The word “Aesthetics” sounds somewhat abstract in English, but it represents a theme that has been explored in European formation and educational circles. Fr. Biesmans uses the term to include education in music, drama and fine arts, as well as physical education through recreation, gymnastics and sport.
Continue reading “Rik Biesmans – Aesthetics in Don Bosco’s educational system”
Nella concezione educativa di Don Bosco il principio metodologico di base è stato il principio dell’amorevolezza: costruire fiducia, confidenza e amicizia attraverso un atteggiamento non facile di farsi prossimo ai giovani rispetto a tutta la loro vita. L’amorevolezza è quella bontà simpatica, quotidiana, affettiva ed effettiva nel desiderare il bene per la persona del giovane. Don Bosco raccomanda che gli educatori “come padri amorosi parlino, servano di guida ad ogni evenienza, diano consigli ed amorevolmente correggano”.
In Don Bosco’s educational system preaching has special importance, both that which is bound up with the liturgical or catechetical context, and that of the informal, familiar kind. The saint often addressed the community of young people with brief and fervent talks aimed at stirring up their emotions, nurturing their minds, encouraging good resolutions and devout sentiments, and looking ahead to stimulating horizons.
Il volume presenta gli Atti del Convegno mariano internazionale, svoltosi a Roma dal 27 al 30 dicembre 2004 sul tema: “Io ti darò la Maestra …”. Il coraggio di educare alla scuola di Maria.
Christian education of youth in popular works with a markedly missionary character like the Oratories on the outskirts of Turin, frequented by boys who were mostly abandoned and uneducated, required processes that were gradual and geared to each one’s possibilities. The Companion of Youth offered a complete but essential proposal adapted to everyone. Starting with this, Don Bosco used the sacrament of penance, personal chats, suggestions of optional and practical devotions and offered books to read and meditate on. He set up personalised processes which were more adapted to youngsters who were more capable of greater moral and ascetic effort. Continue reading “Giovanni Bosco – Sodalities and spiritual friendships”
The first edition of Il giovane provveduto (in English The Companion of Youth) appeared in 1847 and was Don Bosco’s greatest publishing success. The year he died it had reached its 119th edition. It was reprinted with minor adaptations until 1961. It is also the book which Don Bosco most liked and constantly recommended.
In the years from 1853 to 1862, Valdocco was transformed from a festive Oratory—an open institution—into a complex work: hospice and boarding, college with boarding section, trade workshops, internal classes and publishing centre, amongst the most important sections.
Continue reading “Giovanni Bosco – The two “official” regulations (1877)”
“One and not the last study by Don Bosco this year,” writes J. B. Lemoyne referring to 1863 “was the foundation of the college at Mirabello. He had written up its regulations, using the ones at the Oratory as a basis, specifying all the duties of individual superiors and of the pupils, changing what might not be appropriate for the nature of this Institute.” These “regulations,” that remained simply handwritten for many years, according to what we have from Lemoyne, “had to be the founding statute for all the other Houses that would be opened over time. This meant they were given much importance.”
Continue reading “Giovanni Bosco – First salesian colleges founded outside Turin (1863-1864)”
The Programme—also called Regulations—of the school in Mornese was printed by Don Bosco at the Oratory Press like all the other Regulations for Salesian houses. The text copies many of the items in use at colleges he founded.
The ten brief documents that follow—some perhaps less known than the previous ones in Salesian history—are also interesting from the point of view of the maturing and practice of Don Bosco’s educational system. We have a necessarily limited selection here of personal letters to people responsible for public education, or to young people and teachers, and circulars on pedagogical and didactic issues.
“Don Bosco,” Fr Michael Rua writes in a brief note in 1867 “sad at seeing the great evil that was happening especially amongst young students because of bad literature, planned to set up an association of good classical and modern literature.”
The plan became a reality the following year, when he began publishing the “Library for Italian Youth” or “Library of Italian Classics.”
Continue reading “Giovanni Bosco – Educational reading and spreading good books (1860-1885)”
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