his
confreres—a reflection of his saintliness. "The most beautiful moment of our life is
the moment of our death."

PISCETTA, LOUIS (1858-1925), Fr.

Fr. Piscetta became a Salesian at the age of sixteen in 1874. Ordained a priest in
1880, he earned his doctorate in theology and taught successively for nearly forty
years Church history, canon law and moral theology in the Turin diocesan
seminary. His work Theologiae Moralis Elementa ran through several reprints and
editions. From 1892 to 1907 he directed the Salesian Studentate of Philosophy at
Valsalice (Turin), and in 1907 he became a member of the superior chapter of the
Salesian Society. He died in 1925.

RABAGLIATI, EVASIUS (1855-1920), Fr.

Born at Occimiano, Italy in 1855, Evasius first met Don Bosco at the age of
twelve during one of Don Bosco's outings with his boys in the countryside. In
1869 he entered our school at Mirabello and from there transferred to Borgo San
Martino and the Oratory at Valdocco. In 1874 he made his novitiate and crowned
it with his religious profession in September 1875. The following year he joined
the second missionary expedition to Argentina and began his apostolate among
the Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires. Ordained a priest in 1877, he first
accompanied Bishop James Costamagna to Patagonia, and then from 1880 to
1886 he directed the Salesian school of San Nicolas de los Arroyos. In 1886 he
crossed the Alps to his new assignment at ConcepciOn, Chile, where he remained
until 1890, when Fr. Rua sent him to open a trade school at Bogota, Colombia.
After completing this task he interested himself in the local leper colonies and
greatly improved their services. In 1896 he became provincial of the newly
established Colombian province and governed it until 1910, when for reasons of
health he had to retire.
Sent back to Chile for a well-deserved rest, he continued to work tirelessly in the
priestly ministry and in raising funds for the Colombian
lepers. He died in Santiago, Chile on May 2, 1920. At his death the Colombian
government declared a day of national mourning in his honor.
Appendices 579

RINALDI, PHILIP (1856-1931), Fr., Rector Major and Servant of God

Philip Rinaldi, born at Lu (Alessandria) on May 28, 1856, entered the Salesian
school at Mirabello at the age of ten. On July 9, 1867, while making his confession
to Don Bosco, he saw the priest's face transfigured by a mysterious light. He again
witnessed the same phenomenon on November 22, 1877 at Borgo San Martino.
This experience totally confirmed his belief in his vocation. A few days later, on
November 26, he went to Sampierdarena, where Don Bosco had set up a program
for late vocations. In two years he completed his secondary schooling with top
grades and in October 1879 entered the novitiate at San Benign Canavese, where
he made his first vows on August 13, 1880. In 1882 he was ordained a priest. The
following year Don Bosco appointed him director of Math Torinese, the new
house for late vocations which, later, was relocated in Turin near the Church of St.
John the Evangelist, where he remained five more years as director.
In 1889 Don Bosco sent him to Spain as director of the house of Sarnia
(Barcelona), and in 1892 he appointed him provincial of the houses of Spain and
Portugal, where, within nine years, he opened sixteen more houses. In 1901 he was
recalled to Turin as prefect general and worked hand in hand, first with Fr. Michael
Rua and then with Fr. Paul Albera, the first two successors of St. John Bosco.
During Fr. Albera's rectorship he gave new impetus to the growth and improvement
of festive oratories, established an international federation of Salesian alumni and
alumnae, built Don Bosco's monument, and gave a new thrust to the association of
Salesian cooperators.
At the death of Fr. Paul Albera in 1922, Fr. Rinaldi was elected rector major on
the first ballot During his nine years in office 1,868 Salesian priests and brothers and
613 Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians left for the foreign missions and Salesian
houses were opened in various parts of the world. At his death the Salesian
Congregation had 43 provinces, 646 houses, and 8,954 Salesians.
In 1929 he had the joy of witnessing the beatification of his teacher, Don Bosco.
Heavenly favors obtained through his intercession prompted the introduction of his
cause of beatification in 1947.

ROCCA, ANGELO (1853-1943), Fr.

Born in Rivara (Turin) in 1853, Angelo Rocca joined the Salesian Congregation in
1875 at the age of twenty-two. Ordained a priest the following year, he was
immediately asked by Don Bosco to direct our new house at La Spezia (Genoa),
where he remained until 1882. He was next assigned to teach theology at the diocesan
seminary of Trecata (Novara)
580 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

until 1899. He was a distinguished orator and writer of ascetical books. Poor in
health, in 1901 he retired to our school at Cuorgrie (Turin) where he died in 1943 at
the age of ninety.

ROCCA, LOUIS (1853-1909), Fr.

Louis Rocca was born in Milan on July 6, 1853. He entered the Oratory in 1868 at
the age of fifteen. The following year he decided to become a Salesian. Good-
hearted, forbearing and level-headed, he took his vows in 1874 and was ordained a
priest the following year. Assigned to the Salesian lyceum in Alassio, he remained
there twenty years, first as a teacher and then as a financial administrator and
director. In 1893 he volunteered to go to Colombia to work in the leper colony of
Agua de Dios, but his superiors decided otherwise. In 1895 he was appointed
economer general and remained in office for the next thirteen years, during which he
supervised the construction of Salesian churches and schools in Italy, Austria,
Poland, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, and Malta. An endering trait of his was
his love for the sick. A stroke ended his fruitful life in Turin on June 21, 1909.

RONCHAIL, JOSEPH (1850-1898), Fr.

Joseph Ronchail, born in Laux-Usseaux (Turin) on May 21, 1850, first met
Don Bosco in 1868. (See Vol. IX, pp. 148ff) Convinced that Don Bosco was
inspired by God, he entered the Oratory and joined the Salesian Congregation in
1869. Ordained in 1872, he distinguished himself as a hard worker and zealous
priest. He was director of the Salesian school at Nice from 1876 to 1887 and at
Paris in 1888. He was also acting provincial of northern France and Belgium until
his death in Paris in 1898.

ROSSI, JOSEPH (1835-1908), Br.

Joseph Rossi was born in Mezzanabigli (Pavia) in 1835. His reading of Don
Bosco's prayer book, Il Giovane Provveduto [The Companion of Youth], led him to
Don Bosco himself at the age of twenty-four.
He was among the first to seek admission into the Salesian Congregation and
made his profession as a lay religious on September 29, 1864. Noting that the
young man had the qualities of a good administrator, Don Bosco carefully
cultivated him and entrusted more and more of the Congregation's business
matters to him. He also called him to attend the first and fourth general chapters as
consultor. Even after Don Bosco's death Br. Rossi had the full trust of Fr. Rua. He
died in Turin on October 28, 1908.
Appendices 581

ROTA, PETER (1861-1931), Fr.

Born at Lu Monferrato (Alessandria) on June 7, 1861, Peter Rota was drawn to join
the Salesian Congregation by the example of Fr. John Bonetti. He made his first
profession at Lanzo in 1877 and was a member of the third missionary expedition
sent by Don Bosco in. 1877. Completing his studies in Uruguay, he was ordained a
priest in Montevideo in 1884. Skilled in school administration, he became the first
director of the Salesian school in Niteroi, Brazil. He also directed schools in Villa
Colon, Uruguay, and at Bags in southern Brazil. In 1925 he was recalled to Turin and
appointed provincial of the central province. He died in Lisbon, Portugal on August 8,
1931, while visiting the Salesian houses. His natural kindness, serenity, cheerfulneSs,
and prudence endeared him to all.

