(http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Bosco)
priest and founder
Birth: August 16 1815
Death: January 31 1888
Venerable by: Catholic Church
Beatification : 2 June 1929 by Pope Pius XI
Canonization : 1 April 1934 by Pope Pius XI
Recurrence: January 31
| | " The subtraction of benevolence is a punishment which excites the emulation " |
| | ( The Preventive System, Don Bosco ) |
| | " One not loving gaze on certain produce more effect than would a slap " |
| | ( The Preventive System, Don Bosco ) |
Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco , better known as Don Bosco ( Castelnuovo d'Asti, August 16 1815 - Turin, January 31 1888) was a priest and pedagogue Italian, founder of the congregations Salesians of and Daughters of Mary Help of ; Pope Pius XI canonized him in 1934.
- 1 Life
- 2 Missions in Argentina
- 3 Death and the canonization
- 4 Writings
- 5 Letters
- 6 Notes
- 7 Bibliography
- 8 Filmography
- 9 References in musical texts
- 10 References
- 11 Other projects
- 12 External links
Life [edit ]
Childhood [edit ]
John Bosco was born August 16, 1815 in a farmhouse where now stands the Temple of Don Bosco, a small fraction, "The Beak" of Castelnuovo d'Asti, Today Castelnuovo Don Bosco, the son of Francis and Woods Margaret Occhiena .
His father was a widower from a previous marriage and had already had two children, named Antonio and Maria Teresa, even if the latter had died after just two days after birth. [1] addition to John, by Margaret Occhiena had another son, named Joseph.
The early [edit ]
Francis Bosco, the father, when John was still two years, he contracted a severe pneumonia that led to his death in May of 1817, leaving his wife Margaret widow with three to care for children, in addition to her husband's mother, the elderly and infirm.
were very difficult years for mother Margaret; many people died of starvation and epidemics. Margaret survived along with his children only by buying a high price, the wheat from the priest Don Victor Amed, considered a real shark.
In nine years the little John Bosco had a dream that he himself described as "prophetic" and repeatedly told the boys of his Oratory: [2]
| | " At 9 years old I had a dream. I seemed to be close to home in a vast courtyard, where he enjoyed a lot of guys. Some laughed, others were playing, not just swearing. On hearing the blasphemies, I dashed into their midst. I tried to silence them by using his fists and words. At that moment a man appeared majestic, noble dress. A white blanket covered his whole person. His face was so bright that I could not fix it. He called me by name and ordered me to put me in charge of those boys. He added: "You'll have friends do not have them with blows, but with gentleness and charity. Speak, explain that sin is a bad thing and that friendship with the Lord is a precious commodity." Confused and scared I replied that I was a boy, poor and ignorant, I was not able to talk about religion to those kids. At that moment the boys stopped the fights, the shouting and swearing, and everyone gathered around the speaker. Almost without knowing what I did to him: "Who are you, I commanded the impossible?". "Just because these things seem impossible to you - said - you make it possible to buy the science and obedience." "How can I buy science?". "I will give the teacher. Under his guidance, we become wise, but without her, even those who are wise becomes a poor ignorant." "Who are you?". "I am the son of the woman that your mother taught you to say goodbye to three times a day." "Mom always tells me not to stand with those who do not know, without his permission. So tell me your name. "" My name ask it to my mother. " At that moment I saw him close to a magnificent woman, dressed in a robe that shone on all sides, as if at any point there was a bright star. Seeing more and more confused, waved me to go and next, took me kindly by the hand and said, "Look," I looked and I realized that those boys were all gone. In their place was a crowd of kids, dogs, cats, bears and many other animals. The majestic woman told me: "Here's your field, here's where you have to work. Cresci humble, strong and sturdy, and now you'll see what happens to these animals, you have to do it for my children. "I looked again, and here in the place of many wild animals appeared meek lambs who hopped, ran, bleated, were making merry around the man and the lady. At that point In the dream I started to cry. I told the lady who did not understand all those things. So I put a hand on his head and said: "In time, we all understand." He just said these words that a noise woke me up . Everything was gone. I was stunned. I seemed to have hands that ached for the punches that I gave, that my face was burning to the blows received. In the morning I immediately told the dream before their brothers and sisters laughed, Then his mother and grandmother. Each gave his interpretation. Joseph said: "You will become a shepherd." My mother, "What has not become a priest." Antonio evil: "You will be a chief of brigands." The last word he said to his grandmother, who could neither read nor write: "We must not believe in dreams." I was of the opinion of the grandmother. However, that dream could no longer out of my mind " |
| | ( Memory, Don Bosco ) |
The historian Peter Stella suggested that the dream of the young Woods was influenced a sermon on the mandate of Jesus to St Peter and the famous words: "Feed my sheep . According to the studies of the historical fact that John had his dream the night after the feast of St. Peter.
