John Bosco
Encyclopedia
John Bosco was an Italian Catholic
priest
, educator
and writer
of the 19th century, who put into practice the convictions of his religion
, dedicating his life to the betterment and education of street children
, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth and employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment
, a method that is known as the preventive system
. A follower of the spirituality
and philosophy
of Francis de Sales
, Bosco dedicated his works to him when he founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales
(more commonly known as the Salesian Society or the Salesians of Don Bosco). Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls, and popularly known as Salesian Sisters. In 1876 Bosco founded a movement of laity
, the Salesian Cooperators
, with the same educational mission to the poor. In 1875 he published Bibliofilo Cattolico - Bollettino Salesiano Mensuale
(The Catholic Book Lover - Salesian Monthly Bulletin.) The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in 50 different editions and 30 languages.
Bosco succeeded in establishing a network
of organizations and centres to carry on his work. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI
in 1934.
. He was the youngest son of Francesco Bosco (1784–1817) and Margaret Occhiena. He had two elder brothers, Antonio and Giuseppe (1813–1862). The Bosco of Becchi were farmhands of the Moglia Family. John Bosco was born into a time of great shortage and famine
in the Piedmontese countryside, following the devastation wrought by the Napoleonic wars
and a drought in 1817.
Margaret played a strong role in Bosco's formation and personality, and was an early supporter of her son's ideals. When he was young, he would put on shows of his skills as a juggler, magician and acrobat with prayers before and after the performance.
In 1825, when he was nine, Bosco had the first of a series of dreams which would play an influential role in his work and outlook. This dream "left a profound impression on him for the rest of his life", according to his own memoirs. Bosco saw a man, who "appeared, nobly attired, with a manly and imposing bearing". The man said to him:
Poverty prevented any serious attempt at schooling. Nevertheless it's suggested that the idea to become a priest came from his early childhood, especially following the dream he had when he was nine. At the time, being a priest was generally seen as a profession for the privileged classes, rather than farmers, although it was not unknown. Some biographers portray his brother Antonio as the main obstacle for Bosco's ambition to study, arguing that "He’s a farmer like us!" Nevertheless, Margaret gave her support to John and he finally left home in February 1828 at the age of twelve. Having to face life by himself at such a young age may have developed his later sympathies to help abandoned boys. After begging unsuccessfully for work, Bosco ended up at the wine farm of Louis Moglia. However, although Bosco could pursue some studies by himself, he was unavailable to attend school for two more years. In 1830 he met Fr. Joseph Calosso, an elderly priest who identified some natural talent and supported his first schooling.
of the Rifugio ("Refuge"), a girls' boarding school founded in Turin
by the Marchioness
Giulia di Barolo, but he had many ministries on the side such as visiting prisoners, teaching catechism and helping out at country parishes.
A growing group of boys would come to the Rifugio on Sundays and feast days to play and learn their catechism
. They were too old to join the younger children in regular catechism classes in the parishes, who mostly chased them away. This was the beginning of the "Oratory of St. Francis de Sales". Bosco and his oratory wandered around town for a few years and were turned out of several places in succession. After only two months based in the church of St Martin, the entire neighborhood expressed its annoyance with the noise coming from the boys at play. A formal complaint was lodged against them with the municipality. Rumors circulated that the meetings conducted by the priest with his boys were dangerous; their recreation could be turned into a revolution against the government. The group was evicted.
In 1846 Bosco rented a shed in the new Valdocco neighborhood on the north end of town from a Mr. Pinardi. This served as the oratory's home. His mother moved in with him and in 1847, he and "Mamma Margherita" began taking in orphans.
Even before this, Bosco had the help of several friends at the oratory. There included priests like Joseph Cafasso
and Borel, some older boys like Giuseppe Buzzetti, Michael Rua
, Giovanni Cagliero
and Carlo Gastini as well as Bosco’s own mother.