RUA, MICHAEL (1837-1910), Fr., Rector Major, Blessed

Michael Rua was born in Turin on June 9, 1837. As a pupil of the Christian
Brothers' school he first met Don Bosco at the age of seven, and an unbreakable
bond was forged between the two. In 1852 he donned the cassock, and from then on
his life was so closely intertwined with that of the founder that he has often been
dubbed "Don Bosco's double." On January 26, 1854 he and three other boys of the
Oratory gathered in Don Bosco's room to band themselves into what was to become
the Salesian Congregation. (See Vol. V, p. 8) The following year he took his first
vows. While studying theology he took charge of the St. Aloysius Festive Oratory
in Turin. In 1859 he accompanied Don Bosco on his first visit to Rome, and that
year, when the Congregation was approved by Pius IX, Michael Rua, though a
subdeacon, was elected by his peers to be spiritual director of the new-born Society
of St. Francis de Sales. (See Vol. VI, pp. 181f)
He was ordained a priest on July 29, 1860 and three years later became the first
Salesian director, assuming charge of the junior seminary at Aftrabello. On the death
of Fr. Victor Alasonatti in 1865, Don Bosco recalled Fr. Rua to the Oratory in Turin
to assume financial responsibility for the Salesian Society. He was Don Bosco's
right-hand man. As Fr. Eugene Ceria states: "Don Bosco could not have asked for a
more devoted son, a more loyal interpreter of his every wish, a more tireless and
intelligent worker, a more enlightened mind and a superior of more unchallenged
authority .. . fully dedicated to his mission, totally imbued with his ideas and amply
qualified . . . to be the founder's worthy spokesman at all levels." (See Vol. XIV, p.
1)
In 1884, at Don Bosco's request, he was appointed his vicar by Pope Leo XIII,
and four years later, at the founder's death, he became rector
582 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

major, a position he held for twenty-two years. During that time the Congregation
grew from sixty-four houses to three hundred and forty-one, reaching out to Europe,
North, South and Central America, Africa and Asia.
Fr. Rua was often defined as "the living rule" because of his fidelity to Don
Bosco's concept of Salesian life and mission. Though he may have externally given
an impression of strictness, he was a gentle, warm, and thoughtful superior, so much
so that he seems to have rivaled Don Bosco in gentleness and fatherliness.
Fr. Rua died on April 6, 1910 at the Oratory. In 1922 the diocesan process for his
beatification and canonization was begun, and in 1926 the cause was taken up in
Rome. He was declared Venerable in 1953 and was beatified on October 29, 1972 by
Pope Paul VI. His feast day is observed on October 29.

SALA, ANTHONY (1836-1895), Fr.

Anthony Sala, born near Como on January 28, 1836, entered the Oratory in
1863 at the age of twenty-seven after giving up the management of his family's
silk mill. He was God's gift to Don Bosco. Entrusting himself to Don Bosco's
guidance, he made his profession on December 29, 1865 and in little more than
six years became a priest. Showing special administrative talent, he was assigned
to help Fr. Alasonatti, who was then in poor health.
In 1875, Fr. Sala was appointed counselor of the superior chapter, replacing Fr.
Ghivarello. Recognizing his particular ability, Don Bosco put Fr. Sala in charge of
remodeling the motherhouse of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians in Nizza
Monferrato and in constructing the new houses at Este, Cremona, Chieri, and
Randazzo. In 1880 Don Bosco appointed him economer general, a post to which he
was re-elected almost unanimously in both 1886 and 1892. He supervised the
construction of St. John the Evangelist Church and school and directed the planning
of the Salesian exhibit in the National Exposition of 1884 in Turin. He also lightened
Don Bosco's burden in building the Church of the Sacred Heart in Rome. During Don
Bosco's final illness he offered the lowliest of services in the sick room.
Fr. Sala worked tirelessly to his dying day. He went to his eternal reward on May
21, 1895 after a brief illness.

SAVIO, ANGELO (1835-1893), Fr.

Angelo Savio was born at Castelnuovo d'Asti on November 20, 1835 and entered
the Oratory in 1850. He was already a deacon when in 1859 he joined the first group
of young men who banded with Don Bosco to
Appendices 583

form the Salesian Society. (See Vol. VI, pp. 1810 At their first historic meeting he
was elected economer general, a post to which he was reelected in 1869 and in
1873. He was ordained in Turin in 1860. As economer he was entrusted with all
construction. In 1885, at the age of fifty, he went to the South American missions,
opening houses in Chile, Peru, Paraguay and Brazil. A tireless and fearless worker,
he was always a man of deep prayer and great trust. He died while on a missionary
journey in Ecuador, after eight years of fruitful mission activity, on January 17,
1893.

TRIONE, STEPHEN (1856-1935), Fr.

Born in Cuorgne (Turin) on December 8, 1856, Stephen entered the Oratory
in 1869 and soon distinguished himself for his good-heartedness, serenity,
joviality and, especially, his fervent piety. He made his first vows as a Salesian
in 1872 and was ordained a priest in Rome on July 12, 1879. At his first Mass
in St. Peter's he prayed for "efficacy of speech."
He first exercised his priestly ministry in Randazzo (Sicily) and Lanzo. In 1884
Don Bosco, already declining in health and feeling the need for a faithful interpreter
of his spirit in the spiritual formation of the Oratory's students, chose Fr. Trion for
that task. Following Don Bosco's footsteps he became the ideal Salesian spiritual
director.
The gift of "efficacy of speech" for which he had prayed was very noticeable in his
ministry of the word. He was a fervent apostle of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
and to Mary, Help of Christians and a matchless organizer of Eucharistic and Marian
congresses in various dioceses. The outstanding field of his Salesian activity was the
Association of Salesian Cooperators. All the dioceses of Italy and the main centers in
Europe and South America witnessed his ardent zeal for the spreading of Don Bosco's
spirit and undertakings.
As assistant postulator of the causes of beatification and canonization of Don
Bosco, Dominic Savio, Fr. Andrew Beltrami and Prince Czartoryski, he had the
privilege to be present at Don Bosco's canonization and at the conferring of the title
"Venerable" on Dominic Savio. He went from the Oratory to his reward on April 1,
1935 at the age of seventy-nine.

UNIA, MICHAEL (1849-1895), Fr.

Born on December 18, 1849 at Roccaforte (Cuneo), Michael Unia took his first
vows at San Benign° Canavese on August 13, 1880 and was ordained a priest at Ivrea
on December 23, 1882 at the age of thirty-three.
In 1890 he joined the first group of missionaries going to Colombia at
584 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

the government's request to open a trade school in Bogota, the capital.

A year and a half later, learning that many lepers lacked material and spiritual
assistance, Father Unia felt inspired to dedicate himself to this specific and dangerous
apostolate and sought permission from Fr. Rua. Don Bosco's first successor, and from
the archbishop of Bogota. When it was finally granted, Fr. Unia promptly walked all
the way to Agua de Dios, a forsaken place three days away from the capital. There he
found seven hundred and thirty adult lepers and a hundred and twenty children under
ten, to whom he immediately offered spiritual and material assistance. The following
year two other Salesians joined him, and he was thus able to organize the civil and
religious life of the village. Totally selfless, he lavished his care on all, even in giving
to the lepers the usual signs of affection given to healthy people, such as shaking
hands with them and caressing the children.
Having obtained the help of a few Sisters of the Presentation, he opened a
kindergarten and then started a fund-raising drive to erect a large hospital and
beautify the poor village chapel. He also succeeded in having an aqueduct built to
bring drinking water to the leper colony and introduced vocal and instrumental
music to lift up the lepers' spirits. The beautiful church services and the frequent
reception of the sacraments were also a great source of comfort and hope for all his
charges.
In 1893 a severe case of dropsy and other ailments forced him to return to Italy for
treatment. He went back to Agua de Dios the following year, but a recurrence of the
disease required his removal to Bogota. Toward the end of July 1895 the disease took
a turn for the worse and he was recalled to Italy. He passed away at the Oratory in
Turin on December 9 of the same year.

VERONESI, MOSES (1851-1930), Fr.

Born at Bovisio, Milan, in 1851, Moses Veronesi first met Don Bosco in 1868
when he was a resident student at our Salesian school in Lanzo. "You will live to an
old age if you will be good," Don Bosco told him. After donning the clerical habit at
the Oratory at Don Bosco's hands, he began his philosophy and theology studies. In
1873 he fell critically ill, but Don Bosco, informed of this, sent this telegram to Fr.
Rua: "I bless Veronesi, but I am not sending him his passport."
Veronesi made his religious profession in January 1876 and, after being ordained a
priest in June of that same year, he was promptly appointed catechist at the Oratory,
where he worked so zealously that Don Bosco called him "his heart and his arm." In
1882 he was appointed director at Mogliano Veneto until 1895, when he was named
provincial of the
Appendices 585

Salesian houses in Veneto and later, from 1908 to 1910, in Lombardy. He then
became director of the Oratory until 1917, when he was reassigned to Mogliano
Veneto as director until 1926. Fidelity to Don Bosco, ardent love for the Blessed
Virgin and great fatherliness for his confreres were his outstanding traits. He died in
Verona on February 3, 1930.

VESPIGNANI, JOSEPH (1854-1932), Fr.