training and studies [edit ]
Following that dream, the young Woods decided to follow the path of the priesthood, and since the elementary school was far away from his home, he learned to spell from an old farmer who could read. A Capriglio there was an elementary school in the parish and the boy went there to study but I don Lacqua, the chaplain who ran the classes, not welcomed him as one of its students as belonging to another municipality. Luck would have it, the servant of the priest died, they took Occhiena Marianna, sister of Margaret and aunt of John Bosco, therefore, prayed that Don Lacqua to uphold his nephew to school. They reluctantly agreed, but still ended up to become attached to the boy, defending was bullied by classmates because of another country.
To bring the Mass to prayer and to the children of the village, John Bosco decided to learn the tricks of jugglers and acrobats, peers and thus attracting local farmers with magic tricks and jumps, but urges first to recite the rosary and to listen to a reading from the Gospel. Then astonished his audience by walking on the wire as a tightrope walker as he recounted in his memoirs.
In February 1826 John Bosco also lost his paternal grandmother who lived with them. Because she could rein in the three boys of the family, Margaret, frightened by the fact that the child could lose the right way, he asked the parish priest, Don Sismondo, to give him Communion, although the average age of the boys in the Sacrament was twelve, while John Bosco was only eleven. Don Sismondo complied, and so on March 26 1826, the day of Easter , the boy made his First Communion .
The winter that followed was one of the hardest for him: his brother Antonio, who was already looking bad eye to the fact that John attend school and spend more time praying and doing magic tricks, and he complained of barely managed to save the boy from his fists. Margaret was forced to send away the son from the jaws to make it live as an apprentice at the farm of Mr and Mrs Louis and Dorothy wife, where he stayed from February to November 1827 1829. They, at first, they would not accept the young among its workers, but looking at the tenacity and intelligence of the boy decided to keep it with them and has entrusted the herder of the family, The old Joseph, called by all " uncle."
Being eager to learn, John Michael Occhiena asked the uncle, who had exchanges with the seminary at Chieri, to intercede for him to accept a priest to teach him. Michael was not able to get any results. In September of that 1829, in Morialdo had come to establish themselves as Don Giovanni Calo chaplain, priest, seventy, these, after noting how smart and willing to study were young, decided to welcome him into their homes to teach Latin grammar and thus preparing the life of the priest. A year later, namely on 21 November 1830 , John Calo was struck by apoplexy dying and gave the young friend the key to his safe, where they were kept six thousand francs which would have enabled John to study and enter the seminary. The boy, however, preferred not to accept the gift of the teacher and the legacy handed to the relatives of the deceased.
On March 21, 1831 brother Anthony married Anna Rosso, Castelnuovo, and the mother decided to divide the axis sheet with him so that John could go home and resume his studies in September with the possibility of Castelnuovo semi-retirement at John Robert, tailor, and the country musician who taught him his trade. At year end, he decided going to study in Chieri Sussambrino and summer went to a farm that his brother Joseph, along with Joseph Febraro had got sharecropping for further study.