One friend was Justice Minister Urbano Rattazzi
, who despite being anticlerical, nevertheless saw value in Bosco’s work. While Rattazzi was pushing a bill through the Sardinian legislature to suppress religious orders, he advised Bosco on how to get around the law and found a religious order to keep the oratory going after its founder’s death. Bosco had been thinking about that problem, too, and had been slowly organizing his helpers into a loose "Congregation of St. Francis de Sales". He was also training select older boys for the priesthood. Another supporter of the religious order's idea was the reigning Pope
, Blessed Pius IX.
Bosco hated the ideals that had been exported by revolutionary France
, calling Rousseau and Voltaire
"two vicious leaders of incredulity", favouring an ultramontane view of politics that acknowledged the supreme authority of the pope. In 1854, when the Kingdom of Sardinia
was about to pass a law suppressing monastic orders and confiscating ecclesiastical properties, Bosco reported a series of dreams about "great funerals at court", referring to politicians or members of the Savoy court. In November 1854, he sent a letter to King Victor Emmanuel II, admonishing him to oppose the confiscation of church property and suppression of the orders, but the King did nothing. His actions, which had been described by Italian historian Erberto Petoia as having "manifest blackmailing intentions", ended only after the intervention of Prime Minister
Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour
. Despite such criticisms, the King's family did in fact suffer a number of deaths in a short period. From January to May 1855, the King's mother (age 54), wife (32), newborn son (Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Genoa; nearly 4 months old), and his only brother (32) all died.
Several attempts were made on his life, including a near-stabbing, bludgeoning and a shooting. Early biographers put this down to the growing influence of the Waldensians
in opposition to Catholic clergy.
Opposition to Bosco and his work came from various quarters. Traditionalist clergy accused him of stealing a lot of young and old people away from their own parishes. Nationalist politicians (including some clergy) saw his several hundred young men as recruiting ground for revolution. The Marquis de Cavour, chief of police in Turin, regarded the open-air catechisms as overtly political and a threat to the State, and was highly suspicious of Bosco's support for the powers of the papacy. Bosco was interrogated on several occasions, but no charges made. Closure may have been prevented by orders from the king that Bosco was not to be disturbed.
In 1859, Bosco selected the experienced priest Alasonatti, 15 seminarians and one high school boy and formed them into the "Society of St. Francis de Sales." This was the nucleus of the Salesians, the religious order that would carry on his work. When the group had their next meeting, they voted on the admission of Joseph Rossi as a lay member, the first Salesian brother. The Salesian Congregation was divided into priests, seminarians and "coadjutors" (the lay brothers).
Next, he worked with estarino, Mary Mazzarello
and a group of girls in the hill town of Mornese
. In 1871, he founded a group of religious sisters to do for girls what the Salesians were doing for boys. They were called the "Daughters of Mary Help of Christians." In 1874, he founded yet another group, the "Salesian Cooperators." These were mostly lay people who would work for young people like the Daughters and the Salesians, but would not join a religious order.
The story of the departure of the first Salesians for America in 1875 is based on the missionary ideal of Bosco. After his ordination, he would have become a missionary had not his director, Joseph Cafasso
, opposed the idea. He eagerly read the Italian edition of the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith and used this magazine to illustrate his Cattolico provveduto (1853) and his Month of May booklets (1858).
When Bosco founded the Salesian Society, the thought of the missions still obsessed him, though he completely lacked the financial means at that time. One night, he dreamt again. Being on a vast plain, inhabited by primitive peoples, who spent their time hunting or fighting among themselves or against soldiers in European uniforms. Along came a band of missionaries, but they were all massacred. A second group appeared, which Bosco at once recognized as Salesians. Astonished, he witnessed an unexpected change when the fierce savages laid down their arms and listened to the missionaries. The dream made a great impression on Bosco, because he tried hard to identify the men and the country of the dream.
For three years, Bosco searched among documents, trying to get information about different countries, thus identifying the country from his dream. One day, a request came from Argentina
, which turned him towards the Indians of Patagonia
. To his surprise, a study of the people there convinced him that the country and its inhabitants were the ones he had seen in his dream.
