The theme of Pure Love is essential to understanding a Salesian spirituality as lived within the Visitandine tradition. This article explores pure love through the lens of holy indifference which is essential for true spiritual freedom. It concludes with an examination of holy indifference as lived by Mary the paradigm of pure love.
Continue reading “Eunan McDonnell – Holy indifference. Freeing the heart for pure love”
In these pages I would like to reflect on youth ministry with a special focus on family. I hope that, by the end of this reflection no one could say that most of the considerations made were on family ministry rather than on youth ministry. Nevertheless, I think we cannot have a different approach to the subject – youth ministry – when as Church and as Congregation we have had recently at least three magisterial indications in that direction: the letter of the Holy Father on the bicentennial of the birth of St. John Bosco, his apostolic exhortation on love in the family, and the 2017 Strenna of the Rector Major.
This is the story of a woman; a woman that commands our attention; a woman of extraordinary character, virtue and holiness; a woman of exquisite personal sensitivity.
Continue reading “Michael L. Pomo – Giulia Falletti Di Barolo: impelled by Christ’s love”
Don Bosco’s writings are diverse, and yet they had one particular aim: educating the young to religion and life in general. Through the medium of writing, he managed to direct and accompany the young on a journey that would lead them to achieve Christian perfection and personal holiness.
Dominique est entré dans la vie de Don Bosco durant l’automne 1854. L’apôtre turinois avait alors trente-neuf ans. D’emblée, l’enfant et le prêtre s’étaient compris: Don Bosco put former Dominique selon l’idéal de sainteté qu’il portait en lui. Pendant vingt-huit mois, il veilla sur son âme. Toute son œuvre en bénéficia, car il semble bien que la température spirituelle de la «maison» du Valdocco monta en flèche de 1854 à 1857.
La fragilité naturelle de Dominique s’accrut malheureusement très vite et, le 9 mars 1857, il fut emporté par une maladie de poitrine, à quinze ans moins vingt-quatre jours.
Ce jeune garçon avait produit une telle impression que ses nombreux amis et, moins encore, le directeur de son âme ne purent se résoudre à le laisser oublier. Continue reading “Giovanni Bosco – Saint Dominique Savio 1842-1857”
The author of this article wants to explore the phenomenology of Giovanni Bosco’s encounter with his pupils. We would like to explain two explorative issues, that is, a) what are the characteristic features of Giovanni Bosco’s relations with his students and what are the resulting implications; and b) how socially maladjusted youth perceive their educator and how such teacher-student relations fit into the category of the master-apprentice dialogue?
L’activité de saint Jean Bosco (1815-1888), fut assurément multiple. Mais elle se concentra en majeure partie sur l’éducation de la jeunesse. Il a formé, en 47 années passées à son service, plusieurs générations d’adolescents et, de surcroît, des centaines de futurs maîtres qui se sont réclamés de ses conseils et de ses exemples. Pour connaître sa méthode pédagogique, c’est sur sa vie qu’il convient d’abord de se pencher.
Mais ses écrits sont aussi, pour leur part, très révélateurs. Continue reading “Giovanni Bosco – Saint Jean Bosco, Textes pédagogiques”
In a very unique way, the women of the Gospels whose stories Francis cites are noteworthy in that they, to varying extents, enjoyed a personal relationship with Jesus himself, and thus with God. Their understanding of sacred love is therefore particularly profound.
While preparing pilgrimages and spiritual exercises in Annecy and the neighborhood, I discovered reliable sources among the German and Dutch Oblates of St Francis de Sales. As a consequence of keeping contact with various participants, they invited the undersigned to take part in the annual meetings of their Arbeitsgemeinschaft (“study group”) in Eichstätt, Germany.
In many a document the Church has defined the nature, goal and elements of youth ministry and has included it neatly in the methods of evangelization in its different stages. We can proudly say that the Salesian educative-pastoral plan has been, and continues to be, in line with the Church’s evangelizing mission.
The topic of professional formation within the Salesian world is to be read in the light of the early experience of Don Bosco. One will not understand either the vision or the value of Salesian professional training as a whole if one overlooks this fundamental phase which Don Bosco lived and was able to help germinate and blossom.
Continue reading “Fabio Attard – Professional formation of the young in salesian youth ministry”
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