With the help of his master, Don Emanuele Virano, managed to recover all the lost time, but as soon as it was named pastor of Mondonio and had to drop out of school, his replacement, Don Nicola Moglia, seventy-five years, failing to rein in his young students, the young man did lose valuable time that he still Bosco costs learning various trades, such as that of a tailor, with the help of John Roberts and the blacksmith's forge in Evasio Savio, his friend, thanks to whose teachings he would one day be able to establish laboratories for boys of the Oratory of Valdocco.
Priesthood [edit ]
Seminary and his friendship with Louis Comollo [edit ]
A Chieri settled in the guesthouse at the home of Lucia Matta. To keep his studies he worked as a waiter, waiter, clerk, etc. barn. Here he founded the Society of happiness, by which, in the company of some young men of good faith, attempted to bring prayer to his peers through his usual tricks and his stunts. He himself said that one day he could beat a professional acrobat, thus acquiring the cheers and applause of the people in Chieri.
During his student years, John Bosco pressed her friendship with Louis Comollo , nephew of the pastor of Cinzano. The young man was often mistreated by his teammates, insulted and beaten, but often accepted with a smile or a word of pardon these sufferings. The young Woods, meanwhile, could not bear to watch the same age so mistreated and often defended him tussle with his assailants.
words Comollo and its incessant prayers deeply troubled soul of John so that he remembered a day in his Memories: "I can say that from him I started to learn to live as a Christian." With its attitude so gentle and innocent, the future saint realized how important it was for him to attain salvation of soul and what was so imprinted in her mind that one day when he would have founded the Oratory in Valdocco would have transcribed on a sign in his room: "Take away everything, but give me your souls."
In the fall of 1832 , Giovanni Bosco began the third grammar . In the two years following went on regularly attending classes that were called humanity (1833-34) and rhetoric (1834-35), showing an excellent student, lover of books and great memory. In March 1834
John Bosco, who was set to end the years of humanity, appeared to Franciscans demand to be accepted in order, but changed his mind before going into a convent and decided to wear the dress clerical entering the seminary.
The young priest Fr Joseph Cafasso advised him to complete a year of rhetoric, and then to the exam to enter the seminary Chieri, opened in 1829. John passed the examination, which was held in Turin, October 25 took the clerical garb and 30 October 1835 came to the seminary.
On November 3, 1837 John began theology, fundamental study for aspiring to the priesthood. At that time occupied five years, and included as the main subjects dogmatic (the study of Christian truth), the moral (the law that Christians must observe), the Sacred Scripture (the word of God) the ecclesiastical history (Church history from the origins of Christianity to Contemporary).
In the seminar John Bosco Comollo reunited with the friend with whom he could thus restore the close friendship of the past. But the April 2 of 1837, Louis Comollo, already weak physically, he fell ill and died at the age of 22. Two days later, according to an eyewitness account of John Bosco and his roommates, the friend of the deceased appeared to them in the form of a light, shouting: "I'm saved." If that was really a figment of the imagination or did not matter to the prodigious young cleric who from that moment on he decided to "bring salvation above all, to regard it as the only really important thing."
On 29 March 1841 received the order of the diaconate, May 26 began a retreat in preparation for the priesthood who received 5 June 1841 in the Chapel of the Archbishop of Turin.
become a priest, got some work proposals from friends and acquaintances, to reward him and his family made sacrifices, I wanted to Genoa as a tutor or chaplain. But he refused to accept these functions for its own inclination to humility, for the heated sermons of Joseph Cafasso, who accused the priests of gluttony and greed, both for the peremptory affirmation of mother Margaret: "If misfortune to get rich , will never set foot in your house. "
At the invitation ofCafasso, decided to enter early November 1841 , a boarding school in Turin , a former convent near the church of San Francesco di Assisi . In this building the theologian Luigi Guala, helped by the already mentioned Cafasso, 45 young priests preparing to become priests of the time and the society in which they will live. The preparation lasted three years.
first meeting with the young offenders [edit ]
Inspired by the news of Don Giovanni Cocchi, who a few years before him had tried to gather in a disadvantaged kids Oratorio di Torino, Giovanni Woods decided to go down the streets of his city and see what state of decay were the youth of the time. He met the boys so that the square of Porta Palazzo, tried in every way to get a job and often discarded because they are not robust or forced to finish early or underground. Statistics confirm that at that very time 7184 children under ten years were employed in factories [3] .