He regarded it as a sign of providence and started preparing a missionary there. Adopting a way of evangelization that would not expose his missionaries suddenly to wild, uncivilized tribes, he proposed to set up bases in safe locations where their missionary efforts were to be launched.
The above request from Argentina came about as follows: Towards the end of 1874, John Bosco received letters from that country requesting that he accept an Italian parish in Buenos Aires and a school for boys at San Nicolas de los Arroyos. Gazzolo, the Argentine Consul at Savona, had sent the request, for he had taken a great interest in the Salesian work in Liguria and hoped to obtain the Salesians' help for the benefit of his country. Negotiations started after Archbishop Aneiros of Buenos Aires
had indicated that he would be glad to receive the Salesians. They were successful mainly because of the good offices of the priest of San Nicolas, Pedro Ceccarelli, a friend of Gazzolo, who was in touch with and had the confidence of Bosco. In a ceremony held on 29 January 1875, Bosco was able to convey the great news to the oratory in the presence of Gazzolo. On 5 February he announced the fact in a circular letter to all Salesians asking volunteers to apply in writing. He proposed that the first missionary departure start in October. Practically all the Salesians volunteered for the missions.
By this time Italy was united under Piedmontese leadership. The poorly-governed Papal States
were merged into the new kingdom. It was generally thought that Bosco supported the Pope
.
to be a "matter of the heart" and said that the boys must not only be loved, but know that they are loved. He also pointed to three components of the Preventive System: reason
, religion
and kindness
. Music
and game
s also went into the mix.
Bosco gained a reputation
early on of being a saint and miracle
worker. For this reason, Rua, Buzzetti, Cagliero and several others chronicled his sayings and doings. Preserved in the Salesian archives, these remain resources for studying his life. Later on, the Salesian Lemoyne collected and combined them into 77 scrapbook
s with oral testimonies and Bosco’s own Memoirs of the Oratory. His aim was to write a detailed biography. This project eventually became a nineteen-volume enterprise, carried out by him and two other authors. These are the Biographical Memoirs. It is not the work of professional historian
s, but chronicles that preserve the memories of teenage boys.
process, testimony was heard about how he went around Gastaldi to get some of his men ordained and about their lack of academic preparation and ecclesiastical decorum
. Political cartoons from the 1860s and later showed him shaking money from the pocket
s of old ladies or going off to America for the same purpose. These cartoons were not forgotten. Opponents of Bosco, including some cardinals
, were in a position to block his canonization and many Salesians feared around 1925 that they would succeed.
Pope Pius XI
had known Bosco and pushed the cause forward. Bosco was declared Blessed
in 1929 and canonized on Easter Sunday of 1934, when he was given the title of "Father and Teacher of Youth".
While Bosco had been popularly known as the patron saint of illusionists, on 30 January 2002, Silvio Mantelli
petitioned Pope John Paul II
to formally declare St. John Bosco the Patron of Stage Magicians. Catholic stage magicians who practice Gospel Magic
venerate Bosco by offering free magic shows to underprivileged children on his feast day.
Bosco's work was carried on by his early pupil, collaborator and companion, Michael Rua
, who was appointed Rector Major of the Salesian Society by Pope Leo XIII
in 1888. Salesians have started many schools and colleges around the world.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, educator
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of the 19th century, who put into practice the convictions of his religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, dedicating his life to the betterment and education of street children
Street children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth and employing teaching methods based on love rather than punishment
Punishment
Punishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group....
, a method that is known as the preventive system
Salesian Preventive System
Salesian Preventive System is the educative method developed by the Salesians upon the pedagogical experience of Saint John Bosco with poor youngsters in 19th century Turin. It is based on three pillars: reason, religion and loving-kindness...
. A follower of the spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of Francis de Sales
Francis de Sales
Francis de Sales was Bishop of Geneva and is a Roman Catholic saint. He worked to convert Protestants back to Catholicism, and was an accomplished preacher...
, Bosco dedicated his works to him when he founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales
Salesians of Don Bosco
The Salesians of Don Bosco is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the late nineteenth century by Saint John Bosco in an attempt, through works of charity, to care for the young and poor children of the industrial revolution...