Born at Lugo, Italy in 1854, Joseph started his secondary schooling with the
Benedictines at Cesena and then entered the seminary of Faenza for his philosophy
courses. While there, a virulent pneumonia nearly took his life. After an uncertain
recovery, he continued his theological studies and, though still sickly, was ordained
a priest in 1876. He barely hoped to live long enough to say at least three Masses,
and yet, three months later, he felt strong enough to go to Turin to see Don Bosco.
So impressed was he by the fact that Don Bosco could read his conscience that he
stayed with him for a whole year. He made his religious profession on Christmas
Day 1876, and the following year Don Bosco sent him to Argentina with the third
missionary expedition to be novice master. After spending seventeen years with
Bishop James Costamagna, he succeeded him in 1894 as director of Pius IX School
in Buenos Aires and, later, as provincial.
In 1922 he was recalled to Turin as a member of the superior chapter and remained
in office until his saintly death on January 15, 1932. In 1948 his remains were
brought to Buenos Aires and entombed in San Carlos Church. As novice master,
confessor, writer, and founder of nineteen Salesian houses, he earned the admiration
of all. Outstanding is his book Un Anno alla Scuola del Beato Don Bosco.
 Appendix 2*

ADVICE GIVEN BY DON BOSCO IN CONFESSION

(See page 86, footnote 1)

Turin, June 4, 1879, Third Day of Retreat: Remember to fulfill all your duties as
assistant, student and teacher. As for keeping money, I am not sure whether one
might be allowed to receive Holy Communion when guilty of one act of
disobedience. When disappointments come your way, accept them as penance for
your sins and bear them patiently for Jesus' sake. For your penance, recite the Seven
Joys of the Blessed Virgin.
June 12, Feast of Corpus Christi: Pray to Mary. Ask Her to obtain from Her Son
the grace of always praying with due fervor. In addition, think often of Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament, whose feast we celebrate today. Be at ease. For your penance,
recite the Forage Lingua.
June 21, 1879, Vigil of Our Celebration of St. Aloysius: Confess again your past
sins and make an act of contrition. Your penance is one Our Father, Hail Mary, and
Glory Be. Pray for me.
July 17, 1879, Last Day of the Forty Hours' Devotions: If ten or twelve days after
your last confession you are still without serious sin, go to Communion tranquilly.
Today- ask Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to keep you constantly in good health and
promise that you will always use it for God's greater glory, doing His will in all
things. Say the Hail, Holy Queen three times as your penance. Go in peace.
August 9, 1879: We are in the novena of the Virgin Mary's assumption into
heaven. Think of Her during these next few days and entrust yourself to Her
protection. Reflect that you are under the protection of not only a merciful Mother,
but also a most powerful and merciful Queen. At Her assumption Mary was crowned
Queen of heaven and earth by Her Divine Son and made superior to all the saints.
Think of all She can do for us. Trust Her and you will see yourself growing in fervor
and devotion. For your penance say the Hail, Holy Queen three times with the
invocation, "Queen of Angels, pray for us." Go in peace and keep cheerful.
September 1879: At the retreat in Lanzo Don Bosco gave me the following advice:
"Reflect on your past; listen attentively to God's word; make good resolutions to
guide you throughout your future."
*For the original Italian see Memorie Biografiehe del Beata Giovanni Bosco, Vol. 14, pp. 712ff.
[Editor]
Appendices 587

November 8, 1879: Today begins the month which prepares us for the feast of the
Immaculate Conception. The school year is not far advanced, and so earnestly
resolve to do your very best by entrusting everything you do to Mary Immaculate.
She will certainly help you in all your needs. For your penance say once the De
Profundis for the souls in purgatory. Go in peace and God bless you.
November 30, 1879: We are in the novena of the Immaculate Conception. Keep it
as devoutly as you possibly can. Go to Communion every day if you wish. Pray to
Mary Immaculate, and ask Her to help you in all you do. For your penance say three
times, "0 Mary, conceived without original sin, pray for us." Go in peace, and God
bless you.
May 14, 1880: It was good for you to recall the sins of your past life. Now bear in
mind that we are about to start the novena to Mary, Help of Christians. Entrust
yourself to Her. Try to honor Her during this novena and have your boys do the
same. She will particularly help you overcome all temptations. For your penance,
say one Hail Mary and repeat three times the invocation, "Mother most pure, pray
for us." Go in peace and God bless you.
July 22, 1880: Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. Though once a great
sinner, she turned a new leaf in life and never again strayed from the right path. Pray
to her that you may do the same. For your penance say one Our Father and Hail
Mary in her honor. In your act of contrition, renew your sorrow for your past sins,
especially sins of . _ Go in peace and God bless you.
August 8, 1880, Toward the End of the Retreat: Don Bosco greeted me by name.
"There now," he said, "we know each other. I shall pray that you may make a good
retreat and I'll do all I can to help you. You must pray too and do your very best in
preparing for your annual confession. Don't bother too much about the little things;
stick to the important ones. Go in peace and God bless you.
August 13, 1880, Last Day of the Spiritual Retreat at San Benigno: Confess once
more the sins of your past life and then be at peace. Strive to keep your good
resolutions. Go in peace.
September 3, 1880: Three days after the San Benigno retreat, Don Bosco said to a
priest, "Bear in mind that a priest never goes to heaven or hell alone."
August 27, 1881: At the beginning of the spiritual retreat at San Benign() Don
Bosco said to me, "Be at peace. From now on make it a point to observe exactly
even the smallest rules because they are the ones that will lead us into paradise."
588 THE BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF SAINT JOHN BOSCO

September 11, 1881: During the retreat at San Benign Don Bosco told me:
"Confess again all your past sins and those you may have forgotten. Make some
good resolution. If you recall other faults or sins of omission, acknowledge your
guilt and steadfastly resolve to do your utmost to correct yourself."
November 11, 1883: Don Bosco said to a newly ordained priest, "Now that you
have attained your goal, have but one concern, your ultimate goal—a holy death.
Start thinking about it now and don't wait for death suddenly to overtake you."
INDEX
 ABBREVIATIONS

D.B. Don Bosco

D.M.H.C. Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians
E.H.D. Exercise for a Happy Death
G.N. Good Night
M.H.C. Mary, Help of Christians
S.C. Salesian Cooperators
S.S. Salesian Society
 A
Acireale: benevolence of the bishop for D.B., 83, 102; fruitless negotiations about a Salesian
house in, 240ff
Adversaries: D.B:s amiability with, 38, 91f; D.B.'s a. in Rome, 345-348. See also Gastaldi,
Lawrence
Adversities: D.B's serenity in, 61-69, 82f, 100, 110-130
Ailments (D.B.'s): motion discomfort, 3; eyesight trouble, 3, 57f, 87f; varicose veins, 324f.
See also Sacrifice
Alassio: D.B's stopover on his way to France, 2; site of annual conference of St. Francis
de Sales, 24-35; D.B.'s recommendations to the boys, 33f; D.B.'s familiar meeting with
Mary Mazzarello and the Daughters of M.H.C., 191
Albano: D.B.'s invitation to his Sale-glans to see him in Rome, 59; withdrawal from, 245f
Albera, Paul, Fr.: mention of, 223, 240, 383, 493; biographical note, 559
Alimonda, Cajetan, Bishop: panegyric of St. Francis de Sales at Alassio, 34; high esteem
for D.B., 34f; elevation to the cardinalate, 84; D.B.'s appeal for help in obtaining some
privileges, 181f
Alumni: celebration of D.B.'s name day in 1879, 102f; in 1880, 400-
 405; ingratitude of some a., 229ff, 405f
Aneyros, Frederick, Archbishop: letters to D.B., 2201, 518; letter from D.B., 508f
Annecy: D.B.'s contribution to a memorial to St. Francis de Sales, 261ff
Anticlericalism: of Italian government officials against D.B.'s secondary school at the
Oratory, 100, 110, 116, 152, 154f
Argentina: government's esteem for the Salesian missionaries, 221; civil war in, 5I5ff
Ariccia: D.B.'s invitation to his Salesians to see him in Rome, 59; Salesians' withdrawal
from, 2461
Artisans: D.B.'s concern for the Oratory's a., 13f
Auteuil see Paris
Authorities, Civil: D.B.'s correspondence with c.a. in defense of the Oratory's secondary
school, 62f, 117ff, 121f, 129ff