Piazza San Carlo, Don Bosco could talk to the little chimney sweeps, about seven or eight years, who told him about their job and the problems it generates. They were very respectful of the priest who defended them very often against the abuses of workers in larger attempted to rob them of the meager salary.
With Don Cafasso began to visit prisons and horrified by the degradation in which they lived aged between 12 and 18 years, gnawed by insects and eager to eat a miserable pittance. After several days of antagonism, the prisoners decided to approach the priest, telling him their lives and their agony. Don Bosco knew that those kids would go to ruin without a guide, and then made him promise that as soon as they would be out of jail, they would have reached the church of San Francesco.
L ' 8 December 1841 met, before celebrating Mass in the sacristy of Bartolomeo Garelli Church of San Francesco di Assisi. He was the first boy who joined his group. Don Bosco had thus decided to gather around him all the boys of the degraded area, from small chimney sweeps to former prisoners. Foundations of its future activities were three: friendship with young people (who were often orphans with no family), education and the approach to the Church. The evening of that day, John made friends with the three brothers Buzzetti, from Caronno Varesino , who had fallen asleep during his sermon.
Four days later, during the Sunday mass, there were Bartolomeo Garelli with a large group of friends and brothers Buzzetti, with follow-up of villagers. That would have been the primitive band that kicked off the Oratory of Don Bosco. Soon after the group was so large that the priest asked the assistance of three young priests: Fr Carpano, Don Bridge, Don Trivero. Even some children of average culture came to Don Bosco, helping to hold off the boys more impulsive and rebellious.
In the spring of 1 842 , the return of the land, the brothers led Buzzetti with them the smallest, Joseph, who is very fond of Don Bosco and decided, as adults, to follow the path of the priesthood, becoming his right hand in the future management of the Salesian order. A service
of Marchesi di Barolo [edit ]
autumn dell'1844 Don Giuseppe Cafasso communicated to Don Bosco to pack because they had determined that become the Director of the Hospital of Santa Filomena . Don Cafasso would in fact did know that his young friend with Don Giovanni Borel, a priest attached to the king himself, who could help financially in the management of the Oratory. He would later become the official director of the association.
On April 12, 1846 , Easter Sunday, Don Bosco finally found a place for his kids, a roof with a piece of grass: the Pinardi shed to Valdocco .
In 1854 Don Bosco began the Salesian Society, with which ensured the stability of his work and his spirit for years to come. Ten years later, laid the first stone of the Shrine of Mary Help of . In 1872
with Mazzarello Santa Maria, founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of , with the aim of educating, with the same spirit, the young women.
Missions in Argentina [edit ]
The first shipment [ change]
In 1875 the first missionary expedition departed 's Argentina, land of the great century Italian emigration. Meanwhile, Don Bosco founded the Cooperators, taken by Don Bosco himself as the "Outside the Salesians. The presence of the missionaries had been requested by ' Archbishop, Msgr Aneiros. informed by the Argentine consul Giovanni Battista Gazzolo on the work of the Salesians of Don Bosco proposed to accept the management of a parish in Buenos Aires and college students in San Nicolás de los Arroyos . Don Bosco received the request. With a solemn celebration in the Basilica Mary Help of Christians in Turin on November 11 1875 also began the first Salesian missionary expedition. Led by Don Giovanni Cagliero, the missionaries of Don Bosco took the boat from the port of Genoa on November 14 1875. In Buenos Aires was settled in a parish for Italian immigrants. The second expedition