(more commonly known as the Salesian Society or the Salesians of Don Bosco). Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls, and popularly known as Salesian Sisters. In 1876 Bosco founded a movement of laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
, the Salesian Cooperators
Association of Salesian Cooperators
Association of Salesian Cooperators is the movement of laity of the Salesian Family of Don Bosco. It is also one of the three main branches of the Salesian Family founded directly by Don Bosco in 1876...
, with the same educational mission to the poor. In 1875 he published Bibliofilo Cattolico - Bollettino Salesiano Mensuale
Salesian Bulletin
The Salesian Bulletin is an official publication of the Salesians that was founded in August 1877 by Don Bosco. It has been published without interruption since then. The proliferation of the educational works of Don Bosco in the five continents, is the first responsible of the survival of the...
(The Catholic Book Lover - Salesian Monthly Bulletin.) The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in 50 different editions and 30 languages.
Bosco succeeded in establishing a network
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
of organizations and centres to carry on his work. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
in 1934.
Life
Bosco was born in the evening of 16 August 1815 in BecchiCastelnuovo Don Bosco
Castelnuovo Don Bosco is a comune in the province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 20 km east of Turin and about 25 km northwest of Asti, on a hill near the confluence of the Nevissano and Bardella.Castelnuovo Don Bosco borders the following municipalities:...
. He was the youngest son of Francesco Bosco (1784–1817) and Margaret Occhiena. He had two elder brothers, Antonio and Giuseppe (1813–1862). The Bosco of Becchi were farmhands of the Moglia Family. John Bosco was born into a time of great shortage and famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
in the Piedmontese countryside, following the devastation wrought by the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
and a drought in 1817.
Margaret played a strong role in Bosco's formation and personality, and was an early supporter of her son's ideals. When he was young, he would put on shows of his skills as a juggler, magician and acrobat with prayers before and after the performance.
In 1825, when he was nine, Bosco had the first of a series of dreams which would play an influential role in his work and outlook. This dream "left a profound impression on him for the rest of his life", according to his own memoirs. Bosco saw a man, who "appeared, nobly attired, with a manly and imposing bearing". The man said to him:
Poverty prevented any serious attempt at schooling. Nevertheless it's suggested that the idea to become a priest came from his early childhood, especially following the dream he had when he was nine. At the time, being a priest was generally seen as a profession for the privileged classes, rather than farmers, although it was not unknown. Some biographers portray his brother Antonio as the main obstacle for Bosco's ambition to study, arguing that "He’s a farmer like us!" Nevertheless, Margaret gave her support to John and he finally left home in February 1828 at the age of twelve. Having to face life by himself at such a young age may have developed his later sympathies to help abandoned boys. After begging unsuccessfully for work, Bosco ended up at the wine farm of Louis Moglia. However, although Bosco could pursue some studies by himself, he was unavailable to attend school for two more years. In 1830 he met Fr. Joseph Calosso, an elderly priest who identified some natural talent and supported his first schooling.
Priesthood and first apostolates
John Bosco began as the chaplainChaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the Rifugio ("Refuge"), a girls' boarding school founded in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
by the Marchioness
Marchioness
Marchioness could refer to:*A noblewoman with the rank of Marquess, or the wife of a Marquess.*The Marchioness, a pleasure boat that was sunk on the River Thames in 1989....
Giulia di Barolo, but he had many ministries on the side such as visiting prisoners, teaching catechism and helping out at country parishes.
A growing group of boys would come to the Rifugio on Sundays and feast days to play and learn their catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
. They were too old to join the younger children in regular catechism classes in the parishes, who mostly chased them away. This was the beginning of the "Oratory of St. Francis de Sales". Bosco and his oratory wandered around town for a few years and were turned out of several places in succession. After only two months based in the church of St Martin, the entire neighborhood expressed its annoyance with the noise coming from the boys at play. A formal complaint was lodged against them with the municipality. Rumors circulated that the meetings conducted by the priest with his boys were dangerous; their recreation could be turned into a revolution against the government. The group was evicted.