B
Barberis, Julius, Fr.: letters from D3., 12f, 44, 316, 366f; mention of, 24, 26, 32, 80;
director at San Benign Canavese, 252f 299; biographical note, 5 60f
Beaujour Society: president, 8; new contract, 11; D.B.'s report to
592

the B.S. on his visit to La Navarre and Saint-Cyr, 36; papal decoration for the director of
the, 285f
Beauvoir, Joseph, Fr.: pastor of the mission at Viedma, 498; biographical note, 561
Belmonte, Dominic, Fr.: mention of, 104, 325; director at Borgo San Martino, 280;
biographical note, 561
Benefactors: humorous incident at dinner with, 16f; letters from D.B. to, 35ff, 78f, 101f, 107,
194f, 287f, 290ff, 367f, 370f, 391f, 444-447, 450; outstanding b, 74f, 265, 370f; D.B.'s way in
seeking help from, 323f
Berta, Joachim, Fr.: in Rome with D.B., 47, 59, 339f, 348, 350f, 354, 364f; D.B.'s spiritual
monitor, 302f; D.B.'s gratitude for, 364; biographical note, 562
Bianchi, Nicomedes: his part in the shutdown of the Oratory secondary school, 113ff
Biographies: D.B.'s directives about b. of deceased Salesians, 299
Bilocation (D.B.'s): instance of, 552ff
Bishops and Archbishops: 13.13's mediation between the archbishop of Bologna and the
Italian government, 72ff
Blessings (D.B.'s): efficacy of, 17, 19, 21f, 37, 39f, 75, 77, 316 -321, 550f; D.B.'s
humility in not taking credit for the efficacy of his b., 325f, 331, 530 -533
Bodrato, Francis, Fr.: provincial of South America, 26, 298, 497, 508; D.B.'s directive to write
to Leo XIII twice a year, 212; letters from D.B., 509-512; serious illness and death, 526ff;
biographical note, 562f
Bollettino Salesiano: a police house search of the Oratory about the printing of the, 417ff
Bologna (City): D.B.'s mediation between its archbishop and the Italian government, 72ff;
offer of a boys' home to D.B., 73
 INDEX

Bologna, Joseph, Fr.: director at Marseille, 5; difficulties with Canon Guiol, 9f, 312ff, 478,
483; letters from D.B., 99f, 343, 369, 388, 452f; preparing for the religious persecution,
483ff, biographical note, 562f
Bonetti, John, Fr.: serious misunderstanding with the cathedral's rector in Chieri, 170ff;
suspension from hearing confessions, 172f; appeal to the Holy See, 174; local clergy's
support of, 175; unending appeals and anguish, 176-179, 182-186; appeal to the Pope,
187ff; another false accusation against, 190; biographical note, 563
Borgatello, Maggiorino, Fr.: witness to an important declaration of D.B. at Lucca, 37 9f;
biographical note, 563f
Borgo San Martino: planned withdrawal of Salesian teachers from the local municipal
school, 280; D.B.'s first conference to the local Salesian cooperators, 428 -433
Bourlot, Stephen, Fr.: mention of, 517; biographical note, 564
Boys: enthusiasm at D.B.'s return to the Oratory from journeys, 78; D.B.'s concern about their
conduct, 79; D.B.'s kind correction of a young boy, 304f; letters to D.B. on his name day,
398ff; D.B.'s dream about the boys' spiritual condition, 437ff. See also Dreams (D.B.'s),
Predictions (D.B.'s)
Branda, John Baptist, Fr.: letter from D.B., 14
Brescia (City) see Pisogne
Bretto, Clement, Fr.: mention of, 304, 535; biographical note, 564
Brindisi: Salesians' withdrawal from
their recent foundation in, 256 Burglary: in D.B.'s residence in Rome,
352ff
C
Cagliero, John, Fr.: in France with
INDEX

D.B., 2-23, 307-337; exploratory tour of Italy and Sicily for new Salesian houses, 31, 240f;
encouraging report about his exploratory tour of Italy, 83; defense of the D.M.H.C. in Nizza
Monferrato, 196f; witness to instantaneous cure by D.B., 321; letter to Fr. Rua about D.B.'s
wonders in Marseille, 322f; biographical note, 564f
Calumny: against D.B, 226-231; against
St. Leo's Oratory in Marseille, 482f Caprioglio, Felix, Fr.: mention of, 517;
biographical note, 565f
Carhue (Patagonia): settlement in the Pampas evangelized by Fr. Costamagna, 218f
Cartier, Louis, Fr.: mention of, 478; biographical note, 566
Catania.; exploratory visit by Fr. Cagliero for a girls' orphanage, 31; benevolence of Sicilian
bishop for D.B., 83; fruitless attempts to open a Salesian house in, 242
Catechesis: D.B.'s zeal for, 362, 428
Catholic Church see Church, Catholic
Cays, Charles, Fr.: D.B.'s esteem for, 14; biographical notes, 14, 566; letters from D.B. to, 15,
259f; admirable obedience, 37f; hard work and difficulties in his work at Challonges
(France), 256-261
Ceccarelli, Peter, Msgr.: offer of a prize for a book on St. Peter, 103, 105; D.B.'s request to the
Pope for an honorific title for, 359f
Ceria, Eugene, Fr.: Preface, xiii-xvi, biographical note, 567
Cerruti, Francis, Fr.: mention of, 2, 104, 384, 486; provincial of Liguria, 25, 298;
biographical note, 567 Challonges (France): opening of a festive oratory and school,
anticlerical opposition and eventual closing, 256-261
Charisms: of Oratory boys, 48, 380 Charisms (D.B.'s): reading of con-
sciences, 22f, 86f, 333, 528, 550;
other charisms, 352, 528-533, 548-
 593

552, 554; bilocation, 552ff. See also Blessings (D.B.'s), Cures (D.B.'s), Predictions (D.B.'s)
Charity (.D.B.'s): in respecting national customs, 3; a means to promote vocations, 27; with
adversaries, 126, 154, 422; toward wayward priests, 290f, 340f; rewards of, 378; toward a
hired murderer, 405; toward persecuted religious, 426; toward the D.M.H.C., 529
Chastity: recommended to Salesians in a dream by D.B., 89; D.B.'s extreme care to safeguard it,
325; a favorite theme of D.B., 434. See also Morality
Chieri: Archbishop Gastaldi's first attempt to close the St. Theresa Festive Oratory for girls,
172f; unlawful suspension of Fr. Bonetti, 172f; controversy about the death and burial of a
D.M.H.C., 186f; popularity of the girls' festive oratory, 195. See also Bonetti, John
Choele-Choel (Patagonia): settlement on the left bank of the Rio Negri, zeal of Fr.
Costamagna, 219. See also Patagonia
Church, Catholic: D.B.'s love of the, 169, 460f, 492. See also Popes
Church of the Sacred Heart (Rome): remote planning, 455f; Leo XIII's worldwide appeal to
bishops for contributions, 456; start of construction and early difficulties, 457f; recourse to D.B.
and his final acceptance to bring to completion the construction of the, 459-474; appointment of
a Salesian pastor, 469-472; D.B.'s reason for accepting to build the, 474
Cibrario, Nicholas: director at Vallecrosia, 278; letters from D.B., 278, 336f
Circulars (D.B.'s): about a lottery, 2, 50; to Salesian cooperators, 2, 225f, 252, 289, 376f, 383f;
for the promotion of Letture Cattoliche, 301; to pastors for referral of adult vocations, 302;
to Salesian directors for financial help, 451f
594

Coadjutor Brothers, Salesian: D.B.'s circular to pastors for referral of young men wishing to
become modem lay religious, 302
Comboni, Daniel, Bishop: pontifical Mass at the Oratory on the feast of
M.H.C., 393; biographical note, 393f Communion, Holy: and priestly or religious
vocations, 26; D.B.'s advice about frequent c., 28f
Community Life: D.B.'s directive about admitting outsiders to, 29
Conference of St. Francis de Sales: at Alassio in 1879, 24-35; D.B.'s
brief report on his visit to southern France, 25; D.B.'s talk on vocations, 26ff
Conferences (D.B.'s): to Salesian cooperators, 7, 34, 501, 75, 94ff, 326-
330, 356f, 376-379, 383f, 390f, 427-433; on vocations, 26ff; to Salesians on the
growth of the S.S'., 276
Confession: a man invariably compelled to make his c. to D.B., 22;
and priestly or religious vocations,
26; D.B.'s norm about frequent c.,
28; a ministry D.B. never relin-
quished, 86; confession of an atheist, 319f; a rope, symbol of confession, 438. See also
Charisms (D.B.'s), Confessors
Confessors: D.B.'s advice to Salesian c., 27f; a young cleric's notes about D.B.'s advice •
in confession, 586ff
Costamagna, James, Fr.: mention of, 100, 193, 229, 522; letters to D.B., 193, 222;
military chaplain during an expedition into Patagonia, 218ff, 223; letters from D.B.,
2211, 519f, 523; appointed acting provincial in Argentina, 518; biographical note, 568
Cremona: withdrawal of the Salesians from, 254f
Cures (D.B.'s): various cures, 5, 40f, 315, 5301, 5501; not granted because of lack of
generosity, 8f; by D.B. after his death, 37
Customs, Local: D.B.'s• acceptance of l.c., 31
 INDEX

