Anita Deleidi – La dimensione mariana della vocazione della Figlia di Maria Ausiliatrice alle origini dell’Istituto

La riflessione di Anita  Deleidi si concentra sul senso e sulla modalità di attuazione della devozione mariana alle origini dell’istituto delle FMA. Ci permette così di conoscere con precisione e con ricchezza di dati quali siano state l ’intenzionalità e le caratteristiche volute da don Bosco nel delineare l’identità mariana dell’istituto nella sua peculiare missione educativa. Inoltre, ci consente di cogliere quale sia stato l ’apporto originale di S. Maria Domenica Mazzarello nella realizzazione di quella spiritualità mariana mornesina, destinata a superare i limiti del tempo e delle frontiere.

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John Dickson – An introduction to Don Rua’s letters to England

Michael Rua (1837-1910) was a pupil, then the lifetime collaborator and finally, the first successor of St. John Bosco as Rector Major of the Salesian Society (1888-1910). During his Rectorate the Salesians grew from 1030 members in 64 houses to 4420 confreres scattered across the globe. Don Rua’s letters to England offer the reader a glimpse of the character of their writer and of the pastoral care he took of a small group of relatively insignificant Salesians in what was very often the inhospitable atmosphere of the British empire at the height of its power.

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Giovanni Bosco – First salesian colleges founded outside Turin (1863-1864)

“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.”

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Giovanni Bosco – Educational reading and spreading good books (1860-1885)

“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.”

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Giovanni Bosco – Summary of goodnights to the boys at Valdocco (1864-1877)

Amongst the more original practices put in place as part of the educational praxis at Valdocco, and maintained in the Salesian tradition that then followed from it, we would have to highlight the “Goodnights”: brief “talks” or “short speeches” after night prayers. Don Bosco addressed the pupils in the presence of their educators (superiors of the house, teachers assistants), in a familiar way using simple and attractive language.

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Giovanni Bosco – Reminders to practise the Preventive System (1884-1885)

In his 1877 booklet on pedagogy, Don Bosco highlights the advantages of the Preventive System and other reasons for which it should be preferred. At the same time he recognises that the “practical application” of the educational approach he is proposing implies “certain difficulties” for educators.

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Giovanni Bosco – Recourse to public charity

As we have just said, for the financial resources needed to supply the everincreasing costs of his work, Don Bosco appealed to institutions: the Royal family, Government authorities, public officials (local council, provincial, state …), existing charitable organisations locally, the National Bank, parishes, dioceses, the Holy See itself through his best supporters, including the Pope.

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Giovanni Bosco – Appeals to private charity

The financial contributions asked for and obtained from public authorities and institutions were certainly not enough to help him confront the huge expenses of the Salesian Work. It was necessary to appeal to private charity. Logically, Don Bosco turned especially to families and individuals who had financial possibilities, meaning those belonging to the nobility, mostly large property owners, and the upper and middle class of the time who were notably ready to dispense charity. Some of these, albeit modest in their private savings, could actually find an outlet in educational and charitable works such as those of Don Bosco.

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Giovanni Bosco – Educational experiences in the school and family setting (1855)

The “document that properly begins the representation of Don Bosco’s real experience as an educator is The Sway of a Good Upbringing. Here we find the Director of the Oratory of St Francis de Sales as catechist, counsellor and confidant of young Peter”, even if he “is in the shade and not fully defined.”

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Giovanni Bosco – Difficult relationships with the Archbishop of Turin

Relationships between Don Bosco and Archbishop Gastaldi went through two different stages, one of great understanding and cooperation, and another of notable difficulties and conflicts. The watershed could be considered to be Gastaldi’s transferral from the Episcopal See of Saluzzo to being Archbishop of Turin in 1871.

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