In 1846 Bosco rented a shed in the new Valdocco neighborhood on the north end of town from a Mr. Pinardi. This served as the oratory's home. His mother moved in with him and in 1847, he and "Mamma Margherita" began taking in orphans.
Even before this, Bosco had the help of several friends at the oratory. There included priests like Joseph Cafasso
Joseph Cafasso
Giuseppe Cafasso was a significant social reformer in early nineteenth-century Turin, born in Castelnuovo d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy....
and Borel, some older boys like Giuseppe Buzzetti, Michael Rua
Michael Rua
Blessed Michael Rua was an Italian Catholic activist, a friend of Don Bosco and co-founder and first Rector Major of the Salesians.The last of nine children, he entered Don Bosco’s Oratory in 1852...
, Giovanni Cagliero
Giovanni Cagliero
Giovanni Cagliero SDB was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Delegate to Nicaragua from 1908 to 1915, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1915.-Biography:...
and Carlo Gastini as well as Bosco’s own mother.
One friend was Justice Minister Urbano Rattazzi
Urbano Rattazzi
Urbano Pio Francesco Rattazzi was an Italian statesman.-Biography:He was born in Alessandria . He studied law at Turin, and in 1838 began his practice, which met with marked success at the capital and Casale. In 1848, Rattazzi was sent to the Sardinian chamber of deputies in Turin as...
, who despite being anticlerical, nevertheless saw value in Bosco’s work. While Rattazzi was pushing a bill through the Sardinian legislature to suppress religious orders, he advised Bosco on how to get around the law and found a religious order to keep the oratory going after its founder’s death. Bosco had been thinking about that problem, too, and had been slowly organizing his helpers into a loose "Congregation of St. Francis de Sales". He was also training select older boys for the priesthood. Another supporter of the religious order's idea was the reigning Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, Blessed Pius IX.
Bosco hated the ideals that had been exported by revolutionary France
Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution
The dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of the results of a number of separate policies, conducted by various governments of France between the start of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Concordat of 1801, forming the basis of the later and...
, calling Rousseau and Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
"two vicious leaders of incredulity", favouring an ultramontane view of politics that acknowledged the supreme authority of the pope. In 1854, when the Kingdom of Sardinia
Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...
was about to pass a law suppressing monastic orders and confiscating ecclesiastical properties, Bosco reported a series of dreams about "great funerals at court", referring to politicians or members of the Savoy court. In November 1854, he sent a letter to King Victor Emmanuel II, admonishing him to oppose the confiscation of church property and suppression of the orders, but the King did nothing. His actions, which had been described by Italian historian Erberto Petoia as having "manifest blackmailing intentions", ended only after the intervention of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour
Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour
Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour, of Isolabella and of Leri was a leading figure in the movement toward Italian unification...
. Despite such criticisms, the King's family did in fact suffer a number of deaths in a short period. From January to May 1855, the King's mother (age 54), wife (32), newborn son (Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Genoa; nearly 4 months old), and his only brother (32) all died.
Several attempts were made on his life, including a near-stabbing, bludgeoning and a shooting. Early biographers put this down to the growing influence of the Waldensians
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
in opposition to Catholic clergy.
Opposition to Bosco and his work came from various quarters. Traditionalist clergy accused him of stealing a lot of young and old people away from their own parishes. Nationalist politicians (including some clergy) saw his several hundred young men as recruiting ground for revolution. The Marquis de Cavour, chief of police in Turin, regarded the open-air catechisms as overtly political and a threat to the State, and was highly suspicious of Bosco's support for the powers of the papacy. Bosco was interrogated on several occasions, but no charges made. Closure may have been prevented by orders from the king that Bosco was not to be disturbed.
Foundation of the Salesian Family
Next, he worked with estarino, Mary Mazzarello
Mary Mazzarello
Saint Maria Domenica Mazzarello was the Italian founder of the Salesian Sisters.-Life:She was born in Mornese, in what is now the province of Alessandria, northern Italy, to a poor family who worked as day laborers....
and a group of girls in the hill town of Mornese
Mornese
Mornese is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km southeast of Turin and about 35 km southeast of Alessandria....