Dalmazzo, Francis, Fr.: procurator general of the S.S., 163, 186, 299ff; first audience with
Cardinal Ferrieri, 301, 347f; burglary and arson in his residence, 352f; D.B.'s draft of
suggestions for the Pope, 362f letters from D.B., 466ff, 470f, 492, 514; pastor of the
Church of the Sacred Heart in Rome, 469f; biographical note, 568f
Damascus: five young men from D. educated by the Salesians at Nice, 284
Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians: message from D.B. to the, 13; possibility of a girls'
orphanage in Cataria, 31; increasing membership but poor health, 32; Holy See's request for
clarification about the, 162, 166ff; festive oratory for girls at Chieri, 170-190; familiar meeting
with Mary Mazzarello and the D.M.H.C. at Alassio, 191; transfer of the motherhouse to
Nizza Monferrato, 192; Fr. Costamagna's praise of the, 193; fierce attacks against D.B. and
the D.M.H.C. for sheltering a Jewish maiden seeking baptism, 198-208; co-founders of the
mission of PatagOnes, 4971; D.B.'s report to Leo XIII about the work of the D.M.H.C. in
Patagonia, 503; general chapter, 524; statistics, 525ff; anecdotes about D.B.'s chance
meetings with, 528-533
Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians-Houses: new foundations in 1879-192, 248;
1880-525ff; norms for new foundations, 192; D.B.'s keepsakes to the D.M.H.C. and
their superiors at Nizza Monferrato, 1931; hostility toward the D.M.H.C. in Lu
Monferrato, 195f
Death: a reminder to D.B. that he too was mortal, 90. See also Dreams (D.B.'s), Predictions
(D.B.'s)
Debts: D.B.'s trust in Divine Providence, 80f; D.B.'s dread of, 365
Demoniac Possession: D.B. and cases
INDEX

of, 42, 354f, 381f

Dinners: invitations to D.B. by distinguished prelates and laymen, 16f, 48, 333, 3501, 379f;
D.B.'s witty admonitions to priests at two separate dinners, 439ff
Directors, Salesian: advice for, 27, 89, 281; the center of unity in our houses, 28; copy
of D.B.'s first triennial report to the Holy See sent to, 156; D.B.'s special strenna for,
293; circular to Salesian d. for fmancial help, 451f
Divine Providence see Providence, Divine
Dogliani, Joseph, Br.: musical composition on D.B.'s name day, 100f; D.B.'s fatherly
gesture for, 100f; biographical note, 569
Dreams (D.B.'s): a medicine for D.B.'s poor sight, 87f; Youngsters Against Warriors, 88f;
Rain of Thorns and Roses, 424ff; A Mysterious Banquet, 437ff; symbols in, 438f; Mary's
Mantle, 487f
Durando, Celestine, Fr.: mention of, 62, 77, 104, 116, 118, 128, 238, 240, 257, 266, 298,
542; exploratory tour of Italy and Sicily for new Salesian houses, 31, 77, 2401; trip to
Rome in defense of the Oratory secondary school, 128; letter from D.B., 342; audience
with Leo XIII, 359; biographical note, 359f

E
Este: warm welcome to D.B. on his stopover, 741; D.B. meeting with S.C., 75
Esteem for D.B.: by people at large, 39ff; by priests, 41f, 47; by Vatican personnel, 48;
by prelates and cardinals, 48; by the nobility, 50; by government officials, 50
Exercise for a Happy Death: D.B.'s request to the Holy See for a plenary indulgence to be
gained on the day of the, 354; importance D.B. gave to the, 408, 437
 595

F
Fagnano, Joseph, Fr.: mention of, 101, 223; director of San Nicolas de los Arroyos, 224;
director of the mission at Patagones, 497f; letter from D.B., 521f: biographical note, 570f
Faith see Providence, Divine
Family Spirit: means to promote, 89; an instance of, 308f
Fascie, Bartholomew, Fr.: mention of, 139; biographical note, 571
Fassio, Michael, Fr.: mention of, 519; letter from D.B., 521; biographical note, 571f
Ferrieri, Innocent, Cardinal: letters from D.B., 163f; first audience to Fr. Dalmazzo,
301, 347f; bias against D.B., 345-348, 491f
Finances: D.B.'s constant efforts to provide for the Oratory's needs, 50, 70, 811; D.B.'s
prudent adminisstration, 81f, 85f; D.B.'s appeals to ecclesiastical and civil authorities
for subsidies, 278f; D.B.'s fear of debts, 365
Florence: negotiations for opening a Salesian hospice in, 71; D.B.'s stopover on his way to
Turin from Rome, 71, 375f; urgent need to save youngsters from Protestant influence, 375f .
Forbearance see Patience
Foreign Missions see Missions, Foreign
France: D.B.'s visits to the Salesian houses in, 1-23, 307-337, 386ff; French pilgrims at the
Oratory, 92f1; D.B.'s prediction of a religious persecution in, 2961; religious persecution
in, 475-493; D.B.'s timely instructions to the Salesian directors about the forthcoming
religious persecution, 4771, 481-487. See also Frejus, Marseille, Navarre, Nice, Paris, Saint-
Cyr, Toulon
Francesia, John Baptist, Fr.: provincial of Piedmont, 25; mention of, 104, 295, 298, 384;
transfer from Varazze to the Valsalice College, 280; biographical note, 572
Francis de Sales, St.: a look-all.e man handing a booklet to D.B. in a
596

dream, 88f; D.B.'s contribution for a memorial to, 261ff

Frejus: D.B.'s brief stops at, 4, 309

G
Gastaldi, Lawrence, Archbishop: unexpected friendly visits to the Oratory and to the Valsalice
College, 46f, refusal to allow a bishop to pontificate or preside at a solemn Mass at the
Oratory, 102; first attempt to close the girls' festive oratory at Chieri, 170; Fr. Rua's letter to,
171; unlawful suspension of Fr. Bonetti from hearing confessions, 172f; unusual
condescension toward Salesian °Minn rids, 173f; Fr. Bonetti's appeal to the Holy See, 174;
D.B.'s report to Cardinal Ferried about Fr. Bonetti's suspension, 174f; Gastaldi's second
thoughts about Fr. Bonetti's suspension, 176ff, 188; short note of D.B. to, 188; anonymous
pamphlet defending Fr. Bonetti, 190; controversy with D.B. about the publication of
accounts of miracles attributed to the intercession of M.H.C., 410-417; complaints to the
Holy See about D.B.'s delay in replying to an offer of his, 419-423; complaints concerning his
unexpected visit to the Salesian house in San Benign, 423
Gazzetta del Popolo: D.B.'s letter in defense of the Oratory's secondary school, 133f
General Chapter see Salesian Society-General Chapter
Ghivarello, Charles, Fr.: mention of, 24; director of Saint-Cyr orphanage, 298; biographical
note, 572f
Girls: festive oratory for girls at Chieri, 170-190
Good Nights, Salesian: 33f, 275f Grosso, John Baptist, Fr.: mention of, 272;
biographical note, 573
Guidazio, Peter, Fr.: mention of, 29, 229, 265; director at Montefiascone, 245; director at
Randazzo, 267ff; biographical note, 573f
 INDEX

Guiol, Clement, Fr.: coldness toward D.B., 4; excessive demands of the Salesians, 9f;
D.B.'s magnanimity toward, 10f, 311-314; letters from D.B., 36f, 71f, 94, 2851, 288,
335, 349f, 360f, 385f, 478, 481; visit to the Oratory, 284; D.B.'s concern about
maintaining friendly relations with, 343, 348f

H
Health: D.B.'s poor h., 3; D.B.'s solicitude for the h. of his pupils, confreres, D.M.H.C. and
benefactors, 12, 15, 32, 191, 224, 511. See also Ailments (D.B.'s)
Holy Childhood Association: D.B. petitions for aid, 209, 2I2ff
Holy See: D.B.'s reports to about his work to safeguard the faith in Italy and about the
financial needs of the Salesian South American mission, 54; D.B.'s first triennial report
on the state of the S.S., 156-159; observations made by the Holy See and D.B.'s
clarifications, 160-169; request for further clarification about the state of the S.S. and
D.B.'s reply, 164f
Hostility see Adversaries
Humility: instances of D.B.'s h., 82, 3021, 3251, 332, 336, 380, 440, 555

I
Immaculate Conception: deliverance of a woman from demoniac vexations on the feast
of the, 42
Isili (Sardinia): fruitless negotiations about a Salesian house in, 236ff