[edit ]
The second expedition, just one year later, on November 14 1876, led to land another group of Salesians. Don Francis led them Bodrato. With them was opened, also in Buenos Aires, a school of arts and crafts, where they formed tailors, carpenters, bookbinders. Other staff came with his third missionary expedition in 1877 . This time, along with the Salesians, came the first Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, led by Sister Angela Wallis. The dream of Don Bosco for Argentina, however, sought to Patagonia. After years of waiting, in 1879 the opportunity presented itself. The Argentine government gave to General Julio Argentino Roca the military expedition whose objective was the "conquest of the desert . Bishop Espinosa, vicar of Buenos Aires, Don and the Salesians and James Castamagna cleric Botta accompanied the army as chaplains . This starts the mission was in Patagonia. Carmen de Patagones the first Salesian. Later it was opened Chos Malal then Bahía Blanca , Junín de los Andes and gradually the other houses. Great missionaries, like Don and Don Milanesio Fagnano, dedicated commitment and creativity to this generous pastoral land and its inhabitants, especially the Indian of pampa. In 1884 he was appointed Don Cagliero apostolic vicar of northern and central Patagonia, and he was ordained a bishop on December 7 the same year. The missionary Don Bosco's dreams began to bear fruit Church. The importance of the Salesians in the South American country's culture is reflected indirectly by the tango "Cambalache" ("junk shop"), written in 1934 and set to music by Enrique Santos Disciple. The text, despite the pessimism of the author, Don Bosco approaches to positive figures like athlete Primo Carnera and the Argentine national hero José de San Martín
Some figures missionaries [edit ]
After the beginning, understandably tiring, with the enthusiasm grew even the consistency of the sons of Don Bosco in Argentina. At work in this area there are many who have Salesians linked their names writing extraordinary pages of evangelization and human promotion: Don Domenico Milanesio among others, Don Joseph Vespignani, Don Alberto De Agostini , Bishop Joseph Fagnano, Don Luigi Costamagna, German Matthias Saxler Don, Don, and the Argentines Stefano Pagliere and Don Luigi Pedemonte.
A wonderful presence Artemide Zatti was that of a young Italian immigrant who became a Salesian in Argentina, has a humble job as a nurse and valuable, seasoned with a deep spirituality and love of his day, considered the world dies a saint. In April 2002 the Church proclaims, "Blessed " party and generous commitment in the world Salesian Argentina. On the educational side of Patagonia Argentina has produced two young figures who have reached heights of holiness: Ceferino Namuncurá (son of the great cacique Manuel) and Laura Vicuña (FMA student died thirteen in Junín de los Andes). Launched the beatification cause of both: Laura was proclaimed "Blessed" by Pope September 3, 1988 at Colle Don Bosco. Another significant figure is that of D. Juan E. Old: great master of Youth Ministry, was the eighth successor of Don Bosco. Today they are 5 the Salesian Province, spread throughout Argentina (from Buenos Aires to Bahía Blanca, Córdoba from to Rosario, San Miguel de Tucumán by in La Plata ) with more than 120 works inspired by a thousand Salesians (mostly Argentines).
Death and canonization [edit ]
Don Bosco died at dawn on 31 January 1888 . The educational message is condensed around three words: reason, religion and loving kindness. At the base of his preventive system, there was a deep love for young people, key to all its educational work. On June 2, 1929 Pope Pius XI beatified him, declaring him a saint on April 1, 1934 , Easter Sunday.
Among the paintings depicting Saint John Bosco the best known and also disclosed as a saint is that of the painter Luigi Cima kept in the church of San Rocco to Belluno.