. In 1871, he founded a group of religious sisters to do for girls what the Salesians were doing for boys. They were called the "Daughters of Mary Help of Christians." In 1874, he founded yet another group, the "Salesian Cooperators." These were mostly lay people who would work for young people like the Daughters and the Salesians, but would not join a religious order.
The story of the departure of the first Salesians for America in 1875 is based on the missionary ideal of Bosco. After his ordination, he would have become a missionary had not his director, Joseph Cafasso
Joseph Cafasso
Giuseppe Cafasso was a significant social reformer in early nineteenth-century Turin, born in Castelnuovo d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy....
, opposed the idea. He eagerly read the Italian edition of the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith and used this magazine to illustrate his Cattolico provveduto (1853) and his Month of May booklets (1858).
When Bosco founded the Salesian Society, the thought of the missions still obsessed him, though he completely lacked the financial means at that time. One night, he dreamt again. Being on a vast plain, inhabited by primitive peoples, who spent their time hunting or fighting among themselves or against soldiers in European uniforms. Along came a band of missionaries, but they were all massacred. A second group appeared, which Bosco at once recognized as Salesians. Astonished, he witnessed an unexpected change when the fierce savages laid down their arms and listened to the missionaries. The dream made a great impression on Bosco, because he tried hard to identify the men and the country of the dream.
For three years, Bosco searched among documents, trying to get information about different countries, thus identifying the country from his dream. One day, a request came from Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, which turned him towards the Indians of Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
. To his surprise, a study of the people there convinced him that the country and its inhabitants were the ones he had seen in his dream.
He regarded it as a sign of providence and started preparing a missionary there. Adopting a way of evangelization that would not expose his missionaries suddenly to wild, uncivilized tribes, he proposed to set up bases in safe locations where their missionary efforts were to be launched.
The above request from Argentina came about as follows: Towards the end of 1874, John Bosco received letters from that country requesting that he accept an Italian parish in Buenos Aires and a school for boys at San Nicolas de los Arroyos. Gazzolo, the Argentine Consul at Savona, had sent the request, for he had taken a great interest in the Salesian work in Liguria and hoped to obtain the Salesians' help for the benefit of his country. Negotiations started after Archbishop Aneiros of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
had indicated that he would be glad to receive the Salesians. They were successful mainly because of the good offices of the priest of San Nicolas, Pedro Ceccarelli, a friend of Gazzolo, who was in touch with and had the confidence of Bosco. In a ceremony held on 29 January 1875, Bosco was able to convey the great news to the oratory in the presence of Gazzolo. On 5 February he announced the fact in a circular letter to all Salesians asking volunteers to apply in writing. He proposed that the first missionary departure start in October. Practically all the Salesians volunteered for the missions.
By this time Italy was united under Piedmontese leadership. The poorly-governed Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
were merged into the new kingdom. It was generally thought that Bosco supported the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
.
The Preventive System
Bosco's capability to attract numerous boys and adult helpers was connected to his "Preventive System of Education". He believed educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
to be a "matter of the heart" and said that the boys must not only be loved, but know that they are loved. He also pointed to three components of the Preventive System: reason
Reason
Reason is a term that refers to the capacity human beings have to make sense of things, to establish and verify facts, and to change or justify practices, institutions, and beliefs. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, ...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and kindness
Kindness
Kindness is the act or the state of being kind, being marked by good and charitable behaviour, pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions ....
. Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s also went into the mix.