Jesuits: D.B.'s offer of shelter, 476; first victims of the religious persecution in France, 496
Jewess: fierce attacks against D.B. and the D.M.H.C. for sheltering a
INDEX

Jewish maiden seeking baptism, 198208

John Bosco, St.: health, 3, 57f, 871, 324f; popularity, 5ff, 309, 330ff, 344f, heroic spirit of
sacrifice, 32f; generosity, 49; humility, 82, 302f, 325f, 332, 336, 380, 440, 555; serenity,
354; attempts on his life, 405ff. See also Adversities, Blessings (D.B.'s), Charisms (D.B.'s),
Journeys (D.B.'s)
Joseph, St.,: protection from accidents and fulfillment of a vow, 271f
Journeys (D.B.'s): hardships, 1, 3, 17ff; to France, 1-23; to Rome, 46-60, 338-371; to Turin
from Rome, 71-78; to Naples from Rome, 350ff
K
Kindness: of D.B. in correcting boys, 272, 304f. See also Charity
L
La Navarre see Navarre
La Spezia, short stopover by D.B. on his way to and from Rome, 38, 382f; D.B.'s request
to the Holy See to subsidize his work at, 383
Lago, Angelo, Fr.: mention of, 87; biographical note, 574
Lanzo: St. Joseph's protection in several accidents and fulfillment of a vow, 27 If; D.B.'s
kindness in correcting a boy, 272; memorandum on the school's operation, 273f; glowing
praise of our school and of D.B.'s system of education by the director of correctional
institutions in Turin, 274f, spiritual retreats in 1879, 275
Lazzero, Joseph, Fr.: mention of, 24, 78f, 253, 315; councillor of the Superior Chapter,
298; biographical note, 574
Lemoyne, John Baptist, Fr.: letter from D.B., 13; director of the D.M4H.C. at Mornese, 13;
biographical note, 575
Leo XILL D.B.'s petition for spiritual favors and honorary titles, 54f, D.B.'s
 597

audiences with, 55f, 355-360; D.B.'s petitions on behalf of his foreign missions, 209-212;
letters from D.B. to, 278, 5001, 512; subsidies for D.B.'s works, 214, 278f, D.B.'s unfounded
fears about the Pope's feelings toward him, 355; D.B.'s draft of suggestions for, 3621; request
to D.B. to take over the construction of the Church of the Sacred Heart, 461; high praises
for D.B., 480; D.B.'s report on the Salesian missions, 504-508; D.B.'s petition for ordinations
outside the regular time, 512f
Letters (D.B.'s): to benefactors and cooperators, 2, 16, 35f, 78f, 101f, 106, 287f, 290ff, 304,
343, 367f, 370, 3911, 444-447, 450-453, 536f; to Fr. Rua, 3, 43, 315, 366, 417; to Fr.
Barberis, 121, 44, 316, 3661; to Fr. Lemoyne, 13; to Fr. Branda, 14; to Fr. Cays, 15, 259f;
to Salesians, 36, 44, 99f, 223f, 278, 281, 3361, 342, 369, 384, 442ff, 448f; to Fr. Guiol,
36f, 711, 94, 285f, 288, 335, 349f, 360f, 385f, 478, 481; to government authorities, 621,
117ff, 1211, 129ff, 273, 279f, 418f, 490; to priests and religious, 711, 94, 124ff, 344, 368,
397, 453; to upperclassmen at Borgo San Martino, 90; to King Humbert I, 121; to
newspapers in defense of the Oratory's secondary school, 133f; to Fr. Margotti, 136f; to
Cardinal Nina, 1791, 215, 300, 345, 422; to Leo XIII, 209-212, 278, 500f, 512; to Fr.
Costamagna, 221f, 519f, 523; to Fr. Ronchail, 282ff, 3651, 477f,• to Fr. Durando, 342;
to people at large, 453f; to Fr. Dalmazzo, 466ff, 4701, 492, 514; to Archbishop Aneyros,
5081; to Fr. Bodrato, 509-512; to Fr. Vespignani, 520f; to Fr. Fassio, 521; to Fr.
Fagnano, 521f
Letture Cattoliche: D.B.'s promotion of, 301
Lotteries: of paintings in 1878-79, 2, 106. See also Finances
598

Lu Monferrato: hostility toward the D.M.H.C., 195f

Lucca: warm welcome to D.B., 39, 376; great esteem for D.B., 40f; progress of the
festive oratory, 42f; D.B.'s conference to the S.C., 376379
M
Magliano: D.B.'s visits to, 58, 374f; Card. Bilio's praise of the seminary-boarding school at,
281f
Magnaminity: instances of D.B.'s m., 4f, 10f, 79f, 311-314
Margotti, James, Fr.: letter from D.B., 136f. See also Unita Cattolica
Marenco, John, Fr.: director at Lucca, 39f, 376, 381; biographical footnote, 575f
Marseille: cold reception and then enthusiasm for D.B., 4-7, 330ff;
D.B.'s conference to the S.C., 7,
326-330; expansion of the Salesian
school, 7f, 483ff; problems in the
relationship of the Salesians to
St. Joseph's parish, 9ff, 311-314,
345; D.B.'s request to the Italian
consul for a government subsidy,
83; progress in the construction
of a new wing at St. Leo's Festive
Oratory, 284f; instantaneous cure by
D.B., 314; financial needs of St.
Leo's Oratory, 3321; D.B.'s timely
instructions to safeguard his houses
from the religious persecution, 481f,
489; two traitors at St. Leo's, 482f;
Salesians ordered to vacate their
house, 483f; D.B.'s assurance that
Salesians would not be evicted, 485,
487; D.B.'s dream about the Blessed
Virgin's protection of St. Leo's Ora-
tory, 487f; D.B.'s grief at the Holy
See's misinterpretation of his clarifications about a Salesian novitiate in, 491ff; D.B.'s
prediction about St. Leo's future expansion, 549f
Mary, Blessed Virgin: D.B.'s trust in the help of, 6, 75, 302, 487f; prediction for the S.S.,
488. See also Mary, Help of Christians
 INDEX

Mary, Blessed Virgin-Immaculate Conception see Immaculate Conception

Mary, Help of Christians: cures through the intercession of, 75; French pilgrims at the Oratory
on the first day of the novena, 92f; D.B.'s promotion of the novena to M.H.C., 302; feast of
M.H.C. in 1879, 99; in 1880, 390-398; controversy with Archbishop Gastaldi about the
publication of accounts of miracles attributed to the intercession of, 410-417
Mary Mazzarello, St.: meeting with Don Bosco at Sampierdarena, 191; D.B.'s familiar
meeting with Mary Mazzarello and the D.M.H.C. at Alassio, 191; sorrowful departure
from Momese, 192; letter to the D.M.H.C. at Las Piedras, Uruguay, 192f; reelection as
Mother General, 526
Mediocrity: D.B.'s handling of mediocre young Salesian, 80
Meditation: importance of, 437
Milan: D.B.'s four-day stay in, 77; efficacy of D.B.'s blessing, 77; futile offer of a
boarding school to D.B., 77f
IVElanesio, Dominic, Fr.: apostolic explorations in Patagonia, 4981; biographical note,
576
Missionaries, Salesian: advice about choosing m., 89, 225; no expedition of m. in 1879, 209;
zealous work of m. in Patagonia, 218f, 223, 499; enthusiasm for D.B.'s letters, 222f
Missions, Foreign: D.B.'s report to the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, 54;
D.B.'s petition to Leo XIII on behalf of his f.m., 209-212
Modena: first self-organi7ed meeting of S.C., 75ff; fruitless negotiations about a Salesian
house in, 235f
Monateri, Joseph, Fr.: D.B.'s emissary in Rome to negotiate about a Salesian house, 242f;
director at Albano, 245f, director at Varazze, 2801, letters from D.B., 281, 384, 443;
INDEX

biographical note, 576

Montefiascone: short-lived new foundation, 244f
Monterotondo (Rome): fruitless negotiations about a Salesian house in, 240
Morality: a matter of life and death for the S.S., 437; D.B.'s promise to send a letter
dealing with the chief safeguards of, 437; earnestly recommended by D.B. to Salesian
pupils, 521
Moreno, Louis, Bishop: opposition to D.B.'s planned foundation in San Benign
Canavese, 249f
Mornese: transfer of the sisters' mother-house to Nizza Monferrato, 192. See also Daughters
of Mary, Help of Christians, Mary Mazzarello
Murder: attempt to murder D.B., 405ff