Writings [edit ]
- History about the life of Louis Comollo cleric died in seminar Chieri admired by all for his singular virtues written by a colleague , Torino, typography Speirani and Ferrero, 1844;
- Ecclesiastical History of the schools to use, useful to any state of people , Torino, Speirani and Ferrero, 1848;
- The metric system reduced to simple, preceded by the first four operations of arithmetic to be used by craftsmen and of country people, 2. ed. improved and increased, Torino, GB and C. Pearson, 1849;
- The young man proceeded to the practice of 'duties of the exercises of Christian piety for the recitation of the office of the Blessed Virgin and of' Vespers of the year coll'aggiunta a selection of sacred hymns , ed 2. acresciuta, Torino, Tipografia GB Pearson, 1851;
- I started Catholics , Torino, typ. dir. by P. De Agostini, 1853;
- Life of Dominic Savio boy, a pupil of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales , Torino, GB Pearson, 1859;
- The St. Joseph Cafasso. memoirs published in 1860, Turin, International Publishing Company, 1925;
- Memoirs of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales from 1815 to 1855 , introduction and commentary by E. Ceria, Torino, Sei, Soc Ed International, 1946, and subsequent editions;
- published works of St. John Bosco , reprint, Volume 37, Rome, Editrice LAS, sd
- The Three Lives of "Domenico Savio "," Michael Magone " and "Francis Besucco. Memoirs of the Oratory
Letters [edit ]
- Eugenio Ceria, Letters of St. John Bosco , four volumes. From 1835 to 1880, SEI, Torino 1955-1959;
- Letters. 1., 1835-1863. (1-726) , introduction, critical essays and notes by Francesco Motto, Roma, LAS, 1991;
- Letters. 2., 1864-1868. (727-1263) , introduction, critical essays and notes by Francesco Motto, Roma, LAS, 1996;
- Letters. 3., 1869-1872, (1264-1714) , introduction, critical essays and notes by Francesco Motto, Roma, LAS, 1999;
- Letters. 4., 1873-1875, (1715-2243) , introduction, critical essays and notes by Francesco Motto, Roma, LAS, 2003;
Notes [edit ]
- ^ Juan Bosco from Wikipedia in English. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ^ Memoirs, 14-16
- ^ Tarcisio Bosco, Don Bosco: The Story of a priest, page 38
Bibliography [edit ]
- Sergio Quinctius , Questions about holiness, Don Bosco, Cafasso, Cottolengo , Torino, Edizioni Gruppo Abele, 1986;
- Pietro Stella, Don Bosco , Bologna, Il Mulino, 2001;
- Peter Braido , priest Don Bosco youth in the century of freedom , Roma, LAS, 2002-2003;
- Joseph Buccellato, the presence of God, the role of mental in founding charism of St. John Bosco , Rome, Pontifical Gregorian University, 2004;
- Antonio Socci, The anti-Catholic dictatorship, If the Don Bosco and the other side of Risorgimento, Milan, Sugarco, 2004;
- Agassi Domenico, San Giovanni Bosco , Cinisello Balsamo, Sao Paulo, 2005;
Filmography [edit ]
- Don Bosco , film, directed by Goffredo Alessandrini with Gian Paolo Rosmino, Maria Vincenza Stiffi, Robert Pasek, Ferdinand Mayer, Vittorio Vaser, Felice Minotti, 1935;
- Don Bosco , film, directed by Leandro Castellani , with Ben Gazzara , Patsy Kensit , Piera Degli Esposti , Philippe Leroy, 1988;
- Don Bosco , written in two parts, directed by Louis Gasparini with Flavio Insinna and Lina Sastri. Raiuno , 22 - September 23 2004;
- John, the boy's dream , film, directed by Giuseppe Rolando , with P. Bramante, 2005.
References in musical texts [edit ]
Cambalache (Tango), lyrics and music by Enrique Santos Disciple 1934. Full text, score and recording * Todotango
References [edit ]
- Giovanni Cagliero
- Mamma Margherita
- Michele Rua
- PGS
- St. Dominic Savio
- Shrine of Mary Help of
- Salesian Society of St. John Bosco
- Italian Centre Salesian Works Women
- Leonardo Murialdo Other projects
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Wikimedia Commons has media related John Bosco -
Wikiquote contains quotations by or about John Bosco
External links [edit ]
- Salesians in the world
- San Giovanni Bosco - Salesians liturgy
- Livorno
- More on St. John Bosco from saints, blessed and witnesses - Encyclopedia of Saints , SantieBeati.it
- San Giovanni Bosco, Life of saints
- Dreams, maximum and other writings on St. John Bosco
- Chronology of the Life of St. John Bosco
- published works of Don Bosco
- The musical about Don Bosco
- Italy Central District
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