Bosco gained a reputation
Reputation
Reputation of a social entity is an opinion about that entity, typically a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria...
early on of being a saint and miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
worker. For this reason, Rua, Buzzetti, Cagliero and several others chronicled his sayings and doings. Preserved in the Salesian archives, these remain resources for studying his life. Later on, the Salesian Lemoyne collected and combined them into 77 scrapbook
Scrapbook
Scrapbook can refer to:* Scrapbooking, the process of making a scrapbook* Scrapbook , a Mac OS application* Scrapbook , a Switchblade Symphony album* Scrapbook * ScrapBook, a Firefox extension...
s with oral testimonies and Bosco’s own Memoirs of the Oratory. His aim was to write a detailed biography. This project eventually became a nineteen-volume enterprise, carried out by him and two other authors. These are the Biographical Memoirs. It is not the work of professional historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s, but chronicles that preserve the memories of teenage boys.
Bosco's concerns over his influence
Shortly before his death, Bosco commented "I will reveal to you now a fear... I fear that one of ours may come to misinterpret the affection that Don Bosco had for the young, and from the way that I received their confession - really, really close - and may let himself get carried away with too much sensuality towards them, and then pretend to justify himself by saying that Don Bosco did the same, be it when he spoke to them in secret, be it when he received their confession. I know that one can be conquered by way of the heart, and I fear dangers, and spiritual harm."Death and legacy
Bosco died on 31 January 1888. His funeral was attended by thousands. Soon after there was popular demand to have him canonized. The Archdiocese of Turin investigated and witnesses were called to determine if Bosco was worthy to be declared a saint. The Salesians, Daughters and Cooperators gave supportive testimonies. But many remembered Bosco’s controversies in the 1870s with Archbishop Gastaldi and some others high in the Church hierarchy thought him a loose cannon and a wheeler-dealer. In the canonizationCanonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
process, testimony was heard about how he went around Gastaldi to get some of his men ordained and about their lack of academic preparation and ecclesiastical decorum
Decorum
Decorum was a principle of classical rhetoric, poetry and theatrical theory that was about the fitness or otherwise of a style to a theatrical subject...
. Political cartoons from the 1860s and later showed him shaking money from the pocket
Pocket
A pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets may also be attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items...
s of old ladies or going off to America for the same purpose. These cartoons were not forgotten. Opponents of Bosco, including some cardinals
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
, were in a position to block his canonization and many Salesians feared around 1925 that they would succeed.
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
had known Bosco and pushed the cause forward. Bosco was declared Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
in 1929 and canonized on Easter Sunday of 1934, when he was given the title of "Father and Teacher of Youth".
While Bosco had been popularly known as the patron saint of illusionists, on 30 January 2002, Silvio Mantelli
Silvio Mantelli
Silvio Mantelli is an Italian Salesian Catholic priest, whose principal ministry is that of a Gospel Magician. His stage name is "Mago Sales".He was born in Turin. He is currently the Director of , an organization dedicated to Gospel Magic...
petitioned Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
to formally declare St. John Bosco the Patron of Stage Magicians. Catholic stage magicians who practice Gospel Magic
Gospel Magic
Gospel magic is the use of otherwise standard stage magic tricks and illusions to promote Christian messages. Gospel Magic does not claim to invoke spirits or paranormal powers....
venerate Bosco by offering free magic shows to underprivileged children on his feast day.
Bosco's work was carried on by his early pupil, collaborator and companion, Michael Rua
Michael Rua
Blessed Michael Rua was an Italian Catholic activist, a friend of Don Bosco and co-founder and first Rector Major of the Salesians.The last of nine children, he entered Don Bosco’s Oratory in 1852...
, who was appointed Rector Major of the Salesian Society by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
in 1888. Salesians have started many schools and colleges around the world.
Sources and Studies
. These volumes translate A projected 7-volume series, 4 published to date. Translation ofFurther reading
External links
- Salesians of Don Bosco Official Website (multi-lingual website)
- Salesians of Don Bosco Official Website (Philippine North)
- Salesians of Don Bosco Official Website (Philippine South)
- Salesians of the UK
- UK Salesian (alumnus) website
- Don Bosco's important writings in original language
- Founder Statue in St Peter's Basilica
- Published Writings (italian)
- SPYS - Salesian Pastoral Youth Service
- Saint John Bosco: Modern Apostle of Youth by the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
- - Development office of the Salesian Province of St.Joseph, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA ( INH )
- Who is Don Bosco?