N
Nai, Louis, Fr.: biographical note, 576f
Name Day (D.B.'s): the Oratory's celebration in 1879, 100f; in 1880, 398-407
Naples: D.B.'s trip to N. from Rome to discuss the possibility of opening a Salesian house,
350ff
Navarre, La: D.B.'s visits, 19f, 309f; hopes about its future, 31; D.B.'s report to the
Beaujour Society, 36
Nationalism: D.B.'s efforts to dispel any fear of n. in the S.S., 3f
Newspapers: comments about the closing of the Oratory's secondary school, 120, 122f, 128,
135-140; calumnies against D.B. and rebuttals, 226-233
Nice: D.B.'s visits to, 2f, 20ff, 307ff; efficacy of D.B.'s blessing, 21f; a sudden conversion
and reading of hearts, 22f; letters from D.B. to the director at, 282 financial needs of St.
Pierre's Hospice, 332f, generosity of benefactors, 333ff
Nina, Lawrence, Cardinal: audiences to D.B., 46, 48f, 339; cardinal protector of the S.S.,
55ff, 182;
 599

D.B.'s request for the renewal of some privileges, 179f; D.B.'s report about Archbishop
Gastaldi's hostility toward the S.S., 180f; letters from D.B., 179f, 215, 345, 422, 543ff; letters
to D.B., 421, 423
Nizza Monferrato: transfer of sisters' motherhouse from Mornese to, 192; D.B.'s visits to,
193f,• hostility toward the D.M.H.C., 196-199; General Chapter, 524
Nosegays (D.B.'s): for the 1879 Christmas novena, 292
Novenas: Christmas novena, 1879, 292; D.B.'s promotion of the novena to M.H.C., 302
Novices: D.B.'s concern about, 121; D.B.'s way of dealing with a quick-tempered novice,
79f; advice to and about n. in a dream, 89; summer vacation of clerical novices at San
Benign Canavese in 1878-79, 253; relocation of the 1878-79 novices and clothing day
ceremony at San Benign Canavese, 254. See also Novitiate
Novitiate: Holy See's request for clarificiations about the stop of the n. and D.B.'s answer,
160, 164; D.B.'s plan to move the n. to San Benign Canavese, 250ff; relocation of the n.
to San Benign Canavese, 254; D.B.'s practical norms for admission to the, 435f; D.B.'s
grief at the Holy See's misinterpretation of his clarifications about a n. in Marseille, 491ff.
See also Novices

0
Obedience: admirable o. of Count Cays, 37f; recommended to novices in a dream, 89,
408f
Oddenino, Anthony, Fr.: rector of the Chieri cathedral, 170; animosity toward the
Salesians and serious misunderstanding with Fr. Bonetti, 171f
Oratory (Valdocco): unexpected friendly visit from Archbishop Gastaldi, 46f,
600

D.B.'s constant struggles to provide for its needs, 50, 70, 81, 289, 451f; government
harassment of its secondary school, 61-69, 108-155; D.B.'s letters and reports to
government officials, 62ff, 117ff, 121f, 129f; enthusiastic "Welcome Back" to D.B. after
long absences, 49, 70, 78; reorganization of its administration, 85f; visits by French
pilgrims, 92ff, 386ff; celebrations of the feast of M.H.C., 99, 390-398; decree shutting
down the secondary school, 100, 110; celebrations of D.B.'s name day, 1879-100f; 1880-
398- 407; D.B.'s memorandum to the prefect of the province and to others, 110ff; D.B.'s
conciliatory meeting with the provincial school board, 113ff; D.B.'s attempts to delay the
school's closing, 116-119, 121f, 129f, Unita Cattolica's comment on the closing of the
Oratory's secondary school, 120; newspapers' comments about the closing of the
Oratory's secondary school, 122f; charges and countercharges, 123-127, 131ff; D.B.'s
reliance on the boys' prayers, 291; D.B.'s prediction about two deaths at the, 315f,•
attempt on D.B.'s life, 405ff; purchase of land for expansion of the, 407; police house
search in connection with the printing of the Bollettino Salesiano, 417ff
Outsiders: D.B.'s directive about, 29; an outsider admitted to the Oratory and turning into
an informer against D.B., 231
Osservatore Romano: defense of the Oratory's secondary school, 136
P
Paraguay: plan to send missionaries to, 214f
Paris: signing of agreement about an orphanage in Auteuil, llf; end of negotiations about
Auteuil, 94
PatagOnes: history of, 220; progress of the mission at, 496ff
 INDEX

Patagonia: first contact with the Indians on their own lands, 216-220; military expeditions
into, 217; governments's invitation to have Salesian priests as army chaplains, 218ff;
spiritual harvest, 223; Fr. Rua's report to the Salesians about our missions in Patagonia, 225;
D.B.'s report to the S.C., 225f; beginning of the real missionary work in, 494523; history of
the PatagOnes and Viedma missions, 496-499; four D.M.H.C. accompanying the Salesian
missionaries, 497f; D.B.'s efforts to have an apostolic vicariate erected in, 499-511. See also
Carhue, Choele-Choel, Patagdnes, Viedma
Patience: instances of D.B.'s p., 18, 80; D.B.'s special strenna for directors, 293
Pavia, Joseph, Fr.: mention of, 407; biographical note, 577
Perrot, Peter, Fr.: mention of, 18; director at La Navarre, 309; biographical note, 576f
Persecution, Religious: D.B.'s prediction about a religious persecution in France, 296f; D.B.'s
opinion on, 337; in France, 475-493; D.B.'s offer of shelter to the Jesuits during the
persecution in France, 476
Peter, St.: D.B. winner of a contest for a biography of 103-106
Peter's Pence: donation from a French
gentleman through D.B., 340 Piccolo, Francis, Fr.: mention of, 59;
biographical note, 577f
Piscetta, Louis, Fr.: mention of, 550; biographical note, 578
Pisogne: fruitless negotiations about a Salesian house in, 238f
Pius IX: personal purchase of land for the future Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in
Rome, 456
Popes: D.B.'s staunch loyalty to the,
103-106, 135, 212, 232
Possession, Demoniac see Demoniac Possession
Poverty (Virtue): D.B.'s love of personal poverty, 300f, 307, 434f
INDEX

Prayer: D.B.'s spirit of, xiv; efficacy of, 378, 427. See also Prayers
Prayers: D.B.'s reliance on his sons' p., 3, 11, 291; trust in D.B.'s p., 40, 302, 306
Predictions (D.B.'s): about a woman suffering from demoniac vexations, 42; to sisters, 293ff,
527, 530ff to Salesians, 295ff; about deaths, 315f, 372, 546f; about the end of a nun's
illness, 320; to a young postulant about her studies, 321f; to a prejudiced boy about his
future priestly vocation, 375; about the future of St. Leo's Oratory, 483ff, 5491; of a long
life, 547f
Preventive System of Education: necessity of total control of a house for the success of the,
10; success of D.B.'s system at Randazzo, 268; glowing praise of the p.s. in a magazine,
274f; D.B.'s exhortation to alumni priests about the application of the, 402ff
Priests: D.B.'s aid to wayward priests, 2901, 340f; D.B.'s concern about keeping friendly
relations with, 343, 3481; deep impression made by D.B. on a priest, 396f
Privileges (Canon Law): D.B.'s requests for the renewal of some privileges, 54f, 158, 179f,
359
Profession, Religious: excerpt from a sermon by D.B. after a religious profession, 2761.
See also Vows
Protestants: D.B.'s work in stemming Protestant inroads in Italy, 53f; Protestant efforts
to drive the Salesians out of Vallecrosia, 277
Providence, Divine: D.B.'s unlimited trust in, xivf, 801, 289, 461, 464, 545, 555
Provinces, Salesian see Salesian Society -Provinces
Provincials: appointment of new p., 25f Purity see Chastity
R
Rabagliati, Evasius, Fr.: biographical note, 578
 601

Randazzo: benevolence of the bishop for D.B., 83; opening of a Salesian house at, 264-
270; success of D.B.'s system of education, 268
Religious Persecution see Persecution, Religious
Religious Profession see Profession, Religious
Retreats: at Lanzo in 1879, 275; D.B.'s abolition of triennial vows in 1879, 275f; D.B.'s
comments about temperance at the second retreat in Lanzo in 1879, 277
Rinaldi, Philip: mention of, 15, 254; reminiscences about D.13.'s love of personal poverty,
435; biographical note, 579
Rocca, Angelo, Fr.: director at La Spezia, 38, 382; biographical note, 579f
Rocca, Louis, Fr.: mention of, 2, 26, 304; biographical note, 580
Rome: D.B.'s trip to Rome in 1879 at the request of Leo X111, 46-60; D.B.'s audience with
Cardinal Nina, 46, 48f, 339; D.B.'s conference to the local S.C., 50f; prospects for the
opening of a Salesian house in, 51f; advice to D.B. in a dream about opening houses in
Rome, 90; fruitless negotiations for St. Michael's Hospice and a technical school, 242ff;
D.B.'s activities in March and April 1880, 3381, 354-373; burglary and fire in D.B.'s
residence, 352f; departure from, 371
Ronchail, Joseph, Fr.: mention of 3, 17, 24, 307ff, 383; letters from D.B., 282ff, 3651,
477f; witness to D.B.'s humility, 336; biographical note, 580
Rossi, Joseph, Br.: mention of, 307; biographical note, 580
Rota, Peter, Fr.: mention of, 296; biographical note, 581
Rules: advice to directors about promoting the obsrvance of the, 89, 511
Rua, Michael, Fr.: D.B.'s reliance on, 1, 70f; letters from D.B., 3, 43,
602

315, 366, 417; substituting for D.B. for the first time in giving a conference to Salesians
at Alassio, 35; D.B.'s recommendation to trust in Divine Providence, 80f; letter to
Archbishop Gastaldi about St. Theresa's Festive Oratory in Chieri, 171; report on D.B.'s
behalf about our missions in Patagonia, 225; substituting for D.B. in Marseille, 480;
biographical note, 581f
S
Sacraments: the source of priestly and religious vocations, 26; D.B.'s norms as regards the
frequent reception of the, 28f. See also Communion, Holy; Confession
Sacred Heart Church see Church of the Sacred Heart
Saint-Cyr: D.B.'s visits to, 17, 191; D.B.'s hopes about, 31; D.B.'s report to the Beaujour
Society about his visit to, 36; arrival of the D.M.H.C., 248
St. Leo's Festive Oratory see Marseille St. Michael's Hospice see Rome
St. Theresa's Festive Oratory see Chieri
Sala, Anthony, Fr.: mention of, 74; biographical note, 582
Salesian Congregation see Salesian Society
Salesian Cooperators: D.B.'s letters to benefactors and to cooperators, 2, 16, 35f, 78f,
101f, 106, 287ff, 29011, 304, 343, 367f, 370, 391f, 444-447, 450-453, 536f; D .B.' s
conferences to, 7, 34, 501, 75, 94ff, 326-330, 356f, 376-379, 383f, 390f, 427-433; first
self-organized meeting of S.C. at Modena, 96ff. See also Circulars (D.B.'s)
Salesian Schools: D.B.'s difficulties concerning the certification of teachers, 61-69; D.B.'s
memorandum to Italy's premier, 65f; Salesian pupils' good results at state examinations, 68; a
newspaper's defense of the Oratory secondary school, 69; Italian laws
 INDEX

about public and private secondary education and disagreement over their
interpretation, 108ff; order to shut down the Oratory's secondary school, 110; D.B.'s
memorandum to the prefect of the province and to other influential people, 110ff;
D.B.'s conciliatory meeting with school board member, 113ff; crux of the problem:
lack of certified teachers, 115; D.B.'s attempts to delay the closing of the secondary
school, 116-119, 121f, 129f, 140151; newspapers' comments on the closing of the
Oratory's secondary school, 120, 122f, 130; charges and countercharges, 123-127,
131ff; Holy See's request for clarification about the status of Salesian schools and
D.B.'s answer, 161f; former pupil turning against D.B., 229ff
Salesian Society: Cardinal Nina, secretary of state and cardinal protector of the S.S., 55f;
conditions for its growth and long life, 89; first triennial report to the Holy See on the state
of the, 156-169; Holy See's disapproval of the printing of the triennial report, 162f;
conference of D.B. on the growth of the S.S., 276; statistics in 1880, 298f; doubts about the
stability of the S.S., 468f; prediction of the Blessed Virgin for the S.S., 488
Salesian Society-Constitutions: D.B.'s exhortation for the exact observance of the
constitutions, 409
Salesian Society-General Chapter. a delay of the second petition to the Holy See for the
postponement of the second general chapter, 26; second general chapter, 407ff
Salesian Society-Houses; prospects for the opening of a Salesian house in Rome, 51ff;
advice to D.B. in a dream about the opening of houses in Rome, 90; D.B.'s three phases
in the fruitless negotiations for the opening of new houses, 234; unrealized new
foundation in 1879, 235-247; opening of new houses in
INDEX

1879, 248-270; withdrawal from three houses, 254-261; refused, delayed or hardly
begun established new houses, 534-545
Salesian Society-Privileges see Privileges (Canon Law)
Salesian Society-Provinces: erection of new p. and appointment of provincials, 25f; Holy
See's request for clarification about the provinces of the S.S., 161, 164f
Salesians: chastity recommended to Salesians in a dream, 89; suggestions for fostering
vocations, 89; D.B.'s directives about biographies of deceased S., 299; honored by the
National Organization of Catholic Conventions, 374
Salesians, Lay see Coadjutor Brothers
Sampierdarena: D.B.'s stopovers at, 2, 339, 383f; conference to S.C., 383f
San Benign Canavese: opening of a day and evening school and youth center at a former
abbey, 248, 251f; abbey's history, 2481; opposition of the local bishop, 249f; relocation
of the novitiate to, 254; Gastaldi's complaint to D.B. about his visit to, 423f, D.B.'s first
conference to the local Salesian cooperators, 427f; D.B.'s circular to S.C. about, 252
San Nicolas de los Arroyos: decline in the pupils' enrollment and its cause, 224
Santo Domingo: request for Salesian missionaries, 216
Sardinia see Isili
Schools, Salesian see Salesian Schools Sacrifice: D.B.'s spirit of, 4f, 32f, 330
Sicily: benevolence of several bishops toward D.B., 83. See also Acireale, Catania,
Randazzo
Sigismondi, Alexander: his family's devotedness to D.B., 15; D.B.'s letter to the wife of,
16
Sisters, Religious: Holy See's request
for clarifications about the Salesian
priestly ministry to sisters, 161, 166 Society for the Propagation of the
 603

Faith: D.B. petitions for aid, 209, 213

Society of Jesus see Jesuits
Sorbone, Caroline: D.B.'s predictions to, 527f
Souls: D.B.'s zeal for the salvation of, 377f, 428, 432
Spiritual Retreats see Retreats Strenna: for 1880, 293
Superiors: advice to s. about the right spirit in their houses, 89

T
Temperance: one of the two pillars of the S.S., 89; D.B.'s comments in a talk at the
second spiritual retreat at Lanzo in 1879, 277
Tomatis, Dominic, Fr.: director at San Nicolas de los Arroyos, 223; letter from D.B.,
223f
Trion, Stephen, Fr.: mention of, 246, 269; biographical note, 583
Toulon: D.B.'s stopovers at, 17, 310f

U
Unia, Michael, Fr.: mention of, 254; biographical note, 583f
Unita Cattolica: sponsor of a contest for a biography of St. Peter and one of St. Paul,
103-106; comment on the closing of the Oratory secondary school, 120, 122, 127;
articles on the celebration of the feast of M.H.C, 394f

V
Vallecrosia: Protestant efforts to drive the Salesians out of, 277; D.B.'s plans for expansion,
277f; laying of the cornerstone of the Church of M.H.C., 338f
Valsalice College: friendly visit from Archbishop Gastaldi, 47; inauguration of a bird museum,
120
Veronesi, Moses, Fr.: mention of, 541; biographical note, 584f
Vespignani, Joseph, Fr.: mention of,
604

517; letter from D.B., 520f; biographical note, 585

Viedma: progress of the Salesian mission at, 498
Vocations (Priestly and Religious): D.B.'s conference on, 26ff; means to foster vocations, 89;
D.B.'s advice to upperclassmen at Borgo San Martino, 90; D.B. accused of moral pressure
on young men, 229, 232f; D.B.'s circular to pastors for referral of adult vocations, 302. See
also Predictions (D.B.'s)
Vocations, Native: recommendation to foster native v. in the foreign missions, 89
Vocations, Salesian: means for fostering Salesian v., 89
Vows: D.B.'s view about triennial vows, 291, 275f; advice to D.B.
 INDEX

about admitting candidates to the novitiate and to religious profession, 89; D.B.'s policy in
admitting novices to the novitiate and to vows, 435f

Waldensians: conversion of a young Waldensian at the Oratory and the Protestants'

anger, 951
Work: one of the two pillars of the S.S., 89; D.B.'s recommendation to work without
harming one's health, 511; D.B.'s dedication to, xiii
Z
Zeal (D.B.'s): in guiding the Salesians to God, XV; efforts to instill zeal for the salvation
of souls, 377f, 428, 4321